We take at look at some of the best indie comics around with our latest round-up featuring: a slick digital thriller from Ash Pure in The Lion And the Unicorn; time-travelling and time-twisting tales in Hana Comics’ Paradox Girl; a steampunk detective in Matt Garvey’s long awaited The Adventures of Cordelia Swift and alien survivalists in Justin M Ryan’s Trespasser from Alterna Comics.

The Lion and the Unicorn #1 (Ash Pure)

In issue 1 of the Lion and the Unicorn, creator Ash Pure provides us with an intriguing political thriller in a broken England where genetic manipulation is now a big thing, much to the reigning King’s chagrin. This issue gives us an interesting premise revolving around an estranged royal family as well as looking very polished in terms of it’s clean digital look. However, with many pages cluttered due to the lettering and a slow buildup to explain the plot, The Lion and the Unicorn isn’t the easiest book to get into. That said, an unexpected murder at issue’s end is such that it does have us wondering whether the action will ramp up in the issue 2.
Purchase the Lion and the Unicorn #1 from thelionandtheunicorn.net

Paradox Girl #1 (Hana Comics)

With the first issue of Paradox Girl, Hana comics give us a story about a young lady who, along with the eponymous title, has a rather unusual superpower; she is a time-travelling paradox, someone who crosses her own timeline with such regularity that it’s almost impossible (even for her) to work out where her typical day begins and where it ends. Now, despite it being an unusual concept, we found that writer Cayti Elle Bourquin has crafted a very light-hearted, quirky and fun story which, the enjoyment of which is increased when added to Yishan Li’s light art, which seems to us a cross between Japanese Manga and Veronica Fish’ Archie work. As a result, Paradox Girl comes across as quite a pleasant read to pick up and try despite its somewhat convoluted plot.
Purchase Paradox Girl #1 for $2.00 from paradoxgirl.com

The Adventures of Cordelia Swift #1 (Matt garvey)

After the (criminally) unsuccessful kickstarter for his comedy comic Chunks, writer Matt Garvey attempts something a little bit different with The Adventures of Cordelia Swift, which tells the story of an American, female Sherlock Holmes type who attempts to solve a grisly, My Hyde like murder in Victorian London. With this title, Garvey does a little differently to his past book, creating a decent story with a good dose of intrigue, as well as a subtler version of his humorous style. This, coupled with  Aleksander Bosic’s art, which gives Cordy Swift a real steampunk vibe and makes good use of the shadows in this monochrome colouring, makes for a nice little story that is well worth a read.
Cordelia Swift will (eventually) be available from Matt Garvey’s Big Cartel site

Trespasser #1 (Alterna Comics)

A new release from Alterna Comics, Trespasser is a story of a man, his daughter and his dog struggling to survive in the middle of nowhere after an unmentioned catastrophe. However, while out hunting for scarce food, the man encounters and injured alien and, unsure of his intentions, helps this wounded stranger. But is this extraterrestrial a threat? Justin M. Ryan puts together a really engrossing story about what people will do to survive and encountering little green men, which seems to subvert the norms. With incredibly detailed, Walking Dead looking, art from Kristian Rossi, the lack of backstory to this new world doesn’t hurt the fact that it is a book worth the read.
Purchase Trespasser #1 for £1.99 from ComiXology