Comics indy scene took its own small but vital stage at the super*Market convention last weekend at UCLA. This quiet affair at the Ackerman Union featured tables of indy comics creators selling posters, toys and comics they made themselves and published either through a small press house or on their own.

The fun of such a show is finding new treasures and talking to the oft-shy cartoonists about their work. These folks don't do books for money or fame, they do it because they love comics, and it shows. The event was hype-free, low-tech and the comics exhibited were fascinating artifacts of individual expression.

The healthy stack of new books we took away have some great hidden gems we plan to critique over the next week or so. Reviews will contain contact info so you can check out the books for yourselves.

Scalawag #1

Creator: Steve Lafler

www.stevelafler.net

$4, 24 pages

So? This is a preview of Lafler's next graphic novel in the Bughouse series published by Top Shelf, which follows the adventures of a Jimmy Watts and his bop band, whose members just happen to have insect heads. The band is old school, dressed in suits and hats, and they enjoy drinking, gambling and philandering a little too much for their own good. This time, the band has a new piano player who may not be all he seems. Lafler moves the story along quickly and establishes a nice, playful mood that still hints at the trouble to come.