Another one of the smaller publishers you should stop by and see at Baltimore Comic-Con this year is 215 Ink. I first became aware of them through their participation in an online digital comics sale, picking up several of their #1 issues for free while I sat in a McDonald's during the fallout of the derecho.
Soon thereafter, I was impressed by the trade of Vic Boone, which I reviewed for Newsarama here. That's easily the best of their comics that I read, mashing up genres with abandon and providing a great story and solid art to go along with it.
215's lineup has changed a bit since I started reading them, but if the new books are as good as the ones I read (Extinct, Buck, and Benjamin and the Fish being three examples), they're ready to serve up another round of quirky, well-plotted, and well-drawn comics.
I'm not sure exactly what they'll have at the show, but anyone who likes noir or sci-fi should grab Vic Boone without hesitation. Poking around, I saw a few others that looked cool:
- Ignition, an anthology featuring a huge roster of creators (including Nicola Scott, Tony Trov, Johnny Zito, and even Rafer Roberts) all in a 300+ page collection. No word on the story details, but I am definitely intrigued.
- Golgatha. which features the skull of HP Lovecraft, is from the creative team of Andrew Harrison, and Karl Slominski.
- Jesus Hates Zombies, which doesn't need much explanation.
- Love Monster, about a girl who has a thing for the worst sorts of creeps imaginable, from Christopher Howard Wolf and David Cabrera
- Flutter, whose plot involves a character who appears to be multi-gendered, writen by Jennie Wood and illustrated by Jeff McComsey of FUBAR.
On their site, they also offer a thumb drive loaded with their comics, which I think is an awesome idea. If they have them at the show, there's a high chance I'll be walking away with one.
When you're at Baltimore in just a few short days, make sure you have a look at this small publisher as well. You'll be glad you did.
Got 215 reasons why you can't make Baltimore Comic-Con? 215's website is here, and they're also on Comixology and Comics Plus.
