Writer David Pepose is still in the midst of his acclaimed Space Ghost comic run at Dynamite, and now he's turning his attention to rebooting another classic cartoon superhero into a modern comic: Captain Planet, which will arrive this Spring through Dynamite, the same publisher as Space Ghost. And frankly, the new Captain Planet, seen here with his smashing beard, is… kinda hot?
Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an early '90s smash-hit cartoon in which a group of teen heroes from around the globe wielded elemental powers, summoning their champion Captain Planet to help them fight pollution, as embodied in colorfully eccentric villains such as Verminous Scum, Duke Nukem, and Hoggish Greedly.
Though Captain Planet is often seen as a relic of the '90s, with his original cartoon having been canceled way back in the halcyon days of 1992, the character's ecological message sounds particularly timely given modern concerns about climate change. And just like Pepose did for Space Ghost, he and his co-creator on the series, artist Eman Casallos, are aiming to bring Captain Planet squarely into the 21st century with a modern comic spin.
This includes an updated look for the eponymous hero, designed by Casallos, that chops off his notorious green mullet into a much more fetching 'do that has him looking more like Chris Evans than Joe Elliott. He's seen here along with the new designs for the Planeteers by series artist Eman Casallos, along with a gallery of covers for Captain Planet #1 showing off his new look, including covers by Mark Spears, Christian Ward, and Ben Oliver, along with the first of six connecting covers for the series' first arc by Jae Lee and June Chung. And for good measure, there are a few interior pages too:
"Every comic creator has their own personal white whale — that singular property they’ve been itching to make their mark on — and for more than a decade Captain Planet has been mine," says Pepose in a statement.
"Red-hot superstar writer David Pepose (Space Ghost, Cable) fuses his powers with artist Eman Casallos (Vampirella, Pathfinder) for the first comics series starring Captain Planet in over three decades," reads Dynamite's official announcement. "They're kicking off the story with an energized, yet faithful modernization of the franchise, in the same vein as Pepose's approach to the smash-hit Space Ghost series."
"Before these would-be eco-warriors can grasp their own newfound powers in pursuit of environmental justice, they're first going to have to learn to trust each other," it continues. "It will be even more of a trial by fire experience when Gaia is kidnapped, forcing the inexperienced Planeteers to learn in action against the well-financed might of Lucian Plunder. Their first test against the ruthless exploiters of Earth won't be the hardest, but it all starts here!"
Lucian Plunder seems to be the updated version of original villain Lootin Plunder, whose name is of course a play on "loot and plunder," his favorite things to do as a cartoonishly evil capitalist.
Captain Planet #1 goes on sale in April.
Space Ghost made the list of the best comics of 2024.
