Indies Previews Review for March 2011 Part 1 of 3

Lee: It appears that we are coming out of the winter blah's with a bang. There are a ton of good books this month covering everything from action, superheroes, science fiction, and humor. Thinning the list down to my budget this month is going to be brutal.
Gwen: Ahhh budgets. I have no money now what with saving for my upcoming wedding so I'll have to content myself with looking and not buying. I still haven't gotten the latest Castle Waiting sadly :(

Aazurn Publishing
Indie Comics Magazine by (W/A) Various
First issue! 64 pages of the best story and art from independent comic book creators! 8 complete stories in this issue. Available only from Previews! Tom Kelly (DC's Zuda) slices up the page with Savage Samurai. Douglas Paszkiewicz presents his brand of offbeat humor in Arsenic Lullaby. Tim Vigil (Faust) roams the streets of the City of Lost Souls. Plus, 5 more quality indie tales and a painted, full color cover by fantasy illustrator Marcus Boas (Heavy Metal). $6.49 Visit the official website here.
Lee: I love Indie anthology titles and this looks to be good because of the stellar lineup. Anthologies are always hit or miss but I really enjoy seeing new talent and future superstars.
Gwen: This is a good idea to be able to sample some indie work - but seriously why do we get a sexy half-naked jungle chick on the cover? A lot of the indie crowd is female and I know this cover wouldn't inspire me to look twice for good story content.

Abrams Comicarts
Empire State: A Love Story or Not GN by (W/A) Jason Shiga
Jimmy is a twenty-something geek who lives at home in Oakland, trapped in his own torpidity. When his best girl friend Sara (a girl and a friend, but not a girlfriend) announces she's moving to New York City for a publishing internship, Jimmy is rattled. Then lonely. Then desperate. He screws up his courage, writes Sara a letter about his true feelings for her, and asks her to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building. When he arrives in the city, Jimmy is surprised by how exciting he finds New York - and how heartbreaking: Sara pretends she didn't get his letter and even worse, has a boyfriend! $17.95 Visit Joel here, samples of his work are located in the ‘book’ section.
Lee: Shiga has been producing independent books for awhile now so he isn't new to the scene. But I believe a story with this type of emotional resonance is. It sounds great and worth looking at.
Gwen: This looks really good and somewhat sad as well. I like the stories that are easy to relate to and can hit home on a lot of level and this looks like it could be one of them.

Archaia Entertainment LLC
An Elegy for Amelia Johnson HC by (W) Andrew Roslan (A) Kate Kasenow, Dave Valeza
In her 30 years on earth, Amelia Johnson has touched many lives with her compassion, intelligence and spirit. Now, at the end of a yearlong battle with cancer, she asks her two closest friends to take her final messages to the people who have touched her life the most. Henry Barrons is a cocky, Oscar Award-winning documentary filmmaker whose demeanor hides deep insecurities. Jillian Webb is an acclaimed magazine writer with an inability to make long-term commitments. They set out across the country to fulfill Amelia's dying wish, and end up learning more about her - and themselves - than they ever imagined. $14.95 You can visit Kate here.
Lee: This is certainly something different! It sounds like it could be both moving and inspirational. Kasenow and Valeza’s art seems a bit cartoonish for the material but it may also soften some of the more depressing moments, and I’m sure there will be a few. This bears investigating.
Gwen: While this could end up being really good it also sounds like the set up for a Lifetime original movie. At the very least it's an interesting concept and I'll agree with Lee that it bears a closer look.

Ardden Entertainment
Wulf #1 by (W) Steve Niles (A) Nat Jones
The Atlas Resurrection Starts Here! Join superstars Steve Niles and Nat Jones as they bring Wulf the Barbarian into the 21st Century - literally! A fearsome and legendary warrior, Wulf finds himself fighting a powerful enemy who has tapped into a deadly new magical energy force. Meanwhile, in present-day New York City, grizzled cop Sam Lomax is having a rough day. What he doesn't realize is that it's about to get a lot rougher. How are Wulf and Lomax's fates tied together? Find out in this incredible new series! $2.99
Lee: I’m still not convinced about the viability of the Atlas revival but this book certainly grabbed my interest. Niles is an accomplished storyteller but it’s Nat Jones art that really makes me want this book. He’s a master at the sword/sorcery stuff so I know it will be pretty.
Gwen: Eh, I could never get into the barbarian type genre. The only reason I even stuck with the Conan books as long as a did was due to my deep love of Cary Nord's artwork.

Comeback Kings #1 by (W) Matt Sullivan & Gabe Guarente (A) Ethan Young
Bruce Lee. Jim Morrison. Elvis Presley. Andy Kaufman. Tupac Shakur. All controversial cultural icons who died before their time. Or did they? These legends alive and well, part of Project Resurrection, a global crime-fighting unit that's a cross between The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman and Celebrity Rehab. They're the world's most famous dead superstars - and they're living super-spies! When a terroristic reality TV supervillain plans to extend his 15 minutes of fame by making a play for infamy via a Hollywood holocaust, the Comeback Kings must put aside their differences and reunite for an encore in order to stop him. The show must go on! $2.99 Visit Ethan Young here.
Lee: As much as I like the idea of Wulf, this book makes me shake my head. I’m having trouble figuring out how Tupac and Andy Kaufman are going to work. Young’s art looks strong but the story leaves me confused.
Gwen: Really? This looks awful and probably somewhat offensive.

Boom! Studios
Hexed SC by (W) Michael Alan Nelson (A) Emma Rios
Blood. Theft. Sex. Magic. The critically acclaimed fan-favorite is now in trade paperback! It's said there's no honor amongst thieves. Add to that a thief operating in the occult underground, and it's a whole different kind of nasty! Luci Jennifer Inagcio Das Neves - Lucifer for short - takes a new job that will expose her to the macabre underbelly of the city, and a secret that she'd rather nobody know. Special cover by Paul Pope! $14.99
Lee: Emma Rios, current the artist on Osborn over at Marvel, is excellent; Nelson can write a heck of a story. And the entire story is collected in one place! What’s not to like about this?
Gwen: I loved this serious - and Lee's right about the art as well. This is a book I'd highly recommend.

Insurrection V3.6 #1 by (W) Blake Masters, Michael Alan Nelson (A) Michael Penick
The premiere issue of an unforgettable new sci-fi epic that asks the question: what makes us human? Enter the future where pollution, poverty, and armed conflict have been obliterated. Only off-world on the terraformed moons of distant planets does war still exist. Corporations command more power than governments and when they go to war, they use their own military force - armies composed of bio-engineered clones. For generations, these clones have not questioned why they live and die while their makers risk nothing. But now, one of their own will stand up against injustice, sparking a revolution that will change the entire galaxy, igniting Insurrection! Covers by Karl Richardson and Rael Lyra. $3.99 Visit Michael Penick here.
Lee: This title should fill the void of science fiction comics on the stands quite well. This has a solid premise and some good writers. Samples of Penick’s work look great too so this looks like an easy buy.
Gwen: Ugh, sci-fi comics. I'll stick to sci-fi TV shows thanks. Comic books in this genre usually get too bogged down in confusing plot to hold my interest long. Even this solicitation is overly complex.

Conundrum Press
Suddenly Something Happened GN by (W/A) Jimmy Beaulieu
Jimmy Beaulieu is the founder of the publishing house MΘcanique GΘnΦrale, and Suddenly Something Happened is his first book in English, forming the definitive edition of this autobiographical work. Told in richly rendered pencil lines in front of masterfully drawn backdrops portraying Quebec's urban and rural landscapes, these are the complete non-adventures of Jimmy Beaulieu, an easygoing artist with an appreciation for the finer things in life, such as the balconies of Montreal in spring time and station wagons with fake wood paneling. $20.00 Visit Jimmy here and Conundrum Press here and see some preview pages.
Lee: I have really enjoyed several of Conundrum's books in the past but they have always been hard to get… even on pre-order. But, this looks to continue the tradition of interesting material. If you like autobio comics then you will probably like this. And don't let the hype about boredom fool you, the previews hint at massive amounts of angst. Which, oddly enough, makes for good comics.
Gwen: I don't know Lee... the solicitation is not grabbing my interest. I'd rather see and experience the finer things in life than read about someone else doing it. But then again some of the bios can be surprisingly well done.

More Tomorrow....