Flex Mentallo to be Reprinted

In good news for fans of comics and muscle mastery, earlier this month DC Comics announced that it would finally reprint the long-sought-after Flex Mentallo four-issue comic book series (originally published in 1996) later this year. Charles Atlas Ltd. once sued DC over the title and character, claiming dilution of trademark; the judge dismissed the case, stating that "This is precisely the type of expression of ideas that the First Amendment is designed to protect." While there's no doubt whatsoever that Flex was inspired by the Atlas advertisements, the miniseries--written by Grant Morrison, with art by Frank Quitely--presents a complex and multifaceted meditation on power, and heroism, and comics, and I'm looking forward to seeing the collected edition on bookstore shelves.

For more details on the reprinting, see Andy Khouri's story at Comics Alliance, "Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's 'Flex Mentallo' to be Reprinted at Last." For (lots) more on Flex the series, see Jason Craft's The Annotated Flex Mentallo. For more on the legal dispute between Charles Atlas, Ltd. and DC Comics over the Flex comics, see this Associated Press story, as well as A Legal Comparison of Charles Atlas Ads and Flex Mentallo.