Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril 4 (December 2013)

287235 20131023162038 large This issue doesn’t really have enough content to be a full issue, except Hogan has decided he wants to do a couple serious things and they’re going to be worth the cover price.

And they are worth that cover price.

Without spoiling, the first thing has to do with Tom Strong, the character. Hogan makes a quiet, direct statement about what makes this comic different. He sort of drops Tom and Val into the middle of The Road Warrior and finds a different result. Why? Because with Tom Strong, anything is possible.

The second thing has to do with heroism and aging. It also relates back to Tom, who both ages and performs acts of heroism, but they’re ingrained into the character, not often discussed. Hogan figures out a way to talk about them a little.

Hogan is enthralled with writing the character, which really does set the comic apart.

CREDITS

The Cavalier’s Attitude; writer, Peter Hogan; penciller, Chris Sprouse; inker, Karl Story; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Todd Klein; editors, Jessica Chen, Kristy Quinn, Ben Abernathy and Shelly Bond; publisher, Vertigo.

Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril 3 (November 2013)

284812 20130926011944 large Hogan continues his leisurely, pleasant pace. Tom Strong might be the one with his name in the title but Hogan’s really having fun doing his Terra Obscura sequel. He introduces the cast from that series again, going through all their changes. He has so much fun with their interplay, the whole plague thing is in the back burner.

There are some action scenes–Val, Tom’s son-in-law, spends the issue getting more and more aggravated, but Hogan’s clearly making him wait. Tom and Val are just explorers on this strange world. A strange world where Hogan and Sprouse have time to make a cute Watchmen reference too.

Anyway, the setting is an Egyptian encampment where two science heroes have become Egyptian gods reincarnated. It sounds weirder than it plays. Hogan and Sprouse do very well with the gradual storytelling.

Peril is so well executed, it doesn’t need forced thrills.

A-

CREDITS

The New Egyptian Book of the Dead; writer, Peter Hogan; penciller, Chris Sprouse; inker, Karl Story; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Todd Klein; editors, Jessica Chen, Kristy Quinn, Ben Abernathy and Shelly Bond; publisher, Vertigo.

Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril 2 (October 2013)

281544 20130828161409 large Whew, it’s a six issue series, not four. I was wondering what the heck Hogan at the end of the issue if he only had four. It’s a good enough issue–Tom and Val get to Terra Obscura, find it decimated by plague (or something) and hang out with a couple of the world’s science heroes–but it’s all just nicely done exposition.

But Hogan’s got six issues so he’s got plenty of time.

Hogan’s got a lot of amusing dialogue and a lot of touching dialogue. He could be foreshadowing big revelations to come later on with the guest stars this issue, he also might just be using them as the best vehicles for the exposition. It never feels forced, which is nice.

There’s also some lovely art from Sprouse and Story. They do plague decimated New York City something special, but the quiet stuff’s great too.

Still Strong.

B+

CREDITS

Masks and the Red Death; writer, Peter Hogan; penciller, Chris Sprouse; inker, Karl Story; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Todd Klein; editors, Jessica Chen, Kristy Quinn, Ben Abernathy and Shelly Bond; publisher, Vertigo.

Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril 1 (September 2013)

279318 20130731121148 large So Planet of Peril turns out to be a sequel to the Terra Obscura series Hogan’s done. Those are great so I have high hopes for this one. And so far, Hogan doesn’t disappoint.

He has Chris Sprouse and Karl Story on art so it’s good, but he also comes up with this great meta scene where Tom Strong tries to explain why there haven’t been Terra Obscura comics published in the last few years. It’s hard to tell if it’s a one off meta moment or if Hogan’s going to weave it in and out of the entire series.

There’s also the human element–Tesla’s pregnant with some fiery guy’s baby and it’s putting her in danger. Hogan’s doing the Superman pregnancy storyline hinted at in Mallrats apparently.

Hogan gets in a good amount of humor and action, lots of the touching Strong stuff and great opportunities for Sprouse.

B+

CREDITS

The Girl in the Bubble; writer, Peter Hogan; penciller, Chris Sprouse; inker, Karl Story; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Todd Klein; editors, Kristy Quinn, Ben Abernathy and Shelly Bond; publisher, Vertigo.

Rocketeer Adventures 2 3 (May 2012)

868090 Did IDW run out of people to hire for Rocketeer Adventures? The Kyle Baker story, done a little like a serial episode, is great, but it’s Kyle Baker. He doesn’t just get how to do comic action, he can actually write Betty. And his Shadow cameo is rather fun too.

But besides Baker, this issue’s awful. Chris Sprouse’s art is good on the first story, if a little underwhelming. David Lapham scripts it; it’s a terrible script about Cliff and Betty realizing they don’t want to be a farm family. In short, Sprouse is drawing a lot of farm equipment. Not a good use of him.

Still, anything is better than the last story. Eric Canete’s style seems to be rushed, line heavy and animation influenced. Matt Wagner only writes narration–since it’s a “Jetsons” story–and Canete’s art complements it perfectly. Neither are good.

Baker aside, the issue’s crap.

CREDITS

“Coulda been…”; writer, David Lapham; penciller, Chris Sprouse; inker, Karl Story; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Shawn Lee. Butchy Saves Betty; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Kyle Baker. History Lesson; writer, Matt Wagner; artist, Eric Canete; colorists, Canete and Cassandra Poulson; letterer, Lee. Editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Tom Strong 14 (October 2001)

Moore has a great time with this issue, featuring Tom Strong and his family on an intergalactic vacation. It also shows how much Moore’s willing to change Strong to keep himself engaged.

The issue is split into three stories, all set during different points in the vacation. The first story, dedicated to a sick Tom McWeeney, has Hilary Barta on art. Tom and the family (Tesla’s still a baby) are on an absurdly hostile planet. It’s Tom as a dumb husband; it’s hilarious.

Sprouse and Gordon take over for the rest of the issue.

The second story is Tom and Dhalua on a planet where their hidden desires are made real. While it’s all fantastical, it shows a lot about the characters (who readers are already seeing forty-five years earlier than usual).

The final story’s an action-packed sci-fi number.

Great issue; Moore’s playful narrative is subtly revelatory.

Tom Strong 13 (July 2001)

While this issue features some incredibly cool writing from Moore (more on it in a bit), it also has amazing art. It’s a five-part story, with Sprouse and Gordon on for the prologue. Then it’s Russ Heath (doing a teenage Tom Strong), Kyle Baker (doing the bunny Tom Strong analogue) and, finally, Pete Poplaski doing the finish. Poplaski makes the whole thing feel very Golden Age and it’s simply a superior visual experience.

As for Moore, he plays a lot with time travel and its effects, but he also comments briefly on the “imaginary story” genre. Tom Strong, it seems, has no imaginary stories. Moore gets a lot of mileage in figuring out how to make this one real.

There’s some great villainy from Saveen, though a lot of the dialogue refers to very distant events.

It’s also a mini-Captain Marvel homage with the “wizard.”

Simply wonderful stuff.

Tom Strong 12 (June 2001)

Moore does a really nice job finishing up his Tom Strange two-parter, especially given how much material he brings into it.

The issue opens with the two Toms unfreezing all of Terra Obscura’s heroes and introducing them. They aren’t quite analogs to popular superheroes, but it’s hard not to see Batman in the Terror, who has a kid sidekick and everyone suspects is secretly nutty. Pretty much every other modern superhero analog owes it to Moore and Tom Strong.

Then there’s a brief introduction to the alternate Earth, which is fantastic. Sprouse doesn’t go crazy with it, just straightforwardly illustrating the amazing setting (an inverted city).

And the action-packed finale is exciting and touching. It’s no small feat, since Moore’s got the reader caring about characters he or she only met five pages earlier.

It’s masterful and Moore makes it all seem playful. “Just” a special retro issue.

Tom Strong 11 (January 2001)

Moore really brings in the weight this issue. Not emotionally, but in terms of complexity. He introduces Tom Strange and Tom Strange’s whole alternate Earth. The complexity comes in with the explanation it’s not really an alternate Earth but a duplicate one, albeit with some differences, elsewhere in the galaxy.

It’s hard to comprehend, which is good, because it means Moore is able to maintain the fantastical nature of the proposition. But it also means there’s a lot of exposition. The Sprouse art is excellent, but it can’t outdo the endless scientific explanations.

The issue’s a little… pardon the term… strange. Moore opens with a fight scene and an action set piece, then he moves into talking heads, then into the science and sci-fi. There’s almost no movement in the issue, even with a fight scene and intergalactic traveling.

It’s also a two parter. This first part feels incomplete.

Tom Strong 10 (November 2000)

“What about people who don’t read America’s Best Comics?” “They’re just scum.”

Moore closes the issue with a joke ad for the comic line and it overshadows the rest of the issue. It’s just too funny.

Once again, there are three stories. The first, illustrated by Gary Gianni, is sort of a period horror thing. Tom gets on a time machine-like device and travels into the past–into a dimension of the dead. Gianni’s art is sufficiently creepy, illustrating Moore’s prose. It’s a very effective piece, giving real insight into the Tom Strong character.

In the second story–Sprouse and Gordon taking over–Tom visits an alternate universe much like a Disney cartoon. It’s funny, cute and somewhat unexpected from Moore.

Fun’s also the keyword for Tesla’s adventure. She inadvertently brings a much of alternate selfs through a dimensional portal.

The issue’s not deep, but quite a fun read.