Best Indie Comics of 2021 (So Far)
By Zack Quaintance — Before we get into the Best Indie Comics of 2021 proper, first a word about the term, indie comics. It’s pretty inaccurate and poorly-defined most times. Here, however, we are going to use it as a catchall for direct market monthly comics that are not published by DC Comics, Marvel Comics, or Image Comics.
This includes truly independent publishers like Vault Comics (a favorite around here) and AHOY Comics, as well as some larger publishers with (relatively) big structures now behind them, like Dark Horse, BOOM!, and IDW Publishing. The bottom line, though, is these are books that have been or will continue to be must-reads, likely to land in a few months on all the industry lists for the Best Comics of 2021.
Enjoy!
Best Indie Comics of 2021 (So Far)
Barbaric
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Nathan Gooden
Publisher: Vault Comics
Most Recent Issue: Barbaric #1 is due out June 16
Why This Is So Good: This is one of the rare titles on our list today where the first issue isn’t out yet…but I’ve had a chance to read it in advance, which clued me into this being one of the biggest books of the year. The premise is in line with a few barbarian comics tropes. We have a main character up against basically everything, but he also happens to have a talking axe that gets drunk on the blood of immoral enemies. The book’s writer — Michael Moreci — has long done a great job with hilarious-yet-meaningful character banter in his other Vault Comics title, the space opera Wasted Space, and now on this book he’s teaming with artist Nathan Gooden, one of the publisher’s founders and one of the best artists in all of indie comics. The result is a book I am certain will be a massive breakout hit.
The Blue Flame
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Adam Gorham
Publisher: Vault Comics
Most Recent Issue: The Blue Flame #1 is due out May 26, 2021
Why This Is So Good: Okay, I know I said it’s rare that these lists feature a comic that hasn’t released its first issue yet…and still, here we are with another one. But folks, The Blue Flame #1 is just so good. It’s stylized like a late Silver Age/early Bronze Age superhero comic, with a set of truly excellent designs by artist Adam Gorham and precise, tone-setting color work by Kurt Michael Russell. The script is from writer Christopher Cantwell (who also had a book VERY high up on our Best Comics of 2021: Marvel), who brings what have quickly become his signatures in comics: deeply-complex character work driven by somber and real-feeling psychological notes, blended with smart touches of sci-fi storytelling that at once ask questions while building the narrative tension. Cantwell’s comics are some of the least predictable in the industry, and when he’s paired with artists as skilled as those working on The Blue Flame, the results are tremendous, making The Blue Flame an easy addition to this list.
Dead Dog’s Bite
Writer/Artist: Tyler Boss
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Most Recent Issue: Dead Dog’s Bite #2
Next Issue: Dead Dog’s Bite #3 is due May 5
Why This Is So Good: Dead Dog’s Bite is everything I want from a monthly comic. The cartooning is original and intricate. The dialogue is whip-smart, playful, and clever. And the book itself is wonderfully self-aware. It knows that it’s operating in a powerful medium, yet not a medium that requires one to stop having any semblance of fun to engage with or create within it. Want an example of how that translates to the page? This is a book that features a character who is named Cormac McGuffin…a character who is missing…a character who the other characters are engaged in a search for. It’s great stuff.
Relevant Trades: A Dead Dog’s Bite Collected HC is due Sept. 28, 2021
Happy Hour
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Michael Montenat
Publisher: AHOY Comics
Most Recent Issue: Happy Hour #6 (the finale)
Why This Is So Good: Happy Hour started with a pretty great premise — the United States now requires all of its citizens to be happy. A depressing word or an expression of grief is enough to attract the wrath of the state. Some folks, however, are pushing back against this, and that includes our two main characters, who come into conflict with the state as they quest for a sadness guru who stands in opposition to the societal requirements of joy. The only thing is…along the way our dual leads fall in love with each other, subsequently finding happiness. Even typing that summary, I’m struck by how excellent and well-executed this story was, and I didn’t even mention the ending twist here, which is absolutely fantastic as well. Also, if you end up enjoying this comic as much as I did, don’t hesitate to checkout AHOY’s full line, which is roundly great. The stories are disparate, yet united by a shared sensibility that is clever as all get out.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters
Writer: Chris and Laura Samnee
Artist: Chris Samnee
Publisher: Oni Press
Most Recent Issue: Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters #2
Next Issue: Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters #3 is due out May 19, 2021
Why This Is So Good: Chris Samnee is one of the best cartoonist to grace monthly comics-making in sometime, with absolutely classic runs to his credit on signature superhero books like Captain America and Daredevil. Lately, he’s been working with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman on an Image Comics title, but at the same time, he’s also found time to work on a collaboration with his wife Laura — Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters. A joyful book that does everything big — from the titular monsters to the set pieces to the emotional beats between sisters — this is truly a comic that makes it worthwhile to keep track of the monthly direct market, using as it does some of the finest points of the medium.
Relevant Trades: Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters TP is due July 20
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Writer: Ram V.
Artist: Filipe Andrade
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Most Recent Issue: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1
Next Issue: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #2 is due out May 19, 2021
Why This Is So Good: I’ve never read anything quite like The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1. I mean, I’ve read plenty of comics about the gods that determine the lifes and deaths of us mere mortals (Neil Gaiman and co. have an entire opus about that), and I’ve read comics that apply an ethereal lens to our daily lives. But I’ve never read a narrative that so fascinatingly blends so much of that into one gorgeous book, replete with stunning artwork and poetic jaunty prose. This is a book that takes a bureaucratic approach to death, at least in its first issue, setting against the backdrop of Mumbai. We follow a grim reaper of sorts who has been relieved of her employment, and the narrative jumps to surprising and interesting new places from there. It’s just five issues, so it’ll wrap up later this year, and when it does, I’m confident it will be one of 2021’s comics highlights.
Read our full review of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #1!
Read our creator interview with Ram V. and Filipe Andrade!
Once and Future
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Dan Mora
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Most Recent Issue: Once and Future #18
Next Issue: Once and Future Vol. 3 is due on July 27, 2021
Why This Is So Good: This book (which is ending this year, with rising superstar artist Dan Mora now drawing Detective Comics over at DC) has been an utter treat from the start, blending Arthurian Legend, a fun family history/dynamic, and a sub-current of dangerous nationalism. All of which is brightly brought to life by Mora, who is colored here by Tamra Bonvillain. These comics read quickly and lightly, yet leave a big mark, leaving you to find yourself thinking about something from each issue, be it an exquisite panel, a giant story twist, or a pithy exchange between the main character and his Very Effective grandmother. Also, the upside to all of this ending is that now you can get it all collected neatly in three easy trades (links below, ‘natch).
Relevant Trades: Once and Future Vol. 1; Once and Future Vol. 2; and Once and Future Vol. 3
Proctor Valley Road
Writer: Alex Child and Grant Morrison
Artist: Naomi Franquiz
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Most Recent Issue: Proctor Valley Road #2
Next Issue: Proctor Valley Road #3 is due out May 12, 2021
Why This Is So Good: For one, this book has Grant Morrison as a co-writer, but honestly, if you covered up the creator names of those involved, this would still be an excellent comic. It’s covering territory that has come to feel somewhat well-worn of late within monthly comics — group of friends a few decades ago encounters the terrifying or the supernatural. But it’s doing it with a real world legend, while depicting the dynamics between the characters involved in ways that feel both more realistic and natural. It’s great work, and with two of its five chapters now published, I’m absolutely loving this book.
Relevant Trades: The collected Proctor Valley Road is due Nov. 9, 2021
Undone by Blood: The Other Side of Eden
Writer: Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson
Artist: Sami Kivela
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Most Recent Issue: Undone by Blood - The Other Side of Eden #2
Next Issue: Undone by Blood - The Other Side of Eden #3
Why This Is So Good: On last year’s list, we included Undone By Blood: Shadow of a Wanted Man, and with good cause. This is a really well-drawn book that plays with metafictional ideas around the intersection of being immersed in a novel while living your real life. That book was the first volume, and now this year we’re getting a second volume, united really only by shared concept and theme, not specific plot points. But it’s just as good as the first volume, if not better. Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson are on the best writing teams in comics, and they work well with artist Sami Kivela turning out these entertaining, smart, and singular Undone by Blood Comics comics.
Relevant Trades: Undone By Blood: Shadow of a Wanted Man
Wasted Space
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Publisher: Vault Comics
Most Recent Issue: Wasted Space #20
Next Issue: Wasted Space #21 is due out June 23, 2021
Why This Is So Good: I’ve written about this at length, but I think Wasted Space is an absolutely masterpiece, a rip-roaring space opera of the highest order that can make you laugh on one page and make you think philosophically about the way we live on the next. It’s winding down, heading toward Wasted Space #25, a final issue, but it’s never been so good. Artist Hayden Sherman — who is colored in this book by Jason Wordie — has especially taken a step forward with the incredible visual concepts he’s used the book’s wide sci-fi canvas to play with. I know catching up on 20 issues is a lot to ask, but I strongly suggest you do because this book remains worth the investment.
Relevant Trades: Wasted Space Vol. 1; Wasted Space Vol. 2; Wasted Space Vol. 3; and Wasted Space Vol. 4.
Honorable Mentions: I Breathed A Body, Nuclear Family, Resonant, Something Is Killing the Children, and Usagi Yojimbo
Best Indie Comics Trade Collections of 2021 (So Far)
Barbalien: Red Planet
More Info
The Kill Lock
More Info
Lonely Receiver
More Info
The Plot Vol. 1 - Vol. 2
More Info
The Seeds Collected
More Info
Check back in the coming weeks for our final Best Comics of 2021 (So Far) list, which will bookend this series that start with Marvel Comics by taking a close look at this year’s offerings from DC Comics. And in the meantime…
More Best Comics of 2021 (So Far) Lists
Check out the Best Comics of 2021 (So Far): DC Comics
Check out the Best Comics of 2021 (So Far): Image Comics
Check out the Best Comics of 2021 (So Far): Marvel Comics
Don’t forget to check out our weekly new comics reviews as well!
Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.