Yondu has the Guardians of the Galaxy movies to thank for making him a new kind of star, but he'll be going it alone in his new Marvel series--being promised as a space adventure far too grimy for your standard superhero.
The character of Yondu Udonta began as one of Marvel's original Guardians of the Galaxy, but that version and the MCU's reinvention have little in common. As testament to the re-imagined outlaw created by James Gunn and Michael Rooker, the MCU version of Yondu has taken over the role in Marvel Comics--first in a supporting role with the Fantastic Four's Future Foundation, and now in his very own solo series. A story that the book's storytellers are eager to tell to a new generation of Yondu fans.
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The announcement via ComicBook confirms Yondu #1 will be written by writers Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson (Cable, Age of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men) and artist John McCrea (The Boys). And from Nadler's description, it sounds like Marvel is giving free rein to flesh out the beloved, but not too well known space outlaw's story:
Yondu is such a unique character because so many readers know him from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and yet his story is almost completely undefined in the comics. He’s a blank slate... Zac and I really wanted to stretch the limits of who we are as creators with Yondu, so we’re pushing ourselves to completely new places, which I think will take a lot of readers by surprise. We’re mostly known for writing horror stories, but this book is a full-on comedy crime book with neo Western elements. It’s unlike anything we’ve tackled before. Working with John McCrea has been completely surreal. We are such big fans of his work on books like Hitman and The Boys, and getting to collaborate with a veteran like John is a pipe dream realized.
A crime comedy sounds like the tone and humor of the MCU's Yondu is alive and well, and co-writer Thompson confirms that it probably won't be the Ravager's tussles with cosmic superpowers making up the bulk of his adventure. Instead, Yondu is going to do what he does best: make some money doing bad things to worse people... in some of the nastiest places in all of Marvel's Cosmic Universe:
We’re giving readers a street-level space book within the cosmic Marvel Universe. Yondu is filled with jokes on every page. We’ve had an absolute blast writing the series and have laughed until we’re in tears every time we come up with a new scene. However, we wanted to bring a depth to Yondu that readers will appreciate. There’s a lot in this book that’s completely new. New planets, new reveals, new characters, and new adventures. Yondu is carving out a brand new pocket of Marvel cosmic and he’s leaving a trail of destruction wherever he goes.
Thompson also praises the work of artists John McCrea, and the "hidden jokes, subtle details, and masterful character work" fans will get to dissect on every single page. McCrea is clearly on the same page as his writers, promising to show readers "the space toilets, cosmic sewers and galaxies’ gangsters in a rip-roaring tale across time and space." Sign us up. Readers can feast their eyes on the first cover by Cully Hamner above, and check out the first solicitation details below:
YONDU #1
Written by: LONNIE NADLER, ZAC THOMPSON
Pencils by: JOHN MCCREA
Cover by: CULLY HAMNER
Yondu, lone Ravager and all-around scoundrel is about to hit the biggest pay day of his life when he stumbles upon a dangerous new weapon! But when this artefact turns out to be deadlier than he bargained for, will the reward outweigh the risk as Yondu finds himself targeted by a mysterious mercenary? Plus, when an unexpected visitor from the future turns up to stop Yondu, it begs the question: exactly how bad did he screw up?! Find out in this all-new series from ZAC THOMPSON and LONNIE NADLER (AGE OF X-MAN, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ANNUAL) and JOHN MCCREA (Dead Eyes)!
Yondu #1 will be available at your local comic book shop on RELEASE DATE.
Source: ComicBook