MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 ALUM MARY JO PEHL JOINS BLUEWATER’S CAST OF COMIC CREATORS

For four years she was part of a cruel cabal subjecting a lone astronaut and his robot buddies to a series of tortuously bad B-movies, but now Mary Jo Pehl is sharpening her wit for a new comic book project with Bluewater Productions.

Pehl, best known as a writer and character Pearl Forrester from the cult show Mystery Science Theater 3000, is penning an original limited series comic entitled "Jailbait."

Written as a tongue-in-cheek B-movie serial, "Jailbait" follows the adventures of an all-female undercover organization looking to hunt down predatory perverts by any means necessary and prevent children from becoming targets. It has been described as "To Catch a Predator" meets "Charlie’s Angels" meets Ed Wood’s "The Violent Years."

"The story may be firmly rooted in satire and Mary Jo’s unique humor will be keep you laughing, but it has a serious message about keeping kids safe from predators, both online and off," said Bluewater president and title creator Darren Davis. "In each issue we will provide information on important resources parents and children need to know; phone numbers of organizations and law enforcement."

Slated for a first-quarter 2010 release, this four-issue mini-series, pairs Pehl with artist Alejandro Figueroa (Watchmen spoof "Whatmen?") and cover artist Azim Akberal.

"There’s a great story there to be told, and I hope to do it with honesty, accuracy and humor, and well-rounded characterizations." Said Pehl, who is currently a writer/producer for the direct-to-DVD comedy series, Cinematic Titanic, which takes on badmovies in the same spirit as MST3K.

Pehl has also written numerous magazines and newspapers, and has appeared in several anthologies, including "Life's A Stitch: The Best of Contemporary Women's Humor," and "Travelers' Tales: The Thong Also Rises." In addition, her commentaries have aired on NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Weekend America."

And yes, in case it has been nagging you for 4 years, her name was the answer to 2 across in the April 18, 2005 issue of the TV Guide crossword puzzle.