Heads Up: Indie Comics Previews – April 2012

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.

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Are You My Mother?

By Alison Bechdel
Order Code: FEB121067
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
240 pages – B&W – HC
$22.00

This is writer/artist Alison Bechdel’s follow-up to her 2006 comics memoir Fun Home, which focused on her life growing up in a funeral home with a closeted gay father. That book was not only perhaps the major literary comics success of that year, it alos garnered some unusual (at the time, and maybe even now) mainstream cred—it was Time magazine 2006’s book of the year. Are You My Mother is Bechdel’s first major work in 6 years and it focuses on the other half of her parental duo. Expect this to be one of the more-widely-talked-about comics, especially in the mainstream media, of 2012.

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Genius, Illustrated: The Life And Art Of Alex Toth HC

By Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell, and Alex Toth
Order Code: FEB120393
Publisher: IDW
288 pages – PC – HC
$49.99

The first of two promising-sounding works of comics history from IDW on this month’s list. This volume is the sequel to writers Mullaney and Canwell’s previous Toth study Genius, Isolated. It continues the story of Toth’s life and work, this time spanning the 1960s to his 2006 death. It includes both biography and excerpts from Toth’s work in this period, including some full-length comics stories, excerpts from others, and what sounds like a treasure trove of miscellanea: sketches, ad ilustrations, and more. Probably not a good place to start if you’ve never read any Toth (but, if you’re of a certain age, you know his work: he was integral to a number of Hanna-Barbera characters like Space Ghost and Birdman), but if you’re a fan, this sounds wonderful.

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Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score

By Darwyn Cooke
Order Code: FEB120313
Publisher: IDW
160 pages – PC – HC
$24.99

The third installment in Darwyn Cooke’s adaptations of Richard Stark’s Parker crime novels (preceeded by The Hunter and The Outfit). In this book, Parker falls in with a gang of a dozen co-conspirators to rob an entire town. Needless to say, things go badly. I haven’t found myself too interested in Cooke’s more mainstream superhero work, but his stylized take on classic, mid-20th century crime looks compelling. I haven’t gotten to the Parker books yet, but hey IDW, if there’s an omnibus on the schedule (besides the slightly-expensive-for-a-first-purchase Martini Edition, that is), put me down for one copy.

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The Shadow: Blood & Judgment TP

By Howard Chaykin
Order Code: FEB120904
Publisher: Dynamite
120 pages – FC – SC
$19.99

Preview

Howard Chaykin isn’t a name that has graced the pages of too many comics in recent years, but there was a time there when the man’s work set fire to every page he touched. From American Flagg to The Shadow, his work is rich, vibrant, and thrilling. This collection of Chaykin’s four-issue Shadow miniseries from 1986 brings the 1930s pulp hero out of the past and into a violent 1980s incarnation. If you’re interested in The Shadow, this non-traditional take ont he character may not please, but fans of Chaykin’s work, or those looking to get familiar with it, will find a lot to like here.

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Strangeways: The Thirsty

By Matt Maxwell, Luis Guarana & Jok
Order Code: FEB121066
Publisher: Highway 62 Press
200 pages – B&W – SC
$17.95

Preview

If you enjoy weird Western, you ought to check out Strangeways. This series of indie graphic novels follows Civil War veteran Seth Collins on his adventures through an old West chock full of things that go bump in the night. The first volume, Murder Moon, found Seth tackling werewolves. This one, as the name suggests, involves a clash with a pack of vampires. Creator/writer Maxwell is already at work on a third book, so if you like what you find here, there’s more to come. It’s also worth noting that the Jok who handles some of the art isn’t the Jock we know from tons of DC work, but don’t let that dissuade you.

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Wally Wood: The Complete Galaxy Illustrations

By Roger Hill and Wally Wood
Order Code: FEB120395
Publisher: IDW
160 pages – B&W – HC
$29.99

The third IDW book on this month’s list (entirely a coincidence driven by them offering good books, I assure you) and the second comics history book after the Toth volume recommended above. Wally Wood is well known for his comics work for EC, Will Eisner, Marvel, and DC. This book doesn’t include his comics work, however. Instead it features over 200 covers Wood created for science fiction pulp magazines in the 1950s. It was compiled by Wood historian Roger Hill. Again, probably not a good place for someone new to Wally Wood to start, but if you already enjoy Wood’s work, this will do a great job in fleshing out his career.