Greetings from the floor, Gatherers and Grand Geeks. Somehow in my melted state I managed to reconstitute my arms to type this out to you. Point is the heat is just intense and atrocious here and despite my willingness to exaggerate, the warmth does tend to slow from time to time. And that gives me time to catch up on much needed reading. But since this isn’t about my reading needs, let’s instead focus on yours and what I would suggest to you this week to sate your indie reading necessities!
Volition #1
Writer(s): Ryan Parrott
Artist(s): Omar Francia
Cover Artist(s): Omar Francia, Chris Evenhuis
Publisher: Aftershock
Synopsis: “In a not-too-distant future, artificial intelligence has spawned a race of robots that serve all of humanity. Robots are considered second class citizens, but a few in the A.I. community are fighting back in a constant struggle for equal rights. When a debilitating virus called “Rust” threatens all artificial life, salvation lies in the most unlikely of robotic heroes-not a warrior or a solider, but in an obsolete construction worker and a dedicated caregiver. Together, HALE-19 and AMBER-7T embark on a perilous journey in search of a cure that could potentially change the balance of power on Earth forever. The next bold adventure from Aftershock Comics begins here!…”
–PREVIEWSworld
In a nice twist to the usual narrative of A.I. serving humanity, Aftershock brings us a story where the robotic servants are in dire straits and in need of relief. So its up to a pair of their own kind to set out and solve their brethren’s problems.
Available in digital format from http://aftershockcomics.com/ and https://www.comixology.com/. Hard copy format available from your LCS!
Street Fighter Summer Sports Special #1
Writer(s): Udon
Artist(s): Various
Cover Artist(s): Rob Porter
Publisher: Udon
Synopsis: “Volleyball! Basketball! Surfing! Swimming! The lovely ladies of Street Fighter are back for a new summer sports-themed pin-up special! Veteran World Warriors like Chun-li, Cammy, Rainbow Mika, and Sakura welcome newcomers Menat, Kolin, and more!”
–PREVIEWSworld
You have to love it when the indie comics world uses homage as an artistic expression piece, and Udon does it perfectly in capturing the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit essence in the realm of honoring sporty versions of some of Street Fighter’s most iconic luminaries. Sure, they might be scantily clad but nobody ever said cheesecake was safe. And let’s be honest with ourselves, the sporting venues picked for some of these World Warriors is amazing. Who wouldn’t agree that Chun Li would make the best striker in soccer anyway? And how about those newcomers like Menat and Kolin?!
Available in digital format from https://www.focusattack.com/udonstore/ and https://www.comixology.com/. Hard copy format available from your LCS!
And there’s the week for the first half of August, guys and gals! Sporty specials and AI progressive movements to intrigue you. But these are just some of the many indie books that will sate your reading needs. Now, you could easily purchase them from the convenience of your keyboard or phone, but I would appeal to your goodhearted nature to support your local business and buy the hard copies themselves from your local comic store. Read them and share with your friends. Start a conversation and be sure to leave a comment or two. But most importantly, remember…GGG!