Indies Preview Review for December Pt 1 of 3

Lee: The indies review is far and away my favorite time of the month. There are lots of shiney new things and most all are under $100, unlike last month.
Gwen: Yay indies : These solicitations are always a lot of fun to review.

Accent UK
Man of Glass GN by (W/A) Martin Flink
What is the tragic connection between the young boxer who has it all, love, friends and a promising career and the sad old man who drinks cheap beer in the park and carries his belongings in two plastic bags? This heart wrenching tale shows how a single mistake can change everything if you take an unlucky chance. Starman's Peter Snejbjerg calls this A touching and poetic story, beautifully told. $5.95. Visit Mr. Flink here.
Lee: This is one of those books that jsut strikes me as being good. I think it’s the simplicity of the cover design that makes me say that. It conveys a ton of emotion with only a single figure! Add on some good hype, a cheap price, and this baby is all mine.
Gwen: While the hype doesn't really grab me (I can guess several scenarios for why this guy's life takes a bad turn - the sad boxer genre doesn't hold a lot of interest for me) I agree with Lee about the cover. The cover art is fantastic and you feel like you can easily read what the character is going through from a very simplistic picture.


Albatross Exploding Funny Book
Pug Davis Vol. 01 SC by (W/A) Rebecca Sugar (C) Eric Powell
Intergalactic legend. All-American hero. He fights aliens in space so we don't have to fight them here. Ok, so he's got a giant pug head and gay sidekick! What of it? And sure most of those aliens were just looking for love, but they were asking to get punch in their big bulbous heads with those giant brains of theirs floating all over the place! Pug Davis, the debut of newcomer Rebecca Sugar, is a laugh out loud breath of fresh air! $15.00. Read a 10 page preview here.
Lee: In case you live under a rock, Albatross Exploding Funny Book’s (AEFB) is where the Goon was first published. Granted, the Goon has gone on to be a huge hit at Dark Horse and AEFB hasn’t published anything since, BUT that doesn’t mean they can’t find talent. Which brings us to this book… The art is rough but shows promise. The story… I have no clue what the story is about. My interest is piqued but I’m not sure I’m completely sold.
Gwen: This seems too far over the top for me. It might be entertaining but I feel it's pretty easy to cross over from being funny-absurd to just ridiculous. Looking at this I'm guessing it's the latter.

Amryl Entertainment
Cavewoman: Hunt #2 by (W/A) Rob Durham
After finding out about the secretive hunting expedition, Meriem isn't happy and comes to the conclusion that the hunting party could be in extreme danger! Though quite upset with Bruce about doing this without her knowledge, Meriem goes after them. Finally catching up, she makes them all realize something other than she is upset with their intrusion onto the hunting grounds and now Cavewoman must save the day - if she can! $3.75
Lee: I picked this because I am curious to see if Gwen can find anything remotely constructive to say about such a book. Sometimes it’s good to test the abilities of those picking books. Not test me because I’m an awesome book picker… test poor slobs like Gwen who have to say nice things after my pointless intros.
Gwen: Why do I have to say something nice? I can have a negative comment and still be constructive sir. Honestly I have no clue what this is about. I mean the cover alone is enough to make me fairly certain that if anyone buys this comic it's for the sole purpose of looking at Cavewoman's scantily clad body. I mean the cover alone is extremely sexually suggestive. But hey, maybe Cavewoman will save the day.


Archaia Entertainment LLC
Critical Millennium Vol. 01: Dark Frontier HC by (W) Andrew E. C. Gaska (A) Daniel Dussault
Two thousand years from now, the Earth is nearly dead. A bold group of explorers led by philanthropist Thomm Coney pushes forward to take the first tentative steps out of Earth's solar system. Their quest: new worlds to colonize, so that humanity may yet have a chance at survival. Facing impossible odds, Coney and his crew brave the dangers of a potentially volatile star drive in order to preserve civilization itself. $24.95 There’s a 10 page preview here, just ignore the heavy handed watermark that just about obliterates the art and the mans ass mooning you on the first page.
Lee: Let’s just start with the fact that this is an absolutely terrible cover. It gives me no idea what is in the book and looks closer to a novel than a graphic novel. That is just bad marketing! But, if you are brave enough to look inside then this appears to be a good story. It certainly has all the key elements of a good science fiction story. And the art is pretty good.
Gwen: This looks like a pretty solid basis for a sci-fi TV series. While I enjoy this genre on TV (Stargate and such) I don't think it would be as much fun to read. However the art looks good and the premise is solid enough that I'd be willing to give it a shot. There could easily be more to this than meets the eye.

Ardden Entertainment
Grim Ghost #0 by (W) Joshua Ortega (A) Qing Ping Mui Before Spawn... Before Hellboy... there was The Grim Ghost! Originally published in 1975, The Grim Ghost was published by the original Atlas Comics, a company created by the founder of Marvel Comics, Martin Goodman. Now, The Grim Ghost is back and re-imagined for the 21st-century with this special prequel issue! Get in on the ground floor of the Atlas Comics resurrection and see what the buzz is all about! $3.99 See samples of Mui’s work here. And the official GG page here.
Lee: Outside of older collectors such as Jim and myself, I’m not sure that anyone under 30 cares about the Grim Ghost. It’s better than creating a hero from scratch but since, at most, three issues of GG were published, it’s marginally above scratch. That said, Ortega has been writing Gears of War (DC) for awhile now so he’s an established commodity. Mui is new but seems to have a lot of raw talent. It should be worth checking out the first few issues.
Gwen: Who is the Grim Ghost? I've never heard about this character before now...

Arsenic Lullaby Publishing
Arsenic Lullaby: Devil's Decade HC by (W/A) Douglas Paszkiewicz
Nominated for both the Harvey Award and Eisner Award, Arsenic Lullaby is truly the king of dark humor, and these pages prove it! Zombie fetuses, alcoholic cereal mascots, Nazis, the KKK, and more grace the pages of this 400-page collection in a way that will make you ashamed that you laughed. Available in Hardcover and Softcover editions. HC $49.99, SC $30. Visit the Arsenic Lullaby page here.
Lee: Arsenic Lullaby has been published for years and is one of the great books on the indie scene. And now it gets it’s own fancy hc edition! If you like your humor black, with a side of borderline distasteful, then this is for you. Not for the meek but certainly funny as all heck.
Gwen: This reminds me of those books they used to sell of truly tasteless jokes - fun for some people but not really my style.