The 5 Indie Comics weekly column is back.
In our second column, Bounding Into Comics recommended The Phantom Phoenix, Offworlder, Rock ‘N Roll Ninja, War Party, and Shadow Sentry.
Related: 5 Indie Comics That Look Worth Your Money
The purpose of this column is to shine a light on some independent projects that look top notch all around from the story to the art.
The books are not ranked in any particular order, but are simply a list of five independent books that are currently available to purchase now or are being crowdfunded on various platforms.
So, let’s get into it.
1. The Imperium And Biblical
The Imperium and Biblical are both written by Tzvi Lebetkin. For Imperium Lebetkin teams up with artist Dominic Racho.
Here’s the official description for The Imperium:
“The Imperium takes iconic characters and deconstructs them to their roots, reassembles them, and then dumps them all into a super group with a stonking, mind bending action and archaic adventure.”
As for Biblical, here’s the official description:
“An incredible epic tale spanning centuries, and fiercely Biblically accurate but with no preaching or polemics agenda – Just a great story well told!!!
This brand new edition, with a revised and rewritten ending harkens from the great tradition of Vertigo comics – in this hard edged tale encompassing the Dove and the Raven from Noah’s ark, King Nimrod and the Tower of Babel, and the book of Jonah – tied into one seamless narrative.”
As part of the campaign, Lebetkin is also offering “For The Male Gaze Art Cards.”
Here’s a look at what one of them looks like.
Both The Imperium and Biblical are available to back on IndieGoGo.
2. Charlie’s London: From East Lane to the Limelight
Charlie’s London: From East Lane to the Limelight is written by Charlie’s London and artist Micky.
Here’s the official description:
“As the world awaits the premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s eagerly anticipated motion picture Limelight, the most famous comedian on the planet finds himself at a professional and emotional crossroad.
It’s 1952 and the west is in the grip of social and political fear of Communism and the Red Scare, Hollywood finds itself in an uncomfortable spotlight that will cast a shadow on many names in the industry and many will never recover. Dogged by continuous accusation of Communist sympathies, Chaplin is informed that unless he declares his political leaning in front of HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee) he will not be allowed to return to the United States of America.
All this and the fear of rejection on his home soil he finds the London streets of his youth are both a source of comfort and a painful reflection of a time once forgotten.
With every step he remembers and with every step we see it with him!
So, how did the harsh Dickensian streets of London help to shape one of the most iconic cinematic legends the world has ever seen?”
The book is officially licensed by the Chaplin Estate and is 64-pages long.
You can purchase it on IndieGoGo through In-Demand. It’ll run you about $26.
3. Black Flag: Pineapple Perception
Black Flag: Pineapple Perception is written and drawn by Dan Fraga
Here’s the official description:
“When your streets are overrun with cybernetic ninja gangsters and mutated beasts, when a cosmic brigade of Savage Aliens surrounds your planet, and when the supernatural underworld begins to take over the earth, there’s only one team you can call to help save the world: Black Flag. A band of unlikely heroes dedicated to stop all threats of evil, seen and unseen. A career soldier, a beautiful hardware tycoon, a shape- shifting refugee alien, a genius monster, an ancient mystic, and a magical 12-year-old boy.”
Black Flag: Pineapple Perception is a 48-page graphic novel.
It is available to purchase through IndieGoGo In-Demand.
4. Gorgon Vol. 1
Gorgon comes from the creative team of Jay Fotos, Mark Kidwell, Jeff Zornow, Tom B. Long, and Danny Marianino.
Here’s the official description:
“It’s a JUNGLE out there!
From the concrete shadows of America’s inner cities to a vine-strangled temple, lost in the tropical rainforests of Colombia…a new, lethal drug raises its serpentine head! GORGON… crystal sorcery, a narcotic that produces an unearthly high; an intense, mind-expanding euphoria trip filled with ancient, otherworldly pleasures. A dream, dancing in the droplet at the tip of the needle.
But there is a price for such dreams…
GORGON…something is stirring…
The most sought-after narcotic the modern world has ever known, powered by a secret as old as the mythologies that spawned it! Flop-houses, gutters…filled with the dead and dying users of the mind-blowing snake-oil…their flesh atrophied, hardened…turned to STONE! Warring drug cartels will do anything to possess it. A war-hardened, deeply scarred guerilla leader will do anything to protect it. And a jaded DEA agent, burned out from his tour in America’s war on drugs…will plunge into a green, sweating hell to face the horrific secret behind the chemical venom known as GORGON…and risk his life…his soul…to kill it.”
Gorgon Vol. 1 is a 48-page graphic novella.
It is available to back on Kickstarter.
5. Tesla On Mars
Tesla On Mars comes from Obscuras Comics and the creative team of Ryan Chalifour and Ashley Mills alongside Pual Ikeda and Leticia Morgado Rodriguez.
Here’s the official description:
“Science fiction began as way to explore the new worlds, the kinds of places we can only imagine – the plausible but unreachable. Those early stories dared to beg the question, what fantastical journeys await beyond the reach of technology and possibility?
In creating Tesla on Mars, we take the genre back to its roots and push the boundaries of exploration into the cosmos. It’s an adventure comic packed with danger and intrigue, but at it’s core the story is about the uniquely human need for exploration and discovery – the true beating heart of science fiction.
And so we asked our own question… What if Nikola Tesla were able to search for the cities and empires he believed were thriving on Mars? And what secrets might he uncover in doing so? Tesla on Mars tells that gripping tale.”
The book will be 22-pages fully colored and is the first a in a three-part miniseries.
It is available to back on Kickstarter.
What books are you backing? What have you been reading that’s good?