“Remember your childhood…and pass it on.” The words are simple, warm and reassuring as sitting on your grandfather’s knee while he tells you a story or as magical and special as finding a sea of presents beneath your tree on Christmas morning. They are also the words that Mike Kunkel’s award-winning comic book and soon-to-be-traditionally-animated movie “Herobear and the Kid” are based on.
Released under Kunkel’s Astonish Comics label. “Herobear and the Kid” tells the tale of a young boy named Tyler who moves into his grandfather’s mansion after he passes away. A broken pocket watch and stuffed polar bear are the inheritance gifts he receives. But before long,Tyler learns that — much like in life — these gifts aren’t what they seem to be. For not only can the watch act as an alarm when there is trouble at hand and tell just how naughty or nice a person really is, but the stuffed polar bear can turn into a ten foot super hero named Herobear when his nose is tapped.
Like most artists, Mike Kunkel started drawing at an early age and continued on with it through high school. His passion for drawing led him to Moorpark College where he earned his two-year degree in two-dimensional art. Throughout his animation career, Mike would find himself working for several animation studios, starting once out of school as an in-betweener for Turner Animation, as well as working at Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, and Sony on films like “Once Upon a Forest,” “Cats Don’t Dance,” and “The Pagemaster,” and directing an episode of “Dilbert.”
Eventually, Mike found himself working at Disney, animating such characters as Pegasus in “Hercules” and Tantor in”Tarzan,” as well as joining the Story and Visual Development Department, where he worked on “The Frog Prince” as well as other Disney projects.
Mike soon left the world of animation behind him but stuck with the art style and began his own comic book. It was this unique blend of traditional two-dimensional animation art, mixed within a comic book, that led to the names “Printed Pencil Test” and “The Animated Way”.
Originally called “Heroman,” the initial concept focused on a super hero and his three side kicks: a stuffed teddy bear, a robot, and a frog named Norm. As time went by and the characters evolved Norm and the robot disappeared and Heroman became the sidekick while the stuffed bear the hero.
It was on a train ride with his wife and her family to the San Diego Comic-Con that Mike decided to call it Herobear, thanks in part to a stuffed bear his brother-in-law used to have.
With a new name, the final change to the idea came to Herobear himself, changing him from a grizzly bear to a polar bear. A supporting cast emerged which included a set of parents, an annoying little sister named Katie, Elmo, Tyler’s school yard friend, three school yard bullies, Bobby, Bruno and Billy known as the Bullio Brothers, an arch enemy named Saint Von Klon, X-5, Von Klon’s wind up robotic henchman, Tyler’s grandfather, Henry, the family live in butler, and Vanessa, Tyler’s first true love.
The comic soon found a cult following despite its sporadic release schedule and was nominated for the Eisner Award in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 and won the award for “Best Title for a Younger Audience” in 2002. It was also nominated for the Russ Manning Award for “Most Promising New Comer” in 2001 and The Lighthouse Award for “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition” in 2001.
In 2005, “Herobear and the Kid” will be facing off against their most formidable for yet. No, it’s not Von Klon and an army of wind-up X-5’s, it’s something far more worse and sinister. Who can it be?
Hollywood.
Slated for a Christmas release, Universal Pictures will be bringing “Herobear and the Kid” to the silver screen. Adapted from the original comic, the movie is being written by Mike Kunkel and Jeph Loeb as a traditionally animated film directed by its creator.
Only time will tell if “Herobear and the Kid” will conquer their new foe or end up like the other comic properties that have gone up against this beast but ultimately failed. But, much like Tyler learned, when you believe in something with all your heart, even though the odds seem against you, anything is possible, and much like the other “Herobear and the Kid” fans out there, I truly believe that “Herobear” will be a hit with both kids and Hollywood, and will help spark a new interest in traditionally animated cartoons.
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Would you like to learn more about Mike Kunkel’s great comic book characters? Then JimHillMedia.com suggests that you pick up a copy of “Herobear and the Kid: The Inheritance” from Amazon.com by clicking the link to the right. Your cost will (unfortunately) remain the same (though the paperback version of Kunkel’s book is currently 30% off!) But – if you go there through us – we get a tiny cut of what you spend. So help keep Jim Hill and Ian Westoff behind their computers where they belong and and pick up your copy of “Herobear and the Kid” through the link to the right. |
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