DC Comics Teams Up with Kentucky Fried Chicken for a Second Colonel Sanders Comic Book Adventure

Last year Kentucky Fried Chicken partnered with DC Comics to promote their restaurant chain at 2015's New York Comic Con by distributing a free comic book featuring Colonel Sanders that was available as a one shot collectible print edition that could be picked up at the event and a digital download from the online store Comixology.com that was available for a limited time.  In "The Colonel of Two Worlds" which is a parody of a classic DC Comics' FLASH story, the Colonel Sanders of our planet faces off against an evil Colonel Sunder from an alternate dimension.  Well Harland Sanders hasn't seen the last of his evil doppelganger as Colonel Sunder is back in an all new comic book adventure just in time for 2016's San Diego Comic Con.

In "Colonel Corps," Harland Sanders blacks out and awakens to realize he can remember only one of his 11 secret ingredients for "finger lickin good chicken."  Suddenly Arla Sanders, a version of the Colonel from one of the multitude of alternate dimensions in the DC comics fictional multi-verse where in her world all the people are the reverse gender of those living in Harland's reality, warning him that someone has stolen the KFC recipe from the minds of all the Colonels that exist on all the variations of Earth and erased their memories off all but one ingredient just like him.  Harland Sanders joins with the female versions of himself and the Flash to search out enough Colonels with unique memories of different ingredients to put the recipe back together again.

Arla, Harland and the Flash visit a variety of realities in the DC multi-verse including Bizarro, Steampunk, and Teen Titans Go! worlds plus a dimension where the inhabitants are all animals and KFC is run by a charming yet cannibalistic chicken.  All these variations join together to create the Colonel Corps.  Together they put the KFC secret recipe back together and track down the perpetrators of this dastardly scheme  ... Colonel Sunders along with a new diabolical version of the Colonel with mind control powers who makes every member of the Colonel Corps face their most dreaded fear during the comic book's big confrontation segment.

This comic book works because it doesn't take itself more seriously than the promotional piece it is supposed to be.  Filled with tongue-in-cheek one liners and humorous imagery it really is a fun read.  The partnership with the DC Comics creative team provides the polish needed though to make the comic book an enjoyable gimmick rather than en eye rolling bad KFC ad.  I personally really liked the big battle scene in the comic book and the letter to the editor section at the end with Colonel Sanders answering questions from fans of "Colonel of Two Worlds" made me chuckle.  I'm also intrigued by the teaser in the Colonel's MailBucket section promoting a potential next installment in this comic book saga "The Chicken That Time Forgot" -- we'll have to keep an eye out for that!

If you are lucky enough to be going to Comic Con in San Diego this month keep an eye out for people passing these out at the exhibition hall.  For the rest of us, "Colonel Corps" is available to download for FREE on Comixology.  Just CLICK HERE to grab it for yourself to read.

Star Wars Fan Creates Impressive Web Comic Honoring a Favorite Scene From the Movie "Return of the Jedi"

Chicago-based free lance artist and illustrator Daniel Warren Johnson took some time away from his popular sci-fi webcomic SPACE-MULLET to pay tribute to a favorite scene of his from Return of the Jedi by sketching out an impressive story that gives some life to the pilot that crashed his A-Wing fighter into the bridge of a Star Destroyer during the Battle of Endor.  "For some reason, this A wing pilot MOVED me," noted Johnson. "Everything about this part of Return of the Jedi made me want to DRAW and CREATE. This is a fan fiction comic I made ...  because I love this scene and I love comics."  His work GREEN LEADER provides an excellent portrayal of the human element of a character who had only a brief few seconds of screen time in the movie but obviously made a memorable impact on the artist.

Enjoy a few panels from GREEN LEADER:

CLICK HERE to view the GREEN LEADER comic in its entirety on Daniel Warren Johnson's SPACE-MULLET website.  If you enjoy Johnson's work, check out Space-Mullet which  is an episodic style online digital comic about a washed up, Ex-Space Marine trucker named Jonah, and his alien co-pilot, Alphius. Together they do their best (and usually fail) to do good throughout the galaxy. The Space-Mullet web comic is updated on Mondays and Thursdays each week.

Marvel to republish Star Wars Comic Book Adaption of A NEW HOPE with Modernized Coloring

The recent Burger King commercial promoting the return of their YUMBO sandwich which features a restaurant filled with people wearing 1970s era garb is a good reminder how much that decade loved to use yellow, oranges, brown, lime and subdued neon variations in color schemes.  That included the comic book industry and when you go back and look at issues printed in that time period those influences are very clear.  So when Marvel decided to republish in 2015 the super-sized comic book adaption of the Star Wars screen play that it originally printed in 1977 in conjunction with the film's release, it was decided they would keep the artwork and script but ditch the '70's style coloring.

New Coloring (Left) / Original Coloring (Right)

Available on store shelves in May 2015, Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin's adaption of "A New Hope" will be reprinted as Marvel readers experienced them in 1977 which includes a few scenes that ended up cut out on the editing room floor and left out of the film but were still kept in the comic book and novel publications at that time because of miscommunications between the film studio and its publishing partners.  Well actually there will be two differences between now and then.  First, Chris Sotomayer will be recoloring all the artwork to provide a modern tone to the comic book.  Also, Adi Granov has created a brand new cover for the book.

New STAR WARS cover art

"When Star Wars took the world by storm in 1977, Marvel Comics was right there with exciting comic adaptations and new stories set in a galaxy far, far away," said David Gabriel, Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing in a press release. "With new Star Wars comics being published by Marvel in 2015, we’re proud to look back on this exciting remastered adaptation of the original film, with remastered adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi coming later in 2015."

Original 1977 Cover Art

So what do you of them taking the disco out of Star Wars?  I like the new coloring, but the original look contributed to the electricity of the times that surrounded the movie's release and created the Star Wars culture of today so I'm torn by Marvel tinkering with it. That being said as long as Marvel keeps the original version available as it is now through various omnibus collections, unlike Lucas who has tried to prevent people from accessing original versions of the Star Wars movies, than this just seems to be a fun variation for new and existing fans to enjoy which I personally think would be an interesting read to pick up.  If you buy a copy in May, share your thoughts on the comic book by tweeting us at @Geeky_Dad and let us know what you think.

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Mickey Mouse turned 86 years old today.  He made his official debut on November 18, 1928 appearing in the film "Steamboat Willie" and has been entertaining girls and boys of all ages ever since.  Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!

In recognition of Mickey's birthday, here are a few fun facts provided to A GEEK DADDY blog from our friends at the Disney PR department:

• Walt initially named Mickey Mouse “Mortimer,” until Walt’s wife, Lily, suggested “Mickey” was a better choice.

• The short film “Steamboat Willie” was the first short starring Mickey Mouse released, but was actually the third created. The first two, “Plane Crazy” and “The Gallopin’ Gaucho,” initially failed to find distributors, but were picked up and released later.

• The first Mickey Mouse Club was formed by theater owner Harry Woodin in Los Angeles. On his own accord, Woodin devoted Saturday afternoons in his theater to showing only Mickey Mouse shorts and led children in a Mickey Mouse pledge. Walt later partnered with Woodin and spread the idea of Mickey Mouse Clubs to movie theaters across the nation.

• The first Mickey short in which Mickey spoke was “The Karnival Kid,” the ninth Mickey short, which was released in July 1929. His first words: “Hot dog!”

• Walt Disney wasn’t satisfied with the first few actors chosen to provide a voice for Mickey Mouse, so he did it, and continued to do so through about 1947.

• A Mickey Mouse comic strip, penned by Ub Iwerks, launched in January 1930, and at its height was printed in 40 newspapers in 22 countries.

• The first piece of Mickey Mouse merchandise was a tablet of paper that featured the mouse, designed for children. The first Mickey Mouse doll was designed in 1930.

• When Walt Disney was contemplating a name for his first theme park (Disneyland park), he once considered calling it “Mickey Mouse Village.”

• Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was given on his birthday (November 18) in 1978.

Our family always enjoys expressing our #DisneySide and looks forward to enjoying many more milestones and special occasions in the future involving the world's most famous mouse.  Do you have any special stories involving Mickey Mouse?