Gold Key superheroes return developed by Jim Shooter
Old-school Valiant Comics fans rejoice. Jim Shooter is joining forces with Dark Horse Comics to again work on Turok, Doctor Solar, and Magnus Robot Fighter. Also included in the announcement was Mighty Samson, a former Gold Key character.
Dark Horse plans to develop new comic books and graphic novels with these characters, with Shooter as the head writer. Shooter wrote many of the classic Valiant Comics issues of “Solar” and “Magnus.” Further characters and writers are yet to be announced.
“It’s great to be at Dark Horse, working with Mike Richardson, world-class creator, honorable gentleman and industry powerhouse,” said Jim Shooter in a release. “It’s great to be reunited with Magnus, Solar, Turok, Samson and the other wonderful Gold Key properties. The opportunity is tremendous and the time is ripe. Let’s do it.”
Shooter was editor-in-chief of Marvel for a nine-year tenure that was responsible for hits including Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men. Shooter launched Valiant Comics in the early 1990s.
“Jim and I share a great affection for these terrific characters. We have some very exciting ideas on how to introduce them to a whole new generation of fans.” said Mike Richardson, president of Dark Horse Comics, in a release.
I don’t know the legalese of whether these characters can be based on their Valiant counterparts, or if this will allow reprints of the Valiant material with these characters. Obviously, some of the Valiant properties have been reprinted recently by the new Valiant Entertainment, which is also involved in bringing the Harbinger property to the big screen. Anthologies of the original Turok, Magnus and Doctor Solar are currently available from Dark Horse.
Following are descriptions of the characters from Dark Horse’s release.
Turok®
An original comic book hero, Turok is best known today for a successful video game franchise boasting more than five million units sold since the first game was introduced in the 1990s. The legend of the brave and ruthless dinosaur-hunter has lived on for more than thirty years in comic book series from Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics and Valiant. Anthologies of the original classic comics are now available from Dark Horse Comics.
Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom
Doctor Solar must find a way to become normal again after surviving an explosion that leaves him with the power to control atomic energy. When danger and disaster threaten the innocent, Solar leaps into action as the “Man of the Atom.” One of Gold Key Comics’ most popular titles in the 1960s, the original nuclear-powered superhero reached legendary status by the 1990s in new comics from Valiant. The original classic comics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.
Magnus, Robot Fighter
Haling from the year 4,000 A.D. is the stalwart hero of humanity, Magnus, Robot Fighter. These gripping adventure stories, in which a human who battles evil robots in the sprawling futuristic city of North Am, elevated the comic book medium when they debuted in the 1960s from Gold Key Comics, and captured the imagination of millions in new comics published thirty years later by Valiant. The original science-fiction classics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.
Mighty Samson
A popular Gold Key Comics character from the 1960s and 70s, the post-apocalyptic adventures of Mighty Samson are set in the land of N’Yark, an earth devastated by nuclear war. Amazingly large and strong, Samson uses his mutant strength only for good-and to protect his friends, Sharmain and Mindor, responsible for saving his life.
Turok, Son of Stone; Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom; Magnus, Robot Fighter and Mighty Samson are part of the Classic Media portfolio of properties. For more information, please go to: www.classicmedia.tv.
- Matt Price
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Comments
Snerk snark snork, so this is what Richard Corben was satirizing when he did Mangle, Robot Mangler (1972)
http://63.247.139.165/~deppey/messboard/viewtopic.php?p=74042&sid=4dd498ea1b7a5e74eb9f852d35a2d069
This sounds pretty cool. I have always wanted to get into Turok.