By Zack Quaintance — I’d like to open this review by discussing this comic’s top-tier artwork, which just blew me away throughout. This book features dual work from two of DC Comics’ best — Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner. The former bringing a photo-realistic, almost understated approach to his intricate linework while the latter is one of the best modern purveyor’s of Silver Age-inspired superhero art, essentially picking up the mantle once held by the all-time great, the late Darwyn Cooke.

What they’ve done just through one issue here is nothing short of remarkable. I’d thought in the advance of this series that part of what would be for sale here would be the contrast between the two, that Gerads would essentially lean into his photo-realism while Shaner went the other way, idealizing his scenes, which would presumably be the character at his most super-heroic. And while there is some of that in this book, to be sure, the two do not seem to be deliberate doing anything other than putting forth their best work, perhaps locked in a game of one-ups-manship where we as an audience will ultimately win. Phew. It’s great stuff. 

From a thematic and writerly standpoint, however, Strange Adventures is a tougher debut comic to evaluate. It’s the start of a 12-part series penned by writer Tom King. King has worked often in this format in his seven years or so working for the Big 2, with past 12-issue stories that include Omega Men, The Vision, Sheriff of Babylon, and, most recently, Mister Miracle, the success of which (the last one in particular) has catapulted him out of comics a bit, opening writing opportunities in Hollywood.

All of these books have been critically beloved, and King has a car trunk filled with Eisner Awards (basically the Academy Awards of comics) to show for them. The Vision was such a sensation in the industry when it debuted in 2015 and continued on to 2016, that roughly midway through its run, King was signed exclusive to DC Comics and given the keys to the publisher’s flagship (and highest selling title), Batman throughout its high-profile 2016 Rebirth relaunch. All of that is to say (in a rambling fashion) that the start of a new 12-part maxi-series from Tom King is to be anticipated, even if over the course of the past year and change some of the luster of King’s star has come off.

Heroes in Crisis, a bleak-by-design nine-part mini-series that focused on superhero PTSD, was poorly-received online, to the point that I once heard King describe it as the first thing he’d written that “everyone” hated. Everyone. At the same time, he was pushed off of that Batman gig at the end of last year, about 20 issues shy of the 104 issues he’d long said he’d planned to write on that series. King’s career as a writer is still going quite well, to be sure, with proponents outweighing detractors, especially in the mainstream. Again, I’m going somewhere with all of this, which is to note that the first issue of this new book seems to indicate that this will be a story concerned with King’s relationship to fans — for better or worse.

In Strange Adventures #1, Silver Age DC Comics superhero Adam Strange — a space adventurer who is pulled to a far off planet from Earth by something called zeta beams, subsequently becoming a major hero on said foreign planet — has written a tell-all book about his faraway adventuring. Strange is immediately played as a thinly veiled analog for King himself, who has seen combat in Iraq as part of his well-publicized work with the CIA. King has also written many comics about that work — with Sheriff of Babylon addressing it literally, while the other books address it metaphorically — and this all comes through quite clearly in this issue. Adam even greets readers at signing as King does, exclaiming, “Hi, I’m Adam” instead of, “Hi, I’m Tom.”

King using a superhero as stand-in for himself is the same trick that powered Mister Miracle, and I was a bit disappointed to see it applied so blatantly again here. And that’s probably my biggest issue with this series (and it’s admittedly small sample size so far). It feels too familiar with other Tom King works. It’s clear the writer is hung up on his experiences with war, but we’ve already read Sheriff of Babylon, and we’ve already read Mister Miracle. There’s an inherent risk here of being thematically repetitive. To be sure, this is tapered by a new focus on fandom and the media — which is an entirely different point of discussion that I’m not sure I’m ready to have after just one issue.

See, in Strange Adventures the villain at the start of this story seems to be perception. There is a scene in which a frothing fan screams at King — er, Adam — that what he did on that faraway planet was heinous and evil. And there are hints of misinformation too, of the media covering things in a way that is unfair to Adam in the favor of their own narratives. King’s ascended so rapidly in the comics industry, rocketing to the top as the new big thing in Big 2 comics before a resultant backlash started to criticize him as being too grim, dark, and ill-intended with beloved superhero characters. It makes sense that he would have a lot more to say about this topic, and I’m certainly game to hear him out. Which is why I’m withholding the a further critique of those themes, too. 

I have criticized King in the past for being too naked with his metaphors and intentions in his work, specifically in Heroes in Crisis and even a bit in Mister Miracle, and he’s done quite a bit to remedy that here, creating a far more compelling and coherent main superhero-driven narrative than was found in either of those earlier works. With both HiC and Mister Miracle at times, I thought that King didn’t really justify working with superhero characters, and that both of those stories would have perhaps been better served without superheroes at all. I certainly can’t say that about Strange Adventures, which uses Adam Strange’s prominence in two separate worlds that heightens the dissidence at the center of the plot, the difference between Strange as a notable person being both loved and hated. 

So that’s where I’m at through this comic after one issue. I’ve seen signs that King is doing something totally new and compelling here, and I’ve seen signs that he’s going back to some familiar wells. I’m also wary of what he really has to say about media and perception, but I don’t think we know nearly enough to evaluate that message yet. One thing is true of this book, however, King continues to make comics that generate conversation, whether you love it or hate it.

Overall: The artwork in this book is absolutely superb, yet it remains to be seen whether the plot and themes will, A. have something new to say apart from past King works, and B. prove insightful enough to carry a satisfying 12-part superhero story. 7.5/10

Strange Adventures #1
Writer: Tom King
Artists: Mitch Gerads & Evan “Doc” Shaner
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics - Black Label
Price: $4.99
Solicit: The Mister Miracle team of writer Tom King and artist Mitch Gerads are joined by fan-favorite artist Evan "Doc" Shaner to bring you an epic tale in the tradition of Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and DC: The New Frontier-a story of blood, war, and love that readers will be talking about for years to come.
Adam Strange is the hero of Rann, a man famous throughout the galaxy for his bravery and honor. After leading his adopted home to victory in a great planetary war, Adam and his wife Alanna retire to Earth, where they are greeted by cheers, awards, and parades. But not all is as happy and nice as it seems, as the decisions Adam made during battles on Rann come back to haunt his family and threaten the entire DC Universe. And now a surprise DC hero will have to choose between saving Adam Strange and saving the world.  
A story like no other, Strange Adventures is an ambitious, thrilling, shocking, and beautiful 12-issue saga that will push Adam Strange to the breaking point-and beyond!

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.