USA Today's writers-about-comics Brian Truitt, David Colton and John Geddes list the best graphic novels and collections of the year:
David Colton
• Before Watchmen, by various (DC Comics)
• Comics About Cartoonists, edited by Craig Yoe (IDW Publishing)
• The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme, by Joe Sacco (W.W. Norton)
• John Byrne's Fantastic Four Artist's Edition (IDW Publishing)
• S.H.I.E.L.D. by Steranko: The Complete Collection (Marvel)
John Geddes
• Battling Boy, by Paul Pope (First Second Books)
• The Black Beetle, Vol. 1: No Way Out, by Francesco Francavilla (Dark Horse)
• Journey, by Aaron Becker (Candlewick Press)
• Saga, Vol. 2, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
• The Thrilling Adventure Hour, by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (Archaia)
Brian Truitt
• Blue Is the Warmest Color, by Julie Maroh (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker (Dark Horse)
• Genius, by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen (First Second Books)
• The Reason for Dragons, by Chris Northrop and Jeff Stokely (Archaia)
• The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Vertigo)
Commentary on each of the selections can be found at the link.