Star Pilot #7
This is apparently the issue where all ties with space pilots, rhinos and chimps went by the wayside. Which is a shame, as this issue is much more straightforward than previous issues, but it’s impossible for it not to lose some of that madcap charm in the process. This is the story of a journalist who goes to study the musical history of a country that had been violently overthrown 40 years earlier, leading the new dictator to erase all records of music and the musical history of the country. The journalist finds one image in the archive that hasn’t been completely blacked out and goes on a quest to get to the bottom of things. From there we get a retelling of the history of the region before our hero does manage to find the mysterious musician from the photograph, which leads right into the finale. You know, come to think of it, that chimp might just be the journalist. It’s hard to say for sure, but he sure looks a lot like a monkey. And yes, even though the story has been toned down a bit from previous issues, the art is still inspired in its lunacy. Frank does a great job with his “camera angles” for panel placement, which is more than enough to make up for the fairly straightforward story. Which, again, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’ve been trained for two issues to expect more outside-the-box kind of stuff. So if you’re looking for more complete madness you should check out some earlier issues, while if you like your madness tempered just a bit then you’ll be just fine with this one. No price listed (I’m guessing somewhere around $3-4), and you can see the first few pages for free at Frank’s website.