New to the Image/Indie crowd-Suggestions?

[Darthkostis]

Hey there! I recently got really fed up with the Big 2 (cancelling good titles to announce more Movie-Vengers books) and also obtained a couple of Dredd trades, so I decided to cancel most of my pull list and add more Indie titles. My current list is:

1)Moon Knight
2)Batman
3)Deathstroke
4)Uncanny Avengers
5)New Avengers
6)Superior Iron Man
7)Deadpool
8)Silver Surfer
9)Guardians 3000
10)Spider-Man 2099
11)The Amazing Spider-Man
12)Dart Vader (hasn't launched yet, but you get the point)

The only ones I'm keeping for sure are MK,G3000,Batman & DV. NA and DP are ending in April and 2099 has been cancelled so my pull list has already shrunk. So, any suggestions (my list should be in the same range of titles, but seeing as indie titles cost 3$ usually I might have room for one or two more)? I'm open to any company (Valiant, Image, Dark Horse,etc).

[TotalSnorefest]

Kinda depends on what you're looking for, that list is very superhero heavy. There's a bunch of superheroes in indies too (Astro City, everything Valiant, Invincible and COWL over at Image, Dark Horse's Project something Sky, a lot of Dynamite series), but if you're like me you're probably tired of the genre too?
Some suggestions per genre:

Sci-fi: Image is the place to be right now. Prophet is a great one, but a lot of stuff is new or about to launch. Descender, Drifter, Southern Cross, they all look promising and that's just scratching the surface. I like ODY-C a lot but that's very divisive it seems. Saga and Alex+Ada I both count as romances, but they're the best Image comics out there in my view. Oni Press does Letter 44 which you might like if you're into Ex Machina or the West Wing.

Horror: Rachel Rising is a great self-published slow-paced one. Then Revival, A Voice in the Dark, Wytches, and obviously The Walking Dead are probably the better ones at Image (haven't read Nailbiter or Postal). Dark Horse always does great horror, Colder: The Bad Seed is unrivaled in my opinion as the best horror comic period. Dark Horse also does Creepy magazine which is a bit old-fashioned black & white short horror stories. And did Harrow County launch already? Locke & Key ended a while ago but it's an indie horror benchmark.

Fantasy: Over at Image the big ones are probably Saga (though I'm adamant that's a romance) and Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw. Anyway that's only until 8House launches and blows everything else away. Also Orc Stain is great if you like Stokoe's work, but it takes decades to release new issues.

Romance: Saga is a great one you've probably heard about (believe the hype), but Alex+Ada is the quiet diesel running the show. Artwork is divisive though, so flip through some previews first. Sex Criminals qualifies here too.

Comedy: you either hate or love Sex Criminals, I think it's hilarious. God Hates Astronauts is another similar one, though more straight-up comedy.

All of the above are some fairly mainstream, popular indie comics. Hope they're a good starting point. There's a lot more once you get to smaller publishers, which depends on what you want to take a chance on. I find Boom/Archaia and Oni particularly interesting, but personal tastes vary obviously. I've tried to leave out licensed comics (like Buffy, Adventure Time, Jem & the Holograms, Planet of the Apes etc) because I figured if you're a die-hard fan of some series, you'd already be reading the comics.

[Javasaurus]

TotalSnoreFest gave a pretty good overview of what the various publishers are producing at the moment.

Given that your current list leans toward the superhero side; I'd like to offer a few thoughts. As someone who also got burned out on the Marvel and DC heroes, I've been looking for alternatives as well. Valiant is currently producing a mini-series titled "The Valiant" which to me is proving to be an enjoyable introduction to the characters in their universe. I was skeptical at first; but after hearing a lot of positive comments I picked up issues 1 and 2. I've been pleasantly surprised. So I would recommend taking a look at this mini-series to get a taste of what Valiant is doing.

Dark Horse currently has their own line of super hero titles under the name "Project Black Sky" I've also found it to be a good alternative. Unfortunately, there are some questions about the direction of this line; as two of the titles ("Captain Midnight" and "Ghost") are scheduled to end. This just leaves the title called "X". Everything I've picked up from Black Sky has been well done in terms of writing and art quality. So if they launch more Black Sky titles this year, I would recommend looking into them. There is actually a dedicated thread here for Project Black Sky. You can get more in-depth information from there about X, etc if you want.

Hope this helps. Happy hunting.

[TheFerg714]

Hey there! I recently got really fed up with the Big 2 (cancelling good titles to announce more Movie-Vengers books) and also obtained a couple of Dredd trades, so I decided to cancel most of my pull list and add more Indie titles. My current list is:

1)Moon Knight
2)Batman
3)Deathstroke
4)Uncanny Avengers
5)New Avengers
6)Superior Iron Man
7)Deadpool
8)Silver Surfer
9)Guardians 3000
10)Spider-Man 2099
11)The Amazing Spider-Man
12)Dart Vader (hasn't launched yet, but you get the point)

The only ones I'm keeping for sure are MK,G3000,Batman & DV. NA and DP are ending in April and 2099 has been cancelled so my pull list has already shrunk. So, any suggestions (my list should be in the same range of titles, but seeing as indie titles cost 3$ usually I might have room for one or two more)? I'm open to any company (Valiant, Image, Dark Horse,etc).

Well.. it seems like you're into sci-fi and superheroes...
The best I can do with that is tell you to read Valiant. As I'm sure you've heard (and I've typed it a bunch of times) Valiant is currently making the best superhero interconnected universe, bar none. I literally hear about at least 2 people a week who are just tired of the big 2 and want better superheroes. Once they read some, they're immediately hooked. Every single comic is good, it all depends on what you're into. From looking at your pull list I suspect X-O Manowar would be the obvious option. It's about a 5th century Visigoth who gets abducted by aliens and arrives back on Earth in 2012, along with awesome near-indestructible (like Superman-level) armor.
But first off.. if you have any interest at all in Valiant read The Valiant, a mini-series that started in December. It's the best possible jumping-on point you can ask for, and leads directly into Valiant's next publishing initiative for 2015, Valiant Next. Check out this recent thread about a guy asking what Valiant comics he should read as well: http://community.comicbookresources....-should-I-read Please feel free to ask us questions about Valiant because there's a bunch of people on this board who would love to explain every little intricacy. We just need a little more information. Are you interested in jumping into what's going on now? Or are you the type of person who wants to read everything that came beforehand first?

Dark Horse has some superheroes too, under the banner of Project Black Sky. Unfortunately it looks to be ending soon, but I think X might go on. He's kind of like Rorschach or the Punisher, but probably even more violent. It's really good stuff.

Other than that I don't read much indie. However I have a few Image books on my subscription, so here's those if you're interested:
Wytches (I'm sure you've heard of it. It's about witches that live in tress in the woods and don't come out unless you make a "pledge" to them, but once you do they won't stop coming after you. I'm awful at synopses, but just know it's genuinely terrifying)
Birthright (A kid accidently jumps into a fantasy realm, CS Lewis-style, and comes back a year later fully grown, and telling his family that he has to save their reality by killing some guys. It's been super-interesting so far, and that's coming from a guy that can't stand LotR-esque stories)
Death Vigil (I'm not even gonna bother explaining this, because it's way too confusing for a forum post. It's really good though, and the art by Stjepan Sejic [better known as nebeziel on CBR forums] blows my mind every panel)

I'd like to offer a few thoughts. As someone who also got burned out on the Marvel and DC heroes, I've been looking for alternatives as well. Valiant is currently producing a mini-series titled "The Valiant" which to me is proving to be an enjoyable introduction to the characters in their universe. I was skeptical at first; but after hearing a lot of positive comments I picked up issues 1 and 2. I've been pleasantly surprised. So I would recommend taking a look at this mini-series to get a taste of what Valiant is doing..

I love you so much for this post.

[Darthkostis]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions everyone, and I'm sorry that I didn't add my preferences to my firs post. Generally, I prefer Sci-Fi, but I'm always down for a bit of horror as well (something akin to Swamp-Thing maybe). I've read a bit of Valiant before and I kinda liked it, but I'd rather start from the beginning, so if I pull X-O I'll need to get the back-issues too. Here's what I've been eyeing:

1)IDW Dredd
2)Titan Doctor Who
3)Spawn
4)East of West
5)Nameless
6)IDW Transformers (I've heard that they're quite good)
7)Jupiter's Legacy
8)Lazarus
9)Zero
10)Valiant (Rai, X-O, Bloodshot, Ivar, Q&W)
11)Black Sky (it intrigued me so I did a bit of research and I liked what I saw)
12)Hellboy and the BPRD
13)Invincible Universe
14)The Wicked + The Divine

[MadMikeyD]

Since you like sci-fi and super heroes, maybe you would enjoy Dynamite's recently launched "John Carter: Warlord of Mars." It can be read with or without any knowledge of what came before, and if you like it you could pick up trades of previous material.

My go-to recommendation is always "Atomic Robo," which is now being made free-to-read online at Atomic-Robo.com. Trades will continue to be available, but they are ending single print issues, at least for now.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite super hero comic, "The Red Panda." Those issues are digital-only, though, with only a single TPB so far. If you prefer print, neither "Red Panda" nor "Atomic Robo" may be currently to your liking.

[Shinglepants]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions everyone, and I'm sorry that I didn't add my preferences to my firs post. Generally, I prefer Sci-Fi, but I'm always down for a bit of horror as well (something akin to Swamp-Thing maybe). I've read a bit of Valiant before and I kinda liked it, but I'd rather start from the beginning, so if I pull X-O I'll need to get the back-issues too. Here's what I've been eyeing:

1)IDW Dredd
2)Titan Doctor Who
3)Spawn
4)East of West
5)Nameless
6)IDW Transformers (I've heard that they're quite good)
7)Jupiter's Legacy
8)Lazarus
9)Zero
10)Valiant (Rai, X-O, Bloodshot, Ivar, Q&W)
11)Black Sky (it intrigued me so I did a bit of research and I liked what I saw)
12)Hellboy and the BPRD
13)Invincible Universe
14)The Wicked + The Divine

I recently jumped into the Valiant Universe with a couple of the Deluxes (Bloodshot and Harbinger) and have been thoroughly impressed. I don't think you can go wrong with those books and they seem to get near universal praise praise by anybody that tries them.

Not up to date with East of West but what I have read was pretty amazing.

You could maybe look into IXth Generation. I'd probably define it as sci-fi with a little supernatural thrown in. It's a follow up to Aphrodite IX but with things like the Darkness and Witchblade thrown in. Sejic's art is awesome (really awesome) and there is only one issue out so not much catching up to be done.

[Javasaurus]

1)IDW Dredd
2)Titan Doctor Who
3)Spawn
4)East of West
5)Nameless
6)IDW Transformers (I've heard that they're quite good)
7)Jupiter's Legacy
8)Lazarus
9)Zero
10)Valiant (Rai, X-O, Bloodshot, Ivar, Q&W)
11)Black Sky (it intrigued me so I did a bit of research and I liked what I saw)
12)Hellboy and the BPRD
13)Invincible Universe
14)The Wicked + The Divine

There are a few items on your list that I'm currently reading; so maybe I can offer a few comments:

Doctor Who: you may have noticed by now, but Titan launched 3 titles for the 10th, 11th, and 12th Doctors. So it looks like they are trying to do a little something for everyone. I'm partial to the 10th Doctor series, and have enjoyed the plots so far. They do a decent job of catching the quirkiness of the David Tenant character. The Companion on this series if a Latina girl from New York (Bronx) named Gabbey. I've tried the first issue of the 12th Doctor (Clara Oswald is the Companion on this one); but as much as I like the Peter Capaldi, this series just didn't strike me as being on the same level of art quality as that for the 10th. So it just didn't draw me in as much. I've yet to try and issue for the 11th Doctor; so I can't offer any comments for that.

Hellboy and the BPRD: I'm enjoying the series. I first picked up Hellboy back in the mid/late 90's, so I like how this title is finally focusing on his early years when he first set out as a field agent for the BPRD. Mignola is doing the writing; and the art pairs nicely with that to make a story that is dark, creepy, and menacing.

Other things that have caught my eye are:

Bitch Planet: It's a grim Sci-Fi set in the future on a Women's prison planet. The characters in this futuristic prison seem to be masterminding some kind of escape attempt; but it's not going to be easy, as there are some pretty sinister obstacles to navigate in the prison setting. It's a passion project by Kelly Sue Deconnick; and so far it's gritty, intense, and has a strong dose of social commentary thrown in. It's a book that will make you think.

One upcoming series that I'm interested in is "Southern Cross" by Becky Cloonan. I believe that Image is the publisher. It's a creator-owned Sci-Fi set in space, I believe. I've enjoyed Cloonan's work on Gotham Academy, so I'm curious to see what she will create on a project of here own making.

Happy reading.

[johnmahananda]

I'll just recommend 10 that I'm enjoying:

1. East of West (Image) --- I just re-read this title straight through...excellent.
2. Miracleman (Marvel) --- Mind-blowingly great.
3. The Fuse (Image) --- Antony Johnston does no wrong, IMO.
4. FBP (Vertigo) --- Solid.
5. Lazarus (Image) --- Second-favorite on my pull list.
6. Morning Glories (Image) --- First-favorite on my pull list. Spectacular...but only if you enjoy mind-benders like Primer, Mulholland Dr and Inception.
7. Trees (Image) --- Well, I can't skip a Warren Ellis book...
8. Ivar, Time Walker (Valiant) --- Only one issue so far...loved it.
9. The Valiant (Valiant) --- Excellent. Honestly, Valiant does very little wrong, if you're fond of superhero books. Blows both DC and Marvel away.
10. Umbral (Image) --- See #3 above.

Oni Press has a couple of good titles right now (The Bunker and Letter 44) and you could always plow through Wasteland, which ends after the next issue (see #3 above!)

Avatar has many excellent titles: maybe try Uber or anything older by Warren Ellis, like No Hero.

[matt levin]

Hi, don't have a lot of time, but ask you to look at my signature below and look into these-- I probably get three times as many comics as I listed, so y'know these are ones I really enjoy-- and happily recommend.

[Nick Miller]

Get the trades of Locke and Key

Your welcome!

[harashkupo]

I've seen a few mention X and I have to agree with them. It's a great series and I think you would really enjoy it. I also noticed Deadpool was on your list so I would definitely suggest Archer and Armstrong. Great humor, action, and some top quality artwork all rolled into one.

I hope you get into Valiant. They've done some amazing work but somehow upped their game with the new initiative going on right now. Plus it's always fun to get more people to talk to about Valiant.

[BugsySig]

Based on your innitial post, try some VALIANT books:

Unity
XO MANOWAR
Rai
Bloodshot

They are all easily readable in trade and have recently either launched, relaunched or started new jumping on points. The Valiant is also a great place to jump in and just try out the VALIANT universe.

Also, you can't go wrong with Saga and East of West from Image if you're into Sci Fi. Both are great books that read perfectly in trade (both are on Volume 3 I believe).

[Overhazard]

Well, I'm going to start reading more indies myself, but I can reccommend some of the ones I do read.

Since you like guardians 3000, you can check out Transformers More than Meets the Eye. James Roberts manages to make the book funny and dramatic, it's sci-fi that doesn't insult your intelligence.

You also might like IDW's ninja turtles comic, it's really good. I haven't heard one bad thing about it.

An odd suggestion I have is Archie's The Fox: Freak Magnet mini series. The artist Dean Haspiel calls the protagonist "a post-coital peter parker" I see him as the adult I wish marvel would let peter become. He's married, has a family, and still has superhero problems. It's a really good read.

[Sparko]

Get the trades of Locke and Key

Your welcome!

Do this and do this now! I just finished reading the 6 trades in one shot. I read them at my job and almost nothing got done for three days. It was extremely hard to put down and I'm soon going to read them all over again, because Locke & Key is that good.