Systemic Vol. 1

Systemic is a sci-fi comics anthology collecting stories of individual people at the points where societal forces clash. 

In the tradition of classic science-fiction magazines like Analog and Weird Tales, we’ve gathered leading and rising stars from both mainstream and indie comics and set them loose to tell the stories that move them. We live in an unprecedented era, buffeted about by monolithic forces—cultural, technological, economic, and governmental—as intractable as the tides. They are, you might say, Systemic. These are stories of the small, the insignificant, and the infinitely critical human lives where these forces meet and mesh and grind together.

In the tradition of classic science-fiction magazines like Analog and Weird Tales, we’ve gathered leading and rising stars from both mainstream and indie comics and set them loose to tell the stories that move them. We live in an unprecedented era, buffeted about by monolithic forces—cultural, technological, economic, and governmental—as intractable as the tides. They are, you might say, Systemic. These are stories of the small, the insignificant, and the infinitely critical human lives where these forces meet and mesh and grind together.

The Stories

CO-N-DO: written by Simon Birks (Antartica, The Thing on the Doorstep, Hexes), art by Nina Poulston (Bats in the Attic, A Town by the Sea, The Clock)

Friendly Fire: written by Eisner-nominated writer Norm Harper (Haphaven, The Sequels, Rikki), art by Val Halvorson (Finger Guns, The Sequels, The Slasher’s Apprentice), letters by Oceano Ransford

Protected: words and art by GLAAD award winning cartoonist Richard Fairgray (Four-Color Heroes, Blastosaurus, Octopus)

Provenance: written by Ben Crane (Cosmic Cadets, A Man of Lies), art by Andy Alves (Cosmic Cadets, Shrub)

Reclaim, CA: written by Arthur N. Ebuen (©alifornia, Inc.), inks by Dave Law (©alifornia, Inc., The Space Odditorium), colors by A.H.G. (Eat my Flesh, Drink my Blood; Broken), letters by Eisner winner Frank Cvetkovic, and edited by Justin Giampaoli.

Resonance: written by Stephanie Williams (Nubia & the Amazons, Warriors and a Wee Wonder, Street Sharks), art by Kevin Betou (Tempo)

Zero Day Bug in the Cloud: written by Chris Hill & Adam Douglas, art by Pepper (collectively, the team behind Rapture Burgers and The Bubblegum Shoes)