Super Dinosaur is a comic book by Robert Kirkman, creator of
Invincible and
The Walking Dead, and published by
Image Comics. While Kirkman is well known for his colourful superheroes,
Super Dinosaur is an All Ages book that focuses less on Drama and more on
Dinosaurs in Mech Suits.
The series follows Derek Dynamo, the son of Dr. Dynamo, mad genius and the man responsible for discovering Dynore,
a powerful new mineral capable of amazing scientific leaps. And that's not all; along with it, he discovers Inner-Earth, a mysterious land in the very core of the planet where dinosaurs still thrive and Dynore is abundant.
So naturally, Dynamo's partner, Max Maximus, takes an egg from Inner-Earth and uses Dynore to make the resulting
Tyrannosaurus rex into an intelligent, sentient being and fits it with a robotic arm harness as a prototype for an army of dinosaur minions to help him, you guessed it
Take Over the World. Dynamo steps in, but in the process, the three humans are injured, leaving Dynamo's brain unable to focus, Derek smarter, and Maximus without one arm. Despite the setback, Maximus escapes custody and sets out to fulfill his evil deeds with his own army of loyal cyborg Dino-Men.
Fortunately, during this, Derek has struck up a strong friendship with the
T. rex. As Derek dubs him 'Super Dinosaur,' the two are employed by the government to keep Inner-Earth safe from Maximus and anyone else who may be after the Dynore.
Oh, and we may mention the two mechanics who happen to be staying to help work of SD's harness. One of their daughters, Erica, is none too happy about being forced to live there.
This comic provides examples of:
- A Boyand His X: A boy and his sentient T. rex who wears a mech suit.
- Absent-Minded Professor: Doctor Dynamo But it's only because Maximus did something to make him that way.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Derek Dynamo, Max Maximus, anyone?
- Adults Are Useless: Averted with the Kingston parents who maintain SD's harnesses and Dr. Dynamo who, despite his concentration problem, creates equipment for the team.
- Aliens Speaking English
- An Axe to Grind: There's a reason why one character is TriceraCHOPS.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Dynore.
- Artificial Limbs: Maximus has a cybernetic left arm due to his treatment to SD and the T-rex bites back hard. SD's harness also qualifies.
- Awesome McCoolname: "Doctor Dynamo", "Derek Dynamo", "Max Maximus"...
- Bald of Awesome: Max Maximus.
- Bald of Evil: Maximus again.
- BFG: The majority of SD's weaponry. The Dino Men use these sometimes also.
- BFS: Painkylosaurus uses one of these in #5.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Derek has a tendency to go on about how very awesome he, and everything he likes, is.
- Cool Gate: Used by SD and the team to get from place to place quickly. Called sky doors or floor doors
- Cool Shades: Used by Terrordactyl
- Chest Insignia: "SD"
- Combining Mecha: Used by Derek and SD in Issue 5.
- Deus Exit Machina: Tricerachops (and The Exile) would probably have taken issue with Maximus' Project X so 'Chops is layed up for those four issues while The Exile is overthrowing Squidious' base.
- Dumb Muscle: Enforced with Maximus's Ultra Raptor; he made SD smaller and smarter, and since that didn't go so well, he made his new monster Bigger and Dumber,
- Enemy Mine: Squidious aids Earthcore to get revenge on The Exile for stealing his base and henchmen.
- Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: Of course.
- Everything's Squishier With Cephalopods: Squidious.
- Eyes of Gold: The Dinos all have these. Sometimes they glow
- Foreshadowing: In the Origin special Derek jokes that He and SD once fought aliens and UFOs. When asked if it really happened Derek said "Not yet". Fast forward 8 issues and The Exile is revealed to be a Reptiloid and his species is planning to attack Earth. Be careful what you wish for Derek.
- Girls Have Cooties: Derek believes Erin Kingston to have these in his self-made profile of her.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: The good guys wear white, red, and black. The bad guys wear black and greens. Oddly Tricerachops' colors align with the good guys.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Maximus's look of pain when his arm gets chomped off.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: 'Crud' is used often.
- Half-Human Hybrid: The Dino Men.
- Henchmen Race: The Dino Men were created by Maximus to be his servants. Not Always Chaotic Evil.
- Hollow World: Inner Earth
- Impossibly Cool Weapon: Derek's Light Batons.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: Many of the villains are named by Derek. Let's see, Tricherachops and Breakeosaurus, just to name two.
- Insufferable Genius: Derek, at times.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Employed on Maximus to make him forget about Inner Earth, unfortunately he escapes before it is finished.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to the Bloodier and Gorier Invincible and The Walking Dead, Super Dinosaur is kid-friendly.
- Lost World: Inner Earth
- Mini Mecha: Derek and SD pilot a pair of these in issue 5. They then combine into a full on Humongous Mecha.
- Missing Mom: Four issues without a mention, and then we find out she's been not only kidnapped by Maximus, but erased from Derek's and Dynamo's memories.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: The reason why Derek is able to do combat with Tricerachops.
- Never Say "Die": Averted by The Exile "Sharkmen — Kill him!"
- Oh Crap: Issue #5, "Max Maximus is here."
- Puppy Love: Derek and Erin.
- Reason You Suck Speech: Delivered by Maximus when he makes it into the Dynamo Dome.
- Rule Of Cool: What the series revolves around.
- Shout Out: In #1 SD has an issue of The Astounding Wolf Man (Kirkman and Howard's first series) on the floor of his room.
- Stock Dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus and more. They are dinosaur-human hybrids mostly, but gang's all here.
- Stupidity Inducing Attack: Dr. Dynamo was hit with one in the backstory. It didn't affect his IQ so much as his ability to use it.
- Totally Radical: Count how many times characters say 'Awesome' or 'Rad.'
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Its understandable that Erica is a little bored by all the scientific mumbo jumbo, but you'd think she would be a little more intrigued by a talking dinosaur. Who plays video games.
- Wham Line: Maximus in Issue 5: Were I in your shoes, I'd be worried about your wife.
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