IDW Publishing 2017
By Stephen Mooney
Coloured by Triona Tree Farrell
The prize: priceless intel on the Nazi pathogen. With the help of Ishi's sister Emiko and with Spot the Deinonychus in tow, the daring raid is afoot. But something none of them expected lies in wait within… something BIG.
This continues to be a favourite every time it comes out. Stephen really has these characters feel so familiar to the reader. There’s no denying who they are at their core and honestly what their motivations are. That he can do this so thoroughly is truly one of the best examples of writing characterisation around. Add that to the fact that this mixes everything there is to love about War Comics and it’s truly some of the most believable unbelievable fun to be had.
It’s nice to see that Stephen isn’t resting on his laurels here and he’s continuing to grow and evolve these characters and this world. That Ishi and Spot have bonded so well and after how last issue ended the opening right there is exactly what we need to see. Plus the references to not only the previous arc but things like Jurassic Park, “we’re stuck in the tree again” comes to mind immediately and I have to say it makes me love this even more.
As this issue plays out I begin to notice that there’s a similar kind of feel to this run that we got on the last one as well. It’s the structure, pacing, flow and idea that keeps it that way and while this is familiar it’s also different enough. This means we get that sense of what’s going to happen only we don’t when, where, how or why it’s going to happen. Stephen seems to have mastered the anticipation effect so that we’re waiting and waiting until what we expect to happen does and in the meantime we as readers devour what’s presented.
I’m also a huge fan of the way that Stephen infuses humour into this. Tommy in particular who doesn’t speak Japanese is constantly wondering what is being said and to be honest it’s really one of those rare moments that Moss is extremely likeable as a person playing the straight “man” here. Plus the sheer fact that Stephen get to write dialogue with the dialect he has adds another element to this that completes the bigger picture.
I have the utmost respect for anyone who can write and illustrate at this level. This is when I usually will say that backgrounds can slide but Stephen uses them judiciously here and when he does wow. The attention to detail here is utterly phenomenal and the cherry blossom trees continue to be absolutely stunning in their depiction. They really are so gorgeous and evoke that whole serene feel that they are planted to have. The use of page layouts with their angles and perspective are extremely well done and show off a beautiful eye for storytelling. That what he brings to the visuals is exactly what he intends and how it flows with the words is crucial the success of this.
While I love the pacing here I will wholeheartedly admit that being thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire that ends this issue is utterly superb. The cliffhanger ending is really surprised me and seemed to come out of nowhere. That Stephen was able to write this in a manner like this where you are under the impression of one thing then literally surprise you with something you never see coming well yeah that’s what he does.
This is stupendous storytelling and it’s a franchise that really has it’s own unique place in the market.