THE RETURN OF THE CARROT: BURDEN & PRUETT ON FLAMING CARROT'S RETURN

[MattBrady]

by Ryan McLelland

He has no superpowers, a utility belt featuring a magnetic chess set, and a humongous carrot for a head. Yet after twenty years it hasn’t stopped Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot from going forth to fight evil wherever it may stand. After two long years Flaming Carrot Comics is returning with an all-new series by new comic company Desperado Publishing in conjunction with Image Comics.

Since his first appearance in 1979’s Visions #1, Flaming Carrot quickly became a comic book cult hit. With a carrot for a head and no super powers to speak of, Flaming Carrot had the look and feel of a B-list hero trying to fend off crime with quirky humor and weird weapons. This formula would quickly be expanded to Flaming Carrot’s superhero group The Mysterymen, complete with their own goofy powers and tacky costumes.

While Flaming Carrot has appeared in mini-series and guest shots in other books, his last regular series issue was issue #32 by Dark Horse Comics back in 1994. While starting anew with Image/Desperado, the comic sees a reboot to issue #1 with December’s new issue while carrying a two-tiered numbering system that will also brand the issue the 33rd issue.

As for why it was time to bring back Flaming Carrot into a regular series, creator Bob Burden just knew it was time. “There was no big decision,” said Burden. “I just started on a story one day, a story I’d done about six pages on a few years back. Finished writing it and started drawing it. And it was done in no time. [Desperado Publishing’s] Joe Pruett happened to be starting up his company about the same time.”

There is no big shocking answer on why Burden decided to publish with Desperado after having Flaming Carrot produced for so many years by Dark Horse. Noted Burden, “Joe was trying to get this new publishing company off the ground and I threw in with him. I’ll still do anything they want me to do at Dark Horse, all they have to do is whistle.”

The Mysterymen, best known for the 1999 feature film featuring Ben Stiller, could also see a comeback though nothing is currently on the horizon. “I still have a few Mysterymen stories that never got published,” Burden says. “Really, they’re the best ones that I wrote. But Dark Horse will have to pass on publishing them I guess.”

No one is more pleased on having Flaming Carrot at Desperado then publisher Joe Pruett. “When I first realized that I was going to make Desperado Publishing a reality instead of a dream the first person and project I went after was Flaming Carrot and Bob Burden,” said Pruett. “Flaming Carrot is one of the comics that brought me out of my college daze of parties and girls and back into the fold. That’s one reason why when I decided to try to make my break into comics the first person I contacted then was Bob Burden. I started my comics’ career as the assistant on Flaming Carrot and now I get to be his publisher. How cool is that?”

Pruett also talked on the alliance between Desperado and Image, “The reason I made the partnership with Image is that I believed that their resources and visibility would help Desperado’s titles reach an audience that might miss them if I went it alone. Image is all about the creator which blends perfectly with my publishing philosophy. Flaming Carrot is, rightfully so, the flagship title for Desperado Publishing and Image seems pretty excited about adding Bob and the Carrot to their already impressive line-up!”

For some who have heard of Flaming Carrot but never got the gist of what the comic is all about, Burden explains what the powerless crimefighter is and why Burden does what he does, “Flaming Carrot is like a hurricane in a taffy store. If you ever wanted to know what would happen if you got dressed up in a very strange outfit and went out to fight crime with a bubble pipe and a couple of loaded pistols, this is for you.”

“My first objective is to entertain, to tell a story and to have some fun. I got to have a good story if I’m going to draw it and that’s the bottleneck. I just can’t get into drawing a crap story.” Burden’s comics never go for cheap laughs and usually present scathing comedy similar in vein to Arrested Development or Seinfeld, where once you actually get the joke you will be laughing for the next couple of pages.

The newest issue could be called Crouching Carrot – Hidden Hot Wing, with ‘FC’ teaming up with a former juvenile delinquent named Dynamite Girl to battle an eight foot …wait for it…Hot-Wing. While Burden has two issues of Flaming Carrot in the can, he’s working diligently to get this issue done so it can be issue one. In typical crazy fashion, the first issue - should the first issue not be done in time - could be about Flaming Carrot with his singing zombie sidekick who is trying to defeat villains with his bologna gun while trying to track down pigmies building a giant ear out of French bread in the forest just outside of town.

In the end we can always count on Flaming Carrot, with his utility belt full of silly putty, stink bombs, and a magnetic chess set, to once again swoop in and save the day. “At the same time this silliness is contrasted against a whole lot of outrageous violence and sex," said Burden. "He’s not too smart so when he gets in a spot, he usually blasts his way out in a hail of gunfire. He’s pretty bloodthirsty and violent. In essence it’s about being alive. About having fun."

Flaming Carrot Comics returns quarterly in December with issue #1/issue #33 from Desperado Publishing/Image Comics.

[Woody]

awesome.

[render man]

I can't wait!! I've missed the Carrot these long years. Glad to see it making its comeback! Fan for Life!

[Greg McElhatton]

Now if only the first two FLAMING CARROT collections would come back into print... hint hint!

[Solamon]

I have never read Flaming Carrot in the past, but on a whim I preordered this comic. I hope it's as good as the hype.

[adamcasey]

I like that's issue #1/#33. Nice to see a funnybook lampooning the weird numbering of Marvel.

[Velvet Glove]

God, I love that big dumb carrot. Totally psyched to see him finally coming back. Woo hoo!

[Switch]

Looking forward to starting things off with a #33.

[Hannibal King]

Always loved the Flaming One! Honestly a really great read. Hopefully everyone will pick this up.

[F For Fake]

UT! Can't Wait!

[clayholio]

Excellent! It's been far too long without a new Flaming Carrot story!

[M Polo]

Already pre-ordered. Gotta love the Carrot!!!