Summary
They got six seasons. They’re finally getting their fabled movie. Yet manyCommunityfans may not realize that the cult TV phenomenon also got its own comic book all the way back in 2010. Starring Troy and Abed’s favoritelow-budget action hero, Kickpuncher, this odd curio stands as the onlyCommunitycomic book to date.
Purported to be written by the character of Troy Barnes,Kickpuncher#1 (available to read viajimmahfood.com) sees the Study Group suddenly attacked by snake men, after which Annie and Britta are taken hostage. With no where else to turn,Troy and Abed call on Kickpuncher, who helps the best friends get their friends back.It’s only a six-page mini-comic, but fans looking for something to tide them over until the movie comes out will likely be satisfied by the short adventure.
Troy explains in the opening essay that he met “this dude Jim Mahfood” in a drawing class at Greendale, and enlisted the artist’s services to draw his very own fan comic. In actuality,Kickpuncher#1 was written by Community creator Dan Harmon and Jim Mahfood, and came packaged exclusively inside theCommunitySeason 1 box set.
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Now that Community may finally be getting a movie, it’s worth looking into the biggest loose plot threads from the series that need to be resolved.
Kickpuncher#1 is the Only Comic Book Tie-In forCommunity
It’s surprising that theKickpunchermini-comic is the onlyCommunitytie-in comic book. Before he found success in Hollywood, Dan Harmon got his start working in the indie comics scene.Harmon was the co-creator ofScud: The Disposable Assassin, along with some-timeCommunityRob Schrab. Harmon was able to call on his old comic book connections to create the six-page adventure,enlisting indie artist Jim Mahfood to help write the story and provide a punk-rock, underground aesthetic with his expressive, cartoony artwork.
Jim Mahfood winds up being the perfect choiceto tackle the sequential adventures of the study group, crafting a nonsensical (yet fun) storyline that could only spring from the mind of Troy Barnes. Of course, Troy and Abed are the stars of the comic, only stepping aside to let their hero Kickpuncher do his thing to the evil Snake Men.The brief “story” acts as an excuse to poke fun at some of the more eye-rolling comic book tropes.Troy’s juvenile mind has Britta and Annie stripped down to their underwear almost immediately, and the leaps in logic throughout act as little more than an excuse for prime kick-punching action.
With A Movie Coming Up, Can Fans Expect MoreCommunityComics?
In an interview withEW.comat the time of the DVD’s release, Dan Harmon talked a little bit about how the exclusive comic came about.Most intriguingly, Harmon also teases the possibility of moreCommunitycomics:
“My hope is that this will whet the appetite and prove to be a successful thing so we can — not unlikeTheSimpsons— eventually have multipleCommunityoutlets for expression. In other words, it would be really cool to do a 25-20 page Kickpuncher comic book written by Troy and/or Abed. Or maybe other characters taking turns at writing storylines to get revenge on Troy’s storyline.”
Sadly, no otherCommunitycomics have come out since the release ofKickpuncher#1.Harmon’s idea of having each member of the study group “write” their own comic adventures sounds like a novel idea, especially if interesting artists like Jim Mahfood can get involved. With theCommunitymovie getting closer and closer to becoming a reality, perhaps now is the time for new comics about the Greendale crew.
Community
Cast
Community is a comedic television series that chronicles the lives of diverse students at Greendale Community College, a fictional and notoriously underperforming educational institution in Colorado. Released in 2009, the show explores the quirky interactions and relationships among the eclectic group navigating their academic and personal challenges.
