FLIGHT

Hello all,

I am very interested in the comics contained within Flight and I wanted to know if there is a particular name for these kind of comics. I have heard the name 'alternative comics' somewhere. Would this apply to Flight?

Thanks,
Karrie

I suppose some of it can be considered the "alternative", but that depends on what is considered to be "mainstream". To me, all comics are an alternative form of entertainment right now, since it exists in a niche market. Since I don't think too much about what side of the comics spectrum we sit on, I can't tell you what to call it other than "Flight Comics". Hopefully, people just see them as simply good stories.

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I think that is exactly what they are - good stories. That fact alone seems to make them stand out to me as a reader.

I suppose I just want to be able to walk into a comic book store and say "I am looking for ______ comics" and then they point me to the section of really good stories+art, with no crap stuck in between.

In any field, not only comics, that wish might be unrealistic!
hah

I'm just going to hold onto it for a little while....

Ah, I see. You might just want to bring a copy of Flight with you and ask them if they can point you to anything similar. The new book does arrive in a couple of months, too.

I imagine they will point you to a lot of books that are considered 'alternative comics', but I also see that the book appeals to a ton of people who are into the popular superhero books. So who knows? I'd love to know what they do recommend to you...

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I think you could use the terms alternative, small press and independent (or imports for some european stuff) to get something other than just your regular super hero fare. Let's not forget mangas too...

But as Kazu pointed out, there's nothing better than to arrive with an example of what you like to read, and if the shop employee does his-her job right, you should be pointed in a good direction.

I walked into my local comic shop (conviently located in the centre of an industrial park!) asking for Daisy Kutter and he'd never heard of it.
"Published by Viper Comics..." I prompted.
"Never heard of them." he replied with all of the enthusiasm of a goldfish suddenly placed in a larger tank.

I really felt like smacking the creepy little guy. No interest in the job, no offer to order, never even put down his flipping copy of Wizard!

But go with the Alternative/ Indie/ Small Press query, that should get you closer to what you're looking for. Or look by publisher! Slave Labour does a lot of twisted stuff I enjoy.

Man, I hate to say it. But we get that ALL the time.
guy: "Top Shelf? Never heard of 'em."
me: "You know, Blankets... Eisner, Harvey, Ignatz award winner."
guy: "Never heard of it."

Even though it's a painful self-fulfilling prophecy, "Small Press" seems to be the best name. saying "The Real Mainstream" won't get you very far.

Besides Flight, most of the stuff you're looking for won't be in color.
So sometimes looking for black and white comics and graphic novels is a safe place to start.

A fair good warning from Mothos and Andy: you may have to do some shopping around before finding a good store. Some are stuck in the mold of just super hero books, and will not go very further passed those sections in the order catalog Previews.

Actually, flipping through the Previews catalog may also be a good way to discover new titles. Most comic book shop will hold copies for sale (or even display copies...or they have their own behind the counter).

thank you all for your suggestions