Taran Killam, the actor from Saturday Night Live who has performed such memorable characters/impressions as Mokiki, Eminem and Brad Pitt, will launch a new comic book series for IDW in the winter called The Illegitimates. Killam will be teaming with writer Marc Andreyko and artist Kevin Sharpe. There will also be some covers provided by legendary artist Jerry Ordway.
The Illegitimates tells the story of a team of super spies from different backgrounds who are joined together because of a common bond they do not know – they were all fathered by sexy spy Jack Steele. The team, made up of specialists with different skills, struggle to work together in the sleazy, dangerous and high-stakes underworld.
The concept comes from Killam, but he will receive great assistance from Andreyko, an industry veteran who has been nominated for Eisner and Harvey awards for his writing. Andreyko teamed with Brian Michael Bendis to write the critically acclaimed series Torso, and he also had a long, popular run on DC Comics' Manhunter from 2004 to 2009. Sharpe is known for his dramatic artwork on Army of Darkness.
Killam is not the first recent SNL cast member to dabble in comic books. Seth Meyers and Bill Hader, both admitted fanboys, wrote a one-shot for Marvel in 2009, the hilariously titled Spider-Man: The Short Halloween. Meyers has also been involved in creating and providing voice acting for the animated superhero web series The Awesomes. Killam may also know something about spy superheroes since he is (sort of) married to one. Killam's wife is Cobie Smulders, who although primarily known for How I Met Your Mother also played Maria Hill in the blockbuster The Avengers movie. Hopefully, Killam can deliver on the entertaining premise of The Illegitimates with a book that combines action, adventure and humor.
