Three Local Indie Comic Creators Making It Big

Let's face it. Before every famous comic book creator was a big deal, they were independent publishers trying to make it.

Well, tomorrow, Saturday, January 10, starting at 11 AM, we will have three amazing comic book creators in the store.

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Empire's Comics Vault (Yelp)

Three Independent Comic Book Creators We Love

Kris Saldaña, Writer, Huge Comics

Kris Saldaña, an Angelino currently residing in Sacramento, writes and publishes comic books and web comics.

As a recent college graduate, he wasted no time pursuing his dream of producing comics and has already released his first book, "Showcase."


Showcase tells the story of "kids at their last punk show. Who dies? Who lives? Who cares? It is a comic about choices and the things you hold on to." (Art by Ellie Fisher).

This thought-provoking story will make you take another look at your own connections to your decisions and influencers.

Kris is working on several new projects you'll want to hear about.

Sean Miller, Writer, Anchor Comics

Sean Miller is the married father of 3 and a Stockton, CA native, who started his art career in 2012.

His most notable notable work is the self-published title, "The Original."

The Original

"The Original" is the "world's very first super-hero who comes out of retirement to confront a group of heroes who, basically, start abusing their powers," said Miller in a Recordnet.com interview.

Be sure to connect with Sean on Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook.


Ramon Marcus Villalobos, Artist, NewCoolMeat.com

Photo: Courtesy of Let's Talk Comics podcast

Ramon Villalobos started reading comics in high school. After reading Dark Knight Returns and experiencing its art, he had an epiphany about sequential art's storytelling power.

Today, his portfolio of work is extensive. He drew "What If? Age of Ultron #2: Iron Man" for Marvel Comics. He has also worked for Dark Horse Comics and worked on an independently published comic, Abstract 3. He serves as the Lead Artist for Stockton-Con "and is his grandmother's favorite grandson." Ramon currently lives in Stockton, CA.

Support Local Creatives

Come down to meet them these local creators who have worked hard to produce their own comics, and of course, pick up their books -- or, "Support local!" as we always say.

If you do, then down the road when these gents are a big, big deal, you'll be able to say you met them way back when -- and you'll have a signed copy of one their creations to prove it! Who know, maybe it'll even be worth ONE MILLION DOLLARS. <GRIN>

Next Men Saved Comic Book Storytelling in the 90s

By Ben C. Scwhartz

The 90’s Hottest Indie Comic

In the early 90’s the comic book industry was beginning to over-saturate the market. Artists were carrying the weight of making writers’ stories readable. It was in this climate that John Byrne stood out with his independent property Next Men.

What Next Men Is About

Set in the modern time, we are introduced to five kids who find themselves unexpectedly freed from a Utopian, virtual reality and set loose upon a world that has never seen superpowers. There are only 30 issues in the original series, but in that short time, we really come to care about these misplaced characters and the way our world treats them.

Byrne holds nothing back - corporations, secret government organizations, marketing a new super hero team, corruption on all levels, our fear of people capable of powered feats, the interaction of these five heroes with society and between themselves in a world they just don’t understand,  and most importantly, how super powers would actually work in the real world.

Read Next Men ASAP

Just recently IDW has been reprinting the original series. In two graphic novels you can read the complete series in black and white. The lack of color does not detract from this hard hitting series, but if you prefer to have it, the first volume of the color edition is available and a second one is soon to come. This is a personal favorite of mine and is a nice superhero book without the need to read any other titles to understand the world. Visit your local comic shop for a copy.

The original series ended with a cliffhanger, and now 15 years later, the story continues in a second series. You can jump into the new series and catch up, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Start from the beginning.

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About The Author

Ben C. Schwartz is the owner of Empire's Comics Vault in Sacramento, CA. He also owns and operates his own comics publishing company, ECV Press. He loves reading comics, writing comics and talking about comics (which he does on EmpiresCV.tv and EmpiresOpenPodcast.com).