Stuart had never been this excited about anything in his store—not a vintage collectible, not a rare figure, not even the time Wil Wheaton accidentally walked in while looking for a bathroom.
But today?
Today he was glowing.
Because on the front display, front and center, spotlight angled just so, sat a single, freshly printed, beautifully bound copy of:
Starfall Valkyrie — Issue #1
Exclusive Print Edition
By: Elisabet Eiríksdóttir
The laminated placard under it read:
FIRST LOCAL PRINT!
SIGNED… I mean, in theory, if the artist ever shows up!
LIMITED RUN COMING SOON!
Penny wanted to die.
In a cute, dignified way.
Maybe collapse poetically between the Funko Pops and the half-price anime DVDs.
Raj gasped dramatically the moment they walked in. He whisper shouted, hitting Howard's shoulder in the progress, "Dude. DUDE. She's doing printed issues now."
Howard whistled low. "That is one classy cover. Look at the line work! Look at the shading! Look at—good God, look at the price, Stuart!"
"It's art," Stuart sniffed. "You can't put a value on art."
"You literally did," Howard pointed out. "Twenty-nine ninety-five."
"ART," Stuart repeated.
Leonard leaned close, squinting at the display. "It's even better in person. Wow."
Penny was sweating through her shirt.
Then Sheldon stepped forward.
Hands behind his back. Chin high. Entire presence radiating that peculiar holy reverence he reserved for his most sacred interests.
He stared at the printed issue for a long, silent moment.
Then:
"It is… exceptional."
Penny's heart imploded.
Sheldon continued, voice calm but earnest:
"The line precision is masterful. And the coloration work—whoever Elisabet is, she understands luminosity and astral composition at an unusually technical level."
"Oh?" Penny squeaked.
Sheldon nodded. "Her depiction of plasma filaments in Issue #2 was particularly accurate. Rare, considering most artists draw stars like glitter bombs."
Raj snorted. "Dude, you're her biggest fan."
Sheldon shrugged. "I appreciate competent science."
"Competent?" Stuart said, puffing up. "She's a genius."
"Indeed," Sheldon agreed.
Penny wondered if it was possible to have a stroke at her age.
While the others admired the display, Leonard drifted toward her.
"Hey," he whispered. "You okay?"
"Me? Totally! Normal! Calm! Well-hydrated!"
Leonard blinked. "You're vibrating."
"No I'm not."
"You're actually vibrating."
She stopped. He was right. Her leg was shaking like an overclocked engine.
"Huh," Penny said weakly. "Weird."
Leonard looked from her… to the display… then back.
Suspicious.
Slowly forming hypotheses.
Oh no.
Oh NO.
She needed to redirect him immediately before he discovered her secret identity using his single brain cell pointed in the right direction.
"Leonard," she said in a hushed voice, "did you know milk expires faster when you stare at it?"
"What? That's not—"
"Go check your fridge."
"But—"
"Right now."
He went.
Thank God for her sheer force of chaotic will.
---
Later that night, Penny checked the forums.
She shouldn't.
But she did.
And it was wild.
Thread: Who IS Elisabet Eiríksdóttir???
Top theories:
1. Scandinavian Prodigy
"Her name is definitely Icelandic. Maybe she's like 19 and already a star-mapping PhD?? Iceland produces absurdly talented artists."
2. Secret NASA Consultant
"No normal comic artist draws accretion disks that accurately. She's either a physicist or dating one."
Penny almost choked.
3. Reclusive Prodigy With Social Anxiety
"Stuart from Pasadena says she's super private—maybe a hermit genius type?"
4. Hidden Industry Veteran
"The brushwork looks like someone who's worked in animation. Maybe she's been in the field longer than we think."
And then, her favorite:
5. 'Elisabet' might be more than one person.
"The Sentinel character feels like he was written by someone who intimately understands physics AND introverted personality structures. Could be a duo of creators."
Penny slammed her laptop shut so fast the hinge yelped.
A duo.
Sheldon would combust if he ever learned people thought he was secretly co-writing a comic with her through vibes.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: User emotional spike detected. Cause: theoretical public identity exposure. Recommendation: steady breathing.]
"Not helpful," Penny hissed.
---
Back at the apartment, Leonard finally returned from checking his milk.
"It was fine, Penny."
"Of course it was," she said sweetly. "But could you really take that chance?"
Sheldon sat on the couch, scrolling articles.
"Apparently," he announced, "the internet believes Elisabet is either Scandinavian, a scientist, or multiple people."
Penny coughed violently.
Raj laughed. "Imagine a secret team of Icelandic physicists drawing comics in their basement."
Howard grinned. "Whoever they are, they rock."
Sheldon nodded in solemn agreement.
"Yes. They do."
Penny melted into the cushions, face burning.
If this got any more intense, she was going to have to wear a paper bag over her head whenever they visited Stuart's.