Heads Up: Indie Comics Solicitations – October 2011

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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Astronauts in Trouble
Larry Young, Charlie Adlard, and Matt Smith
Order Code: JUL110779
Publisher: AIT/Planetlar
288 pages – B&W – SC
$16.95

Not a new book by any means, but Larry Young's Astronauts in Trouble series—all three volumes of which are collected here—is a fun action/science fiction romp. This book collects the original Astronauts in Trouble miniseries, and adds the Space: 1959 and One Shot, One Beer one-shots to the mix. This is the book that put Young and his publishing company AIT/Planetlar on the map, and rightly so. If you're interested in space exploration and enjoy fun action stories, you should check this one out.

 

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The Death-Ray
Dan Clowes
Order Code: JUL111057
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
48 pages – Color – HC
$19.95 

Another great short gut-punch by Clowes. The Death-Ray follows a maladjusted teen outcast named Andy who gains superpowers when he smokes his first cigarette. With them, and with the titular death ray he acquires, he becomes a blackly existential vigilante who straddles the line between super-hero and super-villain. Not a comforting book, but a really powerful one.

 

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Holy Terror
Frank Miller
Order Code: JUL111154
Publisher: Legendary Comics
116 pages – Partial Color – HC
$29.99

Finally seeing the light of day. This book began life as Miller's post-Sept. 11 Batman vs. Osama Bin Laden story. After some unclear developments (perhaps involving Miller's increasingly uber-macho, right-wing commentary), Batman's been written out of the story and replaced by The Fixer, who's on a mission to stop a terrorist cadre. I imagine this may be a pretty intense book, but from a creator of Miller's talent and stature, no matter his political statements, it bears a look.

 

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Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume Ages 0 to 22
MariNaomi
Order Code: JUL111125
Publisher: Harper Collins
208 pages – B&W – SC
$15.99

Preview

And now for a change of pace … The subtitle tells the story here: the book is a chronicle of creator MariNaomi's love life up to age 22. I'm a sucker for these kinds of concepts and enjoy a good (emphasis on good) autobiographical comic when it's handled with wit and insight. This is a new book and new creator to me, so I can't say whether those qualities are present here, but if you're looking for something far off the beaten path this month, this could be it.

 

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The Rinse #1
Gary Phillips and Marc Laming
Order Code: JUL110956
Publisher: Boom! Studios
32 pages – Color – SC
$1.00

Preview

Crime novelist and sometimes comics writer Gary Phillips is back with a tale of San Francisco's top money launderer who needs to wash $25 million in casino cash. Phillips is always good for a fast-paced, high-action crime thriller and I suspect the same will be true here. And, at a special $1 introductory price, I'd say this one is definitely worth a shot.