Alex Toth is one of the most influential creators in comic book history, with a career that stretched from Golden Age superheroes to masterpieces of war stories to the world of animation, where he created characters like Space Ghost and Birdman. As a result, you don't often run across something new from his considerable library, but this week, IDW announced that they were unearthing one of his rarely seen classic stories for a new hardcover: Bravo For Adventure.

Focused on the adventures of a pilot and "reluctant swashbuckler" named Jess Bravo --- because with a name like that you're pretty much doomed to a life of swashbuckling from the start --- the series has been unfinished and out of print for decades, making it a lost classic from one of the true masters of comics.

 

Bravo for Adventure, Alex Toth
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Toth originally wrote and drew Bravo For Adventure as a 48-page original graphic novel for a French publisher, but it was never printed. The story was later serialized in Warren's The Rook --- a truly bizarre Vampirella spin-off magaizne about a guy who traveled through time in a giant chess piece, presumably only in straight lines --- before bouncing around between publishers that seemed to have a knack for going out of business. IDW's collection marks the first time the complete stories have ever been collected and published, including fragments of unfinished stories and bonus material like penciled roughs and character designs.

I've been a fan of Toth's work since before I knew who he was, and I've always had a soft spot for pulpy airplane adventure stories, so this is definitely a collection that I'm looking forward to. The 100-page hardcover is set for release in June with a cover price of $34.99.

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