By [ad_1]
Strange Adventures #12 is a brilliant ending to the series from King, Gerads, and Shaner, offering fans closure and answers in the wake of tragedy.
In 2020, Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Evan “Doc” Shaner launched Strange Adventures. King and Gerads were riding high off of the success of their Mister Miracle series, which had successfully reinvented Jack Kirby’s Fourth World property, and aimed to do the same for Adam Strange and Rann. After nearly two years and a dozen comics, Strange Adventures #12 wraps up the series’ murder mystery. Overall, the series’ final issue is a stellar read that balances the DC Universe’s cosmic tapestry with strong character work and dark themes.
After the shocking ending of the last issue, Strange Adventures #12 opens with Alanna Strange and Mr. Terrific storming the Pykkt mothership in their quest to end the war that has consumed Earth. As the two take on the alien warriors, the story flashes back to the final days of Rann’s war with the Pykkt. Heartbroken and exhausted by the battle, Adam Strange sets a course for Earth, hoping to rekindle his romance with Alanna and repair their lives. In the present, Adam’s greatest failure casts a haunting shadow over the Strange family.
It’s wild to think that it was less than a
In the last five years, King has proven himself as one of the most distinct and successful voices in the comic book industry. As he has done in Vision, Mister Miracle, and the current Batman/Catwoman series, King juxtaposes heroics with family dynamics to deconstruct the cast of Strange Adventures. The burden of Adam Strange’s past and how that impacts his life with Alanna makes for a compelling character dynamic. Death can destroy families, but in the instance of this series, King implies that the cracks in the Strange marriage instead come from the secrets that they keep. It distinguishes Adam and Allana’s struggle from those of DC’s other top couples while carving out a unique role for Mister Terrific.
Joining King for the present-day narrative of Strange Adventures is frequent collaborator Mitch Gerads. Throughout the series, Gerads imbued characters with an intense degree of emotion, but this issue tops it all. As Alanna comes to terms with the tragedies in her life, her involuntary outpouring feels raw, real, and beautiful. Gerads uses a series of wide panels to let readers linger on her pain. The pairing of Mister Terrific and Alanna Strange is visually dynamic and it’s hard not to feel engulfed by the weight of their dialogue, due largely to Gerads incredible work.
Doc Shaner is given a unique task in Strange Adventures #12, as his flashbacks finally catch up with the opening of the series. In addition to bringing the book’s mystery full-circle, Shaner’s clean art style is the perfect visual compliment to one of the story’s recurring ideas. It is easy to look upon the past with rose-tinted glasses, and as readers see Strange Adventures‘s first issue play out again from a new perspective, it serves as a visual reminder that even memory can be fallible. Beyond that, the spectacle Shaner brings to Adam Strange’s battles on Rann is truly joyous. The action is bright and fun, even though readers know by this point that it masks horrific war crimes and treachery.
Overall, Strange Adventures may be the best work of Tom King’s career. Joined by Gerads and Shaner, King’s story reimages the heroics of Adam Strange as the actions of a man desperate to save his family at any cost, regardless of what effect it has on his soul. The series is a brilliant commentary on the ties that bind families together and how the act of storytelling changes the reality of history. Strange Adventures #12 is the ending that the series deserves, offering fans closure and solace as the adventures of Mister Terrific, Adam, and Alanna Strange are finally laid to rest.
About The Author
[ad_2]
