Action Lab Danger Zone 2015
Written by Shawn Gabborin
Illustrated by Antonio Ontiveros
Coloured by Daniel Morales Olvera
This continues to be one of the most amazing series on stands today. While this is the finale of the Boy of Wood arc it still has the ability to introduce characters that keep a larger game happening. It’s almost like Chess while you use a pawn you’ve got your mind three moves ahead to use the Bishop. Shawn’s found a way to really tell the smaller stories and weave the larger one throughout them keeping this interest and thrilling readers.
Anthony has a special destiny with the Puppets and possibly without them. What I found even more fascinating however is that Dr. Jenn knows about not only Camille but the Puppets as well. As more and more stories are being told it seems that the secret of their existence isn’t such a secret. I love this on so many levels, it adds players to the field that lead to potential arcs outside their current dilemma of working at someone else’s whim. I mean let’s face it evil and greed are universal and that leads to interesting stories.
I like the interlude here with Joe as well. His love for the real Camille is freaky though Agalmatophilia is a real thing even if this one was once animated with life. Still with his knowledge and disappointment he’s a wildcard moving forward for everyone. Speaking of which the double ending surprises well yeah that’s great too. I’m really impressed with how all this is playing out.
There’s also something to be said about the fact that Anthony was the star, or focal point, of the story. For a change it was less about the gang and more about their connections to the real world. This actually goes a long way in giving them a larger role in our world than I had previously expected or been aware of. It really does go a long way in expanding the history of the franchise. It’s not just about Anthony either there’s also Cedar and i’ve got a feeling we won’t be seeing the last of her either.
The revelations regarding Camille and her history with the puppets was nicely done. Seriously there’s something about the way this all is being told that really goes so much further than simple puppets being possessed by humans and exacting revenge. This was a perfect interlude style story that takes place between major arcs regarding where the gang is and who they are beholden to. I like that this series hasn’t been one huge arc after another and the characterization and introduction of characters means the series has unlimited growth potential. Not to mention so much room for mystery and gory violence.
Also that the interior artwork is good is another reason i’m totally digging this series the way I am. The depiction of the puppets has been phenomenal since day one but now with Anthony, Camille and the rest we see such a whole new cast of characters that keep the real and imaginary world merged as one. The use of pages, panel layouts keep the story flowing nicely. The facial expressions and use of backgrounds, or lack thereof, continue to keep things focused where they need to be for maximum effect.
This Highway to the Danger Zone is like the autobahn fast, furious and extremely fun to travel on!