After the events of the DEATH OF HAWKMAN miniseries, Adam Strange is blasted through multiple dimensions only to land on Earth! There, instead of super-powered beings and legendary crime fighters, he encounters a boy adventurer and his scientist father—and they’re the only ones who can help him return home. Jonny Quest, Hadji, Dr. Quest and Race Bannon have a plan, but it’s going to involve a dangerous trek through Dino Boy’s Lost Valley of prehistoric threats!
Writing
This really feels like one of those instances where the idea probably sounded better on paper. At least the planning process for it. Seems like it would match up perfectly. Adam Strange, the man from Earth lost amongst the stars, meeting with Jonny Quest, the kid cartoon adventurer. How could this go wrong? Very easily by the look of it.
It’s your standard crossover story. People meet, a misunderstanding occurs so someone is not trusting someone else, and come the last part of the book a team up takes place. The meeting itself makes perfect sense given the events of the main Future Quest comic. It’s the part about Adam Strange conveniently having amnesia which is the problem. All it really serves is to have him not be able to tell his backstory right away so Race can’t fully trust him.
Writers Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker didn’t create the greatest epic adventure in this issue. Considering what they had to work with it’s actually surprising. This issue also features a preview for the new Top Cat series which has a Howard The Duck vibe to it. It was also the more interesting part of this annual.
Artwork
The art for the issue doesn’t help to pull the issue ahead either. Steve Lieber on art and Veronica Gandini on colors just don’t produce the same level of quality in this issue as the main Future Quest book does. There is an imbalance of character styles from panel to panel. Sometimes the characters are drawn in a comical and lighthearted style and other times they are rough and sharp like they are ready for action. This variation comes off more unsettling than it does entertaining.
Conclusion
For those of you who had high hopes for this book you are not rewarded. It’s the worst issue of Future Quest so far, and it’s unnecessary reading even for the most die hard Adam Strange fan. He’s just there for the ride and providing little else. Much like this annual dose as a whole.
