A desperate gamble!
Creative Staff:
Story: Ben Acker, Heath Corson
Art: Bob Q
Colors: Omi Remalante
Letters: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
Flash Gordon escapes! Broken in mind and spirit, our intrepid heroes must bust out of their sci-fi prison and rescue their friend, even if that friend doesn’t want to be rescued! Continuing the epic crossover that unites the greatest heroes from the King Features Syndicate comic strips: The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Prince Valiant, Jungle Jim, Flash Gordon, and more!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Having enjoyed the first three installments of this five-part miniseries far more than I expected, there’s a lot to like here with this penultimate installment. In terms of story and character it hits all the right notes but the problem comes in that the artist has changed out. Dan McDaid did some great stuff and was a big draw for me and the shift to Bob Q here is jarring as he works a different style and dynamic. If the book had started with his artwork I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but I really dislike, to say the least, having a miniseries where the artist changes and has a different enough style so that it’s very noticeable. Bob Q has some great layouts and character designs here and I’d love to see a whole series with him, but it’s definitely jarring.
The twist with Dale has its own teases within it as we know she’s working a larger plan and isn’t including the others in it for a range of reasons unsaid but easily surmised. Having everyone chained up is amusing in itself and seeing how the staggered breakout happens is fun, especially with Valiant getting out first and breaking Flash with him as he views him as a useful tool and nothing more. The pair have some great action sequences as they make their way to Dale and have to cope with a range of opponents that challenges both of them and also puts some fun rivalry between the two men that gives it a little humor and lightness. Bob Q’s layouts are pretty great throughout this as we get all sorts of cutaway views that makes it pretty engaging.
With the rest of the team still stuck in chains, their escape takes a bit longer and has a split focus. Most of them get some good bits, such as Mandrake casting an illusion to look like Ming, but the focus is tight on just a couple of them. Jen’s truly taking on the role of The Phantom here and we get to see an expanded view of what’s possible and how it works, which gives her a little more confidence and fun. While she heads off to save Dale from Valiant, the rest are trying to escape the planet as Jungle Jim is connected to the corrupted world that Ming infused with his own DNA, which is turning Jim into something “else” at this point. It’s not given a huge amount of detail but the visuals are great and watching as everyone reacts to his changes. You can see where it’s going but even with that it’s fun and has a good sense of energy about it.
In Summary:
Kings Quest has been a very fun series and this installment is no exception. It’s definitely a book where you can enjoy the individual installment with all it does while also envisioning a really great compiled volume single sitting read that will give it a richer feeling. This issue has a lot of very good stuff to it, though my frustration with the artist change proved to be a distraction for much of it simply because of the different styles. I like the various plot threads at work here and while I can see how it’ll all wrap up in the next issue, I’m excited for the details and potential twists and turns along the way. And I’m already hopeful for another series to come sooner rather than later. Kings Quest continues to be a great surprise.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 10th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
