Advance Review: We’ve Been Here Before In `Time Before Time’ #17

Bounty hunters often get a bad rap. From the Boba Fett in The Empire Strike Back to Jaws in the James Bond movies, these men on a mission provide a convenient replacement for the run-of-the-mill bad guys.

For the last few issues, Time Before Time has used bounty hunter Sebastian as its antagonist as he searches across the timeline to capture fugitives Nadia Wells and Tatsuo Edwards. Writers Rory McConville and Declan Shalvey were wise enough to give Sebastian a backstory to flesh him out. At this point though, he’s acting more like the Terminator, killing anyone who gets in his way of his payday.

Wells and Edwards, along with their robot companion, Kevin, are trying to escape to the prehistoric past to find Wells’ family who was hidden there for their safety. But stealing a timepod incurred the wrath of Sebastian’s employers, and the chase ensued.

The story for this issue isn’t much more complicate than that. Bookended by a quick look-in at Wells family, the issue is a chase, nothing more or less. There’s nothing wrong with that, though it’s not a particularly groundbreaking approach. It’s just…there.

Eric Zawadzki continues his run as artist for this arc. He does a fine job with the subject matter, with things picking up quite a bit when he’s depicting Sebastian’s rampage. As the body count rises, so does the quality of the drawings. That helps to move the story along.

There’s nothing wrong with a good bounty hunter story. The problem with this issue is that the story has been here before. We’ve trodden this ground before, just with different characters. Hopefully the payoff in future will be worth it, because this standalone issue, leaves you demanding more from the creative team.

Time Before Time #17 will be available for purchase on October 5, 2022.