Whether or not those radical “business in the front, party in the back” haircuts of the ‘90s, which spawned nicknames like the Camaro Cut or Alabama Waterfall, will ever come back in style is highly debatable.
But despite the urge to forget all about those outdated barbershop blunders, Image Comics is confidently doubling down on retro pop culture and embarrassing fashion fads with a newly remastered collection of writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson’s old “Space-Mullet” webcomic that’s scheduled to hit bookstore and comic shops on July 9 and July 10, respectively.
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The award-winning Warren has been on a hot streak lately in the competitive comics industry with his rebooted flagship “Transformers” series for Image selling an astonishing 150,000 copies on its first printing for the premiere issue. He also scored a coveted Eisner Award for Best Teen Publication last year for the well-received wrestling adventure series, “Do a Powerbomb.”
Now Image is resurrecting the prolific creator’s cult webcomic, “Space-Mullet,” in a deluxe reprinted collection that features remastered lettering and includes a never-before-printed chapter of Warren’s gritty project, which began over a decade ago.
Here’s the official synopsis of this intergalactic odyssey:
“Ex-Space Marine Jonah and his co-pilot Alphius rove the Galaxy, just trying to get by. Drawn into one crazy adventure after another, they forge a crew of misfits into a family that must face the darkest parts of the universe together. ‘Space-Mullet’ is a richly detailed, accessible sci-fi world with heartfelt characters and an unforgettable story.”
This new trade paperback gives fans of material like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Firefly” a nostalgic glimpse back to the nascent days of Warren’s career in comics and offers up a rowdy tale of unlikely cosmic heroes simply trying to survive in the universe without causing too much mischief or damage.
“When I started ‘Space-Mullet,’ I had just quit my steady teaching job, had no money, and DEFINITELY no work in the comics industry,” said Johnson. “This book was me throwing everything I had at trying to prove to the comics world I could make something special. The pages are humble, but are a huge foundation for what made me the artist I am now. See proto-DWJ come to life in these pages!!!”
Image Comics’ “Space-Mullet” TPB arrives at local comic book shops on July 10 and at all major and indie bookstores a day earlier.