Cartoon Network Revival Just Gave a Major Character a Bold New Look
Cartoon Network is mining its classics again: later this month, Regular Show is back with The Lost Tapes, reuniting Mordecai, Rigby, and the rest of the park crew for fresh chaos.
Cartoon Network keeps digging into its greatest hits, and honestly, I get it. Regular Show is about to drop a new special, and now Ben 10 is back too — not on TV (at least not yet), but in a fresh comic reboot that reintroduces Ben Tennyson from square one.
So what is this new Ben 10?
Dynamite Comics just launched a Ben 10 series built as a clean, modern restart. The original creators are back in the mix, and they are treating this like a definitive, everything-on-the-table version of the character. Think: new continuity, same core idea — kid, watch, aliens, chaos.
"This is the most 'Absolute' Ben 10 you can get!"
That is co-creator Joe Casey hyping the approach. Translation: they are pulling from every past iteration and not leaving any fan-favorite pieces on the cutting room floor.
Who is back — and who looks different
Ben and cousin Gwen show up looking pretty close to their classic designs. Grandpa Max, though, got a noticeable update. In the first issue, the trio is on a camping trip, and Max is rocking a beard and looks slimmer than we have seen him across earlier versions. It is a simple tweak that reads like a soft reset without breaking who he is.
- Publisher: Dynamite Comics
- Creative team: Original Ben 10 creators are involved (Man of Action folks are steering)
- Premise: A full reboot that reintroduces Ben Tennyson and rebuilds the universe
- Designs: Ben and Gwen stay familiar; Grandpa Max gets a beard and sheds some weight
- Opening setup: Family camping trip when the story kicks off
- Scope: Pulls from every previous incarnation; meant to be the definitive take
- TV status: No television adaptation announced yet
About that TV comeback
Co-creator Duncan Rouleau has been candid with fans: they want Ben back on Cartoon Network and will push to make it happen, but there is nothing to announce right now. He has also noted the network has been in the middle of some reshuffling, which does not make scheduling new revivals any easier. Bottom line: the comic is real; a new show is not (yet).
Meanwhile, Regular Show is also back
Regular Show: The Lost Tapes arrives later this month, reuniting Mordecai, Rigby, and the rest of the park weirdos. Cartoon Network is still making new stuff, but clearly the legacy brands are getting fresh oxygen too.
As for Grandpa Max 2.0: beard, trimmed down — I am into it. How are you feeling about the update?