You never know who you can trust until the end … and even then, they can surprise you.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Joe Tyler
Artwork: Carlos Granda
Colors: Jorge Cortes
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
For decades the U.S. Government has covered up the existence of dozens of species of dangerous creatures that have been captured over the years. After building a small, secretive city on a remote island in the Pacific, these monsters were transported there to be studied.
In 2012, disaster struck and the island was evacuated. Now the inmates have taken over, and different species fight for control within the city walls. However, something extremely valuable was left behind on the island and the only way to recover it is to send an elite mercenary unit into the most dangerous place in the world … Monster Island.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the deadline quickly approaching, Xorn and Merrick know that they need to rescue Kelsey from Cy, but at the same time, they cannot allow the Elf Queen to escape once the force field collapses. But first, they need to collect what they initially came to the island for – a sample of the cyclops’ blood. After all, it was this research which set everything into motion and Harcourt won’t allow them to return without that specimen. However, how do you track down a hundred foot giant stomping around the jungle when there are more of the Queen’s minions in the way to stop you? Luckily, Xorn’s people are willing to help clear the way if they are given a way off the island. This is a small price to pay for a group of loyal and ferocious allies.
Once they track down the beast and reunite with the good doctor, the team still has the small problem of finding the former ruler of the island. Her charisma and shape-shifting abilities have allowed her to have dominion over all of the other monsters, so she will not be easy to be found. But at the same time, the Queen is the vengeful sort who will not allow those who have offended her to escape her wrath. And so it does not take long for the deposed leader to strike once the group’s guard is down, taking advantage of the happy meeting. The ensuing chaos allows her punish those who had wronged her, but Cy’s eruption through the wall makes the victory short lived. Making a hasty escape, she will not allow the group to leave her behind, but who really holds the power on this island now?
In Summary:
Now that the series is over, I can see how writer Joe Tyler constructed the entirety of the story, but even with the best of intentions, it still feels like a rehashing of popular Hollywood movies, namely Jurassic Park and then populated by creations from Zenescope’s series Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide. From start to finish, the avalanche of clichéd moments were molded to move the story along including: a team of nameless supporting characters that were sacrificed to add tension, survivors conveniently found to lead the team to the next event, a power-crazed megalomaniac who will do anything to stop the heroes and of course, the hair-raising chopper escape before the massive explosion, where they are forced to leave an unlikely savior behind; I would have been stunned if the book didn’t end like it did since the basis of the story leaves it open to future adventures on this forbidden island … in other words, the favorite word in the movie business – sequel!
While the promising premise of this B-grade plot quickly devolved as the issues moved, the one constant that kept it from plummeting into obscurity was the magnificent artwork of Carlos Granda and Jorge Cortes’ inspiring usage of color. When the first book opened, we were greeted with a lush atmosphere of cinematic shots, skillfully embraced by suspense and action like any other grand blockbuster. The flow of the events helped to move the narration along as we explored the island along with our companions, watching as if we were there alongside in the same adventure. However, once the first issue was completed, Granda and Cortes’ abilities were suffocated by countless static panels and pages of filler material which served with no apparent purpose than to overload us with previously explained background material. From that point forward, everything snowballed as we were inundated by more of the same monotony, the plot collapsing upon itself with a litany of predictable sequences which wasted their artistic talents. It was not until the finale when we delighted by the return of the explosive montage which opened the series, but of course by then, it was too late to save this hopeful tale and the talent of these two artisans.
Escape From Monster Island at first seemed to be a series which could resurrect the classic monster movies of the past, but it soon became bogged down with so many obsolete themes that it was no longer an original story. The tension which was established within the first issue was quickly lost by an overabundance of useless material and any injection of a bold idea was quickly seen as being gleaned from another popular source. While the premise has promise, this set of books is not where it stands. Hopefully, if there is a sequel, they will not fall into the same pitfall which allowed this series to languish a slow and painful demise.
Grade: C
Series Grade: C
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 20th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
