Booty Chest
No, I'm not referring to the pirate themed sports bar with the scantily clad waitresses*, but the booty I dragged home from the Small Press Expo. I haven't read them all yet so I stole descriptions from back cover blurbs and websites. Ok, so here's what I got:
- Templar, Arizona by Spike - Blurb from back cover of Vol. 2 "This is a story about a town that doesn't exist, and the people who live there. This is also the story of a guy trying to find himself, and run away from himself at the same time."
- Aerial Rave by D. J. Kirkland - Plot Synopsis from website: "In the year 2045, a new sport has taken the world by storm. A high flying, high energy air board riding, battle royale race to the finish. This sport is called Aerial Rave. Our story takes place in the fast paced harbor city Port Camden, the birthplace of Aerial Rave. Port Camden is gearing up for this years Aerial Rave grand prix starting with the qualifying matches. Local area fan favorite teams are gearing up for this years tournament as well as some up and comers. Enter Team LightSync. This new team is having a bit of trouble getting ready for their first year as a full fledged team. This dysfunctional team is having some issues with their overbearing leader Skye Sohryu. Skye always has to be in control. Constantly barking orders, yelling at whichever teammate is messing up the attack formations and just total disrespect for his teammates, Skye is possibly the worst candidate for a team leader. At this point, Team LightSync is at their wits end with Skye. It’s time for a change. Reyna Sylvania, Team LightSync’s stern owner steps in making the last minute decision to kick Skye off the team with only four days left until the qualifying matches begin. With one member down, Team LightSync has to find a new teammate and quick! Reyna sends out the three remaining team members out into the city pasting up flyers around Port Camden to find their new teammate. A cute and sporty young girl, Robin Sehai, the handsome sweet talking Casanova Katsuro Morisato and the gentle giant, Talan Hawkins. This may not be such an issue for a well known team, but for an unknown team like Team LightSync, this task would prove to be less effective. When the team was finally going to give up hope and put away their air boards for another year, they’re greeted by their one and only option. Enter Aiden Wingspan. Our hero. This spoiled, cocky, messy haired kid was the only person to show up to Team LightSync’s open tryouts. This kid is all talk and now show, he can barely even stand on the air board! With no alternative options, Reyna signs Aiden on to Team LightSync. Team LightSync can still compete. With only a few days to give Aiden the crash corse on Aerial Rave, one can only hope that Reyna didn’t set herself, and her team up to fail. Will Aiden be the hope of Team LightSync or will they fall short and remain a no name team in this worldwide sport? Hold on to your seats and get ready for a wild ride in Aerial Rave!"
- Lunar Boy and the HoloBooster Chase!!! by Jarrett B. Williams - Blurb from website: "Lunar Boy is the story of a six-year-old kid trying to save the world of Vincego from an evil goblin-prince named King Ballii. Using his ability to communicate with the Moon to help him along the way, Lunar Boy just may get the job done.... or die trying. Throw in some power-ups, level-ups, and enemies galore and this 16-bit adventure is about as retro as they come!"
- The Aya Series by Marguerite Abouet & Clement Oubrerie (Includes Aya, Aya of Yop City, and Aya - The Secrets Come out) - Blurb from back cover: "AYA tells the story of the studious and clear-sighted young woman, her easy-going friends, Adjoua and Bintou, and their meddling relatives and neighbors in the golden time of the Ivory Coast in 1978. It's a breezy and wryly funny account of the desire for joy and freedom, and of the simple pleasures and private troubles of everyday life in Yop City. An unpretentious and gently humorous story of an Africa we rarely see - spirited, hopeful and resilient. AYA won the 2006 award for the Best First Album at the Angouleme International Comics Festival. Oubrerie's warm colors and energetic, playful line connect expressively with Abouet's vibrant writing.
- Tick by Kenan Rubenstein - Blurb from website: "A classic tale of boy meets robot-boy told over the course of a year in a vaguely calendarial manner.
- Girls with Slingshots by Danielle Corsetto - Blurb from back cover: "Sex! Booze! A talking cactus! Girls With Slingshots delivers what you really want: raunchy humor and cute young women. Sexually frank but never X-rated, GWS is the most sophisticated way to satiate your need for feisty females and engaging dramedy, while still enjoying the occasional bra-and-tampon joke."
- Adrenaline by Tyler Chin-Tanner - Blurb from the back cover: "What's the price of fame and fortune? That is the question posed by Adrenaline, an all-out extreme adventure race, and by its host, billionaire playboy Alex Lowder. For Saida, a courageous and fiery African doctor, it might be just what she needs to save her underfunded health clinic. But will the final cost of victory be worth the sacrifice?"
- Bamn by Troy Jeffrey Allen - Blurb from website: "Nerds vs. Jocks, Bullies vs. Misfits, the Weak vs. the Strong...Everyone loves a good underdog story, SO LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE! BAMN gets its title from the embittered main character. A surly and washed-up former pro wrestler, Bamn has spent the dying years of his career throwing up in bars. He lives out of his car and uses stolen credit cards to pay for beer. A chance encounter with a pair of local high schoolers, Art and Ian, brings him to the FWF, A backyard wrestling federation ran by the two young fans. When the school’s wrestling squad shows up to bully the kids, Bamn steps in. In a rare moment of clarity he promises all the teenagers that he’s going to teach them the most important thing they will ever learn…HOW TO FIGHT BACK AND LOOK GOOD DOING IT! Bamn is a 24-issue comic book series."
- DC Conspiracy (free comic by various artists)
- Girl Ninja by Rebecca Simms - was intrigued by the title then disappointed when I find out it was about a ninja who spends all her time shopping in the mall. Gender. Fail. OTOH, I bought a Girl Ninja t-shirt so I guess I really can't talk sh*t about the premise.
* (c) The Middleman, Episode 1.03 - The Sino-Mexican Revelation or Vol. 2 of the Collected Series Indispensability (comic book).