IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 15, 2018

IDW PUBLISHING

JUN180681    BACK TO THE FUTURE TALES FROM THE TIME TRAIN TP    $19.99
APR180452    DEATH NOTE CONFRONTATION GAME    $29.99
MAR180554    JOHN BYRNE X-MEN ARTIFACT ED HC (Net)    $125.00
JUN180645    ROM COLD FIRE HOT WAR TP    $29.99
JUN180691    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #8 CVR A STANLEY    $3.99
JUN180692    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #8 CVR B DUTREIX    $3.99
JUN180667    STAR TREK TNG TERRA INCOGNITA #2 CVR A SHASTEEN    $3.99
JUN180668    STAR TREK TNG TERRA INCOGNITA #2 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
JUN180613    TMNT BEBOP ROCKSTEADY HIT THE ROAD #3 (OF 5) CVR A PITARRA    $3.99
JUN180614    TMNT BEBOP ROCKSTEADY HIT THE ROAD #3 (OF 5) CVR B BROWNE    $3.99
JUN180628    TMNT URBAN LEGENDS #4 CVR A FOSCO    $3.99
JUN180629    TMNT URBAN LEGENDS #4 CVR B FOSCO LARSEN    $3.99
JUN180664    TRANSFORMERS LOST LIGHT TP VOL 03    $19.99
APR180401    WALT DISNEY SHOWCASE #6 PHANTOM BLOT CVR A CAVAZZANO    $3.99
APR180402    WALT DISNEY SHOWCASE #6 PHANTOM BLOT CVR B FRECCERO    $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 15, 2018

IMAGE COMICS
JUN180101    ANALOG #5 CVR A O SULLIVAN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180102    ANALOG #5 CVR B LATOUR (MR)    $3.99
JUN180118    COYOTES #5 CVR A YARSKY (MR)    $3.99
MAY189262    COYOTES #5 CVR B YARSKY VIRGIN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180046    CROWDED #1 CVR A STEIN & BRANDT    $3.99
JUN180047    CROWDED #1 CVR B STOTT    $3.99
JUN180122    CRUDE #5 (MR)    $3.99
JUN180144    EAST OF WEST TP VOL 08    $16.99
JUN180161    EVOLUTION #9 (MR)    $3.99
JUN180165    FLAVOR #4    $3.99
JUN180167    GIDEON FALLS #6 CVR A SORRENTINO (MR)    $3.99
JUN180168    GIDEON FALLS #6 CVR B LEMIRE (MR)    $3.99
JUN180169    GRAVEDIGGERS UNION #9 CVR A CRAIG (MR)    $3.99
JUN180170    GRAVEDIGGERS UNION #9 CVR B KLEIN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180185    ICE CREAM MAN #6 CVR A MORAZZO & OHALLORAN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180186    ICE CREAM MAN #6 CVR B WARD (MR)    $3.99
JUN180190    KILL OR BE KILLED TP VOL 04 (MR)    $16.99
JUN180198    MAGE HERO DENIED #11 (OF 15)    $3.99
JUN180199    MAGIC ORDER #3 (OF 6) CVR A COIPEL (MR)    $3.99
JUN180200    MAGIC ORDER #3 (OF 6) CVR B COIPEL (MR)    $3.99
MAY189625    MAGIC ORDER #3 (OF 6) CVR C EDWARDS (MR)    $3.99
FEB180654    MANIFEST DESTINY #36 (MR)    $3.99
JUN180219    PROXIMA CENTAURI #3 (OF 6)    $2.99
JUN180223    ROSE TP VOL 02    $16.99
JUN180228    RUMBLE #6 CVR A RUBIN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180229    RUMBLE #6 CVR B SNEJBJERG (MR)    $3.99
JUN180248    SKYWARD #5    $3.99
JUN180256    STELLAR #3    $3.99
JUN180272    WEATHERMAN #3 CVR A FOX (MR)    $3.99
JUN180273    WEATHERMAN #3 CVR B MARTIN (MR)    $3.99
MAY180286    WICKED & DIVINE #38 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR)    $3.99
MAY180287    WICKED & DIVINE #38 CVR B CHIANG (MR)    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 8, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

JUN180910    ASTONISHING X-MEN ANNUAL #1    $4.99
JUN180911    ASTONISHING X-MEN ANNUAL #1 HYUNG VAR    $4.99
MAY180979    BRUTE FORCE TP    $24.99
JUN180833    CABLE DEADPOOL ANNUAL #1    $4.99
JUN180834    CABLE DEADPOOL ANNUAL #1 LIEFELD VAR    $4.99
JUN180930    DEADPOOL ASSASSIN #5 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUN180931    DEADPOOL ASSASSIN #5 (OF 6) JOHNSON VAR    $3.99
MAY180987    DEFENDERS EPIC COLLECTION TP THE NEW DEFENDERS    $39.99
JUN180881    DOCTOR STRANGE #4    $3.99
JUN180882    DOCTOR STRANGE #4 AJA RETURN OF FANTASTIC FOUR VAR    $3.99
JUN180827    EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUN180828    EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 4) HAMNER VAR    $3.99
JUN180780    EXTERMINATION #1 (OF 5)    $4.99
JUN180781    EXTERMINATION #1 (OF 5) COIPEL VAR    $4.99
JUN180784    EXTERMINATION #1 (OF 5) HAWTHORNE CONNECTING VAR    $4.99
FEB180919    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY HC VOL 05    $34.99
MAY180990    HUMAN TORCH AND THING TP STRANGE TALES COMPLETE COLLECTION    $39.99
JUN180900    HUNT FOR WOLVERINE CLAWS OF KILLER #4 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUN180901    HUNT FOR WOLVERINE CLAWS OF KILLER #4 (OF 4) SHAW VAR    $3.99
JUN180799    INFINITY WARS #2 (OF 6)    $4.99
JUN180803    INFINITY WARS #2 (OF 6) GARRON CONNECTING VAR    $4.99
JUN180801    INFINITY WARS #2 (OF 6) LIM VAR    $4.99
FEB180920    MMW INCREDIBLE HULK HC VOL 12    $75.00
FEB180921    MMW INCREDIBLE HULK HC VOL 12 DM VAR 263    $75.00
JUN180927    MULTIPLE MAN #3 (OF 5)    $3.99
MAY180965    OLD MAN HAWKEYE TP VOL 01 AN EYE FOR EYE    $17.99
JUN180855    PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #308    $3.99
MAY180967    PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 03 AMAZING FANTAS    $15.99
JUN180941    STAR WARS BECKETT #1    $4.99
JUN180942    STAR WARS BECKETT #1 DODSON VAR    $4.99
JUN180943    STAR WARS BECKETT #1 MOVIE VAR    $4.99
JUN180958    STAR WARS POE DAMERON #30    $3.99
MAY180992    THING AND HUMAN TORCH BY DAN SLOTT TP    $34.99
JUN180839    THOR #4    $3.99
MAY189267    THOR #4 HARREN HAMMER CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
JUN180840    THOR #4 HITCH RETURN OF FANTASTIC FOUR VAR    $3.99
JUN180848    TONY STARK IRON MAN #3    $3.99
JUN180850    TONY STARK IRON MAN #3 HUGHES RETURN OF FANTASTIC FOUR VAR    $3.99
JUN180919    WEAPON H #6    $3.99
JUN180920    WEAPON H #6 J SCOTT CAMPBELL RETURN OF FANTASTIC FOUR VAR    $3.99
JUN180935    WEAPON X #22    $3.99
MAY180974    X-MEN ADVENTURES DIGEST TP    $9.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for August 15, 2018

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAY182260    ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF DUKES DAUGHTER GN VOL 01 (MR)    $12.99
MAY182261    AKASHIC RECORDS OF BASTARD MAGICAL INSTRUCTOR GN VOL 04    $12.99
JUN182226    ANGELS OF DEATH GN VOL 04    $13.00
JUN181431    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR A ALLRED    $3.99
JUN181432    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR B BURCHETT    $3.99
JUN181433    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR C SMITH    $3.99
JUN181434    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR D HACK    $3.99
JUN181435    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR E TORRES & FITZPATRICK    $3.99
JUN181436    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 #2 CVR F WALSH    $3.99
MAY182263    ARPEGGIO OF BLUE STEEL GN VOL 13 (RES) (MR)    $12.99
MAY181320    BABYTEETH #12 (MR)    $3.99
JUN181511    BARTMAN`S SPECTACULARY SUPER SECRET SAGA    $7.99
JUN181449    BEST OF ARCHIE AMERICANA TP VOL 03 BRONZE AGE    $9.99
JUN182228    BLACK BUTLER GN VOL 26    $13.00
APR181688    BROBOTS HC VOL 03 SHOUJO SHENANIGANS    $12.99
JUN181868    CATALYST PRIME SUMMIT #8    $3.99
JUN181867    CATALYST PRIME SUPERB #12    $3.99
APR181278    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR A MASSEY (MR)    $3.99
APR181279    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR B MASSEY NUDE ED    $PI
APR181280    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR C MASSEY NUDE ED    $PI
APR181281    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR D ROOT  (MR)    $PI
APR181282    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR E ROOT NUDE ED  (M    $PI
APR181283    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR F VALENTINA NUDE ED (NE    $PI
APR181284    CAVEWOMAN RAPTORELLAS REVENGE #2 CVR G TAYLOR NUDE ED    $PI
APR181718    CHARLEYS WAR DEFINITVE COLL TP VOL 03 REMEMBERANCE    $26.99
APR188406    CHIOS SCHOOL ROAD GN VOL 01    $13.00
APR181356    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 (MR)    $6.99
APR181361    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 ANCIENT TOME PREMIUM CVR (MR)    $9.99
APR181358    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 CODE PRU CVR (MR)    $6.99
APR181357    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 MODDED CVR (MR)    $6.99
APR181359    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 PERFECT UNION CVR (MR)    $6.99
APR181360    CINEMA PURGATORIO #15 VAST CVR (MR)    $6.99
JUN182107    DANZIG LYRICS OF THE LEFT HAND VOL 2 (RES) (MR)    $24.95
MAY182266    DEVILMAN VS HADES GN VOL 02    $12.99
JUN181693    DF ACTION COMICS #1000 GLEASON NEWBURY COMICS EXC    $19.38
APR181525    DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #796 COMICXPOSURE EXC CVR    $39.99
JUN181753    FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE HC (MR)    $22.99
JUN182188    FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST FULLMETAL ED HC VOL 02    $19.99
JUN182005    GIRL WHO DANCED WITH DEATH MILL SAGA #1 (OF 3) CVR A IANNICI    $5.99
JUN182006    GIRL WHO DANCED WITH DEATH MILL SAGA #1 (OF 3) CVR ORTEGA    $5.99
FEB181078    GOLD DIGGER #255    $3.99
APR181178    GOLDEN AGE GREATS SPOTLIGHT VOL 18    $29.95
JUN182233    HATSU HARU GN VOL 02    $13.00
JUN181991    HELLICIOUS #2 (OF 6) CVR A MAIN (MR)    $3.99
JUN181992    HELLICIOUS #2 (OF 6) CVR B WALLIS (MR)    $3.99
JUN181776    IDLE DAYS GN    $19.99
JUN181865    INFINITY 8 #5 (MR)    $3.99
JUN182219    IVE BEEN KILLING SLIMES 300 YEARS NOVEL SC VOL 02    $14.00
APR181720    JINTY TP VOL 01 LAND OF NO TEARS & HUMAN ZOO    $15.99
MAY181384    JUGHEAD THE HUNGER #7 CVR A GORHAM (MR)    $3.99
JUN181650    LARKS KILLER #9    $3.99
APR181417    LOOKERS EMBER #10 (MR)    $5.99
APR181430    LOOKERS EMBER #10 BLAZING NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181436    LOOKERS EMBER #10 GGA HOMAGE (MR)    $5.99
APR181432    LOOKERS EMBER #10 GGA HOMAGE NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181423    LOOKERS EMBER #10 LUSCIOUS (MR)    $5.99
APR181439    LOOKERS EMBER #10 LUSCIOUS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181440    LOOKERS EMBER #10 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181420    LOOKERS EMBER #10 RED HOT (MR)    $5.99
APR181428    LOOKERS EMBER #10 RED HOT NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181437    LOOKERS EMBER #10 SEXY SPIES (MR)    $5.99
APR181431    LOOKERS EMBER #10 SEXY SPIES NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181422    LOOKERS EMBER #10 SMOKING (MR)    $5.99
APR181435    LOOKERS EMBER #10 SMOKING ADULT (MR)    $7.99
APR181426    LOOKERS EMBER #10 SMOKING NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181421    LOOKERS EMBER #10 WORKOUT (MR)    $5.99
APR181424    LOOKERS EMBER #10 WORKOUT NUDE (MR)    $7.99
APR181419    LOOKERS EMBER #10 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
APR181438    LOOKERS EMBER #10 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
JUN181346    LOST CITY EXPLORERS #3    $3.99
JUN181437    MARVEL COMICS DIGEST #8 SPIDER-MAN & VENOM    $6.99
JAN181935    MINKY WOODCOCK GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI HC    $24.99
JUN182074    NINJA-K #10 (NEW ARC) CVR A CAMUNCOLI    $3.99
JUN182075    NINJA-K #10 (NEW ARC) CVR B STROMAN    $3.99
JUN181615    NOWHERE TP VOL 01    $18.99
JUN181461    NU WAY #2 CVR A KONAT    $3.99
JUN181462    NU WAY #2 CVR B TOLIBAO    $3.99
MAR181837    PRE CODE CLASSICS DARK MYSTERIES HC VOL 03    $54.99
MAR181838    PRE CODE CLASSICS DARK MYSTERIES SLIPCASE ED VOL 03    $59.99
MAR181839    PRE CODE CLASSICS WEIRD HORRORS HC VOL 02    $54.99
MAR181840    PRE CODE CLASSICS WEIRD HORRORS SLIPCASE ED HC VOL 02    $59.99
MAY181934    PRE CODE CLASSICS ZIFF DAVIS SCI FI SLIPCASE SET    $99.99
JUN181986    REJECTED ONE SHOT (MR)    $5.99
JUN182113    REVENGE OF WONDERLAND #2 (OF 6) CVR A CHEN    $3.99
JUN182114    REVENGE OF WONDERLAND #2 (OF 6) CVR B VITORINO    $3.99
JUN182115    REVENGE OF WONDERLAND #2 (OF 6) CVR C ANACLETO    $3.99
JUN182116    REVENGE OF WONDERLAND #2 (OF 6) CVR D TOLIBAO    $3.99
JUN182023    RIVERS OF LONDON WATER WEED #3    $3.99
JUN182028    ROBOTECH #12 CVR A TURINI    $3.99
JUN182029    ROBOTECH #12 CVR B ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
JUN182030    ROBOTECH #12 CVR C TONG    $3.99
MAY182274    SAINT SEIYA SAINTIA SHO GN VOL 03    $12.99
JUN181777    SCIENCE COMICS TREES GN    $12.99
JUN181778    SCIENCE COMICS TREES HC GN    $19.99
JUN181858    SHEETS GN    $12.99
APR181736    SHIVER BUREAU #5    $3.99
APR182098    SPECIES DOMAIN GN VOL 05 (RES)    $12.99
JUN181651    SQUARRIORS LIMITED OVERSIZED HC 1 01 SPRING    $50.00
JUN182143    STRANGE & MYSTIFYING STORY GN VOL 04 (MR)    $12.99
JUN182164    STREET FIGHTER SUMMER SPORTS SPECIAL #1 (OF 1) CVR A CHUN LI    $3.99
JUN182165    STREET FIGHTER SUMMER SPORTS SPECIAL #1 (OF 1) CVR B CAMMY    $3.99
JUN182166    STREET FIGHTER SUMMER SPORTS SPECIAL #1 (OF 1) CVR C MENAT    $3.99
JUN182167    STREET FIGHTER SUMMER SPORTS SPECIAL #1 (OF 1) CVR D BLANK S    $4.99
APR181795    SUPERMANSION TP (MR)    $16.99
MAY181553    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #111 BLAST PAST PHOTO CVR ED (    $19.99
JUN182238    TODAY CERBERUS GN VOL 10    $13.00
JUN181771    TONGUES #1    $15.00
MAR181873    TUMULT HC GN    $25.99
JUN181286    UNDOCUMENTED CODEX FORMATED GN    $19.99
MAY182109    VAGRANT QUEEN #3 CVR A ALTERICI (MR)    $3.99
MAY182110    VAGRANT QUEEN #3 CVR B SMITH (MR)    $3.99
JUN181337    VOLITION #1 CVR A FRANCIA    $3.99
JUN181338    VOLITION #1 CVR B EVENHUIS    $3.99
JUN181877    WRAPPED UP #10 CVR A MCMAHON    $3.99
JUN181878    WRAPPED UP #10 CVR B AURELIANI    $3.99

MAGAZINES
MAR182209    007 MAGAZINE PRESENTS PIERCE BROSNAN BILLION DOLLAR BOND (MR    $26.99
APR181715    2000 AD PACK JUNE 2018    $21.60
MAY182049    BLACK PANTHER OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION NS MAGAZINE    $9.99
MAY182050    BLACK PANTHER OFFICIAL MOVIE COMPANION PX MAGAZINE    $9.99
JUN181637    COMIC SHOP NEWS #1626    $PI
APR181691    DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #527    $11.99
MAR182193    ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE #22    $24.99
MAR182194    ILLUSTRATORS SPECIAL #3 ART OF DON LAWRENCE    $34.99
MAY181943    JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #398    $13.00
JUN181882    LOCUS #691    $7.50
JUN181645    MONSTER BASH MAGAZINE #34    $8.99
JUN182108    THE CREEPS ANNUAL #1 2019 SPOOKTACULAR (MR)    $9.95

BOOKS
JUN182217    BACCANO LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 08    $20.00
JUN182227    CASE STUDY OF VANITAS GN VOL 04    $13.00
JUN182215    CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 16    $14.00
APR181967    DEFEATING DEMON LORDS CINCH IF GOT RINGER NOVEL SC VOL 01 (C    $14.00
APR181590    DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 74 12TH DOCTOR STORIES 255-256 (    $18.99
MAY181793    DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 75 3RD DOCTOR STORIES 61-64    $18.99
JUN182214    FIREWORKS SHOULD SEE SIDE BOTTOM LIGHT NOVEL HC VOL 01    $20.00
JUN181406    GIANT DAYS HC NOVEL    $18.99
JUN182220    KONOSUBA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 06    $14.00
MAY181960    SNES OMNIBUS SUPER NINTENDO & GAMES    $49.99
JUN182058    SO SAY WE ALL COMP UNCENSORED UNAUTH ORAL HIST BSG    $29.99
JUN181658    STAR WARS REBEL RISING SC NOVEL    $9.99
JUN181627    THEY DREW AS THEY PLEASED HC VOL 04 HIDDEN ART 1950S & 60S (    $45.00

Review: MAGE, Book Three: The Hero Denied #0

MAGE, BOOK THREE: THE HERO DENIED, ISSUE ZERO
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER/ARTIST: Matt Wagner
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Dave Lanphear
12pp, Color, $1.99 U.S. (July 2017)

Rated “T/ Teen Plus”

“Third Interlude”

Mage is a fantasy comic book with superhero elements written and drawn by Matt Wagner (Grendel).  The series is comprised of three volumes, each running 15 issues.  The first was Mage: The Hero Discovered, which was published by defunct publisher, Comico the Comic Company, from 1984 to 1986.  The second was Mage: The Hero Defined, which was published from 1997 to 1999 by Image Comics.  The third and final volume is Mage: The Hero Denied, which is scheduled to begin publication from Image beginning this coming August.

The Hero Discovered introduced Kevin Matchstick, an alienated young man who meets a wizard called Mirth.  Kevin discovers that he has superhuman abilities and that a magic baseball bat wielded by a friend actually belongs to him.  That baseball is Excalibur, and Kevin represents King Arthur.

The Hero Defined takes place several years later and finds Kevin fighting supernatural menaces in the company of other heroes.  They are Kirby Hero (an avatar of Hercules) and Joe Phat (an avatar of the Native American figure, Coyote).  Kevin discovers that he has misunderstood his mission and that he represents more than one mythical hero.  Kevin is also Gilgamesh, and he initially does not realize that his new mage/mentor is an old tramp named Wally Ut that Kevin often chooses to dismiss as a crazy old annoyance.  Kevin also meets his future wife.

In the ongoing Grendel comic book from the 1980s (Grendel #16-19, Comico), Mage ran as a back-up feature that comprised two “Interludes,” stories that took place after The Hero Discovered.  With the impending publication of the final Mage volume, Image Comics has released Mage, Book Three: The Hero Denied, Issue Zero, which contains the “Third Interlude.”

This 12-page comic book finds Kevin Matchstick a.k.a. “The Pendragon” on a monster hunt.  He meets “The Steeze,” a new kind of hero who declares that he is part of new breed that has moved beyond the “old-timey” need for an avatar.  The Steeze is a hot young thing, but in being dismissive of The Pendragon, he may be missing the big picture about an adversary.

You never know what you are going to get when you get a sequel or follow-up to a classic work a long time after the original was published.  Mage: The Hero Defined began over a decade after The Hero Discovered ended.  Mage: The Hero Discovered was one of the first comic books published by a small or independent publisher and released on the Direct Market that I ever read.  It immediately loved it and re-read it several times in a variety of reprint formats.  It remains one of my all-time favorite comic book series.  [I must admit that I have not read The Hero Discovered since the late 1990s.]

The Hero Discovered was so fresh and new, and you could see Matt Wagner grow and mature both as a writer, storyteller, and comic book artist over the course of the series.  It was new and imaginative and also lighthearted, even when characters were killed.  The Hero Defined was edgier, and it lacked the sweetness and sparkle of the first volume.  I read the entirety of The Hero Defined once and a few chapters a second time.  I liked it, but never warmed to it the way I did the original.

Eighteen years is a long time to wait for the last volume, as far as I'm concerned.  Yet I find that Mage, Book Three: The Hero Denied, Issue Zero feels as if not much time has passed between The Hero Defined and this “interlude.”  The art crackles with the first stirrings of sparkle and potential, and the story shakes off the dirt and begins to summon the magic.  Can't wait!

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Review: FUTURE QUEST #12

FUTURE QUEST No. 12
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeff Parker – @JeffParker
ARTIST: Evan “Doc” Shaner
COLORS: Veronica Gandini
LETTERS: ALW Studios' Dave Lanphear
COVER: Evan “Doc”Shaner
VARIANT COVER: Tony Harris
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2017)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“The Last Stand”

Future Quest has come to an end – for now.  Future Quest is a 12-issue comic book series that re-imagines and re-interprets the classic sci-fi and superhero television series created by American animation studio, Hanna-Barbera.  Published by DC Comics, Future Quest brings together the stars of the TV programs “Jonny Quest,” “Space Ghost,” “The Herculoids,” “Birdman,” “Frankenstein Jr.,” “The Galaxy Trio,” “The Impossibles,” and “Mightor.”  The series modernizes the characters from these series and also alters some of them to one extent or another.

Future Quest is written by Jeff Parker; colored by Hi-Fi; and lettered by Dave Lanphear.  Evan “Doc” Shaner is the series' lead artist, with other artists stepping in for particular chapters and side stories (Steve Rude, Ron Randall, and Craig Rousseau).  Future Quest centers on the cast of “Jonny Quest” (referred to as “Team Quest”), as they lead the fight against the universal and time-line threat, Omnikron, and also against a plot by Quest adversary, Dr. Zin, to use the entity.

As Future Quest #12 (“The Last Stand”) opens, the plan created by Dr. Benton Quest and his fellow scientists to stop Omnikron has failed.  Now, the fate of the Earth may rest in the hands of young Jonny Quest and his brother, Hadji, but will their tragic losses of their pasts hold them back from doing the very thing that can hurt Omnikron?

Overall, I liked Future Quest.  I still say that the best issues were the early issues, maybe the first three.  At times, the series seems to meander, as writer Jeff Parker moves from one side-story to another, from one origin/back story to another.  There are so many characters that Parker does not really engage many of them beyond a surface level, except for a few moments.  One of those few moments happens this issue and employs Jonny and Hadji to great affect.

Lead series artist Evan Shaner did not draw every issue of this series, but he returns for issues #11 and 12.  Other than Steve Rude, Shaner is the best choice for Future Quest.  Stylistically, his work recalls classic Hanna-Barbera character and conceptual design, both in spirit and in execution.  Shaner's storytelling is fantastic.  Most of the pages he draws here are wonderful, as he captures that classic sense of wonder that has drawn young readers to comic books for decades.

I think there will be more Future Quest series, which is a good thing.  I would like to see Parker and Shaner return to it, but focus on a single Hanna-Barber series.

A-
8.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------------

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for August 8, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

MAY189796    BLACK BADGE #1 FOC LEON INCV    $3.99
JUN181214    BLACK BADGE #1 MAIN & MIX    $3.99
JUN181278    GARFIELD HOMECOMING #3    $3.99
APR181135    LUMBERJANES COLORING BOOK TP    $16.99
JUN181261    LUMBERJANES MIDSUMMER NIGHTS SCHEME #1 CVR A BUSTOS    $7.99
JUN181262    LUMBERJANES MIDSUMMER NIGHTS SCHEME #1 SUB WILLIAMS VAR    $7.99
JUN181250    MECH CADET YU #11    $3.99
APR181106    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS LOST CHRONICLES TP VOL 01    $16.99
JUN181242    ROBOCOP CITIZENS ARREST #5    $3.99
JUN181243    ROBOCOP CITIZENS ARREST #5 SUBSCRIPTION RUBIN VAR    $3.99