If you have never read Sean Wang’s Runners series, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy as soon as you can. If you can’t do that, head over to the newly launched website runnersuniverse.com to read the first series Runners: Bad Goods for free. The series takes a look at a group of alien smugglers who happen upon a shipment that is more than it appears – and then all heck breaks loose.
The follow up series Runners: The Big Snow Job, was to be published a year ago by Archaia Studios Press, but will now appear online when the Bad Goods runs concludes online.
“I’m still a fan of print comics,†continues Wang, “so the second series will still be collected into graphic novel format after it finishes posting online. But I hope to use the free webcomic to build the audience as large as possible in the meantime. I firmly believe that many who read the series online at www.runnersuniverse.com will still want to purchase the printed volumes. Hopefully, with a larger audience that is familiar with the series, comic stores can then order the books with more confidence that they aren’t ‘taking a chance’ on an unknown small press book. So everyone wins! “
Wang does point out something every web comic fan should do – purchase the collected editions of your favorite series to support the creators. I’ve done it with Penny Arcade, Wapsi Square, Least I Could Do, Sinfest, and The Dreamland Chronicles. Runners is an excellent series, and deserves your attention.
