The Comicverse is a sci-fi comedy about a comic book shop on a space station. Comicverse: Behind the Counter is a spinoff series collecting comics, short stories and artwork that don’t quite fit in the main series. All of the comics and short stories in this issue, Comicverse: Behind the Counter #2, were written by Bianca Alu-Marr for indy cartoonists other than regular artist Steve Peters to draw.

Bianca writes: Within this book you’ll find short stories filled with grief, passionate ideals, obsessive hobbies, spirituality and romance. The comics and stories in this book highlight the “other” residents of Tianthar Station besides the main crew. Short story writing is a passion of mine and one of my favorite forms of fiction writing. Writing for the Comicverse and all of its characters has allowed me to use my writing skills in many of my favorite forms; scriptwriting, short stories and poetry. I’m very excited about how Behind the Counter issue two has turned out with all of its beautiful artwork, and getting a chance to look even deeper into the lives of those who live, work and sometimes interact with The Comicverse Crew.

Comics:

-Rei and Ying sit down to watch a holo TV show featuring aliens transforming into out of shape superheroes. An 8-page comic drawn by James Windsor-Smith

-Robin Barnard recreates an old Steve Ditko sci-fi comic, and Bianca writes new dialog using the Marvel Method. 6 pages by Robin plus a 2-page twist ending drawn by Steve Peters. Robin also adapted an old Hostess Twinkie ad for the Comicverse universe.

-Ying transforms and is transported to the astral plane where he encounters strange, powerful beings who know about his magic powers, but speak in riddles. A 7-page comic drawn by Corey Bechelli.

-Based on a trio of haiku written by Bianca, Lee Thacker has wonderfully illustrated an 8-page comic about Rei sitting down in the food court to write some haiku on napkins while he waits for his lunch.

-Rei, Ying and Aki are in a lighthearted 8-page Arthurian-themed comic that plays with the theme of magic. Illustrated by Dre Grigoropol.

Short Stories:

-An intimate and spiritual look into the home and culture of a Seltc' Zzz, an insectoid species of that live and work on Tianthar Station. Illustration by Corey Bechelli.

-A caring and creative family of shape-shifting Varials have dinner while showcasing their talents, love for one another and excitement about an upcoming vacation. Illustration by James Windsor-Smith.

-A story of love, loss and moving on. An intimate look at half-Lekru half-Oaijuin peacekeeping science officer Nad Naij's apartment and why she's programmed her apartment A.I. to sound like her lost love, Sue. Illustration By Lee Thacker.

-Larry the Lekru isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he works hard at cultivating valuable collections and making deals. Although he feels proud of his deal making abilities, his personality keeps him lonely and misunderstood. This story takes a peek into his apartment where he invites a special guest. Illustration by Pam Bliss.

-Crispus Carver is a human, and the station's number one expert on A.I. He's invented their unique personalities and is tasked with repairing them when they break down. But a job comes along that stumps him and sends him down a path of investigation and self-doubt. Illustration by Lee Thacker.

Finally, the book contains a gallery of sketches celebrating The Comicverse's first ten years, with art by Eric Battle, Phil Foglio, Matt Feazell, Pam Bliss, Lee Thacker, James Windsor-Smith, Bob Corby, Dre Grigoropol, Jeff Peters, Angela Sprecher, E.J. Barnes, Evette Langford, James Koebel, Brian Payne, Alyssa Lou Allen, and Duncan Shea.

Your contribution will help us recover the cost of paying these artists for their work and will help us to continue hiring artists to draw guest features in the future.

At 90+ pages, Behind The Counter #2 is more than twice the size of the previous issue and is one of our largest single issues! As with most of the Comicverse series, it is a Manga-size book. Cover by Anthony Casperite.

International backers are welcome! We realize the costs given are for U.S. backers only. But message us telling which item(s) you are interested in and what country you're from and we will add a shipping quote to that country!