Comic books, though taking a sort of downward spiral over the last few years, have begun to rise again like a phoenix from the ashes. This is particularly true with indy books where quality and interesting stories reign supreme. You can take your DC New 52 and your dead Spidey from Marvel and glance over them. They have their market but honestly – what hasn’t been told already? They all have a niche they have to appeal to that indy publishers don’t have. Image and Dark Horse have even gone more mainstream over the years. Whatever happened to the art house comics drawn in crappy paper and colored (sometimes) with pencils and then photocopied? Those comics exist still in the ether but their production values have increased by leaps and bounds.
Instead of the photocopier to make prints there are pay-to-publish comic book companies that you can find. They will do all of that hard work for you. You wind up with a quality product. One such product is a book by the name of Junkyard Angels by Minus Zero Productions. The books are very high in quality and are visually appealing. Beyond the visual stimulation there is actually an interesting story which appeals to a broad range of fans. If you like horror you will be good as there are zombies. If you like the future, killer robots that are more bad ass than Terminator then you mavens of Sci-Fi shall also be pleased. It also covers another fringe niche not seen often: homosexuality.
The new Spiderman went ethic and gay but that’s Spiderman and everyone knows what to expect from the web-slinger. Junkyard Angels follows an interesting cast of characters who easily stand out from the usual humdrum of apocalyptic fodder. The story begins in a world that we know nothing of. As you read through the book you begin to learn through pictures and the writing what the world is about. Robotic limbs are not only being used but used often. Do they carry this new virus causing people to turn into murderous zombies? You have NO idea! That’s the beauty of it. It just… happens. It’s horrifying how things unfold and you feel for the characters.
In addition to the zombies and robots there is also a love story at the heart of it all. Budding friendships, long loves and broken hearts abound. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket and yet these young people still have the need to seek out that one thing that can keep them all going: love. Be it love from someone thought long lost or someone new that they just happen to find there is a compelling story to be told here.
The book is currently available in #1 and #2 with a couple more on the way. I can’t recommend Junkyard Angels enough. You can get them not only digitally for your eReader or for PDF but also in hardcopy for those of you that love the feel and smell of a new comic. I can’t wait for the next installment to be released but if you aren’t feeling particularly patient you can hunt down the comic through Google and see some of the latest goings on. You can follow them on Facebook as well. The comics can be purchased from several locations on the Internet.
If you’re like me then you hate to do all of that damn hard work… no fear my super fiends as I’ve done the hard work for you. Below you will find the information you need to get dialed in on Junkyard Angels.
http://doorq.com/category/originals/junkyard-angels/ – Extra chapters for FREE
http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5232 – You can buy here if you like hardcopies (digital coming soon)
http://graphicly.com/search?q=junkyard+angels – Can buy them here, too… if you like digital
http://www.facebook.com/junkyardangelscomic – Ye olde facebook…
http://twitter.com/Junkyardangels– and Twitter
Book Review: Junkyard Angels – Issues 1-2