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Exclusive First Look: Chuck, the Comic Book
Chuck comic book art courtesy WildStorm/ DC Comics
Chuck is about to become a comic book — and it'll leave the NBC series shaken, not stirred. "Since we can do absolutely anything in a comic book, we're going to take Chuck Bartowski out of the confines of the Buy More store and put him on crazy, globe-trotting spy adventures a la James Bond," says co-writer writer Peter Johnson (who is also co-writing Supernatural: Rising Son, another TV-to-comic adaptation). The six-issue series, from DC Comics imprint WildStorm, kicks off June 11 with a plot that finds the computer-repair geek "at the big, bad high-tech Supermax prison in Tokyo where he'll confront all the villains he's helped put away in the series," says Johnson. "We'll also send him to Rio and Moscow. It's what would happen if Chuck was a $300 million Hollywood blockbuster."
The no-rules approach will also allow Johnson to mess around with time. "The comic will go back and explore Chuck and Morgan as kids," he says. "We'll see what Chuck and Bryce were like in college. We'll do Bryce and Sarah spy stories." The series will also flash-forward to "a speculative, alternate universe kind of future in which Chuck and Sarah are married." But it's also au courant. Adds Johnson: "The first comic in the series has a very timely tie-in to politics and, quite possibly, the next president of the United States."
Each issue will further expand on the Chuck mythos with a short backup story — one of which will be written by the series star Zachary Levi. "It's an actor's dream come true," Johnson says. "For once Zach will be able to write his own dialogue!" — Michael Logan
Read the first five pages of issue No. 1 here, here, here, here and here.
To find a comic-book store in your area call 1-888-COMIC BOOK.
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May 19, 2008 9:56 AM
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Although I'm both a comics fan and a Chuck fan, I've been skeptical about the need for a Chuck comic. However, since it's only 6 issues and sounds like they're using it to explore things that they can't on the show, I think I'll check it out. Thanks for the news!
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May 19, 2008 10:41 AM
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Like other comic series (ala Buffy The Vampire season 8) I'll wait for the graphic novel - for financial reasons. But it looks OK, but not the best IMHO. But we can only see 5 pages and that might very well be deceptive.
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May 19, 2008 11:50 AM
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"...a plot that finds the computer-repair geek 'at the big, bad high-tech Supermax prison in Tokyo where he'll confront all the villains he's helped put away in the series'..."
Ummmm....that's odd.
Last August, it was announced that preliminary development had begun on a new movie titled Super Max, described as follows (from the website www.cinematical.com):
"Pic will apparently center on the Green Arrow being wrongfully accused of a crime; he's then sent to a Super Max prison, stripped of his secret identity and forced to live amongst a slew of the same DCU [DC Universe] villains he helped put away."
Sound familiar?
Either the movie has quietly been scuttled (and the plot recycled), or Peter Johnson and his co-writer have some 'splainin to do.
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May 19, 2008 12:35 PM
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I wonder whatever happened to the My Name Is Earl comic book that was announced at the San Diego comic convention two years ago. I thought that was a great idea!
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May 19, 2008 1:07 PM
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I don't remember hearing about that one!
Are you sure that wasn't just a stomach-flu-induced hallucination, Gord?
 
I know what you mean, though. I've been waiting 10 years for that Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer comic book.
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May 19, 2008 1:22 PM
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http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=77287
This link takes you to the insert that advertised the comic book inside the season one DVD of MNIE.
I think the Secret Diary of Desmond Puhfeiffer has been retooled. It's now the Pushing Diaries of Desmond Puhfeiffer.
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May 19, 2008 2:08 PM
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"Pic will apparently center on the Green Arrow being wrongfully accused of a crime; he's then sent to a Super Max prison, stripped of his secret identity and forced to live amongst a slew of the same DCU [DC Universe] villains he helped put away."
Sound familiar?
Yes-a similar thing happened a few years ago to Marvels' Arrow-guy, Hawkeye!
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May 19, 2008 2:45 PM
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That's interesting! Another one of those announced projects that mysteriously never materialized! (Thanks for the link!)
I think the Secret Diary of Desmond Puhfeiffer has been retooled. It's now the Pushing Diaries of Desmond Puhfeiffer. - TV Gord
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Wow! Talk about two totally opposite ends of the quality spectrum!
It's good to see him in a successful show again (probably his best role ever, as far as I'm concerned)!
Yes-a similar thing happened a few years ago to Marvels' Arrow-guy, Hawkeye! - Mr. Furley
So, you mean this Chuck thing is a rip-off of a rip-off?!? Yikes!
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May 19, 2008 2:50 PM
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We in Canuckistan didn't get UPN back in 1998, so I never got to see Desmond Pfeiffer, but I am glad he went on to better things. (Of course, if there were blogs back then, there would be umpteen people threatening to never watch television again because it was cancelled!
My favorite role of his was the principal on Boston Public. I still miss that show! Remember when they did a crossover with The Practice, even though they were on different networks? David Kelley sure managed to get away with a lot back then. Dyan Cannon also played the same judge on Fox's Ally McBeal and ABC's The Practice (no mention of her "wattle" on The Practice, though. Hee hee!
I'm having a nostalgia fest today. It's a holiday here and I've been watching the Mary Tyler Moore Show reunion on Oprah. Great, great times!
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May 19, 2008 3:16 PM
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...there would be umpteen people threatening to never watch television again because it was cancelled! - TV Gord
And another umpteen saying, "They never gave it a chance! They keep crap like Seinfeld on the air, and cancel all the good shows!"
That's why this time of year grates on my last nerve -- you have to hear people bellyache about the (completely justified) cancellations of (at best) mundane or (at worst) outright lousy shows.
This year's misguided causes include Moonlight, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, October Road (thank God that one is finally gone for good), Women's Murder Club (the title alone is just so pandering), Men in Trees (sorry -- I know a lot of people liked it).
No great losses for the world of television in that bunch -- but there are hundreds of people around here curled up in the fetal position and foaming at the mouth who say otherwise.
My favorite role of his was the principal on Boston Public. - TV Gord
I liked him on that, too, but his role on Pushing Daisies blows that away!
Remember when they did a crossover with The Practice, even though they were on different networks? - TV Gord
Yes, and the crossover between The Practice and Ally McBeal. The Practice also did a crossover to the short-lived Gideon's Crossing. ("They didn't give it a chance! Yada yada yada....")
Weren't there a couple of judges (other than Dyan Cannon) who appeared on both Ally McBeal and The Practice? Seems like there were, but I don't have time right now to spiral down into an IMDb wormhole.
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May 19, 2008 4:20 PM
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"Either the movie has quietly been scuttled (and the plot recycled), or Peter Johnson and his co-writer have some 'splainin to do."
Well, speak of the devil!
The movie hasn't been scuttled. Here's a semi-detailed breakdown of the story and the DC Comics villains who will appear in the Green Arrow/Super Max movie. WARNING: That article contains LOTS of spoilers.
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May 20, 2008 11:10 PM
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