Gen 13/Fantastic Four:
Qeelocke's Really Big
New York Adventure

Kevin Maguire, writer & artist
(WildStorm/Marvel, 2001)

The gang from Gen 13 seems to be the common denominator between all comic book universes. They casually interact with heroes from other universes as if they belonged to their own and, be it DC's Superman or Marvel's Spider-Man they encounter, these new kids on the block are always really big fans. A case of hero worship never stops them from a big fight scene, but hey, that's the nature of comics.

Now they're back in New York, where they meet up with the Fantastic Four after their furry green extradimensional pet, Qeelocke, goes wild, grows big and does a Godzilla act on downtown Manhattan. The FF (with Spider-Man's help) contain the strange beast, which means Gen 13 must break into the formidable Baxter Building for a rescue. (No one ever thinks of just knocking on the door and explaining things, do they?) The gang's resident floater, Roxy, uses her feminine wiles and Catholic schoolgirl attire to win past the hormonal Human Torch's guard, and soon everyone's involved in a really big brouhaha while Qeelocke continues on his frenzied path to ... well, I won't tell you where he's going or what he's going to do when he gets there.

Gen 13's strong suit is always a dose of good humor and a lot of T&A. (Take Caitlin Fairchild, as an example. The group's amazonian redhead usually manages to shred her clothes in most adventures, although her outfit sadly remains intact in this one.) Hey, they know their niche in the market and work it for all it's worth. And, along the way, they provide some entertaining stories, and this little mix-up with the Fantastic Four is a fun, fast read.

[ by Tom Knapp ]
Rambles: 1 December 2001



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