Review – Big Trouble in Little China #6 (BOOM! Studios)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Eric Powell, John Carpenter
Artist: Brian Churilla
Release Date: 12th November 2014

In order to safeguard her from Lo Pan and his minions, Egg has taken Miao Yin on a journey to the Midnight Road, where he discovers that she might not actually need his protection. Meanwhile, Jack and Wang find themselves in a sticky situation with a bunch of angry bikers, and the mysterious Zhang Brothers, oh, and a cyclopean alien being dressed like Hank Williams…pretty standard stuff, really.

The ongoing adventures of Jack Burton just got a whole lot stranger. This issue marks the first time the series has departed almost entirely from the movie universe, which is no bad thing, but it’s veering dangerously into overly silly territory. The direction taken in the last third, seemed a little too tangential to the main plot regarding Lo Pan’s thirst for vengeance, but given Eric Powell’s pedigree, I’m sure the bigger picture will soon become clear. Also, the issue didn’t feature just as many laugh-out-loud moments of dialogue, something I’d come to expect from the series.

Those minor concerns aside, there’s plenty to admire about the majority of the issue. The introduction of the deadly Zhang Brothers, whilst not overly original from a design standpoint, was a welcome addition. It was also nice to see the transformation of Miao Yin from helpless damsel in distress, to kick-ass Kung-Fu warrior.

Brian Churilla’s artwork continues to be a real highlight of the series, and this issue features some of his best work to date. His interpretation of each of the characters from movie canon has so far been spot-on, and his creature concepts and designs have been first rate. He continues in the same vein here, although I felt the issue’s ‘big bad’ didn’t quite hit the same high mark of his previous work.

Steady as she goes for the Ol’ Pork Chop Express; here’s hoping it doesn’t end up in a ditch.

Rating: 3/5.

The Writer of this piece was: Martin Doyle
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