Tuesday, April 02, 2024

I probably should'a bought this before, but Igoo guest-stars? Put that on the cover!

From 2017, Future Quest Presents #2, "The Buried Past" Written by Jeff Parker, art by Ariel Olivetti.
I know I read the 2005 Joe Kelly/Ariel Olivetti Space Ghost mini-series; but I slept on the 2016 Future Quest until I got it at a show. I don't know if both series share continuity, but this more resembles the 2005; as Space Ghost is trying to rebuild the galactic Space Force, starting with his two young wards Jan and Jace. This issue, with Igoo from the Herculoids, they're exploring a dangerous mine for element zeo, which was a component in the power bands.
Igoo helps fight a crystal monster, but can't go on past dangerous chasms--the others could fly. Eventually, they find what seems like an odd statue, but is actually a dead Space Force officer, and an armored figure, who knocks out and captures them all, except Blip the monkey. (That monkey saved their hash so many times!) There's a flashback, to Space Ghost rescuing the kids as their parents' cargo ship got sucked into a "quantum sinkhole," then we meet the bad guy, Metallus. I don't recollect if he had an origin in the classic show, but here he and his crew were miners, left behind when their Space Force backup got called on an emergency, which seemed to get almost the whole Force wiped out. One did eventually get back, but by that time, attacks from the assorted creatures in the mine, had exposed them to too much element zeo radiation, and they were seemingly transforming into energy, contained only by their suits... 

I think it happens a few times in the 2005 series, but it's still weird for me to see Space Ghost unmasked! Still, I'll have to keep an eye out for more of these.

3 comments:

Mr. Morbid said...

How well did either of these series do sales-wise because you’d think they’d have done well enough to keep pumping more sequels out.

I’ve always loved Oliveitti’s art ever since I first discovered him back in the late 90’s. He’s only gotten better since.

googum said...

I feel like it maybe did well enough, for Parker and maybe Olivetti to get another gig they wanted? Which is, maybe kinda how things work now?

H said...

I think Future Quest did well enough, because this was a spin-off of the main title (also, they were going all in on the Hanna-Barbera stuff around this point- crossovers, miniseries, etc.). I don’t think the 2005 series was connected to anything though, outside of using the names and basic premise.