Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack Find New Home at IDW

The phrase “children of all ages” has never been more relevant than in 2013.  Long gone are the days when people “grew out” of cartoons and comic books; moreover, parents these days highly anticipate sharing with their children the fun and excitement of their own childhood fare and vice versa.  And San Diego comics publisher IDW is intent on being part of that equation.

At their IDW Kids panel yesterday at San Diego Comic Con, moderated by editor Sarah Gaydos, the publisher gave the rapt audience, an even mix of kids and adults, their first looks at their plans for the kids’ line in the coming year, and these looks were phenomenal.

First up was Canadian cartoonist Troy Little’s Powerpuff Girls.  Though the cartoon itself has been off the air for just about 8 years now, the fan base remains steadfast and loyal for the three junior superheroes from Townsville, created by Craig McCracken way back in the late ‘90s, when a lot of their current fans had yet to even be born.  Little, known for his more mature audiences work like Chiaroscuro, really brings not only his talents to bear but also his enthusiasm for the characters and the entire Powerpuff Girls cast.  Little explained that he attempted to do a very accurate interpretation of the original source materials’ style and just a glance at the preview pages can tell you he succeeded: It’s like the cartoons never left the air.  This six-issue mini-series (with fingers crossed that it will become an on-going series) will hit the racks in September, just in time for the new half-hour special planned to take the airwaves.  Mojo Jojo fans, rejoice.

Back when the first season of Samurai Jack was on the air, my girlfriend at the time was a little perplexed as to why I liked it so much, until she saw an episode and said, and I quote, “Oh, because it’s for 24-year-old boys.”  Children of all ages, folks.  Coming this October is IDW’s comic book version of my favorite cartoon of the 21^st century, Samurai Jack, written by Skullkickers’ Jim Zub and animator Andy Suriano, who did character design on the original show.  When Zub was discussing the book on the panel, his excitement to be working on the book was very evident, and I certainly am jealous that he gets to write villain Aku’s over-the-top purple prose, certainly one of the best parts of the show.  Unlike the Powerpuff Girls book, Samurai Jack  has a bit of a different feel; the preview pages and covers shown are a little more loose in their interpretation, but still very recognizable as Jack and still very, very good.  When you’ve got a guy like Chew’s Rob Guillory turning in a variant cover, you know you’re in good hands, and for the strict traditionalists, show creator Genndy Tartakovsky will also be doing a variant.  So again, here’s hoping this 5-issue series will be extended to on-going status after it begins in October.  Jack fans, rejoice.

On top of all of this new material, IDW is also going to be repackaging the original Cartoon Network comics that DC published back between 1999 and 2001.  And of course, there are many other top-notch books coming out from IDW, such as KISS Kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New Animated Adventures, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman in a prequel to the forthcoming DreamWorks animated film. So there really will be a wealth of material for all the former 24-year-old children to share with their current younger children and to keep the tradition of cartoons and comics alive and well.