Jonny Quest Classics (1987) #1-3 by Doug Wildey
This mini-series adapts three episodes of the Jonny Quest animated show — and the adaptation is done by Doug Wildey, who was the guy who created these characters and wrote most of the shows back in the 60s. So that’s nice and unusual.
The issues have a classy look — the covers use a stiff, heavy stock, and the interior pages are cream-coloured.
If the above introduction had been a wikipedia page, I think there’d be a [citation needed] behind the Rio description “it has been described by many as one of the finest western comics ever produced”. Possibly?
It’s an interesting look — we have painted backgrounds, kinda impressionistic-looking, but with very appealing colours. And then we have the characters that don’t altogether look like cartoon characters, but almost? It’s a kinda Alex Toth-looking line… or Milton Caniff? But coarser than both of them. I’m not quite sure that the mix totally works, but it’s interesting.
As usual with Comico books, we get 26 interior pages… and it’s one episode per issue, so the plots seem rather rushed. Like the condor/dog adventure there was apparently quite long originally, but was compressed to one page here.
The plots are… er… well, they’re pretty standard plots? Not bad, really. But these issues do feel quite rushed.
We also get several pages of interviews with Wildey in each issue, and these are really quite interesting.
Hadji’s origin story — he saves Dr. Quest’s life, so they kinda adopt him? Sure, why not.
The plot in the second issue can’t really be called a plot — it’s a series of coincidences strung together until you have a sufficient number of minutes of animation.
The third issue is also nonsensical, but there’s more of an actual plot there.
Wildey explains that Jonny’s hairdo was a failure on Wildey’s part.
So… not a very exciting mini-series, but perfectly pleasant reading. And very, very different from the Bill Messner-Loebs-scripted regular Jonny Quest series.
Amazing Heroes Preview Special #5, page #66:
Jonny Quest debuted as a primte-time
animated television entry in 1964. Jonny
Quest premiered as a regular comic book
series from Comico last year. And now,
both genres of Quest tales meet in Jonny
Quest Classics, a three-issue limited
series which adapts a trio of Jonny’s TV
episodes to comics form.
Comics and animation veteran Doug
Wildey, who created the characters for the
memorable Hanna-Barbera series, is
producing both the script adaptations and
the painted illustrations for Jonny Quest
Classics.
After issue #1’s “Shadow of the
Condor” and #2’s “Calcutta Adventure,”
the third and concluding issue (out in
July) features “The Werewolf of the
Timberland.” It pits Jonny and crew
against a hairy, snarling beat (no, it’s not
Magilla Gorilla). The story takes place in
the wilds of Canada, where a gold smug-
gling operation spells adventure for our
heroes.
Comic Book Marketplace #110, page #76:
More than twenty years had passed since the original run
of Jonny Quest, but Wildey was both surprised and pleased
to discover that he didn’t have to refit the character designs
for the 1980s.
“They managed somehow to still look contemporary,” he
noted. “I kept the characters and updated the story.”
For the kickoff, Wildey wrote and drew a new adventure,
“The Sands of Khasda Tahid.” It was received so well Comico
asked him to adapt three of his favorite episodes for their
Jonny Quest Classics.
“They’re not particularly favorites,” he admitted. “I
selected the three stories-‘Shadow of the Condor,’
‘Calcutta Adventure’ and ‘Werewolf of the Timberland’-
only because of the palettes used on three different locales.”
The same painterly approach that had worked so well on
Rio made Jonny Quest crackle with excitement. And for the
first time, Wildey had complete creative control over the
final Quest product.
At that time, interest in Jonny Quest was high. The new
animated series was so hot, Hollywood was talking about a
Jonny Quest live-action movie. But Wildey was left out of all of it.
Previously, Wildey had attempted to re-launch the
character on TV. He explained the premise this way:
“Jonny Quest grows up, Hadji grows up, Race gets older,
etc., but basically we continue about young Dr. Quest who’s
twenty-two years old and who has graduated from M.I.T. or
whatever, and we’d carry on from there.”
After Young Dr. Quest failed to get off the ground, Wildey
lost interest in the character’s animated possibilities, and saw
Jonny Quest Classics as his farewell to the beloved boy hero.
“Other than a movie,” he confessed, “if I’m lucky enough
to get consulted, this will probably be the end of my
participation in Jonny Quest.”
Comics Scene Volume 2 #1, page #64:
“They’re not particularly favorites,” he
notes. “I selected the three
stories-‘Shadow of the Condor,’ ‘Calcut-
ta Adventure’ and ‘Werewolf of the
Timberland’-only because of the palettes
used on three different locales.”
Color choice is critical to these books
because Wildey colors directly onto his
original art, which is then laser-scanned.
Even though Jonny Quest is Doug
Wildey’s brainchild, he doesn’t involve
himself in the regular comic book series,
which is being written by Journey’s
William Messner-Loebs.
“I’ve left him strictly alone,” Wildey
says. “I talked with Loebs once, but I
never make any criticisms or contribu-
tions to the writing. Loebs’ approach is
heavily into plotting the series along the
lines of science fiction. That’s the only
way you could go when you get down to
it. The stories I’m doing are more direct
in the sense of adventure and trying to
keep the original show’s flavor.”
Similarly, Wildey keeps his distance
from the new animated episodes. “I’ve
seen one half of one of the new shows,”
he comments. “It wasn’t a world-beater,
by any means. It was just another product
to be licensed out of a huge studio.”
Wildey was approached to work on the
new episodes, but never reached an
agreement with Hanna-Barbera.
Four Color Magazine #2, page #15:
Comico has announced a new Jonny
Quest three issue mini-series coming
in 1987. Entitled Jonny Quest Classics,
the series will be illustrated by veteran
artist Doug Wildey, the man responsi-
ble for setting the design and look of
the original television series.
“The reaction we got from Doug’s
story in the first issue was ridiculous,”
said Administrative Director Bob
Schreck. “People just kind of scream-
ed at how good it was and how much
fun they had reading it.”
The series will be full-color adapta-
tions of three of Wildey’s favorite
episodes from the original series. Each
issue will feature 26 pages entirely
produced by Wildey.
The first issue, slated for next sum-
mer, features a story entitled,
“Shadow of the Condor.” According
to Schreck, the story evolves the
Quest team having to ditch their plain
over the Andes. They land on a moun-
taintop “where a retired Nazi war
criminal is hanging out.” The story
culminates with Race Bannon in a
dogfight with the aforementioned war
criminal.
The other two stories include
“Calcutta Adventure” and “The
Werewolf of the Timberland.” The
first deals with the introduction of Haji
to the Quest team, while “Werewolf”
has the team going to Canada to crack
a gold smuggling scam.
Schreck added that a possible back-
up feature to the mini-series would be
an interview with Wildey himself. “It
would recount what was going on in
Doug’s mind while he was doing the
series,” said Schreck. In particular,
Schreck said the interview would
focus in part on Hanna-Barbera’s addi-
tion of Bandit to the cast for comic
relief and how Wildey responded to
the addition.
“We are very happy to be able to
present such a package and are thrill-
ed to be working with Mr. Wildey on
this project,” said Diana Schutz, editor
in chief. “I’d say we’re in for a real
treat with this one!”
The Slings and Arrows Comic Guide #2, page #355:
Doug Wildey adapts three episodes from the original Jonny
Quest cartoon series ‘Shadow of the Condor’, ‘Calcutta’
Adventure’ and ‘Werewolf of the Timberland’ (‘The
Invisible Monster’ can be found in Jonny Quest 30). Wildey’s
art is, as always, top notch, but the material he’s adapting
doesn’t have the depth or resonance of the stories written by
William Messner-Loebs for the ongoing Jonny Quest
title.~WJ
It was nominated for a Ruben Award.
This series has never been reprinted or collected.
I’m unable to find any reviews of the series, but there’s this:
It’s a shame Wildey didn’t adapt ALL of the JQ television episodes into comic book form…in this final “classics” installment, we travel to the Canadian wilderness in another fine offering. And in part three of the interview with Doug Wildey, we learn about JQ’s television character voice actors, a bit about Wildey’s fascination with the wild west, and even about how Jonny got his hair!