As 2019 comes to a close, Independent Comic Spotlight is back for one final installment! Over the slightly-less-hot months, I did some teaching and took some graduate classes. So it’s always fun to dive into the stacks of comics and books that are sent my way between my regular reading and schoolwork. It was great taking a look at these cool new products from the various creators kind enough to send them my way. Make sure you grab all of these awesome titles and continue spreading the good word about good comics/graphic novels and good books from good creators. Enjoy!
Independent Comics Sent My Way:
- Monster Mashup Volume One by Various (a fantastic public domain crossover anthology epic featuring 21 original stories by 50 creators and quite possibly the reason Kickstarter still exists – special shout-out to my friend Rachel Karyo for her delightfully disturbing entry, “The Well”)
- Stalingrad: Letters from the Volga by Antonio Gil, Daniel Ortega, and Jeff Whitman from Dead Reckoning (a great historical graphic novel that keeps the war comics tradition alive)
- Bluefall by Andrew Trainor and Dillon Snook (a fantastic futuristic sci-fi noir graphic novel in the tradition of Blade Runner and soon to join the ranks of such classics)
- Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children by Kath Schackleton and Zane Whittingham from Sourcebooks Explore Imprint (inspiring true stories of Jewish children who survived and went on to thrive after the horrors of World War II)
- Once Upon a Time in France by Fabien Nury and Sylvain Valee (original historical fiction graphic novel from Dead Reckoning)
- No’Maad: The Unconquerable – The City of Empty Towers by Andrew Kafoury, Aaron McConnell, Lee Moyer, Todd Herman, and Tom Orzechowski (a newly-completed and newly-collected fantasy graphic novel trilogy with beautiful art and a fantastic story)
- The Stringbags by Garth Ennis, P. J. Holden, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Rob Steen from Dead Reckoning (another great war graphic novel coming soon… in stores May 2020)
- Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Major Impossible by Nathan Hale (the ninth graphic novel in the historical YA graphic novel series spotlights the geologist who explored the Grand Canyon from Abrams Books)
Independent Books Sent My Way:
- Batman: 100 Greatest Moments – Highlights from the History of the Dark Knight by Robert Greenberger from Chartwell Books
- Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond by Andrew Farago, Gina McIntyre, Michael Keaton, Dennis O’Neil, and Kevin Conroy from Insight Editions
Independent Novels Sent My Way:
- Beneath the Flames by Gregory Lee Renz (a true hero novel written by a close personal friend of mine)
- The Flash: Crossover Crisis: Green Arrow’s Perfect Shot written by Barry Lyga (the CW DC Arrowverse novels are just as much fun as the shows)
- Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof by Ivy Claire and Kobe Bryant (the first in a series of novels from the mind of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, set in a fantasy world dominated by magic and sports)
- Travels with Sushi in the Land of the Mind by Eduard Shyfrin (young adult novel about growing up and quantum physics)
- Megazoic, Megazoic: The Primeval Power, Megazoic: The Hunted Ones, Megazoic: An Era’s End by Matthew Donald (young adult novel series about dinosaurs with plenty of action and humor to keep any and all readers hooked)
So there you have it. Another installment of Independent Comic Spotlight. Have a comic you want reviewed? How about a graphic novel? Or maybe even a book? I’d love to read it. But I’d love a physical copy. Email me at JeffHill@ComicBooked.com or reach out to me on Twitter (jeffhillwriter) and we’ll get you thrown into the queue for Vol. I of 2020. See you then. In the meantime, be a good literary citizen and pick up all of the books that interest you featured in this, the final Independent Comic Spotlight column of the year. Happy reading and happy holidays!
