The back of this comic has a mail-order ad for American Comics, and it describes The Adventurers thus: "Hottest now comic book of 1986. Prices continue to skyrocket!" As I noted in a previous post on this series, I remember it being a pretty big deal at the time, but reading it now I am, again as I've noted, not really that impressed.
This issue does the same thing the last one did, wherein the climactic final page of the issue is also the subject of the cover. It could be because they're both based on the same script page, perhaps, but it's still a very strange practice.
Again, none of the characters seem particularly likeable in this issue, and in fact seem to be growing more and more self-involved. If I learned one thing from the many (many) hours of gaming I've done in my life, it's that teamwork is vital to the completion of adventures. If you don't trust your teammates, you're screwed. And I can't see how any of the characters in this series can possibly trust one another.
There is a nice Ray Harryhausen tribute in this issue, as Anubis, god of the dead, tosses a handful of dragon's teeth to the ground and skeleton warriors spring up from the ground where they land. Much as I may not enjoy the story itself, the creators are obviously invested in the fantasy genre, and do their damnedest to pay homage to what's come before.
Lastly, there's an interesting coming attractions page that lists the next 3 issues of The Adventurers that are forthcoming, and actually reveals that characters are going to die in each issue. It's an odd kind of pseudo-spoiler, and as with the covers depicting the final moments of the issue, as strange practice. I think I'd like to put the question to the creators of the series to see why they made the creative and business choices they did.
Back to Klarion tomorrow. See you then.
No comments:
Post a Comment