Written By: Jeff Parker
Videos by ComicBook.com
Art By: Evan “Doc” Shaner (1-19, 28-30) & Steve “The Dude” Rude (20-27)
Colored By: Jordie Bellaire – Lettered By: ALW Studios’ Dave Lanphear
Future Quest has the unenviable task of taking some of Hannah Barbera’s most popular creations and making them relevant to the modern comic reader.
While many have grown up with characters like Jonny Quest, Hadji, and Space Ghost, a recognizable name alone doesn’t often translate to sales or to relevance. In this case, it isn’t just Jonny, but rather the entire stable of Hanna-Barbera characters that writer Jeff Parker is attempting to revitalize. After issue #1, he’s certainly off to a good start.
Immediately noticeable is the delightful art of Evan Shaner, who’s work is a direct homage to the cartoons that these creations spawned from. When Steve Rude takes over on art duties later in the book, you might notice a difference, but both artists’ styles mesh extremely well. Whether it’s a dramatic final battle or Jonny and Hadji just soaring through the forest, the duo seems to handle it in stride.
Without spoiling specific details, Johny, Race, Hadji, and the rest of the Quest gang aren’t the only characters we meet in issue #1, and Parker handles these characters debuts extremely well. I was never the most ardent fan of the Quest family, nor some of the other characters we meet along the way, but I found myself wanting to dig back a bit and learn more about these heroes after the conclusion of the first issue.
The book is fun without being simple and has enough depth to hook readers who aren’t inherently familiar with the characters. Overall I would wholeheartedly recommend Future Quest #1 to new readers and vets alike.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
