Hamsters AHamsters BOkay, we knew EVERYTHING was coming back in the current comics boom, but Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters? Created by Don Chin, and published by Eclips as a take off on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was a take off on Daredevil and Ronin, ARBBH was the most successful of the literally DOZENS of books which created the great Black and White Indie Glut of ’87. This was a strange period in comics history, one which we should return to in a future posting, but in the meantime, here’s the PR from Dynamite — is this the start of a NEW black and white indie comic boom?

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT announced today that they had reached an agreement with creator Don Chin to begin publishing a new comic book series and collections (and collectibles) featuring the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters. The news release follows up the blockbuster weekend that the animated CGI outing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated the weekend box-office!

The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, written and created by Don Chin was originally illustrated by Parsonavich and later by Sam Kieth, as well as initially published by Eclipse Comics. The series chronicled the adventures of four Hamsters named Chuck, Bruce, Jackie and Clint, who were sent into space by the United Nations in an attempt to obliterate a huge blob of radioactive space jell-o that threatened to engulf the earth, wiping out all life as we know it. The Hamsters sacrificed their lives by self-destructing their rocket ship in the heart of the gelatinous mass, which sent them hurtling back to earth to the Himalayas covered with the strange glowing goo. There they were found by a wandering Buddhist Monk who sees their arrival as an answer to ancient prophecy–so they are trained in the ways of the martial arts to one day rid the world of corruption.

Chin dreamed up the furry foursome in a biology class at Humboldt State University in the 1980’s as a parody of the increasingly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, but they soon took on a life of their own, selling over a half-million comics and becoming a part of pop culture. Humboldt State University in Arcata, California is also the alma mater of Stephen Hillenburg, creator of “Spongebob Squarepants.”

Dynamite stated: “The Hamsters are fun, they’re cuddly, and now they’re “dynamite”. We’ve been working with Don for a good long while to make this happen and today I’m pleased to announce that the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters have found a new home at Dynamite. This is a series which has the potential to not only be a lot of fun, but to be a great jumping on point for kids as well as regular comic fans! We’re thrilled at the creative possibilities of this series and have big things in store for these characters in a new comic book series.”

Creator Don Chin stated: “I’m very excited to be entering into this relationship with Dynamite Entertainment, as they have a proven reputation for great art and stories and have shown a keen eye for turning licensed properties into hot comic book titles such as Army of Darkness, Battlestar Galactica and Red Sonja. I have long wanted to re-introduce the “Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters” to a new generation of fans who might be looking for a very funny, action-packed series and to the original fans who have kept asking me when they were going to return out of hibernation. With so many 1980’s retro-titles being sought after for comics and movies (Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc.), it seemed like a natural fit to bring the Black Belt Hamsters back”

The Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters series ran for nine issues from 1986 through 1989 and featured a number of spin-offs, including: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters in 3-D; Clint: Hamster Triumphant; and Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion.

More details on Dynamite’s Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters – including details on the creative team – will be available in the near future.

Dynamite plans to have incredible support for this release with house ads, Diamond Previews Ads, online ads through news websites, as well as prints ads in Comic Shop News!

1 COMMENT

  1. I was very excited when I read this news.
    I am so serious.
    For some reason, this series really hooked me in junior high and set itself apart from the rest of the TMNT parodies. It kind of had a life of its own. Plus, Parsonovich’s art in the first half of the series was bonkers.

  2. Oh my holy fuck! This is awesome. I am being completely and utterly serious when I say that ARBBH was one of the most important comics of my childhood, right up there with Uncle Scrooge Adventures! When I was 19 and tried to re-collect the issues I had as a kid, comic book store clerks laughed at me! Now I get the last laugh! HA!