Valiant Entertainment 2016
Written by B. Clay Moore
Illustrated by Lewis LaRosa & Clayton Henry
Coloured by Brian Reber
Lettered by Dave Lanphear of A Larger World
Fifteen years ago, the world's most famous soccer star and his former supermodel wife –pregnant with their unborn child – disappeared without a trace. The world believes they are dead... But, in reality, their private jet crash-landed on a mysterious, unknown island ruled by by prehistoric creatures from another time…
So take Jurassic Park III and blend it with Swiss Family Robinson and that’s the kind of feel that this gives me. Coincidentally it’s better than that movie and more interesting than the book and what B. Clay does here appeals to people who would find either story right up their alley. It’s got a strong premise and right off the bat we’re introduced to the characters in ways that grab the reader’s attention.
So the opening shows us the now reality and it only shows us one character. It’s definitely got that Jurassic Park feel to it and it’s that whole survival feel that shows us some very feral activity. It’s very dynamic, dramatic and without words it really conveys a strong sense of what life is like on this island. Lewis, Clayton and Brian do some extremely detailed and wonderful work on this and it draws you so you can’t wait to see what’s happened.
When we get to the past and the event that leads up to the opening we get a very good look at a modern celebrity couple. A soccer star with an ambitious partner who wants to ensure he’s a global superstar while he just wants to do what he loves and have a loving family. You really get a sense of who these two people are here. B. Clay really manages to straddle that position between greed and ambition that turns best interest into something perverse here. Fame and money is what makes the world turn right and we see that here but it doesn’t have that feeling of pure greed. There’s a very real sense of this is what’s best for you, your image/brand and what you are capable of achieving not just ruthlessness.
The interiors here are spectacularly done. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and with the backgrounds that we see are so incredibly well done. The attention to detail is great and the way the characters look is marvelous. Ronnie is a striking woman but it’s Kevin who has that international footballer appeal and sexiness that took me surprise. Visually this is a stunning amount of work that tells as much about the story as the words do.
So with the introduction of Ronnie and Kevin things are set up extremely well. We get a look at who they are, what happened to them setting the stage for the story and an end goal where everything meets up. The structuring of the story is strong and well executed. The interiors are done and it’s one of those stories that remind you of others but in the end is creatively it’s own entity. Strong, superb and incredibly dynamic this is another hit for Valiant!