Planet.
Planet Issue #0 was the first major comic release I self-published based on the world of Planet I created with co-writer Joey Lemons. What I considered a prototype publication, featured two original stories: Nuclear Pup and Waste Man. These stories were also released on Webtoons and had supporting Card Collection series' on Neonmob.
The two full comics can be found in the links below. Nuclear Pup follows Pascal and his dog, Nuke as they chase a downed cargo ship across The Wasteland. Waste Man features Mahoney, professional box pusher and wannabe explorer of The Wasteland.
Below is a small selection of Panels from the two comics.
Alongside the two comic features in Issue #0, we wanted to give a glimpse of the universe we had begun to build and the stories that would be featured in the future. We introduced more characters and ideas as splash pages and collectable postcards.
Being able to find interesting ways to deliver narrative without the high commitment of producing a comic gave us refreshing creative freedom for this aspect of the publication. With some of my favourite parts being designing small world building details such as postal stamps.
This style of fleeting narratives would lead us on to Planet Card Hunt.
Card Hunt.
After the release of Issue #0 was wrapped up, Joey and I immediately began work on a card collection series: Planet Card Hunt. Initially the series began as a post-release/promotion for the comics, but quickly became a platform for us to show off aspects of the world and stories of Planet, that we had begun writing for subsequent issues.
4 instalments were released over the course of 2019 after the first set was picked up by the site owner and we were offered a Prime slot as a premium content creator.
The design of the cards was inspired by my time playing Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Hearthstone as I was growing up. An aspect I was very passionate about capturing was the idea of having 'Shinies' as the Ultra-Rare cards that became a staple of the series. These cards are still sought after today by hundreds of people on the Neonmob trading market - long after the sets had sold out.
Working on Planet was an incredible experience. Being able to drive personal projects to publication and have them well-received filled me with confidence that there is a potential audience for my narrative art.
Issue #0 was printed with 100 issues, signed and numbered. They sold out within 2 weeks.
Card Hunt had 110,000+ packs claimed and 500+ premium packs sold.
Despite big plans, Planet came to an end. Personal restrictions meant Joey and I couldn't continue the project together. It would never have felt right for Planet to keep turning without both of us.
