Arctos Comics publishers of the popular webcomic Orion the Hunter, announced an upcoming title today. “Belter” will be a weekly webcomic updating on Thursdays beginning in March.
Like Orion the Hunter, Belter is science fiction set 230 years into the future in the decade following a devastating inter-species/interplanetary war. Unlike Orion, which is set on the fringes of the Federation, Belter’s is set in the Asteroid Belt of the Terran system on Ceres Station. Right in the heart of “civilization”.
“Ceres Station is like the port of New Orleans,” explained VanMeter. “Everything coming in or out of the Terran System passes through Ceres, loading on or off the big FTL ships that handle the long haul runs out to the colonies. Asteroid miners, dock workers and spacers. mixed with a lot of transients make up the local population. Its a tough crowd.”
The story follows Detective Constable Conlin O’Donal, a police analyst and computer hacker who often solves crimes without leaving his console. “O’Donal is an unlikely hero. A brilliant investigator, he was broken by a botched undercover job 20 years past. Now he suffers debilitating panic attacks, “ said VanMeter. “He’s framed for murder because he stumbles on to something way above his pay grade. To save himself (and a great many others), he’s forced to try to become the man he once was once again.”
Belter will be written by VanMeter, with art by newcomer Karl Altstaetter (http://komickarl.deviantart.com/gallery/). “I’ve been really lucky to find collaborators like Joe Querio on Orion the Hunter and now Karl for Belter.” commented VanMeter. “His preliminary designs for O’Donal are great and show a real flare for the subject matter. This one will be every bit as good as Orion, but with a distinctly different feel.”
Character Designs by Karl Altstaetter
