The very nature of time and space are being twisted by forces from beyond space, and now more heroes join the battle for the future! Your Major Spoilers review of Future Quest #4 awaits!
FUTURE QUEST #4
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Evan “Doc” Shaner, Ron Randall, Jeff Parker
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: ALW’s Lanphear
Editor: Marie Javins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Future Quest: In deep space, a monstrous creature known as Omnikron may have destroyed Space Ghost and the Herculoids, warping both time and space to make its way to Earth. Crashing in the Everglades, the creature has had run-ins with Jonny Quest and his family (especially his ever-capable bodyguard Race Bannon) as well as Ray Randall, the secret agent also known as Birdman. Discovering the crashed Phantom Cruiser, Race, Birdman and company were able to save a survivor of the crash, a girl in an unusual costume. Unbeknownst to them, though, another survivor has been taken into the custody of the nefarious Doctor Zin!
AND WE’RE BACK!
This issue opens with a bang, 45,000 years in the distant past, as Omnikron once again menaces a hero familiar to fans of the Hanna-Barbera action universe: The Mighty Mightor, the caveman superhero! (The first one, Captain Caveman comes later…) The implication that Mightor’s power-source IS Omnikron is the first stunning moment of the story, with Mightor’s seeming defeat coming as a second. In the present day, the Quest Team, Deva Sumadi and Birdman nurse the costumed girl back to health. The trauma of the crash has left her unable to remember even her name, leaving her monkey sidekick screaming in frustration, unable to talk. He can, however, write, and even draws a picture telling her that her name is Jan and his is Blip, making him one smart Capuchin. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t realize they’re being tracked by Jezebel Jade, who sends a time-lost tyrannosaur to attack them (and also leading to the debut of Dino Boy and his Cro-magnon partner Ugh) while Dr. Zin takes considerably worse care of Jan’s twin brother Jace…
FRANKENSTEIN, JR MAKES THE SCENE
There are actually two backup tales this issue, one explaining how Zin managed to take control of F.E.A.R., the other giving us the first appearance of Buzz Conroy and Frankenstein, Jr. That story actually ties together the back stories of the Conroy and Quest families in a clever (but perfectly rational and believable) fashion, even explaining Frankie’s cartoonish design with a clever in-story rationale: Buzz himself designed the robot as a child, and his mother, a genius roboticist, built him to help deal with the loss of her husband. There are several other important bits of plot in the issue, but my favorite are the small touches: Deva trying to call on “other agents”, only to find The Impossibles in concert; Dino Boy receiving the last name of ‘Messick’ in honor of H-B’s legendary voice actor Don; and Jan’s incredibly sweet response to Blip helping her regain her memory. It’s an issue full to bursting with characters and events, but never feels over-crowded, and Parker’s achievement in believably stitching together these varied continuities is impressive.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A VERY ENTERTAINING ISSUE
There are multiple artists at play in this issue, but the consistency of the production smooths over any transitions beautifully, and every page of the issue is lovely to behold. The sequence of Mightor in action is particularly lovely, but I may be the only fan of stone-age Space Ghost, so I’m a bit biased. Future Quest #4 is another towering achievement, a love-letter to the characters, creators and even voice actors of class H-B properties, and I hope that it’s building to something that makes it all resonate, but even if it comes apart at the seams, this issue is worth the ride, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If the hints that Deva is the fourth member of The Impossibles seen in promotional material are fulfilled, this will officially be the best comic book series of 2016, so go read it already!
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Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.
3 Comments
Could not disagree more about the last bit of this review – don’t want ANY new member in my faves the Impossibles to take attention from the originals and spoil the dynamic and camaraderie between them, let alone a hard-nosed, domineering harridan in the guise of a “strong woman” like Deva! And, with the strong feminist slant, (not just equality), this comic seems to have I can imagine the extra Impossibles member could be portrayed as a “smarty-pants” who will save the day in a way which makes the boys look stupid! Actually seems more like she will be the drummer seen vaguely behind the boys in the image on that Ipod thing; not needed for that, as one of the originals could get behind a drumkit, (lots of real-life musicians play more than one instrument), and, as it’s set in the present day, there is plenty of technology available which can replicate percussion effects. I don’t mind that the boys have different and non-matching stage outfits, (from what I can see, those look O.K.), but otherwise I think the only. change should be to make them more realistic looking for this. I also love Multi Man’s original costume and really don’t see the need to change it, especially for one which looks much less distinctive. And I’d want to see adoring fangirls fawning over the boys – without anyone putting them down for it! And did you notice the quotation marks when Deva referred to their music? Seems like the harpy was sneering! There is little Impossibles merchandise for us fans – but I won’t be getting this!
I suppose that Deva should wear a burka …..sorry but the wimpy doormat helpless scream queens are in the 50s where they belong…..its 2016…..no more passe submissive stupid females thank goodness!
There is a happy medium. And in large teams like DC’s own Legion of Super Heroes, Green Lantern Corps, etc., new members joining – and others leaving – from time to time works really well, and I’d certainly question it if they were all of the same sex, (at least without a reasonable explanation), but the Impossibles are a different type – they are a trio in their original form, not an orchestra – !! and they always had an interaction/dynamic I really think will be spoiled by adding another member, (another agent or whatever to help them out, O.K.). I’m female – but the addition of the new female member actually makes me feel EXcluded as it’s my favourites who are being changed too much for me. It’s not as if there are not a good number of female characters in the story!