We’ve gone through the corporate powerhouses, we’ve looked at the biggest independent publisher, and we’ve peeked at some manga coming our way. Now it’s time to turn toward the independent, small press, graphic novel, alternative, major, and powerhouse publishers for their offerings this June 2021. It’s the Best of the Rest.
10. Pandemic Unfurled
It didn’t take long for the pandemic narratives to appear. Or, maybe more accurately, pandemic narratives have always been around and recent releases like Val McDermid and Kathryn Briggs’s “Reisistance” benefit for good timing. Or maybe even more more accurately, we’ve known something like this was coming for ages but our willful ignorance prevented and initial misguided leadership prevented us from being able to do something about it.
Resistance
Written by Val McDermid
Illustrated by Kathryn Briggs
Published by Atlantic Monthly PressJournalist Zoe Meadows has taken a break from hard-hitting investigative reporting to spend more time with her family, which is how she finds herself doing celebrity Q&As at an outdoor music festival near the Scottish border. She and her friends, who run a food truck, head north, along with 150,000 festival-goers for a weekend of music and camping. Then, some of the food truck’s customers begin to fall ill, and many point to food poisoning. But when the festival ends and the attendees scatter across England, more people begin to get sick and die. What’s worse, it is spreading fast and baffles doctors, resisting all efforts to contain or cure it. With time running out, Zoe is compelled to fight for the truth, even as she loses that which she holds most dear.
9. A Vainglorious Attempt to Wrest the Title of Champion from Him
I’m sure the art is meticulous and precise and that Jerry Frisson and Francesco Trifogli have a strong understanding of how to make an engaging comic spectacle. But I’m including this mostly because it reminds me of Hades and it’s always nice to see Theseus get what’s coming to him.
The Fire of Theseus
Written by Jerry Frissen
Illustrated by Francesco Trifogli
Published by HumanoidsThe true story of Theseus and the Minotaur.
Everyone thinks they know Theseus, the great Hero of Athens. But what legend has retained is merely a web of lies, a fable to hide the truth-a truth that time was not ready to accept… It’s time Her story was told.
8. OOBES
The talent involved here is more attention-grabbing than the actual summary. Peter Milligan and Inaki Miranda go for a weird murder mystery, with psychedelic images and reckless kinetics. I’m hoping it’s as bright and wild as the cover promises.
Out of Body #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Inaki Miranda
Published by AfterShock ComicsWhen Dan Collins wakes to finds his life hanging by a thread, he must use his astral projection to discover who tried to kill him. Who is the beautiful mystic who tries to help him? Why does August Fryne want Dan’s soul – and what does it have to do with a demon who seems to be Do-rian Gray? A weird, occult detective thriller about life, death – and whatever lies in between.
From award-winning comic book writer Peter Milligan (X-Force, X-Statix) and artistic sensation Inaki Miranda (WE LIVE, Harley Quinn) comes an awesome new dimension in horror and
mystery!
7. The Powerbrat Girls
It’s like “The Boys,” except instead of superheroes, they’re magical girls. Which is bound to make this five thousand times more entertaining and fun and goofy.
Continued belowSave Yourself #1
Written by Bones Leopard
Illustrated by Kelly & Nichole Matthews
Published by BOOM! StudiosWhat if Magical Girls weren’t Earth’s champions at all?
Aoe, Thel, and Gen, better known as the Lovely Trio, first burst onto the scene five years ago when they saved Earth from a surprise space monster attack!
Since then, everyone, including Gigi, whose brother died as a bystander in a Lovely Trio battle, idolizes them as superheroic pop icons.
But when Gigi witnesses the Lovely Trio battling a monster firsthand, she sees something that causes her to question everything she thought she ever knew about her heroes!
A magical new series from the team behind Pandora’s Legacy, writer Bones Leopard (Identical) and artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Just Beyond), that’s perfect for fans of Sailor Moon and Wynd.
6. Comicka International
Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato) created the space pirate Captain Harlock in 1977. He’s appeared in several anime series and films and already experienced a reboot in 2014. Matsumoto’s bringing him back again, now with French cartoonist Jerome Alquie, for an international comic experience. This confluence of cultures and styles is certain to make for a wild reading experience. Also, Matsumoto’s original series is being reprinted in several larger volumes.
Space Pirate Captain Harlock #1
Written by Leiki Matsumoto and Jerome Alquie
Illustrated by Jerome Alquie
Published by AblazeFrom the legendary Leiji Matsumoto, along with Jerome Alquie, comes an epic new story! Set within the timeline of the original series, this brand-new Captain Harlock adventure marks the beginning of a new story arc. Planet Earth is threatened by an upcoming invasion by the Sylvidres and despite being banished as a pirate, Captain Harlock won’t give up trying to save the world. This time, the source of danger comes directly from Earth, not outer space. A team of scientists discovers a Sylvidres mausoleum where they find information about terrifying genetic manipulations and a destructive power capable of either providing the Sylvidres with immortality or putting an end to their civilization. The unprecedented cold spell hitting Earth might only be a taste of what this new enemy has in store…
Will Captain Harlock and his crew manage to solve this mystery and save the Earth from yet another menace?
5. A Book as Intoxicating as Its Art
Moto Haigo redefined shōjo manga. Her drawings are luscious and eloquent, her characters beautiful and over-the-top. Fantagraphics originally published this anthology in 2010, but are coming back with a new printing to bring more attention to this accomplished mangaka.
A Drunken Dream and Other Stories
Written and Illustrated by Moto Hagio
Published by FantagraphicsA decades-spanning collection from the “founding mother” of modern sho-jo manga. Fantagraphics Books’ first volume of manga is a collection of short stories by one of Japan’s most influential and critically lauded comics innovators.
4. In the Name of Love, She’ll Punish You
Before Usagi Tsukino’s first sparkly transformation, Naoko Takeuchi introduced her world of pretty guardians and sailor scouts in this short series. “Codename: Sailor V” follows the adventures and antics of the hero who will become Sailor Venus. Kodansha goes all-in for this two-volume edition, with a new translation, cleaned up artwork, and redesigned letters. If the “Sailor Moon” Eternal Editions are anything to go by, this will be a treat, both in terms of story and presentation.
Codename: Sailor V — Eternal Editions Vol. 1 & 2
Written and Illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi
Published by KodanshaBefore Sailor Moon, there was Sailor V! Minako Aino is 13 years old when she meets a talking white cat named Artemis, who tells her something unbelievable: With a magic pen, she has the power to transform into the elegant, masked hero Sailor V. Experience Minako’s adventures, before she became Sailor Venus, featuring a new, glittering cover, a fresh translation, and remastered interior art! This definitive, two-volume Eternal Edition of the Codename: Sailor V manga features new cover illustrations by creator Naoko Takeuchi, a new translation, entirely redesigned lettering, and, for the first time, all the color pages from the original magazine run in the 1990s.
3. Empty Islands
Originally published in France in 2019, Manuele Fior’s “Celestia” makes its way to English courtesy of Fantagraphics. A fable, a moral tale, and speculative epic, the book is filled with telepaths and prophets and haunting landscapes. It’s sure to be gorgeous and haunting, something that sticks with you long after it’s over.
Continued belowCelestia
Written and Illustrated by Manuele Fior
Published by FantagraphicsThis highly anticipated new graphic novel from Manuele Fior (The Interview and 5,000 KM Per Second) showcases his singular talents as a once-in-a-generation visual artist and a deeply empathetic writer who uses science fiction to look to the future of humanity.
The “Great Invasion” originated from the sea. It moved north across the mainland. Many fled, while some took refuge on a small concrete island called Celestia, built over a thousand years ago. Now cut off from the mainland, Celestia has become an outpost for criminals and other misfits, as well as a refuge for a group of young telepaths. Events push two of them, Dora and Pierrot, to flee the island and set sail to the mainland. There, they discover a world on the precipice of a metamorphosis, though also a world where adults are literally prisoners of their own fortresses, unintentionally preserving the “old world” at a time when a new generation could guide society towards a better humanity. Celestia is the most ambitious and successful graphic novel to date by one of the world’s most exciting storytellers.
2. Mermaids and Amor
Molly Knox Ostertag turns her attention to the sea in her new title. There’s mermaids and passions and secrets and identity crises. Ostertag’s work bristles with big emotions sold by energetic visuals. It’s certain to delight readers and will almost certainly resonate profoundly with its audience.
The Girl from the Sea
Written and Illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag
Published by GraphixFifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can’t wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She’s desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends…who don’t understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan’s biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.
Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn’t seem so stifling anymore.
But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they’re each trying to hide will find its way to the surface…whether Morgan is ready or not.
1. Right in the Feels
Tillie Walden and Avery Hill assemble several of her early comics in this handsome collection. The stories are deeply, earnestly felt, with Walden’s characters figuring out their place in the world and their place with each other. Each page features magnificent, eye-catching designs, accomplished with a few scratchy lines and minimal colors. There’s an expressive, experimental quality to these, too, as Walden figures out how to bend the medium to her form. We get to see a cartoonist fascinated by the medium and willing to stretch past its limits in order to tell her honest, human stories.
Alone in Space
Written and Illustrated by Tillie Walden
Published by Avery Hill PublishingA collection of Tillie’s three longform comics with Avery Hill: “I Love This Part,” “The End of Summer,” and “A City Inside.” Plus the early sketches, short comics for magazines and webcomics such as “What It’s Like To Be Gay In An All-Girls Middle School” that shot her to fame on both sides of the Atlantic and have never been collected before.
Well that was fun. Let us know what you’re excited for in the comments.
