Most Anticipated Comics of 2010

Now that we've rung in the New Year and the best-of lists are beginning to taper off, it's time to take a look at the highlights of what next year has to offer in the medium of comics.

Manga

AX anthology - Top Shelf is releasing a greatest hits of offerings from Japan's alternative comics anthology of the same name.

Bakuman - The creative team behind the fantastic series Death Note release Bakuman this year, about aspiring manga artists.

Black Blizzard - An early crime story from Yoshihiro Tatsumi, creator of A Drifting Life and The Push-Man and Other Stories.

Reprint Collections

Nancy Is Happy: The Complete Dailies: 1942-1945 - It was only a matter of time before these were reprinted.  One of the major omissions from the comic strip reprint boom is Ernie Bushmiller's beloved comic.

Walt & Skeezix (Volume 4): 1927-1928 - Drawn & Quarterly finally continues reprinting Frank King's comic strip.

Archie - IDW is doing several reprint collections of Archie material through their Library of American Comics imprint, including the original strips by John Goldwater and Bob Mantana, and best-of collections of runs by artists such as Dan DeCarlo and Stan Goldberg.

Graphic Novels

Wilson - Probably one of the most anticipated releases of the year is this new graphic novel by Daniel Clowes.

The Wild Kingdom - A Kevin Huizenga graphic novel featuring his creation Glenn Ganges.

Artichoke Tales - A collection of Megan Kelso (Squirrel Mother) mini-comics.

If 'N Oof - Innovative publisher Picturebox is releasing this brand-spanking new graphic novel by Brian Chippendale.

Superhero/Genre Comics

Thor - Matt Fraction, who's had some acclaimed runs on recent superhero comics such as Invincible Iron Man and The Order is going to be taking a crack at the god, with John Romita Jr. on art.

Mouse Guard: The Black Axe - The third series in David Petersen's Eisner Award Winning series is a prequel to the first two, featuring the popular character Black Axe.

Joe the Barbarian - This new Vertigo series by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy follows a diabetic kid who may or may not be in an insulin-deprived hallucination when he's transported to a land populated by his toys.

Gunnerkrigg Court (Book 2) - I loved the first book in Tim Siddell's all-ages fantasy series, and more of the on-line comic sees print this year through Archaia.

International

Blacksad - Dark Horse is reprinting the first three Blacksad stories in one nice hardcover presentation, completely relettered with creator input, and containing a new album never before translated.

It Was the War of the Trenches - This continues Fantagraphic's translations of Jacques Tardi's material state-side, following West Coast Blues and You Are There, books appearing on several best-of-the-year lists in 2009.