Norm Harper (Writer), Val Halvorson (Artist/Colorist), Bobby Timony (Artist/Colorist), Don Aguillo (Cover Artist), Oceano Ransford (Letterer), Deanna Poppe (Flatter)
Thanks to Fanbase Press for providing The Sequels #3 & #4 for review!
Synopsis
#3 – When tragedy strikes the group, Avery, Gwen, Russell, and Dakota are forced to seek help of a supernatural nature. As they dig deeper into their pasts, questions arise about the truth of their childhood adventures.
#4 – With the truth of their childhood adventures revealed, Avery, Gwen, Russell, and Dakota leave Dr. Frankenstein’s lab and journey into a magical world where they must confront a quest that was left unfinished thirty years ago. Will they find a way to finally move forward, once and for all?
Review
It’s sad but true! The Sequels has already come to a close! I am certainly hoping for more in this vein from Norm Harper in the future. He is an amazing storyteller and I love how he wove elements of every day life into this fantastical story.
As their journey continues, the rag-tag group of adventure seekers have to contend with some mysterious beings. The alien encounter in issue #2 ended quite badly for one character. The crew heads to Frankenstein’s lab (!?) to seek his help and save their friend. While visiting the doc, the plot thickens and quickly leads to the finale of this tale of nostalgia.
While the mish-mash of many familiar film and TV characters is amazing to see, my favorite element of this book continues to be the themes. Seeing well-known characters question their place in life creates a real sense of connection to them. As a kid, I connected to them because I found them funny or strong and I wanted to be like them. As an adult, I connect to them because I’m always looking for more wonder in the world around me. Harper does a fantastic job of creating very believable identity crises for each person in the crew.
I can’t say enough about how atmospheric each cover is for this series. Don Aguillo renders each VHS tape-style cover with amazing shade and color. If you enjoy his covers, I recommend looking into his graphic novel series, Rise. The interior continues to impress as well. The dichotomy between the 80s pop art style and the more modern, smooth rendering works so well to separate the flashbacks and present.
There is some potential for this series to branch off into more stories. Harper provides a satisfactory conclusion while simultaneously introducing some new info that could tie to any number of prequel or sequel stories. The opening of the story was my favorite single issue, and I would recommend reading all 4 together if possible. Though each issue provides crucial information, the first and last are packed with the most plot. Overall the pacing is good, and the flow of exposition is never overwhelming.
I’m so happy I was able to review these books, and I’m exciting to read more from Fanbase Press in the future! If you’ve read The Sequels I want to hear from you! Talk to me on Twitter and Instagram. If you haven’t yet, you can read The Sequels now!
Here are my reviews for issue #1 and issue #2 if you missed them, and my interview with writer Norm Harper from Emerald City Comic Con.
