Syzygy Publishing, an imprint of Image Comics, announced plans on Saturday to release a remastered and expanded edition of THE LEGENDARY LYNX, the long out-of-print 1970s superhero series from defunct publisher Triumph Comics.
The Lynx, a street-level vigilante and precursor to gritty, noir runs on titles like Marvel’s Daredevil, Moon Knight, and a contemporary to heroes like The Cat and Spider-Woman, was the flagship comic book of Triumph Comics, far surpassing its other, less popular titles. Best-known for its initial, critically-acclaimed run by writer Harvey Stern and artist Doug Detmer, along with guest writer Carmen Valdez, many comic insiders point to the Lynx as an essential, lost part of comic history. When Triumph entered into bankruptcy in the early 90s, the rights surrounding the Lynx became muddled.
“The Lynx is one of those mythic lost comic series I’d heard whispered about over the years but had pretty much given of hope of ever actually seeing,” said Chris Ryall, Syzygy’s Publisher. “Just knowing that such a compelling and influential series is going to finally get remastered and released is a huge thrill for me, and even moreso knowing I get to help make that happen.”
THE LEGENDARY LYNX is based on the comic book series featured in Alex Segura’s acclaimed and bestselling crime novel, SECRET IDENTITY. The novel, which featured Lynx comic book sequences drawn by Sandy Jarrell (as “Doug Detmer”), was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category in addition to widespread acclaim. Pages from this in-world comic book have already begun serialization via digital platform Zestworld, and will see print later this year from Image/Syzygy.
“Comic book history is packed with stories that are lost to the winds of time – erased by the machinery of companies folding, misplaced files, you name it. We feel particularly lucky that we’ve been able to not only discover a nearly pristine set of THE LEGENDARY LYNX #1-4, but to have someone like Sandy to help remaster the original artwork by unsung master Doug Detmer, and Grey Allison to polish the colors” says Alex Segura. “Tracking down scannable pages has been a daunting task, and I’m thankful to our team – including editor Allison M. O’Toole and the legendary Jack Morelli touching up the lettering of his own cousin, Todd. I think readers will be drawn to not only the Lynx as a historical artifact – a lost piece of comic book lore that hints at what’s to come – but as a fun, engaging superhero adventure comic in its own right, crafted with care by writer Harvey Stern and, if you believe the rumors to be true, a young writer named Carmen Valdez. We’re thankful that Chris Ryall – a comic book historian himself – was familiar with the original Lynx stories and willing to give the book a new home, and a new lease on life in print after our initial, digital serialization on Zestworld.”
“He was workmanlike, sure, but more innovative than anyone remembers, if anyone remembers him at all. It’s an honor to have a hand in restoring Doug Detmer’s name to the pantheon of all-time greats,” said Jarrell.
