- Dino Knights: The Complete Arc
- Story by Zach Chapman
- Art by
- Published by Hob Comics
- Kickstarter Campaign is LIVE
Four Hatchlings from the distant future are sent back in time to save the earth…
Archie is just your average, ordinary, highly evolved dinosaur displaced in time as a hatchling, taken in and raised by King Arthur, grew up alongside Prince Mordred, was knighted and fought alongside the Knights of the Round Table. Then, he’s bounced forward in time to New York City and meets up with others like him. The Dino Knights, sent from the far-future to be raised and trained as warriors by their mentor, Meryl, will stand against the cyber-zealotry of the Techno Tribe.
If you think it all sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon, you’re halfway to understanding the beauty of this comic series. And if you’re not interested in anthropomorphic medieval knights battling the forces of evil, you’ve probably stumbled into the wrong comic review…
Writer Zach Chapman has yet to find a lane he’d like to stay in. He’s written some bangers, like A Haunting on Mars (sci-fi horror), Spellslinger (weird west), and Kaiju Blues (punk rock heroes fighting giant monsters). Next up, he’s set his sights on the left-of-center blend of science fiction fantasy, seasoned liberally with more pop-culture references than you can shake a sword (freshly pulled from a stone) at. The humor is exactly what you’d expect, and the characters line up nicely with their respective archetypes: the surly scrapper, the quippy guy, the quirky sciencey inventor, and… you get it.
All of that can add up to a fun read, which Dino Knights is, but Chapman throws in extra layers for the pickier readers. Archie, our heroic Dinosaur of Destiny, carries with him all the troubles of one born out of place. As we might imagine, despite the support of Merlin and King Arthur, being a talking T-Rex and all makes it tough to meet new people in medieval England. But he clings to his knightly ethics, following the chivalric code no matter where it leads. When that path takes him to modern New York City, things get more complicated and Chapman leans into it without losing sight of the wackiness of it all.
The first six-issue story arc is illustrated by a trio of talented folk, all bringing a specific style to this bizarre world of talking dinosaurs and robot Crusaders. Dave Swartz (issues 1, 2, 5, & 6) is very much in tune with the Saturday morning cartoon of it all. Briane Andan (issue 3) brings more kinetic energy to the work, very well-suited to the issue’s big action set piece. Sergei Titov (issue 4) has a more classic comic book look, with sharp, clean lines, and interesting panel layouts. I don’t know if the artists illustrated their respective issues because of scheduling, or if they were picked specifically for the style they brought to different parts of the story. I just know that the visual shifts worked, without breaking up the tone.
The Kickstarter campaign is currently live, and all six issues are available for interested readers. If you’re looking for a relaxing bit of weekend reading, if you enjoy a bit of timey-whimey adventure with an Arthurian twist, or if the idea of sword wielding dinosaurs hits you in your happy place, Dino Knights is a great place to land. I’d give this one a rating of 4 out of 5 Cowabungas, but that’d be a little on the nose and ThePullbox already has a metric in place. Y’know… branding and all.
Sooo…
Final Score: 11/13
