Stained – Graphic Spotlight

There are hundreds of graphic novel and trade paperback collections that come out every month. The majority of the ones you hear about come from three publishers: Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. Do you realize that there are over thirty publishers out there producing new stories every month? Thirty bastions of burgeoning narratives that are competing for a small slice of the market share and even slimmer dollar share. One of those houses of creativity is 451 Media. Now, if you’ve heard of 451, it might be because of it’s most famous backer: Michael Bay. Yup, that Michael Bay. However, what you should get to know 451 for is kickass stories. Exhibit A: Stained from comics pro David Baron and artist Yusuf Idris.

Are you into such massively awesome sci-fi noir epics like Ghost In The Shell or Blade Runner? Well, if you enjoy Major and Rick Deckard, then you’ll love Emma London: recovery artist and bounty hunter for hire. Emma is a badass, possibly unbeatable in a fair fight and, oh yeah, part machine! Impulse control isn’t really her thing. She likes to dive headfirst into dark places tracking down subhuman criminals lurking in the underbelly of society and bring them to justice. But when Emma tries to take on a pair of international diamond smugglers, what she thought would be a record high bounty for a priceless painting will explode into a heart-pounding hunt of a different kind.

David Baron is the guy behind the guy behind the guy for some of your most favorite comics of all time! Grant Morrison’s JLA? Scott Snyder’s run on Detective Comics? Star Wars: Droids? The man has his fingerprints all over your bookshelves and you may not have even realized it. For decades he’s been considered one the premiere colorists around. Now, Mr. Baron is leaping forward into the role of scribe and working with a killer artist in Yusuf Idris. For fans of stories like Sleeper, Transmetropolitan, and just damn good sci-fi and crime, this is one collection that will fit perfectly in your hands.

Collects Stained issues #1-5.