3 Indie Comics To Keep An Eye Out For In 2019
by Tito W. James
Ronin Island
Written by Geg Pak and drawn by Giannis Milonogiannis, Ronin Island is set during the 19th century after a mysterious attack wipes out major cities in Japan, China and Korea. Survivors of these three nations struggle to find peace on their new island home. The survivors are further challenged by the emergence of a new Shogun who demands payment for repelling mutant invaders. This comic is sure to appeal to fans of martial arts fantasy.
Ronin Island will be published on March 6th by Boom! Studios.
Little Bird
Written by Darcy Van Poelgeest and drawn by Ian Bertram (House of Penance) Little Bird is about a young resistance fighter who battles against an oppressive American Empire. The series has been described as a mix between the scope of East of West and the hyper-detailed art of Akira. Notably, this 5 issue mini-series is a reprint of a graphic novel already published in France. Image Comics has used this reprint strategy on the Italian series Unnatural which has been surprisingly wonderful. It appears that Little Bird has already been a success and it’s just time for American readers to catch up.
Little Bird will be published by Image Comics on March 13.
The Goon
The Goon returns to comic book stores under author creator Eric Powell’s own publishing imprint Albatross Funnybooks. I first discovered Powell’s work with his amazing Hillbilly series. For those unfamiliar with The Goon, I’d describe the comic as adventures set in a world completely informed by the covers of pulpy magazines. Mobsters duke it out with monsters in a world that’s blacker than Noir.
After two tragic Goon stories with Occasion Of Revenge and Once Upon A Hard Time, Powell promises to lighten the mood with the next Goon arc. When we last left Goon, he was slated to go up against new antagonists called the Lords of Misery. As a fan of the darker Goon tales, I hope that the new story arc will still deliver thrilling adventure.
The Goon will be published by Albratross Funnybooks on March 13.
