Recently, Dark Horse comics has been putting out hardcover archives reprinting a lot of the classic Dell Comics. This past March, they got around to Turok.
It includes the first 6 issues. That means it covers the origin story I talked about in the original post, plus the tales that immediately followed. (Stories I've never had a chance to read before.)
It's all great stuff, if a little bit pricey. (I got it discounted from Amazon for around $32.00) But then, if you can't swing the price, ask your local library to get a copy.
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These are all strong, well-plotted fantasy tales with a strong lead character. To qoute William Stout from his introduction: "The stories were simple yet clever. They moved at a relaxed pace quite different from today's action-on-steroids extravaganzas. The stories often stopped as Turok and his companion Andar paused to watch a battle between prehistoric beasts... The Turok stories also provided throughful treatises on basic woodlore and human relationships. Despite the violence involved in killing a dinosaur, ultimately these were pretty gentle books."
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Last year, a direct-to-DVD animated Turok movie was a huge disappointment. Though done well for what it was, the producers made the bizarre decision of turning it into a blood-soaked, R-rated action film. What sense is there in making a Turok film that the original fans who grew up with the character can't share with their children?
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But now here are the original comics in all their original glory. This is Turok done right. This is something you can definitely share with your kids.
Why indeed make adapt a character intended for children into an inappropriate adaptation? It's a great question, and I noticed that you wrote these words in 2009 - four years before The Lone Ranger monstrosity. I'd give a pass to The Dark Knight movies, because there are plenty of other Batman media for younger kids. But to resurrect Turok and the Lone Ranger for a new generation by placing them in gorefests is just wrong. Better to leave them dead and buried, in my view.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bother with the Lone Ranger movie. I heard enough about it from people whose opinion I trusted to be sure I would also think of it as a monstrosity. Since I didn't see it, that opinion is hardly informed. But I'm personally certain enough to not give up 2+ hours of my life watching it.
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