Small Press Spotlight: Highlighting Two Fantastic Small Press Releases in This Month’s Previews Magazine
The Small Press Spotlight is a semi-regular feature on Hypergeek where I dedicate an article to all the excellent small press and indie publishers out there, as well as self-publishing artists. This is accomplished in the form of company/creator profiles, highlights of key works, reviews of the company/individual’s latest releases, and general articles about the small press scene.
In this week’s Small Press Spotlight I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight a couple of really special small press books that are available to order from this month’s Previews Magazine (Issue #254, Nov 2009, for items in shops beginning Jan 2010).
I thought this would be a good idea, because small press books have been having a bit of a hard deal from Diamond Distribution lately. Last year, Diamond almost doubled the minimum order number that they require to distribute a title. What this means is that a small press book can appear in Previews Magazine, but if the new order quota is not met Diamond can choose not to distribute the title, and cancel all order. Therefore, pre-ordering these small press books is vitally important, because most comic shops probably wont order any in for the shelves, so you can’t depend on just wandering in on the day of release and picking up a copy.
Below I have highlighted a couple of small press books for this month’s catalogue that I think readers will really enjoy, and that could really do with your pre-orders.
Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man? (One-Shot)
Where to find: p178, under Accent UK, inside the green “Spotlight On” box
I reviewed Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man? several months ago and was absolutely blown away by this enchanting comic. It’s seriously one of the best comics that I have read in a long time, and I read A LOT of comics, just ask my wife
Accent UK have been putting out some beautiful books over the last few years, and it’s about time they got some recognition on this side of the Atlantic. Their last collection, Western, sold pretty well, but lets make Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man? sell even better!
The one-shot is retailing for only $5.95, and is a 52-page prestige format book. That’s a complete bargain really, so please make sure you order a copy from your retailer, trust me, you wont regret it!
Written by Dave West
Art by Marleen Lowe
B&W
52 pages
$5.95
Diamond Order Code: NOV090580Life is a balancing act, every decision has positives and negatives. Bobby Doyle has a fantastic ability which could save thousands of lives - but at what price to himself? Join Nonny as he faces the biggest decision of all in this acclaimed science fiction drama.
Mister Amperduke GN
Where to find: p206, under Clamnut Comix, inside the green “Spotlight On” box; also found on p272 in the ‘Staff Picks’ column.
I have been following Bob Byrne’s work for a few years now, and first encountered his work when his initial 6-page Mister Amperduke story was printed in the pages of Judge Dredd Megazine in 2006. This short led to Bob creating a series of short tales for the Megazine called Bob Byrne’s Twisted Tales. Each of these stories, along with Amperduke itself was told completely without words, being a silent comic if you will, and each story was… weird! In good way of course. Bob has a flair for oddness that knows no bounds, and each of his twisted little silent epics is packed full of more story and fantastic character moments than 10 of your average American comics.
Bob’s knack for silent comic tales is on a par with that of the Norwegian artist, Jason,who is considered by many to the absolute master of this style of story-telling. I have been dying to read the full story of Mister Amerduke ever since reading that 6-page short back in 2006, but up until now been unavailable on this side of the Atlantic. So you can understand quite how excited I am to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of this book when it ships in January.
Make sure you order a copy, you NEED this book in your collection!
Written by Bob Byrne
Art by Bob Byrne
B&W
180 pages
$17.95
Diamond Order Code:The tiny citizens of Mister Amperduke’s miniature city must battle a giant marauding insect as their benevolent master and the Panzer Meister race to save them in the dark and compelling adventure. Since its debut as a 6-page story in Judge Dredd Megazine this story, told silently without words, has been acclaimed, with appeal to LEGO collectors. The compelling adventure offers a new mode of visual storytelling to long time comic fans and new readers alike.
Related posts:
- Small Press Spotlight: Taking a Closer Look at September’s Small Press Sales Charts
- Small Press Spotlight: A Profile of Accent UK
- Small Press Spotlight: A Profile of Orang Utan Comics
- Small Press Spotlight: A Profile of Unico Comics
- Small Press Spotlight: A Profile of AAM Markosia
