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Jurassic Park: Redemption #3
Reviewed by Patrick Hayes aka PatBorg
The covers: Cover A by Tom Yeates (with colors
by Jaime Grant) has the carnosaur after two "Flintstone rejects"
while ironically destroying a church and a sign that states
"Repent: The end is nigh". It's great! The color scheme makes me
think of the Disneyland train that journeys into the Grand
Canyon and Primeval World. Cover B is by Paul Pope (with colors
by Grant again) has a dimetrodon impeding sales at a used car
lot. This is the cover I purchased because I've always loved the
dimetrodon and it's the brightest cover yet in this series. It's
nice to see a dino in the daylight. Overall grade: Both A
The story: We've waited two issues, let the
pay-offs begin! If you've felt this story moving slower than
evolution, your fears will be dispelled. Terrific "fake-off" on
Page 1 leads to Lex's arrival in Texas at her crop growing
facilities, eagerly awaiting Sheriff Delgado. Meanwhile, Tim's
mysterious wheelchair bound partner orders Dodgson to stall
Backer, who's ticked some of the dinos got out last night,
almost eating him. Page 4 has the sheriff declaring "this" was
not the work of high schoolers. And from then on the fun begins.
Page 5 really had me wanting nature to take its course. Dodgson
continues to be a great twisted minion whose eventual downfall
will be karmarific! Pages 8 and 9 continues a thread from last
issue (though I don't see how this can be resolved in this
series). Loved the High Dive moments, nice set up and delivery.
And the last page is the perfect reveal. This is a solid pay-off
I've been waiting for and writer Bob Schreck did it beautifully
(which really is the worst possible adjective to use considering
the visual)! It's taken three issues, but things are starting to
really roll. Overall grade: A
The art: I've really enjoyed Nate Van Dyke's
art. Yes, he's playing loose with the dinos, but for what he's
giving I'm more than willing to go along for the ride. Page 1 is
a lovely cinematic MacGuffin. I love the looks of the characters
and the way he "moves" his camera. Page 5 is my favorite this
issue. Page 9 is also an appropriately sized winner. I liked the
dino's expression at the bottom of Page 13 because it brought
back memories of The Land of the Lost's Dopey. Yes, I agree,
Page 17 is a lot of empty space and could have been better
filled with a more centered dino, but the comedy of Page 19
brought me back into the fold easily. Great editing is done
across the middle of Page 21 (a slick way to unite all the
story's characters). And that last page in art, and story, is
perfection. Overall grade: A
The colors: Jamie Grant continues to do high
quality work on this series. The skies could be monocolored (as
I'm used to seeing them in books from the 80s) but he blends
them in the same panel from purple to blue. Makes me long to see
Grant do a western. His skies on Page 8 are also really nice.
Page 5 is a great showcase for Grant with the bright exteriors
and the dark interiors. Even with the rain falling later in the
book, the coloring isn't dreary, and it really zips up Van
Dyke's work. And Grant's handling of the last page draws your
eyes even more to the dandy disfigurement. Overall grade: A
The letters: I love the "sound" of this book! "HSSsssss",
"KOOM", "CLLAALLLUUUMMPP", and "HURK!?" Plenty of fun to read
aloud, and, oh yeah, dialogue. Chris Mowry is aces. Overall
grade: A
The final line: It took some time, but grab
your tranq gun and hide the lawyers, Jurassic Park is back!
Overall grade: A |
