So this is a thread to hype books that are not put out by DC or Marvel.

I'll start out and mention Usagi Yojimbo and Bone. Those are two of my favorite independently published books.

I remember reading "Bone" in Disney Adventures almost every month back in the day. Not a colorful comic, but it wasn't bad. I only recognize Yojimbo from his cross-promotion with TMNT, though.

The Disney reprints was only like the first issue. The book picks up a lot after that point.

Usagi Yojimbo is an interesting book. It's not a humor book, the characters just happen to be animals. It's an excellent book though.

I don't usually dig "indy" comics, but Usagi's great. He does throw some humor in there, at times. One time, he had a father/son combo named Ichiro and Suzuki (I think he messed with the spelling a bit). There was a character named "Watanabe Ken", too.

Oh yeah, I've just had a couple of friends pick it up thinking it's a humor book because of the animals and such. I've been meaning to start picking up the trades of it. It really is a great book. I also met the creator at Mid-Ohio Con a couple of years ago and he's a really nice guy too.

Okay..and now my RANT.

"indy" comics are what keep people away from comics. There's a misplaced feeling among comic fans that "indy" comics don't get a fair shake, are the wave of the future, are underappreicated gems, appeal to Smart People, etc....

It's not a good habit to generalize all of 'em this way, but to me, the majority of "indy" comics suck ass.

I totally agree with that. Outside of the first 120 issues of Cerebus, Usagi Yojimbo, Knights of the Dinner Table and Bone I tend to avoid indy comics like the plague.

I'm glad to hear about your encounter with Stan Sakai (Usagi's creator). I've seriously heard nothing but positive things about the guy--everyone says he's very polite and friendly. Plus, he worked with Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier on GROO for years...so you know he's gotta' be cool.

Yeah, I just remember in the 80's how everyone was raving about "Myth! Adventures". So I picked it up and thought it was a pile. I found an old comics magazine from about 1991-- and it was pumping up this "new and awesome" Planet of the Apes series. There was a picture of an Ape dressed up like Elvis. Just cuz' it's not DC or Marvel, doesn't mean it's automatically redeeming.

I think the lack of the Comic Code really sends the quality downhill. Plus, most have unfinished art, bad production schedules and seem more about promoting the creator than the concept. The nerdy pseduo-fanboy porn stigma is there as well.

My problem is that the creator tends to get a big head if his book has any kind of staying power. Just look at Cerebus. It was good through the first 120 issues but Sims success went to his head and the book just got out there to the point where he lost almost his entire audience.

Even Knights of the Dinner Table has gone downhill. The guy got sick of the D&D humor and decided to do other stuff and guess what? The book isn't as good anymore.