I was a late-comer to the Farscape series, but I mourned its loss none the less. The show really appealed to me with its humour and general sense of the bizarre. The final scene of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars left me asking "But what happens NEXT???"Thanks to the kind folks at Boom! Studios, I now know. Rockne S. O'Bannon, the creator of the Farscape series, continued the story in comics. The first 4 book arc has been released in a hardcover edition by Boom! with bonus materials including a story outline by O'Bannon. So now I could continue my travels with Moya's crew in a whole new format.
Being new to the world of comics, it took me a few pages to get comfortable with the layouts and what order to read each character. But this was easily learned by the familiar tone of O'Bannon's writing and the excellent artwork of Tommy Patterson (his debut in comic book illustration). The script was written by Keith DeCandido who wrote Farscape: House of Cards (Joy! More Farscape to read!)
The story picks up at the final scene of the miniseries with Crichton and Aeryn introducing their son to the universe. What wasn't seen in the mini-series was a somewhat sinister character watching them from afar. We return to Moya where Rygel is contacted by one of his wives and encouraged to stage a reverse coup against the cousin that landed him on Moya over 130 cycles before. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the Peacekeeper Wars, each crew member is trying to cope with the loss of Ka D'Argo. Crichton and Aeryn decide they are better with the nickname Deke for their son than using his given name, and Chiana engages Jothee in her horizontal coping methods several dozen times.
On the trip to Hyneria, Aeryn has a difficult time bonding with Deke making her question her abilities as a mother, while Pilot and Crichton begin searching for a peacful planet to call home. Once Moya and her crew arrive in Hynerian territory, Crichton decides to let Rygel, Chiana and Jothee handle the coup on their own so he and his new family can have some bonding time, much to Aeryn's displeasure as she feels she'd be more comfortable back in a conflict situation than with her unhappy child.
Pilot picks up a reading of an unfamiliar ship just outside sensor range and reports this finding to Crichton, who decides to keep it quiet for fear of worrying Aeryn. Family time is short-lived, however, as Rygel's return lands them in a trap and Crichton and Aeryn have to rescue their friends, and bring Deke along for the ride. While on the planet, Crichton and Aeryn continue to be shadowed by the sinister red-eyed stranger who is spotted by the parents as they work their way through the city.
Crichton slips up and mentions the ship that had been tailing Moya which irritates Aeryn. As is the usual case, Crichton and Aeryn land themselves in trouble with an old adversary (you get 3 guesses, and the first 2 don't count) whom has no issues with using their infant son as a means to get information from Crichton. He is convinced Crichton is there to foil his plans of using the Hynerian military to wage war on the Scarrans (guessed who he is yet?) and doesn't believe Crichton had no clue of his presence. While hiding in an oort cloud near the planet, Moya is surrounded by the Hynerian navy and starbursts to safety.
While Crichton and Aeryn are incarcerated with Chiana and Jothee, Rygel finds himself on a Peacekeeper ship locked up with the very Hynerians who set the trap to put him there. Turns out Rygel's cousin likes to dispose of his people after he has no need of them. This leads Rygel to inspire an escape plan, and he impresses his former subjects with his strength and courage earned from his adventures on Moya. Rygel and the other Hynerians seize the ship and return to free his friends.
Back on the planet, Crichton and Aeryn make an escape of their own and free Deke from his captors and release Jothee and Chiana as well. They leave the planet in the transport pod where they are picked up by Rygel in the Peacekeeper ship who heads off to rendezvous with Moya and a legendary army loyal to Rygel. They head to Hyneria Prime, and Aeryn leaves Deke with Noranti to pilot a Prowler in the attack. After the Prowlers leave, the red-eyed stranger boards Moya. Pilot alerts Jothee to the intruder and he going to the cargo bay to investigate. Jothee is overtaken by the intruder, so Chiana grabs Deke and Noranti and hides. After successfuly defeating the air guard arounf the palnet, Crichton and Aeryn return to Moya and the ship starbursts.
As they return, the intruder knocks out Noranti and continues to pursue Chiana and Deke. Chiana contacts Crichton and Aeryn and updates them on the danger in the ship. Aeryn finds Chiana just before the red-eyed stranger does. Chiana comments on how fortuate it is that the baby is quiet and happy and Aeryn notices as well. Crichton catches up and a firefight ensues, with the intruder fleeing to his ship and escaping. Back on Hyneria Prime, Rygel overtakes his cousin and addresses his people who are elated to have their long-exiled ruler back in power, especially with his enlightened views of how his people should live. Rygel banishes the old adversary from Hynerian territory and returns to his throne as the rightful regent. Back on Moya, the rest of the crew return to the task of finding a peaceful new home and Aeryn realizes that all Deke needed to be happy was for her to be happy and confident in herself.
Throughout the story, Crichton and Aeryn experience bizarre time-lags that they realize are being caused by Deke. Could this be what caused the red-eyed stranger to pursue the infant?
I have to say this was an excellent introduction to comics. The artwork captured the characters I had become attached to and moved the story along so well it felt like I was watching a regular episode. O'Bannon's story was classic Farscape and DeCandido excelled at capturing the wit of the characters. The addition of O'Bannon's story outline was a great peek into how it all comes together. I'll definitely continue to read about the adventures of Moya and her crew!
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Four-issue miniseries starting in August
Coming this August, IDW offers Angel fans yet another hair-raising adventure. Spinning out of IDW’s main Angel storyline, Angel: Only Human follows Illyria and Gunn on a bizarre road trip as they try to reconcile their “inner” demons with their newfound humanity. Written by Scott Lobdell with art by David Messina, Angel: Only Human is a funny and frightening five-part story with two of the Angelverse’s most complex and beloved characters.
“Angel: Only Human is a fun and creepy detour from the main storyline,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. “This miniseries shows fans more about what’s happened to Illyria Gunn now that they’re both dealing with the consequences of After the Fall and how they tried to end, well, every thing.”
Available monthly beginning in August, Angel: Only Human takes Illyria and Gunn on a journey that involves funerals, fire, and family obligations. Not to mention the return of one of the most terrifying demon gangs from the original TV series, The Scourge. Artist David Messina beautifully illustrates every entrail-laden battle and heartfelt emotional moment as Gunn and Illyria realize they have far more in common than a desire for destruction. With striking covers by Messina, fans should also look out for variant covers by David Dorman.
Angel: Only Human #1 will be available in stores in August. Diamond order code JUN09 0935
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Kermit the Frog Through the Eyes of GermanyIf you're a Muppet fan seeking a high-end, limited edition Kermit, we've got something special for you. Steiff made this unique Muppets Kermit The Frog Special Edition Plush, dropping the ping-pong balls and felt in favor of a distinctively different feeling material-- specifically, mohair. Kermit feels a little more prickly, but he looks amazing. By combining Jim Henson's timeless character design with German plush toy know-how, this may be the finest limited edition Muppet item you'll have a shot at this year. Only 1,500 will be produced, and new pre-orders are welcome.
Muppets Steiff Kermit The Frog Plush Special Edition Description:
It's hard to believe that Kermit the Frog made his television debut more than 50 years ago, in 1955. We're thrilled that the time has finally come for Kermit to receive the full Steiff treatment -- joining the long line-up of famous characters from television, films, and books. For the first time ever, this 13-inch tall Kermit will be made of genuine German mohair -- specially dyed to the precise shade of green that has made him recognizable the world over. Isn't it time to add an international superstar of films like The Great Muppet Caper and the classic television program The Muppet Show to your collection? Book Kermit for an appearance today! Limited edition of 1,500 pieces.
Kermit the Frog Through the Eyes of Germany
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Marvel’s two greatest non-mutant teams square offTo me, the Mighty Avengers seem like a team that’s ready to rip apart at the seams, with each member having their own little agenda and personal priorities. When you can feel the tension between the characters coming off the pages it makes for a really great comic, and this issue is no exception.
Mighty Avengers #25 opens with this team of mighty heroes finding themselves in the PymPocket, a lab which exists outside of time and space. Under the guidance of Hank Pym, these facilities are being used to construct Dr. Pym’s masterpiece invention, Salvation Two, which is not capable of existing in our three-dimensional reality.
But there’s a problem. The robot Jocasta damaged the extra-dimensional doors to the PymPocket during the team’s retreat from Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R. and soon the lab will lose access to all its gateways back to Earth. Hank needs the Dimensional Wave Inducer created by the late Bill Foster (a.k.a. Goliath) to prevent the destruction of his invaluable laboratory. But only one thing stands between Pym and this machine: The Fantastic Four.
Due to a legal SNAFU, this device is now in the possession of the Fantastic Four, who ends up refusing to hand it over to Dr. Pym. FF leader Reed Richards fears dire consequences since Pym is psychologically unstable. And I agree with Reed’s decision: anyone would be a little off-kilter if they were abducted by Skrulls and had their wife (plus two good friends) die in a short period of time.
It was really nice to see the FF put their foot down about something, rather than being goody-two-shoes with an answer to everything. Hank Pym is truly a fascinating character who gets angry and impatient with his teammates as the typical anti-social genius who can’t let anything get in the way of his master plans. His stand-off with Reed is well-scripted and punctuated with great humor. This situation is very far removed from their first initial team-up way back in Fantastic Four #16 (1963).
Concerning the issue’s artwork, I feel it is somewhat exploitative, with Ban-Luck’s outrageous costume and Jocasta often looking like a Greek statue in her poses. However, Jocasta was the name of Oedipus’ mother (and wife) in Greek mythology, so it’s perhaps appropriate that she be a little provocative.
Overall a great read. I’m looking forward to seeing how this battle between two of the biggest brains in the Marvel Universe will turn out next month. And readers will get to witness the Thing vs. Hercules to boot!
8/10
Adam P.
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