Happy post-Yuletide, Gatherers! Hope everyone has had a great Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever you really celebrate about this time of year. As for me, it was the best as it always is! And not just because of great gifts and food or much needed time with the family. As we come close to the new year there are also so many possibilities for new indie works to be read! So before we get to 2017, how about we get onto the last batch of picks I will recommend to you?
This week’s first pick is near and dear to my heart since I have my advanced degree in history. Now, in a day and age in which we like to think we know everything due to things like the Internet, this book is testament to the idea that as much as we may think we know, we really don’t realize the entire story. And in this case the story comprises the tale of one of our most influential Founding Fathers.
Title: Alexander Hamilton (one-shot)
Writer: Rod Espinosa
Artist: Rod Espinosa
Cover Artist: Rod Espinosa
Publisher: Antarctic Press
Synopsis: “Alexander Hamilton, his name was Alexander Hamilton. And there’s a million things to know ’bout the man who began our financial system! A tale of one of the most influential founding fathers brought to you by Eisner-nominated artist and writer Rod Espinosa.” -PREVIEWSworld
Availability: Digital purchase on both http://www.antarctic-press.com/ and https://www.comixology.com/. Hardcopy purchase at your LCS!
This week’s second pick speaks to all lovers of the Bloodshot franchise and all that the character has inspired ever since Valiant Universe’s rebooting into the comic book world. Having been a lover of the Valiant books from the 1990’s myself, I do have a bit of a bias in choosing this book, yet will point out that this is the sum total of everything that is great with comics right now. Drama, violence and all under the veil of the Iron Curtain itself. Really, what’s not to like, folks?
Title: Divinity III: Komandar Bloodshot (one-shot)
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Clayton Crain
Cover Artist(s): Clayton Crain, Ryan Bodenheim, Greg Smallwood, Trevor Hairsine, Kano
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Synopsis: “He’s put down protests, led the purge of political undesirables, and executed dozens of traitors to the Soviet super-state. His name is KOMANDAR BLOODSHOT, and his existence is a hushed whisper among the terrified populace of the 21st century’s global Soviet Union.” -PREVIEWSworld
Synopsis: Digital purchase on both http://valiantuniverse.com/ and https://www.comixology.com/. Hardcopy purchase at your LCS!
And with that, Gatherers, I bid adieu to 2016! Pretty amazing year in total, giving you so many choices to make when visiting your local shop or surfing your local web. As we head into the new year, you now have some great reads to look at, whether in looking at the lives of old Americans or deviously maniacal Soviet death cyborgs. Look to these gems when you support your local comic book shop. These are the stories that are underrepresented in the larger scheme of the comics industry and comics in general. Invest in these stories and get your friends to read them as well. Start up a conversation and spread the word. Leave a comment or two. But more importantly to remember Gatherers…GGG!