Gina's back in Shangri-La, returning some overdue books to her boyfriend, Kahn. She looks troubled though and wants to spend some time with him. He asks permission of his Empress, Lynn, to leave. She gives it, but her heart aches as Kahn (her consort) walks away with Gina, for Empress Lynn is in love with Kahn (as she learned during while she was trapped in the astral rifts), but she's afraid to tell him, lest she lose authority over him.
Lynn decides to enter the Inner Library of Shangri-La. This is where all of the world's books from past to future are found. This is also where she'll find a book of wandmaking that will allow her to dissolve Gina and Kahn's relationship. Lynn's computer and friend, Subtracto, aids her. In they go.
Kahn is first alerted to an unwarranted entry into the Inner Library when someone sneaks past the guard, an air elemental. He learns that it was Lynn and heads a two-man expedition to "rescue" her. The other member of the party is, of course, Gina.
The "defenseless" Lynn, who has spent the last four years alone in the astral rifts, is doing quite well against the natives. (They look like the dog creatures from "Ghostbusters", but with beaks, bandit eyes, and the genius of Wile E. Coyote.) Tough, tough creatures are they. Lynn has agility, equal intelligence, Subtracto, and a sharp sword on her side. She is winning.
Soon into their quest for Lynn, Gina stumbles across the wandmaking book and takes it. Kahn and Gina find themselves alone now, and Gina continues to examine their relationship. It is hard for the two to see each other, and she suggests that maybe they should separate. In around that time, they get attacked (but are protected) by daemons similar in power to the daemon mouse but shaped more like dragons. (A brief segway to the cave where the Diggers fought the daemon mouse in issue 3, and of foreboding things to come...)
Lynn sees that Kahn is in dire peril (he isn't), and dives into the fray to help them. Now, all three are about to be attacked by both the ravenous daemons and the "genius" monsters. It's only because of Gina's pudding that they escape alive and unharmed. Heh.
Back at Shangri-La, Lynn gets the book off Gina and creates the wand to break up Kahn and Gina. Thanks to Subtracto, she doesn't use it. And just as she is feeling crappy about the whole thing, Gina breaks up with Kahn (but not before stealing one last kiss.) Then, Gina says that Lynn likes Kahn. Kahn doesn't believe her, so Lynn goes out to win him over with spandex. (Trust me, it all makes sense.) ^_^
My good golly!! What an excellent comic this is!!
First, the cover is great in style, substance, colour, and overall design.
But the interior art is the showstopper. Phenomenal! It takes a different path than its rival, the infamous Time Warp pt 8 story because this one uses a lot of shading rather than NHS's clear and barren style. Effective use of cross-hatching with the tricky shading film makes this issue one of the greatest in the series.
Also, the characters are beyond normal expectations here. Oddly, Empress Lynn' image seems to be taken directly from Shampoo of Rumiko Takahashi's "Ranma 1/2" manga. Gina, Lynn, and Kahn all show Takahashi influences in this issue, right alongside of Mr. Perry's own unique style. It makes for an excellently drawn issue. You can tell he had fun doing this one, kids.
The pudding on the cake, so to speak, is the banter displayed. Mr. Perry has an amazing grasp of comedic dialogue, and the situations between Lynn and the "genius" shows that fully. All hail Mr. Perry, King of Comics!!!
(out of four.)
Jell-o, Bill Cosby - pudding, and pudding spokesman
Master Long - Ken and Ryu's sensei, Sheng Long, from Street Fighter II video game
CAMEOS by Professor Steamhead (of Ninja High School), Ryoga Hibiki (of Ranma 1/2), Lakshu and Mi (of ???), a crow retainer (from Urusei Yatsura - also by Rumiko Takahashi), Ken and Ryu (of Street Fighter II).
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