An early webcomic inspired by COVID-19 is coming to print later this month, courtesy of Velocity Press.
Back in July of 2020, in what could still be considered the early days of the COVID pandemic, several UK-based scientific organizations funded the creation of a sci-fi satire that drew its inspiration from what the world was going through at the time. Planet Divoc-19 debuted on Webtoon and featured stories and art by Charlie Adlard, Alex Paknadel, Marco Finnegan, Matt Kindt, Hannah Berry, James Devlin, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Elsa Charretier and more.
“Although the topics we’re discussing in the series are incredibly serious, Planet Divoc-91 is full of humor and is occasionally ridiculous,” said Sara Kenney, who wrote the first chapter. “We’re aiming for more of a District 9 or The Good Place feel than, say, Star Trek.”
The print edition of Planet Divoc-19 is a not-for-profit publication, with 100% of profits go towards helping young creatives in South Africa, India and UK. It arrives in UK bookstores today; those of us outside the UK can order it directly from Velocity.
Here’s the description:
PLANET DIVOC-91 follows the adventures of two earthlings: Sanda Oung, a 23-year-old girl from the UK, and Champo Oung, Sanda’s 19-year-old non-binary sibling. In the series, 15% of the world’s population of 7.5 billion people are now stuck on another planet, miles from the safety of home. Sanda learns that Earth’s young adults have been brought to Planet Divoc-91 because Earth is at risk of an extinction level event. Under the safety of the Board of Adversity Scientists for Intergalactic Leadership (BASIL), led by a charismatic and fearsome alien named Adro, Sanda and Champo soon discover a shocking secret growing under their noses.
The print edition has a few extras as well, including interviews with several DJs who provided a soundtrack for the comics, including Joe Muggs, Grandmixxer, Juice Aleem, LCY, Angel-Ho, Toya Delazy, Arjun Vagale, NV Funk and Ifeoluwa.
You can check out a preview of Kenney and Adlard’s story below.
