TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #3

By: Tony Whitt
Review Date: Friday, May 17, 2002

It's almost expected that if you're a comics fan at all, you're also fond of the work of Alan Moore. It's also almost considered blasphemy to suggest that such a master can write anything that's less than brilliant. While the lead tale in this month's issue of TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES isn't likely to break Moore's reputation, it should be enough to show that he can write the occasional non-starter every once in a while.

"The Rule of Robo-Saveen!" starts off promisingly, with an incredibly silly looking giant robot version of Tom Strong's arch-nemesis Paul Saveen attacking the city of Millennium. An equally silly looking giant robot version of our hero faces off against him. Cool stuff-unless the sharp-eyed reader notices that the Tom Strong controlling the robot doesn't look much like the one we know. Yup, you guessed it-he's an actor, and the clash of the titans we're witnessing is a scene in a movie that Tom is helping with the production of. It would probably be a funny joke if the punchline weren't so incredibly lame. The only thing that makes this particular feature bearable is Jerry Ordway's spectacular art-his giant robots are particularly well done. But I can't help thinking it would have been even more exciting to see the entire feature devoted to a real giant robot battle rather than using the "it was all just a movie" cop-out. Surely Alan Moore is up to better than this?

The standout feature of this title continues to be Steve Moore and Arthur Adams's excellent Jonni Future. This time, Jonni is kidnapped by the Space Panjandrum to serve in "The Seraglio of the Stars," along with several other nubile alien lovelies. The women are trapped in a sphere from which there's no escape, and though the furnishings and food may be as delectable as the women themselves, it doesn't make up for the degrading work they'll have to do when they get to the Rim. It may not sound like much, but the story is incredibly fun reading, despite a few minor oddities: why would anyone want a sex partner who was "completely frictionless," as the woman named Silk is? Isn't friction a vital part of...all that? There's also some strange about the revelation of the Panjandrum's true nature at the end-see if you can catch it. Even if these inconsistencies put you off, Arthur Adams's lavish artwork makes the entire effort worthwhile. Either way, this is the story that makes this issue enjoyable, and this is the feature that makes this title worth coming back to month after month.


Usually I'm not so big a fan of Steve Moore's other feature, Young Tom Strong, but this issue sees the young man's story take an interesting twist. In "Young Tom Strong and the View Beyond the Veil," Tom goes on a vision quest and meets the spirits of all those near to him who have died. Only problem is, he's been given too much of the potion that allows the veil to be pulled aside, and he may not be strong enough to make it back. The only complaint about this story is the one I've had about all the stories in this series since the beginning: it's too short. Steve Moore finally builds a nice bit of tension into this feature, and just as it's going somewhere truly interesting, the allotted seven pages are up, and we're out of there. It seems that only the Jonni Future feature this time makes good use of the short time it has, as it's the only one that doesn't leave you feeling cheated.

Perhaps these are still teething problems-the series is only on its third issue, after all-but hopefully this title will find a balance soon. The three features may not all live up to the "terrific" title, but at least they're coming close.