Thursday, March 31, 2016

shorts SHORT Review: Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates

Written by Kevin O'Malley & Patrick O'Brien
Illustrated and Book Design by Patrick O'Brien
Published by Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

As the universe cooled and the dust fell, the celestial bodies conferee and created the planet that we now search for in this vast nebula. Yes, a planet, a whole planet of treasure, no not the mouse one, no the one with the pulp hero that's a Raptor who scours the solar system protecting the Dino planet. Yeah, this is the part two that got me into the Captain Raptor series, nothing more amazing than pulp heroes and pirates. I'm bias when it comes to all things pulp, now there's pirates, also everyone is a dinosaur or a mutant/cyborg, yeah this Children's Illustrated Novel is tailored to me. Join us on this escapade atop the hype rocket, though I'd hope it was a Galaxy Train, but here's the exciting second part of the Captain Raptor series.

This was the first book in the series that got me attracted and devoted in wanting to read the amazing adventures of this Cretaceous Space Aviator Enforcer!

Initial response, the cover for this adventure of CAPTAIN RAPTOR is of him and his team defending the Dino-world against Space Pirates. It's interesting that this will be a book about a pulp adventurer in space clashing wits and blades or better yet talons and razor sharp-teeth, in the void that separates us all between the worlds we call our solar system. Yeah, a fall into madness on the swashbuckling inky seas of the cloudy infinite void, yep this is the direction that makes sense (behind the scenes Patrick O'Brien has been making a career on his talent as a nautical portrait artist, he has a stupendous portfolio and glorious gallery that displays his work, check out his site if you get a chance)

Tea Steeping isn't too shaken by things, but she knows a missing part could mean
soaring through the sky and landing or bouncing. Only one of these you walk away from...

The cover again (like the first volume of the series) is an example of what a good cover, sorry of a great cover. It's flat out enough information within the cover that one doesn't need to tell anymore of the plot. It shows our heroes and villains all of the cast on the cover, also lasers and a few planets. Now unlike the first cover this one is a little all over, in the sense that it's direct focus at the center of the cover. It's not bad, but it's the directional angles that point the vision left and right, though it bleeds off to the side that feels like a band, wrapped around the book cutting the title and credits on the cover. Again wonderfully illustrated and beautifully detailed. One last thing, there's not only dinosaurs on the cover, so there seems to be some evolution in this world.

As always in this series the first page is an amazing rendering of space, a representation of what space looks like in this imaginative part of the universe.

The following page holds the title and introduces the main crew of pirates. It's interesting to see all the different animals that comprise the pirate crew, since they're not all dinosaurs or they're animals that are from an earlier age then the present. I really like this pin-up more than the cover, since the title pops, and it's gigantic, screaming CAPTAIN RAPTOR in all capital letters then below "and the Space Pirates" that leads the eyes down to the focal point which are the cast of marauders that visually point to the credited contributors who created the Captain and the adventures that unfold. After the "second" cover we have the planet Jurassica (again) under attack (it really is this time), a shadowy force that came down from the sky (a beautiful arraignment of colors, purple and green with hints of brown to give it an ominous feeling).

The cannons fire on the crowd and land in the clearing.

"Misshapen Mutants and Reptilian Cyborgs" rage and start panic while raiding the people of their treasures and valuables. Then just as sudden blast off into the sky, the President exclaims their need for CAPTAIN RAPTOR! It's a great single full page pin-up of the Cap'n with his crew (and the Megatooth in the background).

They load up the Megatooth (their Rocketship) and introduce the crew: Professor Angleopterous, Sergeant Brickthorous, and Lieutnant Threetoe. In the last book they introduced the crew, but I didn't really like it, since it seemed to want the crew to be more ragtag, in this book they seem very professional. If I was an interplanetary space-pirate mutant cyborg I know I'd have brown pants by the thought of the Megatooth within the stratosphere of the planet that I'm at port in, though I'd know I wouldn't have time to preform any misdeeds with Captain Raptor not far away from the vessel. The rocket blasts into the sky, the Megatooth flying through the inky haze that is the dust of space, sinking deeper into the eerie colored galaxy. Then they catch up to the pirates, a wonderful spread though a horrible out come for our heroes. The blast sends them to the near by planet, hitting the ground hard, skidding through the mud. The rocket stops and the crew leave the ship to assess the damage done by the raiders.

 Professor Steeping is a little changed by the events of this tale.
He's changed Gom to fit his costume, our little automaton is always game for cosplay.

While on the planet they find a one-armed man, (well mutant mammal) Scalawag. He claims to be able to fix the ship so they can all leave the planet. Captain Raptor takes this misplaced creature, they all board the Megatooth and send off into the nebula. Scalawag suggesting a dangerous way, Captain Raptor doesn't like the idea, but concedes and follows the direction that will bring them fastest to Jurassica.

They are met with problems in the form of Robokron!
"The Giant Robotic Space Beast"
Yeah it's a great spread of the monster attacking the Megatooth.

Captain Raptor needs to take down this monstrosity and save his crew. With heroic thoughts and a space suit, the good captain plunges into the cold darkness and attacks a panel on the robotic beast, shutting down Robokron. Their race is not over, since they still need to chase down the horde of pirates that will be returning to Jurassica. Like the last review of Captain Raptor (and the Moon Mystery) I'm going to have you all enjoy what happens next. Find out how the good Cap'n reclaimed peace on the planet that he protects.

In short, this is a series that I would want to see explored more, even if there was another creative team, though given the blessing of the original team. If this was a book series or they continued the Children's Illustrated Novel with more parts, I will suggest nothing better than this serial. It couldn't be more exciting and pleasing to the eyes and stimulating to the mind. Make time, even if you don't like pulp dinosaurs fighting mutant cyborg pirates the illustrations will sway you as did the concept and execution did to me.

I trust you enjoyed the inspection, thank you for reading.
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Keep well and Stay well.

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