Finder

Finder is published by Lightspeed Press. Cover price is $2.99.

Last Issue

 * Finder #36: 11 May 2005

Current Issue

 * Finder #37: 7 Jul 2005

Next Issue

 * Finder #38: Sep 2005 - "Five Crazy Women"

Status
Final issue is #38. After that, chapters will appear exclusively on the Web, and then collected into trades.

Main Characters

 * Jaeger - Jaeger is part Ascian and has the duel roles of sin-eater and finder. A sin-eater either helps in absolving the wrongdoings of a person (literally eating the sin by way of blood), or takes the punishment for someone else's wrongdoing.  His status as sin-eater makes Jaeger an outcast among his people.  Ironically, his role as a finder makes him an exceptional human being, but a finder can never reveal his position.  Jaeger's duel roles cause him much conflict, but he has grown used to the life of a wanderer that is forced upon him by his status.  At some point, Jaeger went to prison and went through painful experiments, finally being released by taking on a low military position under the command of Brigham Grosvenor.  It was during this time that he met Brigham's growing family and also became involved with Brigham's wife Emma, a relationship he has continued on and off throughout the years.  In fact, Emma's family is one of the view groups of people that Jaeger has grow close to, although eventually he'll have a family of his own to care for.


 * Emma Lockhart - A member of the Llaverac clan, Emma fits the physical ideal very closely, but she pushed herself away from her clan by marrying a member of the Medawar clan, Brigham. During her years of marriage, Emma gave birth to three children: Rachel, Lynne, and Marcie.  When Rachel and Lynne were very young, the entire family moved outside their domed city to a militarily occupied area because of Brigham's position in the Medawar army.  Once there, Brigham slowly limited the movements of the family until he finally moved them away from the rest of the military families and forced them to live, day and night, in the basement of a small cottage.  Although Emma and the children eventually escaped and Brigham ended up in prison, the years of abuse, mental and physical, took their toll.  Emma, who as with most Llaveracs was never quite all there, has a tendency to retreat into her own mind during times of stress.  Despite her past difficulties, Emma has managed to cultivate a growing business, designing personal gardens for the rich cliental of the city (gardens are very difficult to keep alive in the dome), and providing a safe home for her children.


 * Rachel Lockhart - The oldest of the Lockhart children, Rachel has the best chance of succeeding in the clan-based world of Finder. Despite her mixed clan heritage, Rachel is very close to the ideal image of the Llaverac clan.  If she can gain acceptance as a full member of the clan, she'll be on the fast road to the best jobs, the best housing, etc..


 * Lynne Lockhart - Lynne is the only male in the Lockhart family. In the tradition of the Llaverac clan, Lynne has been raised as a female and is referred to as she.  Lynne also is the most obvious of the three children of mixed clan heritage.  Her hair hasn't changed black like most Medawars, so she dyes it.  She grows facial hair, but is also develping breasts.  Life is a bundle of contradictions for Lynne.  She works at a Medawar hospital and seems to be leaning towards the Medawar clan, but she will never be truely accepted in any group.


 * Marcie Lockhart - Marcie is the baby of the Lockhart family. The first thing she knew was fear as a toddler, as her father kept her family prisoner.  Even years later, she remembers the darkness of the basement.  It is possible that her past is the reason fro her constant sicknesses and frail state.  However, even with all her problems, Marcie is a fun-loving child who would like nothing more than to practice magic.  As she grows older, she will discover a love of books and become an owner of a book-covered cafe.


 * Magri White - Magri has an entire world inside his head, and, when he was little, his father found a way to profit from his mind: he opened it up to tourists. Now as an adult, Magri is one of the number one entertainment spots in Anvard.  After a trying time in which he faced his personal demons, he has taken control of his life and his family's business, and is building the sequel to the world inside his mind.


 * Vary - Vary is a teenager from outside Anvard who was given a sponsership to attend one of the most prestigious schools of prostitution in all the world. In the process, she has also begun taken classes at another Anvard university where she has fallen in love (or sympathy) with two professors  Zivancevic and Shar.


 * A.A. Zivancevic - Zivancevic is a very grumpy and very unapproachable professor who forbids his students to read any of the books he has written. Although gruff, he is friends with his fellow professor Shar, and comfortably annoyed by a student, Vary.


 * Hexoholoi Shar Shar is a male Laeske who works at a university in the city of Anvard.  He is friendly and kind, and perhaps too enthusiastic.  He works closely with Professor Zivancevic and is on good terms with Vary.

Minor Characters

 * Brigham Grosvenor - Brigham is a Medawar with all the looks and tendencies, but he broke tradition by marrying outside his clan to Emma Lockhart. It was soemthing that some consider romantic, but Brigham was too much of a Medawar and couldn't put up with Emma's Llaverac weaknesses.  In addition, Brigham was not quite stable.  After years of abuse at his hands, Emma left with their three children and Brigham was in jail.  Eventually, Brigham got out, still pining after his family even as he became more and more unbalanced.  Finally, Jaeger pushed him too hard and Brigham broke.  After a stint in the hospital where one of his children tried to kill him, Brigham was taken back to his family.  Unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately), Brigham was no longer there.  All that was left was a screaming invalid with not even enough mind to care for himself.


 * Ollie - Ollie is a friend and confidant of Vary's. Ollie also happens to be a construct; in this case, a humanoid dog.  While Ollie teaches classes at the university, as a construct, he can't actually be a professor and has a difficult time leaving the university grounds.


 * Jeannie (Xini) - a member of Jaeger's tribe, Jeannie moved to a big city and changed her name because she loves city music. Jaeger still keeps in touch with her.


 * Blythe - a holographic personal assistant, Blythe is available in multiple models and can be programed to provide various services. Because products are build to survive, Blythe is also programed it bug her owner for an upgrade.  Emma Lockhart and Magri White both own versions of Blythe.

Clans/Ethnicities/Species

 * Sylvan


 * Llaverac - the Llaverac clan favors conformity in appearance to an even higher degree than most other clans-- both genders, male and female, are held to the same standards. All members of the Llaverac clan have wavey blond hair, a slight build, and breasts.  The males' genitals retract inside their body.  All members of both genders are referred to as she.  The Llaverac have a reputation for being flighty.


 * Medawar - The Medawars are very strict and very harsh, and, as a result of the general attitude of the clan, the military and police force are dominated by this men of this clan. Female Medawars serve an equal role in the medical service.  Medawar life is deeply regimented.  All Medawars have black hair, and the men typically sport, at the very least, a thick mustache.  The women begin life with blonde hair, but around puberty the hair darkens to match males.  Medawar women wear their hair long, but braided tightly.


 * Ascian


 * Nymia


 * Laeske - The Laeske are not constructs. They are four-legged animals covered in feathers that vary in length and color depending on age and time of year.  During mating season, the male laeskes grow large feathers on their front legs that give them enough lift to take some weight of their legs allowing them to move faster.  If the male Laeske succeeds in mating, the large feathers stay for the rest of the year.  The Laeske are intellegent creatures that are able to speak human languages (in a manner similar to a parrot, only much more complexly) and live among humans.  It is not uncommon to see a laeske inside a domed human city.


 * Construct - Constructs are artifically created creatures with the appearance of humanoid animals. They are created with specific functions and possess severely limited rights in society.  Most constructs only have four digits on each hand, but some with certain jobs (like accounting) have five digits.  Constructs exist in many different varieties.

Places

 * Anvard - One of many massive domed cities. The Lockharts, Magri White, and Vary all live there.  Jaeger is a constant visitor.

Finder #37
This is the current issue, and therefore no story information will be posted about this issue. Please check your local comic shop for copies of this issue.

Sin-Eater

 * Jaeger visits Anvard, one of many large domed cities. There, he plays a dangerous game as he visits a family he knew during his military days- the family of his ex-commander, Brigham.  The family thinks Brigham, who is extrememly unbalanced, is locked away in jail, a place they want him to stay, but Jaeger knows something they don't: Brigham has been out of jail for quite some and is living in Anvard.  While Jaeger visits the family, he is also trying to manipulate Brigham into finally breaking down, so the city will lock him away again.  But Jaeger is risking too much that is not his to risk . . . . Collected in Finder: Sin-Eater Volumes 1 & 2.

King of the Cats

 * Taking what he thinks is a routine guard job for a religious caravan, Jaeger finds himself in Munkytown, the happiest place on earth! Or at least the happiest for the guests, for whom everything is carefully staged and engineered.  For several tribes of Ascians and a group of Nymia, however, their performace contracts are feel more like a trap.  Even worse, the death of the Nymian King eliminates all the pluses of the situation!  Collected in King of the Cats.

Talisman

 * Jaeger gave Marcie a book when she was little. It was her favorite thing in the whole world.  But her mother threw it out.  Now, Marcie is determined to find that perfect book- a talisman that will inflame her imagination.  Collected in Talisman.

Dream Sequence

 * Magri White has a whole world in his head and for a fee anyone can explore that world. But something is slowly tearing that world down, and the visitors along with it.  As Magri's worlds, inside and out, come crashing down, he must face his personal demons or lose complete control of his own life.  Collected in Dream Sequence.

Mystery Date

 * Vary has a crush. In fact, she has two crushes, on two teachers.  One is crotchty and strict and certainly not open to her affections; the other is fun-loving and open to her affections . . . he just happens to be a four-leggeded, feathered creature called a Laeske.  But Vary is determined to find her way to the hearts of both of these Professors, no matter what it takes!  Collected in Mystery Date.

Available Collections
Finder, vol. 1: Sin-Eater part 1 - Collects #1-7 WorldCat

Finder, vol. 2: Sin-Eater part 2 - Collects #8-14 WorldCat

Finder, vol. 3: King of the Cats - Collects #15-18 WorldCat

Finder, vol. 4: Talisman - Collects #19-21 WorldCat

Finder, vol. 5: Dream Sequence - Collects #23-29 WorldCat

Finder, vol. 6: Mystery Date - Collects #31, Mystery Date #1-2, and several short stories WorldCat

Finder, vol. 7: The Rescuers - Collects #32-37 WorldCat

Creative Team
Created, Written, and Drawn by Carla Speed McNeil

Order Codes
These are the order codes and prices as provided by Diamond Distribution. Your local comic shop should be able to order these for you.


 * JAN05 2858	FINDER #36	$2.95
 * APR05 3009	FINDER #37	$2.95
 * JUL05 2970	FINDER #38	$2.95

Future Publication Dates
Dates subject to change at the whims of the publisher or distributor. Please see the Diamond Shipping Lists for current information.


 * Finder #38: Sep or Oct 2005

Links

 * Lightspeed Press - Publisher's Website
 * Finder (comic)
 * Carla Speed McNeil