Badrock gets spinoff title, illustrated by Grand Rapids artist, to celebrate ‘Summer of Youngblood’

The “Summer of Youngblood” is well underway.

Not only did “Youngblood” — the very first comic book produced by Image Comics in 1992, created by well-known artist/writer Rob Liefeld — reach its milestone 100^th issue and return for a second printing, but Grand Rapids-based artist Seth Damoose is demonstrating his artistry on its spinoff title, called “Badrock.” The first issue, written by Liefeld, debuted Wednesday (July 15).  

“‘Youngblood’ was the first comic out of the gates for Image, and I remember that everyone seemed drawn to Badrock — as well as the whole Youngblood team — from the beginning,” Damoose said. “Being a part of Rob Liefeld’s Summer of Youngblood is an honor. It’s wild to be a part of something that I’ve been such a fan of for most of my life. I’m truly just happy to be here.”

Alexis McComber, manager of Summit Comics & Games in Lansing, said that whenever a Michigan-based artist works on a title for a prominent publisher like Image, there’s always an uptick in sales.

“We love seeing artists make it big. It’s always fun,” McComber said. “Image is the place where creators can tell the stories they want to tell. And you never know what’s going to happen.”

Liefeld believes that if superheroes existed in the real world, they would be treated the same way as famous actors, pop stars and pro athletes. Youngblood is a team of superheroes sanctioned by the U.S. government. Not only do they fight crime, but they also have agents, publicists and managers who help them navigate the world of endorsement deals, TV shows and being in the media spotlight constantly.

Youngblood’s most famous member is Badrock, a teenager transformed into a giant mass of granite, making him super strong and resilient. However, he retains the emotional maturity of a teenager. His alter ego is Thomas John McCall, an average, underachieving 16-year-old who swallowed a vial of top-secret genetic material in his father’s lab, which transformed him into Badrock and got him recruited into Youngblood.

Badrock has been in every iteration of “Youngblood.” One of Image’s flagship characters, he has teamed up with Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man and Wolverine over the years.

“He’s a teenager living and working in giant, rock-skinned body. He’s about as tough as they come, which is good because he still runs at problems like a kid who doesn’t know any better. He’s growing up and having to deal with the consequences while still having to be a hero operating in the public eye,” Damoose said. “I think Badrock touches on the kid in all of us. Inside, he’s just a teenager, after all. Play that against his rocky and enormous physique, and I think we have ourselves a winner.”

Originally, the character was named Bedrock, and his catchphrase was, “Yabba-dabba-DOOM!” (a play on Fred Flintstone’s catchphrase, “Yabba-dabba-doo!”). However, to avoid any legal disputes with Hanna-Barbera, Liefeld changed his name to Badrock.

“Badrock is the heart of Youngblood,” Liefeld said. “Giving him his own title allows us to go deeper into his character, his humor and his sheer power. If you’re a fan of high-stakes, high-octane action that’s loaded with laughs, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.”

The new series explores the heavy burden Badrock carries into his personal life after his mother is kidnapped by supervillains due to his celebrity status.

“Badrock is on a break after the events of ‘Youngblood’ No. 100, and while at home enjoying some downtime, he’s attacked,” Liefeld said. “During the attack, his mom is kidnapped, and we don’t know why. The book opens with action and keeps that action rolling throughout. If you like big action, this one’s for you.”

Damoose is an alumnus of East Kentwood High School and studied studio art at Grand Rapids Community College. Growing up reading comics, he was inspired to write and draw his own stories, collaborating with his friends. They came up with their own superheroes and storylines, illustrating their ideas and stapling all the pages together to create their comic books.

“About halfway through producing that first comic book at 10 years old, I was hooked. I knew then that making comics is what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I started with drawing and showing fan art in comic book forums back in the day. I was constantly drawing, and the internet provided a way for me to reach as many people as possible in the quickest amount of time. I joined forums for art, comics, fantasy, wherever I thought someone might connect with the artwork I was making.

“Eventually, my art made its way in front of (Image co-founder) Jim Valentino at Shadowline Comics, and he offered me a gig,” Damoose continued.

Damoose’s first published comic was the third volume of Image’s “Bomb Queen” in 2007. His artwork also appeared in Source Point Press’ “Tales of Mr. Rhee.”

He contributed to IDW Publishing’s “Star Trek” No. 400, which earned an Eisner Award nomination.

“That was wild!” Damoose said of the nomination. “I’m still not sure how to feel about that. I’m honored to even have been a part of that issue. There’s so much talent that was involved in the creation of that issue. For my small eight-page story to be included was truly an honor.”

He spoke about getting the “Badrock” gig.

“A couple years ago, I had an idea to spend the month of October drawing one Liefeld-created character per day and call it ‘Robtober,’” he recalled. “I’ve always been a fan of his fun and over-the-top creations and wanted to have a go at them myself. Lo and behold, that garnered the attention of the man himself! Rob reached out and asked if I would be interested in helping launch a new ‘Badrock’ series to go along with his relaunch of ‘Youngblood.’”

Damoose spoke highly of Liefeld.

“Working with Rob is a dream come true for me. He’s been nothing but supportive and positive in every conversation we’ve had. I’m inspired by his creativity, as well as the energy he has. It comes through in the scripts and keeps me excited throughout the creation process,” he said. “I love the energy and excitement that comes from Rob’s scripts, and I can’t help but infuse my own into the pages as I’m drawing them. This is truly a comic made from the love of the superhero medium and passion for storytelling art.”

In turn, Liefeld praised Damoose.

“I’ve been following Seth’s work for years. He was the only artist I envisioned for a ‘Badrock’ series,” Liefeld said. “He’s an incredible storyteller and illustrator. Fans are in for a huge treat.”

Liefeld rose to prominence in 1990 when he revitalized Marvel’s “The New Mutants,” an “X-Men” spinoff, by co-creating the characters Deadpool and Cable. He turned “The New Mutants” into “X-Force,” and the first issue of the latter title still holds the record as the second best-selling comic of all time.

In 1992, Liefeld, along with fellow Marvel artists Valentino (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Jim Lee (“X-Men”), Todd McFarlane (“The Amazing Spider-Man”), Erik Larsen (“The Amazing Spider-Man”), Marc Silvestri (“Wolverine”) and Whilce Portacio (“Uncanny X-Men”), abruptly left Marvel and formed Image, wanting to own their own creations and characters. One of the provisions was that no Image partner would interfere — creatively or financially — with any other partner’s work.

Image became an overnight success. Pre-orders for “Youngblood” No. 1 were just under 1 million. McFarlane’s “Spawn” No. 1, Image’s second comic, sold 1.7 million copies.

Robert Kirkman, COO of Image Comics and creator of “The Walking Dead” (which later inspired the TV franchise of the same name), said “Youngblood” is one of the most important independent comics ever published.

“It started the Image revolution and paved the way for everything that followed,” he said. “As a corporate superteam that uses media manipulation and treats its heroes as celebrities, you can find its DNA in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘The Boys,’ ‘Invincible’ and dozens of other modern superhero takes. The influence of Rob Liefeld’s creation reaches far and wide into all aspects of the entertainment industry.”

Other recent comics of note