Warning: contains spoilers for Jonny Quest #2!
Jonny Quest’s best friend Hadji just got a major upgrade, turning him into a badass. Hadji has been Jonny’s loyal sidekick for over 60 years, and together they have shared in some hair-raising adventures. Now, in Dynamite’s new Jonny Quest ongoing, Jonny and Hadji have been flung forward in time, and in issue two, they meet an older version of Hadji, one highly proficient in combat and weapons.
Jonny Quest #2 is written by Joe Casey and drawn by Sebastian Piriz. Jonny, along with Hadji, Race and Doctor Quest, have determined they have traveled forward in time, to the year 2024. Allying themselves with the Jonny of 2024, they travel to Kolkata, in India. The Jonny of 2024 is searching for someone who can help him, who turns out to be an older Hadji. Uncertain as to their identities and purpose, the 2024 Hadji attacks. It becomes clear that Hadji has had extensive training in martial arts.
Furthermore, his apartment is loaded with booby traps and holograms.
Dynamite Has Brought Jonny Quest Into the 21st Century
Jonny’s Allies, Such as Hadji, Are Along for the Ride
Created by comic artist Doug Wildey, Jonny Quest aired for a single season starting in 1964. The cartoon aired in primetime, which was still novel at the time. Despite only running one season, Jonny Quest made an impression on fans. Dynamite, as part of a larger deal with Warner Brothers/Discovery, launched a new Jonny Quest title. Eschewing modern reboots and revivals, the book is set in 1964, and honors the tone of the classic cartoon. High-concept science fiction adventures were at the core of Jonny Quest, and Casey and Piriz have created a story firmly in that tradition.
Throughout Jonny’s adventures, he has been assisted by Hadji Singh. Hadji, an orphan from India, befriended Jonny as a young boy while Doctor Quest was lecturing in Calcutta. Hadji possesses a variety of powers, seemingly supernatural in nature, and is, even at his young age, a gifted fighter. Although the character at times falls into stereotypes, Hadji was still a massive win for representation. The Jonny Quest cartoon showed Hadji was just as smart as Jonny. Furthermore, thanks to his powers, Hadji saved Jonny on more than one occasion.
Hadji’s Rise Has Come at a Terrible Price
Hadji Now Has More Agency Than He Ever Did With Jonny Quest
While Dynamite’s new Jonny 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 does not appear good. Jonny and Hadji parted ways years before Team Quest’s arrival. The issue remains mum on what happened, but it leads Hadji to decline helping the Jonny of 2024. The timing is unfortunate, as Jonny’s old nemesis, Doctor Zin, is preparing to strike in the present day.
Hadji’s new characterization fixes some of the character’s problematic elements as well.
Hadji’s new characterization fixes some of the character’s problematic elements as well. Hadji was from India, but the country itself was rarely ever featured in the cartoon, instead focusing on other locations. In Jonny Quest #2, Hadji turns down Jonny because he does not see Doctor Zin as a threat to India. Hadji declares that his loyalty is now to his home country, not Team Quest. Hadji’s ascension to a badass, while giving the character even more agency, has come at a price: his friendship with Jonny Quest.
Jonny Quest #2 is on sale now from Dynamite Entertainment!
