Sanrio has long held its finger to the pulse of the zeitgeist, whether it was with chipper Hello Kitty or grunge Bad Badtz Maru. But they really nailed millennial ambivalence with two of the late teens’ most popular character: Aggretsuko, the repressed red panda (animated adventures air on Netflix), and Gudetama, the lazy egg who lies prone and drooling throughout life, too blase to even get up and run. The embodiment of ennui and ambivalence, it’s the perfect symbol of our trying times.
And now, Sanrio has teamed with the most appropriate publisher possible, Portland’s Oni Press to finally bring Gudetama to the comics with Wook-Jin Clark’s Gudetama: Love for the Lazy.
This series of graphic novels will debut just in time for Valentine’s Day, the most soft boiled holiday of all. Priced at a lovable $9.99, Gudetama’s Comics Guides will focus on a single subject filled with Gudetama’s tongue in cheek advice. Oni plans to release at least three volumes a year, all in the 48-page 5.5 x 7.5” full color hardcover original graphic novel format.
“Gudetama is EVERYWHERE!” says Oni Press Editor in Chief Sarah Gaydos. “We’re totally egg-cited to bring him to the world of comics, and creator Wook-Jin Clark is the perfect collaborator. Gudetama is irreverent, relatable, and lovable, and I can’t wait for everyone to see how Wook-Jin brings those qualities to life in the comics medium.”
“I’m so pumped to be a part of this project! I still can’t get over that I get to create stories for this amazing character.” says Clark, who was born in South Korea but raised in South Carolina and had a “love at first sight” experience with the broken yolk.
Oni has had huge success with their Rick and Morty and Invader ZIM projects — will Gudetama follow in their footsteps? If you’re not too bored with life, pick up one of these books to find out!
Disclaimer: Oni Press is owned by Polarity, the parent company of this website.
