Which indie comics would you put in your top 5?

[Shellhead]

1. Grimjack (First)
2. Hellboy (Dark Horse)
3. Mage: the Hero Discovered (Comico)
4. Elementals (Comico)
5. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (the Tower and Deluxe runs)

I'm leaving out some other comics that were published by DC or Marvel for at least part of their runs, including Dreadstar, Top Ten, Promethea, Planetary, and Kabuki. Admittedly, DC published a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents run in recent years, but that was decades after the Tower run.

[berk]

The Ballad of Halo Jones was great, but it wasn't actually a comic title in its own right (aside from the crappy Quality reprint title). I'd tend to lump it in with 2000AD (and V for Vendetta, which someone mentioned, with Warrior). Still not sure that 2000AD, as one of the UK's top selling titles, counts as "indie", but I guess Warrior would...

Actually, I should probably withdraw V for vendetta from my list - I was trying to choose from creations that were owned by the creators rather than the company, but since they made that movie, I assume Moore and Lloyd didn't own V.

But then that would allow the Vertigo stuff, which still feels too closely tied to DC to be considered truly independent. So I suppose I need some clarification of the what we mean by the term in this context.

[ShQQta]

Love and Rockets
.
.
.
daylight
.
.
Cerebus
.
.
.
more daylight
.
.
Grendel
Flaming Carrot
Usagi Yojimbo

I would like to include Mage and American Flagg... but that would be 7.

[tony ingram]

Actually, I should probably withdraw V for vendetta from my list - I was trying to choose from creations that were owned by the creators rather than the company, but since they made that movie, I assume Moore and Lloyd didn't own V.

But then that would allow the Vertigo stuff, which still feels too closely tied to DC to be considered truly independent. So I suppose I need some clarification of the what we mean by the term in this context.

Moore and Lloyd did own V, when they originally created the series at Warrior. But a part of the deal when taking a series to Vertigo, as they did in order to publish the end chapters, seems to be that DC automatically get the merchandising and movie rights.

[T Hedge Coke]

Creators owning the rights doesn't make something "indie," with is just short for independently produced. The talent or their reps produced the material and an established company distributed it.

Seeing stuff put together, produced, arranged, edited, and paid for by a wing of Warner Bros listed as "indie" is hilarious. So's anything, like Sailor Moon, which was developed by a huge publisher with an interest to simultaneous adaptation in daytime animation.

As I recall, Moore and Lloyd still had a say in whether V happened or not, at one point, and when things went sour, Moore simply moved the pay due to him over to Lloyd, who remained in favor of the adapting. It wasn't "automatic," but was contracted out.

[dupont2005]

I don't think having a large publisher distribute your work disqualifies it from being independent. I thought "Indie" meant independently owned. If the creator owns the franchise and writes and illustrates every issue himself with little to no editorial interference, it doesn't really matter if Epic distributed it for 80 issues or so. I'm thinking of Groo here but there are several examples. A movie, TV show, cartoon, video game, or action figures based on the franchise do not disqualify something from being indie either. Also, just because a publisher puts out a lot of licensed comics, that does not take anything away from the independent comics they also produce. Hearing time and time again how Dark Horse isn't "indy" because they publish Alien comics, tell that to Frank Miller, Stan Sakai, Paul Chadwick, and any number of creators who have had their pride and joy published through Dark Horse with great success. Dark Horse is probably the largest comic publisher still willing to take a risk. Image publishes a lot of creator owned stuff, but it's all mainstream friendly stuff, safe bets. Dark Horse will publish something just because it's good, even if it might sell 1500 copies. It's a gamble that's paid off with them getting first dibs on what would later become money making franchises, like Hellboy, which is also an indy comic even if Ron Perlman has portrayed the character in theaters.

[tony ingram]

I think my whole problem with the phrase "indie comics" is that it's now used as shorthand for anything not produced by one of two companies who happen to be more well known than any others to a mainstream audience. Sorry, but describing something produced by an established company-any company-as "indie" just because it's not by Marvel or DC is like describing a hamburger as "indie" because you buy it from somewhere other tham McDonalds. It's nonsense.

[dupont2005]

So in order for it to be indie it has to be self published? Otherwise it's exactly like corporate owned mascots where an editor contracts a writer, artist, penciler, inker, and letterist to pump out more regularly scheduled installments of in house promotion crossover corporate synergy? There is a huge difference between Marvel and many smaller publishers beyond the size of the company. All the characters in the Marvel Universe are owned by shareholders. All the characters in The Walking Dead are owned by the writer and creator of the series, who holds complete control over his title and franchise. It's less like buying a burger from McDonalds and more like buying it from Kirkman's Burger Stand. Even though some corporation owns the building leased to Kirkman's Burgers, it's still a mom and pop burger joint.

[dr chimp]

Image publishes a lot of creator owned stuff, but it's all mainstream friendly stuff, safe bets.

i dont know - chaykins black kiss II is pretty wild - utter crap but pretty wild. They also did ted mckeever's mondo and his collected works, seem to be the only company publishing an on going slice of life series, and brandon graham's stuff is pretty out there too.

[dupont2005]

Depends on what you consider ongoing. Lots of ongoing slice of life comics, just not many of them monthlies. Hate and Love And Rockets are still both ongoing, annually. I agree though, Image does take bigger risks than I previously thought, in addition to the safe stuff.

[LEADER DESSLOK]

Easy List if I assume you mean "Not published by Marvel or DC"

1. KAMUI (published by Eclipse and finished by Viz--or was it the other way around?)

2. LONE WOLF AND CUB (First and later Dark Horse)

3. SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES by EC. My favorite of ALL their books.

4. YOUNG ROMANCE by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Crestwood or Prize--I can never remember)

5. SPAWN by Todd McFarlane and Image. I've been collecting graphic novels from the first 100 issues and I haven't been disappointed.

HONORABLE MENTION:

HATE by Peter Bagge and Fantagraphics

SABRE by Don McGregor and Billy Graham (not the reverand)\ECLIPSE

THE VAULT OF HORROR\ by editor Johnny Craig and EC Comics

THE MAXX by SAM KIETH and Image Comics

THE MARVEL FAMILY by Fawcett Comics. I loved it whenever they all got together! If I had some of that Mitt Romney money
I would collect this! I was tempted to say CAPTAIN MARVEL,JR. but Elvis' recommendation wasn't enough!

[benday-dot]

4. YOUNG ROMANCE by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Crestwood or Prize--I can never remember)

Crestwood and Prize were basically the same company. I think Prize was an imprint of Crestwood.

[LEADER DESSLOK]

Crestwood and Prize were basically the same company. I think Prize was an imprint of Crestwood.

Thanks-- Crestwood stuck out in my mind but I seemed to remember seeing the Prize label on a Young Romance or ...Love comic.

[dr chimp]

Depends on what you consider ongoing. Lots of ongoing slice of life comics, just not many of them monthlies. Hate and Love And Rockets are still both ongoing, annually. I agree though, Image does take bigger risks than I previously thought, in addition to the safe stuff.

i'd say def give their catalogue a browse. Runs the whole gamut from super heroes to utter madness (and a man being sodomized by a succubus with multiple penises - thanks for that Howard Chaykin) and they publish new black and white stuff which is a rare treat these days (even if one of those books is a succubus with multiple penises...)

[Libaax]

Alltime Favs:

Torpedo
Lone Wolf and Cub/Samurai Executioner
Sin City
War Stories (Garth Ennis)
Fullmetal Alchemist

Current Favs:

The Walking Dead
Hellboy
Criminals
The Killer
BPRD