Comics have always been the beating heart of Emerald City Comicon and this year we've had a lot on that front already: Image's announcements and Shelly Bond's new imprint at IDW, just to name a few. But when it comes to actually finding the next comics that are going to ignite your world, it's easy to miss the buried treasure scattered throughout the show floor and Artist's Alley. There's just too much to distract you.
Here are the comics I recommend picking up at Emerald City:
Maze of Games - booth 204
Not brand new, but still worth discovering if you haven't yet: an interactive graphic novel where 2 teenagers need to navigate mazes of monsters and puzzles to find their way home.
The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood, vol. 1 - Fantagraphics - booth 210
A visually beautiful exploration of Wallace Wood and his work. (This is actually a repackaged coffee table version of an earlier book, so look closely.)
My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Fantagraphics - booth 210
If you're sick of bland comics and graphic novels, pick up this sketchbook dedicated to solving a murder mystery. Emil Ferris has created something stunning, both in the art and the writing. I can't recommend this enough.
Bait - booth 2110
8 short stories from Chuck Palahniuk, with black and white drawings (for you to color) from Joelle Jones, Duncan Fegredo and other artists.
Die Kitty Die - X-10 in Artist's Alley
Top Archie artists/writers Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz bring you one of my favorite new comics: a sexy witch who's also a comic character who's dodging murder attempts by her sales-hungry comics publisher. Yes, the cover is by Darwyn Cooke.
The Untamed - booth 1515
Not new but worth discovering: a fantasy adventure that works on multiple levels.
Knight Errant - booth 1604
Jennifer Doyle collects her webcomic series here in this drama about "gender, religion and revenge" - all of which features some ridiculously pretty art.
Yes, Roya - booth 212
Spike Trotman, who brought you the wonder that is Smut Peddler, really delivers here in an erotica comic about a young cartoonist who gets involved with a femdom couple in 1960's California. You'll note I said erotica; you've been warned if naked drawings make you take to your fainting couch.
Bandette, vol. 3 - Dark Horse
Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin keep serving up the adventures of an adorable Parisian cat burglar and the heists she gets into. Great chaser after you've read or watched something heavy.
Haddon Hall, Filmish, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, Dali - booth 1308
This British publisher has an incredible array of graphic novels. Haddon Hall goes over the early years of David Bowie; Filmish is an entertaining cinematic history; Ghost Stories collects 4 spooky stories by my beloved Victorian writer MR James; Dali is a visual bio that really does his art credit. They also have Lovecraft anthologies, The King in Yellow, a graphic novel about Agatha Christie and well, you get the idea - this booth is the place to feed the literary carnivore that is your brain.
What's been catching your eye? What have you been buying?
Just curious. Do you boycott DC and Marvel for a specific reason?
ReplyDeleteI focus on more independent or non-Big 2 work at ECCC because that's what people aren't finding easily. It's not like Marvel or DC need exposure; I can't even walk into my Barnes and Noble without tripping over a table of Joker toys and X-Men trades. But ECCC has always been a good place to find work created on the road less traveled, and that's what I like to highlight.
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