Obscure comics (aka independents)

[maxlords]

There are some pretty weird comics out there and a lot of em have tiny print runs or are otherwise completely missed by most collectors and readers! I'd like to take this thread up with information on some of the most interesting and oddball comics out there. I find that sometimes it's great to really get away from the basic superhero stuff, and there are a handful of comics out there that really get passed over. The downside is that a lot of these are impossible to find titles and the only way to get them these days may end up being to *koff* acquire *koff* them on the net. Some are in print however!

Here's my first:

Thieves and Kings by Mark Oakley - A very different black and white comic that's austensibly about a thief named Rubel. Half novel, half comic, endearing cartoonish artwork. Originally slated to be 100 issues, but sadly canned after 45. The print runs were TINY on this one and only a handful of stores carried it after the first 10 issues but the graphic novels ARE available from the iBox website, direct from Mark Oakley still.

[Baloo]

While I'm not sure if you could call it obscure as it is pretty popular and was distributed by Scholastic at one point, it's definitely a great independent comic.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Cursed Pirate Girl. Only three issues have been made (he's currently working on a fourth right now), but the art is just absolutely amazing.

http://jeremybastian.blogspot.com/

[maxlords]

Next for me is Echo by Terry Moore. It blew my mind when I found out Terry Moore was a friggin GUY because honestly I would have bet money he was a girl. The man is IN TOUCH with how women think, act, and talk on a level that I can't even fathom.

He wrote Strangers in Paradise which was a pheonomenal indy book that ended up winning tons of awards. He's now followed it up with Echo, a super-hero book about an average woman with a shitty life that ends up with super-powers and embroiled in a huge conspiracy. It's brilliant, witty, deep, and frnakly...just damned good. Another black and white book if ya don't mind those... I have the graphic novels...have never seen the issues for sale...

[Queen Of The Felines]

Funny you mention Terry Moore. I freakin' LOVE the guy. I own a bunch of his artwork too and met him a few times at Comic-Con. He and his wife are super-nice people.

I also thought he was a woman at first because he GETS it. He totally gets it.

His new series Rachel Rising just debuted at Comic-Con too, I need to pick myself up a copy.

[Pantechnicon]

Back in the early 1990s I was a huge fan of a number of series of Chinese kung-fu manga ("manhua") books published by a company called Jademan. My favorite series were Force of Buddha's Palm, Drunken Fist and Iron Marshall.

For the time I would say these Jademan books were the best value you could get for your money spent as a comic fan. Each issue was $2 (compared with iirc $1.25 for Marvel/DC), but was 64 pages in length, full color, with zero ads. As for the artwork it was f--king amazing to say the very least:


64 pages of this every month. Awesomeness.

Unfortunately I couldn't find them after 1992 anymore because I moved to a different city where the local shop didn't carry it and never wanted to order it. And I seem to recall that the "Stan Lee" of Jademan, a fellow by the name of Tony Wong, was tried and found guilty of forgery and did some jail time. That was pretty much the end of Jademan in the U.S., but I think some of these series are still being published in Hong Kong.

[RASK1904]

Checkered Demon, Tales of the Leather Nun, Hup, Felching Cumics. The weirder the better!

[maxlords]

Funny you mention Terry Moore. I freakin' LOVE the guy. I own a bunch of his artwork too and met him a few times at Comic-Con. He and his wife are super-nice people.

I also thought he was a woman at first because he GETS it. He totally gets it.

His new series Rachel Rising just debuted at Comic-Con too, I need to pick myself up a copy.

Glad I'm not the only one! I was embarrased at first when I found out he was a guy! lol

He is pretty awesome. I'd slay to get some art from Echo

[newtype5]

one of my all time indy faves was Warlock 5 by Gordon Derry and Denis Beauvis. Only the first 13 issues are worth a look. they left the title after that, and it seriously suffered.

also, THB by Paul Pope (anything by Paul Pope really, but his first self-published, impossible to find, stuff is excellent).

[T2KFreeker]

Faust; Love of the Damned. Classic for those of you that like a bit of the Ultraviolence.

[maxlords]

Faust is some wild shit, no question there!

[Queen Of The Felines]

Never read Faust, but Marshal Law was pretty messed up too.

[newtype5]

Faust is up there for me as well. been reading since issue one from 1988 (i think it was '88). tim vigil is a modern master. the story will hopefully be concluded before we all die (13 issues in 23 years, and it still has a cult following. be forwarned it is for adults only).
Marshal Law was a favorite back in the day. marvel's Epic line did some edgy stuff, and that title was a blast.
the original Deadworld from arrow comics is great stuff as well. vincent locke got his start on that title, and then went on to work on sandman, a history of violence, and many other big name titles.
i love independent comics. superhero shmuperhero, give me a good indy book any day!
some more faves:
Flaming Carrot - the funniest comic ever.
Teenagers From Mars - cool book about teenage angst, comic book censorship, grave robbing, zombie films, guns, and punk chicks.

[Parodius Duh!]

meh, I dont really like any independent tile Ive tried to pick up. That new company....Dynamite or something? They are halfway decent and its cool they brought back all the "lost" 40's superheroes like the original Daredevil and Black Terror. I wouldnt consider them independent though since like every dude from Marvel works for them. Its going to be the next image comics Im sayin'

[fergojisan]

I'm way out of touch with comics, but I do love Terry Moore as well. I had no idea he has another book going, is Echo finished?

Box Office Poison was a good read. Also enjoyed Leave It To Chance and A Touch Of Silver, when I was actively reading in the 90s.

And Horny Biker Sluts is friggin' hilarious.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Echo finished a couple months ago, like May-ish? He's selling omnibuses for it now on his website. DTJAAAAMJSLM picked me up a hardcover copy at Comic-Con and it's really well done.

The new one just started a few weeks ago but it sounds like comic shops aren't ordering very many copies of it.

[otaku]

can't think of any off the top of my head but yes indie comics are great!

[Queen Of The Felines]

Anybody ever read Stumptown? It looks interesting.

[kirin jensen]

Anybody ever read Stumptown? It looks interesting.

Just looked it up, because with that name I assumed it was set in Portland. It is. Looks good.

Strangehaven is on of the weirder comics I've ever read.

[maxlords]

Anyone ever read Strange Kiss by Warren Ellis? Talk about fucked! The sheer creep factor alone....

[maxlords]

Also here's another obscure one:

Black Kiss by Howard Chaykin



Another VERY odd story....

[maxlords]

Oh yeah...and I can't believe I haven't mentioned Arsenic Lullaby:

[slapdash]

@maxlords: Regarding Black Kiss, are the following sequels, or something else?

BIG BLACK KISS by Vortex Comics, Inc.
THICK BLACK KISS GN by Vortex Comics, Inc.
STIFF BLACK KISS HC (1993) by Vortex Comics, Inc.

[maxlords]

They're reprints.

Big Black Kiss was a 3 volume squarebound collecting the 12 issues of Black Kiss.

Thick Black Kiss was the softcover graphic novel of the whole series in one.

Stiff Black Kiss (which I have never seen) must have been the hardcover collection of the series.

As far as I know Chaykin never did a sequel. If you like his stuff though, he has a lot of other interesting series, such as Power and Glory, American Flagg, and a short stint on Blackhawk....lots of other stuff too, but he is definitely an acquired taste!

[slapdash]

Ah, thanks. And I don't believe I've read ANY Chaykin yet... Always meant to pick up American Flagg; never got around to it. This might be a good intro too.