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[wourme]

For anyone who likes comics (and maybe even for those who think that they don't), I highly recommend the Flight collections.



Each of the four volumes is a large anthology of very short comics, most of which are by artists who are not famous (but are very talented). A few are by famous artists, too. The art styles are amazingly varied, and the stories are just loaded with imagination. I find these books very inspiring and I think that this sort of effort is worth supporting. I really see the same sort of spirit here that I do in the best independent video games, and I suspect that the audiences probably overlap.

There's more information and previews of the books at Flightcomics.com:

Preview of volume two
Preview of volume three

Amazon.com Links: Volume One | Volume Two | Volume Three | Volume Four

[Average Higgins]

Oh man! Flight! I suppose it was only a matter of time before this board got around to discussing indie games's half brother (indie comics). I've read the first two of these and while I liked them, I could never really get totally into them. I remember the second one having some good stuff by Becky Cloonan and Don Hertzfeldt which was cool. And the other Derek was in the first one, maybe? I should go read the new ones!

But hey, could we just turn this thread into an all-out indie comics discussion?

[Alex May]

Flight = so awesome.

[rey-o]

i liked them flights - although the problem with any anthology comic series is that it's a mixed bag. i do think that kazu kabuishi is brilliant though (he's the fellow what organizes flight).

this past weekend i went to TCAF (toronto comic arts festival). the festival has a stronger focus on less mainstream artists - you can check out a brief write up i did here: [url]http://reyortega.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/toronto-comics-arts-festival/url].

[Pacian]

Shoot me (go on, punk), but I just don't see why anyone would read non-indie comics.  If there's a man in tights in a book I read, whether it has pictures or not, I want him to be a transvestite and not a pompous vigilante with teenage angst.

Maybe a transvestite vigilante, but that's cutting it close.

I'm not sure if Hope Larson qualifies as indie now that she's writing/drawing a book for Random House, but she's currently my favourite American-comic-writer/artist-who-is-actually-Canadian.  She did work that appeared in one of the Flight books, I believe.  And a lot of the people who appeared in Flight have had work published by Oni Press ("Our logo is not Satan") at some point, although I can only get their stuff through Amazon.

i do think that kazu kabuishi is brilliant though (he's the fellow what organizes flight).

He also does Copper, right?  I love that.

[rey-o]

i like super hero stuff too, it just all depends on whos behind it. one of my comics heroes, indy star paul pope recently did a miniseries 'batman year 100' - it was phenomenal.


pacian you are probably familiar with brian lee o'malley , right? seeing as how he's hope larsons hubby and also an accomplised artist. there are some great video game references in it, stuff like having to beat up 'bosses' (evil boyfriends) and upon said defeat, they turn into coins.

yeup kazu does copper - he's got a new book coming out from scholastic called Amulet which looks awesome

[skaldicpoet9]

These volumes look really good...I'll have to check 'em out sometime...

Don't know a whole lot about indie comics, always wanted to look into them though...

[AdamAtomic]

yeah i have all 4, love em.  I do think vol 3 and 4 are both MUCH stronger collections than 1 and 2, but just like indie games I just love seeing new weird stuff!!

also def mad props to Scott Pilgrim, that's practically my favorite running book right now...volume 4 keeps getting delayed!  drivin me nuts.

[Pacian]

i like super hero stuff too, it just all depends on whos behind it. one of my comics heroes, indy star paul pope recently did a miniseries 'batman year 100' - it was phenomenal.

I might be a little more open to the supes if they weren't pretty much the only kind of western comic you can pick up in the bookstores around here.  It's like, I love a good superhero movie from time to time, but they're not my favourite kind of movie by any means.  If they were all that was ever being shown at the cinema, I'd get pretty annoyed at them too. 

pacian you are probably familiar with brian lee o'malley , right? seeing as how he's hope larsons hubby and also an accomplised artist.

I really dug Lost at Sea, but the reviews of Scott Pilgrim didn't manage to quite grab me.  But apparently Edgar "Hot Fuzz" "Shaun of the Dead" "Spaced" Wright was rumoured (two years ago) to be attached to a possible film version?  That certainly activates the interest ray (in my brain).  I'll see about sneaking it into my next Amazon order.

[wourme]

One of the artists who has appeared in Flight more than once is making (has made?) a game. I think it looks very impressive, even if the title sounds a little silly:

http://www.insanelytwistedshadowplanet.com/



I've always intended to look up the creators of some of my favorite stories in Flight and see what else they've done, but I haven't done so yet. Maybe because there are so many and I'm not sure where to start.

[PoV]

Something is screwed up with my Quicktime, so I'm all disappointed that I can't watch the trailer.  I imagine ITSP, "silly" title and all, is based on these.  I ran across them because of the Flight books.  Pretty cool stuff.

[ChevyRay]

Whoa, what a coincidence! I was just telling YMM about this yesterday! I read Flight 4 on the hour-long bus ride home from a trip yesterday, and I loved it. The weird thing is, I haven't had the chance to read the first yet. I read the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th so far... I look forward to each new book, what beauty!

I love Michel Gagne's story with the fox-like creature opening books 2, 3, and 4, and I also explicitly remember The Forever Box as being an awesome story.

[rey-o]

pacian: give the first pilrgim volume a whirl - as a gamer, i think you'll like it. on the flip side, i actually didn't enjoy lost at sea too much. eeeemmmmooooooooo



michel gagne is a beast - he does a ton of work for movies too - inlcuding the incredbles,iron giant, and recently ratatoie

[fish]

he did the flavor visualization bits on ratatouille. those were great!
guy has some skill.
quebecois too, woot.

[Xion]

I love the Flight Comics. I've never bought any, though, 'cause I never have any money. But I've read them in stores and they always entrance me for my entire stay. It's cool, 'cause I feel absorbed into the story almost as much as when I read a good book (which has never happened to me outside of books - not even in games, because I'm always aware of the fact that it's just a game.) And every time I finish a story I wish it would've lasted longer. Anyway. One of the few comics I've ever read.

[Robotacon]

Scott Pilgrim is definitely one of my current favorites.

Also, if we're talking indie, Paul Grists Kane and Jack Staff series has some great stories.

[rey-o]

oh, and one the great success stories of indy comics, BONE.

regardless of being a indy, or mainstream, or all ages, BONE is simply an amazingly crafted story. just today i picked up the newly released artbook for it too, yay.

[ChevyRay]

I read the entirety of Bone in one go, as I never discovered it until they were all completed. I've never had so much trouble putting a book down of any sort. <3

[Melly]

Michel Gagne wins infinite internets.

[GP Lackey]

Flight!  I love it too!  I only have the first volume though, maybe this will encourage me to start getting the others.

I like how this seems to be something of a community interest though.