“Yesterday’s” Trade> Sean Wang’s Runners: The Big Snow Job

Letting Cember plan the ski trip was a bad move.

Sean Wang’s Runners: The Big Snow Job

Serve Man Press (July, 2013)

collected from the webcomic series

WRITER/ARTIST: Sean Wang

Longtime readers of this website should already be familiar with Runners. I’ve discussed the webcomic and reviewed the issues of the first story arc, “Bad Goods”. “The Big Snow Job” is the second chapter in Wang’s series, focusing on a group of smugglers in space who are once again in over their heads. It’s my favorite webcomic and Wang is anxious to get back to the series, but it’s the paid projects that pay the bills.

In this installment our heroes take what they think is the simple task of retrieving stolen cattle. Instead they end up involved with drug running, a tribe dealing with addiction and betrayal, and an enemy that hits too close to home for Bocce.

We learn quite a bit about Bocce in this issue. Not where he got the laser arm (because he has it in flashbacks) but how his father died and it’s ties to a group that is a threat in this story, causing him to act in a manner very unlike Bocce. Plus he has to stay behind for most of the story thanks to a broken leg, leading to both flashbacks and fun moments as he waits for the others. Bennesaud also gets some character history and development in this story as we learn more about his past and at least in part how he ended up with the crew. While there is no flashback we see that he has a line that shouldn’t be crossed. In the epilogue exclusive to the trade we also get a hint as to Sky’s origins.

As usual the art is great, this time with the addition of color. While no single issues were released in favor of a trade (which costs less to produce in the long run) the chapter breaks that would have indicated the individual issues are still present. In addition to the epilogue not seen in the online edition, the book also contains model sheets, fan art, and some behind-the-scenes into the creation of this storyline.

Runners: The Big Snow Job is available for purchase at the official website or you can read both storylines (minus epilogues). I recommend both series as this is my favorite webcomic and I really hope Wang gets to the big storyline he has planned involving the mobs and how our heroes get caught up in that as well.