Jack Burton is not your ordinary hero simply because… he is not the hero! Jack Burton is the iconic sidekick who thinks he is the leading man. And it gave us the cult classic Big Trouble in Little China directed by John Carpenter, and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, and James Hong.
Even if Jack Burton was born ready, it has to be said that the amazing and hilarious adventure he had was almost impossible to predict. A wise-cracking truck driver, Jack Burton finds himself involved in an ancient battle between Good and Evil when the fiancée of his friend Wang Chi is kidnapped and must be rescued from bandits in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Despite a lack of success at the box office at the time of its release, the movie became a fan-favorite. So much that almost 30 years after, Boom Studios! continued Jack’s journey through multiple ongoing stories.
Big Trouble in Little China Comics, the Guide
Big Trouble in Little China, the continuing adventures of Jack Burton
From 2014 to 2016, BOOM! Studios published 25 issues of Big Trouble in Little China with a story that begins immediately after the events of the movie. John Carpenter gave input for the stories, working with writer Eric Powell (The Goon) for the first twelve issues. After that, Fred Van Lente (Incredible Hercules) took over and wrote the series until the end.
- Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 1
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #1-4.- Two illustrated novels have been published and both take place after the first few pages of the first issue:
- Big Trouble in Mother Russia, written by Matthew J Elliott
- Big Trouble in Merrie Olde England, written by Matthew J Elliott
- Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 2
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #5-8 - Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 3
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #9-12 - Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 4
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #13-16 - Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 5
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #17-20 - Big Trouble in Little China, vol. 6
Collects Big Trouble in Little China #21-25
Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York, the crossover
John Carpenter and Kurt Russell didn’t only create one cult classic together, they created two, with Escape from New York being actually their first collaboration. Snake Plissken is the hard-ass hero from Escape who lives in a dystopian reality. The chances that Jack and Snake meet were quite slim, right? Well, not that much finally! Jack, behind the wheel of his good ol’ Pork-Chop Express, is sucked into a dimensional portal and finds himself transported and driving through the horrors of what seems to be the dystopian future of…Escape from New York! Snake Plissken catches wind of Jack and goes on the hunt to find who is trying to steal his identity. This story is written by Greg Pak (World War Hulk).
- Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York
Collects Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York #1-6
Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, the sequel
2020 was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the world of Jack Burton, hell is literally on Earth in that year. Ching Dai, sick of relying on screw-ups like Lo Pan to do his bidding, has broken the barriers between Earth and the infinite hells, and declared himself ruler of all. Sixty-year-old Jack Burton is alone in a tiny corner of Florida with only his broken radio to talk to, until one day it manages to pick up a message. Someone is out there in the hellscape, and they know a way to stop Ching Dai. This story is written by John Carpenter & Anthony Burch.
- Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, vol. 1
Collects Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #1-4 - Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, vol. 2
Collects Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #5-8 - Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, vol. 3
Collects Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #9-12
Big Trouble in Little China Legacy Edition
Boom Studios re-published the first ongoing series in their Legacy Edition. A third Legacy book collecting the Old Man Jack series was announced at some point but was canceled.
- Big Trouble in Little China Legacy Edition, Book One
Collects Big Trouble In Little China #1-12 - Big Trouble in Little China Legacy Edition, Book Two
Collects Big Trouble In Little China #13-25.