Category: Independent

Lloyd Llewellyn (1986)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Lloyd Llewellyn (sometimes abbreviated LLLL) is a comic book by Daniel Clowes. The black-and-white series, published by Fantagraphics Books, ran for six issues from April 1986 to June 1987. A final “special” issue was published in December 1988.

The series’ title character is a detective who has humorous adventures inspired by film noir and stereotypical 1950s lounge culture. Llewellyn has a sidekick who goes by the name of Ernie Hoyle. The series’ police sergeant is called “Red” Hoerring. The series’ visual style is influenced by lowbrow art.

The story “The Nightmare” from Lloyd Llewellyn #6 foreshadowed the approach of Clowes’s next comic, Eightball, by breaking the conventions of the series’ crime setting and turning to social satire. Also in that issue, the author announces:

… And who knows … somewhere along that lonesome road we might see a new LLLL mag with a brand new format so dazzling, so breathtaking, so monumentally fantastic that I haven’t even thought of it yet!

Early issues of Eightball included several additional Lloyd Llewellyn episodes. The character also made various cameo appearances in other Eightball stories.

Rock “N” Roll Comics (1989)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics was a comic book series published by Revolutionary Comics from 1989 to 1993. Revolutionary’s flagship title, the series was notable for its unauthorized and unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form but well-researched and geared to adults, often with very adult situations (nudity, drug use, violence, etc.).

Some musicians featured in the comics, like Frank Zappa  and KISS, were supportive; while others, like the New Kids on the Block, considered the comic akin to a bootleg recording and sued the publisher. Publisher Todd Loren‘s legal victory in the U.S. District Court established that comic book biographies were entitled to the same protections as other unauthorized biographies.

Rock N Roll Comics #49 NM $9

Scout: War Shaman (1988)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Picking up the main character’s story over a decade after the events of Scout #24, with the lead now a widowed father of two. To promote the new series, retailers were encouraged to create a display for the series in order to win original Truman artwork. The first issue reached #98 on Diamond Comic Distributors‘ chart in January 1988, a solid performance for an Eclipse title. Truman also produced the Scout Handbook, a collection of profiles, maps and other material, while Eclipse collected Scout #1-7 in the trade paperback Scout – The Four Monsters. While War Shaman #2 was delayed due to colourist Sam Parsons falling ill, War Shaman became monthly from #3. Scout: War Shaman #8-9 featured the character Beau La Duke (a fictionalized version of Eclipse sales manager Beau Smith), who then appeared in a backup strip in #14-16. As planned by Truman, the series ended after 16 issues, ending with Rosa killing Scout. Truman stated that Santana would not be resurrected, with the series instead slated to continue with the wider supporting cast he had built up.

X-O Manowar V4 (2017)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Born under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire, Aric of Dacia learned warfare at an early age. It was amid such violence that he was abducted by an alien race. Forced into slavery, he survived where others perished. His escape would come from bonding with a weapon of immeasurable power: the X-O Manowar armor. With it, he returned to Earth…only to find himself stranded in the modern day.

But that was a lifetime ago.

Now, far from home on a strange and primitive new world, Aric has begun a new life. Liberated from his past, he tends to his crops. Free from war. Free from violence. Free from the armor.

But the machinery of death marches his way once again. Conscripted into an alien army and thrown into an unforgiving conflict, the fury inside him finds voice as he is forced to embrace the armor once more. With it, he will decimate armies, topple empires and incite interplanetary warfare as he rises from SOLDIER to GENERAL to EMPEROR to VISIGOTH. They wanted a weapon. He will give them war!

The Lone Ranger (1954)

Posted on by EHT Comics

In 1948, Western Publishing, with its publishing partner Dell Comics, launched a comic book series which lasted 145 issues. This originally consisted of reprints from the newspaper strips (as had all previous comic book appearances of the character in various titles from David McKay Publications and from Dell). However, new stories by writer Paul S. Newman and artist Tom Gill began with issue #38 (August 1951). Some original content was presented as early as #7 (January 1949), but these were non-Lone Ranger fillers. Newman and Gill produced the series until its final issue, #145 (July 1962).

Tonto got his own spin-off title in 1951, which lasted 31 issues. Such was the Ranger’s popularity at the time that even his horse Silver had a comic book, The Lone Ranger’s Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver, starting in 1952 and running 34 issues; writer Gaylord DuBois wrote and developed Silver as a hero in his own right. In addition, Dell also published three big Lone Ranger annuals, as well as an adaptation of the 1956 theatrical film.

The Dell series came to an end in 1962. Later that same year, Western Publishing ended its publishing partnership with Dell Comics and started up its own comic book imprint, Gold Key Comics. The new imprint launched its own Lone Ranger title in 1964. Initially reprinting material from the Dell run, original content did not begin until issue #22 in 1975, and the magazine itself folded with #28 in 1977. Additionally, Hemmets Journal AB published a three-part Swedish Lone Ranger story the same year.

Jughead V3 (2015)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Jughead, was released in October 2015 as part of Archie Comics’ New Riverdale. It is written by Chip Zdarsky with artwork by Erica Henderson. Derek Charm took over as regular artist starting with issue #7.

Hack/Slash (2004)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Hack/Slash is a series, launched from several one shots of the same name, published by Image Comics (previously by Devil’s Due Publishing). The series was created by writer and sometime penciller Tim Seeley. The series follows horror victim Cassie Hack as she strikes back at the monsters who prey upon teenagers. These monsters are known as “slashers”, and are a mix of original villains and crossover appearances, such as the appearance of Re-Animator (from Herbert West–Reanimator) in Volume 1.

The Rejected (2019)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Billy is hounded, bullied and abused. He wants nothing more than a loving family… but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for him. That hate. That dejection. It calls out in Billy’s voice and, this time, something answered. The Rejected, led by Mr. Teeth, offer Billy otherworldly protection and a place in the family. The shadowy beings allow Billy to take his revenge on anyone that maligned him. Billy has to be careful, though. The Rejected can make your desires come true… but at what price? This graphic novel is the brainchild of writer Stan Konopka and artist Corey Christian Anderson.

Scout (1985)

Posted on by EHT Comics

The story stars a Native American Apache named Emanuel Santana. The setting of the series is a dystopian United States that has become a Third World country. Twenty-four issues of the first series were published.

After the series ended, a short comic featuring Santana’s marriage ceremony was published inside Timothy Truman’s first album release entitled Marauder by his band The Dixie Pistols.

Two mini-series were published that ‘bridged the gap’ between the two Scout series: New America and Swords of Texas, each four issues long. While Truman oversaw them, others (including Ben Dunn) wrote and drew them. A one-shot ‘Scout Handbook’ was also published.

Vengeance of Vampirella (1990’s)

Posted on by EHT Comics

Upon Warren’s bankruptcy shortly afterward, Harris Publications acquired the company assets at auction in August 1983, although legal murkiness and a 1999 lawsuit by Warren publisher James Warren resulted in his re-acquisition of the rights to sister publications Creepy and Eerie. Harris Comics published Vampirella stories in various series and miniseries from 1991 to 2007. Harris also published Vampirella #113, a one-issue continuation of the original series, containing solely reprinted stories, in 1988.