The Pull List – Space Bastards #1

Publisher: Humanoids
Writer: Joe Aubrey and Eric Peterson
Art: Darick Robertson
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez

The future is a violent world where corporations and governments clash, but people still need their packages delivered. The Intergalactic Postal Service promises to get their customer’s parcels to their destinations with their advantageous couriers. However, it isn’t loyalty to the IPS or customer satisfaction that motivates these couriers. Every parcel is a chance to rack up a huge commission and IPS has a no hold barrel policy if the parcel is eventually delivered. That is why IPS employees the toughest mercenaries, known as the Space Bastards to carry out their service.

The future is competitive and hostile, no job seems safe from anything. But for the newly unemployed David Proton, safety will be the last thing on his mind. With no career opportunities coming his way and with bills to pay, he applies to the Intergalactic Postal Service. Luckily, he is the perfect candidate for the job. Unfortunately, he was the only candidate that was desperate enough to risk his life in this free-for-all delivery business. Still, as a rookie of the IPS, he is assigned to shadow a veteran of the service, Manny Corns. David’s first day at the IPS will show him what it takes to earn a bastard’s pay.

Written by Joe Aubrey and Eric Peterson, with illustrations by Darick Robertson and colors by Diego Rodriguez, Space Bastards is an intergalactic adventure that shows the prospect of package shipment will have way more issues than trying to send mail during the holiday season. Aubrey and Peterson pen an over the top story with postal carriers of all shapes and sizes act like bounty hunters. And no one plays nice when greed fuels their pockets. It doesn’t take much to spark off a fistfight or shoot out in this hostile world.

The visuals are on point to show tense surroundings. The environment has an interesting mix of progressive and retro designs. There are spaceships and cyborgs, but also dive bars and familiar office space. It greatly makes the story feel not too far in the future. Darick Robertson brings his signature gritty style to immerse the world with grimy looking characters. There are fun details that bring a lot of personality to no-name characters, building up the sense of lawlessness for anyone out looking to make quick money. Diego Rodriguez adds a great splash of colors to round out Robertson’s work.

Space Bastards #1 is an action-packed sci-fi read that will draw in readers with its splendid display of unapologetic use of gore and black humor. The first issue introduces a fun world to explore and eccentric characters to follow but wastes no time to make the exciting action take lead in the story. If you like gruff, morally questionable heroes, then you might be a fan of these bastards.

Space Bastards #1 was released on January 13th, 2021.