“Gotta get back, back to the past. Samurai Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack.”
Those are words to the theme song of the Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Samurai Jack, which aired 52 episodes on the Cartoon Network from August 10, 2001, to October 29, 2004.
I was gripped because the stories more closely resembled anime than American cartoons, and I do love my variety.
Well, there’s good news for me and other Jack fans: IDW is beginning a new comic based on the series, and the first issue will hit local comics shops this Wednesday, October 23!
Here’s the comic’s description: “Battling against the forces of evil and the oddities of the future, Samurai Jack’s stoic journey is not over yet, in fact, it’s just beginning! The long wait is almost over as the fan-favorite series is set to make its IDW debut this October! Through a partnership with Cartoon Network Enterprises, IDW will create and distribute a series of comic books being released monthly. A cult-classic and fan-favorite of the highest order, the popular and acclaimed animated series from Cartoon Network pitted a feudal Samurai known only as Jack against the ancient demon wizard, Aku. Displaced in time, Jack was made to traverse a strange landscape of the future to find his way back to his own time.”
Like the series, the initial issue is filled with battles and surprises. Jack continues to seek a way back to his original time, and that now means locating what’s called the Rope of Eaons. Jack must rewind its separated threads together into its original form. If he can do that, he can rewind his place in time.
Of course, no quest of this magnitude is easy. Immediately after learning about the Rope, Jack is thrust into a gladiator forum run by Dreezun, a spider-like being who had one of the threads in his web. Jack must choose which one of five gladiators he will fight. I have to say, his choice is an unexpected one, and the battle ensues.
What I enjoy most about this comic written by Jim Zub of Skullkickers fame and with art by Andy Suriano is that it’s faithful to the series. In fact, my mind was seeing animation flow from panel to panel, which shows how good the comic is! Suriano, who designed characters for the show, discussed revisiting the cult-classic character via press release: “Returning to Samurai Jack is such a personal experience and labor of love for me. It’s like stepping through a time portal back to characters I know as friends and a world that really launched my animation career.” “Samurai Jack is an irresistible mix of high adventure, comedy and mythic storytelling,” said Zub.
Samurai Jack #1 comes with a “slew” (the technical term) of different covers. If you enjoy collecting various covers, be sure to be on the lookout for them. I liked them all, actually!
If you miss the show or just enjoy samurai adventures, I highly recommend you get into this comic! It’s like Jack never left!
Check out one of the three covers below:
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