Comic Book Question of the Week Results: Favorite Indie Book

It's no secret we give Marvel and DC a lot of attention here at Comic Vine. They're by far the most popular in the industry and obviously news surrounding them tends to generate the biggest discussions. That said, we do try our best to give the other publishers as much love as possible, and this week, I figured I'd dedicate the Question of the Week to them. While many of them are quite successful and technically not "indie," I thought it would be easiest to refer to them all as such.. you know, just for simplicity's sake. So, we compiled a poll with some of the best non-Marvel/DC books out there and gave you all until this morning to cast your vote. The poll is now locked and, as many expected, SAGA stood victorious with a narrow lead.

Honestly, I doubt anyone is surprised with the outcome here. Naturally, everyone won't agree with the verdict, but there's no denying how massive Brian K. Vaughan's ongoing world has become. Consistently receiving 5-star reviews (except for one 4-star, but that's still quite good), SAGA has been deemed "one of the best books in the business" by staff writer Mat 'Inferiorego' Elfring. Diving into a fascinating universe and expanding upon deep and hugely interesting characters, SAGA is one of the most unique reading experiences currently on the stands.

Here's the poll results. We intended to have FATALE on the list, but due to human error (aka me forgetting to add it), it was sadly left off. That said, the final option was there for a reason and it still received a decent amount of votes (though, clearly not enough to alter the outcome).

• Chew: 5%
• Clone: 1%
• Deathmatch: 1%
• East of West: 4%
• Five Weapons: 0% (this fills me with sadness)
• Invincible: 12%
• Judge Dredd: 3%
• The Legend of Luther Strode: 2%
• Mind The Gap: 1%
• Saga: 20%
• Star Wars: 3%
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 12%
• The Spider: 1%
• The Walking Dead: 14%
• X-O Manowar: 3%
• Other (Specify in comments!): 16%

What did you vote for and why? Don't forget to check the homepage Tuesday for the next Comic Book Question of the Week. As always, you're welcome to make suggestions for the next question!

Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine and IGN Entertainment. This is the part where he shamelessly plugs his Google+ andTwitter pagein hopes of getting a new follower or two.

Damn. I was hoping Invincible would have won! Ah well. Guess 3rd isn't bad.

More people need to be reading Chew.

Wow... I wouldn't consider Judge Dredd to be an indie book.

You glossed over the first paragraph, didn't ya?

More people need to bug their friends and give reasons why ;)

I voted SAGA, because well... It's SAGA, literally the best book on the current market IMO (or at least that i've read so far)

So you are saying the results looked like this?

• Saga: 20%
• Other (Specify in comments!): 16% (could be due to a FATALE mistake)
• The Walking Dead: 14%
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 12%
• Invincible: 12%
• Chew: 5%
• East of West: 4%
• Star Wars: 3%
• Judge Dredd: 3%
• X-O Manowar: 3%
• The Legend of Luther Strode: 2%
• Clone: 1%
• The Spider: 1%
• Deathmatch: 1%
• Mind The Gap: 1%
• Five Weapons: 0% (this fills me with sadness)

I keep pushing Saga and Chew on friends who read comics and they still won't dig in. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

Glad to see Saga get more love all-in-all; such a great book.

No Morning glories fills me with sadness

Star Wars and TMNT are my two favorite comics... but I knew in my heart neither of them had a chance.

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW !

Those of you who didn't vote for Chew are wrong and should feel much shame.

I mean, I love Saga and Invincible and such, but Chew was the correct answer.

Luther Strode Is awesome!

Chew Saga Luther strode, too many Indy books I love

Manhattan Projects should have been on the list.

Not enough love for Valiant :(

Invincible, Chew and Saga are my current indie favs.

@butters911 said:

The final option existed for a reason and, based on the comments in the initial thread, it's evident people were smart enough to use it properly. But, if you've got a time machine, I'll happily go back and replace two of the titles that didn't receive much love with those two.

I love Five Weapons, but Invincible's my boy.

@k4tzm4n: No, it's just that being a British comic book fan (of both British and American comics), I consider Judge Dredd to be as significant a comic-book character as many of the American ones.

I did read that you said the list is 'some of the best non-Marvel/DC books out there', but I was just acknowledging and agreeing with your statement that, 'While many of them are quite successful', they are 'technically not indie'. Regardless of what you were really saying, I just thought that it was weird to see Dredd compared to some titles like Chew and The Walking Dead... not that I'm complaining.

People need to remember there is more than two comic companies, DC and Marvel. Most of the comics I pick up are indie titles. They need more respect!

Fair enough.

@k4tzm4n: 5 Weapons is great but it's only had 3 issues so far

I would like to say Bloodshot or X-O Manowar, but The Walking Dead is a masterpiece.

I love Dredd

My two favorite right now are Manhattan Projects and East of West right now. I'm way behind on Walking Dead and Invincible though.

Hellboy/BPRD, ya dummies. Come on.

Or maybe those don't sell nearly as well as I assumed they do.

I voted for TMNT because that is the only book I plan to read, once I have enough money to blow.

I feel like the word "indie" has pretty much lost its usefulness. I know you clarified in your actual poll, but the word itself gets tossed about rather frequently, and, well...

The notion that a book as popular as The Walking Dead, which has spawned one of the best-acclaimed television shows in recent memory, is considered "indie" up against books which I've never even heard of...it shows that the term is too broad. Does "independent" simply mean "publishers which only release creator-owned work?" And if so, wouldn't that disqualify licensed books (no matter how good TMNT might be)?

It's irrelevant to the poll, I suppose, but just in general I feel like the common notion that "not Marvel/DC = indie" is rather nonsensical. Actually, the notion of an "indie publisher" is inherently an oxymoron. But yeah...it just bothers my logic-driven/English major mind.

On a side note, I just blew through all of Morning Glories and definitely would have officially picked it had I chosen to vote. Absolutely fantastic.

i love five weapons!! i wish i caught this earlier

I'm sad that Manhattan Projects and Fatale weren't included in the poll

Saga replaced The Walking Dead as my all time favorite book that's how good it is

also Five Weapons has been awesome

Mine is The Walking Dead, although I've read Saga in trade and enjoyed it quite a bit.

I only have one word to describe that title "Eww"

I read a lot of the books on this list, and they all deserve recognition!

I voted for Saga, because it's Saga. If you're reading it then you probably voted for it too. The characters and relationships are so real, making the crazy universe they live in that much better. When it comes out Wednesday I speed to the comic store so I can get it.

Holy crap. Was I the only one to vote for Five Weapons?!

Either that, or there was one other person and so it came out to a little less than 0.5% which rounds to 0. I suppose I was a bit biased with having read #3 soon before I voted, but still...

To be honest, I was between a few (including Five Weapons), but just sort of drifted to Five Weapons.

I know we only have 3 issues, and there will only be 5 anyway... but it's awesome nonetheless!

EDIT: Whoops, just realized my math was wrong :D

It would be between 0.5 and 1% if two people (including me) voted. But there may still be someone else if the system always rounds down between integers no matter what.

I read mostly Indies,

Saga is great but so is

Morning Glories

Fatale

Black Beetle

Savage Dragon

Walking Dead

and Invincible

Saga is awesome, no denying that at all, but my vote went toward Walking Dead because for me, it was something refresh and unique to the zombie genre that had been lacking in a day and age when zombie apocalypse literature was so cut and dry. Walking Dead essentially brought us as readers to the realization that the story of Team Grimes and its trials and tribulations is not merely one of surviving in midst of the dead rising, but is an allegory of just what humanity becomes should civilization break down. In other words, its like what Kirkman tells us...the comic was never meant to be wholly about zombies; those were merely a good plot device for the story. In the end, the comic is timeless because of what its symbolic message is to us as human beings...we're only so civilized as we are now because of how society exists, but when it breaks down, we will invariably revert back to the animal instincts we had as nomadic beings. That's why Walking Dead for me is probably the best indie comic of recent times and will be for some time.

It's pretty much the result I was expecting: 3 Image comics on top (Saga, TWD, and either Chew or Invincible) and TMNT coming in close. No surprises really!

However, it's good to see more articles and talk about indie comics.

@redheadedatrocitus: Yeah, but saga has a giant naked triclops!

<p>Others got rather close

I feel like we're still riding high on the success of Saga. I felt the same way about the vote where Young Justice won. Don't get me wrong I love it as much as the next dude but its not clear how memorable or influential it could be down the road. I really don't want to down play all the amazing work Vaughn and Staples have done but in the end it's a really well done Romeo and Juliet parable. I voted for The Walking Dead because it single handedly brought me back into comics after getting out in the 90s. That means something in my book.

I definitely voted for Saga and I'm glad that it won, but I also enjoyed reading Chew and Invincible also!

Who are the spazzes who vote for East of West after only 1 issue?

I feel like Saga was the clear winner here. Despite often going in too many directions at once, and not quite living up to Y: The Last man, Saga is still one of the best books out there. The artistic style is fresh and unique, and the characters are all filled with heaps of creativity. The story proves to be the most grounded and human tale on the market, despite its larger than life setting.

Saga, Fatale, Snapshot, Lost Vegas, East of West, Five Ghosts, The Black Beetle, The Massive, Mara, Revival, Nowhere Men, SEX, Bedlam, Mind the Gap, Planetoid, Luther Strode, The Walking Dead, Chew, Manhattan Projects, Comeback, Happy! .... These are the books that deserve to be talked about. Original stories, characters, concepts and ideas that break the mold of what comics are, and what they can be. Even some books from the big two... like Hawkeye is so different and setting itself apart its basically an Indie. Some people want different. Not just the same old superhero stuff they've been fed for decades.

since the new layout i always miss these posts so cant vote. oh well. so what is considered an indie book? i would think something self published not from a company as big as image. from the list i would pick five weapons, like saga but five weapons is so intelligently written it just takes the cake. but my favorite book from the none big two would be Fathom despite the months of delays. loved it from issue 0 waaay back when i was in high school and it still keeps rocking on

The thing with these indie books is that they are directed to a specific taste and with it comes a specific kind of reader. Personally, I think Saga is one of the best, if not the best, indie book out there right now.

Nowhere Men has been pretty interesting so far, granted its only like 5 issues in. The Unwritten has also been good with me.

My favorite current indie books that I read are:

Invincible (favorite)

Saga

Archer and Armstrong

Judge Dredd

Star Wars

Five Weapons

I am sure there are others and I will kick myself for forgeting as soon as I post.