Customer Reviews

Indiana Jones Omnibus, Vol. 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dark Horse Comics has been publishing these fantastic Omnibus volumes the last couple of years. This particular collection contains previously out of print "Indiana Jones" miniseries from 1991-1994. All three tales are pretty solid.

"Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" is the first story and is an adaptation of the classic Lucasarts computer game of the same name. I felt this was the weakest of the three stories but that might be because I'm comparing it too much to the game. It'd be hard to adapt the game fully because it is so immersive. I do think though that those who have never played the game should enjoy this story because you won't know what you're missing.

"Indiana Jones: Thunder in the Orient" is the second story, my favorite of the three. Indy goes on a quest for the original scrolls written by the Buddha and tangles with warlords and a crazed Japanese general. At times, there are shades of Temple of Doom in this story and that's not a bad thing. The artwork in this story has a 1940s feel that works really well too.

"Indiana Jones and the Arms of Gold" is the last story in this volume. The story here involves Indy helping a Spanish professor who is new to his college track down her missing brother, which leads them on a quest for a pair of golden arms. There are a couple of really good twists in this story that I won't give away. The artwork is good again, although is very different from the style in which the first two stories are done. It's quite good though and fits the thematic material.

This volume is well worth the money for any die-hard Indiana Jones fan. It's great that Dark Horse is finally reprinting these stories after all these years. This book will make a fine edition to any Indy fan's collection.

This Indiana Jones Omnibus comes from Dark Horse Comics and contains a collection of comics from three different story volumes. The stories were originally published in comic book form in the early 1990s just after the 1989 release of INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. The three story arcs are:

"Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis"--this story is a rough adaptation of the Lucasart video game with the same name. Indy travels around the globe with a ravishing redheaded woman named Sophie Hapgood. Sophie is one of the foremost experts about Atlantis and is also a part-time psychic. She and Indy have worked together on a previous expedition in Iceland that uncovered some unusual relics. When some Germans show up at Barnett College to steal Indy's relics from the excavation and attempt to kill him, it starts Indy on a world-wide odyssey in search of the lost city of Atlantis.

"Indiana Jones and the Thunder in the Orient"--this adventure finds Indy in the middle east teamed up with Sophie Hapgood again and a boy named Khamal in search of the original writings and testaments of Buddah. This is the longest story of the three.

"Indiana Jones and the Arms of Gold"--Professor Jones finds himself teamed with an attractive female professor who has been given his "pet" class for the semester to teach. The professor, Francisca Uribe del Arco receives a strange package from her missing brother. The package contains a golden finger. Supposedly, the finger is part of an entire suit of gold that allows the wearer to lift and carve huge blocks of stone. Someone is desperate to get the golden finger and Indy and Francisca set out to South America in search of the rest of the golden arm and Francisca's missing brother.

I've been a fan of Indiana Jones since a kid and with the arrival of the new movie in May 2008, there will be an onslaught of Indy related books and merchandise. However, unless you are the most die hard of fans, you probably will not enjoy reading INDIANA JONES OMNIBUS VOL. 1. The artwork is rather bland and at times doesn't match from one panel to the next, for instance in the "Thunder in the Orient" story Sophie Hapgood goes from being a ravishing redhead to being a blonde bombshell halfway through the story. The stories themselves aren't very strong and they skip key portions of the story, for instance once again "Thunder in the Orient" spends a huge amount of time building to the climax and then just ends. As far as comics go, they are average, but as far as Indiana Jones stories go, they are subpar.

I am a longtime fan of Indiana Jones and a recent fan of the various Omnibus graphic novels by Dark Horse. I have very much enjoyed the Star Wars Omnibus books, so I thought I would give Indy a chance. Indiana Jones Omnibus Volume 1 did not disappoint me. I enjoyed the three tales in the book, and the illustrations are excellent. They stay very true to the films. Some of his escapes from perilous situations are even harder to believe than in the movies, but they are still fun. If you like Dr. Jones (and who doesn't?), you will enjoy this first Indy Omnibus from Dark Horse. Volume 2 has already been announced, so there are more Indy graphic adventures to look forward to.

Fresh on the heels of the release of the new Indiana Jones trailer and May 22nd film debut, Darkhorse Books has reprinted three complete treasure seeking adventures fans can whet their appetites on. The Indy flood not only includes comics, but also books (film adaptatons and series), but also the Young Indy Chronicles and the three previous films.


With an archaeological smorgasborg like that to choose from, you can't go hungry!


In the early 1990's, Dark Horse Comics secured the license to create new Indiana Jones adventures. Ìndiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis`was based on a Lucasfilm Game concept and written by a William Messener-Loebs and Mike Richardson. Dan Barry and Karl Kessel provided exceptional artwork on the chase through Atlantean legends and escape from the power of the Nazis. The `key`, of course, is in the possession of an old flame, Sophia Hafgood and the quest leads to danger under the oceans near Crete, to Iceland, and even South America.(again).

`Thunder in the Orient`is the longest piece in the book, at 140 plus pages. Given the story `reach`, Indy and Sophia start their journey at the ruined city of Bas Shamra, north of Tripoli. Dan Barry and Dan Spiegle are our hosts as we follow Indy to Nepal and another cog disguised as ancient Hindu document. One clue leads to another, and the team travels to Katmadu, The Colossus of Bamian, two ancient temples, one treasure, and into the grip of a powerful warlord. While I appreciate the advetnture, the sheer length of this story would make all 100 plus chapters of the `The Perils of Pauline` action filled.

Lastly, the Àrms of Gold`is a more average length adventure, involvong only one trip to South America packed with death traps, gold treasures, and a long lost race seeking to gain political power. Sure, Indy runs across a beautiful woman, and manages to get buried up to his neck in snow, but this is Indy afterall.


The book is very impressive, and priced at only $24.95 for 300 plus pages, a good deal too. Artwise, the pages seem reproduced from the comics themselves with re-done coloring. All in all, impressive.

This is only Volume 1. I can imagine the rest of the adventures will soon be out as well.

Until I pick up a fedora and whip,

I remain

Tim Lasiuta

I love Indiana Jones. I have since I was a kid.

I also love graphic novels.

So when I saw that there was an Indiana Jones graphic novel, I couldn't help but jump at the chance to pick it up. Unfortunately, it's not all that good, not as Indiana Jones nor as a graphic novel.

Sure, all the elements of a good Indiana Jones story are there--Nazis, ancient mythical artifacts and civilizations, exotic locales and beautiful women--but the writers evidently never quite figured out how to write Indiana Jones as Indiana Jones, and not just some guy in a fedora with a whip. Likewise, the art is lackluster and doesn't portray the action or the characters particularly well.

I guess that's what disappointed me about this collection: it had all the elements of great Indiana Jones stories, but doesn't know what to do with them. In the end, it feels hollow and disjointed, which is a shame.

On page 241(?) in the course of the second story which takes place in Asia, Indy notices planes, manned by Japanese soldiers, converging on his archeological party, calling them "Jap zeroes". And, in the same story...a woman, Asian, who is saved by Indy and his partner Sophia Hapgood is named "Lotus Flower" because it is thought she has no name.

The racism of the characters is part of what is wrong with this omnibus of three stories. They, the stories, are a bit dull and not very involving. They weren't horrible, but they didn't give the reader a chance know the characters and understand the story, or become involved in the story. For me, this happened with all three of the stories.

Aside from the story issues, sometimes the art has too much going on in the panels or it's inconsistent. For example: The female character, "Lotus Flower" aka "The Serpent Lady" is drawn to look as a Caucasian woman (or at least, a Mediterrean woman) in the final part of the second story, after she was given obvious Asian features (i.e. she looked like an actual Asian woman) in previous panels.

I give this a pass.

It seems like Indiana Jones comics could be easy to write: He's a serial adventurer with treasure hunts that sometimes intersect neat historical events or people. But somehow, it's not as easy as one might think... at least it doesn't look that way when you read Indy comics.

Indy and the Fate of Atlantis is, in my opinion, the best Indy comic out there. It's a mini-series that introduces Indy's best non-movie female lead, Sophie Hapgood, his most memorable non-movie nemesis, Klaus Kerner, and the best mystery/treasure, Atlantis.

Sophie is great because she's different from other female leads out there, but is still likeable and serves a meaningful role in the story. Kerner is great because he's an archaeologist himself, and he manages to surprise Indy a couple of times. Lastly, Atlantis is great because it's not just a relic people are racing for, it's a gradually unravelling mystery that kept me engaged throughout. In short, this story feels like the one that SHOULD have been made into a movie (instead of Crystal Skull, I wish!).

Indy: Thunder In the Orient has a lot going on but (don't miss this!) it still makes sense and I was able to keep up with it. It has a good Macguffin that has political power (not just supernatural power), which is a nice, sensible change.

Indy and the Arms of Gold is my least favorite but it's still readable compared to the Vol. 2 garbage. Nothing in it was very memorable for me, but at least Indy seemed like... well, Indy.

Indiana Jones: Omnibus is basically a collection of three different stories,
all quite different but seem to fit right in to the Indy universe.
The art is very well done with a Watchmen-esque style art, several new characters are introduced such as Sophia Hapgood and several others.
This comic is quite long and will take a little time to read if you dont try to read it in one sitting.
The only big problem with this graphic novel is that the story feels very rushed, it feels like your reading to "get to the finish line."
The dialogue can get a little klunky and ridiculous at times, but this is easily overlooked.
This comic should have been one large story with three different parts, not three totally diffferent stories with different years, places and characters.
Overall this is a very fun to read graphic novel/comic and I highly recommend it to any Indy fan.

I love the Omnibus books. THis is a great way to inexpensively purchase a lot of these no longer published stories.

Very beautiful publication with Indy's early Dark Horse stories. The stories contained in this volume are discribed by the previous reviewers and although they haven't changed the comic world they are fun to read.

This book is a bit shorter in size, it doesn't stand as tall as the original issues were, and it doesn't feature the original cover art from all the issues. The publisher has chosen to randomly pick one for each story and let it run continuously. Although not a mistake in judgment it would be nice to dedicate a couple of pages at the end of each story to demonstrate the covers.

Hope to see the Marvel stories in this format too!