Hi there!
Oftentimes, when we think about comic books nowadays, we can’t help but think about superheroes and anything under the DC Comics or Marvel Comics umbrellas. Fortunately for us, there is so much more available to us out there, especially with publishers that guarantee and promote original content straight out of the creators’ minds. Today, I wanted to showcase a couple of comics that all belong to the widely popular Image Comics that might catch your attention!
This feature, published at an undetermined frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, who knows), will present a couple of mini reviews on anything that isn’t in a physical format that I own (ebooks, comic books, TV series or movies).
Click on the covers to be redirected to their Goodreads/IMDB page!
Anything presented in this feature doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t get a full-review treatment in the future. That will entirely depend on how much I loved it, how interested you are in hearing more on it, and how much I have to still say about it! 🤣
The Beauty (Vol. 1) by Jeremy Haun.
Pages: 164.
Format: Digital.
Rating: ★★★☆☆.
Imagine a sexually transmitted disease that makes those infected better looking… a disease people want. That disease is real, and it’s called the Beauty. Two years after the Beauty burst onto the scene, over half of America is infected. Now, it looks like the downside may be far worse than anyone suspected. Detectives Vaughn and Foster find themselves on the front line of the battle against the Beauty, embroiled in a conspiracy they never knew existed.
What a curious idea! To long something that would otherwise be considered bad for you; definitely not something I would’ve imagined but definitely something that humans would totally go nuts about. At least the story develops in a way to expose something darker related to this disease instead of glorifying it all. While the first volume isn’t mind-boggling, it keeps you entertained as it brings into play conspiracies and whatnot, making you want to know what will happen next as all kinds of powerful authorities come into play in the grander scheme of things.
Geiger (Vol. 1) by Geoff Johns.
Pages: 203.
Format: Digital Comics.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆.
Set in the years after a nuclear war ravaged the planet, desperate outlaws battle for survival in a world of radioactive chaos. Out past the poisoned wasteland lives a man even the Nightcrawlers and Organ People fear. Some call him Joe Glow, others call him the Meltdown Man. But his name…is Geiger.
You’d think this creative team could never go wrong… Unfortunately, I was as stunned as I could be as I found myself unfazed by the story they wanted to tell. It felt lifeless. It felt like it needed more characterization, more logic. The upside is that the artwork is stellar and will surely keep you going until the end, even if the journey is a rough one.
The Good Asian (Vol. 1) by Pornsak Pichetshote.
Pages: 123.
Format: Digital Comics.
Rating: ★★★★☆.
Following Edison Harki, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, THE GOOD ASIAN is Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban, the Chinese, as they’re besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
I’m not sure if it was just a question of “right place at the right time” but this one just felt original and well-executed. It does dwell a bit too long on certain matters and then gets lost in its own subplots but the whole ethnical dilemmas of the protagonist add something refreshing and historical to the story. I can’t say that the mystery wasn’t anything spectacular but it was good enough to keep me going.
Time Before Time (Vol. 1) by Declan Shalvey.
Pages: 136.
Format: Digital Comics.
Rating: ★★★☆☆.
2140. To escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate, a criminal organization who, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to the promise of a better yesterday. Tatsuo — a smuggler for the Syndicate– wants to leave his life of crime behind, but when an FBI agent disrupts his plan to steal a time machine, they both find themselves hunted across time by his former employers.
Nothing like a time travel story to keep your brain stimulated. This one is filled with loads of backstabbing and grudges. It has some interesting characters who build odd relationships but everything has a purpose as the story evolves and gets complicated real quick.
Ice Cream Man (Vol. 1): Rainbow Sprinkles by W. Maxwell Prince.
Pages: 144.
Format: Digital Comics.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆.
ICE CREAM MAN is a genre-defying comic book series, featuring disparate “one-shot” tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man—a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who with a snap of his fingers—lickety split!—can change the course of your life forever.
I really wanted to enjoy this one but boy did it flop for me. Barely any of the stories in these really impressed me. Neither the pure visual horror nor the psychological conceptual horror was there for me. In fact, the real horror is in its absurdness, its bizarreness. If you’re looking for something weird and somewhat creepy, this might just be your cup of tea!
Have you read any of these?
Share your thoughts on anything and everything with me! 😁
TILL NEXT TIME,
Roars and Echoes 
Aww man, that sucks Geiger and Ice Cream Man didn’t work out. The synopsis of Geiger sounds interesting, and I’m curious about Ice Cream Man and Beauty as well.
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Honestly, I’m convinced they can be enjoyed with the right mindset and the right timing. As for Ice Cream Man, it might also just be a question of an acquired taste. It has a unique, absurd style to it that might be exactly what some reasons are looking for! 😮
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So what was the “dark side” of the beauty std?
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They go boom! After a certain time, there’s a twisted version of spontaneous combusting tied to the disease. 😉
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Oh, that is awesome!
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The Beauty is intriguing and I love the sound of The Time Before. Fab reviews Lashaan!
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They are intriguing, aren’t they? Totally worth looking into. Thanks for reading, Nicki! 😀
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I certainly appreciate getting to see comics outside the big 2 publishers, it’s just too bad many of them weren’t more entertaining. Two of them vaguely reminded me of movies or shows I’ve seen. Time Before Time reminded me of a sci-fi show I don’t recall the name of. It was about a poluted, falling apart future that was holding lotteries to see who’d get to be sent back to the very distant past where they were establishing settlements, and some folks were able to bypass the lottery system. It also had backstabbing and grudges. I didn’t watch more than a few episodes, though. And Ice Cream Man reminds me of a movie where a father keeps his daughter safely inside their home, teaching her how dangerous it is outside and how she can’t go out. He has all the windows boarded up and the door locked tight. But she’s of the age where she’s curious and finds her way out, meeting the ice cream man, who is a strange and suspicious character. Eventually we learn why the father kept them locked up, what the danger was, and how the ice cream man fit in. It was very different than I’d expected and I enjoyed it. I think it was called Freaks.
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Same. I love diversifying my reading, as you’ve probably already noticed and there are so many gems out there if we dig in the right places. That sci-fi show sounds intriguing! It does sound like Time Before Time. The movie that reminds you of Ice Cream Man reminds me of another movie/book I watched/read called Room. However, your description of that ice cream man in the movie sounds so intriguing! I’ll try and add Freaks to my watchlist. 😀
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Was Room the book by Emma Donoghue? I was visiting a bookfair and flipping through a copy of that book when a complete stranger stopped and told me how great it was, so I said thanks and bought a copy. I’ve not yet read it but have wanted to ever since then.
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That’s exactly the one. I read and watched the movie and found them both quite well done in their own rights! The writing style might be awkward at first but I found myself fully immersed by the experience. Hope you get around to trying it out someday, Todd! 😀
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Concept of Beauty is interesting. I might enjoy it. Amazing reviews, Lashaan!
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It is intriguing, isn’t it? Thanks for reading, Yesha! 😀
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You’ve made my day with this amazing write. An std that makes me look better than I am? Haha that rouses interest!
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Intriguing concept, isn’t it? Thanks for reading, Lamittan! Stay safe! 😀
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Oh sure it is. You’re most welcome, Lashaan. Stay safe too. 🙏
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I would has to see if my library has any of these comics.
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That’s awesome to hear, Marianna! I hope you get around to trying some of these soon! 😀
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Even art in Ice Cream Man looks creepy. Good Asian sounds promising, but the rest I’ll give a pass 😉
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It really is. And once you read the stories it contains, it can get absurdly weird and creepy too, but not in the same way for everyone. 😛
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Beauty STD… What a curious concept.
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Tell me about it. It was an instant draw. I’d still give volume 2 a try just to see where things go.
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The concept of The Beauty is truly frightening Lashaan!
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Tell me about it. I can’t imagine what that would be like in real life! 😀
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Just found your post and I’m pleased to see that someone is paying attention to the indie comic scene. Of course, the industry is saturated so it takes effort to find stories that move you. It’s equally challenging for authors to find a subject that hasn’t been covered BUT that’s where the cream rises to the top!
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I love checking out indie comics in between those by the Big Two (Marvel/DC). There are some incredible gems that people should check out in that scene and once you crack open those goodies, you realize the difference it makes when authors and artists have full creative control over their content. Thanks for checking out my post! I look forward to future interactions with you!
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