14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adam Strange: Former Joke, Current Superstar!, October 5, 2005
This review is from: Adam Strange: Planet Heist (Paperback)
Up until just a mere few months ago, I honestly thought that Adam Strange was the lamest character ever created in the world of comic books. His costume was terrible, his entire storyline outdated, a relic of '60's sci-fi. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever turn me into a fan of Adam Strange.
That is, of course, until I read the recently released Adam Strange: Planet Heist.
Thanks to a smart script and crisp dialogue from Andy Diggle, as well as jaw-dropping art by Pascal Farry, this trade paperback that collects an eight-issue miniseries has given me an entirely new (and prior non-existent) appreciation for this character.
Don't get me wrong, it's still the sci-fi space opera stuff, but it's done so originally without all the old clichés that I didn't even mind. It didn't feel like the typical sci-fi comics of old. Adam Strange is now conveyed as a man in love who crosses galaxies to be with his other-worldly wife, a father willing to do anything to protect his only daughter, a stranger when on Earth, though he's an Earthling, an alien totally at home when on his adoptive planet of Rann. And when the world he protects is seemingly destroyed, we witness Strange take on a grand voyage in the hopes of finding his loved ones, refusing to accept their demise.
Thank goodness, his costume was updated to one of the coolest looking outfits in all of comics today. He's now got mind-blowing technology at his disposal instead of one idiotic, pistol-shaped ray gun, and he's got the attitude of a hero, but also that of a commander of an army bent on protecting those he's sworn to watch over.
We get lots of old, formerly goofy characters cast in a new, respective light, and we also have a lot of old plot threads summed up, and new plots born that are playing out in other comics even as we speak (figuratively, of course).
I bought this trade paperback for the exquisite artwork alone, but I was more than floored by the excellent storyline. This is a can't miss. Oh, and, I promise, you'll never hear me make fun of Adam Strange again.
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So much fun you will be begging DC for more Adam Strange by Diggle., December 4, 2005
This review is from: Adam Strange: Planet Heist (Paperback)
The greatest claim to fame to this story is probably that it leads into the rather lackluster Rann-Thanagar War, but this story is the real prize. Strange absolutely shines as the star of the book. We totally buy into his quest to find out what has happened to his family and are taken on a wild ride through the cosmic corners of the DC Universe. Both the writing and the art are amazing, not only does it establish Strange as a solid lead but it fleshes out the supporting cast. Who would have thought I would have ever cared about the Omega men? My only complaint is that DC should have made this an ongoing. Oh well, maybe after the Crisis... but I will not hold my breath.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good update of a classic character, November 13, 2005
This review is from: Adam Strange: Planet Heist (Paperback)
Slowly but surely, DC's writers are getting a better handle on making Adam Strange more of a standout character. True, while strange is the Silver Age embodiment of swashbuckling sci-fi heroes such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, he has been in dire need of a more technical or just plain "modern" touch. Let's face it: flying around with a jet pack and gun just doesn't cut it anymore. In this book, writer Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry succeed.
ADAM STRANGE: PLANET HEIST firmly establishes Adam Strange as a more technologically-advanced type of hero - picture a galaxy-roving version of Marvel's Iron Man and you'll have it. The guy is no longer wearing red and white longjohns - now it's a computer-driven life support suit with gadgets and weaponry out the wazoo. The story also shows him as a focal point for the interactions of DC's other galactic characters, such as the LEGION and the Omega Men (yay!). Diggle exhibits great skill at fitting these characters and more into a mystery concerning the disappearance of Rann, Adam's adopted homeworld, and the consequences that lead up to one of DC's "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" storylines, THE RANN/THANAGAR WAR. Pascal Ferry's artwork is absolutely beautiful, calling to mind the soft, stylized pencils of Frank Cho. I was stunned at his ability not just with figures, but with backdrops and texture. Adam looks very modern, but still retains classic elements of the costume, while obviously paying tribute to Alex Raymond, the creator of Flash Gordon. While the "holographic weaponry" was a bit overdone, it showed that the new Adam Strange is a force to be reckoned with.
Overall, this story was a fun read that truly used the character to his potential, as opposed to the doom-and-gloom ADAM STRANGE: MAN OF TWO WORLDS, which made we want to have a nice stiff drink after finishing it.
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