Tom Strong Deluxe Edition Volume One, by Wildstorm comics is a hardback collection of the first twelve issues of Tom Strong, written by Alan Moore with regular artist Chris Sprouse and a host of guest artists. It’s a lovely physical book, large and glossy, showing off the art to maximum effect. Not the sort of format to read on the train or bus, more to open whilst sitting in a large armchair.
Tom Strong is a Science Hero, in other words he obtained his powers through the application of science rather than a freak accident or mutant powers. In Tom’s case his was raised by his parents on the island of Attabar Teru, inside a high-gravity chamber to create his strength, eating a root grown on the island to provide long-life, and taught by his parents to enhance his intellect.
The stories initially show Tom’s upbringing and past in a self referential, almost recursive manner, for example: a boy is reading a comic about the origins of Tom Strong whilst oblivious to Tom Strong apprehending some criminals around him. All the clever modern style you’d expect from Moore. After the first few issues the stories are about Tom encountering enemies from his past, with the past referred to as an existing world that the reader should know about, but of course doesn’t exist. It’s like being dropped into a long running comic mythos without knowing anything about it. I particularly liked the episode where Tom Strong visits an alternate parallel world with it’s hat-tip to the kind of major reboots that many comic heroes have had over the years.
Later issues in the collection offer a more varied style, with flashbacks, or entire episodes, drawn by guest artists. Some of the styles are not to different from Sprouse’s style whilst others vary drastically, such as the Victorian-esque Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro and the Roger Rabbit style Funnyland!
I preferred the initial set of stories, which offered more of an arc than the later stand alone stories. Once I had learnt about Tom and Millennium City and seen him fight some of his “classic” enemies I wanted more plot. But that’s not really the point of Tom Strong, it’s intended to deliver a homage to classic pulp-y comics and heroes of the past, and it does that with style and class and some modern knowing touches.
Comic newbies or lapsed/part-time comic readers will enjoy Tom Strong, but I think that it’s true comic fans who will probably enjoy it the most, being able to appreciate the level of love that this series exhibits towards the genre.
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