Jonny Quest: For adventure-lovers who watched Saturday-morning cartoons during the 1960s, this show from Hanna-Barbera is a high point. From 1986 to 1988, the now-defunct Comico published a series of comics based on the original show. And just as the classic JQ TV series was the tops in animated fun in 1964, the Comico series latched onto the elements that made the original broadcast episodes standouts among children's television entertainment: adventure; mystery; thrills in exotic settings; evil villains.
These are the same elements of great adventure storytelling that have stood the test of time from the novels of Robert Louis Stevenson to the Scorchy Smith comic strip and on to the Jonny Quest comic book.
The folks at Comico were smart, pulling together creators who were expert at the adventure genre. And clearly, these creators had a love for the original TV show. The comic captured the same effervescent spirit that informed the TV series.
The first issue is a classic all by itself: A wrap-around cover by JQ creator Doug Wildey; a story written and drawn by Wildey ("The Sands of Khasa Tahid"); a pin-up by Steve Rude; an interview with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera; a pin-up by Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley; a story written by William Messner-Loebs, drawn by Steve Rude, inked by Mike Royer, and colored by Matt Wagner ("City of Time Lost"); a pin-up by Bill Willingham and Terry Austin. That's a lot of fun jammed into a single issue priced at $1.50!
The list of creators who contributed to subsequent issues reads like a Who's Who of Quality Comics Work roster: Wendy Pini, Joe Staton, Dave Stevens, Tom Yeates, Al Williamson, Ken Steacy, Tim Truman, Dan Spiegle, Bill Sienkiewicz, Murphy Anderson, Carmine Infantino, and more.
The stories relied on the sort of interaction among its cast that marks the best pulp-series tales. Fans felt a familiarity with the characters, and enjoyed the sorts of stories presented in the comic's pages. Pulp fans can see facets of Doc Savage in Dr. Quest's scientific intelligence, in Race Bannon's tendencies toward action, in Jonny and Hadji's love of mystery and adventure.
You can sometimes find issues of this series on eBay, at Mile High Comics, as well as at your local comics shop. Check 'em out. They're great fun for the fan of pulp-style adventure.
Links:
You can search the Things From Another World site to find Jonny Quest comics and VHS releases of the cartoons. Visit TFAW.com for the galaxy's biggest selection of comics, toys, apparel, videos and DVDs, and much more!
The Classic Jonny Quest
This site features everything that a fan of the original TV series wants to know about JQ, and includes an interview with JQ creator Doug Wildey, from Amazing Heroes magazine # 95, and another from Comics Feature # 30 and # 31.
Yesterdayland
This site features info on the JQ television series as well.
The Forgotten Art of Doug Wildey
Although Wildey is known primarily today among fans for his animation work, this online article covers Wildey's career in comics -- which spanned five decades!
The ComicArtVille Library
This site provides a nice index to the comicbook work of Doug Wildey.
Loston Wallace
Wallace is an artist who has done work for the role-playing industry as well as the DC Comics Licensing Department. His site lists Doug Wildey as one of his influences. The info he provides about Wildey includes the tidbit that Wildey began his professional career by drawing for pulp publisher Street & Smith! So there you go -- Jonny Quest really does have pulp genes!
G.I. Combat
All sorts of influences went into Doug Wildey's creation of Jonny Quest -- his work for the pulps, for comics, and for the animation industry. Here's a page of Wildey art from one of DC Comics' great stable of war comics.
Lambiek.net
A brief bio of Doug Wildey.
Posted by ds at November 27, 2002 12:29 PM
I have read with interest most of the articles about Doug Wildey that are posted on the internet. Back in the late 50's early 60's my husband and I were friends with Doug and Ellen and their two daughters Deb and Lee. In fact we baby sat Deb while Ellen was having Lee in Tucson Ariz. We lost touch with the Wildeys. I would like to get in touch with Ellen if you could direct me to her. We were very sorry to read that Doug died at what we consider a young age.
Any information you could furnish would be much appreciated. Thank you
Posted by: Evelyn Reincke at May 7, 2003 01:02 PM
