Are You Afraid Of Indie Comics?

Casually Comics discusses the appeal and potential hesitation surrounding getting into an exploring Indie Comics. Take a trip outside of Marvel Comics and DC Comics to the genres beyond. Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror and more the independant world has it all. Are you interested?
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[@simontaylor4608]

This channel is SO UNDERATED!!!!!

[@chickrepelant]

SOOO underrated

[@cthulhutheendless1587]

Ikr. I can’t believe it’s still under 100,000 subs

[@jpboursaw4469]

The under~ratement has been WELL eastablished... And yet, here we all are!😎

[@AesculapiusPiranha]

I know this is a joke, but it is true.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

She's growing rapidly for a current comic channel, so underrated is maybe not the right word. I'm very sick of the culture war junk, and I imagine many agree with me, so her channel is refreshing. (Clearly, even Zack desperately wants out of it and wants to go back to the 00s and early 10s like me. His videos have some variety.) I notice she mostly covers DC, and I definitely think this is the way to go. I'm much more of a DC fan anyway. I jumped off the Marvel ship in the 00s.

[@mysticalcomic]

The classic KZbin thumbnail scared face is a nice touch

[@CasuallyComics]

Look Ma' I'm a real KZbinr lol

[@chihiromononoke9381]

It's cool.

[@xansay]

Next she will add red arrows and circles to the thumbnails. This is the way of the you tuber

[@Dr.Agon.]

#thisistheway

[@alexandershawn440]

​@@CasuallyComics I'm salty

[@tarabeck999]

Would love an indie spotlight segment--Especially with an eye to complete story lines (less overwhelming to get into and I just personally hate waiting)!!

[@jamesallard7223]

This. An entire story? No 70 titles cross-arcs? WHAAAAAT? Yes.

[@sleepinggorilla]

I'd love to hear Sasha's take on Indy comics. I've liked a lot of her recommendations. How about Hill House "Basket Full of Heads" (I know it's Black Label but still Indy-ish.)

[@chaosensuming9068]

Everyone hates a wait.

[@nebezial1]

i always found indies less intimidating than the big 2, then again i always gravitated towards creator owned stuff. i like my stories with an end, planned and delivered. as for my favorites, saga, rat queens, mirka andolfo's creator owned everything. she does her best work when it's her own work, blood stain and punderworld by linda sejic (yes, i know she's my wife but that doesn't make me any less or more of a fan of her actual creative work.) and a bunch more.

[@jpboursaw4469]

Firsthand Author knowledge? Now THAT’S an endorsement!👍

[@LaMirah]

I agree. The Big Two characters were developed for episodic content, and they work best when doing that. Current trends have pretty much banished episodic content from the pages, and continuity is now king (queen?). That is a problem, because Batman and Wolverine and Spiderman and Superman can't really come to a conclusion, and in fact they weren't designed to come to a conclusion. Indie characters don't carry that bagage, so the author is free to tell a story with beginning, middle and end, and when the time comes they can move on to the next character and the next tale. He's not big two, but Spawn was one of my biggest disappointments. I remember following the series religiously month after month as his power counter wound down, until finally when it came down to zero... and nothing happened. The way the character was set up, he should have ended it there, but the prospects of future "fiscal advantages" was too tempting, and the character lost focus and became just another superhero with demonic powers.

[@TitularHeroine]

Yes, Rat Queens kicks ass.

[@christopherb501]

Good GRIEF do I love Mirka Andolfo. Anyone else hoping for more of Hex Wives?

[@amandak.5967]

Aw that's so sweet! I'll have to check out Andolfo's works, the art looks amazing. I also love Saga and Rat Queens.

[@mikeythemystic1629]

yes we do want an indie spotlight... or at least I do

[@GenerationWest]

No, i'm afraid of the dark, and Virginia Woolf.

[@jamesallard7223]

I see you and what you did there. 10/10

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

Only three Sashas? I always thought there were Infinite Sashas.

[@tinymxnticore]

Sashaverse

[@chihiromononoke9381]

Lmao. This concept will create a Crisis.

[@galio7741]

One Sasha to every sector of the multiverse.

[@TheSkellingtonGhost]

At least it's not the new 52 Sashas

[@cleverfoxseer7023]

There were, than Crisis happened and there only 3 left

[@crawdadnc479]

Some longtime faves of mine are Usagi Yojimbo, Hellboy, and Love And Rockets.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

I used to read UY and sometimes TMNT. I also read many crime, Vertigo, and licensed comics.

[@StubzTurner]

As someone who only knows of Usagi Yojimbo through his appearances in the TMNT cartoons, I have to ask. What are his books like?

[@chihiromononoke9381]

@@StubzTurner The UY comics are cool, fun, and very likable. The creator knows a ton about feudal Japan.

[@colinflanigan9153]

Love & Rockets so good!

[@RoseProseFroze]

@@StubzTurner It's a very good time. Have you seen the Mandalorian or any westerns? Usagi is like that but in Feudal Japan. There are a lot of fun characters and storylines but it's episodic enough that you can pick it up anywhere and you won't be confused. You'll learn quite a bit about feudal Japan as well. I suggest at least looking up Grasscutter.

[@jimmiegreerii9026]

Elfquest is one of the greatest indies ever

[@Cameroo]

Wow, how could I forget that! Was a really good comic but man I hated the flatter colored re-issued versions.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

I used to read Usagi Yojimbo.

[@mr.goblin6039]

Yeah! It’s really good.

[@yseson_]

I loved Elf Quest, I remember when I stumbled upon a box of old indie comics at a thrift store when I was a kid. a ton of Elf Quest, Concrete, Next Men, Cerebus and Fish Police I thought they were from another country they were so foreign to the stuff I had been reading. I bought most of it over the course of a month. As the years past I wondered if someone lost their comics in a divorce or did they pass away, whatever the circumstance it changed me forever.

[@JKXYGolden]

YOUR HAIR LOOKS LIKE PERSEPHONE'S.... love that. Indie-Sasha leaping to the front of the Wiglympics

[@tinymxnticore]

I was thinking of Hadestown and got confused for a second-

[@demonpniff]

Remember, you start your videos telling us your channel is about EVERYTHING comics. I would really enjoy being exposed to Indie comics.

[@bryanabbott6169]

Price point of comics have gone beyond what I could spend on them, so I read comics vicariously through Casually Comics. :)

[@overthinking2621]

I pirate dc and marvel comics because I don’t mind not paying big companies (and comics are stupidly expensive) but I wouldn’t pirate Indi comics.

[@mr.goblin6039]

I tend to wait for trades and volumes instead of buying the floppies. I don’t keep up with stuff as often, but at least I save money and buy the stuff once it’s somewhat collected. I like to have the big books in my hand. lol

[@JennySparkz]

@@mr.goblin6039 This is the way.

[@mr.goblin6039]

Indie comics are the best. I got into comics proper with DCs New 52, but as soon as I saw how some of DC’s writers also did comics on their own or for other companies/imprints, I decided to check those out and got hooked. Invincible, Saga, Transmetropolitan, The Invisibles, Fables, Promethea, Wicked/The Divine, Elfquest and many more have been fantastic comics to read. That also got me to checking out manga that weren’t just Shonen Jump and euro comics like Judge Dredd and Requiem Vampire Knight. Going outside of the Big 2 is how I didn’t fall into the “all comics are bad now” rabbit hole that some comic book fans have made a trend in recent years. If you’re gonna do an indie spotlight, that would be great to see!

[@gageansman295]

Through the series shown on the thumbnail, it further proves that Sasha is a woman of immaculate taste. (Also Invincible is one of my favorite series)

[@kayleighrudd2226]

Hell yeah I love my Indie comics!! I would love to learn about different types of stories and different writers too! :)

[@chaosensuming9068]

If you want, keep a eye on my channel we are currently in the beginning phase but we have work being done for a proper release

[@lobiwarsaw7410]

I read books both mainstream and other wise almost entirely by recommendation. Word of mouth is the strongest marketing.

[@cghirardo5951]

Yes! Please do some reviews of indie comics, especially ones that push a genre and/or artwork in new directions.

[@chaosensuming9068]

The owner of Chaos Ensuming is working on a manga on the side with a unique take of artwork. But the comic book we are looking to releasing has more of a normal look to it.

[@Exoduss23]

Id love to see more indie's as i been reading a lot of those lately like Descender, Ascender, Saga, just got done with Vol 1 of The Marked so yeah id love more.

[@christopherb501]

If you're that fond of Image, might I also suggest SF/SX, Paper Girls, God Country, Orc Stain (RIP...) Southern Bastards, Hack/Slash, Unnatural, Dark Fang (RIP...), Moonstruck, Dynamo-5, Red Mass for Mars, Five Weapons (RIP...), Ghosted, Chew, Nailbiter, Birthright, Noble Causes, Pretty Deadly, Tales of the Realm, Revival, and above all else, Monstress, Lazarus and I Kill Giants.

[@Exoduss23]

@@christopherb501 thanks for the recommendations. Its not just image im been reading but they have had the most good stories lately. I think one comic group that gets looked over is Aspen Comic's the Fathom comics are really good.

[@carolynschryver5028]

This semester I took a graphic novel analyse class at a diffrent university (waaaaayyy outside of my usual engineering study), and it opened my eyes in terms of how diverse the medium of comics is. I had basicly only ever read DC superhero books, but i ended up really making me appreciate even more. I agree it can be hard figuering out where to look and what to look for though, so I'd love an indie spotlight to help me amd others with that

[@jasongraham3873]

Can we just acknowledge for a moment that Sasha’s hair is absolutely *fire*? Goddamn, woman.

[@TitularHeroine]

(Up at the podium): " Can I get a god damn?!" The Assembly: "GODDAMN!!!" That's, uh, that's me seconding the sentiment.

[@rodmcfadyen8487]

I love the depth and breadth of your topics, Sasha. How about a dive or two into the histories of some of the bygone comics groups - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (with art by Wally Wood), Continuity Comics (Neal Adams' brainchild), Charlton (before they became part of DC), Gold Key ...?

[@Sunstar808]

My favorite back in the day was Witchblade!

[@christopherb501]

Ehhh...when it comes to Image books tangentially related to some kind of 'bad girl' aesthetics, I always preferred Hack/Slash. The _concept_ of Witchblade is good and there's the occasional good run, but by and large it's mediocre, especially that first run. (still crossing my fingers for that Switch mini to finish)

[@yseson_]

Check out Switch it's a great Witchblade sequel

[@christopherb501]

@@yseson_ Did you ever get content past issue #4? Seemed like it was quietly cancelled.

[@padraiccutright4341]

I would say, YES. An over view of Indie comics would definitely be appreciated.

[@fredcampbell4066]

At one time I enjoyed finding something outside my usual taste. Now it really has to catch my eye, or if someone I respect recommends it. And since I respect your opinion I am all for it

[@redmarshall6635]

I was recently trying to get into Indie but didn't have a clue where or how to start -- I would LOVE an Indie segment!

[@christopherb501]

Just look around for genres or creators you favor. Also: "Indie" _does_ include plenty of established franchises; until Marvel got the license back in 2015, Star Wars of all properties was technically "indie". There's also nonfiction, if that's what you want. March, They Called Us Enemy, and The Gettysburg Address: The Graphic Adaptation all have critical favor.

[@lascruces-vh4oe]

I appreciate the time and effort you put into your appearance! Your hands, hair, makeup...wow! Gorgeous. Thanks for the great content. Have a safe and wonderful day.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

Purple lipstick is metal.

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

Sometimes I think the indiest comics exist outside of Darkhorse, Image, Valiant, Boom, and IDW. Sure, everything smaller than the big 2 has worn the Indie mantle, but I'm excited by the smaller creators and companies. I just picked up volume 1 of Toyetica by Marty LeGrow from Actin Lab Entertainment. Amazon, Kickstarter, and Indie-Go-Go also have even indier indies than small and medium sized companies. I am still curious what you mean by "Indie."

[@twatson8709]

I would love to see an indie vid. After reading comics for 50 years I’ve started to pick some up. I’m really liking Boom Studios and Ahoy Comics. Fence and Second Coming have been awesome.

[@SoulEaterTV101]

I love indie comics! My journey started with enjoying superheroes but not knowing where to start. Seeing Todd McFarlane in a comics documentary introduced as an artist for Spider-man but having helmed his own hero(?) Spawn drew me into the indie scene. For recommendations, Saga is a lovely read (though on-going) but for an impactful, short read, I recommend God Country.

[@locomadman]

Heh... “Do you wanna know how I got this scar?” - Joker Sasha, 2021 Yes. Yes, I do. I’ve always wanted to know but have been reluctant to ask! 😅

[@senselessbabble1996]

Dave, the clerk at my LCS is the one who turns me onto new indies. He is a great shopkeep who knows my tastes, and he (nearly) always points me in the right direction. --- I also tend to gravitate to indies that are (relatively) big sellers. I figure if a lot of people are jumping into a series, it cant be all bad, so I need to see what all the hullabaloo is about!

[@daverhoden445]

Was that a trick question? Of course we're interested.

[@mattyt1961]

For me I tune in to this channel for your insight and the way you present. SO do what you want, if you want to do an indie spotlight, do it, I am sure a lot of us will follow you down that rabbit hole.

[@jedym1496]

Y'all have to read Wynd by James Tynion IV, it's painfully underrated!

[@christopherb501]

Not that that narrows it down; ALL of Tynion's Boom work is woefully underrated!

[@yseson_]

I heard it was good I'll Check it out

[@GBY005]

honestly i often see the end of year "best comic" blog posts or ratings and often seek out the indie books on the lists, then spend the next year trying to read them. Saga is one of my all time fave comics i randomly found in college like 7 years ago and so I always try to see what else is out there because of it

[@porassrivastava8242]

Your wig looks amazing. And I love indie comics some of them are essentially better versions of mainstream comics although it's very hard to pick so I just google the trendy indie comics.

[@dedscene2521]

I love your videos and want this channel to get all the love and attention (as well as SHIPPERS GUIDE). Also to answer your question yes please do an indy spotlight I have a hard time figuring out new indies to jump on to and don't really have time to research a lot of them.

[@bryguytyguy]

I LOVE YOUR HAIR

[@chihiromononoke9381]

And purple lipstick.

[@NerdyBirdy80]

An Indie Spotlight sounds like fun! I’m still new to comics in general and catching up with superhero stuff but I’m very interested in knowing what kinds of indie comic genres are out there!

[@lerouxmartin3478]

One of this day when Sasha is shining so much through her make up, she's literally burning my eyes

[@nigelcox-hagan6820]

I’ve been reading independent comics almost as long as the big two. I first discovered them browsing in comic shops, then by following specific artists, writers and publishers. Fantagraphics, Dark Horse were early faves (love the Mignolaverse ), Lone Wolf & Cub was my entree into manga. My latest “discovery” is Simon Roy whose work on the Prophet reboot led me to his entire body of work. Would love to see you cover older Indie work like Love & Rockets, Zot!, Elfquest, Nexus, Mage, Grendel, Quantum & Woody,

[@samslash9]

I was reading undies more a year or so back. Now I mostly read dc.

[@Bepiuew336]

YES for the indie spotlight!! I've mostly read Marvel and DC comics so I would love to learn more about other options

[@ivrogne7858]

I love "Something is killing the Children" another good one is "The Last God"

[@caweo426]

Something is killing the children is so good...

[@JohnWilsonComicsGuy]

As an Indie creator, I'd love to see you cover some Indie books. As I'm sure you know, there are levels to the Indies: The upper Tier: Image, Dark Horse, Top Cow. Technically Indie but they might as well be mainstream. And they do some great books. Top Cow has Witchblade and the Darkness, of course. Both very good books. Michael Turner's Company Aspen is doing some great and beautifully drawn books. But for true indie books, look to creators like Terry Moore. He created Strangers in Paradise among other great titles. Lora Innes. While she was helping Beau Smith create Winonna Earp, she was also doing her own indie book about a girl who dreamed of a life in the Revolutionary War called The Dreamer. Two friends Comfort Love and Adam Withers are doing two great ongoing titles "The Uniques" and "Rainbow in the Dark". These are just a few of many of the hardworking Indie creators that would benefit greatly from your spotlight

[@Oslogrolls]

these days I read almost only indie books - and five that I read are shown in this video ... the constant big events have me turned away from the big two. but finding something really good can be tough, I give you that.

[@christianninsananda9626]

I read Indy comics exclusively these days. I usually get suggestions from my comic youtubers... Comic Tropes, Near Mint Condition, etc. Sometimes I follow creators. Other times I watch shows and go look for the source material. So, yes... please do an Indy spotlight! Recommended: Invincible, Saga, Death Vigil, Locke and Key, Something is Killing the Children, Chew, Scott Pilgrim, Preacher, I Hate Fairyland, Rat Queens, and many more.

[@colinflanigan9153]

Favorite Independent Comic? Astro City

[@chihiromononoke9381]

Irredeemable, from Wade before he lost it, was cool, though I remember it having a mediocre ending.

[@christopherb501]

@@chihiromononoke9381 How about Incorruptible?

[@chihiromononoke9381]

@@christopherb501 I liked it, but I don't think I bought all of it for some reason.

[@karensoto235]

I would love if you did some episodes doing Indie spotlights! I'm honestly always looking for short Indie runs because it can be so hard to keep up with all of the big storylines and crossover events that DC and Marvel tend to do every few months.

[@christopherb501]

Mara, I Kill Giants, Night of 1000 Wolves, individual runs of The Storyteller, Misfit City, IMAGINE Agents...

[@210SAi]

Yes to the Indie Spotlight! I go off of recommendation from other YT accounts

[@chaosensuming9068]

If you want to keep up with my channel, we are working on a comic at the moment.

[@ryantwombly720]

With indies, I mostly stay with my favorite authors, occasionally a favorite artist, so suggestions are certainly welcome. My current faves all have “Lemire” somewhere on the cover or are Kaijumax. Chris at Comic Tropes turned me on to Daniel Warren Johnson and that worked out, so yeah, bring on the spotlight.

[@chrisvasko16]

As always your hair and make-up is AMAZING, would love the Indie spotlight section. I listen to the Comic Geek Speak podcast and when they bring up an indie that sounds interesting I look into it more and see if I would like it.

[@MrIsaac1408]

" Indie Spotlight " I LIKE IT!!!!!!!..... and Yes I want the Indiana Jones Music!!!!!

[@WarmLillie]

The only thing to fear is the known My history is... Non, because I have no idea where to find indie material. It’s like searching lost hidden treasure. I’m hearing about and want to check out. But the only thing I have to go off of is rumor and word of mouth. I have no map, guide, or even idea what it is / can be.

[@BThings]

I would love to see indie spotlight videos! I have such an issue where I’m a huge proponent of independent & creator-owned comics, but at the same time, the ones I try often aren’t my thing, and because of the price/my local library nuking its graphic novel section, I can’t really sample that many anyway. So, spotlight videos might help with all of that!

[@screamingblue7]

I'd love to see an Indie Spotlight! Things that influence my choice of picking up an indie comic - Who are the creators? What is the story about? What do other readers say about it (including my comic shop guy, friends, buzz on podcasts and youtube channels that I listen to)? I typically pick up a trade paper back as that way I get more content to judge things from. Sometimes I get a preview by grabbing a volume from the public library but that typically is something less recent. I read a few 'preview pages' via comixology of Saga and could not see the fuss. A friend loaned me three trades and I was quickly hooked. Some trades that were recommended or had creators I knew proved disappointing, but still glad I checked into it. I've often found gems and stinkers in bargain bins during sales where I took a chance. Have more resources to learn about the indie and even mainstream (not just that it is good but WHY I might like it, and for that reason loving these event recaps and dives into the comics of old - please keep doing more!).

[@markeidemiller3105]

LOVE THE MULTI-COLOR HAIR! ♥️♥️ IF ANYTHING, THE ONLY WAY I LOOK AT THIS CHANNEL IS TO SEE YOUR HAIR AND WHAT COLOR IT IS, OR WHAT OUTFIT YOU HAVE. AND THEN I STICK AROUND FOR THE REST OF IT AND ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING THAT IS NEW THAT I WOULDN'T FIND NORMALLY!!

[@saavedra77]

My favorite indies of the past decade: 1) Saga - Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. Ongoing. Magical, tragic space opera told through a woman's recollections of her parents & childhood. The trippiest art. Features satyrs, robots, bat-winged people, fugitives, living spaceships, bounty hunters, and a lie-detecting cat. 2) The Fade Out - Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips: Completed & collected series (one volume). Red scare Hollywood noir full of boozy, believable characters. 3) Reckless - Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips: Three graphic novels. 1970s-1980s Hollywood adventures of a troublemaker-for-hire. 4) Pulp - Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips: Graphic novel. An aging outlaw turns pulp writer in an interwar America beset by worse enemies than greedy cattle barons. 5) Berlin - Jason Lutes: Completed & collected series (available in one or three volumes). A gorgeous celebration of Weimar Berlin and atmospheric warning about crumbling democracy, told through the musings of a cynical reporter and the observations of a young artist. 6) My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies - Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips: Graphic novel. Coming-of-age story about a teenager whose romantic ideas about artistic dropouts leads her to rehab and darker places. 7) Lazarus - Greg Rucka & Michael Lark: Ongoing. Set in a dystopian future ruled by rival corporate dynasties, Lazarus revolves around Forever Carlyle, a genetically engineered soldier of the family controlling western North America. Psychologically manipulated since birth, Forever believes herself an integral part of the Carlyle family. She is their nearly-indestructible champion. But she is also a replaceable product, with a younger clone "sister" growing up and training at the family compound on Puget Sound. 8) Love & Rockets ("Locas") - Jaime Hernandez: Ongoing? Graphic novels? The stories of Esperanza "Hopey" Glass and Maggie Chascarillo from their punk teens in 1980s Southern California to today. Characters age in real time and foregrounded story elements are realistic, even if Jaime casually gives billionaire H.R. Costigan horns, embellishes pro wrestlers' careers' with superheroic adventures, and draws Flash Gordon rockets in the garage where Maggie works. Maggie prides herself on being able to fix anything, but struggles with self-esteem in other areas. Over the years, she works as a mechanic, a personal assistant, and apartment manager. Maggie and Hopey are involved off and on over the years. Maggie also has trysts with the artist Ray Dominguez, aging punk Tony Chase, and the stripper Vivian "Frogmouth" Solis. Tiny but tough Hopey goes from playing bass guitar in a band called "Ape Sex" to (years later) teaching high school. Couples get together, have kids, break up. If you can find them, excellent collections include: "The Death of Speedy," "Flies on the Ceiling," "Wigwam Bam," "Chester Square," "Whoa, Nellie!", "Locas in Love," "Dicks and DeeDees," "Ghosts of Hoppers," "The Education of Hopey Glass," "The Love Bunglers," & "Is This How You See Me?" I literally grew up & grew old with these characters. They're the same age as I am. 9) Love & Rockets ("Palomar") - Gilbert Hernandez: Ongoing? Graphic novels? These stories were originally published alongside Jaime's in Love & Rockets magazine. Gilbert's long-running soap opera revolves around a rural Central American town called Palomar. Gilbert's style was initially influenced by Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and Fellini's nostalgic satire "Amarcord." A few strong women and a lot of joi d'vivre hold together a poor community boiling over with reckless kids, lazy men, ancient curses, and looming political threats. Gilbert's cover for L&R #16--which shows husband & wife Heraclio & Carmen embracing in the moonlight--got me reading the series & indie comics generally. Great collections: "Heartbreak Soup," "Blood of Palomar," & "Poison River." Unfortunately, I am *not* a fan of Gilbert's more recent work, in which he brings the family of crucial character Luba to L.A. and proceeds to tell a very different story--one owing more to Fellini's "8 & 1/2" than "Amarcord." 10) Stray Bullets - David Lapham: Ongoing/Multiple collections available. Cynical, sometimes funny, often violent, iconically noir. Roguish survivor Beth grows up with outlandish dreams of escape from her Baltimore neighborhood, ultimately devising a desperate plan to rob a local drug lord. It shouldn't have worked. It turned her and her friends into fugitives from the mob with no use for the law. 11) Hot Lunch - Eliot Rahal & Jorge Fornes: Fargo-like Midwestern noir about a blood feud over an immigrant family's sandwich business. 12) Lady Killer - Joelle Jones & Michelle Madsen: Ongoing? Collected in two graphic novels. Unbelievably perfect 1950s housewife moonlights as the contract killer no one would ever suspect. Delightful and disturbing! 13) Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction & Chjp Sdarsky: Ongoing. A couple discovers that when they have sex, they literally stop time for everyone else, giving them the giddy freedom to roam around for an hour afterward doing as they please while everyone else is frozen between moments and unaware. Imagine the temptations ... 14) The Wicked + The Divine - Gillen McKelvie & Wilson Cowles: As in "American Gods," figures from mythology are real, immortal, enjoying human worship & attention. However, in this case, it's no secret: The gods are celebrities, costumed like rock stars, pampered, indulged, and free to be as voracious, petty, and arrogant as they like. 15) The Umbrella Academy - Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba: I picked this series up on the strength of recommendations comparing it to Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol. I do love Way's absurdism, the tortured family dynamics, the twisted time-travel plots. Though I have to admit ... I'm enjoying the Netflix series a bit more. I'm not a big fan of Gabriel Ba's art. As you can probably tell from the above, I follow certain writers and writer/artist teams out into the indie world. I'm always curious what Brian Vaughan, Greg Rucka, Joelle Jones, and Matt Fraction are doing. I can also be influenced to try new things by word-of-mouth and reviews. Hence, "Berlin" and "The Umbrella Academy." And, once in awhile, a cover image or synopsis will lead me to take a chance on an indie book--as happened years ago with "Love & Rockets," not to mention recently with "Hot Lunch."

[@SphinxMagoo]

My advice for exploring indie books is to experiment based on creators. For example, I liked Rick Remender's runs on Uncanny X-Force and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel, so it made it easier to explore his indie books from Image. This worked well for me when I also read the indie offerings by creators like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mike Allred, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, and a bunch of others. Indie books offer more surprises than books from Marvel or DC. Usually, when a creators tries an indie-like spin on a character (I'm looking at you, DC, with your Wally West and Dick Grayson shenanigans!) there's a lot of backlash because the character suddenly seems at odds with established storylines and continuity. Indie comics offer a chance to explore new ideas, often in a finite storyline.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

I wish DC would have done more with the All Star imprint. This is a great idea. It would be cool to read series with big characters that have endings where dramatic changes can happen. Though maybe Black Label is similar. I forget. Some limited series are like this.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

And something like Civil War would have been better in an alternate timeline. (It doesn't make much sense the way it was written, and it wasn't developed well, if I remember right.) Stark and Rogers act out of character in it. (Though the Spider-Man CW issues and the issues after them were good. Parker actually acts in character in them, including in One More Day. (I mostly stopped buying Marvel comics before Secret Invasion after reading them since the 80s, because I was already annoyed with crossover gimmicks and because I thought the Skrulls are lame. Brubaker's awesome Captain America run was ruined by CW. Guardians of the Galaxy was ruined in SI. They made similar mistakes in the MCU. Infuriating.)

[@linesonpaper1245]

I like indie comics mostly. (Full disclosure: I currently make a living doing an indie book. So I’d like this segment to succeed) I loved Invincible and I enjoy Spawn and Lady Mechanica. So, Indy superheroes, I guess.

[@MachangSanga]

Please do Indie Spotlights! That would be such a fun playlist! I love the sleeping on playlist! I love indies. I usually pick if the art feels diverse from what can be seen as a bit more mainstream in style. Or if the characters grab me. I do preference main characters of color and if the main character is black/African woman, like me, that encourages me more to give it a read/finish the story. I find a lot of that diversity via Kickstarters, but I get the whole feeling of “risk”. I’m a zero-threshold person with this kind of thing so it never feels like a bummer or a waste to me if I get it. It’s just a fun experience to talk about and share, even when I don’t like it-someone might! And that aspect is fun to me. It’s nice to read something that you don’t feel alienated from in the world itself, I feel lucky to be in this time in that regard because the topic matters and storylines that involve different kinds of main characters have become more diverse and creative. Sleepless is an amazing comic for that. It’s only 2 issues but I think it’s a wonderful short read. If I have a hyper specific interest though it would currently be be myth-inspired/fantasy comics. Namely African/Indigenous with the main character being an actual native of the folklore’s origins or just the main character in general-like the comics from Kugali. I’m in the states so having companies that that be more accessible is really great. Saga plays with those identities as well without being obvious or cringey about it which drew me in. With Indies in general, usually I read an issue in the bookstore and just come back and read and issue or two more before I invest. With Saga that’s what happened. I loved that series. Bummed about the hiatus. So for zero-threshold people, a bookstore; new or used, is a fun wheel to spin. Ooor..I find new comics via my bf and this channel as of recent. Sometimes I’ll look for adaptations or like Sasha mentioned-search for genres I already like reading. When I want to expand, I pick a genre I usually veer away from; I find that in comic-form the topic matter is usually more enjoyable! What a fun and exciting video! I really hope we get more Indie Sasha! But I do admit if I see anything Batman/Batman related - I’ll read it/want to read it. He’s my childhood fave and that just won’t change loll

[@JamilynParks]

Great idea! I love finding new Indie books that I haven't heard of or just never tried. I often find Indie stories refreshing and sometimes even more fun than the Big Two... or at least a different kind of fun. As an avid experienced comic reader I love your videos. They can be just entertaining commentary, informative, or a great refresher. I also really like that you cover so many different topics and characters that I can link others to various videos to explain histories or give them a preview of a particular book. In your indie spotlight episodes I hope you also discuss availability of the stories as well, as far as collections etc.

[@62LeftyBlues]

I was out of collecting and reading for a long time and even sold a big collection. What I learned just starting back is the big 2 never stop. They are a machine constantly trying to crank up the number of titles. Too much. Now I follow artists I like their work and a few writers. Now I read everything I get and its all indie. Short series and I know what I'm getting. No hurries, no worries. Love your energy and insights!

[@NG480]

Yes, I think you should definitely do an indie comics segment; I enjoy both DC and Marvel a lot, but I believe indie comics should get the spotlight a lot more to get readers interested and see that there's a wide range of comics beyond DC and Marvel.

[@benadrylthundercrotch7144]

Indie spotlight would be amazing! I like keeping up with the big boys but I've pretty much given up actually buying them, but i would love to find some more self contained, less commercial book to dive into. Also, your looks have been especially on point lately.

[@professor.Levi956]

I would LOVE your takes on indie books. Maybe focusing on ones that are complete or almost complete would help as the readers would be able to not only get into it, but not have to worry about how long it will be until it ends? Might I suggest something like "Y: The Last Man"?

[@HBHaga]

Most of my experience with with older stuff. Elementals, the Champions RPG tie-in comics, the Jademan Press books out of Hong Kong, Indigo, that kind of thing. I would love to see more segments on Indie comics.

[@hwest3851]

Yes please. Your reviews are informative and helpful for people trying to get into comics. Indie comics deserve love too.

[@jaynewman6420]

I really like an older indie called "Oz Squad", which had the primary characters from the Oz book series form a group which interfaces between Oz and Earth. They act like a special forces team. Their first villain is Tik-Tok. The second arc's villain is "Rebeca Eastwitch." It's a lot of fun.

[@chihiromononoke9381]

I don't know if I read any, but I remember those comics. I'm a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz franchise, especially the thirties movie and the Baum novels. Now I'm a ridiculously huge fan of the Frozen movies and things like them. Snow White and The Wizard of Oz were the first Frozen and Star Wars. Frozen 2, which is an underrated masterpiece, is massive in spite of the punditocracy. The Frozen movies are the modern Star Wars, not Harry Potter or the MCU.

[@ssatva]

I'd love to see this Indie Spotlight thing.

[@AlexApproBAT]

As an indie comic reader and creator, I say YES!!! PLEASE DO THE INDIE COMIC SEGMENT!!!

[@PacoTheeTacoo]

First, love your hair in this episode wowowow Second, I would love a video highlighting indie comics, I’m still pretty casual with actually following comics as a medium, not just the characters, so to have you recommend some stuff would be great!

[@michaelrauch8629]

Just found this channel and I’m very happy for it. I actually plan on updating and creating my own indie comic

[@dyingbreath7]

I love indie books. I tend to mainly read indie anymore. I usually pick them based off of author or artist if I have enjoyed their other works. And I scour through Preview and see if the description sounds fun. personal favorites running at the moment is Serial by Terry Moore, Empowered by Adam Warren, Die by Kieron Gillen, Lazarus by Greg Rucka, and Asender by Jeff Lemire.

[@olyrhys8724]

I’d always recommend Saga and have pulled several non-comic readers in with the first omnibus. For an existing sci fi fan, I love Descemder / Ascender. The art is beautiful and distinctive and the story develops all characters well and addresses some serious themes in a very engaging way. My secret weapon for adults who dismiss comics as a medium is Kill Or Be Killed. I introduce it as a 20 chapter story in which you will be guessing right until the end whether you are reading a horror comic, a vigilante tale or the story of a person’s gradual descent into crime and mental health crisis. Great video thank you but I’m completely the other way around now - all indies (if you can call Image indie) and keep the big two, thank you. They’ve let me down enough times but were an excellent gateway drug!

[@leab2787]

Totally looking forward to an indie spotlight! I love indie comics. I'm very much a *goes into local comic shop* "ooh cool cover let's get this!" type person, so I've ended up following a couple indie series, often after starting in the middle of them, most recently the first volumes of Undiscovered Country and 20XX. I managed to catch on The Weatherman from the beginning- it's a bizarre series, but I enjoyed it. The other thing that's helped me discover indie books is Hoopla, which I get for free through my local library, and it's a pretty common service for other libraries in the US too! Hoopla has a ton of trade paperback-style collections from indie series as well as Marvel and DC titles, and it updates all the time. Hoopla is how I found The Wicked and the Divine (and then summarily read through everything else Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have done), as well as finish up some of the series I read an issue or two from but couldn't understand the story of. I highly recommend trying Hoopla if you want to get into indie comics without paying for a book, you don't mind reading comics online, and your library offers it.

[@777JamesC]

Id really enjoy an indie comic segment, and not just hey this work is complete but also news on the development or where some of the ongoing series are atm

[@chad8767]

I want to put out some advice for people getting into indie comics, or just comics in general (also yes, more indie content please). Libraries, libraries, libraries!!! They are your best resource for indie comics, a very casual place where you can pull something down and sit down and read a bit and if you want to take it home you can also ask for the entire series at the same time. This is how I got into comics, I went the library and picked up a couple Hellblazer comics and fell in love with the medium. Another challenge to indie comics is getting access to eurocomics, this is an ongoing struggle for me because I much prefer to read physical than digital and combining that with many eurocomics never translated makes this really hard. But in eurocomics, I have found it easier to follow authors because comic production is much slower there, instead of monthly comics they are much more "they come out when they come out". Still, libraries can be a great resource for this because many collected editions can be obtained in libraries. As for finding indie books, it's hard to find good places online for this and any of the places that share a lot of the information also share piracy. So I won't name those places but I've found these are the only places I am exposed to really cool new books.

[@Dr.Agon.]

Of all the hairstyles I've seen from you, this is my favorite by far. You look great!!

[@blackbennybouvierdesmond1042]

This is all so interesting. I got into comics through indies I borrowed from the library. I similarly just love bouncing around based on my own interests or tastes. My main exposure was initially the anthology series Flight, which showcased multiple comics artists and helped define my tastes. I'd say a good anthology is a nice place to start, like a grab bag of different candy

[@eladiocofresi5202]

While I don't read enough comics anymore, one of my favorite things about indie comics can actually be the opportunity to connect better with the creator and/or find content that would not be able to be written the same way in a large mainstream publication. If I can share two independent publishers, C1Comics is a Bronx based company (as though the creation of Batman, and it being the birthplace of George Perez and Stan Lee are not enough) and they have a great vampire graphic novel by the name of Mala Noche that is cooler than the Netflix film (which I actually liked.) The series of La Borinqueña is one that surprised me a bit when I read it. Aside from a good story, the author inserts snippets of Puerto Rican history and culture in the books, whether from referencing past events to having the character's powers come from Taino gods, and featuring both the original revolutionary anthem and the modern anthem on a page. Charity work has been done through the character, including teaming up with DC Comics for Ricanstruction, where all the proceeds go to Hurricane Maria relief efforts.

[@joesaotome7572]

Couple decades ago I was into comics, read a lot of indies. Back then a black and white comic was considered by mainstream collectors to be 'amateur' and actively avoided. Indies can be a bit difficult to get into for all the reason stated in the video but are generally well worth it. My suggestion is start with Dark Horse Comics and Antarctic Press. Antarctic actually has a rich history in comics with a lot of industry 'firsts'; first manga translated, first manga style by American artist, first computer colored books, first direct-to-market toys etc. Check out Fred Perry's Gold Digger series. It has been running for more then 20 years. You also might want to do a segment on web-comics. The Whiteboard has been around for like 10 years and is a lot of fun.

[@ExeErdna]

I honestly like indie more than DC/Marvel atm since there's normally less investment due to the lack of overlapping events. The past few years have been kinda overwhelming when it comes to events where nothing feels like a simple day to day event. It feels like something leading to big bad guy and or massive battle. I kinda miss more self-contained stuff in comics.

[@chaosensuming9068]

If you want keep a eye on my channel we are working on a comic book, a manga and a comic within a comic at the moment, the comic will be our first release.

[@jrjoanes]

I also love indie comics, usually I tend to have a couple of identifiers when pick. Usually it's by creator, specifically art. It real hard for me to read a book with bad or distracting art even if the story is good. I still read it but it tends to be a slog. But if a book has fantastic art I'm all for it even if the story is a bit blah. Some suggestions: Outer Darkness by Afu Chan and John Layman Klaus by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora Kill Six Billion Demons by Tom Parkinson Morgan Death or Glory by Rick Remeder and Bengal Sleepless by Sara Vaughn and Leila del Duca Unnatural by Mirka Andolfo Empowered by Adam Warren There a ton more I could recommend but I'd be here forever lol.

[@br0ccal]

Sasha, i'm here for anything you feel like posting. Love your humour and insights.

[@legionkahn]

For me it always starts with the premise. If the idea sound interesting that will pull me in. Then comes the creators. If the premise sound cool and then I find out a creator who's work I like is behind it that gets me to look into it even more. Another thing that I like to look at is the comments on the series. Not reviews but comments from actual fans.

[@DjLeoPeralta]

Yes do a indie spotlight. Indies on my pull list are Something is Killing the Children, Crossover and Killadelphia. Pick up a few number ones from indies to read and see how they are. If the first issue hooks me then I’m in and it’s added to my pull list. So yes do it you can. Also maybe some spotlight on Kickstarter comics too?

[@comicsonthemynd83]

As I started my comic collecting journey, I was definitely a Marvel fan boy. As I kept reading and figuring out what type of stories, artist and writers I liked, I stepped out my convert zone and started reading more indies. Now indies almost tie with Marvel for me. The stories are abstract and offer what we don't usually get to see in DC or Marvel. Once and Future, Undiscovered Country, Canto and Money Shot are just some of my fav ongoing indies right now.

[@Emperor_Oshron]

i totally get the "jumping from interest to interest" thing. i've got tons and tons of different writing/worldbuilding projects of my own which i bounce around between, writing and refining notes for them until i get burned out and move on to something else for a while.

[@davidlove236]

A+ thumbnail, Sasha! I love the melodrama! More to the point of the video: I would like all the Indie Spotlights, please.

[@psychoround6764]

I like to read up on the title. My comic shop has a huge indie section, so I'll write down the title and publisher and look it up.

[@Shamazya]

Another indie comic that I think could be worth discussing is Novas Adventuras de Megaman. It's a Brazilian comic that is, admittedly not very good, but the REASON it's not good and the directions you could go with a video on it are vast! Original Brazilian comics are rare, or at least were when Novas was in production, and so the team took the opportunity to trade roles every issue so that they could get experience in each of them. Thus the art-style, continuity, and writing change dramatically from issue to issue. One creative even tried to kill off all of the main cast and insert an original character to takeover the comic but was stopped and fired. Like this comic is a truly wild ride, inside and out!

[@Shamazya]

Oh! And I should specify, there's not an official English translation but a fan translation was done. I'd be interested in hearing your perspective on that type of fan effort and the kind of grey area it occupies.

[@jravage77]

Yes. please, do indie reviews. There is so much books out there that never get to acknowledgment they deserve.

[@christopherb501]

"are so many" But yes. RE: Five Weapons, Dark Fang, Power Lines, Penny Dora & the Wishing Box, Mystery Girl.

[@RazorFox]

Indie comics are the only kind I read at this point. It's just a chore keeping up with the big two, plus they don't reset continuity every three to five years.

[@boonsandrider]

I generally gravitate more toward the Indie stuff over the Big Two, though I'm never clear on what makes an Indie comic Indie, other than creator control. This last decade I've really enjoyed Atomic Robo, Chew, and Rat Queens, while re-reading a lot of the older Indie stuff like TMNT, Elf Quest, and Bone. I would really love to see and Indie spotlight segment!

[@ps1mrlee]

I would LOVE an Indie Spotlight. Not sure if it will happen, because I doubt it will be as successful as reviews of mainstream stuff, but it would really hold my interest more than your discussions of current ‘classic’ Marvel/DC work.

[@goblingrimm4146]

Currently working in Indi Comics. I have 2 done, one to be published another is self released, and illustrated a children's book. It's hard to get your stuff out there because a lot of people have been hung up on the main titles by main publishers, but the market has been shifting. I see a lot of other friends having great success with their comics and some are still struggling. It's a different sort of challenge from trying to get your book picked up by a big publisher.

[@CosmicG777]

Yes. Some of my favorite comics are indie and/or foreign. Comics like Requiem Vampire Knight and The Carnival of Immortals are both great, with RVK probably being the most detailed, most beautifully illustrated comic ever made. Not even exaggerating. It's actually astonishing of how much work was put into those pages.

[@TheDreadPirateBluetail]

Big fan of what Dynamite was doing with their pulp heroes awhile ago, got really into The Spider who had an absolutely killer redesign by Alex Ross. And it even got a crossover team up in Masks with Green Hornet and Kato, The Shadow, and Zorro. And Donny Cates' God Country is one of my favorite comics ever published.

[@ludovicmodabi3200]

You could follow up with the indie comics that got you hooked and/or the ones that are not edited anymore - yet essential read - and the how and the why (underrated, creative team falling out, etc.)