Pepe lives: Cartoonist resurrecting frog hijacked by trolls

Pepe the Frog is coming back from the dead.

Cartoonist Matt Furie told the Associated Press that he intends to resurrect the character he killed off last month in what appeared to be a rebuke to racist, anti-Semitic internet trolls who hijacked his creation.

Furie launched a crowdfunding campaign Monday to raise $10,000 for a new comic book featuring Pepe. He also has an attorney, Kimberly Motley, exploring possible litigation against those profiting off Pepe’s image without Furie’s permission.

A cartoon released in May showed Pepe in an open casket. Furie says he jokingly created that cartoon as “art therapy” shortly after November’s presidential election.

The Anti-Defamation League branded Pepe as a hate symbol last year and promoted Furie’s efforts to reclaim the character from far-right extremists.