DC Comics 2016
Written by Jeff Parker
Illustrated by Shanar, Randall & Parker
Coloured by Hi-Fi
Lettered by ALW’s Lanphear
An earth-shattering power has come to life in the jungles of South America, and Team Quest and Birdman race the forces of F.E.A.R. to reach it first! There they find time ripped apart in a lost valley where dinosaurs and cavemen run wild once more as the ancient legend of Mightor is revealed! Only the shipwrecked aliens Jan and Jace hold the secrets of what fate awaits our world, but as a force led by Jezebel Jade attacks, what new hero will rise?
This really is a love letter to the Cartoons that debuted in 1960’s and after. A time when kids woke up early on Saturday Morning on their own to me amazed by the bright colours and action presented. Many of these got a second life on Cartoon Network but still some might be known only to adults and possibly kids of those adults who introduced them to em. This issue we open up with Mightor! Mightor is a caveman who flies and wields a club looking very much like he’s inspired from Greek Mythololgy. He’s the latest to encounter Omnikron and get sucked into the story.
Meanwhile the story on Earth continues with Jan and Blip with the Quest crew. I love that Earth is the nexus for this story as the portals open continually bringing in new characters that will rise together to face the greatest threat ever created. It really does feel like i’m back watching all the cartoons I grew up on and the characterization is so incredibly good. You can tell Jeff has the respect and love for the characters as well.
Meanwhile Dr. Zin and FEAR think they can harness the power of these portals while not even considering there’s a being behind them. It’s a great look at the classic villains who want and don’t consider the real consequences until it’s too late and have to team up with the heroes to help save their world. Mind you i’m conjecturing that last part but it seems like a natural progression in my mind.
I’m very much enjoying how Jeff is tying all these characters into one universe. While the outer space heroes are easy enough to do it’s the Earth based cartoons that’s trickier. Seeing Buzz in the backup with Jonny flying kites and then the introduction of Frankenstein Jr. well it’s a very smartly done. It’s how he’s using the past blended with the present to tell their introduction into this series that impresses me the most.
The interiors here have been exceptional. They feel like a higher end animated cartoon with nice attention to detail. The use of backgrounds makes me one of the happier campers around as it really gives that feeling of where they are and what’s going on around them. The use of page layouts by using angles and perspective keep the flow of the story moving along extremely well.
For adults this is a trip down memory lane that’s updated for everyone regardless of age or gender. It also makes me long for the days when cartoons ruled Saturday Morning and were actually well done with care.