What’s a Comic Convention without comics? Well, still a super fun event where you can buy merch, support gorgeous art, watch cosplay contests and much more. But, this season, let’s not forget to celebrate the art medium that made all this possible, and support indie artists putting out their best contenders in an industry saturated with heavy hitters.
Check out these indie creators who were at SGCC 2023!
Stellar 9 Studios
Writer Brandon Ellison and artist Benjamin Paulus of Stellar 9 Studios made their indie comic book debut with Space Pop Cats Episode 1: Aporia. After a fateful crash-landing on Mars, Ruby Takoda is unwittingly thrust into a battle for the fate of the universe when she discovers a crystal that bestows her with memories of the distant past, but also makes her a target for aliens seeking to misuse its power. This is one iteration of the red planet even Mark Watney probably wouldn’t survive.
Edison Neo
If you like your comic books with vibrant colours, striking linework and plenty of action, local artist Edison Neo has you covered on all fronts. The mastermind behind the anti-heroic martial arts saga Snake Claws returned to SGCC with the 5th instalment of his anthology series No-Brainer. Whether you enjoy reading of the adventures of a red space yeti and his maneki-neko partner, or you prefer the occasional slice-of-life tale, there’s bound to be a story for everyone in each issue.
Nadeen Muskita
Hailing from Indonesia, storywriter/artist Nadeen Muskita teams up with scriptwriter Arabelle Ahimsa to bring you Numbskullz, a comedic slice-of-life Webtoon about an immortal outcast named Kevin, living out his eternity in the town of Malvto. The problem is, he’s really annoying, so much so that his neighbours want him dead, and so does the Grim Reaper! Kevin was partially inspired by Saitama from One-Punch Man and the lovably-grating Deadpool, and you can read all about his antics on webtoons.com.
Cyber Sheep Studios
What do you get when you take a samurai, drop him into a futuristic setting and test the strength of his Bushido? You would be right if you answered ‘Samurai Jack’, but that’s also the base idea behind Ronin of Okane, a dark sci-fi series made by a team of five Thai creators (writer Michael Pachidamrong cites the Cartoon Network classic as the story’s main inspiration). Featuring mind-bending visuals by artist Guy Dilok, this indie masterpiece is a cyberpunk take on traditional samurai tales and Japanese folklore, with its first two books available for purchase from their official website.
Parents, be warned though, these books are explicitly R-rated and are rife with some, graphic scenes, to say the least.
Monkeyfist Edge Comix
It was Jiminy Cricket who said to Pinocchio that “the most fantastic magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish”. But as it turns out, fairies make mistakes, and granting wishes can go fantastically wrong. Enter: Alfasprites of Tara, an independent title about seven fairy sisters by a local artist using the alias Cheeky Monkey, and Australian writer Brad Daniels. And if this fairy dust-fueled faux pas fable isn’t enough to satisfy your indie comic book craving, consider checking out the Tales Too Stupid to Tell series, where Daniels re-captions public domain comic books to hilarious effect.
Indonesian Pavilion
This exhibition combined 10 different Indonesian booths and boasted a hearty selection of diverse independent titles. Take Kalawira of Pionicon Heroes for instance, a four-part series about a crimefighting highschooler with time manipulation powers. Their next-door neighbour sold Beyondtopia Legends, an epic anthology which puts a modern, superheroic spin on Indonesian myths and legends. Or, if you’re the type who prefers lighter reading, you might have enjoyed Duet Maut by Skylar Comics‘ Ashwin MC Siregar, a Doctor Strange-meets-Constantine-meets-Ghostbusters story which prominently features ghosts and demons from Southeast Asian folklore.
Penlab
But Indonesia isn’t the only Southeast Asian powerhouse when it comes to indie comics. Penlab started as a comics archiving initiative before growing into the publishing house it is today, focusing on creative collaboration and putting out independent Filipino komiks. Walking past their booth, you would have seen countless titles by a plethora of passionate Filipinos, including Spirit Sprints, written by the founder of Penlab himself.
Round up by Muhd Muhaimin