In PELLUCIDAR: ACROSS SAVAGE SEAS #1, available from American Mythology on August 25th, 2021, the passengers of the experimental airship Favonia get into some hot water when a Pteradon attack causes the airship to drift helplessly out to sea.
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The Details
- Written By: Mike Wolfer
- Art By: Miriana Puglia
- Colors By: Arthur Hesli
- Letters By: Natalie Jane
- Cover Art By: Miriana Puglia, Arthur Hesli
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: August 25, 2021
Was It Good?
This first issue in a new story arc is rife with setup and exposition to get new readers grounded into the Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) world of Pellucidar, and it’s a darn fine read. Setup issues that focus on backstory and exposition tend to be wordy and, frankly, tediously boring. Not so here.
Wolfer mixes in the right balance of dialog and visuals to bring new readers up to speed while providing enough Easter egg goodness for existing fans to get invested. Coupled with the expository setup is a healthy dose of dinosaur-related mayhem. You generally can’t go wrong with dinosaurs, but it’s always a net positive when the mayhem furthers the story rather than creating chaos for its own sake.
On the character work, readers are (re) introduced to Gretchen von Harben from Tarzan canon, and she’s as smart, charming, and capable as any heroine you’d expect to see in an ERB story. She has the right mix of wit and grit to make her instantly relatable as the central hero, and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing where she goes next.
Puglia’s art in this first issue is stunning. The linework is crisp and energetic. And while Puglia’s linework is great, it’s elevated further by Hesli’s breathtaking colors. This comic is visually gorgeous, and it’s one of the increasingly rare comics where the pages on the inside look just as good as the cover on the outside.
There are not enough good things to say about this first issue. The story is a fun adventure from front to back, and it’s a visual treat.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Gretchen von Harben is on break from her university studies in archaeology to attend a short mission to Pellucidar to make a Harbenite delivery. This is trip is the opportunity of a lifetime, and she wastes no time learning all she can from the crew of the airship Favonia.
Gretchen is traveling with Jason Gridley and Captain Douglas Connover on their delivery run when the airship, an untested prototype partially built from Harbenite, is attacked by curious Pteradons. Through a series of unfortunate events, Gretchen is trapped in the rear observation bubble while the captain and crew fight off Pteradons who’ve boarded the ship.
Unfortunately, the damage to the ship’s controls is extensive and the still-airborne ship begins to drift out to sea, pushed by the winds.
We conclude the issue with another wave of Pteradon attacks, an unintentional escape from the Favonia, and unwelcome attention from a very large sea creature.
Final Thoughts
PELLUCIDAR: ACROSS SAVAGE SEAS #1 is a pitch-perfect continuation of the ERB universe with smart, likable heroes, terrifying monsters, and a disaster that sets up a brand new adventure. The writing is tight, and the art is gorgeous.
Score: 9.5/10
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