Gentlemen, we can revive him

The iconic opening sequence from '70s TV series . Source: Supplied

The cover of Dynamite Entertainment's Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six #1, with artwork by Alex Ross. Source: Supplied

INFLATION might have taken its toll, but 36 years on, the Six Million Dollar Man is slo-mo-ing back into the public consciousness.

But rather than our TV screens, bionic man Steve Austin (played back then by Lee Majors) will be gracing the comic book page in a series that picks up where the show left off.

Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six (yes, the original run was five seasons) is an official continuation of the hit '70s series, to be published early next year by Dynamite Entertainment to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary.

And though it's in comic form, you can expect all the gimmicks that made the show so popular.

Comic writer James Kuhoric told The Hollywood Reporter : "We went out of our way to use the 'kung fu slow motion', the sound effects, and all the oddities of the era so the comic book would feel like the original TV series."

A ’70s comic book advertisement for Six Million Dollar Man and Maskatron action figures. Source: Supplied

Adding to the uniqueness of the concept, the Season Six comic book will feature Steve Austin's arch enemy who never actually appeared on TV: Maskatron - the evil robot with interchangeable faces who could impersonate Austin or his boss Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) - was an action figure in Kenner's Six Million Dollar Man toy line of the '70s, and appeared to be based on robot doubles created by Dr Chester Dolenz in a couple of episodes.

Speaking of toys, Dynamite will also be taking its first step into toymaking, with Six Million Dollar Man action figures and statues alongside merchandise from its other properties. BifBangPow! and Zica Toys already make retro-style toys, lunchboxes etc.

Dynamite has already been publishing a Bionic Man reimagining by cult hero Kevin Smith, with cover art by the legendary Alex Ross. Ross is doing the covert art for Season Six as well.

Bionic fandom has undergone something of an online revival in recent years. There are numerous blogs and Twitter accounts dedicated to the franchise, and original stars Majors and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) recently appeared at Atlanta's Dragon Con. Both The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman have had complete-series DVD releases in recent years, and there was also a short-lived attempt to reimagine The Bionic Woman in a TV series in 2007. But The Six Million Dollar Man is only the latest in a series of comic book continuations of defunct TV series.

The X-Files: Season 10: Agents Mully and Sculder are back continuing to investigate government conspiracies and the paranormal. Creator Chris Carter returns to the franchise to oversee its continuation in comic form, ensuring this is as authorised as it gets.

Smallville: Season 11: Despite a 10-season run, it seemed Smallville was only getting started when Clark Kent finally donned the red, yellow and blue at the end of the final episode. If you always wondered what Tom Welling got up to in the Superman suit, Smallville: Season 11 has the answer.

Whedonverse: Joss Whedon's cult TV creations also have been continued in comic form, with three more "seasons" for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and continuing adventures for Angel. And his short-lived sci-fi series Firefly has also gotten the comic treatment, the latest series written by Whedon's brother Zack.

Movie sequels and prequels: Numerous big-screen blockbusters have had accompanying comic-book prequels and sequels in the past several years, especially superhero flicks such as this year's Man of Steel and Thor: The Dark World.

Also, IDW Publishing's Star Trek ongoing series reimagines episodes from the original series for the new "Abramsverse" timeline.

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