Red Ketchup

The character

Steve "Red" Ketchup is a chemically enhanced albino and a former police officer turned FBI agent. He is a ruthless, violent combatant skilled in both armed and unarmed fighting, appearing nearly invulnerable due to extreme fitness, a high pain threshold, and drug use. A Vietnam War veteran, his real name is Steve Kecziupelski, born to Polish parents. Flashbacks show his childhood in Hamtramck, Michigan, near Detroit, though he was accidentally born across the border in Windsor, Ontario.

History of the graphic novels

Red Ketchup first appeared in 1982 as a supporting character in the Michel Risque comics series by Pierre Fournier and Réal Godbout, published as a monthly serial in the humor magazine Croc. The early Red Ketchup adventures were first collected into graphic novels in the late 80's by Croc Publishing of Montreal and Dargaud of France. The entire collection is currently in print for the French-speaking world from La Pastèque of Montreal. In La Vie en rouge ("Seeing Red"), Ketchup is recruited by a secret society of Knights Templar with world domination in mind.

Kamarade Ultra ("Komrade Ultra") takes Red from the frozen wastes of Antarctica to the streets of Soviet-era Moscow. In Red Ketchup contre Red Ketchup ("Red Ketchup vs. Red Ketchup"), the hero goes up against an army of killer clones of himself, unleashed by an ex-Nazi scientist bent on kicking off the Fourth Reich. In Red Ketchup s'est échappé ("Red Ketchup has Escaped!"), the hero quits the FBI and establishes himself as a private detective and bodyguard in Los Angeles, gets hired as stuntman in a grade-Z film, and reunites with his sister Sally.

In Le Couteau aztèque ("The Aztec Knife"), a catatonic Red Ketchup is led by his sister Sally to a South American shaman who sends him back and forth through time, riding a magical jaguar, interacting with Moses, Attila the Hun, Napoleon and the emperor Montezuma. In L'Oiseau aux sept surfaces ("The Bird with Seven Faces"), Ketchup ends up in Japan investigating sightings of Godzilla-size farm animals. In Échec au King ("Viva Las Ketchup"), Red is charged with probing paranormal and cryptozoological mysteries, and the Search for Elvis.

In Red Ketchup en Enfer ("Red Ketchup Goes to Hell"), Ketchup dies again, landing in the afterlife where Lucifer himself hires him to bring order to the chaos of Hades, and denizens of Hell start popping up on Earth. In Elixir X, Ketchup's archenemy Doctor Künt has stumbled upon a possible Fountain of Youth, merchandized as a face cream that causes users to go into murderous rages. In The Orange Agent, Red Ketchup enters the conflict with Donald Trump.

Animated series

An animated series adaptation of the comic was released in April 2023, and premiered in French on Télétoon (via Télétoon la nuit), and in English on Adult Swim. The show was directed by Martin Villeneuve and produced by Sphere Media. Red Ketchup originated from a successful pitch to Télétoon in 2020, where director Martin Villeneuve received immediate approval for the project, after dedicating years to crafting the series bible. Co-creator Pierre Fournier contributed to the early development of the animated series before his death in 2022.

Réal Godbout supervised the production design of the series, and also participated in the writing. Both Fournier and Godbout are credited as "creative consultants" on all 20 episodes. Set in 1986 during the Cold War, the animated series closely follows the genre-shifting nature of the original comics, incorporating political satire, science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and parody of classic films. The adaptation expands the relatively brief serialized stories into a twenty-episode arc, primarily drawn from the content of the initial three comic book albums, with a focus on developing the lives of the supporting cast.

The series became the most-watched show on Télétoon la nuit, with the airing of its first 10 episodes even surpassing The Simpsons in Quebec. The channel experienced a 23% growth in 2023 due to the broadcast of this series. Red Ketchup was listed in Bubbleblabber's "Top 10" of the best adult animated series of 2023 on an international level.