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Indie/Alternative comics


The NZA

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I support Y2Komics - my comic shop here in Texas - because they in turn support indpendent press. Having a few friends who work on their own indy books, it's important to me.

Problem is...they're indie. You havent fucking heard of them unless they're made into a movie, and how could you? Theyre nowhere to be found most times.

Previews, the offical vendor almost all comic shops go through, to their credit, carries tons of them - each month, stores distribute these (often free) books of several hundred pages of mainstream, merchandise, and indie stuff. But that's still a lot....if i havnet heard anything about the book, I won't shell out the $3-5 either, there's just a lot of unknown shit and it's hard to stand out.

Worse yet, Wizard magazine, the biggest comics mag out there, barely mentions em. But when they do, theyre often worth the mention, and have recommended some good books....anyway, I know I can barely get most of you to read mainstream stuff, especially from over here in Texas, but I've decided to recommend a few, just in case you stumbe across them or want to look em up. Here goes.

 

30 Days of Night - You might've heard me mention this one elsewhere....the writer, after this one miniseries, was paid over a million for the movie rights, supposedly - and that's after gettin his work turned down by severl comic imprints (its a rough job).

The trade collection comes out soon - it got more orders than any other trade this month, even the big Marvel stuff. Ive only read previews, but ill post back on it.

The plot involves a small Alaskan town where there's no sunglight for a month, and a band of vampires who decides to take advantage of this & massacre the area. One sherriff stays behind to gaurd the survivors, but can they stay alive until the sun finally rises?

 

Gun Fu - A one-shot for now, this one's gettin some buzz....the official hype is:

"Welcome to the world of Gun Fu. The year is 1936. Cheng Bo Sen is a gun-shooting, kung fu-using Hong Kong cop. Cheng also speaks hip-hop which no one seems to notice. His life becomes even more dangerous when he is recruited by England to help fight evil nazi robots..."

I managed to find a copy (luckily) hidden away, and it's a fucking trip...if youre a fan of misplaced asians who talk hip-hop whilst fighting nazi robots (who isnt?) check this one out, its worth it. ("If you're bored with the grim and gritty realism of other comics, Gun Fu is your ticket!”)

The writers say its going to a min-seires around summer.

 

Cla$$war - This one's gettin noticed because its artist Trevor Hairsine is now on Captain America, filling in some pretty big shoes.

The writer (Rob Williams) is obviously a Noam Chomsky fan; this one's reminiscnt of Rising Stars - it's about modern America, where the government manipulates the populace with entertainment, misinformation, and such to "manufacture consent" to do its attrocities throughout the globe. The only difference is, they also use a Justice League-like group of superheroes, and the Superman one ("the American") decides to hold the government accountable for its crimes.

Problem is, only one other from the group joins his mutiny..the rest of his team - as well as the U.S. Military - will stop at nothing to prevent this stirring of the status quo.

This book's hard to find - ive only located the first of three issues - i belive it goes up to six - but again, more on it as I get into it.

 

Hsu & Chan - This one's gained much popularity running through the pages of video game mag, Electronic Gaming Monthly.

It's about 2 game designers stuck in the middle of Ohio, trying to find excitement in middle america. There's lots of video game stuff here, but it's approachable to all. It's a one-shot at this point, but both stories within end in senseless violence, rabid chipmunks and radioactive, man-eating Pokemon. Not to be missed.

 

There are many good ongoing series, as well - Milk & Cheese, Battle Pope, Box Office Poison, etc. I just bring up the one-shots more because people seem to enjoy the self-contained stories...I'll put up reviews of Monica's Story and Monkey vs Robot later, as well.

For those wondering how to find these gems, its tricky, sadly. My best recommendation is to use Ebay, as most books can still be had their for cheap. Other than that, try online shops like NY based MidTown Comics or Mile High comics, theyve got a good inventory, too. More to come.

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I got the first 3 Cla$$war's, the first showed a lot of promise but I didn't think the next two held up. As far as I know it's indefinitely stalled at #3 cos they need a new artist, Hairsine completely jumped ship and left them hanging, I'll read em again before I decide whether I'll continue buying it...

 

That 30 Days of Night sounds fairly cool though, I'll keep an eye out for that.

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Oh, is that why i cant find the other 3 anywhere? Strangely ironic that the artist leaves for Captain America, dont ya think...?

Was curious about the other 2 issues, sorry to hear them not hold up as well...ill still try to locate em anyway.

Yeah, again, 30 Days should be in trade soon, ill let ya know soon as it is. Got any indie books to recommend? Ill hype some more later.

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Well, I borrowed Gun-Fu from nick and it turned out to be a pretty decent. Good action, and some interesting writing. the only thing that bugged me at first was the main characters talking like a damn ghetto fool, But that actually got to be pretty funny after a few pages. They even tossed in a classic movie cliche with a twist. All and all not a bad book but I think i'd read a couple more issues before making it a regular subscription.

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Hah...yeah I lent that one for Spongebob, figure he'd like it more, some of us dont mind damn ghetto fools....but for now its a one-shot. Liked the Dirty Harry bit?

Anyway, nah didnt think it'd be for you, but got some good Ennis War Story and the like if ya want. Ill pass on 30 days when the trade comes out tho, that one you might go for.

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  • 9 months later...

Comic Book Resources...

 

Gun-Fu # 2!

 

Guns. Martial Arts. Beautiful Women. The hottest Ebonics this side of 50 Cent.

 

Put it all together and you've got "Gun Fu." Add in a little Amazon and you've got "Gun Fu: The Lost City," the mini-series that'll see it's second issue hitting stores very soon. CBR News spoke with writer Howard Shum for a brief introduction to all things Fu-licious and he provided CBR with preview pages from the upcoming issue. But what is "Gun-Fu?"

 

"The year is 1936. Cheng Bo Sen is a violent Hong Kong cop who gets recruited by England to help fight the Nazis," explains Shum. "He also speaks hip-hop which no one seems to notice. In his first mission he stops the Nazis' plans to build giant robot soldiers.

 

"In the current miniseries, the Queen of England sends Cheng and archaeology professor Dr. Dumple on a reconnaissance mission in the dangerous jungles of South America to see if the Nazis are searching for a lost city filled with treasure.

 

"There is also a mysterious and beautiful Jaguar Girl prowling through the jungle."

 

The first issue of this mini-series delivered the action and humor that "Gun Fu" fans were waiting for… but how do you raise the stakes even higher? Give the fans more! "In 'The Lost City #2,' there is intense action, suspense, more laughs, and blossoming love!" smiles the writer. "We learn more about Jaguar Girl. The secret evil experiment that Nazi scientist Dr. Prugel has been working on is also revealed.

 

"There is also an amazing alternate cover by Alberto Ruiz. I am honored that this is Alberto's first comic book work. He is a well-respected and popular artist in the illustration field and I'm certain huge acclaim will follow him into the comic world."

 

Those just jumping onboard with this mini-series need not worry about dangling plot threads- Shum is committed to delivering everything in the four issues he has to work with. "Just as the Gun Fu one-shot stood alone story-wise, 'The Lost City' will also be complete in itself as well. There can and will be other Gun Fu stories after this one."

 

It always helps to have big names loving your work and Shum has no shortage of fans in high places. "If the accolades hailed upon 'Gun Fu' by the likes of Dave Sim, J. Scott Campbell, Kim Possible director Chris Bailey, Mike Wieringo, Darwyn Cooke, and Frank Cho aren't enough to convince people to pick up 'Gun Fu,' how about the knowledge that a portion of each sale of the comic goes to help fund the emergency surgery to separate Gun Fu penciler Joey Mason from his Siamese twin brother Uday Mason?" laughs the scribe.

 

He also feels any preview for his series wouldn't be complete without adding, "Who else in comics mixes hyperkinetic action, comedy, fun art, hip-hop, beautiful women, and evil Nazis into compelling stories?"

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

This one looks interestin, at least to me:

 

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SIXGUN SAMURAI #1

From Alias Entertainment

 

After selling out almost instantly at the ALIAS booth at the 2005 Wizard World Chicago Convention, ALIAS Comics’ upcoming SIXGUN SAMURAI received rave reviews from retailers and fans who returned throughout the weekend to praise the book and chat with series writer Sean J. Jordan.

 

“We received a lot of positive response from people about several ALIAS titles,” said Jordan. “But many of those who had a chance to pick up SIXGUN SAMURAI made a point of stopping back by to congratulate us on what we’d done. Readers are already debating twists that will occur in the upcoming issues, and several people asked what other books they can find with work by series artist Harold Edge, though the answer, sadly, is nothing yet … but we’re planning to get him on another ALIAS title soon!”

 

SIXGUN SAMURAI #1 hits stores in mid August at the introductory price of 75 cents. Retailers who sell out can order additional copies from Diamond Distributors.

 

About the series:

 

WRITER: Sean J. Jordan

ARTIST: Harold Edge

CREATED BY: Mike S. Miller

 

The idea of fusing the Wild West with the martial arts is not a new idea, to be certain; since THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN retold the story of Akira Kurosawa's THE SEVEN SAMURAI, the West and the East have come together several times to produce some excellent stories.

 

But none of them have been quite like SIXGUN SAMURAI.

 

The setup is simple – a young boy raised in a Wild West Show in the late 1800s sets out to find his last living relative. His mother was a sharpshooter who taught him everything there is to know about shooting. And his mentor was a samurai living in exile who traveled with the show as an animal caretaker.

 

"The title's a little quirky, I know," laughed Sean J. Jordan, writer for SIXGUN SAMURAI. "But in the context of the story, it does make sense. The Sixgun Samurai is like a lot of kids who have grown up in a traveling show – he has an odd assortment of skills that he's picked up from the people he's known. That his skills allow him to be doubly deadly makes him interesting, but what really drives him is the fact that he's searching for his father, who abandoned him and his mother when he was still a baby."

 

"Of course, there's a lot more to the story than that," hinted Jordan. "SIXGUN SAMURAI has quite a few fun little plot twists, and the script's designed to keep the reader guessing what will happen next."

 

For more information about SIXGUN SAMURAI and other ALIAS titles, please visit http://www.aliascomics.net

 

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One of my favorite indy books ever Brian Wood's Channel Zero...

 

Special interest groups have bullied the government into passing the Clean Act, effectively killing freedom of speech and silencing the country into submission. TV and God become one and the same as America wages its own holy war against its citizens. Meet Jennie 2.5, media slut turned info-terrorist, out to save the country from itself, and restore free will and self expression.

 

No superheroes. No supernatural mumbo-jumbo. Just honest people trapped in a dishonest goverenment, not very different from our own. His vision of the future seriously scares the hell out of me, because it's so close to where America is heading. With Channel Zero Brian Wood isn't just trying to tell a story and entertain, he's making a fucking statement.

 

Story aside, it's some of the best black and white art that I've ever seen. Fucking brilliant!!

 

I've worked in a comic shop for 2 years now and have yet to find a soul that has read, or even heard, of this amazing book. It's a damn shame.

 

"What? No superheroes? Black and white art? No thanks, I'll pass. You guys have any Spawn issues??"

 

**sigh**

 

Anyway it's a 6 issue series. The issues are long out of print, but the trade should be available. There's also a sequel, but the first book was loads better.

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isnt that a public enemy song...?

 

actually, that shit sounds interestin...if i can find a copy to give a read down here, id check it out for sure! Then again, i can be a vertigo whore, so i enjoy this kinda stuff...thanks for the recommendation.

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Find a copy!! By any means!! Seriously, I have yet to make someone buy Channel Zero and have them be dissapointed. Granted it's not for everybody, but if you dig Vertigo stuff, you will like it.

 

And there's not a damn thing wrong with being a Vertigo whore. That's about all I read for a while. It was about the only place to find a half decent story for in the mid 90's. Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, John Muth, Warren Ellis, Kent Williams, Grant Morrison ... mmmmm ... it's all good shit!!!

 

BTW, "She Watch Channel Zero" IS a Public Enemy song.

 

I don't think I can handle

She goes channel to channel

Cold lookin' for that hero

She watch channel zero

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  • 2 years later...

Well how indie do you want me to go? I mean I can start out with the "It's Marvel and DC but you elitist cock and ball merchants haven't heard of them cause they're not mainstream" or I can go into like funded by a tax refund and printed on cheap newsprint indie.

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MRSTUFFINS01.jpg

 

I thought this was just great, unfortunately they still havn't released more.

 

I also just picked up "Queen & Country", which I've heard is awesome. Also a fan of "the boys" which have a few trades out.

i've been reading the boys, pretty good.

what's queen and country about

and eh...mr stuffins some kinda bond parody?

Edited by alive she cried
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i've been reading the boys, pretty good.what's queen and country about and eh...mr stuffins some kinda bond parody?
Yeah, stuffins is a teddy ruckspin type toy that gets implanted with a stolen government technology and tries to start bodyguarding the little boy he ends up with. Its really funny and cute.Queen and country I just saw a review about and involves a female assassin, sounded neat, but like I said I havn't read it yet. Have you checked out "Y:The Last Man" ? Edited by Darth Fluffakins
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The Tick, created by Ben Edlund (who has done both TV series of the Ticks, wrote and directed a few episodes of Joss Whedon's Firefly, and serves as a part time writer/producer/director on the Venture Brothers) The book was published by the New England Comics Store in Boston,

Massachusetts.

 

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The Tick is possibly the greatest superhero spoof of all time. The story goes that he's a super-powered escaped mental patient who is nigh-invulnerable and doesn't remember really anything about himself, what's with the blue suit, or his name. He is a simpleton who seeks only to save the city (he's in more than one during the series) from the villainous element within it.Edlund only made 12 issues of The Tick starting in 1988 and ending in 1993. He says one day he may do issue 13, however this hasn't happened and the series continued on with other writers but Issue #13 and beyond are considered non-canon. The Tick has had several helpful cohorts over the years as well as rivals and nemeses

 

Heroes:

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Arthur - The Tick's pudgy fearful sidekick isn't quite the wuss he was in the cartoon show or the live action but he is still a bit of a wimp and easily frightened. He bought his super suit at a garage sale and knows very little about it.

 

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Oedipus - An obvious knockoff of Elektra, she helps the Tick defeat her mother and a fuckton of Ninjas in the Night of A Million Zillion Ninjas Arc which was my personal favorite. For a few reasons...

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Paul the Samurai - Paul is from Japan and came to America to kill his mortal enemy Sagin. He smuggles his katana in a large loaf of French bread. He later became one of the four main heroes of the series (with Arthur and The Tick) and also got his own spin-off series.

 

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The Man Eating Cow - Originally a villain, the Man Eating Cow eventually became good and teamed up with The Tick, Arthur, and Paul the Samurai. She even got her own spin-off series.cowtick.gif

 

runningguy.jpgThe Running Guy - He hates the Tick and thinks he's muscling in on his turf. He fights the Red Scare with the Tick but really just wants to claim the villain for his own.

 

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Clark Oppenheimer (The Caped Wonder) - When The Tick takes a day job in his civilian disguise (composed of a tie) he locks horns with a hotshot reporter named Clark Oppenheimer who is an obvious Superman ripoff. The two do not get along well.

 

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Barry Hubris (The OTHER Tick) - Barry is another super powered individual going by the name of The Tick who The Tick meets in New York. The two duke it out and The Tick wins thus inheriting his name, his superhero fortress, and all his cool gadgets. Unlike the Barry in the cartoon, Barry was just as strong as the Tick, he was also a fucking nut case.

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The Chainsaw Vigilante - He's a man that hates Superheroes so one day he dons a leather jacket, a mask, and carries a chainsaw around giving flesh wounds to Superheroes so they'll give up their jobs and stop destroying property in the pursuit of justice. His main nemesis is of course, the Tick.

 

The Tick later in the series forms a team with 3 other heroes Bumbling Bee (She has a bee hive that shoots either bees or honey on her arm), Caped Cod, and Mighty Agrippa Roman God of the Aqueducts

 

Villains:

 

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Chairfade Chippendale - He's a lampoon of old Dick Tracy villains. In both the comics and the cartoon he tries to write his name on the moon with a laser and is stopped by The Tick after writing the leters CHA. The comic and the cartoon play out exactly the same except rather than American Maid (the cartoon's Wonder Woman parody) Arthur and the Tick accompany Angus MacGuire who is basically a Dick Tracy knockoff.

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The Red Scare - A super villain for hire. He is both bigger and stronger than the Tick, brandishing a hammer and sicle and fully representing communism. He is sent to kill the Tick but ends up fighting The Running Guy as well as the two heroes duke it out in an alleyway.

 

The Terror - Like Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, and Joseph Stalin all rolled into one. The Terror is known as one of the greatest super villains of all time. Long supposed dead The Terror turns up for Tick and Arthur to fight. The thing is he's like 134 years old so he's not incredibly formidible.

 

I conclude this recommendation with a few random one-liners. (And yes, The Spoon battle cry originated in the comics)

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i read the first graphic of walking dead, i did'nt think it was anything special, kinda slow.does it pick up later into the series?
It picks you up and then throws you down and kicks you in the stomach repeatedly until you can't take any more and then kicks you some more, and you read on through the whole thing and end up for the most part enjoying it. Edited by Iambaytor
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