American Mythology Productions 2019
Written by Mike Wolfer
Illustrated by Bruno Bũll
Coloured by Periya Pillai
Lettered by Natalie Jane
Dian and Tana made the perilous journey back to Pellucidar through a tunnel to the centre of the Earth, but upon their arrival to their home land they emerged into a nightmare scenario. After witnessing a vicious battle between a hunting party of lizard-like Horibs and unusual, purple, horse-like creatures claiming to be from the “Va-nah,” Tanar was cornered at the edge of a cliff b the Horibs as Dian plunged from the precipice, surely falling to her death....
So it should come as no surprise that I am a fan of these stories. This one is a great jumping on point too if you would try this one, the credits page has a lengthy what's come before and it completely catches you up on what you need to know before diving in here. This is what more books should have if I am being honest. It is story's like this one that reaffirm why I keep coming back time and again to American Mythology for some extremely good, fun reading. While this is based off Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters this is Mike paying homage to him, these characters and having fun while respecting the sandbox that he's in. There really is nothing better than to read a book that you know someone is having a great time writing it.
The story & plot development that we see here as they weave through, around and as they become one is really great. The way that we learn information and how these twists and turns show us revelations is so well done. I love Mike's artwork, the man's terribly talented, though his writing is just as strong. He knows how to really craft the story so that we learn quite a bit but at the same time it leaves more out that we want to see as well and of course it also does a fantastic job in engaging the readers' mind and creativity as well. This naturally ensures that the reader wants to know, see and learn more. When we factor in the pacing and see how that sets up the ebb & flow of the book well it's just fantastic.
I like the interiors here a lot. I impressed with the way we see the varying weights of the linework and how that helps to really make the attention to detail stand out. I mean I love these Hobris and how we see them, the attention to the scales, armour and the tongue all of this makes them not only powerful and intimidating looking but honestly it's one of the strongest lizard-folk I have ever seen, dragon horns included. I am loving this, the composition inside the panels as they bring us this great depth perception and scale to what we see. The scenery is beautiful and the island is just amazing in it's beauty and how it isn't scarred by man. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a great eye for storytelling. I love the colour work as well and how the various hues and tones within a colour are utilised to show shading and shadows. Also there's also some nice work going into how the colour enhances the musculature. Some animals that we do see while are or would be extinct actually realistic.
This is a great introduction to a story arc. We get caught up with what the characters have been through. That the issue starts off in the middle of something is a great way to begin and get the kind of excitement it brings as it makes the reader wonder and want to see more. The characterisation here is utterly marvellous, I am here to tell you that to make people without what we see as modern technology or the schooling like we've had come across as both simple and intelligent, yet here we are. Classic, yet modern and it's damn fine storytelling.