“Yesterday’s” Trade: Moon Freight 3 (webcomic) Vol. 1

Larry wants to literally punch the clock.

Moon Freight 3 Volume 1: Clockpunchers In Space

collecting Moon Freight 3 strips from August 19, 2008–Aug. 14, 2009

I’ve discuss the late webcomic many times before, having met and befriended the creator at ConnectiCon. For newcomers, Moon Freight 3 follows the characters on the title space cargo station in the future, Larry Forest and his robot companion Bolts. In this collection of the first year we also meet their new boss, a sentient rat named Eleanor Norvegicus-Smythe. (This is a future where a lab rat gained intelligence and spread that gift around the lab. Then they moved to Tahiti because why NOT move to Tahiti.) We also meet the two regular cargo shippers, the prankster jerk Cal Murphy and Larry’s friend Ben Moon. These are characters we’ll see throughout the series, with more introduced in the second year. This also debuted a running gag about a time traveling jail where the inmates, which for some reason includes a mischievous Abraham Lincoln, get into wacky hijinks, and another with famed space adventurer Dash Asteroid McQueen that Larry doesn’t think too highly of, thinking he’s mostly hype.

This installment also brings in a girlfriend for Larry, a new foreman on Moon Freight 2, a murder mystery involving another sentient rat, and numerous repair work made to the ship (which allows Foster to make changes to the “sets” for the comic, and I applaud that additions like a window or a new monitor are actually written into the story instead of just popping up because the artist has gotten better or has more time to add things in). There is no “oh, look how cool the future is”. It’s like writing a story in modern times marveling at how great air conditioning is or smartphones, things we now take for granted because they’re part of our lives. These also aren’t the dashing space heroes. They’re just average people living average lives, or as average as a comedy is.

The art is a bit rough, especially when compared to Foster’s current style, as seen in his current project, The Center Of Somewhere. But even I’ve gotten better from my earlier strips, and as Foster notes in the book there’s nothing wrong with not redrawing the old strips (although he did re-letter them to make them readable since he had to make higher scans for the collection). It’s interesting to see how far he’s come as an artist and it doesn’t impact his writing or the concept.

Overall, it’s an interest comic if only for the concept and how well Foster writes it. You can check out the comic in his archive (that link goes to the last page and there’s a spoiler for how the series ends–use the links at the top) and you may want to read it before deciding if you want the collection. As of this writing, Foster is currently having a sale but you will have to contact him directly through Twitter, Tumblr, or his contact page. We’ll be looking at the other two I own, but he has all four years collected. After then it’s still orderable through IndyPlanet at regular price. The book contains some early sketches, including the layout of the station. I think it’s worth checking out.