Dynamite GOLD KEY relaunch - Turok, Magnus, Solar and Dr Spektor

[keeen]

I know nobody's responding to this thread about a years-old relaunch, but hell, they've got it stickied in the forum so I'm going to give an update.

Solar: Man of the Atom by Frank Barbierie and Jonathan Lau, was definitely the best of the bunch, and the only series I read in it's entirety. It's really good!

Lau takes over the art on issue 5 and really kills it for the rest of the series. There are some fill-in artists used in intelligent ways (like flashbacks), but Lau's illustrations carry the book. Fantastic character design. It's hard to explain, but the way he draws the older Solar as this kind of skinny, slouching middle-aged man in his costume is just great, as is his realistically-proportioned heroine. He depicts the Solar powers in really novel ways, showing both the destructive and creative uses.

That brings me to the story. Barbierie is not a writer that had been on my radar, but he will be now. He really put together an effective 12-issue character arc in which he introduced a legacy superhero and really created great dramatic tension between her and her father as she figures out the best way to use her powers. I really haven't read another superhero story quite like this, and I loved it. I read it digitally, but I might even get the trades. On a side note, it seems like they've totally discarded this version of Solar in the more recent Gold Key Alliance. I don't understand wtf Dynamite is doing.

[meisaj]

Keen,

You've convinced me. I'm going to pick up Solar this weekend. I'll let you know what I think.

[keeen]

Sweet! I hope you like it. I thought it really picked up with issue 5-6, if you make it that far!

[Captain Craig]

Gold Key Alliance #3 anyone?
I felt a bit lost, too much jumping around is going on. I'm not feeling a strong enough narrative on any one character. Magnus and Turok are holding the best but I'm damning with faint praise cause the Solar & Samson portions aren't strong I feel. Maybe it'll read better in one sitting. Spektor finally shows up, maybe the last 2 issues will strengthen things.Maybe.

[Javasaurus]

Gold Key Alliance #3 anyone?
I felt a bit lost, too much jumping around is going on. I'm not feeling a strong enough narrative on any one character. Magnus and Turok are holding the best but I'm damning with faint praise cause the Solar & Samson portions aren't strong I feel. Maybe it'll read better in one sitting. Spektor finally shows up, maybe the last 2 issues will strengthen things.Maybe.

I read issue #3 last night have enjoyed the story so far; but the jumping around is starting to seem a little burdensome. It didn't bother me at first because I was hoping that the story lines would merge at some point and bring the characters together; but it hasn't happened yet. Turok and Magnus are holding my interest too. I just hope that the narrative develops significantly in the next issue, because more of the same will start to really wear thin at that stage.

[meisaj]

I read the first trade and thought it was originally good. I like how it stuff out from the 90's series. I'm heading back for the second trade this weekend.

[md62]

Gold Key Alliance #3 anyone?
I felt a bit lost, too much jumping around is going on. I'm not feeling a strong enough narrative on any one character. Magnus and Turok are holding the best but I'm damning with faint praise cause the Solar & Samson portions aren't strong I feel. Maybe it'll read better in one sitting. Spektor finally shows up, maybe the last 2 issues will strengthen things.Maybe.

It's OK. I usually like Hester's stuff but this feels too drawn out.

[keeen]

I read the first trade and thought it was originally good. I like how it stuff out from the 90's series. I'm heading back for the second trade this weekend.

Cool. The 2nd trade was my favorite by far.

[Javasaurus]

tried the first two issues of Turok, but the character just doesn't grab me. ...............

A while back I picked up the first trade for the series and felt the same way after reading it. I just couldn't bring myself to care enough about any of the characters to bother picking up further issues. Turok is the very first character that I fell in love with as a kid and I've enjoyed the various incarnations that have been done over the years (such as that by Valiant and Acclaim) – but Dynamite's series was a disappointment.

They seem to be taking a different approach to Turok in Gold Key Alliance – but it may to too little, too late.

[Captain Craig]

Any word on if Gold Key Alliance will be Dynamite's last hurrah with the GK characters?

[md62]

Any word on if Gold Key Alliance will be Dynamite's last hurrah with the GK characters?

Nope. No rumors. Nothing.

Ending was good but the story could have been told in 2 issues.

[Captain Craig]

I finished Gold Key Alliance #5 and I was not that impressed.
There was a solid premise there but it felt very flat for me.

I do hope Dynamite is done with them.
VEI--buy them from their current license holder. I trust you. Find the capital!!

[md62]

I finished Gold Key Alliance #5 and I was not that impressed.
There was a solid premise there but it felt very flat for me.

I do hope Dynamite is done with them.
VEI--buy them from their current license holder. I trust you. Find the capital!!

Sales of #1 were only about 6500 so I imagine by #5 they were only about 2000. I can't imagine Dynamite would try anything more with these characters. The last time the characters were done well was with Valiant. Both the Dark Horse & Dynamite series fell short IMO. And I do think these are great characters that should have the attention they deserve.

[Shadowras]

They are back! http://www.newsarama.com/32862-gold-...overeigns.html

[Captain Craig]

I just saw this. Color me perplexed that Dynamite is still trying to do something with the Gold Key characters.
Their ownership of the characters has only produced one good book, Magnus.
The design of Solar as a floating entity is odd. I do like Mighty Samson so I'm glad to see him in this title.
I do not know who is between Spektor and Magnus though. In my GK reading I'm not instantly recognizing them.

I'll probably try the $1 first issue but approach it with much apprehension.


The one piece of information I did like is that it seems the GK properties are now consolidated under Comcast of all places?

This relaunch comes in light of Comcast taking ownership of the Gold Key characters through NBCUniversal's purchase of DreamWorks.

Good, maybe when Dynamite is done with their licensure of the characters VEI can purchase them off Comcast outright.