Monday, February 21, 2011

Indies Previews Review for April 2011 Part 1 of 3

Lee: This month seems to be more balanced than others. Maybe it’s the beginning of summer or something because there is a great selection of stuff for kids, women, and men. This really is one of the few months that has something for everyone. Since I got bashed in the DC post this month, I officially dub this, Part 1, less boobs more substance.
Gwen: After that I don't know what to say...

Abrams Comicarts
Fairy Tales for Angry Little Girls HC by (W/A/C) Lela Lee
The girls are back and angrier than ever! The fourth book in the successful Angry Little Girls series features the hilarious return of this beloved cast of characters, this time recast as fairy-tale heroines. Kim, the angry little Asian girl, stars in Snow Yellow and the Seven Short Men; Wanda, the fresh soul sistah, stars in RapPunsWell; Xyla, the gloomy girl, stars in Little Miss Wears a Hood; and the other girls star in furiously fractured versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Pea. Filled with Lela Lee's culturally charged humor, this clever collection of new comics proves that there's an angry little girl inside of everyone. 168 pgs. $17.95 Visit the Angry Little Girls website here.
Lee: I’ve always liked fractured fairy and this looks to be a fine addition to the genre. What isn’t to like about snotty girls breaking stereotypes.
Gwen: I wish this had been around when I was a kid. What a great idea.

Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics
Amity Blamity Book 01 GN by (W/A/C) Mike White
Meet Gretchen & Chester. Gretchen is a shy 4 year old and Chester is a potbellied pig. They live with Gretchen's Grandma and listless Uncle Downey in rural America. Mistaking their afternoon activity of playing office for entrepreneurial gusto, Downey recruits the duo to assist in his deluded aspirations of running moonshine. Unbeknownst to the outlandish family and their activities, strange forest critters begin to lurk in the woods nearby, disrupting their quirky daily life and sending them on an adventure to save their degenerate Uncle from a strange genetic mutation! 160 pgs. $10.95 Visit Amity Blamity here.
Lee: When I first started reading the hype, I thought, ahhh what a nice family book. Then I got to the part about moonshine. And later I got to the part about genetic mutation. I still think it’s gonna be a great book, maybe not for the kiddies though.
Gwen: I don't know Lee, it could still be a nice family book! Either way this catches my attention and looks like it could be really entertaining. The art is really cute too.

Ape Entertainment
Little Green Men: It's a Big World After All GN by (W/A/C) Jay Fosgitt
The Little Green Men return! Three alien misfits on a mission to conquer Earth discover the hard way that humanity isn't all that humane. Arriving on our globe of green and blue only to learn that they're a mere three inches tall, the trio of interplanetary outcasts prove that size really doesn't matter after all, as they try to conquer the Earth a little bit at a time! $6.95 Visit Jay here.
Lee: Visiting Jay’s blog it’s obvious that he has a solid sense of humor that is perfect for this material. This looks like a fun romp that will bring a smile to your face.
Gwen: What a great concept - tiny aliens trying to conquer the Earth. Sort of reminds me of Pinky and the Brain.

Art House 7
Kid Kos Vol. 01: Agents of Doom GN by (W) Kaja Blackley (A/C) Alex Hawley
Buster Jones is no ordinary 11-year-old boy. His quiet suburban life is about to change forever. Creatures from beyond our galaxy lurk undetected in the shadows of Buster's peaceful neighborhood. As they come out of the darkness to wreak havoc on his orderly world, Buster begins his heroic transformation from boy genius into government secret agent, Kid K-OS. $22.95 Visit Art House 7 with a 26 pg preview here.
Lee: Of all the books so far, this is by far, the purest “all ages” book. The art seemed stiff to me, and the story a tad bit… dull. BUT, this is perfect for my kids. If you have wondered about how to get your kids hooked on comics, or getting them to like reading, then search for books like these. A perfect addition to any young readers collection.
Gwen: The concept looks interesting but it's not something I'd go out of my way for . However my fiance would get a big kick out of it but he enjoys almost any story in the secret agent genre. I did read the first few pages for the preview though and while I agree with Lee about the art the story is well written.

Big If Comics
Pood #3 by (W/A) Various
The big alternative comics newspaper is back with all new groundbreaking comics! Featuring some of the brightest talents in alternative comics in a big, colorful broadsheet newspaper right out of the Golden Age of Sunday Comics, every page of pood #3 is loaded with imaginative cartooning, rich story-telling and hilarious escapades! Every one of pood's 16 enormous pages is a big, beautiful work of art! pood offers a daring, new (and old!) format for alternative comics, unlike anything on the store shelves today! $4.50 Visit the Pood blog here.
Lee: I’ve know I’ve talked about this before but it’s worth mentioning again. Think the Sunday funnies for big people. Alternative comics at a size you will find no where else. Great stuff.
Gwen: While different I think I'll pass. I know Jim really like the Weds Comics stuff DC put out but I'm not a fan of newspaper style comics.

Black Bottle Press
Francis Sharp in the Grip of the Uncanny Chapter 01 GN by (W) Brittney Sabo, Anna Bratton (A/C) Brittney Sabo
It's not easy growing up in rural 1930's New Jersey, especially when your chores keep getting in the way of your occult fantasies. But when little Francis Sharp's imagination gets the better of him, he finds himself lost in a much stranger world than he ever knew existed. #1 of 4, 96 pgs. $10.00 Visit the official site and read a preview here.
Lee: I highly, highly recommend reading the preview for the book because it’s just enough to let the story shine through. To keep this short, great art and great story make this a great book for everyone.
Gwen: This looks to be excellent. The small amount I read makes me want to read more. Very well done and the story pulls you in quickly.

Blank Slate
Girl & Gorilla GN by (W/A/C) Maddy Flores
Aurelie is having a rough day. But her foul mood is quickly forgotten when she crosses paths with a Gorilla. Her day only gets more interesting from there! A chat with historical characters, a hunter who takes her under his wing, and a forest of unusual residents. What else will she encounter? And who will save the day? $10.99 Visit Maddy here, , and see a preview here.
Lee: I saw the cover and figured someone has written a story about Gwen’s childhood. And, I was right.
Gwen: Actually Lee is right. Because I thought the same thing when I read this solicitation. Awesome!

Sleepyheads GN by (W/A/C) Randall C
Randall C's Sleepyhead was a multiple award winner in Europe when released back in 2007. It's a dazzling book which has a lovely, lazy, dreamlike feel which draws you into the majesty of the art. This is a tour-de-force in comics storytelling which produces a book full of philosophy, absurdism, fantasy elements, love and self discovery - plus some of the best drawn whales you'll ever see. $24.99 See previews here.
Lee: I have been a lover of Euro books for a long, long time so when I see a multiple award winner being translated into english, it's an immediate buy for me. It looks great, it sounds great, and it's not men in tights. Just fantastic.
Gwen: Whales!

Boom! Studios
Planet of the Apes #1 by (W) Daryl Gregory (A) Carlos Magno (C) Karl Richardson, Chad Hardin
Get your hands on these damn dirty Apes! Beginning an all-new series that takes place before the original 1968 Planet of the Apes movie in the continuity of the first five films! Ape society has reached a new golden age. But there are ripples of dissent in both the ape and human ranks. Tensions will rise and soon all will be caught in chaos! And amidst all this uncertainty, what is the fate of The Lawgiver? Written by award-winning novelist Daryl Gregory! Covers by Karl Richardson and Chad Hardin. $3.99
Lee: PotA is another one of those series that seems to get revamped every 10 years or so. The last good version was from Malibu in the late 90’s, then there was another DH version to coincide with the terrible movie of the early 00s. I’ve always been a fan and I hope that Boom can breath new life into the venture.
Gwen: Ah Planet of the Apes. All I associate with Planet of the Apes is memories of Charelton Heston which lead to memories of soilant green. Either way I can't say I'm interested in yet another Planet of the Apes story.

More boob covers Wednesday, I promise....

4 comments:

  1. You forgot the excellent "Revolution of the Planet of the Apes" by Mr. Comics (I think) from a few years ago. It took place immediately after the events in the Conquest of the PoTA movie. I'm going to at least try out the first issue of this series as I only care about things related to the movie continuity (the good ones that is).

    ReplyDelete
  2. How is PotA indie?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ok, maybe PotA isn't quite indie but the publisher certainly is. There isn't enough hype for the smaller press so this is a reminder to everyone to support the little guys.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Also, you can make an arguement that PotA is no longer a huge property. Certainly not like it once was.

    But I think it is starting to become more of a cult thing v. a common lexicon thing.

    Everyone knows Star Trek, Star Wars, I would bet that there are alot less people that know PotA.

    ReplyDelete