Day Of The Lepus: CAPTAIN CARROT & THE FINAL ARK #1 On Sale TODAY, Oct. 10!

[Scott Shaw!]

Today, Wednesday, October 10, the first issue of DC Comics' three-issue mini-series, CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK -- starring the Zoo Crew, characters that I co-created (with Roy Thomas) over twenty-five years ago -- finally hits America's comic book racks. CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK has been written by Bill Morrison, drawn by Scott Shaw!, inked by Al Gordon, colored by Tom Luth, lettered by Ken Lopez and edited by Joey Cavalieri.

Don't miss the funny-animal comic that cartoonist John Byrne calls, “a virtual textbook of How to Get It Wrong.”

Not a "kiddie comic" -- but, like THE SIMPSONS and ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS, with a multi-tiered sense of humor that appeals to younger readers as well -- CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK explores a world of "funny animals" that mirrors (and parodies) those of more traditional comic books. Captain Carrot (secretly cartoonist Rodney R. Rabbit) leads a team of animal superheroes, the Zoo Crew -- which includes Pig-Iron, Alley-Kat-Abra, Rubberduck, Yankee Poodle, Fastback and American Eagle -- as they face the threat of marine terrorists who are at the forefront of a planet-wide war between land-dwelling critters and the inhabitants of "Earth-26's" oceans. Along the way, we make fun of comic book conventions, J. J. Abrams' upcoming giant monster movie, DC's 52 and COUNTDOWN series (for which CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK is actually an official tie-in), death in comics, lawyers, Tex Avery, Sergio Aragonés, Prince, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Jack Kirby's NEW GODS and much more. And the series' finale features a HUGE surprise that, once and for all, establishes the Zoo Crew's ties to the "regular" DC universe.

From my decades of experience in animation, I've tried to integrate designs, staging and acting in this comic book that are more commonly associated with cartoons, but with a distinctly "Jack Kirby-esqe” flair. It's also full of gags, both visual and verbal. Frankly, I think that CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK represents some of the best stuff I've ever drawn. And I think that writer Bill Morrison (editor of SIMPSONS COMICS' Bongo Comics), inker Al Gordon (FANTASTIC FOUR and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA) and colorist Tom Luth (SERGIO ARAGONES' GROO THE WANDERER) are all at the top of their respective careers, too.

You can view a sneak peek of the first five pages of CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK No. 1 here:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=131956

I respectfully ask all of you to please support our little funnybook series and pick up copies of CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK for yourselves and your kids. I really think you'll all dig it. Thanks!

Aloha,

Scott Shaw!
_________________
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

[Omac70]

Looks like great fun - and the art is lovely, Scott.

I can't afford it, but I think I'll have to get this anyway. :)

[Magneto Rocks]

I'm not sure what I love more- the shameless Stan-Lee esque hype (and that's a good thing) or that John Byrne's dislike of the book is being used as a reason to buy it.

Either way, I'm in. :D

[davros42]

It's never lepus.

((Is Night of the Lepus that terrible 70's movie with DeForrest Kelly and the killer bunny rabbits? I think I saw that ages and ages ago along with Queen of Outer Space and Plan 9 From Outer Space))

[CMBMOOL]

I'll always support a funny talking animals book and that includes Captain Carrot. :D

[Jamie]

...the shameless Stan-Lee esque hype (and that's a good thing)

I'm not sure. I think that three different threads in this topic alone (nevermind the others) is going overboard.

[RabidWolfe]

Can I say, I just finished reading this and -

It was awesome. The art is amazing, and full of hidden goodies. The story also pays homage to the originals, with two villains from the old series returning.

Anyway, as a PhD student with the entire original run (and the Oz-Wonderland war mini-series), I loved this comic.

[Matt Algren]

I'm not sure. I think that three different threads in this topic alone (nevermind the others) is going overboard.
Six.
.

[Jack Zodiac]

For whatever reason, my shop didn't get any in this week, so I'm gonna have to hit the one downtown tomorrow. Still, I got a little dose of Zoo Crew this week. Pig-Iron shows up in this week's Superman! Seriously!

[Cthulhudrew]

Picked this up primarily due to nostalgia, and I'm glad I did. Honestly, I was rereading my old CC/ZC's the other night (I've slowly been rebuilding my collection), and they really didn't age that well. The corny humor was just too over the top for the most part, but I'm happy to say that's not the case with CC and the Final Ark.

It does have its moments of corniness, but it doesn't go overboard. I think the funniest moment was the "Mr. Mind" looking worm in a bottle of Tequila. That was classic.

This is a great book, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series. Got a lot of book packed in there for just the same price as other comics, too. Seemed like it to me, anyway.

Great job!

[SKJAM!]

I have to love a comic book that has the nerve to actually name one of the characters "Red Herring."

[David O Burcham]

I'm not sure. I think that three different threads in this topic alone (nevermind the others) is going overboard.

There's no such thing as too many Captain Carrot threads! :D

"Oddball Comics" played a big role in the history of CBR. Back in 2000/2001, being able to get an "Oddball Comic of the Day" fix during lunch hour helped me tolerate a job I really, REALLY hated. I think we, as a community, should be willing to accept however many hype threads Mr. Shaw! wants to post.

[David O Burcham]

I couldn't get the comic today, but it's on my pull list. I've been looking forward to this mini almost as much as the new Oklahoma Bones movie with Hairyson Ford!

[4thHorseman]

I'm not sure. I think that three different threads in this topic alone (nevermind the others) is going overboard.

I agree. Seriously...we get it...you drew the book and your happy with it. Now let's move on.

[RabidWolfe]

This was a great comic. I have to say, as a jaded PhD student, that this was quite the nostalgia trip for me, as I have the entire run of the original series.

The art was amazing, and it is full of hidden goodies. I have to say that the spread of the comic convention floor was one of the most inventive spreads I've seen in recent comic history. Well done, Mr. Shaw!!

The story was fun, too. It was nice to see some of the old villains.

Although, its status as a Countdown tie-in worries me, as I am not enjoying Countdown at all.

[RabidWolfe]

That is a lot of threads. I saw the thread over in the DC universe forum, and assumed it had lost all the comments from yesterday, so I posted in it.

Then I came over here and found that yesterday's comment had been moved to this forum.

Hmmm....

I still like Captain Carrot.

[Cthulhudrew]

I have to love a comic book that has the nerve to actually name one of the characters "Red Herring."

So does that mean you don't think he's the bad guy? ;)

[Cthulhudrew]

Pig-Iron shows up in this week's Superman! Seriously!

The real Pig Iron? Not a comic book cameo or a hallucination? Cool!

[Sandy Hausler]

It's been a long time since the original series, and I never read the Oz/Wonderland stuff, so it may be either ignorance or bad memory, but did American Eagle ever appear before and had Alley Kat Dabra become a bad guy prior to this book?

Sandy Hausler

[Jack Zodiac]

I agree. Seriously...we get it...you drew the book and your happy with it. Now let's move on.

It's wholly within your power, and everyone's power, to happily ignore a thread you don't feel has any place wherever it is. Y'know, instead of being an ass.

The real Pig Iron? Not a comic book cameo or a hallucination? Cool!

Uh... technically? Alright... he shows up as a kid's watch, but still, the kid calls it his Pig-Iron watch.

It's been a long time since the original series, and I never read the Oz/Wonderland stuff, so it may be either ignorance or bad memory, but did American Eagle ever appear before and had Alley Kat Dabra become a bad guy prior to this book?

Sandy Hausler

American Eagle was introduced in the Little Cheese murder mystery from Teen Titans.

[4thHorseman]

It's wholly within your power, and everyone's power, to happily ignore a thread you don't feel has any place wherever it is. Y'know, instead of being an ass.

And it's just as much in Shaw's power, just like it is everyone else's here, to just bump a thread he's already started instead of filling a forum with the same damn topic. If anyone else were to do it, the threads would be merged. His should be no different.

[Jack Zodiac]

Cool. You can say that and not be a dick at the same time, though. See?

[4thHorseman]

Yeah, I understand. Wasn't trying to be a dick. Sorry if I came off that way.

[Scott Shaw!]

Folks, I'm sure the Moderators here have been gritting their teeth, too, in reaction to my multiple posts and I appreciate their tolerance. That said, you need to understand that:

-- DC has done little or no publicity on CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK!

-- I don't get a penny more than my page rate if this book sells out. But I not only drew this comic, I co-created its cast of characters, and I want to make sure that everyone who might like it actually knows it's on the stands now.

-- CBR did some articles about CCATFA!, and they were good ones, but as I recall, they ran two months ago. Who's gonna remember that?

-- I only posted on forums that either related directly to the comic and its publisher, forums I normally frequent, or forums that are moderated by actual friends of mine. The COMMUNITY board was the only exception to that.

-- I worked in advertising for many years. I don't look at these as single posts as much as a campaign.

-- Considering the amount of posts my threads have gotten -- and the positive reaction that CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! has already garnered -- I'd say the threads merit their existence.

-- Comic books may be your hobby; comic books (and other forms of cartooning) have been my career for nearly forty years. My family and I would like to see that continue, so self-promotion is an absolute necessity!

Now that CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! has been published, I don't need to beat the the ol' Zoo Crew drum nearly as hard or often.

Now, dash to the funnybook shop real fast and buy a copy before they run out, dammit. I hear the book is selling out all over the country!

Aloha,

Scott!

[matt_hatyber]

did any one else notice that the captian carrot is a earth in the 52 earths?!?!?!?!? OMG this meens that my theory awhile ago might be right.

The atom is on captian carrot earth!

[Jack Zodiac]

Great! I can't wait to see Jason Todd show up on whatever Earth-C is called now and get his silly, whiny ass knocked around by giant cartoon animals!

[matt_hatyber]

Great! I can't wait to see Jason Todd show up on whatever Earth-C is called now and get his silly, whiny ass knocked around by giant cartoon animals!

lol yea, its earth 26 know

[StrikeForce Albert]

that was a fun read, can't wait for more

[JadeDragon]

GREAT SCOTT! That was great, Scott!

Brings me back to my Junior High days reading the original series. And I was thrilled to see the return of my favorite CC Villain on that final Splash Page! (I wont spoil it!)

Dig the details on that convention scene. Eel Adams and Gil Crane. Ha ha!!

YEAHH!! Cheers to you!~~~Patrick

[David O Burcham]

The tequila worm was my favorite bit... and it also kinda creeped me out. Not as much as Craig T. Nelson's tequila scene in Poltergeist II, but a tad disturbing.

And good-goshamighty nearly every page had seven to nine panels! There was as much story and art in the first ish of Final Ark as a whole year of New Avengers.

[Jack Zodiac]

Oh, snap! Take that, Yu!

And I'm still without this book! It's like every shop in town either forgot to order it or didn't get 'em in.

[Scott Shaw!]

And good-goshamighty nearly every page had seven to nine panels! There was as much story and art in the first ish of Final Ark as a whole year of New Avengers.

Thanks SOOO much for noticing, Mr. Bone. Our story could have used another issue, maybe even as many as six, to present it with more pages with less panels on each one -- but we really had to organize our words-and-pictures information to fit everything in. I hope you enjoyed our "compressed storytelling".

Besides, I've gotta admit, something in me really loves the nine-panel page.

Aloha,

Scott!

[Deathstroke]

I enjoyed all the art and story to check out in the first issue. Visual smorgasbord!

Any chance of mysteriously resurrecting Little Cheese?

[Joe Acro]

Great art, Scott Shaw! (Or should that be with two exclamation marks?)

There was one panel, though, where I thought you were intending to illustrate American Eagle with two right wings, but they were his left wings. Upon a second look, I think it was just showing movement.

I wasn't blown away by this issue. It was entertaining, as it was quite amusing, despite some of corny dialog. (But maybe that's the point, right?;))

I'm looking forward to next issue.

[Matthew E]

Here's one reference I can clear up for everyone: the Federal Duck was a minor-league cover band in the 1960s. Its one claim to fame is that its guitarist was one Dave Barry, who went on to become a Pulitzer-Prize-winning humour columnist, author, and lead guitarist for the all-writer band the Rock Bottom Remainders.

I liked the first issue okay; it had some touches in it that the original series would never even have considered... but I miss the Roy Thomas dialogue.

[warren_0]

Manoman! When CC came out I was 8 or 9 and couldn't get enough of them! It was like two of my favourite things got caught in a four-colour blender (cartoons & superheroes)! I used to try to draw like Scott Shaw! all of the time...now that I work in animation, I know how hard that really is...!

Soon after they stopped printing CC&ZC I stopped buying comics altogether. Took themselves too seriously, and got all Freudian with labyrinthine continuity I couldn't be arsed to parse.

THANKS SCOTT! AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ZOO CREW!! Holdin' it down for the kids. Looking forward to checking it out!

[FrogMan]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I just bought a DC comic!!!!!

Hell must have frozen over. ;)

[Scott Shaw!]

Manoman! When CC came out I was 8 or 9 and couldn't get enough of them! It was like two of my favourite things got caught in a four-colour blender (cartoons & superheroes)! I used to try to draw like Scott Shaw! all of the time...now that I work in animation, I know how hard that really is...!

Soon after they stopped printing CC&ZC I stopped buying comics altogether. Took themselves too seriously, and got all Freudian with labyrinthine continuity I couldn't be arsed to parse.

THANKS SCOTT! AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ZOO CREW!! Holdin' it down for the kids. Looking forward to checking it out!

Warren, it's hearing from folks like you that make it all worthwhile. Thank you.

(And you aren't the first person I've encountered who claims CAPTAIN CARROT to have been influential to their cartooning career, either. I'm amazed at how many there have been, and am honored. My two earliest comic book influences are Archie's TALES CALCULATED TO DRIVE YOU BATS by George Gladir and Orlando Busino and Dell's KONA, MONARCH OF MONSTER ISLE drawn by Sam Glanzman. I've had the pleasure of contacting all three gentlemen, and giving my thanks to each one!)

So what do you do in animation? And on what projects have you worked?

Again, thanks!

Aloha,

Scott!

[Jamie]

Besides, I've gotta admit, something in me really loves the nine-panel page.


I thought the layout was a really shining part of the comic. It took me longer to read this comic than anything else I'd picked up off the shelves that week, and that was much appreciated.

[warren_0]

Warren, it's hearing from folks like you that make it all worthwhile. Thank you.

You kidding? Thank YOU. Now I wish I kept all of those drawing of Pig Iron and the Cap'n I did as a li'l tyke. Heck, I might try some out this week! I have the old issues in my studio!

(And you aren't the first person I've encountered who claims CAPTAIN CARROT to have been influential to their cartooning career, either. I'm amazed at how many there have been, and am honored.)

Is that surprising? You've been at it for years and published all over! Your hard work is consistent and you do funny comics for some big publishers. You stick out like a sore thumb! (And kicked Spider-Ham's ass!) :D I really REALLY like all the Flintstone samples you have on your site! You were channeling, weren't you? So dead-on. Cartoony stuff has to have all the shapes & curves in the right spot to look right...no hatching/spot inks to cover it up...manoman. You got it in spades on those. Your stuff is so polished.

So what do you do in animation? And on what projects have you worked?

Oh, now this gets embarrassing. Um, I do storyboards for silly cartoons. Silly being my specialty.

Like some Disney cheapquel (1st gig ever - almost all physical gag stuff), Ren & Stimpy the LOST Episodes (http://apc.thetma.com/), Asterix & The Vikings (http://www.asterix.co.nz/movies/asterixandthevikings.htm), and even stuff like Jane & The Dragon (http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projects/filmography/tv/jane_and_the_dragon) (not really silly, per se, but not 'action' either). Ever heard of any of that stuff? No? Well, I hotlinked it for you to help stave off that awkward silence...more crap on my blog/homepage linked in my profile.

Lately I've been tryin to expand my range and get out of my comfort zone, so I threw stuff in the CBIdol 3 contest and somehow placed in the Top 10? I was just expecting to do the Play At Home. So now I'm destroying my little 'rep' as I maul the action/adventure stuff in public...:rolleyes: Oh well. I have to cop to 'drawing scared' right now because I wasn't expecting such a public display? I can't hide behind a hundred animators anymore! But I'll live. Scaring myself is healthy. Getting used to trying to make 'finished' drawings on a tight sched is totally new to me. And so are page layouts/leading the eye in such an open ended format. I'm used to a consistent frame, not making my own up. Great learning tool, this contest thing. GULP.:eek: I'm soooo tempted to put an 'Oddball' spin on this thing!

Enough about me. I can't even believe you asked! That's it, I'll make the 3 hour roundtrip drive to the closest comic shoppe and force them to order 100 copies of your CC book!

Sorry for babbling. I'm all hopped up on cold medication and 'talking' to someone whose worked I loved as a kid. Too much! :D

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK OVER THE YEARS! It got me going, and made me want to really try to 'get it'...and it still does!

[Scott Shaw!]

Frankly, I'm overwhelmed. I'm unaccustomed to receiving such praise on the Internet, in "public" as it were. And especially not on CBR.

Again, thanks, Warren.

I checked out your work on COMIC BOOK IDOL. You've definitely got a lot of talent, or passion, or whatever you call it!

Good luck!

Aloha,

Scott!

[AntiMonitor]

And the series' finale features a HUGE surprise that, once and for all, establishes the Zoo Crew's ties to the "regular" DC universe.

That's good, considering that the old series had ties with Earth 1. I remember 2 crossovers, with Superman and Changeling.

As a 36-year old reader, who has almost the entire old series (and the Oz-Wonderland War), I'll definitively buy this new series.

Regards;

PP

[David O Burcham]

I hope you enjoyed our "compressed storytelling".


"Enjoy" really isn't the word. I feel "appreciation" is more suitable.

I appreciated it on a nostalgia level. I've been reading funny-books for over three decades, so I've seen more than my fair share of the six-to-nine panel layout. It really took me back to the days when super-heroes shared the spinner racks with Spooky, Archie, and Little Monsters. It nearly every modern comic book shop I have been in, the "cartoony" comics are relegated to their own little sections as afterthoughts.

I appreciated it as a reading experience. The pages showing the Comic Con, the appearance of Frogzilla, and the team charging from Rodney's domicile had an extra "pop" that would have been diminished with fewer panels-per-page. The splash pages actually made a "splash"!

My wallet really appreciated it! Each year most comics tend to have less and less story content per issue. I feel somewhat cheated shelling out three bucks for a comic that only takes five minutes to read the story and look at the art.

I fell as if I should send "Thank You" cards to everyone who worked on the book.

[Scott Shaw!]

Well, at the risk of redundancy, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your appreciation! I like to make my comic stories as "dense" as possible with entertaining details, and since we had about six issues' worth of story to pack into three issues, CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! wound up being even denser than usual. It's taken a tremendous effort from Bill Morrison, Al Gordon, Tom Luth and myself to handle all the extra work (without extra payments), so your comments are, as I said, very much appreciated! I'll pass 'em on to the entire Zoo Crew team.

Aloha,

Scott!

[Blake Petit]

In case I hadn't mentioned this before, Scott, I loved this comic. I've been waiting for new Captain Carrot stuff since I found my first issue of the book (at a flea market, some five years after it had been cancelled). :)

[Babylon23]

I finally got a chance to read this today. Man did it take me back.

Along with All-Star Squadron, Captain Carrot was my introduction to the DCU. Before these books came out, I'd only really read Kirby's 11 issues of New Gods and the occasional JLA issues (usually the JSA teamups). For this reason, I've always had a soft spot for CC.

I wasn't really sure what to expect 20+ years later, but what I got was a great comic that reminded me of why I was drawn to comics as a kid.

[Scott Shaw!]

Thanks very much for your post, Babylon. Bill and I have worked very hard on CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK! and it's very gratifying to read that you dug the first issue. I hope you enjoy the rest of the mini-series as much or more! (And if you loved Jack Kirby's THE NEW GODS, wait'll you meet "The New Dogs" -- Orihound, Lightstray and Muttron -- all in our third issue. But brace yourself for our big shock ending!)

Aloha,

Scott!