Welcome to planet Heist, the cutthroat capital of the Nehring System and home to billions of the worst people in the galaxy. The Pan-Galactic government has no idea what to do with the planet. Enter conman Glane Breld and his band of thieves, who have their own ideas about what to do with Heist—steal it! The stage is set for issue #1 of Heist, or How to Steal a Planet.

Brought to you by Eisner-winning writer Paul Tobin (Bandette, Plants Vs. Zombies) and artist Arjuna Susini (Made Men, The Replacer), the science fiction tale is described as “Ocean’s Eleven in space.” Colorist Vittorio Astone (These Savage Shores), letterer Saida Temofonte (Livewire) and designer Tim Daniel round out the creative team.

“I did not grow reading stories about space. Science-fiction, true science-fiction, was rarely represented in the stacks of reading material next to my bed. Looking back, I honestly can’t tell you why this is,” said Tobin in a statement. “The vast majority of what I read in my youth was garnered from the boxes upon boxes of various garage and estate sale ‘treasures’ my grandma Steinberg would haul back to her farm in upper Iowa. I’d sort through those boxes or delve deep into the precarious stacks in the rooms of her house, or the various barns and other out-buildings, sometimes batting away wasp nests in my quest for Mad Magazines, superhero comics, Harvey comics, Creepy and Eerie magazines, and endless novels with buff men clutching swords while lissome women posed provocatively. But… there was little in the way of books about space. There were other worlds, to be sure, but they were all in the class of fantasy worlds, like those of John Carter romping his way across Mars. It seems that the Iowans of my day, or at least the Iowans who held garage sales, did not buy science fiction books.”

Tobin added, “Maybe it was Star Wars that changed the public mindset, but I never really got into Star Wars, and Star Trek was only amusing, and so as I grew up to be a writer I never planted my character’s feet on foreign planets. It just wasn’t in my nature. But things change. The Triton stories by Daniel Torres entered my conscious. As did the world of Blade Runner. And then, finally, I was asked to help write a huge crossover combining Prometheus, Aliens, and Predator. And so my characters finally put their feet on alien soil. Okay, make that ‘my’ characters, but… still. The point is; it was FUN. And I was playing Mass Effect. And IT was fun, too.”

The writer began exploring the idea of space stories, but not just space battles and aliens. The heart of the tale is always the people, and everything else is a backdrop. Coupled with his love for great heist stories, Heist, or How to Steal a Planet came to life.

“Space was just a background where any type of story could take place. Romance. Adventure. And, of course, stories about con men,” Tobin said. “Let’s go big. Let’s pull a BIG con. Let’s steal a PLANET.”

Issue #1 of Heist, or How to Steal a Planet is due to hit comic shops on November 6. Readers can also look for a Vault Vintage B cover by Nathan Gooden and Tim Daniel, featuring an homage to the cover of Love and Rockets #1. Keep checking Vault’s website for more info.

Heist, or How to Steal a Planet Heist, or How to Steal a Planet Heist, or How to Steal a Planet

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