Warning: Contains spoilers for Johnny Quest #2!
Johnny Quest Best friend Haji just got a major upgrade, turning him into a badass. Hadji was Johnny’s loyal sidekick for over 60 years, and together they shared in some hair-raising adventures. Now, in the new dynamite Johnny Quest continues, Jonny and Haji have jumped forward in time, and in issue two, they encounter an older version of Haji, one who is highly skilled in combat and weapons.
Johnny Quest #2 was written by Joe Casey and drawn by Sebastian Piriz. Johnny, along with Hadji, Race and Doctor Quest, determine that they have traveled forward in time, to the year 2024. Allied with the Johnny of 2024, they travel to Kolkata, India. The Johnny of 2024 is looking for someone who can help him, who turns out to be an elderly haji. Uncertain about their identity and purpose, the 2024 Hadji attacks. It becomes clear that Hadji has extensive training in martial arts.
Furthermore, his apartment is loaded with bobby traps and holograms.
Dynamite brought Jonny Quest into the 21st century
Johnny’s allies, such as Hadji, are along for the ride
Created by comic artist Doug Wildey, Johnny Quest Appeared for a single season starting in 1964. The cartoon aired in prime time, which was still novel at the time. Despite only one season, Johnny Quest Made an impression on fans. Dynamite, as part of a larger deal with Warner Brothers/Discovery, launched a new Johnny Quest Title. The book is set in 1964, with modern reboots and revivals, and honors the tone of the classic cartoon. High-concept science fiction adventures are the heart of Johnny QuestAnd Casey and Piriz have created a story firmly in that tradition.
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Throughout Johnny’s adventures, he was assisted by Hadji Singh. Hadji, an orphan from India, befriended Johnny as a young boy while Doctor Quest was lecturing in Calcutta. Haji possesses various powers, seemingly supernatural in nature, and is a gifted fighter even at his young age. Although the character occasionally falls into stereotypes, Hadji is still a massive win for representation. The Johnny Quest Cartoon showed that Haji is just as smart as Jonny. Moreover, thanks to his powers, Hadji saved Johnny on more than one occasion.
Hadji’s rise has come at a terrible cost
Hadji now has more agency than he ever had with Jonny Quest
While dynamite is new Johnny Quest Title opts to go old-school in terms of tone and characterization, it also pushes the property in unexpected new directions. Traveling forward in time has allowed Team Quest to confront their legacies, and some of it is not good. Johnny and Haji split up years before Team Quest’s arrival. The question remains about what happened, but this does not stop Hodji from helping the Johnny of 2024. The timing is unfortunate, because Johnny’s old nemesis, Doctor Tin, is preparing to strike in the present day.
Hadji’s new characterization also fixes some of the character’s problematic elements.
Hadji’s new characterization also fixes some of the character’s problematic elements. Hadji was from India, but the country itself was rarely ever featured in the cartoon, instead focusing on other locations. in Johnny Quest #2, Haji turns down Johnny because he doesn’t see Doctor Tin as a threat to India. Hadji explains that his loyalty is now to his home country, not to Team Quest. Hadji’s ascension to badass, while giving the character even more agency, comes at a cost: his friendship with Johnny Quest.
Johnny Quest #2 is on sale now from Dynamite Entertainment!