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Athos, Porthos, and Lovey continue searching for their crew on an alien planet full of robot “Klankers”. They’ve had a hard time learning to work together so far, and their training will be put to the test. Will the danger of a real life or death scenario bring Man’s Best together, or will it only divide them further?
- Written by Pornsak Pichetshote
- Illustrated and Colors by Jesse Lonergan
- Letters by Jeff Powell
- Published by BOOM! Studios
In A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Athos, Porthosm and Lovely are emotional support animals trained to help humanity find a new home. On their intergalactic journey they crash land on an alien planet. The Captain and their owner “Doc” are seemingly captured by robots called Klankers and they set out to find them. They’ve each been trained with specialty equipment. Athos, the cat, has a mech suit. Pathos, the golden retriever, Has cybernetic upgrades and a shield. Lovey, the French bulldog, has a rocket pack to control the air.
It was clear in issue #1 that the these three had a hard time working together. Athos is the leader but has trouble getting the other to listen. This issue continues that trend. Pathos is busy doing her own thing, sniffing out the Captain and Doc instead of using her shield to help her teammates. Lovey is having issues with this and the team is so busy getting attacked that Athos is getting overwhelmed. This all leads to things going south, and one of the team members getting injured.
Man’s Best Writing
Pichetshote has developed a great voice for each of these characters. They work so well as contrasts to each other, which makes for an interesting dynamic full of drama and comedy. Each character is growing and learning as we read along. Athos is learning through a real world scenario that giving orders and developing a strategy on the fly isn’t so easy. It’s also made clear throughout the book that lack of action will mean disaster and they comes to fruition at the end of this issue.
Man’s Best Art
The art of Man’s Best is wonderfully science fiction. Klanker designs are ominous, rising the stakes for the 3 main characters. The color palette feels so alien and yet comforting. Each of the animals have such expressive faces for how simple the design is. The action sequences are the best part of the issues. There’s so much going on from panel to panel and yet everything stands on its own. There’s a depth to each panel that brings each scene to life.
Everything Points to 9/10
This issue was great from beginning to end. It was action packed and the stakes are were high. The character development of Athos, Porthos, and Lovey is perfect, with the way they work together being the highlight of it all. The pacing of this issues was great too. It was quick and action packed, with a couple of brief moments to explore the character development, none of which caused a lull in the movement of the story. It really all reminds me of the phrase “well oiled machine”.
