Jody LeHeup and Nil Vendrell Reunite for Shirtless Bear-Fighter 2 (Exclusive)

By Timothy Adams

The Shirtless One is making a comeback in August. ComicBook.com can exclusively reveal Shirtless Bear-Fighter 2, a new story arc of the side-splitting, flapjack-snacking, fan-favorite that reunites writer Jody LeHeup and artist Nil Vendrell, who worked together on the 2017 Shirtless Bear-Fighter series at Image Comics. Along with the announcement comes covers for August's Shirtless Bear-Fighter 2 #1 from Dave Johnson, Chris Brunner, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Paolo Rivera that not only highlight Shirtless but also his supporting cast of characters. Fans can expect the same high-octane action and bear punching that they grew accustomed to in the original series.

"Shirtless Bear-Fighter is quite possibly the most joyful comic of all time and given the events of the last few years, we could all use some of that joy right now," LeHeup said in a statement. "So I'm absolutely thrilled to announce SBF 2. We always said we wouldn't do more unless we found the right story and boy did we find it. I cannot wait for fans to see what Nil and I have in store. If you thought Vol. 1 was wild, you haven't seen anything yet. Prebear yourselves!"

The description of the first issue reads, "FINALLY! The man, the myth, the legend—SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER RETURNS to the War on Bearror in a wild new action-comedy with higher stakes, new characters, and all the heart and hilarity fans have come to expect. This time, Shirtless's search for his true origin sets him on a cosmic collision course with the bear god…URSA MAJOR!"

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(Photo: Image Comics)
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(Photo: Image Comics)
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(Photo: Image Comics)
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(Photo: Image Comics)

"There's so much to love about this book. It's hard to know where to start! Maybe SBF resonates because it's a gorgeously illustrated, over-the-top, fight-comic," LeHeup previously told ComicBook.com about Shirtless Bear-Fighter. "Maybe it's because people enjoy falling out of their chairs laughing. Maybe it's because we're living through some very dark times and people like to be reminded what joy feels like. Or maybe people just really like pixelated dongs."

LeHeup added, "Honestly though I think the real reason fans are resonating with SBF is because it speaks to that inner self, that little bear-fighter deep inside all of us that power fantasizes about
standing up to bear oppression."

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #2 goes on sale August 17th. Cover A is by Dave Johnson; Cover B is a wraparound cover by Chris Brunner; Cover C is a blank sketch cover; Cover D is a 1:10 incentive cover by Paolo Rivera, and Cover E is a 1:25 incentive cover by Daniel Warren Johnson.

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