Automatic Publish will release the Spectrum comic miniseries based on the show-within-a-show web series Con Man, launching with a free issue #1 on Free Comic Book Day.

The four-issue comic series will be written by Con Man writer/director/star Alan Tudyk and novelist/producer PJ Haarsma, with art by Sarah Stone (Transformers).  The FCBD offering is not a preview or sampler but the full first issue.

The comic will chronicle the adventures of the canceled show, Spectrum, which sees an alien force decimating the Earth, and last hope of humanity, Captain James Raaker, taking to space in an untested spaceship.

“In the world of Con Man, Spectrum has given my character Wray Nerely a huge fan following,” Tudyk said. “A comic book is the best way to tell the story that ignited that fandom. It’s the serious sci-fi story, inside the comedic story, told inside a comic book that is sold inside comic book stores. Every good Con Man needs a comic.”

The Vimeo web series Con Man centers on Wray Nerely (Tudyk), who, much like the real life actor, starred in an untimely cancelled sci-fi cult hit program. The actor has struggled to find work since then, while his co-star Jack Moore (Nathan Fillion) has gone on to stardom.  Wray has a huge fan following among Spectrum  (Firefly) fans, so he tours the con circuit as a convention guest to make ends meet, while his friend lives the a movie star  lifestyle.  The show is a fictionalized account of behind-the-scenes antics in the world of fandom.