Thun’da 5

 

Thun'da 5Created by Frank Frazetta
Written by Robert Place Napton
Illustrated by Cliff Richards
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Colours by Esther Sanz
Cover by Jae Lee
Published by Dynamite

the three cents.

War erupts in this strange, remote world, and Roger Drum is forced to find a way to save the Shareen peoples from the mammoth-riding, simian Druthga tribes. Stepping up to the plate, he unites onetime enemies in an alliance to change the face of the political sphere forever, including resolving a longtime legend of the Shareen. Big surprises and savage warfare abound in this concluding chapter to the excellent excellent excellent series. Frazetta would have been elated.

Napton does a nice bit of symmetry here, as Drum returns to conquer the first race he encountered in this world after losing his memories in the crash that brought him here, and before all is said and done he has his memory literally knocked back into him, turning the plot for the series as a whole into a bit of a palindrome. But seeing just how exactly Drum is rechristened Thun’da is the big deal for the issue, in a climax bigger and more meaningfully impactful than any single issue I’ve read in ages. Also, having Pha fighting on the frontlines was a welcome thing too, as opposed to her original incarnation of “Oh I’m a scantily clad, ridiculously beautiful but naive lady having troubles in the jungles please oh please rescue me” vibe. She doesn’t quite go all badass Red Sonja on us, but having her be the sort to pick up arms only to at least try to defend her people makes her so much more than a mere furry thong model. This entire issue is insanely rich in character development, despite the massive amount of fight sequencing.

Richards hits his highest note here, not just for the series but of his career in progress thus far. His forms are dynamic but realistic, and his layouts and storytelling are full of life and energy. He had been increasingly channeling Frazetta for his work on this title, but this issue he seems to have perfected his very own defining look. It’s a shame to see this book end, but I sure hope another title exists worthy of what he can do now. This comic is neither Tarzan or Conan, and the realism maintained by the art, even with a story full of wooly mammoths and ape-men and cavemen and lush jungle environs and a really freaking huge thing which I shouldn’t spoil, the artwork is as solid and consistent as it is vibrant and savage. Sanz completes the look with a dark water-colored effect, giving a brooding air to the madness of the combat, and Dillon explodes with the imaginative SFX and super keen panel flow. There were a couple of powerhouse lines in particular in this issue, and his reluctance to have them shouted out loud only gave them a tremendous boost of additional dramatic effect. The entire creative team are all winners, and if this book cannot continue I still hope these folks can all find the opportunity to work together again soon and for a long time. Best cover yet from Lee, too.

But in all honesty, Dynamite is cancelling one of its best titles ever in Thun’da. Freud would have had a field day with the wonders that Napton and company have accomplished. So if you missed this gem of a series, do not miss the inevitable trade collection. Let’s bring this baby back!

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Midwifed by nilskidoo - 07/01/13 - 0 comments

Thun’da 4

 

Created by Frank Frazetta
Written by Robert Place Napton
Illustrated by Cliff Richards
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Colours by Esther Sanz
Backup written by Gardner Fox
Illustrated by Frank Frazetta
Re-mastering and colours by Mike Kelleher
Cover by Jae Lee
Published by Dynamite

the three cents.

The adventurous fare continues as Roger Drum saves a large number of females kidnapped by the simian Druthga peoples. Unfortunately, there are repercussions coming that he couldn’t possibly have foreseen. Drum is a great character, with nothing but brief flashes of memory to help define the man he is now in this truly savage land.

Napton is becoming the king of bringing the real spirit of the pulps to modern audiences, capturing the heart of darkness buried in jungle warfare in a richly textured saga of escapism unhinged. Drum and the lady Pha slowly getting close is fun to watch as well, being quite literally from two different worlds. But the air of this issue, like the rest of the series thus far, is drenched with looming threat, where a man is stripped of everything he was and must now fight tooth and nail just for his survival. Napton especially does some curious things with the dialogue of this book, as language being already simplified by the region’s low-tech development, Drum must drop to pure semantics of linguistics to understand and to be understood. It’s assuredly not some campy “me Jungle Lord. you is woman”. Nothing camp about this series or its execution whatsoever actually. Very mature storytelling, very strong characters, and nonstop, legitimate surprises.

Richards is shining on this issue particularly, to the point that I think he’s been glancing at the Frazetta stories of old that run as backups. His environs become increasingly lush. This issue had him illustrating a dinosaur or thirty quite naturally, with no exaggerated stylization warranted. He’s great at keeping the mood dramatic though. And Sanz contributes a very painterly aspect to the artwork, bringing a gorgeous depth to the scenes and casting a calming, muted shade over the action, creating a rather realistic air for the story. Dillon is always a powerhouse, and his pace for the violent scenes really carry through smartly. The mentioned backup this time also deals with the beating of war drums, though of a different variety entirely, with Fox and Frazetta giving more high drama in mere pages than most full length comics are capable of today. Kelleher’s fine-tuning of the art is clearly respectful, while breathing a colorful mystique over Frazetta’s perfect line workings.

I heard a rumor that issue five might be the last. If that proves to be the case I will kick and scream like a four-armed ape-man.

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Midwifed by nilskidoo - 01/12/12 - 0 comments

Thun’da 3

 

Created by Frank Frazetta
Written by Robert Place Napton
Illustrated by Cliff Richards
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Colours by Esther Sanz
Backup written by Gardner Fox
Illustrated by Frank Frazetta
Re-mastering and colours by Mike Kelleher
Cover by Jae Lee
Published by Dynamite

the three cents.

This series just gets better and better, and now with the gracious reprints of the original Frazetta nuggets of gold, we see how much the new rendition is being inspired, and how it is homaging what has passed before. This chapter has Roger Drum finally meet Pha, the yummy lady of the Shareen, who seem to be the most civilized of the many strange peoples of the dawn land. Drum in turn, ascertains a direction for himself here, as well as learning quite a lot more about his surroundings.

Napton is killing it, with his plots getting smoother with each new issue. The lore of the place is interesting, as well as the innuendo of long ago alien involvement. His Pha, in addition, is less the hapless victim of her original incarnation, which is always nice to see. Dramatic action, with Drum’s choppy memory still haunting him into finding ways to embrace these complete changes to his life.

The artwork is the best yet as well, with Richards giving these fantastical elements a thoughtfully real interpretation. His attention to actual anatomy is fine, and not completely blown out of the water by the short Frazetta story appearing as backup. But god, how Frazetta was ace of surroundings and settings, of lush atmosphere given stylized fluidity. The lettering and coloring are all some of this publisher’s very best.

I really enjoy this series, and hope it maintains this pace for ages to come. The covers though, have not been my cup of bourbon. Sandy Plunkett would be a better choice for it. Maybe not as flashy or superstar in status, but his skillset is virtually unmatchable by artists past or present. Seriously Dynamite, I can give introductions and everything.

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Midwifed by nilskidoo - 18/10/12 - 0 comments

Thun’da 2

 

Created by Frank Frazetta
Written by Robert Place Napton
Illustrated by Cliff Richards
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Colours by Esther Sanz
Backup written by Gardner Fox
Illustrated by Frank Frazetta
Re-mastering and colours by Mike Kelleher
Cover by Jae Lee
Published by Dynamite

the three cents.

This second issue has Drum, still gaining his wits from the massive memory loss in spite of frightening flashbacks to past sins committed for the shock and awe of his government’s perceived enemy combatants, having to come to terms with the direness of his present circumstances and the full stakes survival will require. And he gets a furry sidekick.

Definitely Napton’s most refined and mature work to date, Thun’da begins to etch out a means to get by in this new land, with possible weeks having passed (as the lil Sabre tends to grow quite a bit over the course of a few panels). He encounters the barbaric hillfolk, slug-swinging cavemen who are so mesmerized by his weapons they see fit to take him prisoner. Napton having Thun’da begin to assert himself more and more is an unfolding thread, with the conclusion of this chapter resulting in finally taking a stand in a pretty ballsy way.

Richards exhibits a realistic enough style for the story, capturing the jungles and near-nakedness of the peoples just as well as the dinosaurs and sabre-toothed kitties. He’s really great for this kind of adventure yarn. Dillon does well with the broken language of the recovering from major trauma Thun’da, as well as the grunts from the cavemen tribe, keeping it all in a savage tone. Sanz is going for a darker color scheme in this issue, which suits the story much better. The backup is a primordial reprint of an original Thun’da tale, written by comics legend Fox and drawn lushly by artistic great Frazetta. Thun’da here is shown somewhat later on in his jungle swinging days, having slowly won the esteem of the assorted tribes enough to unite them all against a huge threat to their well being. Kelleher’s coloring really helps bring the work back to life.

This series is off to a fun start, though I’m still surprised the publisher isn’t taking advantage of the fact of this being Thun’da’s 60th anniversary. It would make a nice PR tagline. The character may not be as well known as Tarzan or even Turok, but that, in my mind, is another reason to appreciate this- along with being a crime against nature.

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Midwifed by nilskidoo - 09/09/12 - 0 comments

Thun’da 1

 

Created by Frank Frazetta
Written by Robert Place Napton
Illustrated by Cliff Richards
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Colours by Esther Sanz
Cover by Jae Lee
Published by Dynamite

the three cents.

To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Frazetta’s jungle adventurer, Dynamite here launches a brand new updating of the character, one I do recommend. Roger Drum is an Air Force officer shot down over deep, mysterious jungles. In the original incarnation it was well into the savage heart of Africa, though here I suspect it may be an altogether new land. Losing much of his memory in the shock and trauma of the accident, Drum must learn to adapt fast to his primordial circumstances that include such fun as dinosaurs and sabre-toothed tigers. Aesthetically resting somewhere between the earlier Tarzan from Edgar Rice Burroughs and the later Warlord from Mike Grell, Thun’da is the story of a man stripped down to pure survival instincts.

Napton has a great grasp on this character, haunting him with dreams of his past and feint recollections of his shattered memory. We get the innuendo of his upbringing under a survivalist father, as well as military operations that may not have been all too politically correct. All of this is backseat of course, as the unfolding drama of Drum’s current troubles demand quick actions, and the journey into animalistic mentality is well on its way. Ferocious.

Richards does commendably well on this, nailing both the real world and fantastical elements in a realistic style, although perhaps with a touch of stiffness to his characters. Dark and sketchy, his layouts are great and certainly get the point across. With his skill set this would be a great book to really let him breath and grow. Dillon utilizes a neat faded technique early on to better help present the clouded thought processes of the hero effectively well, and he does more later to add to the rough and tumble atmosphere. The shining star is the coloring of Sanz though, who really fleshes these scenes into gorgeous renditions full of moody airs. This doesn’t look very digital, it looks like fully painted colors, and I like that effect muchly.

This will obviously, with such a creative team, hold many strong pulp pastiches up to modernized standards, and the lost world aspects will be especially fun to explore, I’m sure. Lots of action and twisted drama right off the bat, and it looks to be a rip-roaring ride into full-blown Joseph Conrad territory. Hopefully.

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Midwifed by nilskidoo - 03/08/12 - 0 comments