Jay Ward’s timeless creations are coming back to the comic book world thanks to the good folks at IDW Publishing. The comics publisher, along with DreamWorks Classics and Bullwinkle Studios have joined forces to bring Bullwinkle J. Moose, his pal Rocky, The Flying Squirrel, the nefarious no-goodniks Boris Badenov & Natasha Fatale, and the rest of the gang to comic shops nationwide beginning this fall.
The festivities will begin with a new series based on Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which is timed to coincide with the theatrical release of DreamWorks Animations’ eagerly anticipated 3D feature film of the same name, which hits theaters on March 7, 2014.
The Rocky & Bullwinkle comic series will follow in early 2014 and will feature the expanded roster of characters, including Frostbite Falls favorite sons, their aforementioned nemesis (nemesi? nemeses?), and others including Dudley DoRight, Snidely Whiplash, and the Fractured Fairytales Players.
“Jay Ward’s characters and concepts are landmarks in animation storytelling, and they remain as funny and relevant as ever,” Greg Goldstein, IDW Publishing’s President recently said. “We’re thrilled to add these brands to our ever-growing list of all-ages titles.”
Bullwinkle and his friends were the brainchild of Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Scott (with Scott voicing the heroic, and slightly misguided moose). The series changed the way cartoons were received in the late ’50s and early ’60s, as each story appealed to both children and adults, with Ward’s clever use of topical humor and puns speaking out on real social issues of the time, all the while entertaining kids with animated animals and ridiculous situations. The classic television series has been hailed as one of the biggest inspirations to Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, among others.
IDW has yet to assign a creative team to the two new series, but in the meantime, there are plans to publish reprints of the classic comics based off of Jay Ward’s creations, much like they have done with the recent Judge Dredd Classics reprints, which brought the UK Dredd stories to a new audience.
Animation Fascination 