Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Chad Bowers & Chris Sims
Illustrated by Ghostwriter X
Coloured by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Josh Krach
Peter and the twins are joined on their mission by a mysterious stranger who brings them vital information…or could be a crazy person. The jury is still out. They are now on the cusp of some seriously misguided wish fulfillment or steering directly into their destiny, which is a road filled with danger and magic. The for real kind of magic!
I have been enjoying the heck out of this book so far and that doesn’t appear to be sto0pping anytime soon. The fact that the guys have managed to find a way to create a story based off a video game that is about a man who discovers his own grave illness and his greatest desire is to finish the quest he started as a kid, yes the game Swordquest in this instance, and to have it become so fully immersed in science fiction/fantasy is stunning. The characterisation here is phenomenal and the gay sub plot here is interesting as things may not unfold for Peter the way he’s thinking they will.
There really is a kind of mad genius idea thing going on in these pages. Let’s be honest the whole premise that a man is obsessed with a video game franchise that never finished is something we would scoff at. Call him crazy and avoid him as he talks to himself on the bus. Here however they’ve managed to add one hell of a backstory that takes this from the mundane to the impossible well it’s quite possibly one of the best, most original takes I’ve ever seen. We’re weaving in an illness that is life ending, childhood friends reuniting and long forgotten romantic overtures that were left unresolved. Oh yeah and add into the mix a mad man, who’s built like the infamous brick “S” house, who’s as wackadoodle as they come well yeah.
I’m also a fan of the interior artwork here as well. While I wish they were like the work on the cover we all know that never happens anymore. The work is both a bit on the simple side, Peter’s mother looks like a man just to be clear in that third panel, and very creative with the use of the game illustration aspects. Also to have the chance to see Alvin in an add for a television gig named Burger Time yeah it’s kill brill. Ghostwriter X and Chris manage to win me over with some solid decisions and great imagery.
So the way this book is structured so that we see a kind of personality shift in at least one character as the events unfold make for some remarkable reading. I mean I get why and now that Alvin’s come out of the closet on the show well that sets up a new dynamic for his rejection of Peter when they were kids. Then of course there is Terry himself who is crazy ass enigma who believes in alternate worlds and wizards who create video games for their own nefarious purposes. There is a great sense of hodgepodge going on here that doesn’t seem like the threads should meet and make sense but somehow the guys not only have it make sense but they’ve also managed to make it a page turner.
Not just a page turner either because every time I finish an issue I want more. there’s a great feel of that we’re missing out on something. With the introduction this issue of the man responsible for the games and the revelation of his real identity, whether or not that’s just savvy businessman or otherworldly wizard you’ll have to read and find out, things are definitely ramping up. I can see why the final game of the series was never released to the public and I have a sneaky suspicion it wasn’t because the company went bankrupt or any other semi-plausible reason.
Take a trip on the wild side and join our intrepid band off wannabe heroes as they learn there’s more to life than they ever could have thought there would be.