2012 Hugos: Graphic Novels

• Digger
• Locke & Key Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom
• Fables Vol 15: Rose Red
• The Unwritten Vol. 4: Leviathan
• Schlock Mercenary: Force Multiplication

First place goes to the only standalone story, the 830-page Digger, though it was originally published in multiple volumes. I also loved the engineering-minded protagonist, and the many characters who spark off each other well. The other entrants are all later volumes in ongoing stories, so there's the strong sense of coming in halfway through the story. Locke & Key seemed to be the cleverest of the three series books that I liked. Schlock Mercenary can take some comfort in that I actually finished this year's volume -- last year I only managed around 40 pages before deciding I hated it -- but the combination of ongoing plots and daily-strip punchlines doesn't work well for me.