Cartoon Network Crossover Causes Cosmic Calamity

Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Ben 10 And More Unite In The ‘Super Secret Crisis War’!

San Diego, CA (February 28, 2014) – When an unstoppable evil spreads across the universe, heroes across time and space will be summoned together to face a threat that none of them could have possibly dealt with on their own. In Super Secret Crisis War!, the fate of the universe will depend upon a stoic warrior, a kid hero, a mad scientist, a fearsome trio of lab experiments, and… Ed, Edd and Eddy?!?

This June, the heroes of some of Cartoon Network’s most popular shows will join together at IDW for this all-ages, mega-colossal crossover where worlds and characters collide like never before! Written by the legendary Louise Simonson, the six-issue event will feature the herculean heroes going toe-to-toe against the nefarious nemeses Aku, Vilgax, Mandark, Mojo Jojo, attempting to thwart their conniving conquest.

"I love writing group books! So obviously, Super Secret Crisis War! is my dream job!" says series writer, Simonson, "Even researching the series is fun—who doesn’t love watching cartoons!? Especially excellent, award-winning cartoon series like Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Ed, Edd, & Eddy. But the very best part is seeing the art and design so beautifully realized by the wonderful Derek Charm. Fun characters, great artist, and a really fine editorial team at IDW!"

Art and cover duties will be handled The Powerpuff Girls writer and artist Derek Charm. Each issue will also feature a subscription cover by The Powerpuff Girls writer and artist, Troy Little that combine to form one massive image, so make sure to collect them all. Additional variants by top artists including Katie Cook (My Little Pony) will also be available for this special event.

The beloved Cartoon Network franchises at IDW have brought back the nostalgia for old fans and introduced a whole new audience to the amazing creations by series creators Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack), Craig McCracken (The Powerpuff Girls), and Man of Action (Ben 10).

And starting in July, the madness expands! Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Johnny Bravo, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Cow and Chicken will all take center stage as they join the madness of the Super Secret Crisis War in their own one-shots. Written by Ivan Cohen, Kate Leth, Erik Burnham, Scott Peterson, & Jim Zub, respectively, each one-shot will tie in to the Super Secret Crisis War showing the full scope of the looming threat.

With all of these classic characters sharing the page, the universe will never be the same!

IDW Partners With Cartoon Network

IDW Publishing has announced their partnership with Cartoon Network to publish comics based on some of their beloved characters. IDW is home to properties such as Ghostbusters and G.I. Joe. You can read the full press release here.

Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack stand out to me. I'm no stranger to the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, so I'll be looking out for that book. The Powerpuff Girls have seen comic book action before with a 70-issue run published by DC Comics from 2000-2006. Ben 10 and Samurai have also touched comics as well, but in a much more limited fashion.

This connection not only means the return of franchises enjoyed by people of all age groups, but it will also impact the state of comics designed for kids. We're in an age when many publishers want to push gritty and mature books and it leaves younger readers behind. The industry needs to do all it can to bring in new readers, especially younger ones. While there are comics geared towards younger fans, they don't often get as much press. And sometimes they're just watered down and corny. The series announced are based on quality, enjoyable characters and stories. There's no denying those cartoons were aimed at children. Even with that said, if your story attracts viewers of varying demographics, you know you have quality storytelling. This of course works for comics as well.

Going back to demographics, we need to look at young girls. If IDW pulls it off, they can pull in plenty of new, younger readers with the Powerpuff Girls. I don't say that to mean this will act as a gateway book, but hopefully the book will stand on its own merit. Here are three young, strong female characters with distinct personalities and can kick butt with the best. Obviously they're more than that, I'm just making the point that there's plenty there for kids, especially girls to connect with.

It's too early for release dates to be announced, but I'll be covering some of the news, so stay tuned for updates. Which series are you excited about? Which series do you hope will be announced?