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J.T. Yost, Losers Weepers, 2009.

It’s a bit hard to get a handle on this comic at first, but when it snaps into place, it’s really a knockout. Yost finds bits of written ephemera, lost notes and journals, and strings these bits of other people’s lives together into a continuous tale (punctuated by the lost writings themselves). I suppose it’s in the nature of these missives that they’re a bit sad. Even notes that wouldn’t be sad in other contexts take on a bit of saudade when you know they’ve been lost. As with most work done under constraints, the story itself is unusual, probably something Yost would never have come up with if he was simply starting with a blank page.

Age: adult

What is this “Notable” thing all about? Matt and Jessica are the series editors for the Best American Comics, and are responsible for the Notable Comics list at the back of the book, which is comprised of virtually all the comics we sent to the guest editor that weren’t picked, as well as a number of others that we think are noteworthy for various reasons, but that we didn’t send to the guest editor.

We’ve always hoped readers will delve a bit into the list to find more great stories once they finish reading BAC. Realistically, though, we know that’s tough. What can you know about a story from a title and author? So this is one of a series of posts focusing on each of the Notables from the 2010 Best American Comics.

Have or know of a comic we should look at? Find submission info here.

The “age” suggestion is what we think might be the minimum age for reading and appreciating a work. All works on the list, though, should appeal to older audiences too. It’s a minimum suggestion only.