No matter your age, anyone who has delved into comic book collecting has no doubt heard the name of Jack “The King” Kirby. Aside from having worked on Marvel properties such as Captain America, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers in their earliest of days, the legendary writer/artist also made some valuable contributions to DC by creating Darkseid and the New Gods. Fortunately for us, another one of his brainchildren most beloved by readers was recently revived in the form of The Kamandi Challenge.
For those unfamiliar, Kamandi, “The Last Boy on Earth,” pretty much functioned as DC’s answer to Planet of the Apes when it originally arrived on the scene decades ago. But instead of having only talking apes ruling the Earth, other animals evolved physically and intellectually as well, most notably tigers. And in the time since, Kamandi has experienced some exposure in other media, more specifically in the animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
So, even if you don’t have much of an interest in the character himself, the premise of this 12-part series just might hook you: In short, each issue is handled by a different creative team who must build upon the previous one’s cliffhanger. To be quite honest, that concept alone sold me on the book, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve thus far read.
Now, with the tenth issue, we see Kamandi as possibly being one step closer to finding his mother – or, at least, some kind of horrible truth we didn’t see coming. Regardless, the fact that he has to tango with sharks wielding machine guns is so wonderfully absurd, making this bad boy hard to pass up.
For more, be sure to check out the official synopsis below (do note a change in interior artist has been made, which will be clarified in the credits section):
After the suspenseful ending of issue #9, writer Greg Pak and artist Joe Prado bring our hero to the land of the Dead Worshippers! Now freed from captivity, Kamandi must help his new allies, the Shark People, escape their grisly fate as permanent displays in a horrific museum. Filled with long-kept secrets of the world around them, this museum could hold the key to finding Kamandi’s parents, but will he live long enough to find out? Not if the Commander of the worshippers has anything to do with it!
The Kamandi Challenge #10 arrives in comic shops on October 25.
Credits:
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Shane Davis
Cover: Francis Manapul
Variant Cover: Joe Prado
