Jonny's Comic Book Quest!

When Jonny Quest first hit the national airwaves it sparked a good deal of interest and exactly one comic book, predictably from Gold Key.  The story they chose to adapt is the very first one to air, The Mystery of the Lizard Men. This is one of my favorite episodes, it's perfectly paced. According to what I've hear Double Danger was the first episode produced. I'm a little skeptical of that since the latter has Hadji in it and the the story about lasers in the Sargasso Sea does not, the only episode which doesn't.

There is no indication at GCD who produced this one-issue Quest fest, but if you like to read it for yourself, it's available online thanks to the Dojo's very good friend Britt Reid. Just follow this link for Part One, then this one for Part Two and then wrap it all up with Part Three.

There's no doubt to my eye that Jonny Quest creator Doug Wildey produced the artwork for this back cover for the effort. Too bad they didn't get Wildey to the do the front cover as well.

But there was a Jonny Quest comic book series, it would just take a few decades to arrive. More on that tomorrow.

I do not know why after so many years that Jonny Quest finally at long last got a comic book series, but thanks to the little company Comico he did. And it's a cracker too. Doug Wildey was involved deeply with the early days of the strip, drawing amazing covers and even giving Quest fans three lush and beautiful adaptations of vintage Quest episodes in Jonny Quest Classics. Oh that he had been able to do a comic adaptation for all of the original twenty-six, but I'll enjoy what I have in all its beauty and be thankful.

The main comic book was handled by a who's who of comic book talent from the era with covers by Dave Stevens, Ken Steacy, Dan Spiegle, Ernie Colon, Wendy Pini, Carmine Infantino and others gracing the comic. The interiors were done for the most part by the team of Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley. I'll confess that at the time their offbeat and kinetic style was not my ideal of how to present the Quest universe, but over time I have more and more appreciated the light and fresh approach they brought to the book. They managed to tap into the luster of Wildey's world without mimicking it in a mawkish or constrictive way. The series ran for several years, thirty-one regular issues with two special editions. All of it had at least a mote of the classic Quest magic and it opened the Quest universe up in a number of creative ways. It's astounding that these comics have never been reprinted in any way, especially in a world in which nearly all comics have been reprinted. They certainly deserve to find a new audience. For now, we have only the back issue bins. Me, I was lucky enough to be there when they arrived on the stands and I was savvy enough never to let them leave. They are worth the quest.

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