The forces of F.E.A.R. versus Johnny Quest, Birdman and more.
Who ya got?! And is it good?
Future Quest #4 (DC Comics)
So what’s it about? The DC summary reads:
An earth-shattering power has come to life in the jungles of South America, and Team Quest and Birdman race the forces of F.E.A.R. to reach it first! There they find time ripped apart in a lost valley where dinosaurs and cavemen run wild once more as the ancient legend of Mightor is revealed! Only the shipwrecked aliens Jan and Jace hold the secrets of what fate awaits our world, but as a force led by Jezebel Jade attacks, what new hero will rise?
Why does this book matter?
The Hanna-Barbera comics have done a lot of things well; perhaps most importantly, they’ve made the classic characters feel a little more grown up. The last issue of this series made me fall in love with the Golden Age feel of Birdman and it appears this issue is doing the same with Mightor!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
I love the use of title cards to set up each scene.
Mightor takes over the first three pages of this issue and damn is he fun; he’s like some kind of Conan the Barbarian meets Thor and you are going to love what Evan Shaner, Randall and Jeff Parker bring to the issue visually. Speaking of new characters, the issue also ends with an introduction to Frankenstein Jr. that feels updated and made a bit more for adults. This story takes up about 5 pages and it’ll make you want more from the characters.
The main adventure involves Birdman and Johnny Quest on a mission and it’s the crux of this series so far; it has an old school tone perfectly encapsulating the evil villain in the dark cave lair, as well as the crazy adventure where anything can happen. The plot thickens this issue with the intro of a neanderthal man and it’s fun to see how F.E.A.R. operates.
It can’t be perfect can it?
That said, my head is starting to hurt with how many characters are all jammed into this one story. The separate stories are great at capturing Hanna-Barbara characters as yet to be revealed, but to have Birdman and Johnny Quest characters interacting all at once leaves less time for character work and story progression. Ultimately this hurts the ability to care about the main events and makes F.E.A.R. steal the show.
Oh, that monster is delectible.
Is It Good?
The bad guys steal the show in Future Quest #4, but you can’t overlook the fantastic introduction of two more Hanna-Barbara characters. This issue has an anthology feel even though it’s only 20 or so pages, which is why the main story lacks teeth with too many characters being jam packed at once.
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