The comic book industry has a habit of reviving popular properties of the past, and kids’ comics publisher Papercutz is bringing Gumby back next for new stories spotlighting the wacky antics of the claymation characters. This isn’t Gumby and Pokey’s first foray into comics—their 2006 series was nominated for two Eisner Awards—and Papercutz is putting some major talent on this book, including eight-time Eisner-winner Kyle Baker. Baker is one of comics’ best cartoonists, with a distinct point of view and a willingness to experiment with his style, and he’s proven that he can do excellent kids’ comics with his work on DC’s Plastic Man (a book that is in serious need of an omnibus collection).
The A.V. Club has an exclusive look at Baker’s entire story in next week’s Gumby #1, and he’s using a style that he previously tried out on Plastic Man, removing black outlines so that the images on the page look like they’re made out of layers of construction paper. It adds a tactile quality to the art, which makes a lot of sense for a property that started with three-dimensional clay figurines. The characters still have the exaggerated expressions that Baker is known for, and this rendering choice makes the entire story feel lighter and more childish. This first issue also features stories by writers Ray Fawkes and Jeff Whitman (Managing Editor or Papercutz), artist Jolyon Yates, and colorists Laurie E. Smith and Matt Herms, and reader can discover each creative team’s take on the property when Gumby #1 goes on sale July 5.