{"id":2363,"date":"2008-09-10T05:50:49","date_gmt":"2008-09-10T05:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=2363"},"modified":"2008-09-07T11:59:09","modified_gmt":"2008-09-07T11:59:09","slug":"dc-archive-adam-strange-volume-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2008\/09\/10\/dc-archive-adam-strange-volume-2\/","title":{"rendered":"DC Archive: Adam Strange Volume 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Adam<\/a>
Adam Strange Archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Gardner Fox<\/strong>, Carmine Infantino<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN13: 978-1-4012-0780-9<\/p>\n

The Silver Age \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thinking man’s hero\u00e2\u20ac\u009d returns in this second compilation of adventures on other worlds, reprinting tales from Mystery in Space<\/strong> #66-80.<\/p>\n

For me, Adam Strange, more than any other character, epitomises the Silver Age of Comics. An Earth archaeologist who, whilst fleeing from enraged natives in Peru, jumped a 25 ft chasm only to be hit by a stray teleport beam from a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. He materialised on another world, filled with monsters, fabulous civilisations and non-stop peril for which brains, not brawn, were the only solution.<\/p>\n

Witty, sophisticated, gloriously illustrated and fantastically imaginative: And there was always the woman named Alanna, beautiful, but somehow unattainable. The happy-ever-after was always just in reach, but only after one last adventure\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

After the bravura of the first Adventures on Other Worlds (see Adam Strange Archives volume 1<\/a>, ISBN: 1-4012-0148-2) the far-flung fantasy continued with ‘Space Island of Peril’<\/em> by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, a duel with an alien super-being who plans to throw Rann into its sun, followed in #67 by the deceptive ‘Challenge of the Giant Fireflies’<\/em> when Adam’s adopted home is menaced by thrill-seeking creatures who live on the surface of our sun.<\/p>\n

Murphy Anderson returned as inker-in-residence for ‘The Fadeaway Doom’<\/em> wherein Rannian General Kaskor made a unique attempt to seize power by co-opting the Zeta Beam itself. ‘Menace of the Aqua-ray Weapon!’<\/em> had a race from Rann’s primeval past return to take possession of their old world, whilst #70 saw ‘The Vengeance of the Dust Devil’<\/em> threaten not just Rann but also Earth itself.<\/p>\n

‘The Challenge of the Crystal Conquerors’<\/em> (inked by Giella) was a sharp game of bluff and double-bluff with the planet at stake but #72 was a radical departure from the tried and true formula. ‘The Multiple Menace Weapon’<\/em> found Adam diverted to Rann in the year 101,961AD to save his descendents before dealing with the threat to his own time and place. This was followed by the action-packed mystery thriller ‘The Invisible Raiders of Rann!’<\/em><\/p>\n

The puzzles continued with #74’s complex thriller ‘The Spaceman who Fought Himself!’<\/em>, inked by the back-for-good Murphy Anderson, leading to MiS <\/strong>#75 and a legendary team-up with the freshly-minted Justice League of America against the despicable Kanjar Ro in ‘Planet that came to a Standstill’<\/em>, indisputably one of the best tales of DC’s Silver Age and a key moment in the development of cross-series continuity.<\/p>\n

After that 25 page extravaganza it was back to 14 pages for #76’s ‘Challenge of the Rival Starman!’<\/em> as Adam becomes the involuntary tutor and stalking-horse for an alien Champion. ‘Ray-Gun in the Sky!’<\/em> is an invasion mystery that invited readers to solve the puzzle before our hero did, and ‘Shadow People of the Eclipse’<\/em> pitted the Earthman against a bored alien thrill-seeker. Issue #79’s ‘The Metal Conqueror of Rann’<\/em> saw him fighting a much more personal battle to bring Alanna back from the brink of death.<\/p>\n

The book closes with ‘The Deadly Shadows of Adam Strange’<\/em> wherein an old enemy returns to wreak a bizarre personal revenge on the Champion of two Worlds.<\/p>\n

These short-story thrillers from a distant time still hold great appeal and power for the wide-eyed and far-seeing. The deluxe Archive format makes a fitting home for the extraordinary exploits of Adam Strange: by far and away some of the best written and drawn science fiction comics ever produced.<\/p>\n

Whether for nostalgia’s sake, for your own entertainment or even to get your own impressionable ones properly indoctrinated, you really need these books on your shelves.<\/p>\n