No matter what you wish for your birthday … nothing is better than fighting aliens!
Creative Staff:
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colorist: Ryan Hill
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
An alien threatens to pressure the Earth into “joining” a galactic empire … and not voluntarily! The first line of defense … the mighty Mightor! Guest appearances by Jonny Quest and Hadji!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When scientists from the SETI Radio Telescope sent out a signal, they were not expecting a response so soon, but the new answer acknowledges its source is moving closer to Earth. However as these researchers are excited over this new discovery, a teenager known as Ty is having one of his own, all with his thirteenth birthday. While his family relate boring stories, he tells of adventures fighting monsters and aliens, and they indulge him of thinking it is from an overly active imagination, not knowing the truth. It is not until Deva arrives do they begin to wonder who the stranger might be, with his parents introducing the woman as a tutor from school and quick escort her away, knowing Inter-Nation Security needs the help of their son and his alter-ego, Mightor.
After a quick explanation, the formidable woman relates concerns they have with a quickly approaching craft responding to the signals, and therefore a need for first contact. While Inter-Nation does not want to think the worst, with the speed of the ship, they want Mightor to help with the protection detail. However, when Deva receives a new update that all satellites near the object have mysteriously shut down, her concerns grow, with Ty’s assistance now needed more than before. With his parents proud of the birthday boy being able to help, they graciously allow their son to aid Sumadi, quickly rushing to the landing point in Switzerland. However, when they arrive, the visitor has made the pronouncement he is Oskus from the Starpoint Collective, and wishes to talk to the leader of this planet. When Deva introduces herself and asks what this group offers, the alien’s response is blunt – there is no refusal for cooperation and it they do all infrastructure will be shut down, with an equally forceful demonstration. There appears to be no other choice when the outsider easily dispatches the police force, a hero is needed … but can Mightor be the one to stop this menace?
In Summary:
Since his last appearance in the previous Future Quest series, we have not seen Mightor or his exciting escapades, and I thought this would be a welcome return for the hero. Additionally, with a story by the wondrous title’s writer Jeff Parker, my expectations were high, but sadly the story is lacking in enthusiasm to spark the same intensity from his prior masterpiece. Although we still have the same fervor from Ty with his eagerness to help those in need, the narrative does not come across with a passion to prove himself like before, instead, it is replaced by the cockiness of a teenager not taking things seriously. While I can understand Parker addressing this new passage for Ty by his brash attitude, there is a lack of humility which he had before that made him endearing to the reader. Instead, it is now replaced by someone who appears to be drunk from power, with a self-assuredness which makes him think he can show off and only obey Deva when he needs and/or wants to … in other words, your typical adolescent. Although this new transition does move the tale forward at a faster pace, it does not help the narrative since Oskus has the same smugness as our hero, and in turn, this overconfidence competition drags down the story, making the reader question which is more important – showing off or winning.
Normally artwork uplifts a story when the former is accused of impeding an issue, however, in this case, the visual medium is just as responsible for dragging the action of the book. The opening pages normally set the tone for the story and in this example Steve Lieber’s illustrations display an overbearing antagonist who appears to be a worthy match for Mightor. However once colorist Ryan Hill adds his subdued palette to the static panels, the mood of the tale becomes dreary, almost as if the entirety of the tale is presented during a sunset showing. Plus the addition of white framing is a drawback, in fact, it emphasizes the dour colors used throughout the issue, giving a monochrome filter through the beginning pages. Even when brighter shades are used for energy blasts or alien costumes, the stationary panels do not help since there is no presence of movement, giving the audience a sense they are watching a slide show using stop-motion animation instead of the frenetic projection of action. While the finality of the closing scenes this duo attempts do manage to liven up the conflict, with a preset cliché of an alien invasion previously set, we are triggered for something which necessitates a happy ending, and the effectiveness of a heroic conclusion does not have the impact it would have if the build-up were not so expected.
I had hoped this issue would have been a pleasing tale for the memories of Mightor, but that is not the case for this book. This is a shame since the character is a great re-imagining of a classic standard, however, both narrative and artwork paid too much attention to one aspect instead of embracing the actor as a whole. If we were able to see a follow up to this story it may have been redeemable, but as of now, the story is a disappointment as I hear his battle cry echo off in regretful pain.
Grade: B+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: March 21, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
