It’s tricky to avoid dodgy indy comics sometimes, especially at large comics events such as the Bristol Expo. To try and help, here’s a list of those indy comics that you should be looking out for…
Fusion Four:
Engine comics are producing some really good anthology comics at the moment and will no doubt be pimping this little number.
There are some really clever pieces here. I especially liked the way the same story is told from 2 different perspectives in “The Freak”, so that you see the story unfold both in the eyes of the victim and the protagonist.
The real jewel in the crown is, of course, the next part of the brilliant, Tintin-esque detective story “The Rainbow Orchid”. The Rainbow Orchid is in fact sublimely well written and presented and would make any collection stand out from the crowd.
Malcolm Magic:
Rising comic magicians Robin and Lawrence Etherington will almost certainly be showcasing their fantastic work Malcolm Magic at the event (which is now at issue 6).
It’s the story of a drunken rabbit and his friends and the many adventures they go on. Malcolm Magic, the character is an inebriated, charming, happy go lucky rabbit, with a penchant to phase out into an alternative dimension (Happy Hippy Dale) when he’s unconscious or off his face.
Malcolm Magic, the comic combines elements such as intricate and oh so beautiful artwork with riveting, witty, bizarre, good-natured and always entertaining scripting and dialogue.
There is simply nothing else like it in the comics scene at this present time and I feel sure that you won’t regret checking this out.
Tusk:
Also from the people that brought you Malcolm Magic comes the surreal adventures of the barman known as Tusk. It’s basically a series of shorts containing various episodes in the adventures of Tusk and his bar. As with Malcolm Magic this comic is beautifully presented with elaborate complex black inkwork art and a witty one liner based dialogue and storyline.
It’s a kind of one off that looks like it could be serialised if there was demand. The presentation is so great that I feel sure there will be.
….And it smells really good! Honestly! I notice these things.
Tozzer 2:
Now at issue 4, which is, by the way, the funniest of them so far (“and I also repair shoes” - brilliant), Tozzer 2 is an unsubtle, brutally funny, pedestal kicking, sacred cow slaughtering work of the highest calibre. With more targets than a shotgun wielding former employee going postal on his former workplace, Tozzer takes on anything and anyone in order to get laughs.
Under the chopping board for their razor wit in issue 4 are Michael Jackson (which has become oddly poignant since they wrote the script – did they know something?), Matrix Revolutions, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars (the new movies), Star Wars (the old movies), Harry Potter, Tozzer 1 and Eminem to name but a few.
Tozzer 2 is immature, unsubtle, politically incorrect and…brilliant fun! Don’t analyse it, just check it out.
Dark:
Dark is an allegorical and highly personal work. Very deep, but after reading it you have to sit down and think about it. For a while.
It has a very unique and individual illustration style and is a beautiful piece on many levels. It comes in four parts which need to be read altogether to get the most out of it. It is, therefore, fortunate that the creators will be collecting these comics into a single volume at some point in the future.
Loaded with metaphor and symbolic meaning, yet still absorbing and meaningful, Dark is a thinking persons comic, make no mistake about it.
So, if you like to think, I suggest you try Dark.
Devilchild:
Responsible for finishing off the last of my black ink cartridge printing off pages from the forthcoming book, Devilchild #3, yet who cares with comic production such as this. Irreverent and funny, the Devilchild books follow the story of Troy Moore, a normal waiter who just happens to discover he’s also the son of Satan. In book #3, he has just been discovered by the elite Angel Corps and begins a battle to the death to with them. Also the stage seems to be being set for an epic battle between Devil Child and Messiah (a genetically modified soldier that has just killed the almighty).
Obviously not for the religious amongst you, but everyone else should appreciate the wit and audacity of this comic.
Strangehaven:
Despite random and long periods between releases, which at points got to annually, people still read Strangehaven. Why? Because it’s well observed and brilliant to boot, that’s why.
Strangehaven is a kind of dark soap opera set in a sleepy rural Dartmoor village. Its like League of Gentlemen crossed with Midsomer Murders, crossed with Emmerdale and follows the tale of Marti Pellow lookalike Alex and his trip into the dark underbelly of the village he has ended up in. Secret societies, inbred village folk, ritualistic murder combine to create a sinister atmosphere for the gripping plotline.
Quite simply, one of the finest independent comics there is.
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