Whether you go by the December 27th, 2005 “sneak peek” airing or the January 13th, 2006 “formal premiere”, Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 Franchise has been around for 20 years now. It’s also been 5 years since the franchise’s Reboot Series concluded with the TV Special that acted as its series finale, “Alien X-Tinction”, initially airing on April 11th, 2021. After half a decade of a drought, the franchise is about to experience a resurgence on May 6th. Fittingly enough for a franchise that was inspired by superhero comics, this resurgence will be manifesting in the form of a series of comic book issues produced by Dynamite Comics.
The collective creators of the franchise, Man of Action (consisting of Steven T. Seagle, Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey & Joe Kelly), will be directly involved with this upcoming entry for the franchise (just as they were with the Original Series and the Reboot Series) with Joe Casey set to write Issue 1. It’s been stated that Robert Carey will be the illustrator for Dynamite Comics’ take on Ben 10. Unlike the Reboot Series, which was aimed at a younger audience (due to executive mandates), Dynamite Comics’ take on Ben 10 will be aimed at an older audience.
Official statements confirm that Dynamite Comics’ take on Ben 10 will be a new continuity and has been described along the lines of being Ben 10‘s equivalent to DC’s Absolute Universe and Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. While Issue 1 is set to adapt the series premiere of the Original Series with Ben obtaining the Omnitrix, the cover for Issue 1 indicates that this continuity will be using the same “Starter Roster” as the Reboot Series. Various statements have indicated that the Dynamite Comics Continuity will be cherry picking aspects from all the installments of the franchise which seems safe to suspect that aspects from Alien Force, Ultimate Alien and Omniverse will also be adapted.
As a means to build up to its release, select pages from Issue 1 have been made public but with the text boxes removed leading to speculation on the context for the events depicted on these pages. One of these pages stands out for showing what seems to be the military noticing the Omnitrix as it lands on Earth. This opens up the possibility of characters such as Lieutenant Steel from the Original Series and/or Colonel Rozum from Ultimate Alien playing a more significant role in this continuity.
What aspects from the franchise’s past do you hope to see adapted in this new continuity? What aspects are you hoping to see this new continuity add to the franchise’s future?
