Some creative worlds begin with a single idea. Others begin with an obsession. For the enigmatic duo Sarah and Mike, known internationally as HamWeg, this passion project began as something deeply personal, imagination made tangible.
In this exclusive feature, Ethan Caldwell of World Comic News sits down with Sarah and Mike to talk about how the HamWeg Galaxy evolved, which characters surprised them most, and what awaits fans in their first book, Adventures of the HamWeg Galaxy.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: Welcome to World Comic News. Your first book, The Adventures of the HamWeg Galaxy, featuring thirty short stories will be released on May 15th.
I truly couldn’t put down the advanced copy you sent me! What inspired you both to create the HamWeg Galaxy, and how did the idea evolve from trading cards into a full book of short stories?
Mike “Weg”: Thank you Ethan, we are so excited to talk about the HamWeg Galaxy and our first book.
Our galaxy was born from wanting to bring the characters in our imaginations to life in a unique and meaningful way.
We were inspired by the things we loved growing up — comics, pulp stories, and Greek mythology. Using four-inch custom action figures, we created more than three hundred unique and distinctive character trading cards. It was almost a calling to continue the stories on the back on the trading cards.
Sarah “Ham”: I think all of us, at some point, tell ourselves stories about our toys. We wonder who they are, what their lives are like, what their backstories might be. When Weg began building his own action figures, it felt natural that stories would follow. Writing full stories seemed like too much at first, so the trading cards became our way in. Slowly, those cards became the first book.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: The origin story of HamWeg Galaxy feels fittingly mythical not a brand strategy, but an imaginative playground. HamWeg did not just invent characters, they gave them dimensions to inhabit, then listened as those characters came to life.
This book explores events before and after the trading cards. How did you decide which stories to tell, and what surprised you most as you expanded the galaxy?
Sarah “Ham”: What a great question Ethan. There were characters we were naturally drawn toward, and those were the ones we most wanted to spend more time with. But there were also characters who maybe didn’t shine quite as brightly on the cards as we hoped, so we wanted to revisit them. One of the biggest surprises for us was how much we came to love the ODEA character and that ongoing saga. That story became very close to our hearts, and it felt right to expand that part of the universe.
Mike “Weg”: It may sound funny, but choosing who to write about was easy because their stories haunted our imaginations and demanded exploration. It was nice to rediscover a few characters that we hadn’t explored in a while.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: That idea of characters haunting the imagination until their story is written says a lot about how HamWeg builds its world. This is not a galaxy assembled from detached lore. It is a living narrative space, shaped by curiosity, passion, and love.
The HamWeg Galaxy features a wide range of characters, from mystics to warriors to cosmic heroes. Which character or stories do you feel fans will connect with the most, and why?
Sarah “Ham”: I really enjoy the Ghost characters, and I think fans will connect with them because they’re part of a continuing legacy. There’s something fascinating to me about revisiting different parts of a timeline and seeing how that legacy keeps unfolding.
Mike “Weg”: Two stories, The Trials of the PaleFang and For The Love of Stone stand out to me. They explore loyalty through two very different lenses: sibling rivalry and romantic love. Those stories really show what we were trying to do with this book, giving our characters new depth and meaning.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: Your answers reveals one of the most compelling things about the HamWeg Galaxy, loyalty, rivalry, romance, and legacies are not side tropes in the galaxy. They are the currents moving beneath the action.
Across these stories, there’s a blend of magic, technology, history, and mythology. What defines the HamWeg Galaxy?
Mike “Weg”: Gosh Ethan, that is a hard question to answer. We wanted to share entertaining stories that were character driven and gave the reader a sense of adventure, romance and mystery.
Sarah “Ham”: I agree with Weg. I think at the core, many of our stories are about redemption and second chances, all wrapped in an action-adventure feel. I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid, and these stories carry some of that same energy of character-building, action, and a little romance.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: That balance may be the secret of the HamWeg Galaxy. It reaches for the epic, but it never loses sight of feeling. The stories can move between myth and technology, history and fantasy, but their heartbeat remains recognizably human: fallible people, dangerous choices, and the hope of becoming something more.
Thank you both for joining me today, and sharing what drives the creative force behind the HamWeg Galaxy.
Sarah “Ham”: It was a real pleasure meeting you Ethan and thank you for being a fan of our characters in the HamWeg Galaxy.
Mike “Weg”: Thank you Ethan, we hope you have an amazing rest of your day.
Ethan Caldwell, World Comic News: On May 15th, for longtime fans of the trading cards, the Adventures of the HamWeg Galaxy book is a chance to go deeper than ever before. For newcomers, it is an invitation into a galaxy where ancient myth can collide with pulp adventure, where heroes share space with mysterious mystics, and where every character seems to carry the possibility of another chapter.
HamWeg Galaxy Library 