The endless cold-war escalation between Marvel and DC seems to be peaking, having seeped its wicked way into every conceivable market and media platform available to the discerning nerd of modern times.
A veritable tidal wave of material from these two comic behemoths has sadly made it easier for even the most devoted of fans to 5 become a little desensitized and wearied from an output of vast, and sometimes varying quality.
So, hot on the heels of last week’s previous article about 5 darker comics you might not have heard of, but may well hook you if you give them the chance, are a further five more recommendations you might like:
5. Dead Man’s Run
With the U.S. Penal system fit to bursting, a deal is done with Satan for a corner of Hell to be integrated into a new prison, and used to house notorious felons. But following a foolhardy heist from within the underworld by the government, a young architect assigned to the project finds himself imprisoned in the depths of the facility, desperately trying to find his missing sister. It’s a well executed concept, with vivid and colorful artwork, that pits the lead character against suitably horrific guards, and unites him with an oddball group of deeply flawed escapees.
4. Red Wing
As history is slowly erased, one era at a time by an unknown temporal enemy, mankind must travel back through time in shielded craft to combat this threat, and try and find who would want to remove humanity from existence. Catering to the content, the artwork is suitably technical, with the idea of being suddenly and violently aged out of history very vividly and successfully depicted.
3. The Stuff of Legends
A small child missing his absent father, lost on the battlefields of WWII, is abducted from his bed by a nocturnal boogeyman. A daring rescue mission is mounted by his loving toys, who determine to return their young master, against an army of evil mythical characters. It’s lovingly crafted, with even the hardest of hearts rooting for the toys to save their young master from a suitably evil opponent.
2. Lady Mechanika
Set in an alternative Victorian era, a mechanical woman, seeking answers from her creation, battles against inventors and corporations who misuse the Steampunk technology of the day. With a suitably sexy and sassy heroine at the helm, this is a superbly enjoyable romp through the genre, which is wonderfully depicted. Clockwork mechanical limbs replace those removed by bullet and blade. Brilliant stuff.
1. The Manhattan Projects
A truly and utterly bonkers historical revision of the Atomic arms race, this takes real-life figures from the period, and morphs them into deranged and demented caricatures of themselves. The opening episode kicks off with the army desperately combating Japanese samurai robots teleporting that are teleporting into their secret base, and it only gets weirder from there. Funny and gripping in equal measure.
What did you think of the list? Let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the page!