Indie Corner - 9/24/2014

The Squidder

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

THE SQUIDDER

I Kickstarted this and received the collected edition in the mail last week.  Issue four, if you're buying the singles, should be out either this week or next.  It's good; I like it.  Quick recap: Our dimension is being invaded by squid-like monsters, Earth creates modified human monsters to fight the squid.  The series takes place decades after humanity loses the war.  Typical Templesmith art, though the writing is more serious than Wormwood (Bonus recommendation: Check out Wormwood, it's awesome and funny).  Imagine a bad man in a bad world, just getting by, until someone gives him something to kill, and you won't be far off.  Sounds cliche, but I dug it.  Definitely recommended for any fans for Templesmith.

SAGA 23

Oh Saga, you break my heart.  Top-notch issue from cover-to-cover in which everyone shows what they're really made of.  If you're not reading this by now, I don't know what to say.  It's great, and also terrible because Vaughan and Staples are putting the cast through the wringer.  And I can't wait for my next dose.

SHUTTER 6

I have no idea where this series is going, but it's so full of surprises, gorgeous art, and believable characters, that I'm along for the ride.  This issue could be summed up with "Things go Awry" as basically nothing happens for anyone the way they'd planned it.  If the book focused a bit more on the characters and less on weird, mysterious things happening, it could easily have a following like Saga.  I recommend anyone into weird, mysterious things and gorgeous art to check out the first issue and see if it grabs you.  Spoiler alert: issues 2 - 6 have more of the same.

SAMURAI JACK 12

The opening arc of Samurai Jack was fantastic.  Great first issue, I had high hopes.  The arc ended sooner than I expected, and subsequent issues haven't quite lived up to the original high standard.  Until now.  Jack's sword lies broken, Aku knows it, and Jack's in some serious trouble.  I'm sure this will read much better as an eventual trade, since much of this issue is still set-up, but it's still great.  My only issue is that it's over so quickly.

ROCHE LIMIT 1

While the book has an interesting premise (think Babylon 5 without the aliens), none of the characters are likable and there's not enough story to get me to come back for more.

Daily Draft: Lost

Hopelessly lost, and all other options exhausted, Toast stepped onto the teleporter pad looking for a way back to anything recognizable. He emerged onto a field, otherwise empty save for a domed home a short walk away. Shadows lifted from the map within his mind and he at once knew where he was again. But instead of instantly travelling home again, he lingered, intrigued by the simple-looking building. He approached, slowly, almost cautiously, despite not knowing why he felt apprehension toward this place. Toast found the home to be empty, seemingly abandoned some years passed. Not finding answers to any of his questions, Toast opened a portal back to VOID City, putting this strange place behind him. Though there was no one there to hear it, a quiet sobbing filled the air at Toast's parting, from the ghost that still haunts this place, for the husband she lost long ago.

Art by Gabriel "gabo" Bautista Jr

Best Audio Books of 2013

My wife gave me an Audible account Last Christmas, and I dove in with abandon.  Below are some of the best books I've listened to in the last year.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier Clay
So well written, it easily could have been real.

Snow Crash
If I had listened to this when it was originally published, I would have spent the intervening years a hipster douche talking about how Snow Crash did it first or better.  Still great.

Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla: Biography of a Genius
Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Nikola Tesla.

Macbeth
Macbeth has always been one of my favorite Shakespearean works, and this novelization brings it to life in new ways.

World War Z
Possibly the best zombie story I've ever encountered.

Kitchen Confidential
I've been a fan of Anthony Bourdain for 10+ years, and this is an entertaining and interesting look at his early life and career.

The Martian
Simply one of the best books I've ever read.

Inferno
Easily the best of the Robert Langdon series, and with a rather surprising ending.

NOS4A2
Creepy and fantastic.

Relic
Great book, but don't re-watch the movie.

The Fault in Our Stars
Nearly brought me to tears a few times, which is really saying something.

Parallel Worlds
Mind blowing stuff.

The Gun Seller
If Douglas Adams wrote about conspiracies and terrorists, I think it'd be something like this.  Wonderful and hilarious.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Short, but amazing.  This is how I want to write.

The Areas of My Expertise
I laughed my way across Italy with this book.  Oh, the Hobo Wars and that fictional city of Chicago...

Rendezvous with Rama
I felt a few times like I'd read this already, but I later realized that many have used this story as inspiration for their own.

I, Robot
A great collection from Isaac Asimov.

Minority Report and Other Stories Unabridged Stories
A great collection from Philip K. Dick.

Ender's Game
The best parts of the book were left out of the movie.  Read this instead.

Peter & Max
Set in the Fables universe, which I haven't read since it launched all those years ago.  Still, this was excellent and may have convinced me to give the series another read.

Beyond Religion
Hands down, no one is cooler than the Dalai Lama.

Peter and the Starcatchers
Part of a series, but books two and three were middling.  One and four were great, though.

Series
Grimnoir Chronicles
Not only a great story set in an alternate early 20th Century with magic, but Bronson Pinchot is a helluva voice actor.

The Dresden Files
I wasn't overly impressed after book one, but +Dipak had books two and three already so I kept going.  Now, everyone we know has or is reading them and we're all waiting for book 15.

Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy
A great continuation of the Star Wars story, that's very likely no longer cannon.

Indie Corner - 10/23/13

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

COFFIN HILL 1

Coffin Hill #1

Great first issue, though I do particularly enjoy non-sequential storytelling.  We're presented with Eve Coffin, daughter of a powerful family she doesn't want any part of, yet can't manage to escape.  Events unfold in both 2003 and 2013, with a page filled with hints and glimpses of what happens in between.  In one era, she's a rebellious youth that gets into more trouble than she was expecting.  In the other, she's a rookie cop that solves a major crime, garnering unwanted attention from press and co-workers alike.  I'll definitely be picking up more of this.

ZERO 2

This issue is creepy.  Taking an early look at Zero's training as a child, we're shown some disturbing events in his early life.  While each issue is supposed to be stand-alone, the final page actually follows up on the fallout from last issue.  The writing remains top-notch and the art from Tradd Moore is just as good as his work on Luther Strode.  Recommended.

SIX-GUN GORILLA 5

Trippy and amazing, this issue changes everything you thought you knew about the series.  The bulk takes place in our antagonist's head, but a crucial scene is happening simultaneously back on Earth.  While I still recommend the series, at this point you'd be better off waiting for the trade so you can hold the entire story in your hands.  With only one issue to go, I expect things will go out with a bang.

INVINCIBLE 106

Battle Beast!  Battle Beast remains one of my favorite characters, and it's always good to see him again.  From the final pages, it appears we should be seeing more of him in the near future.  What seems like a relatively quiet issue dinner with Mark, Eve, and his parents, is actually filled with future plot threads.  What's Robot really up to?  Is Mark stronger than Nolan?  A villain we haven't seen in awhile returns!  And, of course, the aforementioned Battle Beast is given a mission.  There's quite a lot going on here.

100 BULLETS: BROTHER LONO 5

This issue made me realize I had chosen a similar setting for a personal project, and I now have a hard time looking at it without thinking about my own story.  Anyway, people do bad things while Lono tries to remain good.  That's about all the summary I can give you.  The dialogue, if possible, is even better here than in previous issues.  The art from Risso is similarly fantastic.  While I have a hard time calling calling anything _100 Bullets_ without Agent Graves, this is Azzarello and Risso playing to their strengths, and I love it.

SHELTERED 4

Each issue, I find myself wondering about the long-term prospects of this series, with the cast ever-dwindling.  I'd say, "things aren't going well" but at this point that should be a given.  Lucas deals with another member of the group that has questions, while the girls in the bunker mull over what to do next.  The drama and characterization remain very good, but the constant question in the back of my mind is, "where is all this going?"  Lucas has an idea, one that necessitated his actions in the first issue, and as crazy as it sounds, I'm wondering if that's exactly what's going to happen.

ROCKET GIRL 1

I can't tell if I like this book or not.  It's interesting, and I'll probably pick up the second issue... but I'm not convinced it's good.  The main character, Dayoung Johanssson is a 15-year-old cop from the future (2013) that's gone to 1986 to fix time.  The thing that bugs me is the reaction other characters, especially the 80s police officers have to her.  The scientists she first appears to are justifiably surprised, but the police seem to take her at her word despite her age and strange attire.

LETTER 44 1

Good first issue, not great, but I'm interested enough to keep purchasing.  An unpopular outgoing president leaves a letter for his replacement that tells of something, not of human origin, being constructed within our solar system.  We secretly scramble a mission to investigate, and the new president is sworn in just as the crew in space approach the object.  Most of the issue is spent introducing the cast, setting the stage, and scenes of politicians talking to one another.  I'll probably pick up through issue three to see where this is going.

Indie Corner - 10/16/13

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

FBP

Shaolin Cowboy 01

Jay and Adam's time in the pocket universe is quickly coming to an end, but is there enough time left for everyone to get out?  What's really going on and there and why?  This issue answers these questions and more, including the fallout from the mission, and a surprise ending that sees one character leave the FBP.

This series is nuts and I love it.  Great writing, crazy art that both looks and works great (when Rodriguez bothers to include backgrounds).  Next issue should serve as a jumping on point for anyone interested in the series.

THE SHOALIN COWBOY 1

Geof Darrow and Shaolin Cowboy are back!  Fans of the original series will rejoice at the return, but new readers shouldn't fear picking up the story from here - this is the beginning of a brand-new story.

The book opens with Shaolin Cowboy digging his way out "from the center of the earth" as the short prose opening tells us.  Unfortunately, there's a horde of zombies fast on his trail.  Beautifully disgusting mayhem ensues as he first runs from, then confronts the undead.

The Shaolin Cowboy has never been a talkative character, that role has always been left to the rest of the cast.  The same holds true here, with much of the story being told through Darrow's art rather than the titular character.  Near the end of the book, however, we'e shown a few pages worth of unfamiliar characters that have seemingly been in search of the cowboy, indicating some larger storyline at play.  I can only assume we'll be treated to additional details in issues to come.

GHOSTED 4

While Jackson's team tries to formulate a plan, one of their members goes missing.  Unfortunately for them, that's just the beginning of their trouble as things get much worse for everyone involved, leading to the climactic final page.  Oh, and that thing Jackson's been talking about not doing for the last few issues... it happens.  They stay in the house after dark  There's really very little else I can say about the issue without spoiling things, so I'll simply suggesting picking up the series and giving it a try.

Honestly, after the first issue, I didn't think I'd be reading the series for all that long.  The premise is good, writing is good, art is serviceable... but it didn't really hook me.  Yet I've consistently come back for more and after that last page, its hooks are in me.  Supernatural + Heist makes for a good comic.

GHOSTBUSTERS 8

This issues picks up exactly where the last left off.  Winston is still in Las Vegas, attempting to quietly deal with a ghost in the hotel while on vacation with his wife.  Egon continues to investigate himself for changes following recent events, but will he find anything more than his own paranoia?  Peter, Ray, and Kylie are all on the frozen ship off the coast, only to make a bad situation worse.

This storyarc wraps up faster than I had expected.  For one, I thought we'd see more of Winston on vacation and the relationship with his wife.  Instead, he spends much of his time trying to trap the ghost, and when he's unable to do it discreetly, has some strong words for the client.  The tension on the ghost ship, seen in the last few issues, quickly builds, but luck and a brainstorm resolve the issue without difficulty.  It's hard to understand why so much was building toward this.  Egon, meanwhile, still hasn't done much of anything.

Indie Corner - 10/09/13

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

LAZARUS 4

Lazarus #4

I hope this book lasts a long time.  Its hooks are in me deep, and Rucka has created a world with plenty to be mined and explored.  It helps also that it's incredibly good.  Issue three ended, pretty spectacularly, with Forever and her Morray counterpart Joacquim getting blown up.  Fortunately for us, it's pretty hard to kill a Lazarus.  As soon as those plotting against her realize this, new plans are set in motion.  Plans within plans, and everyone's got a secret.  Like I said, I hope this series lasts a long time.  Recommended.

MARA 6

Brian Wood and Ming Doyle's story of sports and powers comes to a close.  It's been a bit longer than usual since the last issue, but it ended with the nuclear weapons of the world pointing down at it from space.  Since having Mara explode those all over the planet would make for a very short book, it's safe to assume that doesn't happen.  Instead, we're treated to a look inside her mind as she tries to deal with what she's become and the world she's tried hard to leave behind.  Definitely one of the best world-without-superpowers-suddenly-gets-them stories.  I recommend picking up the trade, which should be along any time now.

HIT 2

As if our cast weren't in enough trouble after the first issue, they're in now much deeper after the second.  Cops are getting killed all over town there aren't any leads.  After checking with an informant, Slater and Sticky head to an off-shore casino boat in the hopes of learning something.  Though walking away a few grand richer, they get little more than a name - Domino.  Meanwhile, Bonnie proves just how much trouble she can get into, and we end another issue with a dead body.

The team of Bryce Carlson and Vanesa R. Del Ray work perfectly together to capture the setting, mood, characters, and time period to create a fantastic noir book.  The cover says "2 of 4" but I'm hoping for more.  If not more _Hit,_ than at least more from Carlson and Del Ray.

SEX CRIMINALS 1

Like a trailer that misrepresents a movie, the solicitation text for this book doesn't do a good job of selling the story found inside.  Billed as a book about a couple that stop time when they have sex and use this ability to rob banks, what's found inside is far more than that.  While, yes, that _does_ happen, the book is actually an intimate look at a young girl discovering and exploring death, her power, sex, and herself.  Not since _Blankets_ have I gotten such a look into the make-up of a character, which is one of the best compliments I have give.  Fraction's writing is superb, and Zdarsky's art helps keep even heavy topics light, while still packing a punch.  The best advice I can give is to pick the book up and flip through it.  Recommended.

HINTERKIND 1

This book upsets me a tiny bit, mostly because I wanted to do something similar.  There's too many stories of supernatural beings hiding within our world.  I wanted to flip it, making a world of supernatural beings with humanity in the minority.  Still may.  Anyway.  I'm off topic.  Possibly because I don't actually have much to say about the book.  The art is serviceable, though the landscapes are better than the faces.  The writing is... well, I'm reminded of the _Revolution_ TV series, partly due to the setting, and partly due to the main character being annoying and not caring about her in the slightest.  I won't be picking up more.

Indie Corner - 10/02/13

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

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 26

If you're not reading the Villains micro series, or really any of the micro series, you're missing out.  While the cover says issue 26, it's really more like 40 with the two micro series factored in.  The two go hand-in-hand, immediately evident by fallout from the Hun issue in the opening pages, and later, a reference to the Donatello issue.

The Foot are making moves while everyone else is merely making plans and gearing up.  Leo gives us hope that he'll soon break the reconditioning that has made him a follower of Shredder.  Angel hints at change and internal strife within the Purple Dragons, stemming from the events of Hun.  Mike checks in with an old friend and gets a possible lead on Leo and the Foot's whereabouts.  Donnie checks in with an old friend of his own, and with the help of April, acquires some tech that will aid in their assault on Shredder.  The Foot attack and devastate an unprepared Savate, though Karai grows increasingly insubordinate.  Splinter begrudgingly works with Old Hob, to further Hob's plans, in return for his help when Splinter and the Turtles attempt a rescue of Leo.  And Raph sees Casey in the hospital, easing Raph's guilt over what happened that put Casey there.

That's a lot to cover in a single issue, but all of it flows well together and is a natural extension of the preceding issues.  Nearly every cast member makes an appearance, all with their own goals and agendas.  No room for slouches here.  All of it gorgeously illustrated by Mateus Santolouco, one of the new favorite artists.  It's my understanding he'll be the main artist for the series through issue 50, and I couldn't be happier.

WILD BLUE YONDER 2

My newest favorite series.  If I could have one favorite series for each week of the month, I'd be in comic heaven.  I don't know what sales are like, but I haven't seen anyone talking about this except +Bleeding Cool.  I'd easily recommend this to all kinds of people, especially fans of anime.  It has that feel to it.

Anyway, in the book, we managed wreak most of the face of the Earth through war and nuclear weapons, and now people live in fleets of planes in the sky, or mountain tops.  Great writing, fantastic art, and I really don't have anything else to say except to please try this book.

RAT QUEENS 1

Kurtis J. Wiebe is someone whose work I have an interest in.  Debris was great, though I wish the series were an ongoing instead of a mini series.  Peter Panzerfaust is amazing.  If you haven't checked it out, you definitely should.  I've heard great things about Green Wake, and I may even own it, though I haven't read it yet.  And Grim Leaper was great, with an added bonus that it was drawn by a friend of mine.  So I'll try anything new from him based on his past work.  But this didn't grab me.

Rat Queens is a fantasy book starring four women known for their destructive tendencies.  Mildly reminiscent of Northlanders, but only in the sense that there are non-modern characters speaking like they are modern characters.  Overall, it gave me the sense of trying too hard to be something it's not.  I recommend Peter Panzerfaust instead.

JUPITER'S LEGACY 3

The beginning and the end.  Things come to a head for all members of The Upotian's family.  Issue four will jump ahead nine years, so we can see the fallout from decisions made here, and I'm looking forward to seeing just how screwed up things become.  While I'm generally not a Millar fan, Quitely could illustrate and instruction manual and I'd want to read it.  This feels like Millar might be maturing.  While he still goes for the occasional shock value, this isn't as immediately offensive as something like Wanted or Nemesis.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, not only in the future, but back on that island all those years ago.

CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE EYES OF FRANKENSTEIN 1

Niles and Mitten are back for the latest mini series - The Eyes of Frankenstein.  Christopher Mitten does an excellent job crafting the dark world Cal inhabits, with colors by Michelle Madsen adding a wonderful touch that's missing from some of Mitten's black-and-white work.

The re-cap on the credits page covers a good amount of ground people unfamiliar with Cal will need to jump into the series.  The only things left out are the recreational drug use and Cal's current state as a sort-of ghoul, though this gets touched on within the comic itself.

Preview pages for this issue involve Cal meeting Frankenstein's monster, whom is going blind.  But this is actually the end of the issue.  Prior to this, we're shown two additional situations Cal will have to deal with, though he's only aware of one.  Needless to say, Cal's going to have his hands full.  It's a great start to the series, and I know I'll be along for the ride.

SAGA 14

I read this a few days ago, and was just flipping through it again now trying to figure out what to write when I saw "Royal Baby Bump?" on a TV in the background of a panel.  This is why I love the book.  Saga is a story of imperfect people trying to live their lives as best they can, with gorgeous, expressive art by Fiona Staples, set against an incredible sci-fi backdrop.  With sometimes hilariously ridiculous things, like flying sharks and a baby seal in overalls harvesting plants, and tiny background details you may not even see the first time you read it.  You either get it or you don't.

THE INVINCIBLE HAGGARD WEST

Final issue!  Also the first.  The credits page reveals that "This is an limited-edition sneak peek of the first book of Battling Boy." A few weeks back, my shop had a preview copy of Battling Boy which reminded me I had missed this when it was published back in July.  This is Pope at his best.  The characters and world immediately come alive, and the story isn't just read and seen, but felt.  If I weren't already looking forward to Battling Boy, this issue would have done the job.