This auction is a comic called Runner's Paradox. It's 32 pages, full-color, with a cover price of $3.99, came out in November 2007, and was published by me, Steve Peters. It continues the story of Runner the Fox from Everwinds, and shows what he's been doing since he left Everwinds at the end of Awakening Comics #3: The Everwinds Awakening War.

The comic also contains a few homages to the popular 1970's Micronauts toys in the form of Diana, the captain of the Starship Paradox, and a group of mysterious beings called the Kachinabots.  These characters are inspired by the Micronauts toys from the '70's, especially Time Traveler and Space Glider.  Members of the Micropolis Embassy, a Yahoo! Micronauts collector group, contributed beautiful full-page illustrations of them.  These artists were: Bryan "MicroBry" Wilkinson, Scott Elyard, Michael Jaecks, and Will Jones.  Embassy co-moderator Ray "AcroRay" Miller wrote the introduction, which you can see below.

Runner's Paradox was a 24-Hour comic, started at my brother Jeff's comic book shop, Commuter Comics, in South Orange, New Jersey.  In the terminology of 24-hour comics aficionados, it was a "noble failure" in that it wasn't finished in time, and never reached 24 pages.  I completed 18 pages in New Jersey, then went home to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and rested, then did 3 final pages on Sunday night.  It was probably a bit too ambitious for a 24-hour comic, considering the amount of information and detail I was trying to get in there.

The color tones were added later, of course, using Photoshop, as were areas of solid black.  There are song lyrics which appear between each row of panels; those are from my Paradox CD.  They were handwritten for the CD liner notes; as I did the 24-hour comic I pasted xeroxes of the lyrics into place.

Several years ago, I started an autobiographical Paradox comic that I eventually abandoned because the story proved to be too difficult to tell.  There were events that were too painful or embarassing to share with the world, and there were certain people that I knew would see the comic that I would rather they didn't.

I eventually realized I could get around this problem by using my character, Runner, from my Everwinds comic, in place of myself.  By hiding behind this character, I was able to tell the story.  I didn't feel obligated to depict the events exactly the way they happened, and since it was set in a fantastic environment, I was able to make some things more abstract.

Much like the award-winning Chemistry comic and CD Soundtrack, Runner's Paradox the comic was conceived as a companion for my Paradox CD.  You can get the CD with this comic by using BUY IT NOW.  You don't have to hear the cd to enjoy the comics, or read the comic to enjoy the songs, but if you put products together it will create a unique experience of sound, words, and pictures.
   

You can save money by combining shipping on multiple purchases.

PRAISE FOR RUNNER'S PARADOX:

“Wrapped in musical lyrics that tie into his Paradox Soundtrack CD recording,
Runner's Paradox is Steve Peters' charming graphic expression of longing, guilt, and unrequited love on the artist’s journey… through the veil of archetypal cartoon characters.” 
---David Mack
Kabuki, Daredevil, Se7en

"If you are one of the tiny percentage of human beings who deplore the hypnotic techno-media mass enslavement of modern consumer society, then you'll surely recognize something vital, spiritual, touching and very funny in Runner's Paradox and in the comics of Steve Peters. The rest of you, go back to your regular programming."
---Rick Veitch
Can't Get No, Rare Bit Fiends

"It certainly is innovative to combine a comic book and a CD in this way".
---Dave Sim
Cerebus

"I really liked Steve Peters' Paradox Soundtrack CD.  It's just like his comics.  Also, it reminds me of '80's Maryland/DC band 9353 and Victor Banana who did the Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron soundtrack.
---James Kochalka
American Elf, Super F*ckers