Time Masters: Los Amos del Tiempo

Rip Hunter, Time Master

by Lewis Shiner, Bob Wayne, Art Thibert (Dibujo)

Reentapado que recopila los 8 números publicados previamente por separado por la misma editorial. Actualmente descatalogado.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Dc Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Time Travel, Comic Book

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Al Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept that starts well but then hastens into garbage story telling, far too rushed with poor plotting. Art is decent throughout (not great not awful)

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taco recopilatorio que reentapaba las 8 revistas en un tomo único. Ejemplar en buen estado pero ubicación actual desconocida. Incluía un crossover de un par de páginas con el Animal Man de Morrison.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mini-series from 1990 has a lot of potential, but does not completely deliver. There are some nice touches to be sure--spotlights on "forgotten" characters such as Tomahawk, the Viking Prince, Jonah Hex, and especially Cave Carson. Other cameos include Metal Men creator Doctor Will Magnus, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, and Booster Gold. Most of the issues highlight some sort of historical dilemma that Rip Hunter and his team must solve, with an overarching goal of preventing the big bad of the series (Vandal Savage, whose identity is only teased until about issue #6, but whose identity is obvious from the start to any longtime DC reader) from his power-hungry machinations with the Illuminati. The supporting cast is surprisingly diverse for a title of its time, including an androgynous woman. Several of the characters experience traumatic stress from their time traveling adventures, and one even commits suicide, something you don't expect to see in a mainstream comic, especially from the 1990s. But at the end of the day, it is clear that there was supposed to be a sequel to wrap up things, a sequel that never happened, leaving the reader unsatisfied. We will have to read Geoff Johns' subsequent runs on 52 and Booster Gold in the mid-2000s to find out what happens to Rip. The artwork in this series is excellent, from a young Art Thibert, whose style seems to be a combination of Joe Kubert and Michael Wm. Kaluta.

[Zac · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t as good as I remember it, and that isn’t saying much. A fairly uninteresting adventure story with a cast of bland characters, though there are several brief guest appearances (including Animal Man, and reference to Swamp Thing). The writing and dialogue can be a bit disjointed and it’s not that clear what’s going on at a few points. Also, some of the art, particularly the characters’ faces, are not very well done. The positives are the colouring (I really like the colouring throughout this era of DC), some of the backgrounds, and the consistent cover design. I just wish the interior art was this consistent and that the characters weren’t so plain.
I'm not sure why the Illuminati and the Knights Templar got so much attention in this period, but maybe the author had read Foucault's Pendulum, which had just come out recently.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dark and twisted. Interesting on some points, but not that satisfying of a read. Full of "guest" appearances that had no purpose. Death too, but perhaps death for the sake of death, and pointless. Lots of madness too. Nothing accomplished, nothing changed. Which seemed to be the point.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flojísimo. Le pongo una estrella más porque me llevó veintipico de años completar los 8 números de Zinco... pero flojísimo.

[Brannigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Rip Hunter and really wanted to read more about him but he’s a total jerk in this storyline. The story itself really didn’t do anything. Just a mess. The arts good.

[Lomu Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tomo único que reinterpreta personajes crononautas y cruzan por la tangente con el Animal Man de Morrison, en un tomo lampiño de todo ornamento como solían ser los tacos de Zinco.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Masters featuring Rip Hunter is a graphic novel collection from 1989 and 1990 - thus it's printed on low-quality newsprint in a four-color process. It looks and feels like an "old-fashioned" comic book because it is. But after reading several New 52 collections it was fun to read something a bit more old-fashioned and fun. Rip Hunter has solved the riddle of time travel, but has also discovered an inconvenient rule: each method of time travel can only be used once. If someone uses his Time Sphere to go back in time - they need to use a different method to return to the present (such as a time platform) - if no other method exists it's a one-way trip. Also, each person can only use each method once. Rip gathers a group of scientists and they set out to save the world by unraveling a mystery - who are the Illuminati and who is their leader, Vandal Savage?
Vandal Savage and his Illuminati, whose origins go back to Atlantis, are definitely up to something - they, for example, kill George Washington and replace him with a duplicate German baron. Savage and his group sit in the shadows and pull strings and manipulate the fortunes and future history of the world.
However, this is one of the weaknesses of the book. I've never been a fan of conspiracy theories - most not only stretch credibility but can be easily disproven with easily obtainable facts. Rip, rather than being a dashing hero, sounds increasingly paranoid and becomes a "not nice guy" by the end of the book. Rip's friends and associates are a good group though.
Although Time Masters was a fun trip to DC Comics past, full of nostalgia, the actual story was only so-so. I vastly preferred Time Masters Vanishing Point which was filled with awesome character interaction and a great story. Overall all, I can only give Time Masters featuring Rip Hunter a half-hearted recommendation. It's OK but flawed.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The weird thing about this story is, its a story where nothing happens. The characters travel through time, stop no one, and ultimately change nothing. Things occur, but ultimately come to no effect. SO it does kinda fail on the dynamic end. What I will say about it is, it gives you weird insight and info into the history of the DC universe and the art is gorgeous. Given its time its much closer to the DC house style, but that doesnt change how lovely, thematic and detailed a lot of the imagery in it is. I especially enjoyed all the use of clocks by the artist. For me it was a treat to look at even though the story ended up being a bit lackluster. It is a big story for both Vandal Savage and Rip Hunter in terms of content, they both feature majorly in it, but nothing really resolves, in fact not even a "scheme" is thwarted, which would almost be interesting if it didnt feel like it sputtered out at the end. If you are desperate for info on Hunter and Vandal Savage and would like to see some pretty classicly rendered comics art, check it out by all means, but this is a non-classic for a reason. For the completist check it out, otherwise feel free to gloss it over. But Art Thiebert does so a great job here and Id be remiss if I didnt point that out.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Edición española. Taco que reentapa los 8 números de la serie.

[Jeffrey Jelmeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read part of this series years ago when they were originally published, but I lost track and was never able to acquire the remaining books in the series. Seeing this collection presented me with a nice opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and finally finish a story I wanted to finish years ago.

The story itself is very much a product of its era, and reads like a story from the 80's. A bit progressive in some ways, but very much a stereotypical story from that era. The writing presents a plot line that is more complex than many stories from that era, and while woefully out of date today still presents an interesting read. Well worth the read if you have enjoyed seeing Rip Hunter in the recent runs of Booster Gold and wanted to learn more about who he is and where he comes from.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I got this to learn more about the characters from the CW's Legends of Tomorrow. The TV series is loosely based on the comics. Rip Hunter and Vandal Savage are hardly recognizable in this series from the early 90s. However, the 90s clearly factor into the style and characterization of this book. The guys have mullets. The female character has big hair. There's a jerky teenager wearing a Guns N' Roses shirt and a denim jacket. The real problem is the convoluted plot involving the Illuminati. I'm not sure why Rip Hunter knows or cares about their activities through time. I also don't know why his random cast of characters are so invested that they risk their lives on solo missions either. Also, one way that DC comics distinguish themselves from Marvel is their use of cursing, which is always going to be a negative in comics for me.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído del taco de recopilatorio de Ediciones Zinco. Según recuerdo, el dibujo era muy malo pero la historia zafaba. Cuando la relea íntegra quizás se gane su correspondiente reseña. Ahora que subí la edición española, tendría que escanear la tapa en buena calidad.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through DC's history, with some good characterization thrown in too.

[Guido · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP Hunter y aliados a través del tiempo.