JAXXON THE STAR WARS SPACE BUNNY

One of Star Wars oldest characters who apparently been in carbonite hibernation after George Lucas took a disliking to him has recently made a comeback. Jaxxon, a space bunny-style alien, initially appeared in Star Wars #8 (1978) as part of the first story arc following Marvel devoting the initial issues of the comic book series to the official movie adaption of A New Hope. Teaming up with Han Solo and Chewbacca in a number of misadventures, Jaxxon was one of the first characters to join the Star Wars galaxy expanding upon those in the 1977 movie.

A Lepi smuggler and mercenary from the planet Coachelle Prime, Jaxxon captained the starship Rabbit's Foot. Piloting a ship prone to breakdowns, Jaxxon often finds himself stuck in spaceports looking for trouble to either barter or pay for needed repairs. In his Star Wars comic book debut, Jaxxon is recruited to help protect a nearby village from bandits known as the Cloud-Riders and as well as a gigantic roaming monster known as the Behemoth from the World Below. Jaxxon added some looniness with Bugs Bunny-style quick witted humor to stories and appeared in a number of the early issues of Marvel's original Star Wars comic book series.

After being featured in Star Wars comic book issues 8-11 & 16, Jaxxon disappeared! George Lucas thought the character created by Howard Chaykin was too goofy and a blemish on the Star Wars image. So, he put a kibosh on the character. Ironic coming from the creator and number one proponent of Jar Jar Binks! Maybe Jaxxon instead of being overly silly was just ahead of his time.

A little bit of silliness though is just what IDW Publishing was looking for when it came to producing a comic book series called Star Wars Adventures aimed at tween aged readers. Nearly forty years after he disappeared, Jaxxon made a return. In addition to exploits in Star Wars Adventures, Jaxxon also joined in on the hijinks of IDW Publishing's Halloween themed Ghosts of Vader's Castle mini-series. Marvel even hopped in on giving Jaxxon a second chance by including him in a humorous variant cover in the first issue released after Marvel regained the comic book publishing rights for the brand paying homage to the character's role in the first ever original Star Wars story published.

To celebrate Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary, Hasbro even created an action figure of the six-foot tall, green-furred Lepi known for his wise-cracks and karate kicks. The toy comes packaged in a box with artwork inspired by Jaxxon's appearances in Star Wars Adventures comic books. It is part of Hasbro's 1:12 scale Black Series collection of Star Wars action figures. I couldn't resist picking up one of these Jaxxon action figures for myself.

What do you think is next in store for Jaxxon? An appearance in The Bad Batch animated series of The Mandalorian live action television show? His re-emergence in Marvel's comic book series? I'm looking forward to seeing more of Jaxxon now he has returned to the Star Wars galaxy.

BEST COMIC BOOK BUNNIES

Happy Easter! Did the Easter Bunny make a visit to your house? My wife commented to me the other day about the long lines she witnessed of parents taking their children to get a picture with this holiday icon when she stopped by the shopping mall this week. Made this comic book fan wonder if there were any super bunny characters to be geeked about? So, here is a roundup of some of the best bunnies in comic books over the years:

JAXXON

Jaxxon the space bunny was introduced in Marvel Comics original Star Wars run in issue #8. This green-man sized rabbit looking alien teamed up with Han Solo on a number of missions until George Lucas intervened saying the character was to silly to be associated with the Star Wars brand. After not being seen since his 15 appearances in the 1970s era Star Wars comic books Jaxxon is back! 

Jaxxon has made a re-emergence in IDW Publishing's Star Wars Adventures series aimed for young readers. He has been a featured character in a number of stories including the Halloween themed Ghosts of Vader's Castle and more recently in Star Wars Adventures 2021 Annual. In the 2021 Annual, the rabbit-like race of Hoojib make an appearance too after not being seen since some story arcs in the '80s Marvel Star Wars comic books. Two examples of some super bunnies from a galaxy far, far away. Jaxxon was even recently made into a Hasbro Star Wars Black Series 1:12 scale action figure. Shows you that you just can't keep a good bunny down!

BUGS BUNNY

That crazy rabbit who first became popular as the main character in short films shown at movie houses in the 1930s hopped to the printed page for comic book adventures in the 1940s. He has continuously been featured in comic books since his first appearance in Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies Comics #1 published by Dell Comics in 1941 and which had a 153 issue run through 1954. Bugs Bunny got his own comic book series from Western Publishing that ran from 1953 - 1983. At this time DC Comics began to incorporate Bugs Bunny into their publications as Warner Bros. owned both the rights to Looney Tunes characters and the comic book company. DC Comics is currently publishing a monthly Looney Tunes series full of adventures with Bugs Bunny and his friends as well as occasionally including that wacky wabbit in spin-offs and cameos with the other superheroes in their fantasy universe.

USAGI YOJIMBO

This comic book series by Stan Sakai is about a rabbit rōnin on a warrior's pilgrimage. Usagi Yojimbo has been nominated for 20 Eisner Awards ( the Oscar of the comic book industry) and won 5 awards for BEST LETTERING (1996/2012/2015/2018), BEST SERIALIZED STORY (1999) and TALENT DESERVING WIDER RECOGNITION (1996). The samurai bunny in these tales is based upon the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi and has teamed up on a number of cross-over occasions with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, Usagi Yojimbo recently was picked up by IDW Publishing, the comic company that also has the license for TMNT.

CAPTAIN CARROT

Multi-verses have become a popular story telling tool for comic books. It allows for different scenarios and spins on superhero stories from mainstream storylines. Captain Carrot is based in Earth-C of the DC Comics superhero universe. This is a dimension where this bunny is the world's greatest superhero and leads a team of animals known as the Zoo Crew. Captain Carrot has teamed up in cross-overs with heroes ranging from Batman to Donald Duck as well as had is own comic book series. A great hero for kids, and kids at heart, to enjoy! His stories are sure to give you a fuzzy feel good feeling.

HULK BUNNY

Speaking of multi-versus, the Bruce Banner of Marvel's Earth 8311 which is inhabited by sentient animals instead of people transforms into the HULK BUNNY when he gets angry. Hulk Bunny can be seen in the comic book and cartoon adventures of Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

THUNDERBUNNY

Thunderbunny is a 1980s comic book character that combines the traits of Bugs Bunny, Shazam, and Venom. The premise is a human boy named Bobby Caswell who bonds with an alien artifact that turns him into a giant super-powered pink rabbit. Thunderbunny hopped among a few different publishers but just never took off with comic book readers.

Created by Larry Hama (the guy behind G.I.JOE comic books, Bucky O'Hare was published by Continuity Comics in the mid-80s. The comic book series revolved around a ragtag crew of funny animal space swashbucklers led by a fearless bunny in a fight against the villainous Toadies. The comic book series inspired a television cartoon series, toy line and a video game that was available to play both at arcades and on the NES home gaming console. Jaxxon's creators must be envious!

SUPER RABBIT 

In the 1940s, Timely Comics published humorous stories about a super-powered rabbit fighting bad guys ranging from Nazis to street thugs. Waffles Bunny a shoeshine boy discovers a magic ring that when rubbed transforms him into SUPER RABBIT! The character appeared in Krazy Comics, Comic Capers, Funny Tunes, All Surprise Comics and his own Supper Rabbit series at a time when comic books could be bought for a dime per issue.

HOPPY THE MARVEL BUNNY

Created by Fawcett Comics, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny was created as a comedic spin-off of Captain Marvel (now known as SHAZAM!). Hoppy debuted in Fawcett's Funny Animals #1 (1942). Rights to Fawcett's characters and titles were purchased by Charlton Comics in the 1950s which were then subsequently sold to DC Comics in the 1980s. Ironically, Captain Marvel (aka SHAZAM!) and Hoppy the Marvel Bunny are the intellectual property of DC instead of Marvel Comics. Therefore, Captain Carrot and Hoppy can team up to fight crime!

There you have it! Some of the best bunny rabbits to grace the pages of comic books. Happy Easter!

BEST BUNNIES IN COMIC BOOKS

The Easter Bunny hopped by our house this morning dropping off some baskets full of goodies for my kids. My son's happened to be full of comic books including a few issues of Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham. It made me wonder if bunnies had ever been featured in comic books and indeed they have! Here is a roundup of some of the best bunnies in comic books over the years:

BUGS BUNNY

That crazy rabbit who first became popular as the main character in short films shown at movie houses in the 1930s hopped to the printed page for comic book adventures in the 1940s. He has continuously been featured in comic books since his first appearance in Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies Comics #1 published by Dell Comics in 1941 and which had a 153 issue run through 1954. Bugs Bunny got his own comic book series from Western Publishing that ran from 1953 - 1983. At this time DC Comics began to incorporate Bugs Bunny into their publications as Warner Bros. owned both the rights to Looney Tunes characters and the comic book company. DC Comics is currently publishing a monthly Looney Tunes series full of adventures with Bugs Bunny and his friends as well as occasionally including that wacky wabbit in spin-offs and cameos with the other superheroes in their fantasy universe.

USAGI YOJIMBO

This comic book series by Stan Sakai is about a rabbit rōnin on a warrior's pilgrimage. Usagi Yojimbo has been nominated for 20 Eisner Awards ( the Oscar of the comic book industry) and won 5 awards for BEST LETTERING (1996/2012/2015/2018), BEST SERIALIZED STORY (1999) and TALENT DESERVING WIDER RECOGNITION (1996). The samurai bunny in these tales is based upon the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi and has teamed up on a number of cross-over occasions with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, Usagi Yojimbo recently was picked up by IDW Publishing, the comic company that also has the license for TMNT.

CAPTAIN CARROT

Multi-verses have become a popular story telling tool for comic books. It allows for different scenarios and spins on superhero stories from mainstream storylines. Captain Carrot is based in Earth-C of the DC Comics superhero universe. This is a dimension where this bunny is the world's greatest superhero and leads a team of animals known as the Zoo Crew. Captain Carrot has teamed up in cross-overs with heroes ranging from Batman to Donald Duck as well as had is own comic book series. A great hero for kids, and kids at heart, to enjoy! His stories are sure to give you a fuzzy feel good feeling.

HULK BUNNY

Speaking of multi-versus, the Bruce Banner of Marvel's Earth 8311 which is inhabited by sentient animals instead of people transforms into the HULK BUNNY when he gets angry. Hulk Bunny can be seen in the comic book and cartoon adventures of Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

JAXXON

Even Star Wars comic books have a bunny in them! Jaxxon the space bunny was introduced in Marvel Comics original Star Wars run in issue #8. This green-man sized rabbit looking alien teamed up with Han Solo on a number of missions until George Lucas intervened saying the character was to silly to be associated with the Star Wars brand. After not being seen since his 15 appearances in the 1970s era Star Wars comic books Jaxxon is back! He has recently been included in the pages of IDW Publishing's Star Wars Adventures series aimed for young readers. Shows you that you just can't keep a good bunny down!

THUNDERBUNNY

Thunderbunny is a 1980s comic book character that combines the traits of Bugs Bunny, Shazam, and Venom. The premise is a human boy named Bobby Caswell who bonds with an alien artifact that turns him into a giant super-powered pink rabbit. Thunderbunny hopped among a few different publishers but just never took off with comic book readers.

BUCKY O'HARE

Created by Larry Hama (the guy behind G.I.JOE comic books, Bucky O'Hare was published by Continuity Comics in the mid-80s. The comic book series revolved around a ragtag crew of funny animal space swashbucklers led by a fearless bunny in a fight against the villainous Toadies. The comic book series inspired a television cartoon series, toy line and a video game that was available to play both at arcades and on the NES home gaming console. Jaxxon's creators must be envious!

There you have it! Seven of the best bunny rabbits to grace the pages of comic books. Happy Easter!