100 Indie Comics part 1
Comixology did a promotion for SXSW in which they bundled 100 of the comics produced for their self-publishing Submit program for $10. Helluva deal, if you’re not picky. And since I’ve been waving my flag for self-publishing, I thought I should support it. Usually, when I pick up something like this, it sits unread on a shelf or in a computer till I forget about it. But this time, I’m going to make a note of reading each of these comics to spur me on to actually sample the sampler, rather than just hoarding content.
I don’t promise to read them all cover-to-cover, but I will at least read the first few pages and glance through more. I also don’t promise to comment on all of them or give in-depth reviews. Mostly just a line or two, and I’ll mention titles with no comment if I have nothing nice to say.
Onwards to the 100 comics, after the break…
- 51 Serif St, Vol 1: The Breaking
- After Twilight
- Afterlife Inc. Afterlife Inc. is a collection of stories rather than one 25 page comic, so I only read the first story. Religious themes are often a tough sell with me, but this was a clever idea with potential for some interesting stories. The art for the first story was loose and a little cartoony, but well-done. I plan on coming back to this one.
- Allwënn: Soul & Sword
- American Barbarian # 1. I don’t know what to make of American Barbarian by Tom Scioli. Is it camp? Am I actually supposed to take this seriously? Surely not. I’m not a big fan of camp, so I don’t expect to buy any more issues of this, but don’t let that dissuade you. If the title and a villain named Two-Tank Omen tickle your fancy, check it out. The art is rather wonderful, like Scioli is channeling classic Kirby.
- Anathema #1. Anathema by Deering and Mooneyham. What is it with religion in all of these comics in this bundle so far? This one is very well drawn, something of a cross between 70s horror comics and a steampunk style. The story is cliched, but not badly written. Good, but not good enough to get its hooks into me to buy another issue.
- Apama – The Undiscovered Animal # 1.
- Archeologists of Shadows, Vol 1: The Resistance
- Armarauders # 1. Figueroa & Taylor. It’s pretty typical mecha fair, and I kept thinking I would stop reading before I got to the end, but I didn’t. The art is very well done, and took me back to the late 80’s/early 90’s when I was reading this type of thing.
- Arrival. Kovach & Patel. Felt a little like an episode of Twilight Zone, and like most of those, left me cold.
- Astronaut Dad. Hopkins & Schoonover. Stopped at page 37. I wanted to like this one. It has an awesome cover. The concept is wonderful-a boy thinks his father is a second string astronaut when he’s actually running secret missions. But the first chapter is a typical 60’s family portrait like has been shown many times (i.e. From the Earth to the Moon). The art is good, but seems an odd match with the material. I guess it does have an Archie vibe, which is very 50’s midwestern, so maybe it makes more sense than I first realized. I may give this one a second chance.
- Bikini Cowboy, Vol. 1. by Fresherluke. Stopped at page 56. Contrary to the last, I wanted to dislike this one, but I really really liked it. Even when I cringed at the title character chucking off her duster and dressed only in a bikini in the old west setting. But the layouts are so cinematic, this could almost be storyboards for a cartoon. The art also feels very much like a cartoon, so even though the title character is running around half-dressed, it’s not titillating, but cute. I had to make myself quit this one, as it’s a 377 page omnibus, but I will be coming back to it to find out what the hell is going on.
- Bob and His Beer. Stringfield & Stringfield. Great title and cover. But the story is overly sentimental, and the art is not quite polished enough.
- Boobage. Gallagher. A personal tribute to the small breasted. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
- Brandi Bare, First Semester #1. Pekar. Stopped at page 16. I could not have paired these two comics better to make this one seem more trivial. There are no small breasts in this world. The story is almost offensively bad. The art is good cheesecake, kinda reminds me of the Playboy cartoon style. But not my thing.
- Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter. Ellerby. Stopped at page 26. Another omnibus. The concept: What if the Scoobies were the hero instead of Buffy? Cute and funny. Good chance I’ll come back to this one.
More to come…