Tom Strong #6

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by: Chris Sprouse and Dave Gibbons

Well, the last issue ended with a gloved hand running across a tabletop and Tom's face in shock. We find out in this issue that the hand belongs to none other than Paul Saveen - Tom's oldest and most deadly foe.

Of course, the room is booby trapped and begins to fill with water. Tom quickly dons his custom breather and floats to safety - only to find himself in a room filled with statues of his old foes. A flash back occurs...

... We see a young Tom Strong being called on by Pneuman (Tom's steam powered sidekick) who tells him that a reporter by the name of Greta has gone missing. Tom rushes out and finds her in the clutched of Paul Saveen, who is about to unleash his phlogisten (the liquid form of heat) upon an unsuspecting Millennium City. Tom breaks out, kicks some ass and Paul falls into a vat of the liquid heat...

Back in the present, the statue of Ingrid Weiss comes to life, she and Tom exchange blows and end up in a room with Saveen in a high back char on a stage. Ingrid stops the fight and tells Tom she has a surprise for him. She walks up to the stage and a young boy emerges; Saveen says "Some one is here to see you," - and that's the end.

Nice cliffhanger for an all around nicely paced multi issue story.

As always, Sprouse had a handle on these characters (he did co-create Tom) - every panel is just perfect. Gibbon's art is okay; nothing really memorable in either the good or bad sense.

We'll find out tomorrow who this young boy is and what kind of role he plays in Tom's life tomorrow. If you want to pick this issue up, get it from MyComicShop.

Tom Strong #5

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by: Chris Sprouse and Jerry Ordway

After the shocker ending of the last issue, out heroic Tom Strong finds himself transported back to the early days of Earth - and its sole continent, Pangaea.

The issue opens with Tom roaming an alien looking landscape and taping his thoughts. He recalls another adventure that took place with the same scenery. We are treated with an 8 page short abut Tom and Dhula's adventure in time; how they end up on primal Earth and how they meet up with a hostile intelligent mold. The mold can imitate anything really, and pretends to be Dhula (after capturing her) to lure Tom into a fight. The brawl and thing look grim, when Tom and Dhula are saved by the clock on their time machine.

Now, Tom is here again and the mold - now calling itself the Pangeaen is still holding a grudge. He's pretty pissed about his fall dominant species on Earth and wants to take it out on Tom; but before he does, the Pangeaen tells Tom about his association with Ingrid Weiss (from last issue) and the location of a time machine left behind by Ingrid. The fight and Tom ends up in the time machine and the Pangeaen is killed by a meteor shower.

Tom materializes in a room with a replica of a city bearing Swastikas and we are shown a white gloved hand running a finger across a table top. To be continued.

Now, this issue is alright. A bit too wordy on the whole parallel between Tom and Dhula and Adam and Eve. The idea of a species fighting for dominance on a very young Earth is something I had never really spent the time to wrap my brain around. I guess mold could be intelligent. Chris's art is right on par with this character, and he does a fine job with all the creeping horror of the Pangeaen. The flashback's art, by Jerry Ordway, is a nice change of pace - the essence of the characters is there, but they are rendered in a much more playful way.

If you want to read this or any other books I've posted about, MyComicShop has a large selection of back issues.

A nice issue, fun and thought provoking.

Tom Strong #4

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by: Chris Sprouse and Arthur Adams

It's a sleepy morning in the Stronghold when Tom Strong receives a mysterious package saying something about an anniversary. He looks to Dhula and wonders "is today our anniversary?" The still of the morning is interrupted by machine gun fire from incoming biplanes. And this is one reason I love Tom Strong - such unbelievable events are common place, mundane, and happen everyday. No one is surprised the Stronghold is under attack; Tom just springs into action.

As the story moves along, we learn of an adversary of Tom's that was thought to be dead a long time ago - Ingrid Weiss. A flashback ensues, telling the tale of Tom's fist meeting with Ingrid during WWII (illustrated by Arthur Adams - who is one of my favorite comic artists). Flash forward to the present - Tom is hanging out of one of the biplanes, tailing the other one back to Ingrid's liar. Ingrid is there, she and Tom exchange words, the floor opens, tachyons, "So long, Tom Strong."

I love a good cliffhanger. This issue is further proof of the genius of Tom Strong. Brilliant use of flashback makes Ingrid feel like a fully developed character. Kicking female Nazi ass is almost as good as kicking Nazi raptor ass. Chris' art is, once again, top notch. But Arthur Adam's is better. He'll turn up again on Four Color Crusader.

Tom Strong is a refreshing return to form for Alan Moore and friends. No complicated, multi part mega crossovers; just a good clean science fiction / adventure book. Like a breath of fresh air.

I highly recommend this title to anyone sick of Blackest Night or Dark Reign / Siege; get it from MyComicShop.

Tom Strong #3

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by: Chris Sprouse

Tom's adventures continue as he fights Aztecs from a parallel universe bent on conqueror - and their digital deity Quetzalcoatl-9.

Golden ziggurats start popping up all over Millennium City and Tom is the first to investigate. Upon entry, he is assaulted by Aztecs on hover disks with energy weapons (that fight scene is pretty awesome by the way) who subdue him. Tom wakes to find himself strapped to a table about to be "sacrificed " to Quetzalcoatl-9.

A cunning rouse takes place and Tom (with Quetzalcoatl-9's help) is able to escape and free the Digital Deity from the confines of his worshipers. Then all hell breaks lose.

This is a phenomenal story. On a deeper note, this story questions the symbiotic nature of deity and worshiper and calls into question the morality of the things we call divine. Also, there is some pretty good action and a nice face melting scene. I love Chris' art, so detailed. Tom always looks just right - shoulders wide, jaw stern. Like he could take on an army.

Ends with a touching scene between father and daughter.

Millennium City just keeps getting richer and richer with every issue; and the villains are always so inventive and fresh. An Aztec nation that crosses 2000+ parallel Earths. Awesome.

You really should read this issue - get it here.

Well, until tomorrow - happy reading.

Tom Strong #2

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by: Chris Sprouse

This second issues tells the tale of the return of the Modular Man, a villain Tom fought in the 80's, who is capable of regenerating himself through just a single tiny robot. Tom's on Venus, so Tesla ends up dealing with him after some enthusiastic science minded children download his schematics off the Internet. The fist piece they build, builds another then those 2 build 2 more and it keeps going like this until they take up a whole street block.

Then the "Ego" nodes switch on and the Modular Man is capable of speech (he's really a mouth on the side of a high rise). Tesla and company are unable to due anything, so Tom comes back to save the day as only he knows how. He dives into the mouth of the beast, where is poses a novel solution.

I love the ending to this story; a nice comment on beauty in general. The at is fantastic - Chris really does a fine job with these characters. I think Tom is a nice refreshing version of what a science hero should be. Brains always win out over fists.

This is a good jumping on point for new readers as we haven't gotten that far into this series - Tom's rogue's galley is kind of sparse. Get it here and enjoy it. Until tomorrow, happy reading.

Tom Strong #1

Written by: Alan Moore

Art by : Chris Sprouse

After a 11 issue binge of Grendel, I felt I needed to read something to balance out all that anti-hero awesomeness. Tom Strong is just the title to do that. Were Grendel reflects a morally ambivalent trend in comics, this book seems to long for a time when right was right and the bad guys always wore black.

This issue is an origin story told in a different sort of way. The book opens as young Timmy Turbo gets a piece of mail - his official Strongmen of America introduction pack. Included in this pack is a comic entitled How Tom Strong Got Started. Tom's origin unfolds as Timmy reads his comic on the way to school. We see the fateful crash that strands Tom's mother and father on the mystical island of Attabar Teru, Tom's birth, the loss of his parents, his first adventures in Millennium City and his marriage to Dahlua.

Timmy sits, too engrossed in the story to realize that his cable car is under attack by the Blimp Bandits and that his hero, Tom Strong, is fighting them off. Timmy never even notices until he gets off the car and walks past Tom who welcomes him to the Strongmen of America.

Chris' art is fantastic. Just the right blend of old and new styles that give this book an almost futuristic retro look. Moore's script is great - the comic inside a comic idea is still awesome. This is a good opening to one of the overlooked gems in modern comic book history.

If you like your heroes extra pulpy, or are a fan of Alan Moore this is a title you can't miss - Get it from MyComicShop.

Grendel: Red, White and Black #4

Written by: Matt Wagner

Art by: see below

The final issue of this anthology goes out whit a bang. These are some of the best Hunter Rose Grendel stories I have ever read. Just wish that Matt Wagner had drawn one for this issue, but this series and its predecessor were founded on the spirit of collaboration and a love for the character. Besides, Matt just finished up a 8-part series last year on this character - that was both written and drawn by him. We'll get to that one, but I need a break from the Hunter Rose stories. They are fun, and a good read, but I like the Comico run a bit better. Less noir - more sci-fi; you'll see what I mean. Now to the issue at hand:

Evidence of the Devil - Cliff Chang

A detective walks in on one of Grendel's first hits for Teddy Ciccone. All the action takes place in flash backs, and the reader is left with the bloody aftermath. Good story - simple, clean, perfect for the eight pages allotted. I liked the art, especially the use of the red background for the flashbacks. Good way to open this issue.

Devil's Retribution - Farel Dalrymple

This story deals with what happened to Stacy after Grendel and Argent's first fight in her uncle's garden. She was kidnapped by a pervert, and Grendel comes to her rescue. I liked this story, but felt it was a bit unnecessary. All this is covered in Devil By the Deed; do we really need to hear what transpired? I'm not complaining, as it is a good story, I'm just saying that it feels like old territory.

Rat on the Devil - Darick Robertson

A stollie is dropped into the hands of Argent in the gruesome story. We get a glimpse of just how ruthless the Wolf can be (he bites off two of the dude's fingers). And the story pays off in a big way in the end. The art is a bit muddled, but I can see way as this story takes place in an alley even rats wouldn't call home. Good stuff.

Devil's Sentence - John K. Snyder III

Grendel's crew pulls off a heist using an outside source - who turns out to be not quite what he seems. Need less to say, lying to the Devil is not a good idea. Cleanest art I've seen in this title - John Snyder's Grendel is perfect. Another really enjoyable read..

Devil's Eulogy - Michael Zulli

Now this is what an ending should be like; we finally get a glimpse of Hunter's death after it is so briefly passed over in Devil By the Deed. Hunter, to the last breath, taunts the now paralysed Argent, telling him "Because of desire, there was Grendel. Because of myself he was majestic. Because of you, he was transcendent." That cuts deep. This is a story that crowns this anthology in greatness. Best in the book, if not the whole series. (I love me some tragedy)

Buy this book - it's awesome. Get it here.

Well, that wraps up another anthology series from Matt Wagner and friends starring Hunter Rose as Grendel. I think it's time I put this character to bed, as my long boxes houses many other gems. Until I decide what to read tomorrow, happy reading.