Marvel Studios Co-Founder Producing New Version of Ekos Comic from Aspen

Polygon reports David Maisel, one of the original developers of Marvel Studios (which is now mostly merged into the rest of Disney Studios, and has become a PC mess) is working on a new version of Ekos, a comic that was written by the late Michael Turner, and most unfortunately, the awful Geoff Johns:

Marvel Studios founder David Maisel made comic book history with the official launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008. Now, he’s working to build a universe based on the works of Michael Turner (best known as the co-creator of Witchblade and the co-founder of Aspen Comics) and Geoff Johns (who went on to become president of DC Comics). The latest step in that effort is a new Kickstarter for the second volume of the comic series Ekos on Oct. 21.

Ekos started out as a six-page comic Turner and Johns published in Wizard magazine in 2004. It introduced Grell, a gliding, feline humanoid whose planet is invaded by humans. (If that sounds like Avatar, James Cameron was a fan of Turner’s work and at one point was attached to adapt his ocean-focused series Fathom.) Ekos was accompanied by a poll asking readers to vote on which comic the duo should make next, choosing between two different previews. They narrowly picked Soulfire, set in a distant future where magic is being wiped out.

Turner tragically died of cancer in 2008 at the age of 37. In recent years, Maisel has been leading the charge to revive the characters Turner created through a collaboration with Aspen Comics co-owner Peter Steigerwald.

While I do think it’s sad Turner died much too young, I think it’s regrettable he just had to draw the covers for Identity Crisis, and while he may not have done interior art like the overrated Rags Morales did, that Turner would accept the job even Alex Ross wisely didn’t is still embarrassingly bad. That Turner once co-wrote an independent comic with Johns doesn’t improve matters. Why, what if the premise is a subtle political statement?

ComicBook says:

Ekos was actually part of a 2003 Wizard Magazine poll set up to decide Turner’s next project, and since it was Soulfire that won the poll, the only previously published material featuring this world and its lead character, Grell, was that original 6-page preview. That all changed with Ekos Vol. 1, which was spearheaded by the team of Aspen Comics and Marvel Studios Founding Chairman David Maisel, and now Ekos is back with the anticipated second chapter and more involvement from Turner’s other beloved franchises.

In Ekos Vol. 2, fans will get to see more interactions between Grell, Aspen, and Grace, and this is the first time all three of these worlds have been able to be in the same story. The cover above certainly reflects that, and we can’t wait to see what the team has up its sleeve for the next chapter. JT. Krul is writing Ekos Vol. 2, which features art by Alex Konat, inks by Mark Roslan, colors by Peter Steigerwald, and lettering by Josh Reed.

What’s sad about Krul, who penned one of the most repellent takes on DC’s Speedy/Arsenal, is that he’s quite a far-leftist himself, and while his stories for Aspen may be more readable than his mainstream work, they still need to be taken with a grain of salt. I just hope Johns doesn’t have any ownership of Ekos, because it’s bad enough if he has any investments in mainstream, and he was a horrible influence over the past quarter-century. I’m sure Aspen has plenty of talented contributors, but as their employment of Krul suggests, they obviously aren’t perfect either, and again, it’s a shame Turner tainted his legacy by drawing Identity Crisis covers back in 2004.

Originally published here