By Rob Willaims (writer), Steve Scott (pencils), Nathan Massengill (inks), Michael Atiyeh (colors), Michael Heisler (letters), Tony Harris (cover)
Like many Indy fans, Crystal Skull was a bust for me. That’s not to say it didn’t have good parts, it just had a little too much prequel George Lucas flavor. I spent a lot of time growing up watching the Indy trilogy. It’s a story, and a world that can translate very well to comics. Sadly, just because something can make the move to comics doesn’t mean it will.
Rob Williams’ has been passable so far. There are moments of dialogue, moments of action where it feels just like the movies, and then there’s the rest of it. For the good, the plot points hit the mark. They definitely have the “from bad to worse” feel that’s a trademark of the films. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue is hit or miss. The same deadpan humor, and hatred of having his hat knocked off remains. The problem is several unfortunate word choices. I don’t know how many times Indy needs to say “crap” in a bad situation, but it almost seems gratuitous and, enough, make a drinking game out of it.
As for the art, Steve Scott’s pencils aren’t anything special, the images are clean and clear, which is nice, but I’m still waiting for our favorite archeologist to get a little dirty and gritty. Even when Indy escapes the freshly blown cave, he looks like he just stepped out of the shower. There simply aren’t enough action scenes to get Indy to look Indy.
As for the little action in this issue, it is pulled straight from the films. Indy running to Jock’s plane, is an example of this. While it’s nice to see Jock again, the scene is just too familiar. A more positive side to that coin is the use of the red-line on a map for the travel scenes. It’s a nice touch.
Adapting a license like Indiana Jones to me, should simply be a “go big or go home” mentality. The story’s pacing is slow and it’s plot feels unpolished. We don’t know anything about this key, or it’s origin, or what it protects. Not enough questions are introduced to get you interested. As a result, it leaves the title to be too bland, or generic for such an action-packed franchise. Things might pick up, and the book might have a great climax in the end, but I wouldn’t hold my breath after two clunky issues. I’d say, wait for the trade. (Grade: D)
-Ben Berger
Filed under: Dark Horse Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Dark Horse Comics, Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones And The Tomb Of The Gods 2, Lucasbooks, Michael Atiyeh, Michael Heisler, Nathan Massengill, Rob Willaims, Steve Scott, Tony Harris
