Long running comic strip “Alley Oop” makes its auspicious return at the hands of writer Joey Anderson Sayers and artist Jonathan Lemon in January 2019, resuming publication after a brief period of reruns.
Sayers and Lemon hope to revive the “freshness” of Hamlin’s creation by making a “new starting point for readers.” Sayers plans to take the larger-than-life caveman in an even “zanier” direction, eschewing time travel adventures for a combination of daily slice-of-life adventures in the weekly strip, and glimpses into the early years of Li’l Oop every Sunday. “The strip is preserving its history, she told The New York Times. “It’s not that the stuff in the past doesn’t exist, it is still the same characters, but circumstances have changed. I definitely don’t want to alienate the old readers, but I want to create a starting point for new readers.”
“Alley Oop”‘s titular caveman has been on a time traveling journey first begun by creator V.T. Hamlin since 1932. Hamlin’s assistant David Graue continued the comic from 1973 before being succeeded by married duo Jack and Carole Bender in 2001. They concluded their 17-year tenure in September of 2018. Over the course of eight decades, “Alley Oop” was brought to life across a variety of media including television and radio. Oakland-based Sayers and the San Franciscan Lemon have banded together on “Alley Oop” following stints cartooning for publications such as The Nib, Mad Magazine and Go Comics.
[Source: The New York Times]
