"JUNK"
Created by and © 2006 John Freeman. Art by Russell
Davies
A small rundown starship and its small crew seek
out new worlds, new civilisations – and try to make as much money
as possible without getting killed...
OVERVIEW – SETTING2371. Man has reached the stars and found himself alone. Beyond the alien races that have yet to discover faster-than-light drive, there are no mighty space empires of aliens itching for war with Humans. Man is supreme in the explored sectors of our galaxy, and his expansion has been rapid and successful, despite the inherent dangers of space travel, alien worlds and their associated biologies.
Man may still be alone, but there is plenty of evidence of space-faring races that have gone before, and vanished, for reasons unknown. At least three highly developed alien intelligence’s have left their mark on several of the worlds man seeks to make his own – but no sign of any living sentients, and despite many theories, no-one knows the true reason for their apparent extinction.
The action of this strip centres on a rag-tag crew of gene-spliced and cybernised humans and one eccentric alien aboard a rag-tag deep space vessel. The crew of the Dirty Digger, are out for a fast credit any which way they can get it. They’re the buccaneers of the future, riding close to the letter of the law and sometimes breaking it to survive. The crew have, individually, made both friends and foes along the way, and face all manner of danger every day of their lives. Their main income comes from recovering lucrative alien technology as well as running cargoes between worlds. They’re not rich but are always drawn to the possibility that they may be. But privately, they might just admit that the dangerous life they lead gives them such a buzz they couldn’t live without it, no matter how wealthy they are.
In their explorations and discoveries the crew of the Dirty Digger uncover more about the ‘extinct’ alien races than they would like – including, in this first story, the reason they have vanished. A reason that could result in the extinction of mankind...
• Characters • Sample Pages