Future Quest Presents #5

Writer: Phil Hester

Artist: Steve Rude

Colorist: John Kalisz

Published by: DC Comics

The best part of having an anthology series is that it allows different creative teams to tackle different characters within a singular universe. In this case, we get an issue that concentrates on Hanna-Barbera’s Birdman!

From the opening page, I knew I was going to like this take on the character by Hester and Rude. For one, Rude is such a living legend in the comic industry, that anything he draws is always amazing and this is no exception. His style fits the Hanna-Barbera esthetic incredibly well, and just looking at the art in this issue would be worth the cover-price.

The other part that automatically drew me in, was the grouping of Birdman and his faithful sidekick (who is a bird) Avenger. Having a neural link that allows them to speak to one another makes for some fun interactions between the two throughout the issue, but also comes into play when they are fighting a gigantic godlike monster.

Speaking of the monster, the antagonists of the issue remain a mystery throughout most of the comic, but a few of their members do get revealed throughout the issue. One, a longtime Birdman character, and the other, a pretty big final page shock of a reveal.

All in all, this issue continues some great work from the Hanna-Barbera groupement of books published by DC Comics and I can’t wait to see more.