A monthly column devoted to recommending interesting indie comics for pre-order. Pre-ordering supports indie creators and can often be the difference between a book succeeding or failing. Plus, you usually save money by doing it, too.
Doctor Who 100-Page Spectacular
Grant Morrison, Steve Parkhouse, John Ridgway, etc.
Order Code: MAY120406
Publisher: IDW
100 pages – SC – FC
$7.99
It’s not a new book, per se, but a reprint of classic Doctor Who stories that I’d wager (though I’m not sure; anyone know?) originated in the U.K. Given that the big names on the book are British creators, that sounds about right. Anyway, When you lead your creator credits with Grant Morrison, you can be pretty sure that I’m going to pay attention, and probably recommend your book (even though Morrison doesn’t always hit for me. For instance, I read Joe the Barbarian a few months ago. Not sure I dug it. Nothing wrong with it, and the art–especially the house scenes–had a lot going for it, but it didn’t really move me). Anyway. We’re promised that the stories here focus on the Cyberman, baddies who not only pop up some other licensed comics, but also posed a fun threat in an episode of Torchwood.
The Graphic Canon Volume 2: From Kubla Khan To The Bronte Sisters
To The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Russ Kick & practically everybody
Order Code: MAY121275
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
512 pgs – SC – FC
$34.95
Guys, did you know about this? How did we miss this one? Because seriously. No, seriously. Check this out. It’s a three-volume set of comics adapting great stories from world literature–think Shakespeare, Melville, The Illiad, Greek drama, Sufi poetry, Mayan and Hindu texts, and even 20th/21st century authors like Cormac McCarthy and David Foster Wallace. Writer Russ Kick is known from Disinfo and Everything You Know is Wrong fame, but check out the roster of artists in this book: Bill Sienkiewicz, Gris Grimly, S. Clay Wilson, Megan Kelso, John Porcellino, Kim Deitch. Other books in the series offer us Eisner, Crumb, Roberta Gregory, Dame Darcy, Ted Rall, and Peter Kuper, among many others. Some of the stories are new, some are reprinted from earlier efforts. Either way, this sounds like 1500 pages of amazing alternative comics. Good god.
Hero Worship #1 of 6
Zak Penn, Scott Murphy & Michael Dipascale
Order Code: MAY120886
Publisher: Avatar
32 pgs – SC – FC
$3.99
Zak Penn, who’s written some of the X-Men movies and got a story co-credit on The Avengers (though on the red side of the ledger, he also wrote Elektra and Inspector Gadget), turns his talents to comics with this series about an indestructible celebrity superhero. In it, fans follow the hero—Zenith’s—every move and one fan becomes so obsessed that he gets his own powers. Given that this is Avatar, I think we can all expect that this won’t be a straight-ahead superhero story and/or that it will probably be drenched in gore.
The Killer Omnibus
Matz & Luc Jacamon
Order Code: MAY120839
Publisher: Archaia
312 pgs – HC – FC
$24.95
Archaia again takes the crown as the most interesting-looking reprint of eruo-comics for the month. This omnibus collects the first two trades in this French noir series about a hit man. I don’t know a lot more about it than that, but Archaia’s got good taste in these projects and the art looks interesting. That’s enough for me!
Popeye #3 of 4
Roger Langridge & Tom Neely
Order Code: MAY120455
Publisher: IDW
32 pgs – SC – FC
$3.99
Nope, I’m not kidding or being ironic. And I’m not revealing some kind of long-kept-silent love for Popeye. Rather, I’m recommending this based on my not-at-all-secret love for artist Tom Neely’s work. Neely normally creates some of the best horror comics around (and some deeply hilarious books about Glenn Danzig and Henry Rollins being lovers) but there’s a strong element of his work that harkens back to classic animation styles that wouldn’t seem out of place in Disney or … Popeye. Given this, he’s a perfect choice for this issue about Swee’Pea getting into trouble when he makes friends with kids from The Wrong Side of the Tracks (the solicit’s capitalization) and Popeye’s mad dash to prevent the little scamp for getting a tattoo. Count me in!
Sam Costello is the creator and writer of Split Lip, a horror webcomics anthology that Comics Should Be Good has called “the best horror anthology on the internet.” It offers over 500 pages of free comics.
Split Lip: Last Caress and other stories, his latest book, is available directly from Sam. It’s 194 pages of comics for $15. And collects the final set of Split Lip stories. Don’t you think it’s time you bought it?
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The Popeye book is just killer. The first one was delightful and so well produced.
Agreed the popeye book is awesome. That Graphic Canon book looks really interesting, I’m wondering how much of this is the Classic Illustrated stuff.
Oh yeah everyone at Ifanboy needs to check out the fuzzytype writer podcast right now as they are working there way through the Alien movies. It rocks!
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the Alien shows!
Agreed. Popeye issue one was a breath of fresh air.
I don’t read any indies. Where should I start?
What type of stories do you like in comics or other mediums like movies, books, tv, etc.? Then try stuff that is off the same genre.
Follow my blog, megavikingman.tumblr.com I’m constantly posting previews of indie books, I’m sure you’ll see something that looks interesting.
That Doctor Who book is a collection of short stories that were originally published in Doctor Who Magazine. (I know because Morrison only wrote 3 DW stories and they were all published in that mag.)
For anyone just finishing the new series and curious about what came before, that book wouldn’t be a terrible place to start. The comics of the old series are more accessible than the actual series itself, imo.
Thanks for the Graphic Canon info.
I keep seeing conflicting info on The Killer Omnibus. Is it HC or TPB? The other Archaia Omnibus is a TPB for the same price.