My Rating
“Last Days – Part 01 of 03”
Some say trouble always comes in threes, and the Challengers of the Unknown are about to get a triple dose.
First, commercial airliners have started blinking in and out of existence like cheap Christmas lights. The disappearances don’t appear random, and investigators believe there may be a pattern. The strangest part is what happens when the aircraft return. Passengers and crew continue on as if nothing happened, unable to remember anything about their missing time. Where are these planes going, and what happens to everyone aboard while they’re gone?
Second, Saxon is back from his little trip into outer space. Shouldn’t he be dead or something? Apparently, death isn’t enough to keep this guy down. His mysterious return becomes even more disturbing when Brenda Ruskin’s college professor turns up dead. What happened to Saxon while he was gone, and how did he manage to kill the professor?
Then we have number three. The leader of the original Challengers of the Unknown has returned, and he wants the team’s name back! Why has he suddenly decided to reclaim the Challengers for himself? Does his return have anything to do with the disappearing aircraft? And perhaps the biggest question of all: where are the other members of the original team?
Three mysteries. Two generations of Challengers. One name caught in the middle. Collect the series to find out!
Review
The original Challengers are back! After several issues of trying to understand exactly who this new generation is and how they fit into the larger history of the team, “Last Days” looks like it may finally start providing some answers. Bringing the old and new Challengers together is exactly the kind of storyline I’ve been waiting for.
I also enjoyed the three separate mysteries introduced in this issue. The disappearing airliners are probably the most interesting of the bunch. Aircraft blinking out of existence and returning with nobody remembering what happened has that classic paranormal feel that works perfectly for this series. Then we have Saxon’s unexplained return and the murder of Brenda’s professor hanging over everything. Throw the original Challengers into the mix, and there is certainly enough weirdness here to keep me interested.
My biggest question is whether this three-part storyline will finally give the newer Challengers the origin story they deserve. I’ve enjoyed the artwork throughout this series, but the fragmented storytelling has occasionally made the characters and their backgrounds difficult to follow. Maybe bringing in the original team will finally connect some of those missing pieces. Will the next generation finally get some answers? I guess I’ll find out. Four out of five stars.