Flashback to the last issue, we have found Victory Harben transported to the distant world, Zendar, and struggling with the Ki-vaa, greenish humanoids, including Tii-Laa, against the brutal Keelars! They have entered the Keelar Royal Palace, Victory has bluffed her way as the One From Above, an “emissary of the Numenous Ones.” This emissary was thought to be from the planet Banos, counter-clockwise from Zendar, one planet away. The Keelar ruler has Victory escorted to “The Gift.” This machine drains the Go-Vass, term for a Ki-Vaa prisoner, of life. This is something Victory has seen before!, and Tii-Laa has defeated several Keelars. The leader then has Frozahs, dog-like creatures with spiked heads and vulture-like claws, unleashed on her! We now return to Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zendar!
The issue continues with the team of writer, Mike Wolfer, story from Christopher Paul Carey, and art by Alessandro Ranaldi who also provides the cover. This has Victory Harben’s troubled face with the insert of “The Gift” vaporizing a victim! Victory tries to explain that Tii-Laa is surrounded by the vicious Frozahs! We get a thrilling worm’s eye view of the Frozah leaping as Tii-Laa has her fist clenched! Her uppercut snaps the Frozah’s neck! Then, two Frozahs attack from either side, but she grabs both by the neck. Her tiny horns turn into long, curved, almost demonic horns! Tii-Laa tosses them at the Keelar guards! Next, she catches another Frozah by the neck. A Keelar mentions that the Frozah’s venom is deadly. Tii-Laa is too close for Victory to use her probability gun so she sends in Hucklebuck. This is her tiny, squirrel-sized companion with a white coat and tail. It shifts to a larger, bear-sized form and smashes into a Frozah.
The Frozah gripped by Tii-Laa is killed by her claw. The battle is savage, so not for younger readers! Hucklebuck is bitten by the Frozah and it is slammed down! Victory’s gun is taken by the Keelar leader. Victory runs to look at Hucklebuck’s wound. Tii-Laa says that the Frozah poison will instantly kill her companion. Victory says though that Hucklebuck can keep him alive at his large form. Then, they find Keelars with spears surround them! Victory just notices that Tii-Laa’s horns have changed, a clever panel of Victory showing the horns with her pointed fingers on her head. This makes Tii-Laa ashamed, but Victory accepts her. The Keelar leader wants his guards to attack. Tii-Laa explains to Victory she can longer be a part of her people. Before Tii-Laa can explain what she is with her transformation, Victory leaps into battle.
She notes, in captions, that she fought in the prehistoric, Hollow Earth world of Pellucidar. Victory flies into a kick to a Keelar, lands with a leg sweep, and then bashes a Keelar with a spear! Hucklebuck is also still in the fight, slashing a Keelar’s sword. They are joined by Tii-Laa’s leap and then kick in a split hitting two Keelars! The leader orders them to be taken prisoner. Keelars whirl hook edged ropes and restrain all of the combatants. A Keelar holds up a bound Victory, and smiles at winning the battle, Keelars are monstrous, but his fanged smile and black eyes is goofy fun! Closeup as we see the imprisoned Victory say it isn’t over. We see the Keelar elder, Korvakos, surprised at his guard’s failure. The elder has a white beard, which is surprising since we saw that the Keelars are basically hairless, just hides like a Rancor, but they could shave or something as warriors.
Also, he wears a blue cloak. Victory tries to explain to Korvakos that she is from beyond Zendar from Earth. The king only knows the eleven planets in the Olmos system so doesn’t believe there is an Earth. Victory tries to explain their intention to save the Go-Vaas, but Korvakos mocks her since they were intended to be “harvested.” A closeup of his face with black orb, small, gaping nose, and fanged teeth looks skeletal! Korvakos says they are being harvested for royal Keelar skin color from Kii-Laas, yeek! This is the blue of his cloak! Their life force is collected for Banos. In turn, the Ones From Above protect Zandar from Klo-Vaa-Zoh, “the land of terrible fires.” Hucklebuck has a musical roar, but the king and his guards just leave. Victory sees the only way to escape is a small, pyramid hole bringing in sunlight, Hucklebuck speaks in his sad, musical tones.
The sorrow in Victory’s face half in shadow is brilliant. Hucklebuck then starts to his tiny form! We also see splatters of the green Frozah poison next to him. Victory understands that Hucklebuck’s subatomic structure rejected the poison! Hucklebuck sniffs Tii-Laa’s foot and then leaps off of Victory to reach the edge of opening. It zips across the building, we see Ki-vaa prisoners at tables behind bars, and Hucklebuck pokes his head down. I hope American Mythology or ERB make a Hucklebuck stuffie. It zips to each prisoner cell and then bounces down a building to reach a street. At an alley Hucklebuck starts whistling at a hooded stranger! Beyond the Farthest Star: Warriors of Zendar #3 contains the perilous, pulp adventures, impressive, expressions and action, plus the detailed world building that is classic Edgar Rice Burroughs!
Four Gridley Waves out of Five!
#BeyondTheFarthestStar, #WarriorsOfZendar, #MikeWiolfer, #ChristopherPaulCarey, #AlessandroRanaldi, #VictoryHarben, #TiiLaa, #Hucklebuck, #Korvakos
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