Indie Watch 2/22/2012
Looking for a great indie read this week? We’ve got you covered every Monday (or Wednesday) with Indie Watch! In this column you’ll find quick hit previews of select indie titles due out each week. Stuff that’s worth a buy- or at least a look- when you visit your local comic book store for your weekly fix. From graphic novels to single issues, we’ve got our eye on indie!
Prophet #22 (Image)
By Brandon Graham & Simon Roy, the latest issue of this killer sci-fi series is out today! You can’t say you’re a modern sci-fi fan until you’vre read Prophet. Just look at that cover! #21 is the new jumping on point, and most stores should still have some second prints from last week (first print is pretty tough to come by), and if you’re into meta science fiction like Dune or Alejandro Jodorowski’s Metabarons, do not skip this series! Oh, also don’t be disuaded by the numbering- this series is picking up where it left off in the 90s, but I didn’t read the book back then and I’m totally fine just picking it up now.
No Place Like Home #1 (Image)
“Story by Angelo Tirotto, art / cover by Richard Jordan. ‘HOME AGAIN’ Dee’s life is in turmoil when her parents are killed in a freak tornado. Returning to Kansas for the funeral after five years in LA, Dee discovers Emeraldsville is the same unexciting place it was when she left – until the bizarre unexplained murders begin. With an unknown killer closing in, the events of one night in 1959 begin to unravel as a portal to a world of horror opens, a portal paved with yellow bricks…”
Goliath HC (Drawn and Quarterly)
I read this last night because it sounded intriguing- This book by Tom Gauld is the story of the Old Testament fable, “David and Goliath,” but this time from Goliath’s point of view. It’s simple in design and very well done. I highly recommend it. The solicit puts it best: “Goliath of Gath isn’t much of a fighter. Given half a choice, he would pick admin work over patrolling in a heartbeat, to say nothing of his distaste for engaging in combat. Nonetheless, at the behest of the king he finds himself issuing a twice-daily challenge to the Israelites. Day after day he reluctantly repeats his speech, and the isolation of this duty gives him the chance to banter with his shield-bearer and reflect on the beauty of his surroundings. This is the story of David and Goliath as seen from Goliath’s side of the Valley of Elah. Goliath’s battle is simultaneously tragic and bleakly funny, as bureaucracy pervades even this most mythic of figures.”
Amazing Mysteries: Bill Everett Archives vol. 1 HC (Fantagraphics)
Also picked this up yesterday. Haven’t read it yet, but I’m a sucker for this cool looking old stuff and to get some previously un-reprinted oldies from the Golden Age of comics? Total score! “Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives is a stunning companion to 2010′s critically acclaimed Fire and Water. This volume collects over 200 pages of never-before-reprinted, beautifully restored, full-color stories from one of comic books’ greatest visionaries and most accomplished artists. The resulting package enhances Everett’s place in history as one of the first and best comic-book creators of all time.”
Explorer: The Mystery Boxes TPB (Amulet Books)
This one’s for the kiddos folks! “Explorer is an exciting anthology of short graphic works by established artists and innovative newcomers in the comics and animation fields, who have each created a unique story on a central theme: a mysterious box and the marvels – or mayhem – inside. Collected and edited by the New York Times bestselling comics creator, Kazu Kibuishi, these well-written, beautifully-illustrated stories reflect a range of styles from the humorous to the fantastic.”
Afrika HC (Dark Horse)
“The masterpiece by Belgian comics creator Hermann is available in English for the first time! A misanthropic European expatriate, Dario Ferrer, acts as guardian of a Tanzanian wildlife preserve. Accompanied by Charlotte, a naive European journalist, Ferrer discovers a village under fire from mysterious agents of the foreign-backed government. Ferrer and Charlotte must fight not only to protect the preserve, but to expose government corruption–and survive to see another day.”
Mondo #1 (Image)
“Catfish’s daily grind of ‘enhancing’ poultry comes to a halt when he is accidentally tripped up by a loose chicken, causing him to fall victim to his own process. What proportions of his that were once human are now beyond anything normal. Add villainous corporate and military big wigs, a roller-skating weapon-toting chick named Kitten Kaboodle, a gang of tattooed babies, and there’s still that enormous beach monster. And what you have is MONDO, in all its raging glory!” By Ted McKeever.
Phoenix Without Ashes TPB (IDW)
“Harlan Ellison, one of the Grand Masters of science fiction and a multiple Hugo-, Nebula-, and Edgar Award-winner, returns to his roots with the graphic novel, Phoenix Without Ashes. The year is 2785, and Devon, a farmer banished for challenging his community’s Elders, discovers a secret that changes everything he knew about the world, leading him on a quest to solve a mystery beyond his understanding before his entire world is destroyed in cataclysm.”
Between Gears TPB (Image)
“This honest, autobiographical account of a college senior’s life will transport you to the land of Jell-O shots, term papers, job interviews, road trips, and sanguine optimism in the face of uncertainty and change. Trade paperback collects the comic in its entirety, with 30 pages of new material! Written/drawn by Natalie Nourigat.”
Superior HC (Icon)
By Mark Millar and Leinil Yu, this is the modern take on the Shazam/Superman mythos. What happens when a kid who loses the use of his legs makes a deal with the devil to become his favorite TV superhero? Things get twisted. I have to admit, this book is unlike Kick-Ass or Nemesis and has one of the most surprise endings I’ve seen from Millar.
Twitter: @yourfriendandy // @ComicAttack