Bald Raider’s Top 5 Indie/Small Publisher Books of 2018
Alright, let’s get this out of the way up front, your humble correspondent here has not been with Comic Crusaders for all that long. That said, the title should more accurately be called, ‘My Top 5 Indie Books of the Last Couple of Months’. I hope that you’ll understand. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s get into some specifics. These are my personal favorites, selected from the books I’ve read since starting at Comic Crusaders. By no means should this list be considered definitive. However, I hope that this list will give you a glimpse into what is out there and hopefully this will motivate you to pick some of these books up if you haven’t done so already. Ready? Okay, here we go.
We’ll start first with an honorable mention for Cold Spots #4 (Image Comics) by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe) and Mark Torres (Judge Dredd). Though I didn’t get a chance to review this book (time constraints) it left an impression on me. Equal parts supernatural mystery and horror book, this issue straddled that line with aplomb. The visuals are truly terrifying at times and leave you with no doubt that there can be worse things than death.
At #5 on the list is 1000 Nightmares #1 (Creator Studios) created by Bill Richardson. This horror themed anthology is the first in a continuing series. The writing is insightful, terrifying, intelligent and provocative. Each story tackles a different element of horror and is presented in such a way that it evokes comparisons to shows like The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. The artwork more than holds it’s own, with the creators willing to use different styles and techniques to create an avant garde book that captures the imagination while scaring the pants off of you.  https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-1000-nightmares-1/
Bitter Root #2 (Image Comics)by David F. Walker (Cyborg), Chuck Brown (Black Panther), and Sanford Greene (Method Man) comes in at #4. This tale nominally follows the adventures of the Sangerye Family and their fight against evil. However, the book is much more than that. Splitting it’s time between Harlem and Mississippi in the early twentieth century, the book examines the hate and intolerance which can spawn monsters from the noblest of people. Rather than stop there, the book continues and examines the various ways one might combat those evils, contrasting the path of anger and the path of redemption. It is incredibly entertaining as a comic book and incredibly insightful as a work of fiction.  https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-bitter-root-2/
At #3 is Lords of the Cosmos #2 (Ugli Studios). The talented team behind this book includes Jason Lenox (Black and Pale) , Dennis Fallon (Plague), Jason Palmatier (Plague), David Newbold (Marvel Age Fantastic Four), Joseph Freistuhler (The Not So Golden Age), D.W. Kann (Lovecraft P.I.) and Dani Kaulakis (Ugli Studios Presents). Following the ongoing battle between good and evil, Umex and Aegus, as Umex and his evil minions attempt to subjugate the planet Aiden. The story hearkens back to Silver Age comics while relying on characters and concepts that are reminiscent of Masters of the Universe or Saturday Morning cartoons. The stories, while straightforward on the surface, are illustrations of good and evil in the tradition of much older tales like The Divine Comedy by Dante. Not to be outdone; the artwork, rendered in black and white, is intricate and detailed.  Of particular note to aspiring artists is the superb inking ever present in this book; lending depth and shading to master class pencil work.  https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-lords-of-the-cosmos-2/
The second spot is taken Die #1 (Image Comics). This first book in a new series is the product of Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine) and Stephanie Hans ( Black Magick). This incredibly imaginative story is the beginning of every role-players dream turned into nightmare. Transported into a fantasy world during a role playing session, a group of friends disappear for two years. They reemerge minus one friend, one arm and without the ability to talk about what happened to them while they were missing. Now, many years later, they are forced to return to this world and face a familiar evil. This beginning of a new series is momentous and the artwork is both beautiful and haunting.  https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-die-1/
So with that we come to the top spot in my list. Without any further ado it is my great pleasure to award my top spot in this list to Death Sentence – Liberty #1. This book by Monty Nero (2000 AD, Death Sentence – London) and Martin Simmonds (Punks Not Dead, Quicksilver: No Surrender) presents a vision of a dystopian future where a sexually transmitted disease bestows super powers and an eventual death sentence on those individuals who contract it by engaging in unprotected sex. Three of these individuals lead a battle against government forces intent on suppressing them. A fourth character, an undercover FBI agent, seeks to uncover the secrets of this disease and what part the British government plays in it. This book, and the others on this list, are as good as anything on the market today. As the audience grows for comic books and that audience ages, books like this are the future of the industry. Combining a story that presents adult themes with artwork worthy of display in any gallery in the world, Death Sentence is a tour de force and a milestone for the industry moving forward.  https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-death-sentence-liberty-1/
So, that’s it from me. I hope you enjoyed my list and I hope you had a wonderful 2018. From my family to yours Happy Holidays and I’ll see you in 2019!
Author Profile
- Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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