Indies Preview Review for August Part 3 of 3

Image Comics
Seedless GN by (W/A) Corey Lewis
Harmony Treblecleff may be the daughter of an eccentric inventor, but she thought she led a pretty normal life. Normal, that is, until the grapes she grabbed from the kitchen suddenly came to life! Suddenly, Harmony is being attacked by a rogue Grape Tyrant from a distant planet (aptly named Crazy) and his many tiny minions. Her only hope is the intervention of a new special breed of heroic grape warriors - ones that are Seedless! Join Harmony as she teams up with her new alien grape pals - Funky, Pulse, Dash & Snap - as they ride jetpacks into the jungle, do battle with electric sabretooths, and reclaim their special robo-weapons called Robostomps. Warning: may not be suitable for all ages $12.99 An art sample here.
Lee: This story sounds absolutely insane and filled with over the top silliness. Now, if the story is half as good as the art then I am completely sold.
Jim: I'm confused the solicit reads like a kid book, the art looks magna and direct to a younger audience and then it says not suitable for all ages. Maybe they mean anyone over 12.

Sullivan's Sluggers GN by (W) Mark Andrew Smith (A) James Stokoe
Harvey Award-winning graphic novel author Mark Andrew Smith joins forces with Eisner Award-nominated illustrator James Stokoe for a powerful collaboration. When Sullivan's bedraggled, minor league sluggers accept an invitation to play an out-of-town game, they have no idea their small-town destination is cursed. When the sun goes down after the 7th inning stretch, the dysfunctional teammates find themselves fighting for their lives against a town crawling with flesh eating monsters. See what happens when America's favorite pastime becomes one team's nightmare. Warning: may not be suitable for all ages $16.99
Lee: If Stokoe is drawing it, I don’t care who’s writing it. I’m sold. Not to mention the story is perfectly suited for his talents.
Jim: I had to be the Debbie Downer here, but I'm tired of these mass of flesh monsters everyone wants to use. Lovecraft heirs should be rolling in dough for what he should be paid for the inspiration anyway.


Nal
War is Boring GN by (W) David Axe (A) Matt Bors
For four years, war was life for David Axe. He was alternately bored out of his mind and completely terrified. As a correspondent for The Washington Times and BBC Radio, Axe flew from conflict to conflict, reveling in death, danger, and destruction abroad while back in D.C. his apartment gathered dust, his plants died, and his relationships withered. Loosely based on the web comic of the same name, War Is Boring takes us to Lebanon and Somalia; to arms bazaars across the United States; to Detroit, as David tries to reconnect with his family; and to Chad, as David attempts to bring attention to the Darfur genocide. 144 pgs. $12.95. The War is Boring site here and Matt Bors site here.
Lee: I’ve been reading a lot of war books so this is oddly compelling. I wonder if this will be more of an anti-war statement or a barrel of facts, make yer own decision, type of book. Either way I am sure it will be full of head scratching ‘command decisions.’
Jim: This has promise. War is a difficult concept for individuals to get their heads around.

NBM
Broadcast GN by (W) Eric Hobbs (A) Noel Tuazon
On the day of Orson Welles' historic radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, which triggered panic in many places it sounded so real, a family in the countryside fears for its life and must deal with strangers and neighbors coming in for help. The tension brings to the surface long suppressed emotions and conflicts and a violent reckoning in a dark stormy night. By the artist of Elk's Run and Tumor. $13.99. See Tuazon's blog here.
Lee: NBM has a good track record with this type of material. I really enjoyed Tuazon art on Elk's Run so I'm interested and the story sounds good too. It's worth investigating.
Jim: I liked Elk's Run also and for $14 with a decent artist and a good concept this is an easy one to take a chance on.


Rebellion / 2000AD
Complete Harlem Heroes SC by (W) Tom Tulley, Pat Mills (A) Dave Gibbons, Massimo Belardinelli By the year 2050, the game of Aeroball has swept the world! It's Football, Boxing, Kung-Fu, and Basketball all rolled into one. Players roar through the air wearing jet packs and fight to put the ball in the score tank. One of the greatest teams is the Harlem Heroes, players like no others in the exciting, thrill-packed sport of the future! $25.50
Lee: Yeah baby! This is what I am talking about! Ridiculous title, ridiculous concept, what’s not to like. And the cherry on top, primo Dave Gibbons art. I’ll let you know how it is.
Jim: This should be mad fun and hard to go wrong with Gibbons art.

Harry 20 on the Highrock GN by (W) Gerry Finlay Day (A) Alan Davis
In the year 2060, a hundred miles above the Earth orbits the High Rock, a maximum security prison crammed with 10,000 of the most vicious criminals from the world below. Falsely accused of betraying his government, Harry Thompson is given a twenty year sentence on the Rock, but among thuggish guards controlled by Warden Worldwise and psychotic inmates like Big Red One, the chances of staying alive for that long are looking pretty slim! $16.99
Lee: I’m not sure if this is any good but I’m going to buy it anyway! I’m buying because this is very early Alan Davis art and I’m am all about the art. I’m sure Davis’s art won’t be as polished as his stuff today but there’s always a certain thrill about seeing an artists early material.
Jim: The concept is okay and the idea of seeing early Alan Davis is a big draw, I'm in.

Judge Dredd: Megacity Masters Vol. 01 SC by (A) Brian Bolland, Simon Bisley 2000 AD is Britain's most celebrated sci-fi comic anthology, which has been at the cutting edge of contemporary pop culture since 1977. The longest running strip in 2000 AD is Judge Dredd, and over the years many internationally renowned artists have contributed some stunning art to the Dredd legacy. This compilation features some of that artwork collected together for the first time. $19.99
Lee: This is a tough decision for me. I probably already own the Bolland Dredd reprint and there’s a good chance that I have the Bisley material too. I could be wrong but $20 is a lot of money to take a winger on. But, there are many people who haven’t seen this material so this is an excellent starting point if you don’t have Bolland/Bisley in your collection.
Jim: Sounds too random. I'd rather have the reprints with the full stories in them.

Top Shelf Productions
Fingerprints GN by (W/A) Will Dinski
In a town where movie-star good looks are only a surgery away, it's hard to tell what's real Acclaimed mini-comic creator Will Dinski presents a haunting pastel vision of beauty and decay in Fingerprints, his full-color debut graphic novel. A cosmetic surgeon takes pride in his best work - an ingénue of the silver screen literally built for success. While he works to convince her that one more surgery will perfect her looks, his aging wife struggles to keep his interest, and his ambitious assistant moves to usurp his practice. It's a surreal, entertaining and incredibly original science-fiction look at the cult of beauty. $14.95. See Will’s comics here.
Lee: The hype sounded good then I read some of Dinski’s comics (recommend: Errand Service) and I’m completely sold. Dinski has a unique indie feel to his art and his stories are tight. This is worth trying.
Jim: I trust Lee to a point. For me to be sold I want a preview of this book.

Lee: What a month. I think I’m most surprised about the wealth of good Image products. They haven’t been this strong in months. Add Fantagraphics new stuff and this is a very expensive month for me. Very expensive indeed.
Jim: It always expensive for Lee and once he starts reading things in French he will be spending big bucks over there also.