Indie Corner - 08/14/2013

Sheltered 02

Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

CYBER FORCE
I've been a fan of Cyber Force since the beginning, and will be the first to admit its been a rough couple of decades. I still think the premise and team are a story worth telling, though I'm not sure this series is it. I Kickstarted this, way back when, but this isn't the series I was hoping for. I'll pick up one more issue to see where this is going but I think the damage might already be done. Check out the Cyber Force / Hunter-Killer series from a few years ago instead. That book was awesome.

SHELTERED
Hysteria all around as things begin to fall apart. This is a taught, high-tension, relatively quick read. It's grabbed me and hasn't let go. Recommended.

ROBOCOP: LAST STAND
Less happens than I would have liked, but the stage is set by the end of the issue. That may just be the nature of a six-issue mini series. Fortunately, we see Robocop... and he seems to delight in punching his way through things to grab people. I'll at least check out the next issue to see where this is going.

THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE
I don't know which of the creators came up with the human water fountain, but it's both disgusting and beautiful. This issue wraps the current storyline while setting up the next on its final pages. It's good, as all Luther Strode issues are, but those images are going to haunt me for awhile. I recommend the eventual trade.

TRILLIUM
I finally read this last night and can say... it's alright. I'm surprised by all the praise this book has recieved since largely nothing happens. It's vaguely reminiscent of Aronofsky's The Fountain , and that's about all I have to say. I'll stick around for a few issues to see where this is going but was expecting more after everything I'd heard.

SATELLITE SAM
I'm still enjoying this Sorkin-esque read, though from the comments I've seen, many people dropped off after the first issue. For me, I think the series would read better in trade form so I can keep better track of the many characters and their personal agendas, though there's a character page at the front that does an excellent job of this.

The only book I didn't get to read this week was Ten Grand, so I'll get that next week.  I may post and back-date some more of these later since I've been doing it for a few weeks on Google+.

Indie Corner - 08/06/2013

Indie Corner
Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

Collider #1

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
I'm in love with this book.  So many awesome and terrible things are happening, I'm in simultaneous joy and dread.  At one point I didn't want to turn the page, because I feared who was holding that sword.  I did, reluctantly, then had to shout and briefly shake my fist at the sky before diving back into the action.  Raph!  Shredder!  Splinter!  Hob!  Mikey and Slash!  It's so good!  Every Turtles fan should be reading this.

FIVE GHOSTS
This series ends decently enough, dropping enough threads for future stories.  I thought the first issue was great, with the rest okay, but not mind-blowing.  The trouble for something like this, is with so many independent #1s out now or in the near future, if this returns, the creators are going to have to up their game if it wants to stick around.

COLLIDER
Great first issue.  Good story, great visuals, believable characters, mystery.  Really, what more could you ask for?  I'll be signing up for issues 2 - 4 and see how I feel after that, but it's off to a fantastic start.  Recommended.

THE KILLER vol. 4
It's been awhile since I read the first volumes in this series.  I don't recall why, but had assumed after reading vol. 3 that that was the end of the series.  Something about the cultural pervasiveness of trilogies?  I don't know, but I was super excited earlier this year when vol. 4 was solicited.  This volume is a bit more political than I remember the earlier books being, but still excellent.  And we finally find out the titular killer's name!  This gives me hope there will be a steady stream of books to come.

Indie Corner - 07/31/2013

Indie Corner
Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

LAZARUS

Six-Gun Gorilla #2 (of 6)

Wow, I think I'm in this for a long haul.  No decision yet on whether to switch to trades, like +Charles Dowd or not, but it's good.  Much like Uncanny, further down, this issue is more mystery than answer, but the difference is - I don't care.  Here, I'm willing to wait for the answers because the family drama is so well written I'm already hooked.  You definitely check it out.

SIX GUN GORILLA
Issue two is even better than issue one.  Ridiculous things are afoot.  Beautiful, well-written, ridiculous things.  Recommended for anyone interested in comics on the fun side.

GHOSTBUSTERS
I don't have a whole lot to say about this issue, except that I wish there were more issues to read.  This spends most of its time wrapping up the current story thread, but does manage to show snippets of what's to come.  Afterward, I found myself hoping for a TMNT- or MLP-style micro series, just to get more content in my hands.

ROCKETEER & SPIRIT: PULP FRICTION
If you think about it at all, you can probably guess exactly what happens in this first issue.  Criminals in Central City and LA are working together, necessitating the need for the Spirit and Rocketeer to meet-up.  Misunderstanding leads to fisticuffs, leads to begrudging team-up.  But we're talking about Mark Waid, so it's a wonderful pulp-y read.  And the art perfectly matches these two heroes.

UNCANNY
I read one review that said issue two isn't as good as issue one, and I find myself in agreement.  It's okay, but we get more mysteries and no answers.  Unsure where this book is headed, but I'll stick around for another issue or two to find out.

Indie Corner - 07/23/2013

Indie Corner
Each week I'll (hopefully) spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

GHOSTED
Interesting, though too early to tell if it's my thing or not.  Most of the first issue was spent establishing the main character, being given a job, and assembling his team.  Character introductions all-around.  Will definitely be checking out the next issue, and will decide from there.

INVINCIBLE
Dan and I always speculate on what will happen next in Invincible.  We're always wrong, because Kirkman is full of surprises, and this issue proves that in spectacular fashion.  Eve and Angstrom, Invincible vs Invincibles... fantastic.

TMNT: ALOPEX
I take every opportunity to talk about the IDW Turtles series, because I love it.  The main series is great, and the micro series expands the world while simultaneously further developing characters.  They're perfect companions.  Here, we finally learn about Alopex, the white fox that's been showing up since practically the beginning.  And, oh man, those that three panels.

DAY MEN
Kind of a dense issue, and I mean that in the best possible way.  Some books you can read in a matter of minutes and quickly forget.  For a first issue, there's plenty here to latch onto.  Mystery, action, non-sparkly vampires, and both the main character and the series' world in general are well fleshed out here.  I'll definitely be picking up the next few issues.

HALF PAST DANGER
World War II, Nazis, a secluded Pacific island, and dinosaurs.  Issue three was out last week, but I actually read all three issues over the weekend.  I'd been buying it, with the expectation it would be good, but hadn't actually read any yet.  It's good, though the art could be a little better, particularly the faces.  Pulpy goodness.

Marlena

Part of this might see the light of day in some other form, but I've decided to radically change one of the characters in it, so who knows what it will look like the next time is surfaces. Not wanting to see it go to waste, I thought I'd share...


***


Marlena started down the corridor, thought better of it, and turned in the opposite direction.  She wasn't ready to deal with the Samiri brothers yet, and wanted to stay well clear for the time being.

The job had gone badly, just like she told them it would when they hired her.  Still, they had already put a crew together by the time they'd contacted her and were ready to move forward with or without her. Even though she knew the plan would never work, the money and desperation conspired to make her sign on. It had been four days since the authorities came crashing down on their crew, and she still hadn’t come up with a decent story to tell the Samiri’s about what had happened.

With no particular destination in mind, Marlena turned down one gray hallway after another until she found herself at one of the station's saloons.  At the bar she ordered a bourbon, neat, dropped some coins, and took her drink to the darkest corner she could find.  The habit was something she had picked up from her father, despite her every effort to be nothing like him.

Drowning her thoughts in alcohol, time slipped away unnoticed.  It wasn't until a curious looking man entered that she took notice of her surroundings again.  Human, clearly, but she couldn't guess which system he was from.  His clothes would have made him stand-out on any human settlement, but on a station like this that trafficked in every variety of alien, not many would waste a second look.

He took a seat at the bar, and appeared to be striking up a conversation with the barkeep.  They were too far away for her to hear anything, but she decided she needed to refill her glass, even though she didn't intend to drink it.  Saddling up to the bar a few seats down from the mystery man, she caught the attention of the barkeep and motioned to the empty glass in front of her.  Breaking away, the barkeep took a bottle from the shelf on his way toward her.

"What's his story?" she asked while he poured, without looking at the man she asked about.

The barkeep understood whom she meant easily enough. "Asking questions, mostly." Adding, "Only drinking water." with a scoff. He walked off, replacing the bottle on the shelf before she could ask any more.

"Where's our merchandise?" a garbled, booming, and accusational voice came from behind her.  Marlena didn't need to turn around to put a face to the voice, she already knew who was there, and was thankful for the full glass in front of her.  She drank deep.

"Qylex, Z'rak!  I've been looking for you."  She swiveled her chair to face them, maintaining an air of nonchalance and took another sip.  She wanted to keep this cordial for as long as possible, but odds were that wouldn't last long.  The Samiri brothers stood close, blocking any potential exit she might have had.  They were Velneks, towering three meters tall and each weighing a few hundred kilos.  Although they appeared to be bulbous slobs, billowing over with fat, she knew from personal experience they had more than enough muscle to make short work of her.

"More like trying to avoid us."  Z'rak spat.

"Where?"  Qylex forcefully repeated the question she was trying to dodge.

She drained the last of her glass and put it on the counter behind her.  "I think you already know I don't have it."  This thing was going sideways, and her mouth wasn't helping things.

The Samiri brothers each took a half step closer, their formidable height and girth encroaching that much more.  "Where?!" came the same scratchy, guttural question as before.

"Impound."  The word slipped delicately from her lips, and relief came over her like a wave.  None of this was going as she had planned, but nonetheless, at least she has told them.  The hard part was over, and together they could all move on now that the truth was out.

There came a sound, that began as a growl, became a scream, and then left the audible range of human hearing.  Z’Rak stood silent while his brother expressed his rage.  Only silence remained in the saloon once the scream had ended, and all eyes turning to the three of them.

To her surprise, it was the mystery man that broke the silence.  "I believe there's a desirable outcome to be reached for all involved without resorting to violence."  He was now standing directly beside Z'rak, though how he'd gotten there, Marlena hadn't seen.

Z'rak’s response swift and brutal, launching a meaty back-hand at the stranger.  Marena winced, but the blow never came.  Cautiously, she opened her eyes again to find the mystery man had effortlessly stopped the blow with only one hand.  And his hand seemed to be glowing as well, if only for an instant.

“Ah, Velnek physiology.  I had stated I wanted to avoid violence, so you’ll be rendered unconscious for the rest of this conversation.”  Placing his free hand over Z’rak’s eyes, more light came forth, and Z’rak collapsed on the ground.

The facial structure of Velneks don’t produce anything humans would recognize as shock or surprise, but from Qylex’s uncharacteristic silence and inaction, she knew that’s what he was feeling.  “I--” she felt compelled to say, but couldn’t find the words to finish.

The stranger was the first to speak again.  Turning to Qylex he spoke is a clam and quiet voice, “Your sibling’s actions weren’t conducive to a resolution.  I hope you’re more willing to conduct yourself in a civil manner.”  He wasn’t.  Suddenly regained his composure, Qylex reached for the knife at his hip, drawing it with a speed Marlena didn’t think was possible for a being his size.  Firearms of all kinds are banned on Paragon 3, but that didn’t mean its many inhabitants were without weapons.  Upon arrival, most switched to blade or bludgeon weapons, and Qylex was clearly not ignorant of the practice.

Ultimately, it proved futile.  Qylex roared and angrily slashed at the man that had rendered his brother unconscious moments ago, but he stubbornly remained unmoving.  Involuntarily, she shut her eyes once again, expecting a violent end.  Instead of fleshing slicing open, Marlena heard an unmistakable THRUM and Qylex grunt.  Her eyes snapped open again to see Qylex struggling to maintain this balance, and what appeared to be - couldn’t be - shields surrounding the stranger?

Qylex whirled to face them again, looking poised to strike again, but paused, appeared to weighed the situation mentally, and spat an insult at Marlena, “We’ll be back for you later, when your guardian isn’t around.”  He kept the knife in hand, but turned and left the saloon, with his brother still on the floor.

Adrenaline had countered the effects of the bourbon for the last few minutes, but now the alcohol was reasserting itself in her system.  Marlena needed to get out of here, quickly.  With no product for the Samiri brothers, one on the floor, and other humiliated in a fight, things were looking considerably worse than earlier.

The stranger turned to address her for the first time, “I’m sorry things didn’t go better, this wasn’t my intention.”  He looked slightly confused, as if he honestly didn’t know what had gone wrong.  There were so many things she wanted to ask, so many she wanted to ask, or scream at him.  But what came out next wasn’t any of them.

Pushing her face into his, “What, was that you trying to help?”  Marlena found herself jabbing a pointed finger into his chest and slipping one of her legs behind his.  “You stay out of my business.”  She slammed him square in the chest with both hands, sending him reeling backward, tripping over her leg, and crashing into the floor.  “And stay the hell away from me.”

It took all her strength not to look back as she walked out of the saloon.  She wanted to see the look on his face, on all their faces, but she couldn’t look if she wanted anything she’d said to stick.

Once again traversing the one gray hallway after another, Marlena took the opportunity to go over everything in her mind again and again, trying to puzzle out what had happened and her next move.  A personal shield?  Had to be.  The Samiri’s still had no product, she’d have to find something else or burn a lot of bridges to never have to see them again.  Did he have a scanner in his hand?  She hadn’t seen one.  Marco will be even more upset now than when he found out about the botched job.  The light - how could anything do that to be Velnek?  She’d have to get off this station on the first ship leaving.  Those clothes, there’s something about his clothes that...

It’s impossible.  He couldn’t be.  Her pace quickened, now with determination and a destination in mind.  She had to leave immediately.  Marlena barreled through the entryway to her quarters, only missing the door by a hair’s breadth as it slid out of her way.  Once inside, she stopped, leaned against the door, and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor.  She looked up suddenly to check the lock, and locked it - not that that could stop him.  The scanner, the light, and shield, the clothes.  Could he really be an Engineer?

She was in a whole lot more trouble than she thought.

Recommended Reading, Indy Edition

(update in progress, 10/27/2013)

Queen & Country - spy, complete
Saga - science fiction, adventure, ongoing
Chew - crime, comedy, ongoing
x Powers - superhero, crime, ongoing
Invincible - superhero, ongoing
Locke & Key - Horror, complete
The Last Days of American Crime - crime, OGN
Fear Agent - science-fiction, action/adventure , complete

Hellboy - supernatural, ongoing
x B.P.R.D. - supernatural, ongoing

Baltimore - supernatural, ongoing

Joe the Barbarian - fantasy, OGN

North 40 - OGN, Supernatural

x 30 Days of Night - horror, complete

x Jinx - crime, OGN
x Goldfish - crime, OGN
Torso - crime, historical fiction, OGN

x Metabarons - sci-fi, complete

x Homeland Directive - political drama, OGN

x The Killer -

x Artesia -
x Wasteland -
x Wormwood -
The Nightly News - OGN
The Five Fists of Science - science-fiction, alternative history, OGN
We3 - OGN
x Mouse Guard -
Heavy Liquid - OGN
x Hard Boiled - OGN

x I Kill Giants - OGN

x Ronin - OGN

x Blankets - OGN
x Revolver - OGN

x Surrogates -

x The Wretch -

x Umbrella Academy -
x Bone -
x Whiteout -
x Pherone -
x Demo -
x Casanova -
x Scarlet Traces -
x Hawaiian Dick -
x Power Up -
x Iron West -
x Creature Tech -
x Strange Kiss -
x The Walking Dead -
x The Red Star -
x Blacksad -
x Rocketo -
x Spaghetti Western -
x Soul Wind -
Planetary -
x Girls -
x The Sword -
100 Bullets - crime, conspiracy, complete
American Vampire - horror, ongoing
DMZ - ___, complete
Lucifer - ___, complete
Northlanders - historical fiction, complete
Preacher - ___, complete
Scalped - crime, complete
Transmetropolitan - science-fiction, political, complete
Y The Last Man - ___, complete
x Polly and the Pirates -
x East Coast Rising -
x Wonton Soup -
Orc Stain - Fantasy, Adventure, ongoing
x Courtney Crumrin -
x The Damned -
x Ghostopolis -
Parker - The Hunter -
x Amulet -
x The Strange Talent of Luther Strode -
Old City Blues -
Scud: The Disposable Assassin -
East of West - ___, ongoing
Velvet - ___, ongoing
Lazarus - ___, ongoing
TMNT - ___, ongoing
FBP - ___, ongoing
Hit - ___,
Ghostbusters - ___,
Six Gun Gorilla  - Science-fiction, action, OGN
Wild Blue Yonder - ___, complete
Jupiter's Legacy - ___,
Peter Panzerfaust - ___,
Sex Criminals - ___, ongoing
Mara - ___, complete
Shaolin Cowboy - ___,
Ragnarok - ___, ongoing
Rumble - ___, ongoing
Annihilator - ___, complete
Battling Boy - ___,
Peepo Choo - ___, complete
Southern Bastards - ___, ongoing
The Life After - ___, ongoing
Trees - ___,
Starlight - ___, complete
The Bunker - ___, ongoing
Wytches - ___, ongoing
Seconds - ___, OGN
The Abominable - ___,
Autumnlands - ___, ongoing
Birthright - ___, ongoing
Bitch Planet - ___, ongoing
Deadly Class - ___, ongoing
Spread - ___, ongoing
Manhattan Projects - ___, ongoing
Thief of Thieves - ___, ongoing
Afterlife with Archie - ___, ongoing
Lumberjanes - ___, ongoing
Private Eye - ___, complete
Lady Killer - ___, complete
Chrononauts - ___,
Henshin - collection, OGN
The Wicked + The Divine - ___,

Brief Thoughts on Each of DC's New 52

Adding to Pull List
Action Comics
Here's a shocker: I actually give a shit about Superman.  Who would have guessed?!

All-star Western
I've been wanted to get into Jonah Hex for awhile, since I heard it's good, but never knew where you jump in and wound up never making the plunge.  This is better than I expected, in fact, one of my favorites from New 52.  I need to take that plunge and find some Hex trades.

Batman
Batman and Harvey getting along?  Madness.  Capullo is perfect for this book, and I was a huge fan of Snyder's last arc before the reboot.  A book I instantly knew I was adding to my pull list.

Batman and Robin
I was a big fan of the dynamic between Dick and Damien, but Bruce and Damien are great too.

Batwoman
I'm really just happy to be getting more Kate, since the previous series was so fantastic.

Detective Comics
Brutal, gorgeous, and awesome.  The first book I knew I was adding to my pull list.

Justice League
Decompressed storytelling, sure, but not in a annoyingly Bendis way.  Great interaction between Batman and Green Lantern, and a killer last page.  Definitely looking forward this.




Will continue for first arc, then decide
Animal Man
Creepy, but in an intriguing way.  I'll ride along and see where this thing goes.

Aquaman
Much like Action Comics, Aquaman is suddenly entertaining?!  What is happening?!

Batgirl
I'd like to see this go somewhere... I'm just not sure where.  It would be great is Barbara realized she did and could continue to do more as Oracle than Batgirl (with or without use of her legs, I really don't care), but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Batman: The Dark Knight
The weakest the Bat-titles, in my opinion.

Batwing
That's one helluva last page.  The concept is weird, but I'll hang around a bit and see if this thing has staying power.  It could really use some more backgrounds, though.

Birds of Prey
It's just good.

Blue Beetle
A couple of things... really kinda creeped out that so many old-looking dudes want to have sex with a 14 (almost 15!) year old girl.  Not cool.  Two, if you're going to "translate from Spanish" TRANSLATE FROM SPANISH.  Otherwise, kill the asterisk and keep the Spanglish.  Pick one.  Also, why is the short-cut to the girl's house through the warehouse district?  That makes no sense.  And finally, why did Blue Beetle get turned into a Green Lantern stand-in?  That's really unnecessary.

Captain Atom
Really, the only things I know about Captain Atom are him blowing up in Kingdom Come (was that him?), and blowing up again in the Wildstorm universe.  I was kinda hoping for a Dr. Manhattan take on the character, but it was still pretty interesting.

Catwoman
Unlike everyone else on the Internet, I liked Catwoman.  The sex scene was not gratuitous and make perfect sense.

DC Universe Presents
Real surprise here, since I was totally prepared to continue not giving a shit about Deadman.  But this book was compelling in a way practically requires me to continue reading.

Deathstroke
This is what Grifter SHOULD have been.  Title character beating ass and being awesome.  Well done, sir.  Please continue.

Demon Knights
Solid first issue.  I'll be sticking around awhile to see where this thing goes.

Green Lantern Corps.
I've always liked John more than Guy, but in this, they work together in a way that makes both shine.  Also, way to work educating the audience on the characters without it being weird.  Some of the other books should take note.

Green Lantern
I've never liked Hal, and really don't care why Sinestro has a green ring.  Still, the stuff between Hal and Carol was priceless.

I, Vampire
I don't know what the fuck is going on, but will shell out at least a few more bucks to try and figure it out.

Justice League Dark
I have no idea who most of these characters are, but it was cool to see a partial Justice League get schooled by magic.  I'm already intrigued by Zatanna telling Batman "no," and would like to see more.

Justice League Int.
Another book where I have no idea who most of these people are.  The trouble is, I don't know if I'm supposed to, or if they're new creations.  Not that I'm overly concerned, because I assume we'll learn.  Still, I though more highly of the book during week 1 or 2, before more of the books had launched.  It may not last long, but the interactions with Batman between Guy and Booster were great.

Men of War
I wasn't expecting much from this before reading it, but after getting past the awkward first pages, it was pretty cool to see a human level take on super hero activity.

New Guardians
A great first issue, once we got past the Kyle origin.  Take a lesson from Green Lantern Corp and work the origins into the story itself.

Nightwing
Not real clear on how Dick can go from whooping ass as Batman for a year, and then get stomped at the end of this issue.  He should be better than this.

Red Hood & the Outlaws
The Starfire thing is regrettable, but the interactions between Arrow and Hood are fantastic.

Red Lanterns
The feral space cat is my favorite, but this book will need to up its game to keep my interested.

Teen Titans
See Superboy, below.  The book is pretty pretty much Justice League #1, and I'm still trying to figure out which character is Kid Flash.  I'm guessing Bart.

The Savage Hawkman
The last page didn't carry as much weight as I think the writer was trying for.  Mostly because the antagonist isn't built up properly.  Skipping over that awkward fight scene, the rest of the issue was tense and interesting.

Stormwatch
I was hoping for more Authority, and less of... whatever we got.  Still hoping Apollo and Midnighter ditch those terrible new costumes they've been given and put some decent clothes on.  Also, Jack has tread hands?  Was that always true and I missed it until now?

Superboy
Still trying to figure out the timeline of Teen Titans/Superboy, since the Teen Titans don't exist yet, but Superboy was created to destroy them...

Supergirl
I'm curious how she got powers so quickly after arriving on Earth, or why she heard two lines of text from Gotham, but whatever.  It's cool.

Superman
Easily the densest book this book; there's just straight-up a whole lot of words in this book.  That's not a complaint, it's actually a compliment.  By far, of all the 52 books, this felt like the most happened.  A two-hour premiere versus the

Swamp Thing
I had planned to skip this book until I saw it get four stars on CBR. Turns out to be pretty interesting.

Wonder Woman
I've never read an issue of Wonder Woman, except the one where she kills Max Lord.  I'd still prefer if she was in pants instead of Star-spangled underpants, but I'm willing to give Azzarello some leeway.




Unlikely to continue purchasing.  Not much to say about any of these.  They all used to be higher, firmly in the Maybe group, but wound up here after reading all 52.
Frankenstein, Mister Terrific, Voodoo, Legion Lost, Legion of Superheroes




Won't be Purchasing
Blackhawks
Not sure who these people are, and at the end of the issue, I still didn't care.  I think the writer wanted to make a TV series, but wound up writing a comic instead.

Firestorm
I tried to read this but gave up about 1/3 of the way in.  Flipped through the rest, read the last few pages, and I'm sticking with my decision.

Green Arrow
Interesting, but not good.


Grifter
Just awful.


Hawk and Dove
Liefeld?  Fuck no.

OMAC
Weird, but not in a good way.

Resurrection Man
Interesting, but not good.


Static Shock
Zero Interest.


Suicide Squad
Torture porn?  No thanks.