Ahoy Comics 2019
Written by Stuart Moore
Illustrated by Alberto Ponticelli
Coloured by Giulia Brusco
Lettered by Rob Steen
Previously.....
1975 A.D.
As Martians overrun New York City, street warrior Lynda Darrk and martial-arts master Jackson Li meet teenage barbarian Brita Constantina...and find themselves catapulted back to Brita's Time...
1975 B.C.
…..where Brita's father, Ding Domnall, faces another Martian invasion. But while Brita accepts an offer from the cosmic entity Godd, Li meets the true leader of the Martian Invasion, Thomas Eckhart, his own estranged father!
I have been in love with this since day one. Each and every issue that has come since only serves to reinforce that love. I mean this is crazy and while it feels odd and Kooky it is probably the most fun I am currently having while reading comics. I mean we've got that crazy ape lady running this version of a Doom Patrol style organisation. The group consists of street level fighters with no powers who happen to be time lost and hopping group of misfits. What more could you possibly hope for?
The ragtag group has to stop a Martian Invasion and they were all selected for their role to be played. By whom well that's another matter entirely but with respect for Lynda's fighting prowess and Jackson who's father well he's the leader of this masquerade and then of course there is young Brita who has a time travelling monkey who was sent there as punishment but also to teach the young lady about the future. Stuart has one of the best imaginations around as he can use this amazing talent and skill set he possesses to bring this idea to life and not make it feel like a hodgepodge of ideas that can't gel.
The story & plot development alongside the character development that we see here is extraordinary. They work together, separately and with the pacing moving everything constantly forward there is literally never a dull moment. We are constantly seeing these revelations and twists and turns in the plot that continue to surprise us and make us laugh, giggle or shake our heads wondering how the hell did he come up with that? While Lynda finally gets the history lesson with who the Martians really can the assembled forces fight them back or will the very thing that the ancient Atlanteans created to control the ancient ones be used to ensure Eckhart's victory?
The interiors here are exceptionally well done. I like how we see the varying weights in the linework being utilised to create the attention to detail. Also I mean Lynda's look with that jumpsuit and those white platform go-go boots yeah it's a look we can't stop staring at, oh and that afro yeah this is why I love her. Also there is just that special something here in how we see these crazy robotic spiders in a castle that was created long ago it just makes the reader feel something. What that is is dependent on the reader. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a sensational eye for storytelling. The way backgrounds are utilised to really enhance the moments and bring us that size and scope to the story are very well done. The attention to detail in every aspect of what we see is a real treat too so that the backgrounds, creatures and everything else that the creativity and imagination has revealed looks fantastic. The colour work is nice to see as well. The colour blocking is done well so that the various hues and tones create some dimension in the work.
So the King and the Dog are down but what awaits them all outside is the mother of all cliffhangers. You really do not want to miss the conclusion of this arc as winner takes it all! Folks I am not sorry because this is some of the most wonderful, crazy, off the wall and outside the box storytelling that makes me laugh until I cry.