Bucky O'Hare
From Freepedia
Bucky O'Hare was created by comic writer Larry Hama in the late 1970s. It was first published by Continuity Comics in comic book form in the mid-1980s, appearing in the anthology series Echo of Futurepast, with Hama writing and Michael Golden on pencils. The series was later collected into an oversized graphic novel. Hama wrote a second Bucky O'Hare arc, which was never published. The comic book spawned a TV show in 1990, along with a series of action figures. A Bucky O'Hare video game developed by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1992, and a Bucky O'Hare arcade game was also released. The storyline follows a parallel universe (the aniverse), where a war is ongoing between the slightly inept United Animals Coalition (run by mammals) and the sinister Toad Empire. The Toad Empire is led by a vast computer system known as KOMPLEX, which has brainwashed the toad population.Contents |
Comic Book
Bucky O'Hare, a green hare, was the captain of a mammal frigate named The Righteous Indignation. His crew was introduced in the comic and consisted of:
- Jenny - pilot, an Aldebaran cat with mysterious magical powers.
- Blinky - an advanced AFC (Android First Class).
- Deadeye Duck - gunner, a four-armed pirate duck from Canopis III.
- Willy DuWitt - engineer, a pre-teen human from Earth who enters the aniverse via a portal between the ship's photon accelerator and his own accelerator at home.
Willy replaced Bruce, the former engineer, who was killed when the photon accelerator went haywire.
The members of the Toad Empire introduced in the comic are as follows:
- KOMPLEX - the undisputed ruler of the Toad Empire. This computer program was designed to run the consumerist toad culture but instead took it over and militarized it.
- Air Marshal - one of KOMPLEX's foremost allies, with a uniform adorned with medals and a face covered in warts.
In the comic, Bucky and crew escape a toad attack but must rescue Jenny when she is captured by the toads. In the end, a strange, omnipotent mouse banishes the toads attacking Bucky into another dimension. Willy's parents, not knowing what the photon accelerator does, deactivate it, trapping him in the aniverse.
The US comic only ran this one plotline; however, to coincide with the TV show in the early '90s, a UK comic reprinted the issues and then continued (with a different, unknown writer and artist) for another 15 issues.
Cartoon Series
The cartoon version of Bucky O'Hare debuted in 1990 on the BBC, as well as in the US, and was created by Sunbow Entertainment, Continuity Comics, IDDH, and Marvel. It was animated at Sunset Animation Studios.Most of the ideas from the comic book were used for the cartoon, with three major differences: Bruce is transported into another dimension instead of killed, Willy can travel freely between Earth and the aniverse, and the omnipotent mouse is nowhere to be seen. The cartoon explored more of the aniverse and followed a loose unifying arc, with Bucky's home planet of Warren being captured by the toads in the season premiere and rescued in the finale (which was co-written by Neal Adams).
Every character from the comic book appeared in the cartoon, and many new ones were introduced, including:
- Bruiser - Bruce's brother, a Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who joins Bucky's team as space marine. He, and all berserker baboons, scare the toads out of their wits.
- Commander Dogstar - Bucky's ally, Dogstar captains The Indefatigable, another frigate fighting against the toads. His crew includes Wolf (the wolf pilot), Digger (the mole engineer), Pete (the laconic canine space marine), and Rumble Bee (the robot gunner).
- Captain Mimi LaFloo - originally a captive of the toads, Mimi is rescued by Bucky and goes on to command her own mammal frigate, The Screaming Mimi.
- Toadborg - a large, purple cyborg who seems to be second-in-command under KOMPLEX.
- Frix and Frax - the Air Marshal's two bumbling twin henchmen.
- Captain Smada - a toad officer with a strong lisp and outlandish clothing.
- Al Negator - a sleazasaur crocodile bounty hunter.
- Queen Katrina - monach of the Aldebarans.
- Felicia - Katrina's young and naive granddaughter.
- Sly Leezard - a sleazy lizard villain.
- Kamikaze Kamo - a noble four-armed ninja duck.
- The Corsair Canards - four-armed duck space pirates, an outlaw group to which Deadeye used to belong. Includes Captain Lanelle, Redjack, and Black Beak.
Cartoon Episode List
- 1 War of the Warts
- 2 A Fistful of Simoleans
- 3 The Good, the Bad, and the Warty
- 4 Home, Swampy Home
- 5 On the Blink
- 6 The Kreation Konspiracy
- 7 The Komplex Caper
- 8 The Search for Bruce
- 9 The Corsair Canards
- 10 The Artificers of Aldebaran
- 11 The Warriors
- 12 Bye Bye Berserker Baboon
- 13 The Taking of Pilot Jenny
Today
Little has been heard from the Bucky O'Hare property since the cartoon went off the air. It is currently available on DVD in the UK.
Recently, Neal Adams and Continuity created a short online 3-D cartoon of Bucky O'Hare, apparently hoping to interest investors in reviving the franchise. Also, a new Bucky O'Hare toyline is in the works from Shocker Toys.
A virtual season of Bucky O'Hare has been written by fans. Dubbed "The Web Series," it is currently partway through Season Four (with the cartoon being Season One).
See also
External links
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars at the Internet Movie Database
- Neal Adams and Continuity Studios
- Bucky O'Hare at MobyGames
- A fan site, including the Web Series
- Bucky O'Hare message board
