Mar
1
2009 |
It is now official...RUNNERS will now be available to everyone FOR FREE as a daily webcomic! RUNNERSUNIVERSE.com launches Mar 2, 2009, and new pages will post 5 days a week, Monday-Friday. The site will start with the first story arc, RUNNERS: Bad Goods, in its entirety. Immediately following the conclusion of Bad Goods, the second story arc, RUNNERS: The Big Snow Job, will begin posting.
Some of you may have been expecting the new series to come out through Archaia Studios Press, but when the company went through its restructuring in mid-to-late 2008, I re-evaluated what I wanted to do with the series and decided that in order to reach as wide an audience as possible, I would offer the entire series for free online.
The idea is that with purely digital distribution, the audience is not severely limited to just those few who can find the book on their store shelves or make it to a comic convention that I'm attending. It will be available to EVERYONE, with no fee, no subscription costs, nothing. And in these tough economic times and rising comic prices, who couldn't use a little FREE entertainment??
You readers won't be paying anything, and I also won't be making anything. But that's okay. The idea is just to build the audience as big as possible and then go from there. My sincere belief is that many who read the series online at RUNNERSUNIVERSE.com will still want to purchase the printed volumes. And hopefully, with a larger audience that is familiar with the series, comic stores can then order the books with a little more confidence that they aren't "taking a chance" on an unknown small press book. So everyone wins!
So if you've never read RUNNERS before, now is your chance to read it completely for free online at RUNNERSUNIVERSE.com. And for those of you who have read it, and have been championing and supporting the series, please help me spread the word and get the big news (and the link) out there, so everyone else can discover what you've known about for years! Plus, I'll be adding notes, trivia, and behind-the-scenes info to most pages I post, so even long-time readers will get something new out of the webcomic. And there's also a shiny, new forum for all you RUNNERS fans, both new and old, to get your geek on!
It's an exciting time for RUNNERS and I hope you'll all join me over at RUNNERSUNIVERSE.com in bringing the series to the digital age ... and to the masses!
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Feb
11
2009 |
Back from NYCC and New Site Preps for Launch
I was at NYCC this past weekend and it was a blast walking around the show, meeting some new people, and hanging out with fellow comic creators.
The new Runners website I've been mentioning is just about ready to launch and should be up and running within the week! Sorry I've been so secretive about it (including the name itself), but I want to make sure it's solid before it goes live. Soon....very soon....
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Feb
2
2009 |
New Content Added including Expanded Tick Section
I just finished a major update of the website, including a comic project from 2007, some recent LEGO freelance work, and a greatly expanded Tick section, including info on my Tick and Arthur series, seasonal specials, cover gallery, and Circus Maximus art!
Meanwhile, work continues on the new Runners distribution plan and details will be revealed VERY shortly!
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Jan
14
2009 |
Major Updates and Runners News Coming!
Yes, it's been a VERY long time since I've posted any updates on this site, but a lot is on the way. Very shortly, I'll be expanding several galleries, including a much more extensive Tick section.
The publishing plan for Runners has been a bit nebulous the past half year or so, but everything is settled now. I'm still hard at work on Runners: the Big Snow Job and will be revealing some interesting news about the release of that series very soon. The big hint is that both the new series and the original story will soon be available to everyone for FREE!
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May
21
2008 |
Runners Plans during ASP's Restructuring
With the public announcement that Archaia Studios Press is suspending its publishing operations while it restructures, here's the status and plan for Runners: The Big Snow Job.
Status: I am complete with issue #1, nead to add finishing touches to issue #2, and one-third through the pencils of issue #3.
The Plan: In the meantime, work proceeds on the series. Runners: The Big Snow Job will definitely be ready to go when ASP's ready for it.
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May
21
2008 |
Unfortunately, Mark Smylie's partner in Archaia Studios Press, Aki Lao, has decided to divest from the publisher for personal reasons. Mark is taking some time out to re-organize ASP and seek funding. ASP will not be printing new titles in the meantime. So, Runners and some other fine titles, like Jeremy Bastian's Cursed Pirate Girl will be put on hold.
According to ASP, orders for Runners: The Big Snow Job #1 (listed in the March PREVIEWS) and #2 (listed in the May PREVIEWS) may carry over to whenever the issues do go to print. So just in case the current orders stand and they don't resolicit later, please be sure to get your orders for both books in now.
Stay tuned for more updates! You can read the complete press release at Newsarama's website.
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May
5
2008 |
From reviewer Dan Head: "the new Runners IS awesome. But hey, I was a junkie for the first one, so what do I know, right? Heh. Look, regular readers of this spot will know that I'm a sucker for original sci fi, especially when it's well-drawn and clever, and this is that in spades. Runners is great because, in addition to having great art, it also manages to capture that freewheeling, independent spirit that was lost from the first Star Wars trilogy to the second. The plotting is strong, the characters are well-formed, and the backstory is deep without being overpowering. I dig it the most. I really do." Check out the full review.
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Apr
7
2008 |
From interviewer Rebecca Buchanan: "I was first introduced to Sean Wang's sci fi adventure, Runners, about three years ago. The manager at the comic shop where I worked talked it up. "If you like Firefly, you'll love it!" Sadly, he was right. I did love it. I started talking Runners up every chance I got. So, when I saw the solicitation for the new Runners miniseries in Previews, I kinda made a fool of myself. I was able to calm down long enough to ask Wang for an interview. He took pity on me." Check out the full interview.
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Mar
24
2008 |
Newsarama has posted 11 preview pages from the first issue! Check out the preview pages.
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Mar
14
2008 |
Pulse Interview by Jen Contino: Sean Wang's Runners Returns!
"After self-publishing the sci-fi dramedy for a few years, Wang's Runners is joining the line-up of Archaia Studios Press. A new adventure, Runners: The Big Snow Job # 1 is due in stores this Summer. We've got Wang here now to talk about Roka Nostaco and the crew of the Khoruysa Brimia." Read the full interview.
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Mar
1
2008 |
Runners in March Previews!
The March 2008 Previews catalog just came out and it has listings for BOTH Runners series!
- Runners: The Big Snow Job Issue #1 (the first issue of the all-new, full-color series) can be found on page 214 under Archaia Studios Press. And be sure to check out the full-page ad on page 212!
- Runners: Bad Goods, the graphic novel collection of the first five-issue story, can be found on page 336 under Serve Man Press!
I will post the Diamond order codes here as soon as I have them.
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Feb
29
2008 |
New Website
Check out the brand new website! New look, same great taste! It is now optimized for the latest browsers and I’ll be adding a lot more content in the coming months, including a greatly expanded Tick comic section as well as more previews for Runners: The Big Snow Job! In the meantime, if you find a bug, please contact me and let me know.
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Jan
30
2008 |
Runners: The Big Snow Job to be published by Archaia Studios Press!
I couldn't be more excited about the new home for Runners! ASP is the home of Artesia, Mouse Guard, The Killer, and other high-quality titles. Look for Runners in the March issue of Diamond Comics Previews with an in-store date of May.
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Nov
28
2007 |
Runners: The Big Snow Job Production Begins
I have officially started the pencils for the 1st issue of Runners: The Big Snow Job. And I’m excited to announce that the series will be in COLOR! On an unrelated note, does anyone know what color goes with orange and green?
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Sep
25
2007 |
Script for Runners 2nd Story Arc!
It's been a long time, but I am finally getting back to Runners. I have recently finished the long-term outline for the series and have now begun the script for the second story arc, titled The Big Snow Job. More developments to be announced, so stay tuned...=)
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