Action Lab: Danger Zone/Full Moon Features 2015
Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Illustrated by Marcelo Salaza
Coloured by Marcio Freire
Alright it seems like a lot classics or cult classics if you will are being brought back for another go-round. I vaguely remember the movie myself so for me this was fun and let’s face it I’ll always read whatever these two collaborate to write. Unfortunately this is only a three issue limited series but who knows maybe what’ll happen down the line. What I do know is that this lends itself nicely to the comics medium, we’ve got time travel, zombies and action thriller happening.
I rather enjoyed that this issue focused on Jack Deth and Martin Whistler and their history together. It really sets up the motivation behind the chase and it’s importance. There is some stunning characterization happening here as you really get into the mind of Jack and you feel his anger and emotions and why he’s the way he is.
Marcelo and Marcio do a really nice job as well in making this future dark and dreary. With the narration and the story itself this point in time and how Earth is described they really nailed the mood on the head. Gritty, a little menacing and extremely violent it really is a great setting they’ve created for this story.
We get a lot of background information about the world they live in and how it’s run. We also get this great sense of drama in how it all unfolds. That Jack thought he had taken care of Whistler and then left the force feeling content and able to move on with his life after dealing with the man who killed his wife and partner. That Whistler has more tricks up his sleeve and has managed to survive and take the council’s work and use it to his advantage in the way we see here has all the requirements for that all-time classic villain.
So we learn how the movie takes place here right by going back in time and seeing Jack trying to take on, or in his case take out Whistler. Everything is in place here for one heck of an exciting story.
There was an unexpected depth to the story that was missing in the original movie. Given this platform and the amount and quality of the storytelling we get so much more that it actually makes me look at the movie in a whole different light. For me to say that should demonstrate the power of these guys ability to write. They’ve taken something a bit on the cheesy side and made it into something much stronger and that I am appreciative of.