Written by Mike W. Barr
Art by Rob Phipps; Al Vey; Barb Kaalberg; Moose Baumann; Family Fugue; & Tim Eldred
Cover Art by Scott Kollins & George Cox
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Bride of Boneyard,” this October 1993 issue was released by Malibu Comics. Trapped in Boneyard’s medieval-like dimension, Mantra faces forced matrimony to her worst enemy. Warstrike arrives and convinces Mantra’s two false allies to repentantly help him halt the wedding. Regaining her mystical powers, Mantra defiantly battles Boneyard before vowing to someday return for vengeance. Elsewhere, Eden Blake’s family and her co-worker briefly worry about her unexplained disappearances.
Note: Mantra is an immortal, 1500-year old male warrior Lukasz presently trapped inside modern-day woman Eden Blake’s host body.
REVIEW:
As compared to the dreck passed off as its back-up feature, Mantra # 4 sports some decent artwork. Including the cover image, the art team’s visuals partially compensate for writer Mike W. Barr’s unimpressive story. However, a few panels predictably ogle Mantra’s racy wedding attire. It’s typical for this series, as excessive ‘cheesecake’ moments are among Mantra’s overtly sexist elements. Yet, even if Mantra herself is a potentially compelling character, a major detriment is none of her supporting cast (like with this issue) even comes close. Case in point: the dopey Boneyard is merely a collective mass of genre clichés personified. Re: Mantra # 4, this formulaic issue at best is adequately entertaining and proves a quickly forgettable read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Including a back flip cover, the awfully bland Rune back-up feature is entitled “I, The Fury: Part One.” The creative team consists of Barry Windsor-Smith; Chris Ulm; John Floyd; Keith Conroy; Albert Calleros; Patrick Owsley; and Jim Chadwick. Its rudimentary artwork ranges between crummy (the cover) and at best mediocre (the three-page tale). Produced by ‘Aragonés & Evanier,” there is also a witless “The Mighty Magnor” single-page comic strip. As for regular features, there’s a single-page “Mantra’s Mail” letters-and-answers column. The two-page “UltraFiles” column offers six cover reveals: Firearm # 2; The Strangers # 5; Hard Case # 5; Night Man # 1; Prime # 5; and Prototype # 3.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4 Stars
