“He was once a little green slab of clay. Gumby! You should see what Gumby can do today. Gumby!” Everyone’s favorite animated green clay humanoid is joining the Pop! family. Bring home Pop! Gumby and you’ll have the adventure buddy of a lifetime.
The beloved pop-icons, the groovy Gumby and the eternally-cute Paul, appear together again in “The Sour Note!,” in the newest issue of the Gumby comic, released this week at comicbook stores throughout North America. Paul makes a special visit stateside to see his old friend Gumby to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of their fab first encounter. It seems like only “Yesterday,” when the two legendary pop stars first met, but actually the two musicians haven’t been together since 1967. Here, looking straight out of the 60s, Paul rocks his signature haircut with his everlasting message of peace pinned to his paisley lapel and looks as if he hasn’t aged a day. Gumby, ever green, is as flexible and fun-loving as ever. The two might seem like an odd pairing for a comicbook, but as one of Paul’s friends said once, “let it be.”
Of course were talking about, Gumby the green clay boy and the piano-playing pop star Paul Plunk. Art Clokey’s beloved clay creation, Gumby, has entertained children for generations. Paul Plunk first appeared in “Piano Rolling Blues” in December 27, 1967.
Although he had a bit role, his appearance resonated with fans. The long-awaited reunion story, “The Sour Note!,” written and illustrated by Mike Kazaleh, features Gumby, joined by two other notable (no pun intended!) Clokey creations, Henry and Rodgy. They all visit Paul Plunk for advice on dealing with a sour note. Gumby’s band, “The Clayboys,” also make a fun cameo appearance in the same issue, in the story “All That Nin-Jazz,” where Gumby and his pony pal Pokey attempt to become stealthy ninjas.
Today’s new comic book day! What do you plan on getting? What’s on your pull list? Sound off in the comments below. While you wait for your shop to open, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
Around the Tubes
Washington Post – Some of the newest cookbooks look like comics. But does that work for readers? – We’ve been liking this trend!
The Architect’s Newspaper – This graphic novel aims to shape Chicago’s next generation of city planners – This is absolutely amazing.
ICv2 – ‘Codenames: Marvel’ Revealed – This could be lots of fun to play.
Around the Tubes Reviews
The Beat – Gumby #1
Papercutz has released a Gumby short story by Eisner and Harvey Award-winning cartoonist Kyle Baker, in advance of its new Gumby comic book series debuting on July 5, 2017. Baker’s story entitled “Model-Ty Crew” appears in Gumby #1, alongside a 10-page story by acclaimed writer Ray Fawkes and artist Jolyon Yates, a five page story by writer and editor Jeff Whitman and New York Times bestselling artist Jolyon Yates and a cover by Rick Geary. Upcoming issues will include contributions from a wide array of acclaimed children’s and young adult graphic novel creators, including Art Baltazar, Gregory Benton, Eric Esquivel, Veronica and Andy Fish, Sholly Fisch, Ryan Jampole, Jolyon Yates, Jeff Whitman and others. Each 32 page, $3.99 issue will feature a lead story and a five-page backup story, which will provide the opportunity for high profile creators to try their hand at the adventures of the “little green ball of clay.”
The all new Gumby comic books and upcoming graphic novels are the result of a recently announced partnership between Papercutz and Premavision Inc which allows the children’s graphic novel publisher to create new material based on the hit Gumby. Premavision also recently announced development of a new Gumby television series (in partnership with the Jim Henson Company) and plans for a feature film are also in the works.
Papercutz will collect the first three issues of the Gumby comic as a graphic novel, in both hardcover and trade paperback editions, on November 7, 2017.
