Aboard the rescue ship (for the good guys) is the Diggers, Ace, Penny, Charlotte, and some leprechauns assembled as Team Vaultron. Battling for the Dynasty (bad guys) is about 300 approaching enemy ships and Uriel the bad-ass on a dragon. Brianna feels like thinning the odds and "V-Force" agrees to join her. They succeed. (But in an exciting and teeth-shattering manner full of technical chop-socky and good ole' fashion humour. Really. Hyuk.)
After pulling a "Launch Pad McQuack" to the ship, our heroes (and heroines) regroup to figure out their next strategy. That is when Uriel, the fallen and unconscious dragonrider, rises. Her symbiote the one in control, however, and it is very much against the Dynasty. It tells the origins of the Dynasty, as well as the origins of the artifacts.
Basically, the Dynasty were a bunch of eternal peace-lovin' world makers called the Gardeners. But for all good, there must be evil too. A few Gardeners slaughtered off the rest of their race and renamed themselves the Dynasty. Armed with symbiotes created by the Gardeners (as a race unto themselves), the Dynasty began conquering worlds left, right and center. To battle back from such abuse, the symbiotes created the Artifacts.
Err... the artifacts of Kryn were weaponry made by the symbiotes for all worlds to fight the Dynasty (see above, duh.) The Kryn just managed to get all of them, and Stripe now wields them, making him invincible.
Or not. The symbiote told Britanny that Stripe was pummeled mercilessly into the ground, and his body wasn't found. She cried and ran away, knowing that it was all her fault. (See Asrial vs. Cheetah.)
While the team came up with an ingenious plan that could never fail, (they said nothing like that but I wanted to instill hope beyond hope for you readers, and if anything, Brianna released about a hundred Peebos), Britanny was off mourning Stripe. An attack seemed to jar her loose, but she was saved by.... Stripe. Yay. Alongside him was a mystery female. And that's it so far...
Lot of talking. Need fighting. Need Time Warp 8. Ahhhhhh. Now then.
First: The final page is shoddy. It's "annual" material. I wouldn't have believed that Mr. Perry did it except for the drawings of Stripe and the female. Brit looks bad, real bad.
Second: The space battle was good, and the origins were needed. The cover and interior art is good, with an exceptional note towards Uriel in the COOLEST "I'm an immortal and you are toast" pose, eyes and shading EVER seen in a comic before, including Tenchi Muyo. Kudos. An honorable mention goes to the most manga-looking Britanny done so far.
Third: I hate the chicken pox.
Lastly: Charlotte's innocence was a beautiful compliment to the intensity throughout, as was the symbiote's very dry humour.
This review was done with the total and complete assistance of the Chicken Pox. Friends, never ever get this crappy illness if you can. This review was done on March 1, 1998. That's like a month and a half or so after this ish came out, in Canada anyways. Sorry for the delay.
(out of four.)
"Try to fly... sneaky." - paraphrase of Han Solo in "Star Wars"
Vaultron, V-Force - parody of Voltron, G-force (two Japanese cartoons of the 70s)
Pink Heart, Blue Diamond, Yellow Star - marshmallows in the cereal Lucky Charms
"Nothin' but net!" - a McDonald's commercial with Jordan/Bird, Gretzky/Messier...
the Blazin' Shillelagh - every good mecha needs its power weapon
"D'oh!" - quote from Homer Simpson, dolt icon of the 90s
"Aaahhhhh-Shaddup!" - quote from Bugs Bunny
Vaultron's Magnetic Shoes - mythically, the leprechauns had "dancing shoes" that never came off
Tricorder - device used on "Star Trek"
The Force - Luke used it to get his X-Wing out of the swamp in "Empire Strikes Back"
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