Future Quest #9 Review and *SPOILERS*

Future Quest Assemble!


Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Ron Randal

Cover Artist: Evan "Doc" Shaner

Color: Veronica Gandini
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 25, 2017

Well, it's been quite a while since anyone has covered the Hanna-Barbera World of Future Quest. I take full responsibility for that because this book needs to get covered more. The art is fantastic, the characters are interesting, the story makes it feel like a Saturday morning cartoon, and the action is just fun to see. If I had to say one of the Hanna-Barbera books were successful critically, I would say it's Future Quest.

So what has happened the during the last 2 issues? The team has split up on multiple fronts. Race, Agent Sumadi, and Linda Conroy went out to locate Dr. Quest who was kidnapped by Zin and F.E.A.R. However Zin is turned on by his organization, and with the help of Jezebel Jade, the pair plan to fight their way out of the F.E.A.R. HQ with Quest by their side. Meanwhile, Birdman has begun training the new Mightor as Omnikron finally pushes into our world. The pair pushed it back, following the interdimensional alien, and find the surviving Herculoids in the process. On the west coast of the country, The Impossibles try to contain an Omnikron as well, and by extension find Space Ghost(who is actually the lone survivor of the faux green lantern corps we saw in the prologue of the series), exhausted for fighting the beast since the beginning. During all of this, the kids(Jonny, Hadji, Buzz, and Jan) are left behind, only to get the distress signals from the Omnikron that the Impossibles are fighting. Buzz decides that they need to do something, and brings out the brain of Frankenstein jr.

Will the kids arrive in time to help? Is it the end of the world as we know it?! It's time to dive into the next exciting chapter of Future Quest!

We open up with Zin, Dr. Quest, and Jezebel under fire from F.E.A.R. as they try to activate Space Ghost's ship, but fail to do so. Before they are blown away, Jace, Space Ghost's other ward, finally wakes up and activates the ship. The team gets out of there and begins to make their way towards the west coast where the Omnikron has appeared. Meanwhile the kids, obviously not listening to Buzz's mom, Linda, to stay and behave, go into the Gargantuan project, a giant robot Linda was making to combat the interdimensional invaders, with Frankenstein Jr.'s brain in an attempt to upload him into the body. While it takes a bit to load up, having Buzz doubt his decision, Frankie takes over the body and transforms the outside to match the appearance we know him for. The kids explain the situation to him, and they take off to California.

In California, The Impossibles pull their best Monty Python and the Holy Grail and run away from the Omnikron with an unconscious Space Ghost in tow. They meet up with Race, Sumadi, and Linda who have found a SECOND Omnikron! Because the best way to contain a pair of problems as big as the invaders is by getting them in the same location(a heavily populated area), right? Well, before our heroes realize how bad the plan actually was, Dr. Quest and Zin fly in, dropping Zin's spider bots to keep the aliens back.

The whole gang begins to lock and load to take on the creatures, with Race being given one of Space Ghost's wristbands. The spider bots are torn through, but with Race's new weapon they barely hold the invaders back for the moment. Quick prediction here: Due to the fact he learns how to use the weapon effectively in less than 20 seconds and the fact he LOOKS like Space Ghost when not in the attire, I feel like Race is going to take Space Ghost's place if/when he dies fighting Omnikron. I know its a stretch, but if we saw the birth of a new Mightor and a new body for Frankenstein Jr., anything is possible!

As the creature begins to get back up for a second attack, the greatest moment in the entire series happens: Frankenstein Jr. flies in and CRUSHES one of the aliens under his feet, and burns it with rocket flame. Before the other parts of Omnikron can rush him though, the gargantuan robot activates his iconic dynamo defense and blasts them with electricity. While I do believe that the single word of 'fun' can be used for this series, I think another word would be Cinematic. Scenes like this alone would look AMAZING on the big screen. With Frankie distracting the monsters, The Impossibles, Race, and Jezebel leap in and help blast at it. Things look up for our heroes even more, when the cavalry arrive in the form of Birdman, Mightor and the Herculoids... But then I remembered the primary villains for the Herculoids were machines and robots... and they just popped out in front of a giant robot... The issue ends with the Herculoids attacking Frankenstein Jr., knocking him out, despite Mightor trying to stop them.

This issue was friggin' awesome! Nearly every moment in this issue was able to put a huge grin on my face. Artwise, the issue looks fantastic, keeping the feel of the old cartoons, but now with darker colors to help send a feeling of the direness of the situation. Whether it be the humor from the Impossibles or the action from the other heroes, this issue was a fantastic chapter to this series as we make our way into the climax of this story. 

Bits and Pieces:

We've arrived at the final battle, boys and girls, and the action was ramped up to eleven for it! Every character we have met throughout the series has a part to play for part one of this amazing story's climax. The art, while not Shaner's, still manages to maintain the feel of old school cartoon that the series is known for. If you have loved the series so far, this is another fantastic chapter to the greatest Hanna-Barbera story ever told.

8.5/10