STRANGE ADVENTURES
True Lies
RELEASED OUT NOW! Publisher DC/Black Label
Writer Tom King
Artists Mitch Gerads, Evan Shaner
Following up a comic series that’s been showered in praise and Eisner Awards is no easy task, but the writer/artist team behind the acclaimed miniseries Mr Miracle is going about this task with another left-field look at a lesser-known DC character. Strange Adventures sees Tom King and Mitch Gerads enlisting the help of additional artist Evan “Doc” Shaner.
Together they’ve crafted a new 12-issue Black Label miniseries that explores the life of space adventurer Adam Strange. As with Mr Miracle, the colourful weirdness of the DCU is contrasted here with a grittier, more grounded reality, as Strange goes on the publicity circuit to launch his autobiography, detailing his adventures on the planet Rann, where he helped the natives battle the evil Pykkts. However, when a protestor accuses Strange of war crimes against the Pykkts and is then murdered, questions are asked about how his colourful tales might be bending the truth about what really happened…
Three issues in, Strange Adventures is already an exceptionally intriguing read, but some of the most interesting choices are in the comic’s stylistic approach. While Gerads provides the moody, atmospheric art for
Strange’s present-day story on Earth, the flashback scenes depicting his adventures on Rann are all by Shaner, who brings a pulpier, more romantic edge to the visuals while also giving the story a strong hint of unreality. It’s clear from both the art and the deliberately melodramatic dialogue that what we’re seeing isn’t the whole truth, and the contrast between the two versions builds across these issues, heightening the intrigue and raising questions.
Many of these relate to the ongoing mystery – especially the fate of Strange’s daughter – but beyond the sharp dialogue, gorgeous visuals and involving storyline, the series also examines sci-fi archetypes that go all the way back to the early years of the genre. The tale of the white American hero finding romance and conquest in foreign lands has been around since pulp heroes like John Carter and Flash Gordon, and King’s approach to Adam Strange is exploring how these archetypes are wrapped up in complex and tricky ideas about colonialism, politics and race.
It’s to the credit of King and his collaborators that the series feels capable of taking on themes this big, and while there may be another nine issues to go, Strange Adventures already feels like a classic in the making. Saxon Bullock
The story was partly inspired by King being accused on Twitter of faking his past as an officer in the CIA.
Another left-field look at a lesserknown DC character