LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS

[MattBrady]

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/loticover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/loticover_t.jpg" width="200" height="314" border="0" align="right"></a>Larry Young and Matt Fraction have provided Newsarama with an 11-page preview of Last of the Independents, a 128-page OGN shipping in June from AiT/PlanetLar. The pages presented here are penciller Kieron Dwyer’s layouts – the finished art will be cleaned up and white highlights added.

Young had this to add in regards to LOTI’s presentation: “LOTI is going to be landscape-bound with a paper slipcover so retailers can rack it spine out and vertical, will be printed in sepia tone like Abel instead of regular black ink, and one hundred percent guaranteed to kick your ass like a good Clint Eastwood movie does. It’s solicited for June with the Diamond code APR03 1915 and now available for preorder.”

For a brief description, LOTI’s solicitation copy reads:

<blockquote>A good man, a bad move, and then all Hell breaks loose: Cole Caudle was just one big score away from his happily-ever-after when everything went off the rails, and fast. Now one man’s last shot at "The American Dream" becomes the first shotgun blast in a mob war halfway between Vegas and nowhere.</blockquote>

For the full preview, click <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/LotIGallery.htm" target="_blank"> here</a>.

[John Jakala]

This looks really, really good. I like a book that's not afraid to try a new visual approach, and based on those samples, it looks like this experiment has really paid off. I've enjoyed Dwyer's artwork since I first discovered it on a forgettable Milligan-penned Batman arc years ago, and his stuff here looks stunning in the sepia format - and these are just the layouts!

Haven't read any comics by Fraction yet, but the premise of this OGN sounds promising, so I'll definitely be pre-ordering this.

Thanks for the preview, NRAMA!

[American Caesar]

Love Dwyer. Huge Dwyer fan.

Maybe Matt should have specified that the title "Last of the independents" was the working title, and perhaps even the actual tagline, of the aforementioned "Charley Varrick."

[Larry Young]

"LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS" is probably more famous for being a Pretenders album than for being mentioned in CHARLEY VARRICK (much like TRANSMETROPOLITAN is the name of a Pogues song), but we call it that anyway to nod to the inspiration for the story. Good catch!

L.

Looks great, except for the lettering. Kind of like White Death which would have benefitted from a more naturalistic lettering font to match the organic artwork. Hopefully the lettering in the sample pages is just temporary and that the final version's lettering will be much different.

Lesson for the day: Computer lettering is a privilege, not a right.

[Larry Young]

Everyone's a designer. :)

L.

[Black Heart Billy]

,

[Black Heart Billy]

Kieron's doing some of the best work of his life here. Anyone who doesn't pick this book up is solid retarded.

Rick Remender
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