Dinosaur Comics Stampede

Regular readers know that I was underwhelmed by IDW's efforts to take on the Jurassic Park franchise—I'll have a wrap-up review coming soon—but fortunately for dinosaur comic fans, several forthcoming releases should provide a higher-quality dino fix.

Next February, Image Comics will release a one-shot story called simply Tyrannosaurus rex. Naturally, the story pits the formidable predator against our own species, and it draws its inspiration from the old "cavemen vs. dinosaurs" flicks of the 1970s. Young earth creationists might consider the tale to be based on a true story, but for the rest of us it looks like a fun throwback to b-movies like When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.

After a long hiatus, Dark Horse comics has revamped the Turok: Son of Stone series. The new story is a mish-mash of Native Americans, Aztecs, dinosaurs, "Panther People", and weird prehistoric beasts, but, given the various incarnations of the comic hero, who would expect anything less? The first story arc started last month and runs through February.

Another classic dinosaur title is also being polished up for re-release. Dark Horse will soon release the entire run of Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles (which includes the latest story arc, "The Journey"), one of the few dinosaur series with nary a human in sight. If you liked the visuals of the Disney film Dinosaur, but couldn't stand the chattering herbivores, then Age of Reptiles is for you.

The news I am most excited about, though, is that Flesk Publications has just released the collected run of Mark Schultz's excellent Xenozoic Tales in the single volume Xenozoic. Set in a future in which dinosaurs have returned in the wake of human-caused ecological catastrophe, Schultz's series remains the acme of dinosaur comics, with each story standing on its own as well as fitting into a larger—and still incomplete—story.

So there you have it. Despite some recent so-so titles, the next few months should be chock full of dino comic goodness.

Riley Black | | READ MORE

Riley Black is the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs and many other books. She is a science correspondent for Smithsonian magazine covering fossils and natural history, and she writes about the prehistoric past for a variety of publications.