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Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1-4
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Vol. 1: Conquest
Shunned from his tribe, a young Native American named Turok fights to survive, making a lonely life for himself in the unforgiving forest. But his hard-won cunning and survival skills face the ultimate test when man-eating Thunder Lizards attack his people! Why are dinosaurs here? How have they survived? And will Turok use his abilities to save a society that's taken everything away from him? Prepare for history-twisting carnage from superstar Greg Pak (Batman/Superman) and Mirko Colak (Conan)! Collecting issues #1-4 along with the original script to issue #1 and a complete cover gallery featuring the art of Bart Sears, Jae Lee, Jonathan Case, Rob Liefeld, Sean Chen, Bob Layton, and many more!
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2014
42 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Greg Pak
1,662 books587 followersGreg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 24, 2015
Turok is a Native American living in an alternate Manhattan in 1210 AD. Shunned by his tribe for something to do with his dead parents, he hides out in the forest alone. Then one day English Crusaders arrive demanding gold - and they’ve brought a surprise weapon with them: dinosaurs, or “Thunder Lizards”!
Aside from vaguely recalling a SNES game called Turok, I know nothing at all about the character. He’s Turok and he hunts dinosaurs! Writer Greg Pak shows us that there’s not a whole lot else to the character with this book. Turok’s an emo pariah in a village full of modern-day speaking Native American jocks who’s basically just sitting around waiting for Pak to get on with the story. Luckily the always-evil English arrive so the reader is treated to some unremarkable dino action.
The characters are woefully underwritten with Turok being an exception, though even he’s not that memorable a protagonist with his murky past and unconvincing motivations (why’s he saving them again?). The story is both predictable and generic (gold as the bad guy’s aim - really?), not to mention contrived – after spending a couple days in each other’s company, some characters can conveniently speak the other’s language! It doesn’t help that Mirko Colak and Cory Smith’s art renders all the Native American characters the same way so you can’t tell them apart. You know who Turok is because he’s got the punk-y haircut.
Like a lot of Pak’s comics, Turok was boring and left me indifferent towards the series. This first volume is an unexciting, forgettable venture featuring a one-dimensional character.
Aside from vaguely recalling a SNES game called Turok, I know nothing at all about the character. He’s Turok and he hunts dinosaurs! Writer Greg Pak shows us that there’s not a whole lot else to the character with this book. Turok’s an emo pariah in a village full of modern-day speaking Native American jocks who’s basically just sitting around waiting for Pak to get on with the story. Luckily the always-evil English arrive so the reader is treated to some unremarkable dino action.
The characters are woefully underwritten with Turok being an exception, though even he’s not that memorable a protagonist with his murky past and unconvincing motivations (why’s he saving them again?). The story is both predictable and generic (gold as the bad guy’s aim - really?), not to mention contrived – after spending a couple days in each other’s company, some characters can conveniently speak the other’s language! It doesn’t help that Mirko Colak and Cory Smith’s art renders all the Native American characters the same way so you can’t tell them apart. You know who Turok is because he’s got the punk-y haircut.
Like a lot of Pak’s comics, Turok was boring and left me indifferent towards the series. This first volume is an unexciting, forgettable venture featuring a one-dimensional character.
February 5, 2026
This series surprised me in that it was better than I expected. In this timeline dinosaurs still exist and the English have domesticated them. The English land on Manhattan for the first time. From that point it's Native Americans vs. the English.
January 8, 2021
Genuine question: was this always the premise of the Turok title, or did the writer/editorial decide to give it this alt-history direction?
In any case it wasn't a hit for me, though one would think a tale of fighting deadly dinos and colonization would have been my jam.
Meh.
In any case it wasn't a hit for me, though one would think a tale of fighting deadly dinos and colonization would have been my jam.
Meh.
April 10, 2017
As I continue along my re-interpretation read of Gold Key Characters ahead of Sovereigns from Dynamite Publishing (issue 1 came out last week) I'm left more and more with the feeling of why can't companies (or maybe it's the creative staff too) keep on re-booting these properties. Because, while this is not a bad story it would possibly have been better and fresher as new property, not another re-telling of Turok's tale.
This version eschews most of the previous incarnations of Turok. No lost/hidden valley. No noble native american stereotype. Nope, not to be found here.
Instead this Turok is an outcast from his adoptive tribe circa 1210 North America New York. Things get interesting when crusaders appear on the shore, and among the beasts that they offload from their ship are dinosaurs. Which is where the dinosaur hunter part comes in.
A decent enough tale, and I enjoyed the idea of making this a complete AU history.
This version eschews most of the previous incarnations of Turok. No lost/hidden valley. No noble native american stereotype. Nope, not to be found here.
Instead this Turok is an outcast from his adoptive tribe circa 1210 North America New York. Things get interesting when crusaders appear on the shore, and among the beasts that they offload from their ship are dinosaurs. Which is where the dinosaur hunter part comes in.
A decent enough tale, and I enjoyed the idea of making this a complete AU history.
September 4, 2014
AND HE'S NOT IN THE LATE 1950's ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is his new make-over:
AND IT'S SCARY. NOT LIKE LEGIT SCARY---HE JUST LOOKS TERRIFYING.
Which helps me think that this book is a mix mash-up of the following elements:
a) Mel Gibson's Apocalypto
and
b) Manifest Destiny Vol. 1
and
c) Some parts Kingdom of Heaven: "GOD WILLS IT!"
Yes, I could go spouting off tons of non-fiction and literary fiction readalikes---BUT THAT'S NO FUN! Let's talk about Turok's new adventures:
Turok volume 1 summed up is following Turok who hunts Dinos after the Europeans come [by force bringing Dinos] to take-over an indigenous tribes land in the name of religion: BUT NO REALLY THO, IN THE NAME OF GOLD.
WHO WILL SAVE US---WHO IS OUR HERO *ECHO* HERO! HERO!?!
Turok is this isolated and bullied tribe member that has a passion with animals. He's sorta like Beastmaster on a whole new bezerker destructo level. Anyway, Turok is out to survive all alone, but he is grappling with himself as he feels some obligation towards his people who are currently being terrorized by old-school English knights.
And with that....Turok is out to save the day, and ultimately, convey
Thanks for the ARC NetGalley.
July 27, 2018
Turok and Andar are mortal enemies, but they are the only ones from their Native-American tribe not captured by... crusaders with dinosaurs?!?! That's almost as confusing as the exaggerated use of thick, black lines in the artwork. Why the artist would choose to sometimes cover a character's whole face with a pitch-black shadow is beyond me. The Crusaders demand gold, but the Native-Americans speak a different language, so the dinosaurs are released.
The story follows a Rambo-like Turok who wants to help his tribe even though it exiled him. His familiarity with the land and his willingness to nurse one of the crusader's wounded dinosaurs back to health are going to help him in his struggle against the invaders. The comic sadly doesn't excel at anything but showing how little respect the crusaders have for what they perceive as a backwards community they must enslave and steal from. The author didn't seem to take advange of Turok's heritage, the crusaders' background other than their victory in Jerusalem. He also didn't humanize or make any character likable. This is really only 'injuns versus dinosaurs.' At least it's a fast read.
The story follows a Rambo-like Turok who wants to help his tribe even though it exiled him. His familiarity with the land and his willingness to nurse one of the crusader's wounded dinosaurs back to health are going to help him in his struggle against the invaders. The comic sadly doesn't excel at anything but showing how little respect the crusaders have for what they perceive as a backwards community they must enslave and steal from. The author didn't seem to take advange of Turok's heritage, the crusaders' background other than their victory in Jerusalem. He also didn't humanize or make any character likable. This is really only 'injuns versus dinosaurs.' At least it's a fast read.
February 18, 2017
Impressive artwork. His fellow native Americans tease him, but Turok is naturally a stronger, cleverer, nobler warrior than them. Fresh from battles in the Holy Land, the English invade the New World bringing dinosaurs with them. (Yeah, a lot of timeline problems there and a touch of Dan Brown-style conspiracy theories, but try not to overthink it). Turok has to outwit the invaders and come up with a way to use the dinosaurs to his advantage. Volume 1 includes the first four issues and Greg Pak’s script for the first issue, plus bonus artwork. Those bonus features offer an interesting glimpse into the making of this reimagined contemporary version of the classic Turok series.
July 5, 2023
I grew up obsessed with dinosaurs, and so I was introduced to the character of Turok by my father. I even tried to play the 2008 video game, but I wasn't very good at it. This reimagining of the character emphasizes conflict between Native Americans and violent Christian settlers, with a lot of dinosaur action and yet very little thematically related to the paleontological creatures. It's a swift collection of comics, which will likely appeal to those who want to forge prehistoric animals with human beasts.
December 9, 2018
Mixed feelings here - I like the art except for the ridiculous feathers on some of the dinos. That is disputed by many and proven by none- it looks stupid and only has scant possibilities of being accurate.
Pak seems to have something against all religion. At first, because of the hateful way Catholics are portrayed, I thought he was just against those he thinks are Christians [he's definitely into strawman territory here] but he hated the tribal religions as well and made Turok [the hero] an atheist.
Having grown up reading the Turok and Andar stories I was very disappointed to find them at odds. Why not just bring in new characters if you are going to change the canonicity of the previous stories. This is not a retelling, it is a reimagining- sometimes that can be good, but NOT always.
Pak seems to have something against all religion. At first, because of the hateful way Catholics are portrayed, I thought he was just against those he thinks are Christians [he's definitely into strawman territory here] but he hated the tribal religions as well and made Turok [the hero] an atheist.
Having grown up reading the Turok and Andar stories I was very disappointed to find them at odds. Why not just bring in new characters if you are going to change the canonicity of the previous stories. This is not a retelling, it is a reimagining- sometimes that can be good, but NOT always.
November 29, 2015
Big disappointment. This book has a great premise: Medieval English knights bring dinosaurs to the New World to fight Native American tribes. But the execution of this idea is a total disaster. The writing is inconsistent. The art is all over the place. The comic is littered with continuity errors. I hated every one the characters. The fact that there were dinosaurs in it could not save this comic from itself. This is the second dinosaur-related title from Dynamite Comics that I've read. Both were massively disappointing! As a dinosaur enthusiast I'd love to see new, well-written dinosaur comics. But Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is most certainly not what I'm looking for.
December 26, 2018
Las historias que escribe Greg Pak me suelen gustar mucho por lo general, por lo que este reboot del clásico de Gold Key ya tenía posibilidades a priori para mí.
Me adentro en el primer número y, si bien la historia me parece genial de inicio, es absolutamente distinta a lo que conocía del personaje.
Turok es un adolescente, lo que me no me desagrada, aunque es un poco el encontrarse una aventura de Superboy cuando pensabas encontrarte a Superman.
Sin desvelar contenidos de la historia, diré que no vamos a vivir las aventuras de un valle recóndito que escapó al tiempo y en el que podemos encontrar a bestias prehistóricas.
Obviamente, las bestias sí estarán (solo con el título de la colección es evidente). Pero el valle ya no será tal, pues el planteamiento será que la acción transcurra en el siglo XIII, y en lugar de un valle vamos a pensar en todo el planeta. Y ya puestos, imaginemos que los ingleses descubrieran América más de un siglo antes de que Colón llegara al Caribe.
Historia ficción que suena ridícula, pero que Greg Pak sabe narrar con la corrección y dosis de aventura que uno necesita para divertirse. Y, encima, un dibujo bastante más que correcto.
Lo único que el primer ciclo de historia que contempla este tomo no deja muchas perspectivas cara a próximas entregas y se limita a una presentación de los personajes tanto ingleses como americanos.
Un tanto flojo para lo que me esperaba, la verdad.
Me adentro en el primer número y, si bien la historia me parece genial de inicio, es absolutamente distinta a lo que conocía del personaje.
Turok es un adolescente, lo que me no me desagrada, aunque es un poco el encontrarse una aventura de Superboy cuando pensabas encontrarte a Superman.
Sin desvelar contenidos de la historia, diré que no vamos a vivir las aventuras de un valle recóndito que escapó al tiempo y en el que podemos encontrar a bestias prehistóricas.
Obviamente, las bestias sí estarán (solo con el título de la colección es evidente). Pero el valle ya no será tal, pues el planteamiento será que la acción transcurra en el siglo XIII, y en lugar de un valle vamos a pensar en todo el planeta. Y ya puestos, imaginemos que los ingleses descubrieran América más de un siglo antes de que Colón llegara al Caribe.
Historia ficción que suena ridícula, pero que Greg Pak sabe narrar con la corrección y dosis de aventura que uno necesita para divertirse. Y, encima, un dibujo bastante más que correcto.
Lo único que el primer ciclo de historia que contempla este tomo no deja muchas perspectivas cara a próximas entregas y se limita a una presentación de los personajes tanto ingleses como americanos.
Un tanto flojo para lo que me esperaba, la verdad.
March 5, 2021
Years ago I picked up one or two issues of the classic Turok Son of Stone comics from the 1950s, and I rather liked them. They had great art and likable characters. I later played a bit of the Turok games on Nintendo 64, and while I never finished any of them (the later levels of Turok 2 were really frustrating), I had some good memories with them.
This reimagining, though, didn't work for me very well. It has some interesting ideas, but I can't say they were executed in a very interesting way. Basically in this version Turok is an outcast in a Native American tribe far in the past, and while his tribe tries to reintegrate him, he WANTS to be alone and rejects everyone. Then a group of British knights show up searching for gold and sick their pet dinosaurs on the Native Americans.
Basically the whiteys are totally evil and unsympathetic, but I can't say I really liked the Native American characters much either. The art is detailed and has some cool scenes, but it didn't quite click with me either. I thought a lot of the covers were really cool-looking, though.
My conclusion was that writing good comics is hard.
This reimagining, though, didn't work for me very well. It has some interesting ideas, but I can't say they were executed in a very interesting way. Basically in this version Turok is an outcast in a Native American tribe far in the past, and while his tribe tries to reintegrate him, he WANTS to be alone and rejects everyone. Then a group of British knights show up searching for gold and sick their pet dinosaurs on the Native Americans.
Basically the whiteys are totally evil and unsympathetic, but I can't say I really liked the Native American characters much either. The art is detailed and has some cool scenes, but it didn't quite click with me either. I thought a lot of the covers were really cool-looking, though.
My conclusion was that writing good comics is hard.
May 10, 2017
Wow. I was not expecting these four issues to be this good. I went in expecting a little nostalgia, maybe some fan service and a few throwbacks to those hours whiled away playing the game on N64. Instead I got a downright stirring tale blending fantasy and history, actual character development, and some badass voice-over moments. If anyone ever gets around to adapting the Turok property to the big screen, this should be the starting point.
December 13, 2017
Unexpectedly enjoyable
Greg Pak's reboot of Turok is fascinating: a Catholic England invades North America with dinosaurs... It's just insane enough to work. Pak's work here reminds of his run with the Eternal Warrior for the new Valiant line. One misses these Gold Key characters being part of that tightly knit universe, but this run breathes life into them and gives the arcs a lot more freedom than they would have had in such a tightly knit and coherent comic universe.
Greg Pak's reboot of Turok is fascinating: a Catholic England invades North America with dinosaurs... It's just insane enough to work. Pak's work here reminds of his run with the Eternal Warrior for the new Valiant line. One misses these Gold Key characters being part of that tightly knit universe, but this run breathes life into them and gives the arcs a lot more freedom than they would have had in such a tightly knit and coherent comic universe.
September 8, 2020
Turok makes the 5 yo inside me smile
I grew up in Bismarck ND. My first memory of comics was getting a 3 pack of Gold Key comics from Ben Franklin dime store. It had An anthology comic with stories that I could only read during the day. It had Magnus which was my first exposure to martial arts and it had Turok. Native Americans were the heroes and they were fighting dinosaurs. I was hooked. This book brings back fond memories.
I grew up in Bismarck ND. My first memory of comics was getting a 3 pack of Gold Key comics from Ben Franklin dime store. It had An anthology comic with stories that I could only read during the day. It had Magnus which was my first exposure to martial arts and it had Turok. Native Americans were the heroes and they were fighting dinosaurs. I was hooked. This book brings back fond memories.
July 28, 2024
Not bad, a different take on Turok with English crusaders bringing the dino baddies to the Americas during 1210. Turok is an outsider from another tribe and is looked down on. It seems the story still has yet to kick up, despite the carnage in the first four issues. Turok has uttered only a few lines. We’ll see where this leads…
September 1, 2019
This is about a Native American warrior who fights dinosaurs. It made me very happy.
November 7, 2019
Liked the use of negative and positive in the artwork, as well as fade effects.
March 18, 2022
I came into this expecting Turok to fight dinosaurs. I got Turok fighting a dinosaur and some fun alternative history.
April 4, 2023
I love this graphic novel series
Dinosaurs. Give me anything with dinosaurs and my nerdy autistic heart will be wicked happy. Art style is great. Story is good.
Dinosaurs. Give me anything with dinosaurs and my nerdy autistic heart will be wicked happy. Art style is great. Story is good.
June 24, 2024
Puffff, crusaders releasing dinosaurs.... C'mon
January 2, 2018
You can also view this review on my blog here: https://liabooks89.blogspot.com/2017/...
My personal experience with the Turok franchise has only been through brief moments playing the 2008 XBOX360 video game (http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-3... - for more information on this VERY different game).. Suffice to say, I was not at all prepared for the amazing journey ahead of me. I generally pick up anything that has a dinosaur on it, is about a dinosaur, or somehow involves treating dinosaurs nicely, so when I saw the horrific display of 'manhood' on the cover of Conquest, I was intrigued, but worried. Ultimately, I should have only been worried about whoever was against Turok and his soon-to-be-friend dinosaur companions.
I have always been fascinated with Disney's Pocahontas and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto for the same reason. (SPOILER WARNING FOR APOCALYPTO, KIND OF?) Both films/concepts introduce an interpretation of native, less technologically advanced human life in a region before European settlers came into the fray. Conquest depicts an even more alternate history version in which not only are Europeans coming to take over the land and displace natives, but they have brought along DINOSAURS to help do their bidding. It's not all as bad for the dinosaurs as the cover leads you to believe, and I really enjoyed the use of dinosaurs in a way that isn't simply scientific experimentation or time warping. I also really enjoyed the use of somewhat diluted and washed out colors in this graphic novel as a way of emoting exactly how dark and hopeless most of the storyline is. The content in the images was on full display, versus using bright, flashy colors to simply display the actual artwork itself (although the artwork itself was also very impressive).
My personal experience with the Turok franchise has only been through brief moments playing the 2008 XBOX360 video game (http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-3... - for more information on this VERY different game).. Suffice to say, I was not at all prepared for the amazing journey ahead of me. I generally pick up anything that has a dinosaur on it, is about a dinosaur, or somehow involves treating dinosaurs nicely, so when I saw the horrific display of 'manhood' on the cover of Conquest, I was intrigued, but worried. Ultimately, I should have only been worried about whoever was against Turok and his soon-to-be-friend dinosaur companions.
I have always been fascinated with Disney's Pocahontas and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto for the same reason. (SPOILER WARNING FOR APOCALYPTO, KIND OF?) Both films/concepts introduce an interpretation of native, less technologically advanced human life in a region before European settlers came into the fray. Conquest depicts an even more alternate history version in which not only are Europeans coming to take over the land and displace natives, but they have brought along DINOSAURS to help do their bidding. It's not all as bad for the dinosaurs as the cover leads you to believe, and I really enjoyed the use of dinosaurs in a way that isn't simply scientific experimentation or time warping. I also really enjoyed the use of somewhat diluted and washed out colors in this graphic novel as a way of emoting exactly how dark and hopeless most of the storyline is. The content in the images was on full display, versus using bright, flashy colors to simply display the actual artwork itself (although the artwork itself was also very impressive).
September 17, 2014
Nostalgia made me pick up this graphic novel. Let's be honest, Turok was a part of my childhood. In the late 90's, I remember popping this game into my Nintendo 64 and loving the awesome graphics. I hoped for some of that old excitement to come pouring back in while I read this graphic novel. I wanted epic dinosaur battles, and plenty of action. I got some of that, but this wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Turok is a character that has been revamped more than a few times. First in comic books, then in the multiple video games that contained his character. I knew there was a strong possibility that this particular Turok would also be different, and he was. A lone Indian youth, separated from his clan because of some unnamed atrocity committed by his parents. A character who battles between the darkness that loneliness has placed inside him, and the kindness that his parents instilled in him as a child.
I liked this Turok. My biggest issue was that I could never really settle myself into his life. The beginning of this graphic novel was more than a bit confusing. Panels full of pain, and taunting, that didn't coalesce into something I understood. I knew that Turok's parents were dead, that it was the fault of his clan, that he was separate. I just didn't know why. Maybe they're holding on to that for a future issue? The problem was, I needed that information to fully comprehend why Turok was the way he was. Since I didn't have it, I had to take his behavior at face value.
The action in this book was actually rather lacking, which is the reason why I only gave it 3 stars. This first volume combines 7 issues of comics, and nothing all that exciting really happens. There were a few minor battles, the dinosaurs made their debut, but I wasn't feeling the story. My biggest issue, honestly, was that the way the dinosaurs arrived in this area in the first place made no sense to me. It might be different for others, but for me? It's pretty hard to fathom. For the pleasing illustrations, and the nostalgia it brought back, I'll offer up 3 stars to Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Volume 1). I just likely won't be back for more.
Turok is a character that has been revamped more than a few times. First in comic books, then in the multiple video games that contained his character. I knew there was a strong possibility that this particular Turok would also be different, and he was. A lone Indian youth, separated from his clan because of some unnamed atrocity committed by his parents. A character who battles between the darkness that loneliness has placed inside him, and the kindness that his parents instilled in him as a child.
I liked this Turok. My biggest issue was that I could never really settle myself into his life. The beginning of this graphic novel was more than a bit confusing. Panels full of pain, and taunting, that didn't coalesce into something I understood. I knew that Turok's parents were dead, that it was the fault of his clan, that he was separate. I just didn't know why. Maybe they're holding on to that for a future issue? The problem was, I needed that information to fully comprehend why Turok was the way he was. Since I didn't have it, I had to take his behavior at face value.
The action in this book was actually rather lacking, which is the reason why I only gave it 3 stars. This first volume combines 7 issues of comics, and nothing all that exciting really happens. There were a few minor battles, the dinosaurs made their debut, but I wasn't feeling the story. My biggest issue, honestly, was that the way the dinosaurs arrived in this area in the first place made no sense to me. It might be different for others, but for me? It's pretty hard to fathom. For the pleasing illustrations, and the nostalgia it brought back, I'll offer up 3 stars to Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Volume 1). I just likely won't be back for more.
September 17, 2016
When I was a kid many years ago I read a few issues of a comic called Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. In it, a tough, Native American warrior ends up in a primitive world where dinosaurs still survive. I don't remember a lot about the few issues I read other than that I enjoyed the concept and the action. Almost a year ago, I started looking online to see if I could find some omnibus of those original Turok stories. Most of what I found was a new incarnation of it. I passed on that for some time but finally a week or so ago pulled the trigger on this book: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Volume One. I really wish I hadn't, and that I had that money back to spend on something I might like.
Now, I'm sure there are folks who will like this work, but it was clearly not directed at my demographic. First, the primary Native American characters were all essentially good-looking teen hunks like you see in a lot of movies these days. Nary an ordinary looking character in the bunch. And their interactions were written completely in modern dialogue, basically modern teen speak. I thought I'd stumbled into an episode of Glee. The combination of these two things immediately threw me out of the world. Second, although this is "volume one," there clearly seems to be some previous stuff that I've missed because there's a bunch of stuff early on that seems to take the reader's prior knowledge as given. The background needed to understand how and why the events are happening here is almost completely non-existent.
I guess I sound pretty old when I say, "This may be Turok, but it's not my Turok." There was nothing for me here, but perhaps you might be different.
Now, I'm sure there are folks who will like this work, but it was clearly not directed at my demographic. First, the primary Native American characters were all essentially good-looking teen hunks like you see in a lot of movies these days. Nary an ordinary looking character in the bunch. And their interactions were written completely in modern dialogue, basically modern teen speak. I thought I'd stumbled into an episode of Glee. The combination of these two things immediately threw me out of the world. Second, although this is "volume one," there clearly seems to be some previous stuff that I've missed because there's a bunch of stuff early on that seems to take the reader's prior knowledge as given. The background needed to understand how and why the events are happening here is almost completely non-existent.
I guess I sound pretty old when I say, "This may be Turok, but it's not my Turok." There was nothing for me here, but perhaps you might be different.
August 17, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Shunned from his tribe, a young Native American named Turok fights to survive, making a lonely life for himself in the unforgiving forest. But his hard-won cunning and survival skills face the ultimate test when man-eating Thunder Lizards attack his people! Why are dinosaurs here? How have they survived? And will Turok use his abilities to save a society that's taken everything away from him? Prepare for history-twisting carnage from superstar Greg Pak (Batman/Superman) and Mirko Colak (Conan)!
This was a great premise - dinosaurs and Native Americans crossing paths. Plenty of scope for this to have been a cracking story but, unfortunately, it fell a little at the last hurdle - the execution. It is hard to point out exactly what was wrong with the story but something didn't quite gel for me.
The artwork is similar - at times, beautiful. At other times, a bit messy and all over the place. I am no artist - I shouldn't be criticising - but there were times during this book (especially the tribal scenes) when I really had to struggle to tell Turok from the rest of the characters.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book. Just let down somewhat from being inconsistent all the way through.
Paul
ARH
Shunned from his tribe, a young Native American named Turok fights to survive, making a lonely life for himself in the unforgiving forest. But his hard-won cunning and survival skills face the ultimate test when man-eating Thunder Lizards attack his people! Why are dinosaurs here? How have they survived? And will Turok use his abilities to save a society that's taken everything away from him? Prepare for history-twisting carnage from superstar Greg Pak (Batman/Superman) and Mirko Colak (Conan)!
This was a great premise - dinosaurs and Native Americans crossing paths. Plenty of scope for this to have been a cracking story but, unfortunately, it fell a little at the last hurdle - the execution. It is hard to point out exactly what was wrong with the story but something didn't quite gel for me.
The artwork is similar - at times, beautiful. At other times, a bit messy and all over the place. I am no artist - I shouldn't be criticising - but there were times during this book (especially the tribal scenes) when I really had to struggle to tell Turok from the rest of the characters.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book. Just let down somewhat from being inconsistent all the way through.
Paul
ARH
September 28, 2014
'Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Volume 1' is a grand reboot with Native Americans, dinosaurs and knights all squaring off against each other. It was definitely in the fine style of other Turok stories I've read.
Young Turok is shunned by his tribe, which is fine by him since they murdered his parents. Not only that, but some of the tribe want to kill him too, but he's been preparing for this. Before they can carry out their plans, they are surprised by a group of English knights and the strange beasts they have unleashed from their boat. Turok finds himself the reluctant protector of his people.
The story is followed by a script breakdown of the first issue and a pretty extensive cover gallery.
I like this new Turok. He's not afraid to be brutal, which, when you're dealing with dinosaurs and gold-crazed invaders is probably a good thing. The story feels very modern while not losing the essence of the character. I applaud Greg Pak for his writing on that. Art by Mirko Colak is great. It was a fun story and I look forward to more adventures of Turok.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Young Turok is shunned by his tribe, which is fine by him since they murdered his parents. Not only that, but some of the tribe want to kill him too, but he's been preparing for this. Before they can carry out their plans, they are surprised by a group of English knights and the strange beasts they have unleashed from their boat. Turok finds himself the reluctant protector of his people.
The story is followed by a script breakdown of the first issue and a pretty extensive cover gallery.
I like this new Turok. He's not afraid to be brutal, which, when you're dealing with dinosaurs and gold-crazed invaders is probably a good thing. The story feels very modern while not losing the essence of the character. I applaud Greg Pak for his writing on that. Art by Mirko Colak is great. It was a fun story and I look forward to more adventures of Turok.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 5, 2014
This really seems like a minor title to worry about rebooting, but it's been done in an effective way here, with a decent fist at the dinosaurs to be hunted, and the locations in which it all happens, among the merits the book has. There's a good story to be had with the English soldiers, fresh from the Crusades, hitting on twelfth century New York state with their attendant dinosaur weapons, and finding Turok on the verges of his own society yet more than capable of fighting back. It's awkward that both sides are drawn so thinly that beyond a couple of characters here and there the rest are pretty much disposable – Turok's neighbours are very hard to distinguish. It's also awkward that people can suddenly speak each other's language, after about five minutes of trying. It's also awkward that Turok is so much a man of laboured action – one minute he takes a fight to someone, with dinosaurs under his command, the next he's sitting around, thinking of an easy way out. But of course, that's to show he's not the savage here – the British are – and as such the simplistic historical moral of the piece adds something a little unexpected to the general fantasy at play.
November 17, 2016
Turok has got to be one of the more ridiculous books I've read recently. It follows a young Native American that is an outcast from his tribe on the island of Manhattan before it has been settled by Europeans. The tension comes when a ship arrives with a crew that is looking for gold. They've also brought dinosaurs with them.
There is a lot of action in this book, which helps make it a quick read. Turok is pretty adaptable to it all. I think his status as a loner and the skills he shows early on support this ability. How he became shunned isn't presented in much detail. There is just enough to pique the reader's interest and maybe keep you coming back for more. I would have liked more character development in general.
The art is superb. The dinosaurs look awesome and the knights provide a nice feel to the book. These elements are integrated well. The fairly realistic style works perfectly for the setting too. There are some areas for improvement, but it was a fun read that hit a lot of great elements for me.
There is a lot of action in this book, which helps make it a quick read. Turok is pretty adaptable to it all. I think his status as a loner and the skills he shows early on support this ability. How he became shunned isn't presented in much detail. There is just enough to pique the reader's interest and maybe keep you coming back for more. I would have liked more character development in general.
The art is superb. The dinosaurs look awesome and the knights provide a nice feel to the book. These elements are integrated well. The fairly realistic style works perfectly for the setting too. There are some areas for improvement, but it was a fun read that hit a lot of great elements for me.
August 31, 2014
Big fan of the old Gold Key heroes and always check out the new versions when they come up.
Also a big fan of Greg Pak. Great writer.
So, why is comic such a mess?
It's full of good ideas: Indians vs Dinosaurs, Medevil Knights coming to America a couple centuries before white folks were suppose to show up, an interesting, flawed hero etc...
But, the final result is kind of unsatisfying. Turok is interesting, but his sidekick, Andar is annoying, everyone in the cast but Turok is either unlikable and/or uninteresting.
Then we get to the art, which is a bit muddy, so a lot of the tribal scenes it's hard to tell who is who. Not sure if that's the penciler or the inker/colorist, but it doesn't help.
Enough good ideas that I may try another issue down the road, but Pak hasn't quite got it working right.
Also a big fan of Greg Pak. Great writer.
So, why is comic such a mess?
It's full of good ideas: Indians vs Dinosaurs, Medevil Knights coming to America a couple centuries before white folks were suppose to show up, an interesting, flawed hero etc...
But, the final result is kind of unsatisfying. Turok is interesting, but his sidekick, Andar is annoying, everyone in the cast but Turok is either unlikable and/or uninteresting.
Then we get to the art, which is a bit muddy, so a lot of the tribal scenes it's hard to tell who is who. Not sure if that's the penciler or the inker/colorist, but it doesn't help.
Enough good ideas that I may try another issue down the road, but Pak hasn't quite got it working right.
September 15, 2014
This book is the revival of Turok the Native American dinosaur hunter that first appeared in 1954. In this new series the story plays off on the arrival of explorers in search of gold to the new world they deem filled with savages.
With them these explorers bring large reptilian like monsters they unleash on the Natives.
Turok the outcast is the only one with no fear and brave enough to fight them off.
The story is engaging and the illustrations are so cool, I mean who doesn't love dinosaurs. This looks to be a very promising start for a revival of the series, as there is so much potential for where this could all go. This is a must for all who love action and again dinosaurs.
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
With them these explorers bring large reptilian like monsters they unleash on the Natives.
Turok the outcast is the only one with no fear and brave enough to fight them off.
The story is engaging and the illustrations are so cool, I mean who doesn't love dinosaurs. This looks to be a very promising start for a revival of the series, as there is so much potential for where this could all go. This is a must for all who love action and again dinosaurs.
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
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