BEST RECENT INDIE COMICS

Obviously, I’m a big, big comic fan. Most people that don’t read comics tend to dismiss comics as an unserious medium for children - a bunch of buff men in tights fighting bad guys.

Well, that’s…partially right. Those do exist - and even within the realm of superheroes punching bad guys lie some of the most complex, emotionally challenging stories ever told. But that’s not what I’m here to share with you - I want to show you the comics that exist outside the superhero worlds.

I bet some of you reading this didn’t even know that comics included stories told outside of DC or Marvel, comics that have nothing to do with capes or tights. Even if you were aware of those, you might have stopped your knowledge at classics like Maus or Bone - and while those classics are GREAT and should be read, I know that not everyone has an appetite for artwork or dialogue that feels dated, no matter how good it is.

So I’m going to share with you what I think are some of the greatest indie comics to have come out within the past 10 years - some of them may even be as recent as this year.

SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN

I know - if names could kill, right?

Something is Killing the Children is an on-going horror series written by James Tynion IV, with art by Werther Dell’edera, and colors by Miquel Muerto.

It’s an incredibly dark series with a beating, black heart at the core of it - shown in glimpses through the story’s main character, Erica Slaughter. The premise of the story itself is simple enough: Erica Slaughter moves from town to town taking down monsters only she can see. Well, and the children those monsters are after.

Erica works for an organization known as the Order of St. George, whose job is to take down these monsters are they come up, and ensure no one knows of their existence - the public HAS to remain ignorant of these monsters.

It’s a horror series that’s as heart-wrenching as it is terrifying, so follow along with Erica as she travels from town to town taking down these monsters at the expense of her own mental and physical well-being.

STRAY DOGS

Two horror stories back to back? Yeah, get used to it. Horror stories, particularly in comics, are just some of the best things around, and have popped off like nothing else in recent comic history.

Stray Dogs is an especially interesting one, and your eyes don’t deceive you: Yes, this is drawn in a style reminiscent of classic Disney films. It’s a five issue series that was written by Tony Fleecs, with art done by Trish Forstner, and colors by Brad Simpson.

The entire comic is shown through the perspective of the dogs themselves, with the main character being Sophie - a dog that’s being adopted by a new owner.

Prior to this adoption, we’re introduced to Sophie at the vet, where the vet is explaining that dog’s memories work differently than ours - and they rarely remember things more than a day or two. This is important…as this is a horror story.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the house these dogs are in, and just who the owner is - but while they have to piece together clues and fight against this terror that we learn about…they also have to fight their own memory the whole way through. It’s an intense psychological thriller truly like no other.

RADIANT BLACK

Okay, so I lied a little. This one is a superhero comic - but don’t leave yet. Trust me.

It’s an on-going story written by Kyle Higgins with art from Marcelo Costa, and letters from Becca Carey.

First and foremost, it’s still solely its own story - it doesn’t take place in any kind of grand universe like the decades long history of DC or Marvel. They have introduced some spin-off titles, but each can be read solely on their own.

Radiant Black itself is the lynch-pin of it all, and I really wish I could say more than I can about the story - but it takes so many different twists and turns and plays with the medium more than almost any other story I’ve ever experienced, so so much of the story I’d prefer you just read organically, knowing as little as possible going into it. Just know that anytime you THINK you know where this story is heading, and what it’s doing to play with you…no, you don’t.

THE ONE HAND/SIX FINGERS

Okay, back to horror.

The One Hand and Six Fingers. These are actually two separate titles, occurring and releasing concurrently - one week we’d get the first issue of The One Hand, the next we’d get Six Fingers, and so on until the conclusion of the story. Each one lasted five issues.

The One Hand is written by Ram V, drawn by Laurence Campbell, colored by Lee Louhridge, and lettered by Aditya Bidikar (an unsung hero, that Aditya. Shoutout).

The Six Fingers is written by Dan Watters, drawn by Sumit Kumamoto, and again colored and lettered by Lee Louhridge and Aditya Bidikar.

It’s a noir detective murder/mystery, where we’re also following along with the other side of the story. The premise of The One Hand itself is that the main character, the detective of the story Ari Nassau, is pulled into a mystery as a killer he’s already put in jail is seemingly back.

The Six Fingers follows the other side of that - from the perspective of the alleged One Hand Killer. The story swivels back and forth between the two perspectives each issue, deepening the maddening story as things unravel.

That’s all, folks.

There you have it. Some of the best indie comics to come out in the past few years, in no particular order. You have some homework to do. If you’ve read any of these - let me know which ones were your favorites and why! (No spoilers, please).

If you haven’t read them yet - come back once you do to let me know!

Of course, there are many, many, many more fantastic comics than just these, so be sure to drop in every so often (or sign up for my newsletter) to be a part of those conversations, and maybe find some more great stories to read.

(Psst. Speaking of stories to read. Have you checked out the rest of my site to find the comics that I’VE written?)