Xenozoic

Xenozoic Tales #1-14

by Mark Schultz

Bienvenidos a la Era Cenozoica, un paisaje post- apocalíptico donde los dinosaurios vagan libremente ... ¡y la humanidad es la especie en peligro de extinción!
Obligados a ocultarse por un cataclismo ecológico global, los humanos salen de sus madrigueras subterráneas medio milenio después de descubrir que la Tierra ha sido totalmente transformada. Toda la flora y fauna conocida ha desaparecido, reemplazada por un orden natural alterado radicalmente y poblado por dinosaurios extrañas criaturas. Se necesita valor, determinación, ingenio y un montón de suerte sólo para sobrevivir, y mucho más para prosperar, en este extraño desierto, todas las cualidades que el mecánico Jack Tenrec, la encantadora científico Hannah Dundee y sus amigos poseen en abundancia.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dinosaurs, Fiction, Adventure

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Schultz is an American writer and illustrator of books and comics. His most widely recognized work is the creator-owned comic book series Xenozoic Tales, which describes a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures coexist with humans. In 1993, Xenozoic Tales was adapted into an animated series titled Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and a video game of the same name. Schultz's other notable works include various Aliens comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse and a four-year run on the DC Comics series Superman: The Man of Steel. In 2004, Schultz took over the scripting duties of the Prince Valiant comic strip.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five hundred years after an ecological collapse, the earth keeps on turning. Man has emerged from his shelters to find a world overrun by dinosaurs!

I've been aware of Xenozoic Tales, aka Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, for a large portion of my comics reading tenure but I've never taken a chance on it until now, which is a shame because it's fantastic.

My summary is a broad overview. Jack Tenrec is a mechanic in what used to be New York, salvaging old vehicles and making them run again. When he meets Hannah Dundee, the ambassador from a nearby community, sparks start flying...

The world of Xenozoic is unique, a fusion of the post-apocalyptic with an Edgar Rice Burroughs style lost world setting. There are old buildings and old tech lying around but humanity isn't too removed from barbarism. Jack Tenrec is one of the old blood, the people who kept humanity alive underground for centuries before it was safe to emerge.

While Jack and Hannah are obviously attracted to each other, it was refreshing for them not to do the monster mash right off the bad. Jack's pro-environment philosophy clashes with Hannah's progressive politics right off the bat.

All that being said, this is a collection of stories straight out of an EC book like Weird Science or Weird Fantasy. Jack and Hannah adventure to various locales on Xenozoic earth, encounter dinosaurs and old tech, and gradually figure out they're better together than they are apart. The stories start small, ten pagers mostly, and expand to issue length installments. The stories stand on their own but it's clear Schultz is building toward something...

Now that I've gotten all that other crap out of the way, the art in this is fucking spectacular. Schultz's reverence for the EC style is very clear. The art looks like the EC artists had an orgy and Mark Schultz was the fruit of their passion. The man is a dynamo, drawing beautiful women, machines, and dinosaurs with unbelievable skill. The influences of Wally Wood, Al Williamson, and Frank Frazetta are apparent throughout. I haven't run across many books as well drawn as this one.

The one gripe I have about this is that the story has yet to be finished. This is all the Xenozoic action that currently exists.

Xenozoic is a visually flawless masterpiece of pulp science fantasy. Five out of five dinosaurs.

[Carlex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago: “Cadillacs & Dinosaurs? Such absurd premise!”

Now: “Take my money!” (insert facepalm here)

As I said the comic deals with Cadillacs and dinosaurs. Well, fortunately more dinos than classic cars. In a post apocalyptic future, dispersed communities of humans try to survive in a world populated by dinosaurs and animals from another ages (for example, mammoths and other prehistoric animals are also welcomed). These “monsters” have revived without any plausible explanation but... the premise is seductive, isn't it?

When we start reading soon we will become friends with Jack Tenrec, an adventurer and classic cars collector and who lives in City in the Sea (formerly Manhattan), and Hannah Dundee, an intrepid ambassador from Wasson (formerly Washington, D.C.). So we will read the adventures of the rude Jack and the gorgeous Hannah, and more secondary characters, mostly perfidious or at least with ulterior motives.

I always liked Dinosaurs, but the Cadillacs? Well, I'm not a rockabilly but it doesn't matter, Xenozoic is a very entertaining comic, with both good scripts and drawings.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cover of my copy. Same ISBN #.



A global ecological cataclysm has forced mankind underground to ride it out. Five hundred years later, they return to the surface to find it greatly altered. Now dinosaurs, Pleistocene mammals, and things never seen before are roaming the Earth. The survivors have rebuilt old cities or built new ones on top of the ruins of the old. Will they survive in this new age or repeat the mistakes of the past?

I first heard about Xenozoic from the old RPG Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, though I admit that I've never played it. Still, it looked pretty cool. It was decades later before I found this collection, and it collected dust on my nightstand for a few more years after that. I can't offer a good reason why.

The artwork is all done in black ink. Schultz's talent improves with age, going from very good to fantastic over the course of this collection (1986 - 1996). And if you don't believe me, he won five Harvey Awards with this series, three times for Best Artist or Penciller.

There are two main characters: Jack "Cadillac" Tenrec and Hannah Dundee. Jack has chiselled good looks and a physique to match. He's a mechanic very much in love with 1950s era automobiles (preserved among other things in vaults beneath the surface) and has figured out how to run them on dinosaur guano. He lives in a large garage complex on the mainland and assists the people of the "City in the Sea" (a flooded Manhattan) when he can. But he also has a bit of Tarzan and Henry David Thoreau mixed in. He concerns himself with the balance of nature in this new world, but rather than taking a thoughtful approach, he charges into action because he thinks he knows what's best. Outside of his faithful team in the garage, he tends to alienate others (and annoy this reader).

Hannah Dundee is an ambassador from Wasson (built on the ruins of Washington D.C.). She arrives in the City in the Sea to address a matter of poachers and to foster better relations between the two cities. While she is incredibly attractive, Schultz never stoops to cartoon proportions that are often seen in works tailored for a cis-gendered male audience. She's smart, keenly interested in the scientific potential locked away in the city's library, and politically savvy. She's no damsel in distress either. She rescues Jack from peril just about as often as he rescues her. Their relationship is full of friction as they butt heads over which actions to take in this world. Of course there's also the sexual tension, and one wonders if they're ever going to hook-up.

The world building has some holes in it. For example, dinosaurs in just 500 years? Schultz tries to explain this and other oddities, but the answers don't really work for me. I'd recommend not looking too much into these conundrums and just enjoy the ride. The stories are good, but the artwork is the main attraction here.

Unfortunately, just as the overall storyline was building to confrontation, it went into hibernation. Schultz went to work on other comics and has been working on the Prince Valiant comic strip since 2004. Schultz is 65, so I'm hoping that he returns to Xenozoic someday soon, but there is the possibility that we may never know how it ends.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un cómic de sabor clásico que contiene todas las historias cortas que se publicaron de sta serie. Jack Tenrec,un aventurero y la científica Hannah Dundee sobreviven en un mundo hostil donde los dinosaurios han resucitado después de una hecatombe en la tierra. Juntos viven aventuras contra gobernantes corruptos, cazadores furtivos y demas calaña similar. Es un cómic entretenido que destaca sobretodo a nivel gráfico, con un dibujo bellisimo. La serie tuvo hasta un videojuego llamado Cadillacs y dinosaurs que los niños de los 80 conocemos muy bien de andar por las recreativas.

[MB Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compilation of Mark Schultz's excellent "Xenozoic Tales" comic series originally published by Kitchen Sink in the late 80s.

Kitchen Sink's published a three volume set (Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, Dinosaur Shaman: Nine Tales from the Xenozoic Age, and Time in Overdrive) in the 80s containing the first 12 of the 14 comics in the original series.

Xenozoic contains two 22 page stories not in the Kitchen Sink set (which I assume are from the last two issues); but doesn't reprint 9 stories (included in the Kitchen Sink set) from the original series which Schultz did not draw.

Dark Horse also published a 2 volume set 2003. I've not looked at that compilation, so I'm not sure how it compares in completeness.

There's a reason this series keeps getting reprinted. It's well written, the genre is flat-out fun, there are dinosaurs and the art is fantastic. Schultz's early art in the series is reminiscent of Wally Wood (especially the women and the grith) but quickly moves into his own style, although I see occasional glimpses of Jim Steranko in some faces and figures and Frank Frazetta in some of the action layouts and monsters.

The series itself is unfortunately unfinished, but takes place in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by dinosaurs, giant insects, strange monsters and, on the fringes of the collapsed 20th century civilization, humans.

I picked up this compilation the moment I saw it the store the other day. It's been several years since I read the Kitchen Sink set, and I figured buying a new edition was easier than trying to find the other set. Discovering it contained the stories missing from the Kitchen Sink set was just gravy. After a bit of poking about in the attic I found the Kitchen Sink set, so maybe now I'll read the stories that weren't in Xenozoic now.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what you're hoping for from the cover. Black-and-white art influenced by Frazetta, Wally Wood, and other classic EC artists. Stories with a pulp Edgar Rice Burroughs feel.

In a postapocalyptic future, the world is overrun by pre-historic and strange new creatures. Hannah Dundee, ambassador of the Wassoon tribe, arrives in the City on the Sea, to treat with the tribe there. She finds herself spending a lot of time with Jack "Cadillac" Tenrec, a no-nonsense manly man with an affinity for nature and old cars. Despite her mission statement, the two of them spend a lot of time outside the city helping others survive in the wilderness.

Much more modern in sentiment than the old pulp stories. Jack Tenrec has a healthy respect for the environment. Hannah is smart and self-sufficient and earns Tenrec's respect. There's some racial diversity in the secondary characters, treated as equals and not falling into tropes. There is still some physiognomy issues, where overweight characters are usually evil.

The story starts with some pretty standard adventures, but by the end, a complex world has developed. The art does change a bit over time. The figure drawing improves, and the use of gray tones becomes more complex. The book ends with a lot of unresolved plot threads. We're promised there will be more, but the last issue of Xenozoic was created in 1996, so I'm not holding my breath.

[Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute blast!

There were a lot of black and white indie comics that came out of the late 80s. Some of them are better remembered than others. Despite getting turned into the cartoon Cadillacs and Dinosaurs this one has faded a bit into obscurity, and that's a shame. I think part of the problem is the fact it ends mid story arc, but don't let that deter you. If you're at all interested in the concept of a post apocalyptic world where dinosaurs have returned you owe it to yourself to read this.

It's super pulpy, at times a bit trashy, but as the series progresses it quickly finds its legs and develops both the characters and the stories in interesting ways. This comic is a very good example of something being way better than it has any right to be.

This version is arguably the best way to read it. Most issues of the original comic contained backup stories drawn by artist Steve Stiles. Those are regrettably absent here, however none of them are essential reading and the series works just fine without them. The stuff that is collected is perfectly restored and printed with the utmost care. The art is all black and white, and in this collection it is absolutely stunning.

And if you're worried about the incomplete story never fear, Mark Schultz has confirmed he's well on his way to writing a finale for the story, hopefully we don't have to wait much longer to see the end!

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I wish he would have finished it, considering it ends in the middle of a story arc. The art is incredible; it is black-and-white (I never realized how much could be expressed through the use of two colors until reading this series), it improves over the course of the story, and the author does an incredible job of space utilization. The first time or two I read it (via the Dark Horse compilations), I never noticed how much he was able to put into "just" facial expressions, but this time around I looked more closely at the artwork and enjoyed the amount of detail I did not realize existed in some of the pictures. Actually, I guess if you include various "shades of grey" mixed in with the mostly black-and-white artwork, there are more than "just" two colors being used in to illustrate the stories. In any case, the artist is amazing in how truly "unlimited" he is "despite" using "just" black-and-white for colors.

The stories start out pretty short; it looked like there might have been 2-3 stories per comic in the early issues. As the series progressed, he did start writing "longer stories" for each issue and the number of stories dropped per issue, but it still works. Most of the stories are self-contained and can be read alone (although there are overlaps that might occur a story or two later such as a giant woolly mammoth that chases Jack and Hannah back to his garage in one issue dying after an encounter with some macks an issue or two later after leaving the garage; subsequently, the bones (which are all that remain of its corpse) saves Jack and Hannah during a flash flood; he does this more in the early stories, where an event in one story becomes "important" in a later story).

I loved the concept and the overall story; it was fascinating to read this blending of dinosaurs, giant insects, mammoths and cave bears, human survivors, and how "20th century technology" is blended together in this brave, new world that is fraught with danger. It is an interesting morality tale as well, as the "caretakers" of the future world strive to maintain a better balance between humans and the "natural world" lest another cataclysm befall the planet. I thought the author did a nice job himself of balancing the "ecological/environmental" aspects of the story and the action/adventure parts of the story.

The character development is nicely done as well. Jack Tenrec and Hannah Dundee are the two primary characters over the course of the story with a cast of multiple secondary characters. The characters do not remain static but grow and change and "mature" over the course of the story as they "rub off on each other" throughout their various interactions. I would say Hannah probably changes the most, as Jack still has a stubborn streak and narrowmindedness in him that prevents him from having the greatest influence he possibly could. It takes the "chance encounter" of meeting another "Old Mechanic" to get Jack to really stop being so stubborn and start considering what is going on around him, to be more "politically adept" so that he can become more influential amongst his own tribe, if he ever returns to "The City on the Sea." As it is, he is able to deduce the lay of the land in Wassoon and make new political allies, there, which is probably a big step up for him. I loved how his relationship with Hannah Dundee developed over the course of the series. They start out as being mutually attractive to each other while not being able to stand each other, but become close friends and "lovers" by the 14th issue. Sadly, this is where the series "ended" and no further issues have been published. I had read that the author is working on a hardcover graphic novel that will supposedly tie up the loose ends and finish the story; hopefully it does. In any case, I came to love these characters and some of the secondary characters (like Mustapha Cairo) who show up with some regularity.

It is funny seeing the skyscrapers of what I assume to be NYC rising out of the waters like they do. I would have assumed that the relentlessness of the ocean tides, currents, and waves would have destroyed these man-made towers "long ago," on the one hand, but it still adds a nice "other-worldly quality" to the story, giving a sense of it being somewhat "dystopian" in nature. The author's storytelling is so well-done that it is easy to overlook this "oddity" (except that it would probably be said that these skyscrapers are "future skyscrapers" and thus specially designed to withstand the deleterious effects of salt water; in any case, seeing the buildings rise out of the water adds to the otherworldliness of the story).

I assume Wassoon is Washington, DC? (Or, the remains of DC) Wassoon is described as being a city made up of marble buildings and DC has a lot of marble structures in it. In any case, Wassoon lies to the south of The City on the Sea. The differences between the two groups of people were interesting, as the Wassoon have no written books and have to commit their history to memory. I do not know how their "Old Blood Mechanics" function, but they obviously have skills and abilities, too. From little was shown of Wassoon, I never got the impression they were as "technologically advanced" as Tenrec's tribe, which was fine. It also seemed like the Wassoon were more adept at living in harmony with nature and the environment than the people of the City on the Sea.

I found myself wondering if Fessendon's station was in Florida, except that it would have meant that Tenrec and his group would have passed through Wassoon territory to reach the murky land where Fessendon had set up his lab. That was a creep story! How these people gave up their humanity in order to live more in tune with nature in this swampland area that they controlled! It did remind me of some of the old E.C. Comics I had read a while back (now those were some dark, twisted stories!). That was probably one of the more horrific parts of the story, followed by the "Island of Invertebrates" that Jack and Hannah landed on while trying to flee to Wassoon by boat (I think it was the "Primeval" storyline, if memory serves me correctly). They were crazy stories and well-told.

I did find it funny how many more men seemed to appear in these stories, even as background characters, than women. I would have thought there would have been a significant number of women; significantly more than appear. At least, in the City on the Sea. It did seem like there were more women drawn and represented in the Wassoon tribe. Not so much as "secondary main figures" or "government figures" but common people. Even when it shows Jack and/or Hannah walking amongst the general population of the City on the Sea, there does not seem to be very many younger women or single women or even married women (with children) in the background. They do show up, from time-to-time, but it still seemed to stand out to me this time around while reading.

Also, Hannah is adopted by her Wassoon parents, but her "sister" Hepzibah bears quite a strong resemblance to Hannah. I thought that was a little odd as well, especially as I did not feel like her sister looked anything like Hannah's adopted parents. It honestly made me wonder if they'd adopted another orphan, like they were said to have done with Hannah.

I found myself wishing that Hermes had shown up in some future issues. He was a pretty crazy character to include in the first issue, and I wish he had appeared in more issues. I think it would have been both fun and interesting had the author included "him."

I found myself wishing that this printing had included the other "short stories" that were printed in each comic as well. Granted, I only know about these "short stories" because they appear in my copies of Dinosaur Shaman and Time in Overdrive. I still think it would have been nice (and beneficial) if they had been included in this compilation, but that is just my own opinion. I think part of that has to do with how some of these "short stories" expand upon events mentioned in the primary storyline (such as how Mustapha Cairo discovers a newly-constructed aqueduct was built merely to put water into a crooked governor's private aquifer, and he destroys it accordingly).

I think one of the "better" stories has to do with how Jack Tenrec gets stranded in "the wilds" and has an injured "cutter" hunting him down. Jack finally finds himself cornered on a tree stump in a swamp and watches in horror as the meat-eater draws ever closer to him. (The carnivore's jaw had been broken somehow and it had trouble killing animals and feeding itself as a result of its injury.) Right before the injured creature kills Jack, a bigger carnivore (a shivat) rises out of the swamp behind the cutter and kills it, thus saving Jack's life. It was a great story and Jack's responses were some of the better representations of his behavior and outlook on life in the series.

It is a fun story to revisit and read straight through in one collection. This collection is nice as it also has a brief "introductory" story that "perfectly" describes the relationship between Jack and Hannah. It also has a brief introduction by Craig Elliot. The two Dark Horse compilations had a few more "Easter Eggs" in them, but the size of the collection is larger than the Dark Horse set, which I felt helps improve the artwork, overall, because of the larger paper size. I am glad that I revisited it (although I may go back and reread by Kitchen Sink compilations just because of the additional short stories they have in them). It is a great series and I hope that he "finally" gets around to wrapping it up (although I'd much prefer it continuing onward with more stories and adventures).

[Jeral Rivarola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historieta pulp de calidad sin guiones muy complicados, pero aquí la gracia está en ver como Schultz mejora en cada número. Al principio las ilustraciones son más cartoon, más de tira diaria... pero para la última... uff, qué composiciones, qué arte en cada cuadro. Es una pena que Schultz dejara inconclusa la historia cuando todo apuntaba a un final grandioso.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Schultz creates an intriguing world in which humanity lives in a world recovering from a world-wide ecological tragedy. Humans live in settlements in the remnants of major cities, while the suburbs and further out have turned into primeval forests and jungles, complete with dinosaurs and other pre-historic creatures. This world is guided by old blood mechanics, specialists in restoring and running pre-cataclysmic technology, who are also charged with preventing any future ecological disasters. This story covers the struggles of one old blood mechanic who is trying to keep those who are looking to exploit the land for wealth and power in check. The premise is very interesting and some of the stories are some of the best pulp science fiction you will read. The art is overall very good, but at times characters will look a little weird, but it's nothing that will distract from the story too much.

[Gabriel Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an entertaining graphic novel to read! Mark Schultz's Xenozoic was definitely worth the read. The storyline was intriguing and the illustrations were beautiful. As a matter of fact, the art kept getting better and better the further I read. Mark Schultz got his inspirations from both of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan and Pellucidar series, Robert E. Howard's Conan series, H.P. Lovecraft, and King Kong. Xenozoic is a story about Hannah Dundee and Jack Tenrec, who face difficult odds in a world destroyed by an ecological disaster. Dinosaurs roam the earth, politicians are cutthroat, scientists create evil means to make themselves powerful; there is backstabbing, a humanoid lizard race, gigantic spiders, ocean travel, and much more. Do I recommend Xenozoic? I do. Read it!

[Beau Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finests pieces of comic book work you will ever find. Schultz is a true master craftsman in the vein of Frazetta, Krenkel and Williamson! A must for anyone that loves adventure, science fiction and incredible line art.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure, I already owned the two-book Dark Horse collections, but what the hell - Flesk puts together great books, and I'd have all of Xenozoic in one book. Of course I got it again!

If you've seen Mark Schultz's artwork, you already know there probably isn't a better artist working today. It's great to see how far he's come - in the earliest chapters, his people are inconsistent and sometimes awkward. Pretty soon, though, everything is just jaw-dropping gorgeous.

Schultz is a pretty solid writer in general, and Xenozoic is probably his strongest writing. Good pulp adventure - cars, dinosaurs, rugged men and sexy women - with good pacing, nice twists, and a terrific, slowly unfolding back story. Add in a thread of environmentalism, as the balance between society's progress and the natural world is always at the forefront of the series, and you have a very special comic book series.

[Johnathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection of Mark Schultz's now classic "Xenozoic" comic exploring a unique post-apocalyptic world of Cadillacs and dinosaurs. The world of Xenozoic is unique, as humans struggle to rebuild using old and new technologies, with fantastic characters in Jack Tenrec, the stalwart mechanic, and Hannah Dundee, the Wasson ambassador looking to improve the world. While Schultz's story and characters are compelling, the real appeal is a brilliant art, rivaling that of the late, great Wally Wood and only getting better as the series progresses, depicting a beautiful world of cars and monsters. A true classic comic now and a must read for those who haven't tried it yet.

[Daniel Stekloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this pulpy future dinosaur adventure series. The art gets 5 out of 5 stars for me. I wish there was more like it. The story was good, it got better as it went. Though definitely a pulp-like story, it had modern sensibilities in terms of the main female character being strong, having her own opinion, and not just being a damsel in distress. The only reason this isn't 5 out of 5 is because the story - while I enjoyed it - didn't really excite me. I enjoyed it and thought it was good, but not spectacular.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been a couple of comics I've read in the last decade that started in the 80s, and I never got around to reading. Ones that when I finally read them, I was mad that I waited 40+ years to finally read them. Usagi Yojimbo. Elfquest. And Now Xenozic Tales. The book is written and beautifully illustrated by Mark Schultz. Engaging, and again, some of the best artwork ever in comics. If you have not read this, check it out.

[Matthew J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, beautifully illustrated homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs and Golden Age comics, Mark Schultz's Xenozoic is a blast to read. It features some complicated characters, a deep backstory, and exciting action. Dinosaurs, fast cars, hidden cities, political intrigue, and lots of danger. Sometimes, I come across a book that was tailor made for me. This is such a book.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely cool. But also disappointing. It ends abruptly and there is no great reason to hope that more will be coming. Are the characters super interesting? well not really. But there are lots of layers to the world-building. And the art always adds lots. The whole thing has a pulp feel to it, which is not necessarily what I'm looking for, but works in this book. And I want more.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely reprinting of an old favorite.

[Rocco Versaci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to revisit “Cadillacs and Dinosaurs,” which I remember with fondness from the 90s!

[Luis García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pfffff ❤

[William O’Pomegranate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two thirds of this series are short episodic stories. It then transforms into a long arc form story and the arc is left incomplete. The story captures a very pulp novel feel. It for the most part works even if the characters aren’t all that likeable.

[Thresk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The daunting evolutionary transformation which Schulz' draftsmanship underwent in the course of the few years these stories were produced represents the most dramatic and rapid evolution of artistic skill I can think of in (fine) comics art.

The early stories, beginning in 1986, show an illustrator already flourishing in his grasp of the fundamentals of comic art, one of the variant schools of what Dave Sim terms "stylized cartoon realism". But in the short decade to follow, Schultz would grow to become not only one of the premier comics illustrators of his generation but one of the medium's paragons, exhibiting a mastery of traditional graphite-and-india-ink illustration so wholly eclipsing his earlier skill as to seemingly belong to a different creator entirely. This progression is so gradual as to be almost imperceptible, but at some point in the latter half of the book I found myself increasingly arrested by each new panel, studying the refined technique and composition of each image with more than usual appreciative scrutiny; I already knew I was reading an immensely enjoyable pulp genre-mashup, but I was unprepared for the sophistication of the scenery and with the final few chapters I came to realize what a special book Xenozoic is.

Almost as enjoyable a surprise as his inhuman technical maturation was the discovery that Schultz' storytelling and worldbuilding skills are unusually well-developed and immersive for a world-class visual artist (starkly contrasting with the work of another technical master whose work I recently read for the first time, Dave Stevens, whose plotting & storytelling are by his own admission perfunctory and 100% improvised page-by-page). Schultz cultivated a compelling genre-fiction canon and roster of characters which, I'm delighted to learn, are still alive under his pen and will be seeing release sometime in the (hopefully near) future in the first Xenozoic book in many years.

[Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me want to make comics. Xenozoic is a simple, single author title beautifully illustrated and with concise story telling. Borrowing (and sometimes, Schultz admits, swiping) his art from the legends of the EC stable (Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and Frank Frazetta), Schultz tells exactly the tale he wants without conforming to industry standards. He finds a way to incorporate all of the story elements he wants to draw (dinosaurs, 50's hot-rod cars, damsels in distress), even if some of those things wouldn't normally pair well together, and tells fills only as many pages as he feels the story requires without adding filler pages. Story page counts ranged from 9 to 22 pages.

The only thing holding this book back from a 5-star rating is that the story IS NOT FINISHED. The final issue ends on a "to be continued" (even naming the title of the next issue "The Low Road Home"), however that final issue was published in 1996. Schultz supposedly intends to finish Xenozoic, however, a nearly 20 year hiatus is probably the kiss of death for this book. Perhaps the recent publication of Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales: Artist's Edition paired with a spotlighted appearance at San Diego Comic Con 2013 will stoke the fires and renew his interest in this project?

[Jason Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover image I see on the site here doesn't exactly match the one I got from Flex... basically the cover is the only thing not to like about this book! There is something brutally 50's about Mark Schultz's art style and story style in these stories from the 80's and 90's. It all looks like it really could have come out of Wally Wood's studio! But I get the feeling that as Schultz developed as an artist he deliberately decided that this stuff was too juvenile. The illustration on this new cover has a fluid manly style more reminiscent of Al Williamson, and the logo has a distressed "graphic design" feel -- both of these elements seem geared at attracting a more mature, discerning, sophisticated reader to the Xenozoic Tales. But why? If you're the kind of person who's gonna love the crazy adventures of popped-out eyeballs and ravenous dinosaurs on the inside then the cover might as well match.

So buy it, and tear off the cover!

[Thomas Vree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has a definite 50’s pulp feel to it. Centuries into the future, after a great cataclysm of some kind, dinosaurs once again roam the earth, as well as people. With an ancient city rising from the water, and master mechanic/adventurer Jack Tenrec, who has managed to get a warehouse of old Cadillacs working again. With Hanna Dundee, a brainy, voluptuous babe with a gun belt on her hips, they get up to all sorts of adventures. (Tell me what story wouldn’t be improved by a well armed, smart, buxom hotty? I know my life would be infinitely better if I had such a being in it.)

One thing I noticed is that the story was done over quite a few years. I suspect the author/artist worked on it between other gigs. His art definitely gets better and a lot tighter as the years go on.

This was also released elsewhere as Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. There is also a second volume to this that I am trying to find.

Liked this a whole lot. Great art, fun story.

[Adriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Mark Schultz is now one of my favorite comic artists. I was lucky enough to get in on the reprint Kickstarter for this book along with his new illustration journal Carbon.

Xenozoic is a action adventure in the tradition of the great pulp comics, set in a post apocalyptic world where due to environmental degredation society had collapsed and dinosaurs have re-evolved to the new environmental reset. The story follows old blood mechanic/shaman Jack Tenrec and his adventurous ambassador friend Hannah Dundee. Lots of adventure, political intrigue, and sexy people. The other great thing about this story is although his style starts out bold and brash I feel like it gets better and better as the stories go on. At the beginning it seems like he pushes the curve and stretch a bit too much but by the last story the style is more realistic.

I highly recommend this book/series to anyone who likes comics, dinosaurs, adventures, or post-apocalyptic fiction.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book collects the entire run of the Kitchen Sink Comics version of Xenozoic Tales which was written and drawn by Mark Schultz. It is an absolute feast for the eyes, art-wise and the script is remarkably tight, considering he was putting out an individual issue of the series every two years.

It is nothing short of brilliant, and it makes an ideal companion to my IDW artist's edition that is the crown jewel of my collection!

[Jay Feria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulp Golden Age of Comics-styled art, with a "Doc Savage"-esque hero in a far-flung future where dinosaurs have risen from the ashes of civilizations collapse, and he rides the landscape saving the remnants of humanity aboard his souped-up Cadillac.

Xenosoic is an unfinished and incomplete collection of the series that inspired the TV series and videogames "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs", but still is one of the greatest collection of adventure stories to exist.

Important reading

[Periklis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pulpy comic book fun. This arc is narrated in short "vignettes" (stories 10 to 20 pages long) and Schultz's artwork transforms dramatically especially in the last five stories. Hope there is another omnibus from Flesk, collecting further "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" tales...