Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Ray Fawkes
Illustrated by Johnny Desjardins
Coloured by Mohan
Turok
Written by Chuck Wendig
Illustrated by Alvaro Sarraseca
Coloured by Triona T. Farrell
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
The growing mystery in the Lost Valley threatens to envelop the Earth and destroy any future mankind has. While Samson, last man on Earth, stalks the threat, little does he know the threat stalks HIM! And some five-hundred years earlier, Doctor Spektor faces his destiny while Magnus investigates a puzzle that will ultimately change everything!
What’s Turok’s link to the outside world, and will that tie aid his quest or bring it down—along with his head?
What Ray is doing with this story is what I love to see. He’s taking the characters and making them legacies or older, changed versions of themselves and putting them in situations that will change their world and result in the past needing to be changed so this doesn’t play out the way it does. Either that or go back and actually defeat the villain we see here who is wrecking all this havoc. This is exciting because it’s a possible future, one that is happening, could happen and could be avoided or it’s inevitable we don’t know but it’s not nothing.
I’m amazed by how Ray weaves the story together though with his library I shouldn’t be. He is able to show us how these characters fit together and yet are still solo. As the events of the main story unfold i’m still unsure who is supposed to be the star of this. We’ve seen characters die already and one skulk about in the shadows and no one seems to be able to figure out what’s happening in the Lost Valley.
The pacing here is incredible and that we can see bits and pieces the characters can’t but are still having a hard time piecing together is fantastic. The characterisation too is stellar stuff and I like how we see that they’ve evolved as characters into new yet familiar people. This Grandmaster Spektor though he’s one i’d like to see more of, the confidence and arrogance are wonderfully depicted and scream for further exploration.
Johnny’s an amazing artist and his interiors here are splendid. The attention to detail is marvelous and the way he utilises page layouts through their angles, perspective and backgrounds really help tell the whole fuller story. Plus the ebb and flow of action and story helps the whole book flow.
The backup Turok story is nice because it differs from King Turok that we saw earlier in the main story. If he’s a descendent of the dinosaur hunter then yeah i’m all for that. With the creatures that have their own cities here I can’t even begin to place where in the timeline this is supposed to fit.
That it reminds me of the old serials that used to play before movies is utterly brilliant.
Dynamite continues to thrill me with what they are doing with these classic franchise characters. They’ve been able to breathe new life into them in ways that make them not only relevant but sought after.