With C2E2 now officially over and my mind and body recovered enough to focus, I welcome you to our annual after convention special blog. One of the most fascinating and enjoyable parts of going to a comic convention is the amazing amount of independently created comics. And this year was an amazing one for those titles. Here are a few titles you WON’T find in your local comic shop or will need to special order but are worth seeking out.
SUNSTONE VOLUME 1 TPB IMAGE/TOP COW
Imagine hearing the old familiar line, “Can I tell you about our books.” at a convention. But when you turn around you’re not at some artist/writer booth in Artist Alley but at the Image/Top Cow booth. Now try to hold back your shock in discovering that Image/Top Cow has a line of adult oriented trade paperbacks. Intrigued and trying to figure out how to sneak them into the house, I decided to give them a shot. Sunstone is an ongoing series of trades dealing with the unique lives of Ally and Lisa. Now as the books blurb says, not really my thing. However, setting aside the subject matter for a minute, Volume 1 is a wonderfully telling story that obviously has some basis in fact. The characters are interesting and well written. The art is a great reflection of the story. Lisa and Ally are attractive but not knock down Zenescope hot. The situations are handled well and truthful. The fact of the matter is that this book is a text book example of how to create a comic. If it were not for the subject matter, I would recommend this to everyone. While it’s on alert for being a definite Mature Only title, if you fall into that category you should get this. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
SUGAR VOLUME 1 IMAGE/TOP COW
Another in the Image/Top Cow Adults Only title vault, Matt Hawkins, Jenni Cheung, and Yishan Li create a wonderful narrative that weaves the real world around that wonderful time you are in love. Julia and John are truthful and interesting characters. And while the relationship is a bit messed up, the awkwardness is handled well. Image/Top Cow hit another home run with this title. It’s just a shame not everyone can read it. I give this one a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
