Written by: Alan MooreArt by: Chris Sprouse
So, the end of last issue found Tom Strong and Tom 'Doc' Strange orbiting Terra Obscura. They gawk, open jawed, at an alien monstrosity boring into the surface of the planet. What do the two strongest and smartest men in the ABC universe do?
They call in reinforcements.
'Doc' leases the hypersaucer to save his fellow S.M.A.S.H members get out of the time loop orbit they've stuck in and Tom brings everyone up to speed. The heroes have been in stasis for 30 years and have no clue what is going on. One of their own, the Terror, fell in combat against the alien and Tom has the tough job of letting the Terror's side-kick know about his mentor's death. Here we learn of the Terror's final project: a digitized version of himself contained in hard light projectors.
With a newly revived Terror in tow, S.M.A.S.H heads toward the South Pole to take on the alien. The Terror is able to enter the alien's brain and drive him into the sun.
This is a satisfying ending to a nice story - a bit heavy handed on the secondary characters, but it does give a feel that there is more to come from the world of Terra Obscura. Chris's art is perfect, as usual. Though Tom and 'Doc' look very similar, there isn't a panel where I couldn't tell them apart. And the reappearance of the Terror is one of the best panels on the series.
I think this is a good stopping point for Tom Strong - we'll revisit him again. Who knows what I'll feel like reading tomorrow. Until I decide - happy reading.
When I first read this comic, I thought Moore just made all these characters up. Then I found out about this whole new company called Nedor, including with a Tom Strong look-alike called Doc Strange, and my mind was BLOWN.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean - that's the thing I love about comics. Once it's seen print, it's fair game. Nothing is ever gone forever in this medium - characters just fade into the background and wait for someone to come in and breath new life into them.
ReplyDeleteAlex Ross pick up these characters after ABC folded. It's a series called Project Superpowers - I haven't been able to check in out, but from what I've heard it's worth picking up.