Thursday, July 24, 2008

Howard Chaykin's American Flagg! is Waving

This week, Image Comics and Dynamic Forces will release a hardcover collection of Howard Chaykin's legendary creator-owned series 'American Flagg!' to comic shops across America. At least, that's what Chaykin's been told.

'My understanding is that it actually exists,' laughs the writer and artist, noting that he'll believe the long-delayed volume has been printed when he holds it in his hands. Announced over three years ago, the hardcover will include the first twelve issues of the series (originally published in the early '80s by First Comics) as well as an all-new Flagg tale by Chaykin. 'What delayed the process were the solutions to a series of technical problems that were created by a number of unforeseen circumstances - getting our hands on the film, things like that. That was what extenuated the process and made the process more difficult,' Chaykin says.

However, while the 'Flagg!' hardcover took a number of years to assemble, few would argue that the wait would not be worth it. While a number of younger fans today never experienced the series, the story of former TV star Reuben Flagg fighting his way through corruption in a giant, gang-infested mall in an America abandoned by the U.S. government for new digs on Mars is a keystone of creator-owned comics and Chaykin's groundbreaking graphic style.