The early 2000s were something of a golden age for animation. Networks like Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Nickelodeon gave us some truly great shows that offered not only a wide range of stories and themes, but visual styles as well. They’re shows that helped to define a generation in entertainment and it’s easy to be a little nostalgic about them now, particularly when it comes to those that were cancelled far too soon. Now, nearly a quarter century after it was stunningly cancelled, one cult-classic is making its way back this year, just this time on the pages of comics.
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As reported by IGN, BOOM! Studios has acquired the publishing rights for Invader Zim, but not only that, the publisher plans to bring to print not only classic stories and long-sought-after collections, but brand-new original content and sooner than you think. BOOM! Studios is looking to start releasing content later this year.
“Few properties have maintained the passionate, enduring fanbase that Invader Zim has,” Bryce Carlson, VP, Business Development & Special Projects, Random House Worlds said. “We have exciting plans to bring beloved out of print material back onto shelves, and BOOM! is going to usher in a new era of DOOM! with brand-new stories that expand the strange and chaotic world fans know and love. The new invasion has begun. You’ve been warned…”
Invader Zim Is A Beloved Favorite That Fans Have Wanted More of For Years
Originally created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez, Invader Zim first debuted on Nickelodeon in 2001 and centers on Zim, an invader from the planet Irk with a mission to conquer Earth and enslave humanity with the help of his malfunctioning robot servant, GIR. However, standing in his way is Dib Membrane, a young paranormal investigator who antagonizes and thwarts Zim at every turn. While the show was met with positive reviews from critics and audiences, it was cancelled on January 18, 2002, after just 27 of the originally ordered 40 episodes were complete. This left several episodes of the second season unfinished and others unreleased. The unreleased episodes eventually made their way to DVD in 2004 and then Nicktoons in 2006.
But even with the series not continuing in animation, fans still wanted more of the story and in 2015, a monthly comic book series was released by Oni Press. That comic was a continuation of the beloved series and ran until August 2021 and was written by Vasquez along with original series Eric Truehart. There was also a Netflix movie in 2019, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus. As for what the new stories that BOOM! will be publishing entail, we still don’t have much in the way of information on those. However, even without much in the way of details, this news is very exciting and continues a larger trend we’re seeing in the comics space. Comics has recently started to become a home for new stories and continuations for beloved but cancelled television series. The Expanse, which ran for three seasons on Syfy before heading to Amazon for three more got a follow-up with a sequel comic (also from BOOM!) called The Expanse: A Little Death.
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