[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Summary
In this final edition of the Herculoids by Rob Williams, Dorno discovers that getting everything you want is not actually all that awesome. We see the end of a world and a nifty trick that would make Christopher Reeve proud. Animan’s secret if finally revealed.
Positives
Aaron Lopresti once again steals the show. This whole run has been all about him. The thing that makes Future Quest stand apart from the rest of the Hanna Barbera reboots is that it really is holding onto tradition. The story lines are much more rated PG and the art is reminiscent of the cartoons. To that end, the artist has to make sure he or she keeps the innocence of the universe in tact. While he has to make Dorno a god in this issue, he still makes him seem like a god you might want to hang out with as opposed to one you might want to fear.
Check out the way he is full of anguish in the last panel above. It is solid work and does everything it should do.
Negatives
Maybe it is the fact that The Herculoids were always B-list characters at best, but this story just did not work as something we are used to reading from Rob Williams. The lesson is literally beat over our heads. Don’t grow up too fast. You are not ready. Forever young and all of that good stuff. I am not saying having a positive message for kids is a bad thing, but I like my Rob Williams dialogue to be a bit more sharp and I like the surprises to be a bit less obvious. He telegraphed this ending from issue one.
I think Williams is a victim of his own success. Had someone else written this, I would have said it was a fine story that you could hand to a 10 year old and not worry. In fact, I am saying that. However, it just does not work. When Jim Lee did some covers for Scooby Apocalypse, they were Jim Lee covers. This does not feel like a Rob Williams book. I needed a bit more edge from him. What works with the art just does not land with the story.
Verdict
As I mentioned, you can give this book to a kid and you do not have to worry that she or he will be scarred for life. If you liked the After School Specials, this book is for you. If you like Suicide Squad, you need to move past this.
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