Free Planet by author Aubrey Sitterson and artist Jed Dorgerty is a space epic that has all its own, including action, romance and a vast story focused on free security guards trying to keep this new democracy alive.
Sitterson and Doerty catch up with the Beat and talk about how the Free Planet is a new approach to comics not only in the story but also in the visual, and the upcoming Free Planet #5 came out at the comic store on September 10th.
This interview has been edited.
Javier Perez: I would like to ask about its approach to storytelling. Did you have your goal to create something as big as the stories told on the Free Planet? Was it a very large story that called for this kind of treatment, or was it like, “I’m going to make something epic in the universe”? What was it from an artist’s perspective? Are there a lot of preparation work to do?
Aubrey Sitterson: Free Planet started with the Jed location. We want to do something more challenging for us and our readers. My thorough and exhausting study of characters, plot, plot, plot, their desires, my extensive design work, Jed’s extensive design work, was born out of all three feeding each other.
Jed Dougherty: Yes, there’s a lot of preparatory work.
From my end, it started with character design. This is because the book is centered around unique characters that spark each other. Aubrey wrote a list of archetypes of characters he wanted to include, and I created sketches where we bouncing back and forth, refined the people who will become our main cast. Next was to design the world of Rutheria. Its unique geographical features, extractive workers’ skills, and revolutionary modified war machinery. Essentially it was a long-standing journey that took place in a single step.
All the issues read the script, pay attention to all the new things Aubrey mentions, and at least sketch rough ideas for each item, setting, or character.
In theory, all costumes, tools and vehicles are the products of distant future civilizations from many different worlds. But to maintain an identifiable relevance to readers, I hold something like a Freedom Guard uniform that is rather similar to modern clothing.
Perez: This is not an easy read. It feels like a historical document. This is a book that we hope readers will keep them on the wild and back to some issues. How do fans react to it?
Sitterson: What you’re explaining – the free planet that requires slow, intentional reading was an intentional, part, and parcel with the goal of mapping cartoon shapes. Despite being such a unique book that is very conflicted with the De Rigueur Comics approach, Free Planet received a candid and warm reception. It’s clear that people are ready for books that are deeply involved in the form.
The clearest example of this is our text page, which includes detailed and thoughtful questions from readers about the wider universe in which the story takes place, and answers from historian from around the world, Dr. Aldous Foyroushi.
Perez: There’s a lot of visual storytelling. Did you think that was necessary because the story is so rich? Or is this the book approach and tone?
Dougherty: We’re trying to present a lot of information, but it’s best when sometimes in captions, sometimes in charts, sometimes in characters seriously declare their intentions while filming each other.
Sitterson: Because there is a risk of avoidance, the answer is heartfelt “both!” What I call an approach – prioritizing page layouts and creating an approximate visual experience in thumbnails of my prescriptive – has a rich display of visual information as its ultimate goal. It aims to use all the many tools comic creators have at their disposal to push the medium into its split point.
Perez: It’s a bit difficult to sum up the book because it’s a space opera, but there are times when you choose economics, religion, the growth of the new government, and what it wants to be, what it’s about, what it wants to be… there are a lot. What are some concepts and themes that people should keep in mind?
Sitterson: It’s right there in the name: the Free Planet is about freedom, what it entails, what we sacrifice for it, the discipline it requires, and the authority that must arise in its absence. Geopolitical maneuvering, big sci-fi military action, and hot interpersonal drama feed each other out of preconceived notions of these themes.
Perez: I’m discovering that excerpts and Q and that it’s a necessary reading to truly appreciate the next question. How fun is it to write it as a character?
Sitterson: I’m so excited that people are engaged in back mattering and letter pages because you’re right. They are key components of the larger story. Plus, they’re an absolute treat to write. The first is an opportunity to delve into aspects of the world that are not visual enough to include cartoon shapes, and the second is an opportunity for the most thoughtful readers to take part in World Building exercises.
Still, we struggled to ensure that the free planet remains a fascinating story, whether you greedily devour all the words, focusing primarily on balloons and actions, or somewhere in between.
Perez: How much fun was making Question #3? It was a kind of experience that made me think, “Yeah, that’s why I love comic books.” What was the process of doing that space fight, and what was Jed’s input regarding the book’s layout?
Dougherty: The barrel roll was Aubrey’s idea, running the book through a 360-degree rotation in reading orientation to reflect the eye-opening movements of the dogfight. It was a lot of fun drawing and grasping what was spectacular.
Sitterson: Cerebus is my favorite comic and I often think of a formal approach for Sims, including comics that require rotation. It strikes me as the exact type of technique that cartoons are good. Something that doesn’t work in other media or digital comics. I started with a very rough thumbnail. It was fed to my script and I tried to stick to two large images and some insets of each spread. As ever, the real magic happened, when Jed came up with countless ways to help him dig through the page and lead his readers to a spin without losing it.
Perez: No. 4 has a fierce uprising on the planet of Lutheria, testing the strength of the new government. What are fans looking forward to in No. 5?
Dougherty: Empire invasions, industrial accidents, budding romances, and big dance numbers!
Sitterson: Every issue of Free Planet has at least one large action set part in addition to giving JED a chance to shine, but also provides thematic foundation for this issue. In #5, the Ororan Empire attacked again, landing Space Marines on the surface of the Ruteria, leading to bold defenses from the free guards. Moreover, our patient fans can finally learn the shocking origin story of the team’s medical and scientists.
Perez: Is there anything you would like to add?
Dougherty: Thank you to everyone reading our books!
Sitterson: And thank the many readers and comic bookstore owners who have not only seized opportunities for new ongoing comics that are as unique as the Free Planet, but continue to spread the word. Word of mouth is more important than ever in 2025, and that’s what the free planet will continue to be hit every month for the next few years.
The free Planet #5 published by Image Comics is available on the comic store as of September 10th, 2025.
Like this:
Like loading…
