Truman finishes Guns of the Dragon indistinctly. His Bat Lash is such a strong character, it mostly works. Unfortunately, Truman’s art is weak again—which answers whether I had just grown accustomed to it. I had not.

He also doesn’t use dialect here, so clearly he was making choices with the series.

The issue is, again, all action (the third in a row). There are at least four fight scenes, most of them incorporating parts of the series (dinosaurs, Japanese cat men, Enemy Ace’s biplane). I suppose they’re successful.

But the problem is how little Truman does with the series. He has his characters (even foreshadows the advent of Slam Bradley) but they don’t even get the ending. Instead, Guns feels like a prologue to some bigger event… but it wasn’t. It was just a limited with era-appropriate characters.

It’s decent enough (besides the art) but a missed opportunity.

I must have gotten used to Truman’s art because there’s nothing here I found particularly objectionable. It’s too bad he hurries on some faces and takes his time on others, but it’s generally fine. His dialect for Bat Lash is a little distracting though. I can’t believe he started it in the third issue, so I guess I just didn’t notice before.

This issue is all action again. The guys get away from the Japanese and the Communists (Truman’s unraveling the complicated politics–Miss Fear, a new addition to the cast, discovers Communists might not be China’s best choise) and mess around with more dinosaurs.

There’s another King Kong homage here, which is cute, and Truman sort of gives Enemy Ace some time to himself. There’s lots going on and little space (they’re on an island, after all), it can’t be too heavy.

But it’s good for what it is.

Truman’s art remains frustrating–especially this issue when he’s got this great comic strip-like sequence, but there’s just not enough detail to the work. Other panels are fine, like he hurried some, took a minute more with the rest.

Still, Guns of the Dragon retains its significant charm. It opens with a double homage, first to King Kong, then to The Land That Time Forgot, as Truman dumps his cast on Dinosaur Island. It’s an all-action issue after the opening featuring Vandal Savage, who might be on the side of good. It turns out the cast’s employers aren’t the good guys in China either.

Truman does well briefly showing the complex political situation.

So he has a bunch of action with the dinosaurs–and Bat Lash and Enemy Ace teamed up, which provides some humor. It’s a fast read, fast issue.

But the story’s strong and rewarding… enough.

It would be nice if Truman could draw better figures. The first three pages of this issue are excellent, with Truman establishing the 1920s China setting. He even gets through one page with figures on it and then it all comes apart.

He gets looser and looser with faces and anatomy.

It’s particularly unfortunate because the first issue of Guns of the Dragon is otherwise excellent. Bat Lash, Enemy Ace and “Biff” Bradley (Slam must have gotten seasick) are helping the Chinese against the Japanese… wait for it… by finding Dinosaur Island.

Truman brings the seemingly disconnected elements together well. His approach shows not just an affection for the characters, but for the time period as well. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and it works.

He writes a particular good Bat Lash–some great dialogue–making him the group’s leader.

Guns of the Dragon is off to a fine start.