10 Comics Worthy of an ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT-Style Comeback

By <a href=http://www.twitter.com/Newsarama>Newsarama Staff</a> If you pay any amount of attention to entertainment and pop culture news (and since you're reading this site, the safe bet is that you probably do), you've no doubt heard that Fox's beloved cult favorite sitcom Arrested Development looks to be returning to TV for a 10-episode stint, before a movie hits theaters. Of course, as fans as the show know, talk of a movie has been going on for years since the last scene of the final episode in 2006, actually and nothing has materialized yet. But as Facebook and Twitter enthusiasm shows, this time it looks like it's actually happening, unless someone's made a <a href= http://www.hulu.com/playlist/295>huge mistake</a>. So riding this unprecedented wave of fan positivity, we here at Newsarama thought it would be fun to look at what comic book series deserve a similar comeback. And like Arrested Development, these are mostly acclaimed underdog titles that were before their time and didn't get a fair shake from a mass audience. <a href= http://youtu.be/S5BMQ-xpTog>Come on!</a> Click "start here" in the upper-left corner for 10 comics worthy of an Arrested Development-style comeback. Got a comment? There's lots of conversation on Newsarama's <a href=http://www.facebook.com/Newsarama>FACEBOOK</a> and <a href=http://twitter.com/newsarama>TWITTER</a>!

ABADAZAD

CrossGen's Abadazad has already been rebooted and canceled again but both times, the book's never had a chance for the story to gain much momentum. Short version: In the last months of CrossGen, the homage to L. Frank Baum's original Oz stories was launched and got great reviews for J.M. DeMatteis' lyrical writing and Mike Ploog's lush art. Then CrossGen went under, taking the series with it after only a few issues. But wait! Disney bought the rights to the CrossGen properties, citing Abadazad as the major reason behind their acquisition. A new line of prose/comic hybrids got a huge launch... ...then were canceled again, with the third book only appearing overseas. Disney now owns Marvel, which in turn owns the CrossGen properties, and has done a number of acclaimed relaunches of their books. DeMatteis has repeatedly indicated his interest in returning to the characters. If Marvel and Disney want to get a piece of that sweet Harry Potter money, they could do worse than allowing Abadazad to relaunch preferably in its original comic form, or as a series of original graphic novels. And at least let it get through a full storyline this time. (Zack Smith.)

SOLO

Unlike every other series on this list, Solo was an anthology, and a unique one at that: The DC book focused on a different comic book artist in each issue, letting them tell pretty much whatever type of story they wanted with whatever characters in the DC library they saw fit. In its two-year run, Solo brought acclaimed names including Tim Sale, Darwyn Cooke, Mike Allred and Sergio Aragonés into the fold, winning three Eisner Awards in the process. The project was overseen by DC art director Mark Chiarello, who was also behind the similarly unconventional Wednesday Comics. With a seemingly endless supply of artists fans would love to see get the Solo treatment, and Chiarello promoted late last year to VP Art Direction & Design at DC, a revival of the concept would nicely diverse the publisher's New 52 offerings. (Albert Ching.)

SOJOURN

The second CrossGen title on our list is Sojourn, which helped ignite the career of current Uncanny X-Men artist Greg Land. Originally written by Ron Marz, it was one of the most popular titles at the now-defunct publisher. Seeing as how Marvel has had recent success reviving Ruse, Sigil and Mystic with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Route 666 on the way a return to Sojourn seems inevitable, especially given how HBO's Game of Thrones has made adventure fantasy cool with mainstream audiences. Even if Sojourn doesn't pick up where the unfinished series left off (no Marvel CrossGen book has), a new volume would give Marvel their own sword-and-sorcery title, and with the first installment of The Hobbit in theaters December 2012, why not get ahead of the game? (Albert Ching.)

GHOST

For a dead woman, Dark Horse's Ghost had a lot of life to her. Conceived as part of the west coast publisher's "Comics' Greatest World" superhero line, Ghost was a devoted beat reporter that had been brutally murdered but unbeknownst to her killers, she was brought back as a spectral avenger. Brandishing guns not unlike classic pulp hero the Shadow, the Ghost was an art-deco crime drama that wasn't above providing good girl art to boot. The series became the longest-running of all Dark Horse's super-hero titles, lasting for 59 issues, not including crossovers with Hellboy and Batgirl. It was a hotbed of future comic starts, from original series artist Adam Hughes to later stints by Terry Dodson, John Cassaday, Ivan Reis, Jason Pearson and Doug Braithwaite. The writer who wrote most of the issues, Eric Luke, came from a screenwriting background, penning the early 80s flick The Explorers. Ghost's last issue came out in the final months of the 20th century, and not a peep has been heard much from her or any of her Comics' Greatest World counterparts. She might not be around anymore, but can a ghost really die? (Chris Arrant.)

AGENTS OF ATLAS

Agents of Atlas fits almost perfectly into the Arrested Development mold: The series was beloved by pretty much everyone who read it, yet was chronically plagued with low sales. Compared to much of Marvel's superhero offerings, it also had its own distinct style with cast members like Gorilla-Man, you know things are going to be a little quirky. It's also refused to die: a 2006 six-issue limited series was followed by two ongoing series, which ended after 11 and five issues, respectively. That didn't stop the team, who then showed up in Fear Itself: The Home Front. And like Arrested Development, which was the singular vision of creator Mitchell Hurwitz, each incarnation of Agents of Atlas was guided by writer Jeff Parker. Sure, he's busy now with Hulk and Thunderbolts, but there's definitely a community of fans who would welcome a return to Agents of Atlas if not in their own series, then perhaps as guests in one of those ongoings. (Albert Ching.)

HOURMAN

There have been three different Hourmans (Hourmen?) in DC history, and for the purpose of this list, we're interested in the third: Matthew Tyler, a time-traveling android from the 853rd century. First introduced in Grant Morrison and Howard Porter's game-changing JLA run, the Hourman of the 853rd century starred in his own 25-issue solo series written by Tom Peyer. The book depicted his relationship with perennial sidekick Snapper Carr, who helped him relate to modern-day humans. A cult favorite character and series, this Hourman has been dormant for years if The New 52 could bring back nearly forgotten '90s character Resurrection Man, why not Hourman? (Albert Ching.)

NEXTWAVE

Much like Arrested Development, Nextwave is a comedy. And much like AD, the creative talent behind Nextwave seem open to returning to the series if circumstances allow it. Of course, the Nextwave creative team writer Warren Ellis and artist Stuart Immonen are a pretty busy crew. Ellis is writing Secret Avengers and a host of projects in and out of comics, and Immonen is wrapping up Marvel event series Fear Itself. But Nextwave, which ran from 2006 to 2007, was something very different than anything else Marvel put out, as evidenced perhaps most clearly during Fin Fang Foom's rampage where he threatens to put Meltdown from X-Force in his pants. Fans still ask about Nextwave at Marvel convention panels, continuing hope that the stars align so more of the comic is produced. In the meantime, the book's influence is still regularly seen at Marvel Legion of Monsters writer Dennis Hopeless <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/comics/legion-of-monsters-dennis-hopeless-110831.html>recently told Newsarama</a> that his portrayal of Elsa Bloodstone was based on the character's depiction in Nextwave. (Albert Ching.)

QUANTUM AND WOODY

When Acclaim/Valiant's Quantum and Woody was coming out, the book's non-linear style alienated some readers kind of like how Arrested Development's mockumentary format turned off some viewers. In both instances, those people really missed out. Christopher Priest and M.D. Bright's Quantum and Woody was the highlight of Acclaim's Valiant relaunch, a superhero odd couple buddy comedy that also packed plenty of pathos when needed. (There was also a goat.) With a restructured Valiant returning to publication in 2012, Quantum and Woody is probably the book fans want to see return the most, and though it may seem unlikely now, a world where Arrested Development can return to TV is practically a world where anything is possible. (Albert Ching.)

CHASE

If ever a comic series deserved to be considered for an Arrested Development-style comeback, it's DC's 1990s ground-level look at the DC Universe, Chase. Not only does it match the Arrested Development model of being criminally underrated at the time while beloved by those in the know, but in artist JH Williams III, it also has a star who went on to bigger things as evidenced in his current gig, co-writing and drawing the high-profile Batwoman on a monthly basis. (Writer Dan Curtis Johnston, however, has been sadly silent for the most part since the series' cancellation.) Chase's problem may have been that it was ahead of its time. The attitude it took towards the DCU was echoed in later books like Gotham Central, and despite the series only lasting 10 issues, main character Cameron Chase has refused to go away, appearing in various Secret Files and Origins one-shots, as well as series like Manhunter and Batwoman. Chase was always a series too good to go quietly, and one can only hope that with a collected edition finally coming this December, enough people buy it to make DC consider reviving the series and letting Cameron return to investigating the super-powered colorful characters of the DC Universe on a monthly basis. After all, someone should try and make sense of The New 52, shouldn't they? (Graeme McMillan.)

RUNAWAYS

At some point in their lives, every kid thinks their parents are evil. As it turned out for this group of family friends, this was actually the case. Luckily, as they discovered their supervillain parents were The Pride, Nico, Gert, Alex, Chase, Karolina, and Molly came together to be the coolest non-team team this side of the Silver Age. The brainchild of Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, Runaways have run through three short volumes (18 issues, 30 issues, and 14 issues, respectively), plus a few miniseries and guest appearances, but are sorely missed by their dedicated fans. This was a book where teenagers looked, acted, dressed, and talked like teenagers. It was a book with a predominantly female cast, and real-world problems with a fantastical back drop. Appropriately enough for the book in our No. 1 spot, it started in 2003 the same year Arrested Development debuted on Fox. Unfortunately, the book never quite took off the way Marvel hoped, and only declined after Vaughan and Alphona left it behind. Of course, now that BKV is coming back to the comics world after some time off, maybe impassioned fans can get their wish. Until then, the Runaways can be seen currently in Daken: Dark Wolverine and at least some of the cast will be featured in Avengers Academy when the school moves out to the west coast with November's issue #21 as good a springboard to bring back Runaways as any. (Lucas Siegel.)