Turok has been bounced around quite a bit since he first appeared in Dell Comics in 1954.

The Native American with his young sidekick, Andar, was lost in a world populated by cavemen and dinosaurs. He struggled always to find his way home, excelling along the way with his unstoppable bow. He moved over the years to Gold Key, was reinvented (twice) by Valiant and got a brand new start at Dark Horse.

Then he got cancelled again.

It's a big shame, because the reboot written by Jim Shooter was a strong contender. Here, Turok is solidly defined as a 15-century Indian who, because of some artful trading with pre-Columbian Europeans, has a knife and bow far beyond the weapons of his peers. Traveling in the American Southwest, he rescues Andar from a roving pack of Aztecs, then all of them are sucked into a vortex where people and creatures from many times and places are forced together. Aztec and African tribes battle it out alongside lasers, rocket ships and a hot, leggy blonde. And, of course, there are those dinosaurs to contend with.

Aztlan provides plenty of spectacle, action and color combined in an entertaining package. However, Turok -- along with all of Dark Horse's recent Gold Key relaunches -- fell under the axe fairly quickly. It's a shame.