Cleopatra in Space: The Golden Lion, by Mike Maihack, for Timeslip Tuesday

Young Cleopatra, whisked into an intergalactic future from her home in ancient Egypt, is back for the fourth installment of her adventures in The Golden Lion, by Mike Maihack (Graphix, June 2017).  The Golden Lion, a legendary star of immense power (and small size) has been tracked to a snowy planet far away.  It is part of the prophecy of Thoth that sent Cleopatra off into her destined role as Galaxy Savious, and she's determined to go find the Golden Lion herself.  Also determined to find it is her nemesis Octavian, who has sent a powerful minion to the planet.  Cleo crash-lands in the snow, and her technology fails her; were it not for the fortuitous arrival of young Antony, a young treasure hunting adventure also on the trail of the Golden Lion, she would probably have perished.

But Antony and Cleo fall into an underground chamber that leads to a tropical world beneath the snow, inhabited by a race who speak in algebraic equations, and who prove to be fierce fighters when Octavian's forces attack.  But Antony is not necessarily to be trusted....and the fate of the Golden Lion is uncertain.

There's lots of action in this installment--pages of fight scenes excitingly portrayed.  There also, more pleasing to my mind, some character development.  Cleo, whose main characteristic is to plunge into danger without thinking it through, has some introspective moments, and her awareness of herself as being out of her own time is shown, as is her growing fondness toward Antony.  The addition of an utterly adorable snow otter adds considerable charm!

I feel good progress was made in this fourth book to advancing the plot to the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy, and that's a relief, because it's not the most rapid fire journey to resolution ever.  That being said, I don't object at all to adventuring through the galaxy with Cleo!  The diverse cast of characters and the fascinating premise, not to mention the council of sentient cats, make this a charming series, with excitement, adventure, and cool tech to spare! It's an excellent graphic novel series to offer the "reluctant" reader of 8-12 or so.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher