INDIE VIEW: ‘Constantly’ is a visual poem about the struggle you can’t see
Constantly
By GG
Koyama Press
In the entirely-wordless short graphic novel Constantly, GG presents a woman as she enters her day with trepidation, which manifests in hesitation and avoidance, while taunted by minimal specters that cause her...
INDIE VIEW: ‘British Ice’ is part historical mystery, part indictment of colonialism
British Ice
By Owen D. Pomery
Top Shelf Productions
There’s a moment half-way through British Ice, Owen D. Pomery’s story about anger in a fictional British Overseas Territory, when Harrison Fleet, the new commissioner of Reliance Island...
INDIE VIEW: ‘The Death of the Master’
The Death of the Master
By Patrick Kyle
Koyama Press
There’s a moment in Patrick Kyle’s The Death of the Master that reminded me of something that happened in my own life that put into physical reality...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Renaissance 1: The Uprooted’ presents a thoughtful account of first contact
Renaissance 1: The Uprooted
Written by Fred Duval
Illustrated by Emem
Europe Comics
“Humans lie! To themselves and each other!” an alien commander yells at Swann, a well-meaning soldier from the planet Nakan who is part of the...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Black Hammer ’45’ highlights the versatility of the Hammerverse
Black Hammer ’45
Plotted by Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
Written by Ray Fawkes
Illustrated by Matt Kindt
Colored by Sharlene Kindt
Lettered by Marie Enger
Dark Horse Comics
When the Beat named its 100 Best Comics of the Decade, Jeff...
INDIE VIEW: ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse’ is the fable...
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse
By Charlie Mackesy
HarperOne
It’s been a hell of a year in some unprecedented ways, and so it seemed appropriate that The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Falafel With Hot Sauce’ cuts through the noise in its depiction of...
Falafel with Hot Sauce
By Michel Kichka
Translated by Montana Kane
Europe Comics
When it comes to opinions on Israel, I find that any wider view I might personally hear on the subject is typically drowned out by...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Rain’ portrays environmental disaster alongside romantic tumult
Rain
Written by Mary M. Talbot
Illustrated by Bryan Talbot
Dark Horse Books
It was during a period of three months, from the end of December 2015 into early March 2016, that the United Kingdom faced what was,...
INDIE VIEW: ‘The Cursed Hermit’ delves even deeper into the mysteries of Hobtown
The Cursed Hermit
Written by Kris Bertin
Illustrated by Alexander Forbes
Conundrum Press
In the first book of the Hobtown Mystery Stories series The Case of the Missing Men, members of the Teen Detective Club, an afterschool program...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Reincarnation Stories’ is probably all true and other lies Kim Deitch has...
Reincarnation Stories
By Kim Deitch
Fantagraphics Books
One of Kim Deitch’s great talents is creating such a blurry line between reality and fiction, and then wrapping that blurry line tightly around his stories, that it becomes impossible...
INDIE VIEW: ‘Ghost Tree’ brings the afterlife down to Earth
Ghost Tree
Written by Bobby Curnow
Illustrated by Simon Gane
Colored by Ian Herring and Becka Kinzie
Lettered by Chris Mowry
IDW Publishing
I reviewed the first issue of Ghost Tree when it came out back in April but even...
INDIE VIEW: Liana Finck puts her whole self into ‘Excuse Me’
Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self
By Liana Finck
Random House
The short explanation is that Liana Finck’s new collection of cartoons Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self is a pretty massive one...
