POGOSTICK #1 (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2003)

Al Columbia, creator of the highly regarded series The Biologic Show, teams up with Top Notch creator Ethan Persoff to collaborate on what is a gem of a tale about a man with the inescapable malaise that comes from doing the same thing day in and day out. Persoff's flat drawing style perfectly captures the empty world of Audrey, a mostly incompetent member of a design firm who doesn't want the meager responsibilities he has. But we never quite know if Audrey is drifting through it all or if he's a brilliant manipulator, thanks to Columbia's always-sublime writing.