Tom Strong, Vol. 1

I really like Tom Strong. The Alan Moore creation is a combination of Superman, Doc Savage, Tarzan and Flash Gordon. I've previously read the 2 hardcover volumes that comprised the entire run of Tom Strong's Terrific Tales. While the series wasn't entirely filled with adventures starring Tom, there were enough of him to make me a fan; desiring to complete a run of his regular series.

I swear that I've read the first issue before. Maybe the premiere issue of Terrific Tales reprinted some of Tom Strong's origin story. Maybe I've committed that legend to memory just as I have with the debuts of Batman, Spider-Man and dozens of other superheroes. But I doubt it.

7 issues are reprinted in this volume. The first 4 issues are self-contained. I love that. You get a full compliment of 30 some pages of action, adventure and a smattering of sci-fi, set in the year 1999. Within is also a glimpse of Tom's past adventures, which are pretty extensive considering that he's nearly 100 years old. I think each flashback had had something to do with the current predicament, which often sees a long-thought vanquished for returning from the dead. You might think that Alan Moore is stuck on a comic book trope. But in reality, he's eviscerating how often publishers love to bring characters back from the dead instead of letting sleeping dogs lie.

The last 3 issues all involved cliffhangers. If I was buying Tom Strong, when it was new,on a monthly basis and the pacing went from one-and-done tales to cliffhangers with a 30-day wait for the conclusion, I would have been pissed. Chalk it up for collected trades and hardcovers!

The second half not only sees the return of a World War II era foe, it also introduces a new foe that while I knew what was coming, I was shocked that Moore managed to do it. Tom is essentially raped and his DNA is used to make an Über Tom who really hates dad. Add in that Tom's wife is a black African princess and their child is mixed, the conflicting superiority complex and family loyalty of Tom's son makes for a very intriguing look at Tom Strong's future.

The original series of Tom Strong ran for 33 issues. There's 5 more volumes out there. Out of print, but not exactly something that collectors are scrambling to add to their collections, I should not have very much trouble getting my hands on them. Unfortunately, I have so much stuff on my ever growing wish list, it might be a while before I find volume 2. But rest assured, if I found the concluding editions on an amazing deal, they'll definitely be coming home with me.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tom Strong's Terrific Tales Book Two

  
 Alan Moore and friends bring to a close Tom Strong's Terrific Tales. 

   In the Old Tom stories, relive the golden age of cartoons when Tom and his daughter Tesla are challenged to a ghoulish drag race. Then a man dreams what it would be like to be Tom Strong and imagine what the Strong family would be like if they were the Osborne's. Lastly, take a tour of Tom's Millennium City with beautiful illustrations by Michael Kaluta.

    Then Young Tom Strong comes of age on the mystical island of Attabar Teru discovering his origins, being reunited with an old friend, and learning about the opposite sex. Things come full circle by the end of this story line and in a way I'm glad I read this series before Tom Strong as this is full of great backstory and origins. 

    The biggest disappointment are the Jonni Future stories. It's not that these sci-fi adventures  aren't of superior quality. They very much are. But these are literally the last stories of a dynamically titillating series unless co-creators Steve Moore and Arthur Adams craft so further episodes. It's been over a dozen years since the last Jonni Future adventure saw print, so her future isn't so bright. 

     A bittersweet end to a great series...

    Worth Consuming

     Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tom Strong's Terrific Tales Book One

   Tom Strong is the ageless wonder from the 1920s. Like his name, he's as mighty as he is strong. He's a brilliant inventor and a fearless adventurer.

     Tesla Strong is Tom's beautiful daughter. She's fearless just like her father and warrior mother. But she's also a bit of a party girl.

      King Solomon is a super-intelligent gorilla. A loyal friend of Tom's, Solomon is also quite the ladies man and oh so dapper.

      Jonni Future. Her uncle was the original Johnny Future. His niece inherits the mantle after his dies. Tasked with saving the world in a time that's not her own, she's part historian, part futurist and 100% sexpot.

      Young Tom Strong- shipwrecked and orphaned on a mystical island, Tom Strong grows rapidly over a very short period of time. Since he looks older than he is, Tom is initiated into the tribes people who've become his new family through a serious of trails into manhood.

      Tom Strong's Terrific Tales was a fun journey back to the days of pulp heroes, lusty adventurers, and fantastical scientists. I found this and it's companion volume at my favorite comic book store, Books Do Furnish A Room. It was on steep discount. But the main reason I got these books were because of the head writer Alan Moore of whom I am a huge fan. Yet the main sell for this book I discover is the brilliant artwork and covers by Arthur Adams (Monkeyman and O'Brien.) He's quickly become one of my top 5 favorite artists of all-time and despite the fact that I am in serious need of shelf space, this volume as become a permanent fixture of my collection- thanks to Mr. Adams.

    A great series that has won my attention and desire to own more Tom Strong adventures.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.