The Land Before Quest
Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Evan "Doc" Shaner, Ron Randal, Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 31, 2016
*Non-Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
Whenever this book is in the next week releases list on DC's site, I jump for joy in my chair. It has been such a fun ride so far, that I know that it will shine through some of the Rebirths we've been getting. We all love our Supermen, Batmen, and Green Lanterns, but this series has made me feel like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons again! Rebirth is great but so is this series, and it needs more attention! It doesn't need to be in the top 10 sold DC comics, though it should be, it just needs to keep itself afloat amidst all the Rebirth.Now the last issue didn't push the plot forward but cleared up why a few members of the cast ended up crossing paths with the Quests. However, issue 2 left the Quests and Birdman picking up an injured Jan while F.E.A.R. picked up an unconscious Jace, hoping that he might know something about the Vortex. What will our heroes learn from this girl from beyond the portal? Let's dive in and find out...
We open up 45,000 years ago, where a group of Neandertals and Cromagnons run away from a growing cloud that a caped man summoned. One man steps forward ready to face the being from the cloud, with his mate Teela saying that he shouldn't and they could run. But if it wasn't obvious with the black short hair and the shield necklace that makes him oddly resemble a version of Superman, this caveman isn't going to run. He pulls out his mask and it's revealed to be Mightor. He flies up at the "god" the cloud produced and really gives it a walloping. Unfortunately, just like the other Hanna-Barbera Heroes, the light envelops the super-caveman and both Mightor and the creature vanish.
We jump back to the present, to see that the Quests are flying the gang to the location of some 'cave paintings' that might help explain the vortex while Agent Sumadi and Birdman try to jog the memory of Jan, much to Blip's dismay when they fail. They range from Dr. Quest asking questions, Birdman trying to meditate with her, and even having Sumadi bring up some music(being played by the superhero/rock band The Impossibles) to try and remind her of anything.
Just when they thought they are making a breakthrough, the Vortex reappears right below the jet, and we see Space Ghost fighting the creature inside with Zok from the Herculoids. As the gang lands, we see that ANOTHER kid, named Todd loses his parents to the Vortex. Don't worry, unlike Ty who is now just staying around to witness this amazingness with us, this kid actually is a Hanna-Barbera character as well. As Todd tries to look for his parents, an Allosaurus tries to eat him, but a neandertal from back in Mightor's time named Ug runs in and gets him out of there. These two are the main characters of the OTHER half of Space Ghost's show, Dinoboy and the Lost Valley. This is how you do an introduction in a crossover right. Jeff Parker doesn't just shove in characters for the sake of this being the most epic crossovers on the planet, it makes sense for these two characters to be in this time altered jungle.
Back with the family, Blip somehow is able to get Jan's memory back with a very crudely drawn picture with her and blips name on it... Won't lie, I was kind of expecting it. After all, this is the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon, so the suspension of disbelief is already soaring as high as Mightor in the beginning. While that plot point clears up, Todd and Ug come barreling in, asking for help, but Bannon, being the Bad-@!# he is, quickly shoots it through the head with a sniper rifle... As I said, suspension of disbelief. When Dr. Quest realizes that Todd is the son of the man who was going to show him the Cave paintings, the whole group goes off to investigate, while Dr. Zin follows their actions while setting up mind control disks with Jezebel.
While that's it for the main story, there are 2 small side stories that intertwine with one another, and will eventually tie in with the rest of the story. The first story is about the actual F.E.A.R. organization and how the men all serve under Number 1... That's not a joke, all the henchmen are numbered, and they are lead by the henchman general known as Number 1. It was okay, though it really just showed that F.E.A.R. has some CRAZY policies for those who don't believe in their cause. The second one involves a field report from Sumadi, and her previous mission to protect Professor Kim-Conroy and her son, Buzz. Out of the two, I prefer the second story, as it continues to expand the world, and shows off how the characters will play their part... and of course, there is the one character who shows up and proves he's actually a lot cooler than I ever had expected... Who am I talking about? Well, you just need to pick up the issue and find out.
Bits and Pieces:
If I had to describe this issue, and this series, in a single word, its fun. The characters are memorable, the action is intense, the humor is funny. This is just a great book. The art is phenomenal as usual and continues to capture the feel of cartoons of yesteryear while still looking new and cool. If you haven't picked up this series yet, what are you waiting for? The adventure is just beginning!
9/10
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