Take some classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon shows, updated them a bit and put them together in a crossover event comic and what do you get? Awesomeness, that’s what!
Future Quest tells puts Johnny Quest, Space Ghost, Birdman, The Herculoids, and other old-school cartoon characters together in a “quest” to save Earth from an organism absorbing monster. A simple premise but it works. It works really well.
Future Quest is a solid story. It’s hard balancing a large cast but they did a great job giving everyone at least one good moment. Plus, it’s just great storytelling. Ever read or watch something that wasn’t exactly groundbreaking but it was executed so well you couldn’t help but enjoy it. That’s Future Quest. It’s just great storytelling with interesting characters who all learn and adapt as the crisis continues. Yeah, it can be a bit cheesy at times but that adds to its charm, but it’s also not afraid to throw punches. For example, Race Bannon. That guy comes in guns a blazing. You don’t see that in children’s cartoons anymore.
But, it’s not only the violence and superhero/super science stuff. Character interactions are good. The Quest Team; The Herculoids; Birdman and Agent Sumadi, seeing these units form bigger relationship units is fun. There’s a feeling of genuine camaraderie between these characters. Not through snarky comments or sarcasm, but through compassion and courage and cooperation. I really love that. A special shout out to Zin. He is a great villain who doesn’t fall into certain tropes that would’ve taken this story down.
The volumes (made up of individual issues) each have different artists, most work well but one had a painted look that was too distracting. If the entire volume was like that it wouldn’t matter but again, my mind kept shifting toward the art itself. Other than that, there’s nothing bad I can say about the comic. They even tried to diversify the characters more (most of these old shows weren’t big on diversity). A nice touch.
Future Quest is a feel-good crossover with classic cartoon characters that’ll make you feel good. Not sure how someone who doesn’t know at least a few of these characters will like it, but speaking as a casual fan of Johnny Quest, the Herculoids, and Space Ghost, I can’t recommend this enough.
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