Boom! Studios has done a great job of telling stories that sit outside the realm of the normal spandex and capes crowd. More often than not, the company delivers a winner with new titles launched, and it appears they’ve found another winner with Hunter’s Fortune #1.
HUNTER’S FORTUNE #1
Writen by Andrew Cosby, Caleb Monroe
Drawn by Matt Cossin
SC, 24 pgs, FC, (1 of 4), SRP: $3.99
COVER A: Phil Noto
COVER B: Rebecca A. Wrigley
As a kid, who didn’t dream of a limo arriving at your house, with some crusty dude telling you a long lost uncle left you a vast fortune? As a kid, who hasn’t dreamed of going on a grand adventure in search of lost treasure that can only be solved by solving a complex series of clues? Who hasn’t wanted to have these adventures with their best friend, a beautiful woman, and danger lurking around every corner? Heck forget the kid bit, I want to do this as an adult!
That’s pretty much the set up in Hunter’s Fortune by Andrew Cosby and Caleb Monroe. Hunter Prescott is at his lowest point until Jessica shows up to change his life. Yes, he does have an unknown uncle who has left his entire fortune to his long lost nephew. But unlike most estate hearings, Uncle Max has put a stipulation on Hunter’s fortune (see what I did there?) – find Excalibur, the only artifact the archaeologist couldn’t find when he was alive. As long as he finds the sword of King Arthur, the $650 million is his.
If Cosby and Monroe had stopped there, there would be plenty of interesting plot points to drive the story forward. But a really good story needs an antagonist, and it comes in the form of Sibyl Chase, former wife of Max Prescott, and her equally devious daughter Miranda. They want the dough, and if they can foil Hunter’s quest, the money is theirs – or so they think. Toss in a secret key, a book full of codes, and muscle bound bear wrestler, and this is not only the making of a great comic book, but could very easily be the next action adventure movie H’wood has been looking for.
Sure there are a lot of familiar elements in this story; the key and the book remind me of the 1977 movie Candleshoe, featuring a young Jodie Foster in search of a vast fortune hidden on the estate of an old manor house. The hot cougar/daughter duo have also made appearances in everything from crime drama to action feature. The same is true for the attractive love interest and the surfer-dude sidekick who is probably going to cause more trouble than help. In Hunter’s Fortune the combination works; it isn’t too over the top, or a parody of other stories, it a great blend.
Complementing the keen storytelling is the art by Matt Cossin. His lines are simple and blend an american art style with that of Japanese Manga. He doesn’t go too over the top, with crazy expressions, action line backgrounds, or characters suddenly slipping into a Chibi style, instead it reminds one of Kazuhiko Kato’s Lupin series. And if this series brings even half the fun of Lupin III, then Boom! will have a big seller on their hands.
Hunter’s Fortune is the escapist fantasy that I think a lot of people can get into. It’s got all the elements needed to attract readers from a broad interest range, and providing the historical elements are kept in check, this has the making of reaching Indiana Jones proportions without falling into The Librarian status. The art is great (make sure you pick up the Phil Noto cover – although Rebecca Wrigley does a smashing job as well), the story is full of fun and has a great buildup to a huge adventure. I’m concerned that this is only a four issue mini-series, as if the story ends well, this could be an ongoing series I could see on my permanent pull list. For a small publisher, Boom! Studios seems to have more winners on its hands than losers, and Hunter’s Fortune #1 falls squarely in the win pile, earning 4.5 out of 5 Stars.
Boom! Studios provided Major Spoilers with a review copy of this issue.
