Artists: Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert
Release Date: March 20, 1990
Cover Price: $3.95
Digital Copy Price: $1.99
Page Count: 49
Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net
When the first season of Syfy's Krypton show launched, I realized I didn't know enough about Adam Strange. Of course I knew of him. I've seen him in cameos on the animated shows and comic book appearances here and there, but that was it. So I started to get a bit into the character and read up on him. Since then I've grown pretty fond of the guy and he's become one of my favorite characters. And even though I haven't been a fan of what Bendis has done at DC (except, admittedly, I do like Naomi so far), I do appreciate that he throws Adam in there randomly.
Recently I saw an Adam Strange 3 part series called "The Man of Two Worlds" from 1990 on the DC Comics app, and not only was I hooked in but I thought it would be perfect for Weird Science Retro Reviews. I didn't realize they were 48 to 50 pages each when I purchased them, but when I saw that I got excited. This is going to be fun! But, since I do have my own blog which takes up a lot of my time when the kids are asleep, the reviews will cover it in broader strokes than my usual Retro Reviews.
Enough jibba-jabba! Let's jump into the Zeta Beam!
Recently I saw an Adam Strange 3 part series called "The Man of Two Worlds" from 1990 on the DC Comics app, and not only was I hooked in but I thought it would be perfect for Weird Science Retro Reviews. I didn't realize they were 48 to 50 pages each when I purchased them, but when I saw that I got excited. This is going to be fun! But, since I do have my own blog which takes up a lot of my time when the kids are asleep, the reviews will cover it in broader strokes than my usual Retro Reviews.
Enough jibba-jabba! Let's jump into the Zeta Beam!
Adam's wife, Alanna, is pregnant. Adam tells her that he needs to take one last trip to Earth and he'd be back forever. But first he has to save her from a dragon monster thing that decided to ruin their picnic.
After years of Adam riding Zeta Beams to and from Earth and Rann, there are only two left. It takes 4.5 years for those beams to travel from Rann to Earth, and years ago alterations were made that make instantaneous travel on them not possible. I'm not sure why those alterations were made, but it looks like Sardath (Alanna's father) wanted to keep Adam, Rann's big hero, there on Rann.
Back on Earth, Adam goes to his family house. There's nobody home but everything has been kept just the same as when he was a kid, bedrooms and all. He recalls a rough childhood with two much older siblings, an ill father, and how it got worse when their mother died. Then he plunges us into a memory of his brother, who also passed away.
Todd tells Adam that he's running away. Adam tries to change his mind but fails. They never see each other again.
Back on Rann, Alanna and Sardath are getting ready to open an Adam Strange museum. Like the Flash museum but probably a lot less timeline stuff screwing with what's in the museum every day. Of course there are people of Rann who hate Adam and Alanna doesn't understand why. She also doesn't understand why he'd want to stay on Rann because Earth sounds so interesting to her.
After years of Adam riding Zeta Beams to and from Earth and Rann, there are only two left. It takes 4.5 years for those beams to travel from Rann to Earth, and years ago alterations were made that make instantaneous travel on them not possible. I'm not sure why those alterations were made, but it looks like Sardath (Alanna's father) wanted to keep Adam, Rann's big hero, there on Rann.
Back on Earth, Adam goes to his family house. There's nobody home but everything has been kept just the same as when he was a kid, bedrooms and all. He recalls a rough childhood with two much older siblings, an ill father, and how it got worse when their mother died. Then he plunges us into a memory of his brother, who also passed away.
Todd tells Adam that he's running away. Adam tries to change his mind but fails. They never see each other again.
Back on Rann, Alanna and Sardath are getting ready to open an Adam Strange museum. Like the Flash museum but probably a lot less timeline stuff screwing with what's in the museum every day. Of course there are people of Rann who hate Adam and Alanna doesn't understand why. She also doesn't understand why he'd want to stay on Rann because Earth sounds so interesting to her.
Adam finds his sister and father at the hospital; his father on his deathbed. His sister is a raging bitch, by the way, but they set aside their differences for a minute to say their final goodbyes to their dad.
At the Adam Strange Museum, a group is confronting Sardath about the museum's existence, Alanna's and Adam's marriage, and their unborn child. Then we meet Captain Delaken. He's Alanna's ex, and he saves Sardath's ass when the group gets a bit rowdy.
But you get the sense that Delaken isn't up to any good. Because, as we find out later, he's not. See the girl shouting back at him? That's Marleah. She's married but they're bumping uglies and conspiring to do something that isn't quite clear yet.
Back on Earth, Adam goes out with his father's doctor and they get drunk. She keeps trying to make some action happen, but then she's cockblocked.
Sardath meets with a council about Adam's permanent residency on Rann. After he leaves in frustration, Captain Delakan comes in laughing and insults them.
The time is up for Adam on Earth, so he gets in position to ride the last Zeta Beam and straps himself up.
But the Rann that he returns to is quite different.
Ouch!
*cringe* Yeesh.
Here we find out that this isn't really Rann because we're taken there, where Alanna is upset because Adam didn't come back. But then Adam is transported out of that Bizarro Rann and onto the real one. He doesn't realize it's a different world yet, though.
In a frickin' amazing scene, he beats the crap out of Sardath's guards and then pummels Sardath to a bloody pulp until Alanna hits him on the head with a rock.
Adam collect himself before Delakan shows up and starts shooting at him. He takes off with his rockets but one of them has been hit, and he comes crashing back down. And that's the end of Chapter 1.
Bits and Pieces
Although this issue is 49 pages of a lot of talking and not much actually happening until the very end, I enjoyed the read. You get the story of Adam's family and how he was raised, you get a dirty political conspiracy on Rann, and then it gets hella weird before Adam starts punching people.
Right from the start the art takes you back in time to the 1950's, as it's clearly meant to do. For the most part they even talk like it's out of the 1950's even though it's set in 1990, dropping new phrases and references and even some semi-curse words from time to time. So I guess you could say that it's double-nostalgic. That said, I hope it picks up the pace in Part 2, which I'll review next week.
Right from the start the art takes you back in time to the 1950's, as it's clearly meant to do. For the most part they even talk like it's out of the 1950's even though it's set in 1990, dropping new phrases and references and even some semi-curse words from time to time. So I guess you could say that it's double-nostalgic. That said, I hope it picks up the pace in Part 2, which I'll review next week.
8/10
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