Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Top 10 Alternative Comic Book Series

      Steven G. Saunders
      August 3, 2010
      Columns, Top 10
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • 2.0

      Guarding the Galaxy: Venom: Space Knight #6

      Steven G. Saunders
      May 6, 2016
      Big Two, Big Two Reviews, Marvel Comics
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 1.0

      Advance Review: ELFIN LIED Omnibus Vol. 2 Should've Stayed In The Past

      Steven G. Saunders
      August 26, 2019
      Dark Horse, Manga, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      TAG TEAM REVIEW: Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker #5

      Steven G. Saunders
      July 30, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • An Interview With Dale Moore of Comics4Kids

      Steven G. Saunders
      November 24, 2014
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • "Straw Into Gold: Captain Marvel in Marvel Super-Heroes #13"

      Steven G. Saunders
      August 8, 2014
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • PREACHER is Officially Coming to AMC

      Steven G. Saunders
      February 6, 2014
      News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'The Best We Could Do' is a Moving Memoir and Corrective to Trump-era Xenophobia

      Steven G. Saunders
      February 13, 2017
      Books, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN'S UNIVERSE
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Columns

Indiephile (1st Installment)

Steven G. Saunders
February 4, 2007
Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox

Greetings and welcome to the first edition of Indiephile, a regular feature where I discuss comics from independent publishers in all manner and form. Previews, opinions, reviews, basically anything new that doesn’t have a thing to do with The Big Two (i.e. Marvel & DC). Though I would like to point out right away that this edition is mostly just an introduction with some brief overviews.

I read a lot of indie titles. Lots. A crazy amount of them. But what qualifies as an “indie”? For the purposes of the column, it’s any published comic book that isn’t Marvel or DC (as relating to what I just stated in the paragraph above) and though it seems like I have a vast field to cover, that’s really not the case. You see, as of this writing, the Big Two dominate the comics industry. Over 80% of all comics published in the U.S. are published by these guys. I can only assume that they also publish the majority of comics globally. Of course, I mean no disrespect to the two top publishers, but when I think of less than 20% of the comics industry being the place for all the other publishers out there, I feel that anyone not a part of the Big Two is an indie. However, because of space (and time) restrictions, I will be only to focus on so much. I can only read so much, you know! I try to read everything I can get my indie loving mitts on. I will also endeavour to represent the “true independents.” You know, those home-grown outfits that are a labour of love for a certain creator or creators, or a publisher that is run from an office in a house somewhere. It’s these comics that I consider to be the “final frontier” of the publication of illustrative narratives (along with webcomics). As you may already know, I also yammer on and on in a column called All the Rage. There I have a section called “Indie Front.” I might cover some of the same comics I do in there, but I’ll try not to do too much crossover (as we all know, crossover killed the cat… or Goliath… or something like that). Actually, not having enough room in Indie Front in ATR is what prompted me to do this here thing.

Anyhow, I’d like to get on with the show, as they say. Please keep in mind that I can’t cover everything, but I’ll do my damndest to cover as much as freaking possible, even if all I say on them is a quick blurb…

Let’s get started with this treasure of a creation I just read the first two parts to, called Evenfall. A title by Pete Stathis, Evenfall tells the story of Phoebe Shankar, a young woman who is destroying herself due to the death of her mother. She winds up falling into a crazy (and quite scary) fantasy world where we’re not sure it’s “real” or not. Stathis presents a rich story concerning deep characters with both admirable traits and glaring flaws, and it should also be said that originality abounds without the book getting bogged down by it. He handles this work like a true pro, weaving a complex and deeply immersive storyline that will leave you caring for the characters, particularly Phoebe and the challenges presented before her. Really, any fan of fantasy or a just plain terrific story should pick up both books of Evenfall. Book 3 is currently in production, and I’m already jonesing for it. If you are looking for something that’s both intriguing, endearing AND different, this series is for you.

Next I would like to mention the ‘68 one-shot out from Image Comics. Damn! This is a pure zombie romp, kids. Complete with a hanging joke in reference to Night of the Living Dead. I love it. ’68 is a gory ride that takes us back to the glory days of the U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Ah, good times, and the perfect setting for a vicious attack from the unwashed undead! The story is simple: U.S. patrol is in the jungle, and when they encounter Vietnamese zombies, all heck breaks loose. Well worth a read, I must tell you, especially for you fellow zombie lovers out there.

Speaking of zombie fun, Image has also put out the sick but vastly entertaining Pieces for Mom: A Tale of the Undead, another one-shot that tells the tale of two young boys who keep their zombiefied mother alive with fresh. Not for the squeamish, as this makes ’68 look like an Archie comic. Steve Niles has written a gruesomely great story that Andrew Ritchie has illustrated to the freaking gory hilt. I rate this as a “MUST HAVE” for zombie fans the world over.

IDW’s Transformers Spotlight: Ultra Magnus is worthy of mention. Nicely written, and boldly illustrated, it’s sweet to see Ultra Magnus in his own comic. I really like how he’s portrayed as a bounty hunter! I am hoping this is turned into an ongoing series. It would certainly be a Transformers title I would relish looking forward to every month!

It’s always pleasant to find a comic I enjoy reading with my kids. Although my boys may be too young to appreciate it fully, they sure do love looking at the amusing art in Sonic the Hedgehog! I dig this comic, too, and issue #170 was just as fun as the rest we’ve read. I do find seeing the Comics Code Authority a bit… odd… Well, it’s great to know there are family oriented titles out there that I can read with my kids. Sonic isn’t bad at all, either, and I recommend it.

Looking for a good anthology book? Here are two: the ongoing title Negative Burn out from Desperado Publishing and Making Deals with Devils from Moneys with Machineguns. Just look at the cover to Negative Burn #8 there… Yowza! That’s one of the best covers I’ve seen in quite awhile. Both of these titles have great stories in them, with Making Deals with Devils appealing to those who dig on stuff like Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside and 2000AD’s Future Shocks.

I just read the latest offering of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (#13). Now this is not only one of my favourite Dark Horse titles, but it’s also just one of my favourite things to read, period. If any of you have been following the storyline, you’d know
that it’s getting ramped up for something good. This KotOR comic is full of excitement, adventure, character development, and hijinx on a galactic scale (as well as outstanding writing and art). And all of it taking place 4000 years before the time of the Star Wars films. Issue #13 introduces us to probably the funniest Transdoshan I’ve seen. Then again, has anyone ever seen a funny Transdoshan?

While I’m thinking of Star Wars, I also want to mention the excellent Star Wars: Legacy series, which takes place 140 (or so) years after the movies. The last of the Skywalkers, Imperial Knights, Luke as a force ghost, one of the best and scariest “Darths” you’ll ever see; it pulls out all the stops! I’ll make sure to get more into this series and why I rated it as one of the top new titles of 2006 at a future date. In the meantime, treat yourself to this title…

You can’t have Star Wars unless you have Battlestar Galactica, I always say, and with that I’d like to mention the new Classic Battlestar Galactica #3 on shelves now. Dynamite Entertainment has really taken this license and created some fabulous BSG stories (thanks to the awesome creative teams assembled). Classic BSG is one of these titles, where we see the old characters from the “classic” BSG show of the late 70s. This first story-arc is a doozy, with writer Rick Remender having fan-fave characters Starbuck and Boomer lead a group of Sagittarian freedom fighters against their Cylon occupiers. The intensity of this issue (and series so far) is only heightened by Carlos Rafael’s wonderful illustration work. I feel that anyone who’s a reader of action-packed sci-fi, Battlestar fan or not, will highly enjoy this series.

Speaking of Rick Remender, I should also mention his series Fear Agent. Once out by Image (first 10 issues), it will be out by Dark Horse soon. Pulpy, high-octane science-fiction “with stones” at its best, issue #10 left us all with an interesting ending that makes me all squirmy waiting for issue #11. Hurry up!

Okay folks, I’m going to have to cut this first installment short. My All the Rage deadline is looming, and I’ve got a lot of other stuff to do. However, I’m already putting the next Indiephile together, so you needn’t worry! Next time there will be more comics and more fun, you’ll see.

In addition to All the Rage, I’ve started doing weekly audio “blog-cast” over at MediaGauntlet.com called My Stack where I yammer about the many comics I read (the first one covers like 37 comics or some insane number like that). You’ll notice that I tend to focus on a lot of different types as comics and many independent publishers. I also promise that I shall increases my magnificent vocabulary beyond “awesome,” “cool” and “a lot” (as well as a few other words… hehe).

I always want to hear from readers and publishers; so drop me a line, why don’t you? steves@silverbulletcomicbooks.com

Comics Bulletin SoapboxSteven G. Saunders

Share On:
Tweet
All The Rage: Torso Lite-Brite Paranoia
Today’s Heroes Yesterday and TwoMorrows

About The Author

Steven G. Saunders

Related Posts

  • “The Long, Strange Trip of Deathlok the Demolisher”

    Paul Brian McCoy
    May 22, 2017
  • Classic Comics Cavalcade: “Straw Into Gold: Captain Marvel in Marvel Super-Heroes #13”

    Jason Sacks
    November 13, 2015

Latest Columns

  • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

    Daniel Gehen
    February 8, 2021
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

    Daniel Gehen
    December 4, 2020
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

    Daniel Gehen
    October 30, 2020
  • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

    Daniel Gehen
    October 27, 2020
  • What Looks Good for the Week of 10/14/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    October 12, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders