Exclusive: New Look At Space Bastards Vol. 2 Coming to Kickstarter
The universe can be a bleak yet exciting place, where misfortune breeds tempestuous misadventure, and all becomes reliant on the most basic of things: the simple transmission of the message. No, this isn’t a metaphor for today’s whirlwind of activity: this is a description of Eric Peterson and Joe Aubrey’s screwball odyssey/anthology series Space Bastards, the second volume of which is coming to Kickstarter on January 18. Written as a series of surreal and often bloody vignettes by some of the best artists in the business, Space Bastards focuses on employees of the Intergalactic Postal System as they duke it out to receive the honor of delivering packages in a twisted, yet increasingly relevant, satirical play on the increasingly dog-eat-dog nature of the gig economy many in the modern world face each day.
Space Bastards Vol. 1 first made delivery through Kickstarter in 2019, featuring art by Darick Robertson, co-creator of The Boys, along with other heavy hitters Simon Bisley and Gabriel Bautista. After receiving rave reviews, the farcical franchise found a home at Humanoids Publishing, which will now reprint the original 120-page tome under their imprint, and as well as a series. Following the misadventures of several embittered and terrorized couriers, Space Bastards centers around the miserable machinations of the IPS under charlatan and Postmaster General Roy Sharpton, who bears a passing resemblance to Randy “Macho Man” Savage, as his couriers attempt to deliver trans-planetary parcels without having their parcels in turn stolen by other couriers, as is habit. The result is a Looney Tunes-esque parade of debauchery and dynamism, as these artists work their magic to produce a comprehensive, and quite crazy, portrait of a universe gone mad.
Following the success of their Kickstarter campaign, Aubrey and Peterson have announced a second follow to their twisted tale, which will once again feature strips drawn by the returning Robertson, along with Boo Cook, Colin MacNeil, and Clint Langley, with prints by Bisley. “We’re bringing Space Bastards back to Kickstarter to crowdfund the Director's Cut, a unique and content-stuffed series of hardcover books that allows you to experience this sprawling universe and all the ongoing stories within it the way we originally intended,” said Aubrey in a statement, with Peterson adding accessibility of the series making Vol. 2 “as easy an entry point as Vol. 1”. Peterson said:
“By crowdfunding SPACE BASTARDS, we can continue to pay advances to the artists and keep telling these twisted stories of the Intergalactic Postal Service”.
In this exclusive preview below from Humanoid’s upcoming series, we meet David S. Proton, a simple accountant looking to start a new life in the midst of a failed career and a miserable economy. Equal parts sad, funny, sardonic and straightforward, the storytelling of Space Bastards is nothing if not hard-hitting.
Space Bastards #1 is out January 13 from Humanoids Publishing wherever comic books are sold, while Space Bastards Vol. 2 goes up on Kickstarter.com on January 18.