Obscure Comixology Gems?

[keeen]

With Comixology, I've picked up a ton of books for a dollar or two that I probably never would have even seen in my LCS, from publishers I've never even heard of; some have been pretty enjoyable finds, and I was wondering if anybody else had the same experience. Maybe in this thread you could give a shout out to a random book you found, which you think others might enjoy.

Here's the one that inspired the idea:

"Palooka" by Casey Van Heel and Ger Curti, from Person of Merit Comics

A four-issue miniseries (I think each was 99 cents), this is a cartoony-noir tale about wrestlers and superheroes. A heelish jobber gets superpowers, crimes and mayhem ensue, with some good twists thrown in along the way (SWERVES, bro!). The ending was a bit rushed and unsatisfying, but the first three and a half issues were solid, and the art (though a little rough) maintains a distinctive exaggerated brutality that communicates the action clearly and sets the tone for the story well. There are tons of references to wrestling lingo throughout, and I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it there.

Anyone else got any recommendations?

[TotalSnorefest]

Definitely Scaffold from Hic/Hoc. Believe the creative team was Graham & Eisenhower or something. Super densely illustrated, black & white strip about people living in gigantic scaffolding. Feel like this would appeal to people who like the visual style of Cursed Pirate Girl, perhaps, in the sense that it's very densely detailed - story is entirely different though.

Also would recommend ...And Then Emily Was Gone, by John Lees and some others whose names I can't recall off the top of my head. Horror comic in full-colour with very grotesque art, definitely give the preview a shot because it's not 'conventionally pretty' artwork. From ComixTribe I think.

Got one more which might be harder to track down, if it's even on there (might've read this physically?). Was called What I.F., a 2014~ish, short lil' one-shot from the perspective of an imaginary friend who slowly gets forgotten about. Kinda weird and unclearly told, black & white too, but I remember it struck a chord with me. Can't remember by who or which publisher though, and with a name like that it's gonna get drowned in Marvel's "...What if?!" stuff.

Lastly, some of MonkeyBrain's output, while definitely more well-known is worth checking out. Bandette in particular is great, and Captain Ultimate is good all-ages fun.

[sven]

I really enjoy Hex11.......

In the world of Hex11, humans, through the discovery of a new energy source called The Ether, have found they are capable of Magic. As civilization moves from the Digital Age to this new Magic Age, the corporatocracy is concealing what they know, seeing an opportunity for a new level of control and unprecedented monetary gain.

Meanwhile, a class war is brewing in the urban underworld known as The Hex; where the have-nots have found themselves after years of injustice and oppression. It also serves as a haven for the magically inclined, a place where they can operate in secret.

One such woman is Elanor Kent, a young witch living in the Hex and apprenticing the eccentric Vera, a very powerful oracle. Though she aspires to master the many facets of magic, she finds herself practicing basics and running Vera's errands. However, when one seemingly ordinary task places her in the crossfire of a black market warlock and a demonic mercenary, the excitement she had hoped for becomes all too real and all too dangerous…

[keeen]

Awesome. Thanks for the recommendations. I picked up the first issues of "...and Then Emily was Gone" and "Hex11." At 1.99 each, I can check both series out for less than the price of one mainstream book...that's what I'm talking about! Couldn't find "Scaffold" or "What I.F." though.

I'll throw out another one, but this one I'm actually really lukewarm on, to be honest:

"Westward" by Ken Krekler, from Kinetic Press. It's a ten issue series that starts out really strong: a cool steam-punk, corporate-espionage story with really intricate black and white artwork. By issue 10 I felt like it had really gone off the rails: the linework gets much heavier and downright ugly at parts, and the story kind of devolves into a pretty absurd nostalgic reconfiguration of a classic kid's cartoon. I don't want to spoil it because it took me completely by surprise and had me laughing when I realized what it was. The most interesting part about this book is that it's peppered throughout with some super-heavy Ayn Rand ****. Honestly, I was kind of hate-reading it for the last 3 or 4 issues, but at the end of the day it was really memorable and I respect the efforts of a self-publishing write/artist, so I want to throw it out there. I think it was 1.99 per issue.

[Inhuman X]

Saga of a Doomed Universe by Scott Reed. It's 1984, and all of the heroes have been murdered by an evil mastermind, except for Roy Brannon, a costumed loser who could never become the champion that Earth needs. Now, it will be Roy's chance to prove everyone wrong....Even if he has to destroy the entire Universe to do it. It begins as a cliché-ridden love letter to the classic comics of the 1970's and '80's...but quickly turns into a mature, watchmen-esque reality-bending epitaph for the entire super hero genre.

[pearlofthepacific]

At the Shore - issue #1 is free
https://www.comixology.com/At-The-Sh...s-series/24120
Silly story-within-story about the horrors of seaweed mining...

Ramayan - free
https://www.comixology.com/Ramayan-3...l-comic/178722
Futuristic Indian fantasy sci-fi.


Pat Grant, Blue - $1.99 visually fasinating, very deadpan story of youth, expectations, old friends and communities, new society and immigration. Don't expect to have your moral conclusions served up with sauce in this book!
https://www.comixology.com/Blue/comics-series/8117

The Castaways - free preview. Sam authors as "Bluesmen". Historical fiction.
https://www.comixology.com/The-Casta...al-comic/16078

Amelia Cole Issue #1 $1.99. Magic fantasy parallel worlds
https://www.comixology.com/Amelia-Co...cs-series/8518

Dark Horse "...Builds Characters" series. Interesting collection of sample works from each featured comics creator.

Endless Sky, David Boller
https://www.comixology.com/Endless-S...al-comic/42011
autobio of European artist heading to the US to work in comics.

[armlessphelan]

Seconding the Hex11 love. That book is easily one of the greatest books being made today. Phenomenal art.

Ares & Aphrodite from Oni Press is basically the comic book version of a charming 1950s romantic comedy. https://www.comixology.com/Ares-Aphr...s-series/32114

Chloe Noonan is pretty much a hipster comedy parody of Buffy the Vampire. It's hilarious if you like British humour. https://www.comixology.com/Chloe-Noo...s-series/10220

Dash is a gay film noir series set in the 1940s. It's very human, but also hilarious at times. https://www.comixology.com/Dash/comics-series/28182

The Dreamer is only semi-obscure. It's a highly praised romantic drama set during the American Revolution. https://www.comixology.com/The-Dream...cs-series/1720

Star People Adventures is a beautiful drawn furry space adventure. https://www.comixology.com/Star-Peop...C9HZW5yZUxpc3Q

And, lastly, We Were Like Ghosts is an odd little one-shot telling the story of an encounter from two different perspectives. https://www.comixology.com/We-Were-L...dC9PbmVTaG90cw

[Samurai32]

I'll "third" Hex11. Great series. I also recommend Joyride published by Boom.