The Dynasty has invaded the Kryn homeworld of Aebra, but its inhabitants manage to get out a distress signal into hyperspace. This act may well be their last as free-thinking beings. El Dorado, the city-ship of Aebra in South America, receives the signal and all plans are put on halt as the Kryn leave Earth to go rescue their homeworld. All plans, including the wedding between Strypp'Gia (Stripe) and Britanny "Cheetah" Diggers.
So begins the next major story arc after the Brendan/Lich King series. (Now, allow me to reintroduce the characters...)
This all happens unbeknownst (i love that word) to our adventurers. Britanny, last of the werecheetah clan, is sparring with her adopted mother Julia in the gym. Gina Diggers and Penny Pincer are exploring the Fountain of Youth in Peru. Brianna Diggers, a biomassed clone of Gina and Brit, is running the complex when Seance, who has precognitive abilities, and his rival Ryan Talbot, a treasure hunter, arrive to ask Gina on a date. Bri sends the two guys to find out what's wrong with El Dorado. (It's computer server isn't up.) They teleport there to see...a crater.
Meanwhile, Erwin "Pee-Wee" Talon (boy genius) and his jacked-up bio-lackeys Irwin, Zelda, and Galford (oops! I mean "Daishi"), also arrive at the former El Dorado to loot and plunder DNA from its remnants. The bad guys meet up with Ryan and Seance, and do battle. A cool battle.
Elsewhere, Princess Tyr of Atlantis calls Gina and Brianna up to tell them that El Dorado is gone. She then sends her aid to help find it.
Back to the fight scene. The good guys get their licks in, but ultimately they're defeated. As the killing order is given, Brit comes in as cavalry. But she's not here to aid our heroes. She's got a chip the size of Missouri on her shoulder towards whomever removed El Dorado, and Stripe. First, she near kills Daishi, then takes on Pee-Wee. In a really cool scene of what "hurt" really means, Brit describes how she feels and how she's going to make Pee-Wee feel.
Luckily, Gina and Tyr come in to stop Brit from making a mistake. And as Pee-Wee escapes with his fellow villains, all the good guys vow to help El Dorado (and Stripe) before the city-ship meets its doom.
First off, the cover is nice. It implies Ryan and Seance taking on Galford (oops, Daishi) at El Dorado. Beyond that, eh.
Like I said, this issue is the starting point from here until issue 40 or so. Everything can be traced back to here, origin-wise.
All in all, a great issue. Now. I did an experiment with this issue. For the umpteenth time reading it, I tried to look only at the pictures and nuances of the characters in a fresh light. Basically, I tried reading it as if it were manga and I didn't (don't) understand a word of Japanese.
Wow. Mr. Perry can sure tell a visual story. From the invasion at the start to the worried looks at the end, I read between the lines for the entire thing. A well told story. Congratulations, Mr. Perry.
Finally, I lost a loved one once and had no one to take it out on. Many scenarios ran through my mind back then, and if someone responsible were within my grasp, I'm positive I would have done and said almost exactly what Britanny does and says in the comic. A frightening thought. (I guess I was losin' it back then, too.) Perhaps because I can sympathize with her at that exact moment, it makes the scene all the more vivid for me. Extra points for all the things I've experienced with this issue.
(out of four.)
Diamels - ???
Shinobi, Kage - famous ninja from video games "Shinobi" and "Virtua Fighter" respectively
W.M.A.C. Masters - I'm guessing World Martial Arts Champions ...I've never seen it...
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