By Jeff Swindoll Aug 23, 2007, 13:54 GMT
Special effects master Ray Harryhausen has given his blessing to Blue Water Comics to continue on some of the films he’s worked on in comic book form. This time the company has committed to go 20 million miles more in a sequel to 20 Million Miles to Earth.
In the original, the Venusian Ymir was brought back to the planet we assumed accidentally. It grew to enormous proportions and ravaged Rome. This modern day adventure begins with an archeologist accidentally finds himself in the Temple of the Ymir.
What amusing is that when he’s confronted with the name he knows all about it, “didn’t they make a movie about it?” he says. Meanwhile a girl named Brenda seems to inhale a strange dust while picnicking in a volcanic crater. On the flight home she starts to transform into an Ymir and causes the flight to crash and she’s the only survivor.
In a secret government some black helicopter types who are obviously up to no good are observing laboratory a young girl named Ledy. She too has some odd habits including remote psychic writing, some of which is of Ymirs.
By the end of issue one, Brenda the Ymir is on a rampage and issue two finds Ledy attempting an escape from the mysterious agency. 20 Million Miles More is written by Scott Davis, penciled by Alex Garcia, and colored by Joey Campos.
Unlike Wrath of the Titans, 20 Million Miles More builds the story with each issue. Wrath did the same but had a better feeling of completion in each issue if that makes sense.
Like Wrath, Miles is also well drawn. I did wonder how all this was going to tie into the movie since it appears that the Ymir have been to Earth before in the distant past. The back of the issues also features the Ray Harryhausen sketches that inspired his stop motion work.
As with Wrath, it was nice to step into Harryhausen’s world once again. A sample of this comic is included on the recent 20 Million Miles to Earth DVD release.
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