Super Dinosaur #17 Review


I’m not sure I like the schedule for Super Dinosaur, bi-monthly is a bit much for this entertaining all-ages title from Image. With the Inner Earth arc over, the last issue threw SD and Derek into space where they visited Inner Moon. It’s there where the action is, two aliens species are fighting it out. Why? Turns out the daughter of one has run away with her love, a guy from the other species. In this issue we have the (albeit slightly rushed) conclusion. Ironically it’s not this part that’s interesting, it’s the intriguing ending. This issue of Super Dinosaur wasn’t the best, but still a pretty good read.

Here’s the official description from Image:

Super Dinosaur is on his own – pursued by an unknown attacker that could mean the end of him!  While Derek Dynamo is dealing with something far more deadly that could mean the end of the world!  And something very strange is happening to Minimus – what is he transforming into?!

This one has Derek, SD, the Krill, and the Sloon on Earth. They find Bool, but Slann escapes, which causes an uproar. Meanwhile, Dr. Dynamo is realizing some interesting things about his wife. Robert Kirkman does a very mixed job in this one. The majority of the dialogue involving the main part is pretty generic to say the least. By the end, this story feels like filler with a rushed conclusion. Slann is a well written character for the most part, shame she was kinda underused for this filler story. The whole thing about what these aliens eat got really old fast. It’s later on in the issue where things get interesting. It was intriguing to see that SD would want Bool to be a friend, since according to him he could use more non-human friends. It’s a pretty character-defining and emotional moment. The ending with Mr. Dynamo telling his son about the mom was also pretty engaging. If handled right, this could be a very great plot point for the coming issues.

Jason Howard’s art is alright. It has its own cartoony style, but lacks sufficient detail often. I will say that the battles are well done, especially here, the blows are felt. The cover is not bad, showcasing SD in his (very cool) flying armor being chased by Slann. It’s not the great cover it can be, but still alright.

Overall, a pretty solid issue of Super Dinosaur. While the interesting story is solved in a rather generic and fast way, there are a few other things making this a good read. If the ending is any indication, the coming issues could very well be the best of the series.

3.5/5

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