On Wednesday, the folks at BOOM! Studios and comic artist and The Goon creator Eric Powell shared a teaser that let us all know without actually telling us that Jack Burton is back. The hero of Big Trouble in Little China, which one brilliant and handsome person thinks is the greatest movie ever made, it seemed was finally coming to us in comic book form, and possibly more, depending on what the vague words “more news” referred to. We were promised the details in an announcement today, and it looks like our prayers for a best case scenario were answered.
First and foremost, there was some news that doesn’t involve the awesome Kurt Russell movie from 1986. BOOM!’s big news was that DC Comics veteran Paul Levitz is joining the studio’s Board of Directors, and he’s very excited about the direction and limitless promise of the company. Who wouldn’t be excited about more Big Trouble in Little China stories?
“Boom is an interesting company in an interesting time,” Levitz said, adding that its success in having titles jump the divide into film is indicative of the “creatively fertile” wave across the industry.
“The comics medium has broken out of its boundaries in America. I’ve been involved with comics as a fan and a professional in so many different jobs for about 45 years now, almost,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any period in comics that has been as creatively fertile as we are now.” (Via the AP)
That 45 years remark is amazing because the guy is 57 years old, and I’m sure he’s not counting his years of shouting at friends for bending the corners on the issues in his personal collection as a job. Levitz’s addition was undoubtedly the biggest announcement at BOOM!’s ComicPRO presentation today, but it hardly dwarfed the additional news that the studio has added a first look deal with Cartoon Network on its newest series. And then there’s the most important stuff – the Big Trouble in Little China news.
Not only is Powell on board to write the new adventures of Jack Burton, but the series will be drawn by Brian Churilla. If you’re like me, you’re probably worried that BOOM!’s deal with 20th Century Fox ultimately means that the success of this series will lead to a film reboot, but if that does happen, it should help us all sleep knowing that John Carpenter is on board as an “active consultant.” What a beautiful Friday this turned out to be.