Be careful what you wish for … it may come true!
Creative Staff:
Writer: Rob Williams
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
What They Say:
Be careful what you wish for! Young Dorno of the Herculoids clan wants to make his own way in the world, free of Zandor and Tara, his parents. But when that world is the planet Amzot, and a strange sentient being named Animan wants it for his own, Dorno may grow up too fast!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Amzot, the planet which the Herculoids now call home, they are brave defenders of this world which many have tried conquering but none have succeeded yet, and many more will try. And so this day begins with a robot scout surveying the land, however, it has not gone unnoticed, with Zok and Dorno proudly making chase. As the foolish pair continue to follow this artificial menace, down below his parents Zandor and Tara are screaming for him to desist, but their vocal warnings fall on deaf ears, and they persist in the pursuit. Not until it is too late do they realize the vanguard was luring the hunters into its own trap, with an invasion force ready to retaliate and destroy any who would stop them. As the space dragon does his best to avoid incoming fire, he cannot dodge them all, with one shot landing and causing the child to fall … to almost certain death.
Luckily down below the shapeshifters Gloop and Gleep are able to expand themselves to cushion Dorno’s fall, with his parents quickly by their child’s side. However as Zok is still trying to avoid the robotic force, it seems he is unable to last much longer with his injuries, but there is one more hope. The mammoth stone ape Igoo lumbers up the nearby mountain, without any regard in saving his friend, but that assumption would be wrong as he strikes the rocky face with great force. It is the resulting avalanche that buries the hunters and stops any threat, but the danger is not over as worried Zandor and Tara begin to lecture the boy on his ill-advised chase, to which he angrily runs off. While he cools off at a nearby pond by complaining he is not a child and wishing he could leave the planet, Dorno soon learns someone was watching the entire escapade. A mysterious man suddenly appears and asks what he wants, to which the stunned boy is confused and asks who he is – only receiving the reply of Animan, an inquisitive god who only wants to help. Still not satisfied with the lack of an answer, this troublesome deity pushes his query and asks what the boy desires to relieve his boredom … his reason being to reward Dorno for his bravery. But can this line of questioning be this innocent or is there some ulterior motive to these requests?
In Summary:
When I saw the cover for this issue with Dorno playing such a dominant role in the image, I thought this story would be a refreshing coming of age story for a title which expresses themselves wholly through action, but sadly, this is not to be the case. Instead, writer Rob Williams opts to give us a tale of teenage angst, temptation, and mild wonderment, all of which have been seen before in previous incarnations with varying degrees of success. Although I can appreciate his attempt in creating a story within the world of the Herculoids, all while centering on a character who does not garner much attention, the premise is still rather standard. We have witnessed this type of narrative before in a supreme being taunting people, asking what they want and then turning the offer into one with costs too much to bear – often resulting in a payment more profitable to the presenter, think Serpent in the Garden. However while Williams does hint an amusing aspect of Animan also being someone who faced a similar situation, the presentation still becomes increasingly cliché by relying on a cliffhanger which too many authors have also fallen back on … rescue your loved ones before it is too late. I sincerely hope all of my assumptions do not end within the presumed expectations of this tale.
Even within a mediocre story, it is the sensational artwork of Aaron Lopresti with inks by Matt Ryan which breaths life into the narrative, through the amazingly detailed images portrayed within each dynamic panel. However what makes every image all the more engrossing are the spectacular colors of Hi-Fi which communicate such organic believability you begin to doubt if these characters are not real instead of being depicted upon a two-dimensional page. This marvelous combination of talents makes critiquing this team’s minor change of the Herculoids all the more spiteful when everything else overshadows the stumble in a realistic change to Zok and Iggo’s appearance when compared to the original animation. But you soon forget these elements once you become absorbed within the passionate composition of the actors’ faces, every nuance of their visages gloriously meld with subtle body language, all to fabricate a canvas of melodrama which need no words to express themselves. You can feel the pain in the humans’ gestures, the intensity of emotion and the indecision once Dorno meets the tempter. Everything else within this issue world blends into a fabulous display of otherworldly beauty until we meet Animan, the man whose obscenely colored foreign clothes and lifeless eyes portray him as someone who should not be trusted … no matter how pleasing his offer may be to the naïve boy.
With a narrative which anchors itself upon trite story exposition, this issue does not have the necessary emotional impact it would if we did not have the preconception of what will happen wallowing in the back the audiences’ mind as we read this story. It is only the phenomenal artistic portrayal of the actors and environment which rescues it from becoming a forgettable anecdote of the Herculoids, all while anticipating the disingenuous promise this arc will turn into something other than the expected ending of a classic and overused tale.
Grade: B+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: April 18, 2018
MSRP: $3.99