Comics Legend Mike Grell is most famous for his work on series like Green Arrow and Warlord. However, Grell also has a large body of independent works. The most famous of these, Jon Sable: Freelance, is about to be adapted into a scripted series.
The Jon Sable: Freelance series announcement was posted on Mike Grell’s personal website. The production is attached to producer Brendan Deneen and Second Act Entertainment. Deneen has a background in book adaptations, working with Assemble Media and Blackstone Publishing. He has also written several Marvel and DC books, including the YA graphic novel Green Arrow: Stranded.
This marks the second time Jon Sable: Freelance has been adapted for live action. ABC produced an action-drama titled Sable in 1986, which deviated heavily from the source material. It ran for only six episodes, not counting an unaired pilot in which KISS front man Gene Simmons played the title role. It is mostly remembered today for giving Rene Russo her first television role as publisher Eden Kendell.
Jon Sable: Freelance Explained
Debuting in 1983, Jon Sable: Freelance predated and yet defined what became known as the Dark Age of Comics. Published by First Comics, the series centered around Olympic athlete Jon Sable, who has married and retired to Rhodesia. It’s here that he starts a family and becomes a game warden. After his family is murdered by poachers, Sable returns to America and begins living a double life. By day he writes children’s books under the penname B.B. Flemm. By night, he works as a freelance mercenary.
Grell followed the original series up with two miniseries, Bloodtrail and Ashes of Eden. He also wrote one novel based on the character, simply titled Sable, in 2000. Recently, he published a series of omnibus editions through Kickstarter, collecting all the Jon Sable: Freelance stories.
