Tom Strong
| Tom Strong | |
|---|---|
| File:Tomstrong.jpg Tom Strong and his daughter Tesla. From the cover ofTom Strong #29 by Chris Sprouse. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | America's Best Comics |
| First appearance | Tom Strong #1 |
| Created by | Alan Moore Chris Sprouse |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Tom Strong |
| Team affiliations | The Strongmen of America, America's Best, None |
| Notable aliases | None |
| Abilities | None. A inventive genius in peak physical condition, Strong maintains his physical health through the regular consumption of a mysterious herb called the Goloka Root. He is an explorer with a vast personal wealth, and has contributed greatly to the technology available in Millennium City. |
In the ongoing (but now finite) comicbook series created by Alan Moore for America's Best Comics (ABC), Tom Strong is a "science hero"; he was raised in a high-gravity chamber and given an intensive education by his somewhat eccentric "mad scientist" father, on the West Indian island of Attabar Teru. His upbringing, plus ingesting a root used by the natives of the island for health and long life, have made him nearly physically and mentally perfect. Though born at the dawn of the 20th century, he only appears to be in his forties as of the year 2000.
Strong has a wife, Dahlua, and a daughter, Tesla, both with enhanced physical and mental abilities and longevity. He resides in a building called the Stronghold in Millennium City. He is also assisted by Pneuman, a steam powered robot, and King Solomon, a gorilla with human characteristics. His greatest foe was tuxedo-clad "science villain" Paul Saveen.
The character is based on the pulp hero Doc Savage, and along with an upbringing taken from both Tarzan and Superman, an attitude and knowledge (and hairstyle) reminiscent of Reed Richards and Tom Mix, and a name that is a nod to Tom Swift, many cultural threads are represented in this archtypically modern comic book superhero. While the retro feel and nostalgia that is inherent in the title/character have prompted comparisons with titles such as Astro City and Planetary (given their shared inspirations), critics such as Geoff Klock point out that Moore subtly associates nostalgia in his Tom Strong stories with fascism and Nazism. As such, the Tom Strong title should more properly be compared to Moore's own ouevre and specifically with the political concerns of Watchmen or V for Vendetta, where unquestioned heroes also make morally ambiguous decisions and ignorant citizens engage in problematic forms of hero worship. Accordingly, Moore (via Tom Strong) can be said to be more properly participating in a form of literary camp.
Spin-offs include Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, Terra Obscura and the oneshot The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong.
Tom Strong publishing history
===Issues 1-7=== (The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book One.)
Tom Strong #1 - How Tom Strong Got Started (07 April 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Timmy Turbo receives his Strongmen of America membership, which also includes the story of How Tom Strong Got Started. As he reads of Tom Strong's origins and upbringing on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong defeats a 'Blimp Bandit' in the cable-car he's riding in, but he's too engrossed to notice.
Tom Strong #2 - Return of the Modular Man (12 May 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
'The Modular Man', the unique mechanical-molecular meglomaniac Tom first destroyed in 1987, returns to Millennium City after two geeks download his plans from the internet and accidentally reactivate him. Tom must find a way to stop the Modular Man before he envelopes the whole city.
Tom Strong #3 - Aztech Nights (08 July 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
When a mysterious Aztec building materializes in Millennium Park, Tom discovers that it belongs to a brutal futuristic race from an alternate Earth, who worship a sentient computer program that models itself after Quetzalcoatl.
Tom Strong #4 - Swastika Girls! (01 September 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Arthur Adams (untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Ingrid Weiss and her Nazi cohorts attack Tom Strong's home, 'The Stronghold', in Millennium City. When Tom attempts to defend his home and family, he finds himself drawn into a sinister plot. Along the way we see an 'Untold Tale of Tom Strong' which reveals when Weiss and Strong first met in Berlin in 1945. This is the first sequence of a four-part arc.
Tom Strong #5 - Memories of Pangaea, Escape from Eden! (13 October 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Jerry Ordway (untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Having been sent backwards through time to a primordial Earth, Tom Strong must defend himself from its single inhabitant, which spans the Earth's entire solitary continent: 'The Pangean'. Along the way we see Tom's first expedition to ancient Earth, with his wife, Dhalua, in the 1950's; the flashback is drawn to resemble an EC Comics story.
Tom Strong #6 - Dead Man's Hand, The Big Heat? (29 December 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Dave Gibbons (untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Dave Gibbons c: Mike Garcia
Trapped by Paul Saveen, Tom must fight his way out of his captor's grasp; even if he suceeds, Ingrid Weiss has one last trump card to play. Along the way we see the first encounter between Tom Strong and his arch-nemesis, Paul Saveen, in the 1920's.
Tom Strong #7 - Sons and Heirs, Showdown in the Shimmering City (01 March 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Frank (untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Cam Smith c: Mec Garcia
Held emotionally to ransom by Paul Saveen and Ingrid Weiss, Tom Strong must come to terms with his shocking piece of news. Along the way we see a futuristic Tom Strong in 2050. The conclusion of the four-part arc.
===Issues 8-14=== (The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Two.)
Tom Strong #8 - Riders of the Lost Mesa; The Old Skool!; Sparks (17 May 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Alan Weiss i: Alan Gordon, Alan Weiss c: Wildstorm FX, Mike Garcia
Riders of the Lost Mesa - A prospecting town in Arizona that disappeared on New Year's Eve of 1849 suddenly reappears again 150 years later. Tom Strong and Solomon investigate.
The Old Skool! - During a school trip, Timmy Turbo and other members of the Strongmen of America find themselves sucked into a warp dimension where harsh teaching methods are enforced by massive robots.
Sparks - Tesla Strong investigates sudden unexpected volcano activity in San Mageo amid native talk of 'fire-devils' and 'salamanders', and finds a little more than she bargained for! (First appearance of Val Var Garm.)
Tom Strong #9 - Terror Temple of Tayasal; Volcano Dreams; Flip Attitude! (19 July 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Paul Chadwick i: Alan Gordon, Paul Chadwick c: Matt Hollingsworth
Terror Temple of Tayasal - On route to meeting with his wife and his father-in-law on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong stops off to investigate an intreguing archeological find amongst the ruins of the Mayan city of Tayasal.
Volcano Dreams - Tom Strong arrives late on Attabar Teru to meet his wife, Dhalua, and father-in-law. Dhalua recounts the story of her 'Vision Ordeal' (a rites of passage for Omotu women) on Attabar Teru.
Flip Attitude! - Tesla Strong meets Kid Tilt, daughter of science-villain King Tilt who Tom Strong captured and placed in jail, while Tom and Dhalua are away.
Tom Strong #10 - Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro; Funnyland!; Too Many Teslas? (20 September 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Gianni i: Alan Gordon, Gary Gianni c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro - In 1925 Tom makes a journey into the land of the dead using the late Foster Parallax's final invention and learns a little about his parentage.
Funnyland! - Inspired by his visit to a parallel dimension in Aztech Nights, Tom builds and uses a 'searchboard' capable of pan-dimension travel. His first stop takes him to the funny animal world of Warren Strong.
Too Many Teslas? - Eager to try out her father's new invention, Tesla sneaks into her father's laboratory and activates the 'searchboard'. Unfortunately it seems like all the Teslas in the different dimension have the same idea at once! (NB: This issue marks the first appearance of several alternate Earths later featured in The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong, and was most likely the inspiration for this spin-off title.)
Tom Strong #11 - Strange Reunion (20 December 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth, David Baron
Part one: Tom gets a surprising visit from old aquaintance Tom 'Doc' Strange, who arrives all the way from Terra Obscura, an alternate version of Earth within our own dimension which Strong visited in 1969. (NB: This is the first appearance of Terra Obscura which would later have its own spin-off series.)
Tom Strong #12 - Terror on Terra Obscura! (18 April 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
Part two: Tom Strong and 'Doc' Strange return to Terra Obscura together to battle the evil that threatens the planet.
Tom Strong #13 - The Tower at Time's End! (16 May 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker, Russ Heath, Pete Poplaski i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #14 - Space Family Strong; The Land Of Heart's Desire!; Baubles Of The Brain Bazaar! (08 August 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Hilary Barta i: Alan Gordon, Hilary Barta c: Matt Hollingsworth
(NB: Baubles Of The Brain Bazaar! introduced Johnny Future, Jonni Future's predecessor.)
===Issues 15-19=== (The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Three.)
Tom Strong #15 - Ring Of Fire! (04 January 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #16 - Some Call Him The Space Cowboy (27 February 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
Tom Strong #17 - Ant Fugue! (03 July 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
Tom Strong #18 - The Last Roundup (30 October 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #19 - Electric Ladyland!; Bad To The Bone; The Hero-Hoard Of Horatio Hogg! (19 February 2003)
w: Alan Moore, Leah Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Howard Chaykin, Shawn McManus
i: Karl Story, Howard Chaykin, Steve Mitchell c: Dave Stewart
(NB: Bad To The Bone documents the death of Paul Saveen.)
===Issues 20-25=== (The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Four.)
Tom Strong #20 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter One (23 April 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #21 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Two - Stongmen In Silvertime (20 August 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Trevor Scott, Karl Story, Richard Friend c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #22 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Three - Crisis In Infinite Hearts (08 October 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway, Sandra Hope, Richard Friend c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #23 - Moonday (12 November 2003)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #24 - Snow Queen (02 January 2004)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #25 - Tom Stong's Pal, Wally Willoughby (25 February 2004)
w: Geoff Johns p: John Paul Leon i: John Paul Leon c: Dave Stewart
===Issues 26-30=== (The following issues are collected in the forthcoming Tom Strong: Book Five.)
Tom Strong #26 - The Day Tom Strong Renegotiated the Friendly Skies (05 May 2004)
w: Mark Schultz p: Pascual Ferry i: Pascual Ferry c: Wendy Fouts, Carrie Strachan
Tom Strong #27 - Jenny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (08 July 2004)
w: Steve Aylett p: Shawn McManus i: Shawn McManus c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #28 - A Fire In His Belly (22 September 2004)
w: Brian K. Vaughan p: Peter Snejberg c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #29 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 1 (13 October 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker p: Duncan Fegredo i: Duncan Fegredo c: Carrie Strachan
Tom Strong #30 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 2 (29 December 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker p: Duncan Fegredo i: Duncan Fegredo c: Michelle Madsen
===Issues 31-34=== (The following issues are expected to be collected in the final volume Tom Strong: Book Six.)
Tom Strong #31 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 1 (16 February 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #32 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 2 (13 April 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #33 - The Journey Within (08 June 2005)
w: Joe Casey p: Ben Oliver i: Ben Oliver c: Joe Mettler
Tom Strong #34 - The Spires of Samakhara (31 August 2005)
w: Steve Moore p: Paul Gulacy i: Jimmy Palmiotti c: Michelle Madsen
Upcoming issues
Template:Future comic
Tom Strong #35 - Snow Queen: Part 2 (12 October 2005)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story
The long-awaited second part to Peter Hogan's story!
Tom Strong #36 - Tom Strong at the End of the World (14 December 2005)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story
The final issue, which promises to show the events of the final issues of Promethea - and the apocalypse depicted therein - from Tom's perspective.
Additionally, America's Best Comics 64 Page Giant featured a Tom Stong story by Steve Moore and Humberto Ramos, as well as reprinting the ABC Preview that was polybagged with Wizard magazine; this latter story (with art by Sprouse) was the actual first appearance of Tom Strong and King Solomon, albeit in a one-page cameo.
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales was an anthology spin-off from the parent title. It usually featured three regular storylines in each issue:
- One story would usually focus on Tom Strong, or on one of his supporting cast, and be either experimental or humorous in tone;
- Another would be a Young Tom Strong tale (set during Strong's formative years on Attabar Teru, and illustrated by Alan Weiss);
- A Jonni Future story (by Steve Moore and Art Adams) would often round out the issue.
The series ran for twelve issues, and would be sporadically published over the space of a couple of years. Stories of note include:
- A silent story in which Tesla goes out on the town to party (art by Jaime Hernandez; appeared in issue 1)
- King Solomon in a solo adventure (by Leah Moore and Sergio Aragones; appeared in issue 5)
- A prose history of Millenium City, with illustrations by Mike Kaluta (appeared in issue 9)
- Another silent story, with art by Peter Kuper (appeared in issue 10); and
- A collaboration between Alan Moore and Peter Bagge, which recasts the Strong family in a milieu not unlike the one used by Bagge in his Buddy Bradley stories. This was printed in the final issue (#12), and features appearances by characters resembling Dick Tracy, Fred Flintstone and the Kool-Aid Man.
Collected Editions
The Tom Strong series has so far been collected in:
- Tom Strong: Book One, issues 1-7 (hardcover: ISBN 1563896540, paperback: ISBN 1840232285)
- Tom Strong: Book Two, issues 8-14 (hardcover: ISBN 1840234563, paperback: ISBN 1563898802)
- Tom Strong: Book Three, issues 15-19 (hardcover: ISBN 1401202829, paperback: ISBN 1401202853)
- Tom Strong: Book Four, issues 20-25 (hardcover: ISBN 1401205712; a paperback edition has been announced)
- Upcoming: Tom Strong: Book Five, issues 26-30 (hardcover: ISBN 1401206247)
- Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book One, issues 1-6 (hardcover: ISBN 1401200303, paperback: ISBN 140120029X)
- Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book Two, issues 7-12 (hardcover: ISBN 1401206158)
The short story Skull & Bones, the 64-page story The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong and the original one-page cameo from the ABC Preview are collected in
- America's Best Comics (softcover: ISBN 1840238135)