What really good indie comic books can you recommend?

Well, does this count Image comics and Vertigo?
Because if you haven’t read Sandman, you can stop this thread right here.

Does the like of Fantagraphics count? Fantagraphics markets itself as an indie publisher. There are other publishers I can think of. One of them is Oni Press.

I just finished Daytripper and really liked it. Flintstones is good. Saga starts off good but then goes kind of meh.

Here is a listicle from NPR
https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-and-graphic-novels

I would second the recommendation of the Sandman. But, as @Caravanfan said, it’s published by Vertigo, which is an imprint of DC.

Asterix and Obelix.

Last time I collected a series, it was the Sandman. It’s the only complete series I still own to this day.

Wish to discover ones I may have missed in the past 20 years. : )

Was at a nice comic book store last week and after an hour just couldn’t find an indie that seems to be worth the money. I read digital but miss the print lately.

Have to admit my expectations probably were a bit high in that store visit. Was looking foremost for art that attracts my eye followed by an exciting concept.

Saw one which art I liked called Petit. But it has cannibalism in it. Something I would not have mind if I wasn’t in the mood for something lighter and somewhat “feel good.” ( maybe unrealistic…lol )

I’m more inclined to read sci-fi and fantasy adventure. Always looking out for well written indie books with pleasing art. I love Moebius’ style.

Thanks for the suggestions and will check them all out. Keep em coming.

( Btw, almost found one that’s light and feel good. A Spidey issue. But I had enough of superheroes lately. )

Have to say yes to Vertigo and similar publications. They have the capacity to produce works with “indie feel” to them. : )

Last 20 years? Eh, to be honest I wouldn’t know. Aside from some of Marvel’s recent Star Wars titles (especially their Darth Vader ones) I haven’t touched any comics in pretty much 20 years. And yeah, I’m so past the superhero thing myself.

@mazingerz88 I suggest the Jason series. They are stories about random animals doing random things. They talk very little and have very little facial expression. But every story has a deep message inside them. This is a series best for reading several times.

Oni Press stretches itself too thin to cater for the more mainstream demographic these days, so their catalogue is full of tasteless comics made from memes and pop culture reference. But their older publications are gold. One of the finer comics that I managed to get is You Have Killed Me. It’s a detective story with heavy film-noir influence. It will keep your brain on edge.

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson.

@mazingerz88 Any comic book store owner worth his/her salt can point you in the right direction.

I started Deadly Class, but I didn’t like it. It was just too sociopathic for my tastes.

Tintin

And as @ragingloli wrote, Asterix.

^^Deadly Class. Definitely not for me these days. But thanks!

Will surely check them out today…Transmetropolitan, Jason series, You have Killed me, Asterix and Tintin. Thank you!

Mind you, I haven’t collected comics actively in a loooong time. So these are dated.

1) Cerebus – but only through Church & State II. After that…it gets kind of dumb. Starts as a Conan parody, has superhero parody, but also has some remarkably witty and clever political satire.

2) The Boys – There’s a reason they made it into a TV show. And the TV show is pretty much exactly what it was, just some details vary.

3) Preacher – Okay, it’s TECHNICALLY DC, but trust me. It feels like an indie. Lots of religious satire, but also just a damn twisted sense of humor and good book.

4) Kurt Busiek’s Astro City – At times published by DC under a side imprint, but it was published by almost everyone at one time or another. Busiek perfectly distills superhero tropes into their purest form in a way that’s just beautiful.

5) Hellboy – Again, there’s a reason it was made into movies. Great paranormal series.

6) Paul Chadwick’s Concrete – Just really beautiful art and simple touching stories.

7) Leave it to Chance – A nice refreshing adventure type comic, but to be fair, it did go to the Wildstorm DC label at one point.

8) Bone – Adventure/Fantasy story with cartoonish protagonists surrounded by more human characters.

9) Smith-Brown-Jones, which was an indie about an alien trying to live on Earth as a generic human.

10) Castle Waiting.

11) Wolff & Byrrd (hope you like puns)

12) Frank Miller’s Sin City (and by extension 300)

13) Strangers in Paradise (if you like romance and/or slice of life)

^^Thank you!