Dark Horse Comics 2015
Created, Written & Illustrated by Scott Kolins
Lettering by Michael Heisler
On a unique and mysterious island paradise, Adam.3 celebrated his bornday. He received congratulations from his animal friends and a gift of metal bracers from his troubled teenage son Beo, who is a recent family addition. After arguing with Beo and rescuing the giant puppy Mojo from Graebear, Adam took Mojo home to his treehouse. There, Adam’s wife Skye shared joyful news about their soon-to-be-born twins. But Beo jumped from his hidden perch and lashed out at Skye in jealousy. Adam was forced to protect his wife, and Beo left angry and upset. Although troubled by the situation with Beo, something more was on Adam’s mind at the end of his bornday: a nightmarish vision, in which he saw his animal friends transformed into dark monsters—and Adam was warned of a looming end to his peaceful world . .
With an asteroid hitting the surface in it’s mysterious purples heralding something extremely bad we immediately switch gears to Beo and learn how he came to live with his father. While we never physically see his mother it’s very clear that when she says her training with him is done and it must continue with his father he’s shocked. He had no idea his father was alive or even who he was i’m assuming. Though we do get more of a sense about him from this and his feeling of abandonment all around and that goes a long way to explaining the behavior we’ve been witnessing.
When the asteroid does hit it shocks everyone, including the local wildlife. When we see Adam jump into action it’s like seeing Tarzan with Animal Man’s powers and Mister Terrific’s technology making him this unique jungle man we’ve never experienced before. Shades of others sure and his nobility and caring are on display beautifully but he’s really unlike anyone else we’ve ever seen and that’s a huge draw here.
I love that Scott’s vision is so realized in everything he’s doing here. So unlike the work I loved in the past he’s refined it to something equally as impressive as the series deserves. The animals have such life to them and are accurately rendered that you feel their beauty. That Adam is special and possess something unknown to us about him comes across loud and clear. His bravery and courage and the future vision we saw last issue doesn’t stop him from doing whatever he feels needs to be done.
That he has techology at his disposal and the smarts to use that in new and creative ways that they weren’t intended to be used for is wonderful. That his extremely pregnant wife steps up to the plate at home and becomes the caregiver to wounded animals without hesitation shows us why they are meant for each other.
That vision he had and the reality of what’s happening to him now we see contradicting things going on. As if this new entity from space is here to dominate the land and he’s fighting it with all he’s got and kind of winning. But is he really or have the seeds been planted that change Adam? The unexpectedness of what he can do and in tune with the land and animals around him don’t alter the fact that while we think we know what’s going to happen the way it will all unfold is something only Scott knows for sure.
There’s another factor at play here i’d like to consider and that’s while his vision was his Adam’s son is a lot like him and trained properly potentially possess the same gifts he does so what if it’s Beo that becomes the possessed instead and the darkness inside him spreads further? What then will Adam be willing to do to save the lives of everyone around him?
Two issues in and Scott’s already proven he’s more than ready to shake up the industry with something new and unusual and keep us reader’s on our toes. The next big thing is here and it’s from Scott and Dark Horse Comics!