This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: a handful of indie comics on the racks right now.
I was trying to think of a subject for this week’s Underrated, and realized that as I haven’t been reading as many trades lately, I didn’t have a huge sampling to choose from (the one book I do have picked out for the column, I haven’t had a chance to actually read yet). But there have been a lot of indie comics I’ve been reading lately that I’ve been really enjoying – only in most cases the series isn’t over yet. So, I decided why not just look at those books as they are right now? Maybe you’ll find something in there that you’ll quite enjoy. Or maybe not.
By The Horns (Scout) Okay, so technically the first volume is complete, but the trade is hitting soon, and that’s all the excuse I need to include this here. Markisan Naso, Jason Muhr and Andrei Tabacaru aren’t one of the more well known creative teams in comics, but they’re certainly one of the best. By The Horns is a story set in a lusciously vibrant fantasy world with technology not unlike what you’d see in the Star Wars franchise. It’s a beautifully illustrated and written series that should be on every person’s pull list. Volume two picks up in April, which is within a month (possibly).
Wrong Earth: Trapped In Teen Town (Ahoy) The best way to describe the premise of Wrong Earth is that the Batman from the 1960’s TV show (Dragonfly Man) switched places with Ben Affleck’s version of Batman (the Dragonfly); one, an idealistic man with gadgets not unlike the Bat-Shark Repellant, and the other, a vigilante who’s far more violent (and deadly) in his approach. In the main story, the two men have exchanged places, but this standalone story sees the Dragonfly and his sidekicks being dragged into what essentially amounts to an Archie comic. It’s fantastic, and the first in a series of similar concepts written by guest writers (Trapped In Teen Town was penned by Gail Simone). Highly worth reading if you’re at all a fan of the Wrong Earth universe.
Shadowman (Valiant) Valiant have had some ups and downs this year, but the unequalled high point for the publisher was this book from Cullen Bunn and Jon Davis Hunt. In what is probably my favourite take on the character, we’ve had four issues that are essentially stand alone comics with an overarching theme, all of which have been building to The Deadside War which kicked off in the fifth issue. It remains one of the highest points that the publisher has reached in nearly two years.
Good Boy (Source Point Press) Think about the first John Wick movie. What if the wannabe gangsters at the beginning killed John Wick and not his dog? What if, in this world, there are anthromorphic animals, and what if John’s dog was just as deadly as him? Welcome to Good Boy, and it is every bit as amazing as you’re thinking.
Knighted (AWA Studios) I can’t really describe this any better than the official blurb… “Bob Ryder is a hapless bureaucrat whose bad luck streak comes to a crescendo when he accidentally kills the city’s masked vigilante, The Knight. Oops. Now, Bob is forced to take on the mantle of the legendary hero before the city descends into chaos. Good thing he’s got The Knight’s former butler/assistant to show him the ropes.” This is a comic set within the world of The Resistance, but you don’t need to have read that series to enjoy this (in fact, four issues in, it only clicked for me when I went to check out the blurb, so there you go).
Once And Future (Boom) It’s almost cheating to include this given the buzz that surrounds the comic on a consistent basis, but here we are. Once And Future brings fairytales, myths and legends from Europe into a more modern setting. The series has been consistently brilliant with the stakes escalating in an organic and believable way – there’s no out of the blue or unexpected twist when it comes to villains, but rather a genuine progression from where the series has progressed from the first issue to the current. Keiran Gillen, Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain have never produced any less than a good comic book month after month.
Join us next week where there will doubtless be another movie, series, comic or comic related thing discussed that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.
Source: Graphic Policy
