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Best of 2016: Carver: A Paris Story

By Dustin Cabeal

It’s a good thing for me that I decided not to number this list because it would be incredibly difficult to do. It’s also a good thing for the rest of the titles featured in our “Best of 2016” articles because Carver: A Paris Story isn’t just one of the best of 2016, but one of the best comics I’ve ever read.

You can fall into the trap of over simplifying Carver, but that would be a terrible injustice. I’ve written several reviews for the mini/trade so if you want the long version, read those. For the sake of time I will just tell you that it’s about war. Now… if you think of war in simple terms then that is a simple recap for you, but if you understand that the costs of war on an individual is far greater than a battle between nations and people, then you might understand a fraction of what Carver is about. For me, it’s not just about war, but second chances, family, friendship and that while the cost of war is great, life finds a way to provide. I could say that Carver is so much more than a war story, but again, I think it’s exactly what a war story is.

That and the art is hands down some of the best of the year and pushes the medium in new and clever ways. I can’t wait to see what Chris Hunt does next, because he’s made a fan out of me.