The Chang family has long had a connection to dragons. Finding proof of their existence has been the goal of Jesse and Jack’s father his entire career, but when he unearths the legendary blue dragon, Qing Long, and recovers some of its DNA, he and his children are about to change the world forever. The real story begins when Jack creates a serum able to alter the genetic code of a human and introduce animal traits in an effort to regain his ability to walk. When Curt Connors—I mean Jack’s project attracts the attention of the U.S. Military, everything goes downhill from there as they start to combine the DNA from animals with soldiers to create more powerful soldiers.

Dragon Resurrection‘s art is simply incredible, managing to be both simple and unencumbered when it needs to be and detailed and vibrant in other areas. The character designs for the DNA-bonded characters and the futuristic technology look top-notch and, in the case of the less precise fusions, fascinatingly horrific. The book gets a solid A when it comes to delivering quality action. The fights between the super soldiers, Earth-animals, and dragons alike are impressive and so much fun to watch unfold. The back of the graphic novel has an ad for a Dragon Resurrection animated feature which will come out in Fall of 2014, and it’s the quality of the action that makes me excited for when it comes out.

I love the Chang family. There’s a chemistry between Jesse, Jack, and their father that feels real and is at the heart of this story. I grew to like each of the Changs, their virtues, quirks, and charms, and their love for one another comes through on the page. None of the other characters grabbed me quite the way these three did, feeling more cookie cutter, but in many cases this is just fine as it doesn’t detract from the book’s core characters and leads to satisfying bad guys to take down.

Dragon Resurrection suffers from some pacing issues, chief among them its transitions. Oftentimes, I had no idea what had occurred in between panels and had a difficult time keeping up. The story attempts to unfold rather quickly but stumbles along the way, managing to hit its plot points but with logic and reader understanding as casualties. I was also really disappointed by the handwaving of the transformation from human to the DNA fusion form which happens “off panel” and instantaneously. It’s probably the Animorphs fan in me, but I like my shapeshifting to be a process, either beautiful or grotesque, but never easy.

For those who are interested and would like to see more, a free preview of Dragon Resurrection is available on Dark Horse Digital.

Four and Three Quarters Epic Dragon Fights Out of Five