Indies Preview Review Part 3 of 3

Onto Part 3 of the Indies Preview Review of June's Offerings

Part 1 Link http://comicsand.blogspot.com/2008/04/indies-review-for-june-part-1-of-3.html

Part 2 Link http://comicsand.blogspot.com/2008/04/indies-review-for-june-part-2-of-3.html

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING COMPANY
Vampress Girls Vol. 01 GN by Jacy, Nick Nova, & Massive Brain
Meet The Vampress Girls. By day, Passion, Raven, Sweet, and Page masquerade as human college students. By night, they are members of the fierce rock `n roll band The Vampress Girls. These vamps don't feed off of human blood - they thirst instead for the raw energy of rock `n roll. Together with their mother Love, they are are the sole protectors of The Vampress Code, a book that has been passed down for centuries and holds the key to ancient secrets to the royal bloodlines that separate the vampires from the demons...and good from evil.B&W, $10, Pages: 224, Size: 5x7
Lee: Is it too much to ask for previews? Seriously, this has a funky art style that I like on the cover but I have absolutely no idea what it looks like on the inside. Then again, $10 for 224 is hard to beat. It might be worth it on price point alone but it really needs some previews (ANY?) to seal the deal.
Jim: I agree, Lee. The cover almost, but not quite sells it. For $4 I would say yes, for $10 I want a little more.

Update www.vampressgirls.com - still no previews but a lot more information.

MICROCOSM PUBLISHING
Mostly True: the Story of Bozo Texino by Bill Daniel
It's possible Bill Daniel is the most inspiring filmmaker of our day. With an impressive filmography that includes work on Craig Baldwin's Sonic Outlaws, Daniel has crafted a remarkable first feature with his twenty-years-in-the-making Who Is Bozo Texino?, a documentary about modern day hoboes, rail workers and a forgotten outsider subculture. In the companion book to the film shot aboard speeding freight trains, Daniel mixes experimental and documentary to provide a captivating look at a little-known art form. Tracing the origins to boxcar graffiti from over 100 years ago, Daniel follows rail graffiti's evolution to modern day hobo gatherings, freight hopping trips and secret hobo jungles only known to tried and true hoboes. Along the way Daniel interviews numerous old timers who have spent years on the rails drawing their monikers, among them graffiti legends Colossus of Roads, The Rambler, Herby (RIP) and yes even the ever-illusive Bozo Texino. The interviews provide a fascinating glimpse into the harsh realities of tramp life while also providing a unique backdrop for the more ambient railroad-blues infused soundtrack.Pages: 128, Size: 6x9, $8.00
Lee: Sometimes a cover strikes you not as something amazing but as a “WTH is that?” This was one of those covers. And then I read the hype and I’ll be darned if it didn’t sound interesting!
Jim: Damn, this does sound interesting. Is this a documentary on TV somewhere? I’d DVR it in a minute. Links we need links.

NBM
Bluesman HC by Rob Vollmar & Pablo Callejo
This story is structured like a traditional twelve bar blues song, with three sections each made of four chapters. It follows blues musician Lem Taylor's harrowing journey across Arkansas of the late twenties, hunted for a crime he didn't commit. He and his blues companion find a gig in a juke outside a small town. Their music takes it by storm leading even to a well connected man offering a recording session. However, that night, they accept the invitation of two ladies to go home with them, a fatal mistake, as one of the ladies' lover is a white man who happens to belong to a powerful bootlegging family. The result is a triple murder with only Lem and his lady friend left standing.B&W, Pages: 224 Size: 6x9, $24.95
http://www.bluesmanproject.com/
Lee: I’ve heard so much about this Bluesman and it’s always been positive. This is a nice big hc which is perfect for me. I can’t wait to get it.
Jim: Too much of a music thing for my taste. What is it with your kids in your late 30’s almost 40 and music?

Treasury Victorian Murder Vol. 05: Mystery of Mary Rogers HC by Rick Geary
Description: Mary Rogers was a compellingly beautiful lass employed in a cigar store in New York City in the mid-19th century. She had a few suitors. Then, she suddenly disappeared, and her body was recovered in the Hudson off the Jersey side. The press had a field day with all the shocking possibilities. Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's Mystery of Mary Roger."B&W, Pages: 80, Size: 6x9, $15.95
Lee: These books are always great reads. They really, really are. Rick Geary is not only a master artist but a master story teller too. I have several and they have never failed to entertain. The only problem… I never knew the Victorian Age was quite so bloody.
Jim: Okay you have finally convinced me I need to order this one and try it out. I think that times were always a lot bloodier then we would like to believe, it was just not as easy to report to everyone before.

Neck Bolt Publishing
Trap Door Maker: Phantom of Opera Prequel SC by Pete Bregman
The critically-acclaimed graphic novel is now a Collected Edition with a stunning Basil Gogos cover. Prior to his infamous life as The Phantom, the disfigured genius named Erik traveled the globe as a magician and sideshow horror. His unique skills eventually earned him a job as architect and political assassin for the Shah of Persia. The Trap-Door Maker tells the tale of Erik's origins, actions, and ultimate betrayal, and also contains the Chapter 1 adaptation of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom Of The Opera as a bonus feature!B&W, Pages: 168 , $19.99
http://www.ladyghost.com/peter_bregman.html
Lee: The Phantom of the Opera is such a classic story that I am interested in this. There’s a nice interview and preview at the link.
Jim: The heck with that I love the name of the publisher. Neck Bolt Publishing, is just too funny. I’m assuming they started with Frankenstein material and have worked their way along the horror line.

REBELLION
Judge Anderson Shamballa SC
Creators: by Alan Grant & Arthur Ransom
Description: Judge Anderson and a team of scientists travel deep beneath the Himalayas to the mysterious city of Shamballah, there to search for a solution to the cataclysmic events that are threatening to tear the planet apart. This is just one of the exciting stories in this collection, gathering together the very best of the Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson strips!FC, Pages: 196 , $34.00
http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/features/interviews/2004/ranson/ranson1.shtml
Lee: I love Judge Dredd. I love many of the characters in his universe but mostly I love the really good art. It’s always something new and different and Ransom appears to be great.
Jim: I also love Judge Dredd and I find myself being drawn back into this material again. Damn it, but I’m getting this book also. Doing these posts is costing me a lot of money.

RED 5 COMICS
Atomic Robo Vol. 01 SC by Brian Clevinger & Scott Wegener
Atomic Robo takes on Nazis, giant ants, clockwork mummies, walking pyramids, Mars, cyborgs, and his nemesis, Baron von Helsingard, in his first trade paperback collection! This edition collects the hard-to-find issues of Atomic Robo #1-6, complete with cover gallery, pin-ups, concept art, and bonus stories!FC, Pages: 180, Size: 7x10, $18.95
http://www.red5comics.com/
Lee: Atomic Robo was awesome. This trade is gonna be alllll mine!
Jim: I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, this book is the definition of comic books. Seriously, when you look it up in a dictionary a picture of Atomic Robo should be there. This book has it all great clean art, great stories that are both fun and have heart.

SIMON & SCHUSTER
Turning Points: Little Rock Nine GN by Marshall Poe & Ellen Lindner
Little Rock Nine tells the famous story of the nine African American students who were the first to attend a previously all-white high school in Arkansas after the Brown v. Department of Education ruling began the process of desegregation in American schools. Ripple effects of this historic occasion are dramatized through the points of view of two fictional children - one white and one black - who become involved in the event.B&W, Pages: 128, Size: 5x7, $7.99
http://www.littlewhitebird.com/
Lee: I like that more and more mainstream publishers are turning out these little gn’s. It’s great for kids and it’s great for older fans too. It allows me to remain somewhat literate in a world of spandex.
Jim: Sounds too preachy to me.

UNDERCOVER FISH BOOKS
Tragic Tale of Turkey Boy: An American Love Story GN by Andy Fish
Description: In this black comedy, mayhem, madness, and murder combine when the American public, the world, and specifically one devoted fan must come to grips with the death of the iconic star of stage, screen and product endorsements, Turkey Boy. Yes, Turkey Boy had it all, but was his life idealistic as it seemed, and just what drives some fans to go to the extreme?B&W, Pages: 92, Size: 6x9, $14.95
http://andyfishwrap.blogspot.com/
Lee: It’s a tragic-comic about someone named Turkey Boy! Do you really need to know anymore than that? Really????
Jim: You have to love the cover illustration.

VIPER COMICS
Kid Houdini and the Silver Dollar Misfits Vol. 01 GN by Dwight MacPherson & Worth Gowell
The creator of "The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo" Dwight MacPherson is back with his latest all-ages adventure! In 1886, ten year-old Harry Houdini runs away from home only to find himself a prisoner in Professor Murat's circus. Using the circus as their headquarters, Harry and his new friends Lydia the snake girl, Hans the legless boy, and Jacques and Joe (the Siamese twins) form a unique detective agency that will brave any ghost, goblin, or ghoul to solve a mystery if you can pay their fee of one shiny silver dollar.FC, Pages: 96, Size: 6x9, $9.95
http://www.comicspace.com/taglist.php?type=comic&tag=worth+gowell
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=152942
Lee: Dwight is another old friend of the blog and we always recommend his stuff. We always recommend because it’s so darn good. All I’m saying is he better remember us little people when he’s big and famous!
Jim: This is a real no-brainer. Order it and enjoy it!


Lee: I need to find a way to shorten the indies post but I can’t help myself. There’s just to much good stuff out there not to talk about it. Oh well, I hope everyone found something that interested them too.
Jim: Lee I disagree, we should not shorten this post, but we can always break it up into four posts if we have to. The bigger companies get all sorts of attention, but the smaller stuff is where you can find true works of pure passion and projects done regardless of what money is being made. I know most people hope for big success, but it is their passion for their work that really shines.