Free Planet vol 1 in comic shops NOW!

Jed Dougherty and my geopolitical space opera can finally take its proud place on your bookshelf; Free Planet volume 1 is now available at your local comic shop! Don’t have a comic shop in driving distance? Order direct from my pals at Collector’s Paradise! Want to read the first five pages or need something to sell a pal on it? Hit up bit.ly/forlutheria or just scroll down for a glimpse at some of my favorite pages.

Free Planet volume 1. You know what “volume 1” implies, right? Free Planet is an ongoing series, with lots more geopolitical space opera to come. Even if you’re just jumping on with the trade, you’re going to want to subscribe to Free Planet at your local comic shop because it’s the only way to get Free Planet #7-8; the “Expansion Protocols” storyline will not be collected in trade paperback!

Once again, if you don’t have a local comic shop, my local comic shop, Collector’s Paradise, has you covered with signed packs of Free Planet #7-14!

Free Planet is an enormously important book for me. Consciously designed as a “level up” moment, Free Planet is a big swing that’s significantly more complex than my previous work and utilizes everything I’ve learned from each, all the skills I developed working on them. The research of The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling, the emotional angst of No One Left to Fight, the romance of Savage Hearts, the sci-fi worldbuilding of The Worst Dudes, the political content of BEEF BROS, the action of Stoned Master, and even the team dynamics of my ill-fated (but increasingly cult favorite?) G.I. Joe run.

It’s all been mixed up into something new, something unique and idiosyncratic with no predecessor or even close comparison in the market. Something rich and complex, intended for serious reading, that expects a lot from readers; this all puts Free Planet at odds with the de rigueur approach in comics and, frankly, media more broadly.

In light of the above, success wasn’t guaranteed and many of my colleagues told me it was unlikely, even impossible for a book as challenging as ours. Which is why I’m so incredibly grateful for the support you’ve provided Free Planet. Not only did readers of this newsletter show up in droves to preorder the book in single issues (the preferred and intended way to experience it!) but initial Free Planet volume 1 orders in comic shops and the book market came in incredibly strong, prompting excited text messages and emails from Image partners.

Free Planet was designed as an ongoing story; Jed and I have an entire universe that we want to explore with you. But in order to make that complete, extended journey, we need your continued support. Things are tough out there and the comics industry isn’t immune, making preorders and subscriptions that much more important for everyone involved, from shops to the creators all the way at the other end of things.

So, if you can, subscribe to Free Planet at your local comic shop or Collector’s Paradise. And, if you can’t, requesting Free Planet volume 1 at your local library and leaving it a glowing review on Amazon are both absolutely free.

In the Los Angeles area and not traveling for Thanksgiving? Traveling to the Los Angeles area for Thanksgiving? Either way: Come hang with Jed and me tonight at Collector’s Paradise Pasadena! This is a special signing for me as it’s at my home comic shop, the one I go to each and every week. What’s more, we’re being joined by cartoonist Gabriel Hardman, celebrating the launch of his new DC series, Arcadia! We’ll be at 319 S. Arroyo Parkway Unit 4, Pasadena, CA 91105 from 5-7pm, selling Free Planet volume 1 and signing whatever you’ve got! Show up early enough and I might even have a free poster for you!

Another short, perfunctory one, which reminds me: Thank you for enduring this run of low-effort newsletters. I used to really pride myself in making my newsletter thoughtful, deliberate, and dense but with the success of Free Planet, I always have to prioritize writing the next issue, and because Free Planet is ongoing, there is always a next issue and none of them are quick to write.

Thanks for sticking with me; I’m hoping to have something more substantial for you with the release of Free Planet #7 on December 10, featuring guest artist Ilias Kyriazis and a millennia-spanning history of the planet Thouros.

Aubrey