Dark Horse Comics has announced Who are the Power Pals?, a buddy comedy from Duane Murray and Ahmed Raafat with letters by Rob Jones. The four-issue series, set to debut March 19, is a study of fame, friendship, and how long you can fake it until you succeed.
“As an actor and writer, I’ve had a number of ‘almost’ situations that could have changed my career or life, but combined with making decisions that were not in my personal best interest, they ended up being failures. “These characters are close to my heart, even though there was little potential for fame and some of them risked their friendships,” Murray said.
“And as a kid who laughed out loud reading ‘Justice League’ in the ’80s,” while readers were busy wiping away tears of laughter, I thought we’d sneak in a little emotion in “Funny Book.” We hope you enjoy our attempt to focus on the fun. Away, or at least politely smiling. ”
So what is Power Pal? About?
Derek and Alex, struggling actors, have been best friends since they played teenage superheroes Swallow and Buzzard on the 90s TV show Power Pals. Wait, you’ve never heard of it? Don’t worry; the show was canceled after just three episodes, so you’re not alone. But that little bit of fame made them seek more fame, and they’ve been trying to get back on the Hollywood train ever since. After being fired from their studio security jobs and fired by their agents, the middle-aged pair decide to put on their old costumes and re-enter the public eye.
While walking down Hollywood Boulevard with popular cosplayers, they intervene to protect the tourists from an attack by a pair of rip-off characters. A video of the two’s heroic actions goes viral, and the attention motivates them to fight more crimes. But their friendship is put to the ultimate test when their low-level crime fighting inadvertently thwarts the plans of a deranged crime boss. And they soon begin to realize that neither it nor they will survive long enough to enjoy their newfound fame.
Raafat further added, “When Duane and I first discussed the idea for this series and showed me what he had in mind, I immediately agreed. I grew up watching the shows that would have been on them and have a huge love for them. I’ve worked as a film editor for a magazine in the past, and I’m also a big fan of comics (obviously!) and superhero movies. As such, this story was a perfect fit for me. It’s a fusion of these two worlds, with a twist. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve created!”
Check out the cover by Raafat and Matt Kindt below.
MILWAUKEE, Ore. (November 20, 2024) — Dark Horse Comics announces a fun new comic miniseries called “Who are the Power Pals?” This new series is a buddy comedy about fame, friendship, and how long you lie until you succeed. Who is Powerpal? This work is written by famous film actor, writer and producer Duane Murray (A Better Place), and the art, colors and cover art are from the famous British-based Egyptian comic book The film is written by Ahmed Raafat (Quick Stop), with letters by Rob Jones (The Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures). . And keep an eye out for a variant cover edition of issue #1 featuring art by Matt Kindt (Gilt Frame).
Derek and Alex, struggling actors, have been best friends since they played teenage superheroes Swallow and Buzzard on the 90s TV show Power Pals. Wait, you’ve never heard of it? Don’t worry; the show was canceled after just three episodes, so you’re not alone. But that little bit of fame left them hungry for more fame, and they’ve been trying to get back on the Hollywood train ever since. After being fired from their studio security jobs and fired by their agents, the middle-aged pair decide to put on their old costumes and re-enter the public eye. While walking down Hollywood Boulevard with a group of popular cosplayers, they intervene to protect the tourists from an attack by a pair of rip-off characters. A video of their heroic actions goes viral, and the attention they receive inspires them to fight more crimes. But their friendship is put to the ultimate test when their low-level crime fighting inadvertently thwarts the plans of a deranged crime boss. And they soon begin to realize that neither it nor they will survive long enough to enjoy their newfound fame.
In the words of author Duane Murray: “As an actor and writer, I’ve been through situations that could have changed my career and my life, but combined with decisions that weren’t the best, they ended up being failures.” For me personally, these characters are close to my heart because some of that involved risking friendships for the slim chance of potential fame. And as a kid who laughed out loud reading “Justice League” in the 80s, while the reader was busy wiping away tears of laughter, I thought “The Funny Book” was hilarious while letting us sneak a little emotion into it. We hope you enjoy our attempt at focusing on , or at least with a polite laugh. ”
Artist Ahmed Raafat says: “When Duane and I first discussed the idea for this series and he showed me what he had in mind, I immediately agreed. I grew up watching the shows that Power Pals would have been on and have a huge love for them.I’ve worked as a film editor for magazines in the past, as well as comics (obviously!) and superhero movies. As someone who loves it, this story was a perfect fit for me, with a twist of these two worlds, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we created. !”
Who is Power Pal? #1 (of 4) is scheduled to arrive in comic shops on March 19, 2025 and can be pre-ordered at your local comic shop for $4.99.
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Kudos to a better place:
“A rich imagination and heart create a winning adventure that will be displayed alongside ‘Hey Kiddo,’ ‘I Kill Giants,’ and ‘Almost American Girl.'” — School Library Journal
“There are hints of I KILL GIANTS and NO ONE ELSE, but this book is really fresh and powerful. It feels very personal in the best sense of the word.” — Matthew Rosenberg
