A review by trike
Future Quest, Vol. 1 by Steve Rude, Craig Rousseau, Jeff Parker, Evan Doc Shaner, Ron Randall
3.0
The ultimate Hanna-Barbera crossover. I liked but didn’t love this book. As a kid growing up in the 70s, reruns of the original Jonny Quest, The Herculoids, and Space Ghost were staples of my Saturday morning viewing. I always thought it would be cool if they shared an adventure, and here it is!
I was unaware of Birdman until Cartoon Network started doing their spoof shows in the 90s, which included Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law. Other characters, such as Mi-Tor and the Impossibles are new to me, as well. I assume they were part of the H-B family back in the day.
The main story is a cracking adventure that perfectly channels the rated-G cartoons of yesteryear, set in modern day. Some of the outfits are definitely of the 1960s, especially those worn by the bad guys of F.E.A.R., as is Birdman’s, while others are timeless. Space Ghost and his teen sidekicks still look great, and the simplicity of Jonny, Hadji, and Race are perfect for any era. (I’ve always suspected Steve Jobs stole his look from Jonny Quest.)
Basically the story involves a giant intelligent space monster that’s trying to take over... well, everything, apparently, and it has the ability to teleport through space and time. That’s what brings all these characters together. The issue is complicated because Dr. Zin and F.E.A.R. are angling to use the malevolent creature for their own scheme of world domination. Hijinks ensue.
With the collision of so many different worlds, this book has an “everything plus the kitchen sink” feel to it. Superscience, silver age superheroes, prehistoric megafauna, aliens, cavemen, robots, dinosaurs... you name it, this book has it.
I really like how Parker took the time to throw in a little paleontology info amidst the action - he’s right, it *is* a Deinonychus, not a velociraptor:
(Of course, it might also be a Utahraptor, but the kids know that. As it says in the book, eight-year-olds are dinosaur experts.
Unfortunately that’s part of the problem. There are so many disparate elements at play they don’t all jibe together. The side story of the Impossibles in Hollywood doesn’t fit at all with the main story, and the giant robot Frankenstein Jr. is dispensed with immediately, leaving only his young pal Todd to be part of the action. As this is merely part one, I’m guessing Frank will return later, but the Impossibles gang just feels tacked on.
That stuff is balanced out by the fun, over-the-top action. Plus, all of these characters have animal sidekicks. The Quests have Bandit the Boston Terrier, Birdman has Avenger the raptor, Jan has Blip the monkey, and new character Ty has a cat named Snag. Each of these pets gets a turn to get in on the action, which is a nice touch.
I like how Snag and Bandit aren’t really sure about each other here:
I would’ve liked this more if they’d focused only on the main story with the space monster, but even so it was enjoyable. The art is pretty great throughout, with “Doc” Shaner handling most of the drawing, but the other artists do a nice job, too.
A note at the end details how Darwyn Cooke helped writer Jeff Parker break the story by giving him the overall beats, and that aspect really comes through. This is very much in the style of Cooke’s modern classic [b:Absolute DC: The New Frontier|107171|Absolute DC The New Frontier|Darwyn Cooke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387700874s/107171.jpg|2732007]. One of the last drawings Darwyn Cooke did before his untimely passing:
I was unaware of Birdman until Cartoon Network started doing their spoof shows in the 90s, which included Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law. Other characters, such as Mi-Tor and the Impossibles are new to me, as well. I assume they were part of the H-B family back in the day.
The main story is a cracking adventure that perfectly channels the rated-G cartoons of yesteryear, set in modern day. Some of the outfits are definitely of the 1960s, especially those worn by the bad guys of F.E.A.R., as is Birdman’s, while others are timeless. Space Ghost and his teen sidekicks still look great, and the simplicity of Jonny, Hadji, and Race are perfect for any era. (I’ve always suspected Steve Jobs stole his look from Jonny Quest.)
Basically the story involves a giant intelligent space monster that’s trying to take over... well, everything, apparently, and it has the ability to teleport through space and time. That’s what brings all these characters together. The issue is complicated because Dr. Zin and F.E.A.R. are angling to use the malevolent creature for their own scheme of world domination. Hijinks ensue.
With the collision of so many different worlds, this book has an “everything plus the kitchen sink” feel to it. Superscience, silver age superheroes, prehistoric megafauna, aliens, cavemen, robots, dinosaurs... you name it, this book has it.
I really like how Parker took the time to throw in a little paleontology info amidst the action - he’s right, it *is* a Deinonychus, not a velociraptor:
(Of course, it might also be a Utahraptor, but the kids know that. As it says in the book, eight-year-olds are dinosaur experts.
Unfortunately that’s part of the problem. There are so many disparate elements at play they don’t all jibe together. The side story of the Impossibles in Hollywood doesn’t fit at all with the main story, and the giant robot Frankenstein Jr. is dispensed with immediately, leaving only his young pal Todd to be part of the action. As this is merely part one, I’m guessing Frank will return later, but the Impossibles gang just feels tacked on.
That stuff is balanced out by the fun, over-the-top action. Plus, all of these characters have animal sidekicks. The Quests have Bandit the Boston Terrier, Birdman has Avenger the raptor, Jan has Blip the monkey, and new character Ty has a cat named Snag. Each of these pets gets a turn to get in on the action, which is a nice touch.
I like how Snag and Bandit aren’t really sure about each other here:
I would’ve liked this more if they’d focused only on the main story with the space monster, but even so it was enjoyable. The art is pretty great throughout, with “Doc” Shaner handling most of the drawing, but the other artists do a nice job, too.
A note at the end details how Darwyn Cooke helped writer Jeff Parker break the story by giving him the overall beats, and that aspect really comes through. This is very much in the style of Cooke’s modern classic [b:Absolute DC: The New Frontier|107171|Absolute DC The New Frontier|Darwyn Cooke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387700874s/107171.jpg|2732007]. One of the last drawings Darwyn Cooke did before his untimely passing: