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Ivar Timewalker #10
Kareem Ali 4.5

Ivar Timewalker #10

 

  • The good

    Great character development in the context of an intriguing society. Enjoyable twist at the end.

  • The bad

    Focus on the gladiator games takes away from the more interesting societal structure. Prometheans need dinosaurs to defend their plans?

  • The ugly

  • Ivar Timewalker #10 has him fighting for his life in gladiator games controlled by carnivorous dinosaurs. Since he and Neela were captured by these dinosaurs it’s customary for them to have Ivar compete in the upcoming games. While he’s locked away he befriends another dinosaur, a herbivore named Ank. He knows that Ivar is a mammal but has never seen a human before despite the civilization being a near mirror image of Rome. Ank explains to Ivar that they have to fight together as a team against the random opponents thrown at them but that the games are rigged too. So the most they’ll have to use are wooden swords against various carnivores. Meanwhile, Neela is being treated as a guest of honor. She’s been mistaken as the Queen of the Prometheans, her alternate self, and apparently there’s been a secret arrangement for them to protect one of the Queen’s devices. The dinosaurs believe it’s a weapon that would help them against the mammali barbarians approaching their city but Neela discovers it’s far worse than that. Can she rescue Ivar and stop this device in time? Or does Ivar have a plan up his sleeves?

    Ivar Timewalker #10
    The creativity in this series has been entertaining, and I was looking forward to seeing what Fred Van Lente would do with talking dinosaurs in an ancient Roman setting. My mind raced with the possibilities of what could happen and the kind of society they had. I feel that gladiator games can be overdone at times but with the way everything else was set up this issue it still felt somewhat fresh. First, Neela being treated like a guest of honor made it possible for the Prometheans current actions and plans to be addressed. And the character development was not only interesting but revealed some of the society, which was somewhat engrossing. I say somewhat because not much was dedicated to that this issue.

    Thankfully this issue still reflected the fact that these were indeed dinosaurs and instead of having them just talk politics the entire issue some of that ferocity was shown at the beginning of this issue while Ivar was being transported to his cell. The way they ripped about a rodent in the name of the Red God set the tone while also introducing their local beliefs. This would be explained further by Ank, who made it clear that herbivores are looked down on and the games are a way for the carnivores to show that they’re superior. Ank was a really interesting character from his quips to his observations about the rigging of the games. I know it was necessary to have action this issue and not waste the use of dinosaurs but I wished this was shown as a rebellion in order to get a better sense of this society and not just the usual gladiator games. However, the action was still entertaining and creative.

    Ivar Timewalker #10
    Neela’s role this issue could’ve given so much more insight into the Prometheans plans than what it actually did. It was still enjoyable including the twist at the end that made me love this entire set up even more. So even though it didn’t give too much insight into the Prometheans overall plans it actually served as a way to delve into the mentality of the citizens. This is why I wish it was more about the society then just the gladiator games because this was fascinating. I guess that’s the problem with making something so entertaining; one always wants more. At least there’s next issue, and I’m looking forward to more.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Ivar Timewalker #10 is an enjoyable issue that creates an overall interesting society and puts the characters in scenarios one would expect of this series. The character development is great for the dinosaurs with Ank being the most intriguing, and there’s plenty of action. The issue is more entertaining when it focuses on the structure in society as opposed to the cliche of gladiator games. However, the conclusion of this issue has me excited for what’s ahead because it’s one step closer to the Prometheans.

     

    Release Date: 10/23/15

    Writer: Fred Van Lente

    Artist: Pere Perez

  • Rating ( 8.6 )
  • Total score 8.6

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