This is firmly under the HYPE banner since I was a publishing consultant for this project, but Ham Fisher’s venerable boxing-themed comic strip character has been updated to an MMA-fighter for IDW’s Joe Palooka. The concept was the brain storm of boxing announcer Joe Antonacci, along with Mike Bullock, Fernando Peniche and Matt Triano. In the story, Joe Palooka is a discredited MMA fighter who travels the world desperately trying to clear his name while fighting to earn a spot in the legendary “Legion of Combat,” worldwide fight series.
The book already has a following via digital editions, and has sponsored MMA fighters in the past. Why did I take on this project? Joe had a lot of contacts and a complete marketing plan for the book. If you’re going to do a targeted project like this, that’s is how to do it.
You had something to do with this? Really? Not a fan:
Exhibit 1: http://bit.ly/OFM7Q3
Exhibit 2: http://bit.ly/MJ9O9H
Exhibit 3: http://bit.ly/OZ5qrg
Does this mean we’re going to be getting reprints of the classic Ham Fisher material from IDW’s LOAC division as well?
Lance Roger Axt
The AudioComics Company
I am currently marketing my revamp of Bazooka Joe, where he’s a competitive eater, with a tie-in to Nathan’s and Major League Eating
Hey, it’s just as reasonable as this.
The IDW press-release and the palooka.com site hyping this claim that this series is the first MMA comic book produced in the United States, yet SULK #2, by Jeffrey Brown and published by Top Shelf Comics, dramatizing a fictional MMA match in 80 pages, was published in October, 2008.