The classic stop-motion character “Gumby” will be rebooted in a series of comic books that will reflect different periods of the character. The character will notably enter the digital age after having been revived various times over the past decades.
The creator’s son is involved behind the scenes
Jeff Clokey, who is the son of the character's creator, Art Clokey, had made a deal with the publishing company Papercutz to develop the upcoming series. The format of the comic features a standard 32 pages for each issue. Each book will contain two ten-page stories and a five-page "back-up" story every issue.
While little is currently known about what kinds of stories that Gumby will appear in, the released cover implies that the series will explore the various incarnations the character has gone through over the years. Joining Gumby himself on the cover, the characters of Tara and Pokey can be seen standing beside him. Pokey, a red pony who serves as Gumby’s sidekick, is one of the earliest characters of the franchise, having first appeared in 1957, while Tara, a love interest for Gumby, was a character introduced in the 1995 release, “Gumby: The Movie.”
The comics will also honor the character’s anniversary
Papercutz publisher Terry Nantier hinted at having the best of both world’s by obtaining the rights to use the famous green character, saying that he was both “one of the great kids’ properties” who also "certainly has a lot of adult fans."
Little is known about the creative team.
The first issue is scheduled to come out by July 19. Added to that, the release is also meant to honor the character's 60th anniversary.
The character originated in the 1950’s, intended as a spin-off of Clokey’s short stop-motion film, “Gumbasia.” Inspired by the fairy tale character of “The Gingerbread Man,” the “Gumby” character first appeared in animated segments of the “Howdy Doody” children’s series.
Proving popular, the character was spun-off into his television series, which gained revivals over the decades, and his own film mentioned above in 1995. In popular culture, the character had also become known through a “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which he was played in live-action by comedian and actor Eddie Murphy, who played a decidedly adult version of the character.
