Member Reviews
Basil and Moebius, already suspecting their employer is planning something big, continue to gather artifacts, which are getting harder to get. Their lives are more at risk than ever before as they recruit their allies, drawing together story threads from previous issues to beat an almost unbeatable foe! The swashbuckling tales of two lovable rogues in this suspenseful, hilarious and adventurous graphic novel continues to amaze!
Basil and Moebius get their hands on the last surviving Droppa Stone but, of course, everyone else in the world (and in other worlds) would like to have it, so mayhem ensues. The stone may be their ticket to earning their freedom from their mysterious employer, the Collector, if the scholar they kidnapped can figure out what it says. Or not.
There is, of course, a Holy Order that, of course, wants to find a hidden temple. There is, of course, a map that has, of course, been torn in half and the missing half has, of course, been lost for centuries. Others have, of course, devoted their lives to finding the map that Basil and Moebius uncover in just a few panels.
Yes, this all has the familiar feel of an Indiana Jones clone. For something that is hopelessly derivative, however, the story is well done. The addition of the Collector is one the story’s two original touches. The other is the addition of a Mossad agent. The first adds intrigue while the second would seem like a bit of a stretch if the story were not so preposterous to begin with.
The pace is a bit slow, perhaps compelled by the need to drag out the story over a number of issues. An excess of explanatory dialog (“Glad I put on the spring-heeled jack suit”) slows the pace even more. We can see he’s wearing it. Visuals are the point of graphic storytelling. No need to tell us what we are looking at.
I like the vivid artwork. And sound effects like SPLOOT when something drops into a body of water always add to the story. I’m letting the art carry this up to 4 stars, but the writing deserves 3 -- adequate but unimaginative storytelling.