The Jurassic League #5 – Daniel Warren Johnson/Juan Gedeon, Writers; Juan Gedeon, Artist; Mike Spicer, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The penultimate issue of this absolutely ridiculous miniseries is probably the best since the first, as it gets back to what it does best—giving its three main characters surprisingly strong storyarcs. The main villain of the series, Darkyloseid, has hatched from his egg and is terrorizing the prehistoric countryside—with an ultimate destination in Themyscira, Wonderdon’s homeland. She’s planning to take the fight back to him, but Supersaurus is hesitant to accompany her—his loyalty is to the small clan of humans who raised him. She leaves him behind to begin a hopeless battle. Meanwhile, Batsaur and his adopted human son continue their journey, and there is evidence that the boy and the dinosaur are starting to understand each other despite their different species. And then that bond is ripped apart when Jokerzard emerges again to kidnap the boy for his dark master.
The best thing about this series is that amid its over-the-top dinosaur action, it manages to get us invested in its characters surprisingly well. The scenes where Supersaurus finds out about his heritage and where he comes from is as powerful as any other version of Superman’s origin, and Batsaur’s rage as he loses his son is also highly recognizable. I wish that Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman’s dino-versions had been given half the same level of character development, but maybe a sequel. Wonderdon gets the best action segments this issue, but her world hasn’t been explored quite as much as the two lead male heroes. Gedeon is back on art this issue in fully, and his depiction of this world can’t be equaled by any other artist. This could have been little more than an odd curiosity of an alternative universe, but instead it feels like a unique gem in DC’s evergreen books and I’m hoping for a sequel.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
