Tom Strong
Encyclopedia
Tom Strong is a comic book
created by writer Alan Moore
and artist Chris Sprouse
initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics
' Wildstorm
division.
". He was raised in a high-gravity chamber and given an intensive education by his somewhat eccentric scientist parents, on the fictional West Indian
island of Attabar Teru. His upbringing, plus ingesting a root used by the natives of the island for health and long life, have made him nearly physically and mentally perfect. Though born at the dawn of the 20th century, by the year 2000 he looks as if he is only in his forties.
Tom Strong has a wife, Dhalua, and a daughter, Tesla, both with enhanced physical and mental abilities and longevity. He resides in a building called the Stronghold in Millennium City. He is also assisted by Pneuman, a steam powered robot
, and King Solomon, a gorilla
with human characteristics. His greatest foe was tuxedo-clad "science villain" Paul Saveen.
The series explores many different timelines and universes, which are a nod to different comic genres. Tom Strong frequently has adventures alongside his younger self. There is also a parallel cartoon universe where a talking bunny is a version of Tom Strong, as well as a Western universe and even "Tom Teen," where characters are similar to Archie comics.
Spin-offs include Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, Terra Obscura
and the oneshot The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong.
Tom Strong #1 - How Tom Strong Got Started (7 April 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Tom Strong #2 - Return of the Modular Man (12 May 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Tom Strong #3 - Aztech Nights (8 July 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Tom Strong #4 - Swastika
Girls! (1 September 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Art Adams
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Tom Strong #5 - Memories of Pangaea
, Escape from Eden! (13 October 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Jerry Ordway
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
Tom Strong #6 - Dead Man's Hand, The Big Heat? (29 December 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Dave Gibbons
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Dave Gibbons c: Mike Garcia
Tom Strong #7 - Sons and Heirs, Showdown in the Shimmering City (1 March 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Frank
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Cam Smith
c: Mike Garcia
Tom Strong #8 - Riders of the Lost Mesa; The Old Skool!; Sparks (17 May 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Alan Weiss
i: Alan Gordon, Alan Weiss c: Wildstorm FX, Mike Garcia
Tom Strong #9 - Terror Temple of Tayasal; Volcano Dreams; Flip Attitude! (19 July 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Paul Chadwick
i: Alan Gordon, Paul Chadwick c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #10 - Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro; Funnyland!; Too Many Teslas? (20 September 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Gianni
i: Alan Gordon, Gary Gianni c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #11 - Strange Reunion (20 December 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth, David Baron
Tom Strong #12 - Terror on Terra Obscura! (18 April 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #13 - The Tower at Time's End! (16 May 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker
, Russ Heath
, Pete Poplaski i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #14 - Space Family Strong; The Land Of Heart's Desire!; Baubles Of The Brain Bazaar! (8 August 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Hilary Barta
i: Alan Gordon, Hilary Barta c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #15 - Ring Of Fire! (4 January 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Matt Hollingsworth
Tom Strong #16 - Some Call Him The Space Cowboy (27 February 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
Tom Strong #17 - Ant Fugue! (3 July 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
Tom Strong #18 - The Last Roundup (30 October 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #19 - Electric Ladyland!; Bad To The Bone; The Hero-Hoard Of Horatio Hogg! (19 February 2003)
w: Alan Moore, Leah Moore
p: Chris Sprouse, Howard Chaykin
, Shawn McManus
i: Karl Story, Howard Chaykin, Steve Mitchell c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #20 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter One (23 April 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway
i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #21 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Two - Strongmen In Silvertime (20 August 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Trevor Scott, Karl Story, Richard Friend c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #22 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Three - Crisis In Infinite Hearts (8 October 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway, Sandra Hope, Richard Friend c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #23 - Moonday (12 November 2003)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #24 - Snow Queen (2 January 2004)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #25 - Tom Strong's Pal, Wally Willoughby (25 February 2004)
w: Geoff Johns
p: John Paul Leon
i: John Paul Leon c: Dave Stewart
Tom Strong #26 - The Day Tom Strong Renegotiated the Friendly Skies (5 May 2004)
w: Mark Schultz
p: Pasqual Ferry
i: Pascual Ferry c: Wendy Fouts, Carrie Strachan
Tom Strong #27 - Jenny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (8 July 2004)
w: Steve Aylett
p: Shawn McManus i: Shawn McManus c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #28 - A Fire In His Belly (22 September 2004)
w: Brian K. Vaughan
p: Peter Snejberg c: Wildstorm FX
Tom Strong #29 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 1 (13 October 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker
p: Duncan Fegredo
i: Duncan Fegredo c: Carrie Strachan
Tom Strong #30 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 2 (29 December 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker p: Duncan Fegredo i: Duncan Fegredo c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #31 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 1 (16 February 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock
p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #32 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 2 (13 April 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #33 - The Journey Within (8 June 2005)
w: Joe Casey
p: Ben Oliver
i: Ben Oliver c: Joe Mettler
Tom Strong #34 - The Spires of Samakhara (31 August 2005)
w: Steve Moore
p: Paul Gulacy
i: Jimmy Palmiotti
c: Michelle Madsen
Tom Strong #35 - Cold Calling (2 November 2005)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story
Tom Strong #36 - Tom Strong at the End of the World (8 March 2006)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: José Villarrubia
(The above stories are collected in the America's Best Comics trade-paperback.)
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales was an anthology spin-off from the parent title. It usually featured three regular storylines in each issue:
The series ran for twelve issues, and would be sporadically published over the space of a couple of years. Stories of note include:
:
The short story Skull & Bones, the 64-page story The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong and the original one-page cameo from the ABC Preview are collected in
Fan Award for Favorite Story for 2000.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
created by writer Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and artist Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
division.
Background
Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science heroScience hero
Science hero is a term coined by Alan Moore in his work for America's Best Comics to describe fantastic heroes. This includes those that have a science fiction explanation for their powers, as well as magical and non-powered characters. The term is used extensively throughout the ABC titles,...
". He was raised in a high-gravity chamber and given an intensive education by his somewhat eccentric scientist parents, on the fictional West Indian
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
island of Attabar Teru. His upbringing, plus ingesting a root used by the natives of the island for health and long life, have made him nearly physically and mentally perfect. Though born at the dawn of the 20th century, by the year 2000 he looks as if he is only in his forties.
Tom Strong has a wife, Dhalua, and a daughter, Tesla, both with enhanced physical and mental abilities and longevity. He resides in a building called the Stronghold in Millennium City. He is also assisted by Pneuman, a steam powered robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, and King Solomon, a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
with human characteristics. His greatest foe was tuxedo-clad "science villain" Paul Saveen.
The series explores many different timelines and universes, which are a nod to different comic genres. Tom Strong frequently has adventures alongside his younger self. There is also a parallel cartoon universe where a talking bunny is a version of Tom Strong, as well as a Western universe and even "Tom Teen," where characters are similar to Archie comics.
Spin-offs include Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
and the oneshot The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong.
Issues 1-7
(The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book One.)Tom Strong #1 - How Tom Strong Got Started (7 April 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
- Timmy Turbo receives his Strongmen of America membership, which also includes the story of How Tom Strong Got Started. As he reads of Tom Strong's origins and upbringing on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong defeats a "Blimp Bandit" in the cable-car he's riding in, but he's too engrossed to notice.
Tom Strong #2 - Return of the Modular Man (12 May 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
- The Modular Man, the unique mechanical-molecular megalomaniac Tom first destroyed in 1987, returns to Millennium City after two nerdNerdNerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
s download his plans from the internetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and accidentally reactivate him. Tom must find a way to stop the Modular Man before he envelops the whole city.
Tom Strong #3 - Aztech Nights (8 July 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
- When a mysterious AztecAztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
building materializes in Millennium Park, Tom discovers that it belongs to a brutal futuristic race from an alternate EarthParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, who worship a sentient computer program that models itself after QuetzalcoatlQuetzalcoatlQuetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered serpent". The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE...
.
Tom Strong #4 - Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
Girls! (1 September 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Art Adams
Art Adams
Arthur "Art" Adams is an American comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries Longshot...
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
- Ingrid Weiss and her NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
cohorts attack Tom Strong's home, The Stronghold, in Millennium City. When Tom attempts to defend his home and family, he finds himself drawn into a sinister plot. Along the way we see an Untold Tale of Tom Strong which reveals when Weiss and Strong first met in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1945. This is the first sequence of a four-part arc.
Tom Strong #5 - Memories of Pangaea
Pangaea
Pangaea, Pangæa, or Pangea is hypothesized as a supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configuration....
, Escape from Eden! (13 October 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon c: Tad Ehrlich
- Having been sent backwards through time to a primordial Earth, Tom Strong must defend himself from its single inhabitant, which spans the Earth's entire solitary continent: The Pangean. Along the way we see Tom's first expedition to ancient Earth, with his wife, Dhalua, in the 1950s. The flashback is drawn to resemble an EC ComicsEC ComicsEntertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
story.
Tom Strong #6 - Dead Man's Hand, The Big Heat? (29 December 1999)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Dave Gibbons c: Mike Garcia
- Trapped by Paul Saveen, Tom must fight his way out of his captor's grasp; even if he succeeds, Ingrid Weiss has one last trump card to play. Along the way we see the first encounter between Tom Strong and his arch-nemesis, Paul Saveen, in the 1920s.
Tom Strong #7 - Sons and Heirs, Showdown in the Shimmering City (1 March 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
(untold tale) i: Alan Gordon, Cam Smith
Cam Smith
Cam Smith is a British comic book artist and inker known to British comic book readers for his work on 2000 AD and in the American comic book market for his collaborations with Gary Frank, inking that would earn him and Eisner Award nomination....
c: Mike Garcia
- Held emotionally to ransom by Paul Saveen and Ingrid Weiss, Tom Strong must come to terms with his shocking piece of news. Along the way we see a futuristic Tom Strong in 2050. The conclusion of the four-part arc.
Issues 8-14
(The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Two.)Tom Strong #8 - Riders of the Lost Mesa; The Old Skool!; Sparks (17 May 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Alan Weiss
Alan Weiss (comics)
Alan Weiss is an American comic book artist and writer known for his work on Warlock, Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Sub-Mariner and Spider-Man...
i: Alan Gordon, Alan Weiss c: Wildstorm FX, Mike Garcia
- Riders of the Lost Mesa - A prospecting town in Arizona that disappeared on New Year's EveNew Year's EveNew Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
of 1849 suddenly reappears again 150 years later. Tom Strong and King Solomon investigate. - The Old Skool! - During a school trip, Timmy Turbo and other members of the Strongmen of America find themselves sucked into a warp dimension where harsh teaching methods are enforced by massive robots.
- Sparks - Tesla Strong investigates sudden unexpected volcano activity in San Mageo amid native talk of "fire-devils" and "salamanders", and finds a little more than she bargained for. (First appearance of Val Var Garm.)
Tom Strong #9 - Terror Temple of Tayasal; Volcano Dreams; Flip Attitude! (19 July 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick is an American comic book creator best known for his series Concrete about a normal man trapped in a rock-hard body....
i: Alan Gordon, Paul Chadwick c: Matt Hollingsworth
- Terror Temple of Tayasal - On route to meeting with his wife and his father-in-law on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong stops off to investigate an intriguing archeological find amongst the ruins of the MayanMaya civilizationThe Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
city of TayasalTayasalTayasal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site that dates to the Postclassic period. The site is located in the southern Maya lowlands on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá, now part of the Department of Petén in northern Guatemala...
. - Volcano Dreams - Tom Strong arrives late on Attabar Teru to meet his wife, Dhalua, and father-in-law. Dhalua recounts the story of her "Vision Ordeal" (a rite of passageRite of passageA rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
for Omotu women) on Attabar Teru. - Flip Attitude! - Tesla Strong meets Kid Tilt, daughter of science-villain King Tilt who Tom Strong captured and placed in jail, while Tom and Dhalua are away.
Tom Strong #10 - Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro; Funnyland!; Too Many Teslas? (20 September 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Gary Gianni
Gary Gianni
Gary Gianni is an American comics artist best known for the syndicated newspaper comic Prince Valiant.-Biography:Gianni graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1976...
i: Alan Gordon, Gary Gianni c: Matt Hollingsworth
- Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro - In 1925 Tom makes a journey into the land of the dead using the late Foster Parallax's final invention and learns a little about his parentage.
- Funnyland! - Inspired by his visit to a parallel dimension in Aztech Nights, Tom builds and uses a "searchboard" capable of pan-dimension travel. His first stop takes him to the funny animalFunny animalFunny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
world of Warren Strong. - Too Many Teslas? - Eager to try out her father's new invention, Tesla sneaks into her father's laboratory and activates the "searchboard". Unfortunately it seems like all the Teslas in the different dimension have the same idea at once. This issue marks the first appearance of several alternate Earths later featured in The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong.
Tom Strong #11 - Strange Reunion (20 December 2000)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth, David Baron
- Tom gets a surprising visit from old acquaintance Tom "Doc" StrangeDoc StrangeDoc Strange is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who originally appeared in Thrilling Comics #1...
, who arrives all the way from Terra ObscuraTerra ObscuraTerra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
, an alternate version of Earth on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy which Strong visited in 1969. This is the first appearance of Terra Obscura, which would later have its own spin-off series.
Tom Strong #12 - Terror on Terra Obscura! (18 April 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
- Part two: Tom Strong and Doc StrangeDoc StrangeDoc Strange is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who originally appeared in Thrilling Comics #1...
return to Terra ObscuraTerra ObscuraTerra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
together to battle the evil that threatens the planet, freeing many of the science-heroes that have been trapped for the past 30 years in the process.
Tom Strong #13 - The Tower at Time's End! (16 May 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker
Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series Plastic Man....
, Russ Heath
Russ Heath
Russell Heath, Jr. is an American artist best known for his comic book work — particularly his DC Comics war stories for several decades and his 1960s art for Playboy magazine's Little Annie Fanny featurettes — and for his commercial art, two pieces of which, depicting Roman and...
, Pete Poplaski i: Alan Gordon c: Matt Hollingsworth
- The mysterious Time-Keeper at the End of Time itself is forced to split the ruby capstone of Eternity into three, and send it back through time to into the care of three different versions of Tom Strong, in the hope of saving it from the evil clutches of Paul Saveen and thus foiling his plans to dominate history!
Tom Strong #14 - Space Family Strong; The Land Of Heart's Desire!; Baubles Of The Brain Bazaar! (8 August 2001)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse, Hilary Barta
Hilary Barta
Hilary Barta is an American comic book writer and artist.-Biography:Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped legendary Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide inks for the pencils of Don Perlin on The Defenders #108...
i: Alan Gordon, Hilary Barta c: Matt Hollingsworth
- Space Family Strong - Tom Strong's family go into space for their vacation of 1954, and everything goes wrong. This is a comedy episode, featuring a caricatureCaricatureA caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of Tom Strong. - The Land of Heart's Desire - During the Strong family vacation of 1955, Tom and Dhalua are drawn to a mysterious and dangerous planet.
- Baubles Of The Brain Bazaar! - When the Strong family attempt to return home from their vacation they find themselves 40,000,000 years in the future alongside Johnny Future battling a heartless slaver of souls. This is the first appearance of Johnny Future, the predecessor of Jonni FutureJonni FutureJonni Future is a fictional comic book heroine, who appeared in the pages of Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, a series published under writer Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line of comic books for Wildstorm Comics...
. This issue was most likely an inspiration for the spin-off series Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, featuring a comedic "untold tale", a story featuring Young Tom Strong and an adventure set in Jonni Future's universe.
Issues 15-19
(The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Three.)Tom Strong #15 - Ring Of Fire! (4 January 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Matt Hollingsworth
- Tesla Strong is kidnapped by the mysterious "fire devil" from Tom Strong #8 (story "Sparks") and it is up to her parents to rescue her.
Tom Strong #16 - Some Call Him The Space Cowboy (27 February 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
- Part One: While Tom Strong is struggling to come to terms with his daughter's new boyfriend, a mysterious three-eyed stranger arrives in Millennium City with a warning for Tom Strong.
Tom Strong #17 - Ant Fugue! (3 July 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Alex Sinclair
- Part Two: Tom Strong and the Weird Rider attempt to prepare a force to tackle the impending invasion of Earth.
Tom Strong #18 - The Last Roundup (30 October 2002)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
- Part Three: Tom Strong and company defend Earth against the alien menace.
Tom Strong #19 - Electric Ladyland!; Bad To The Bone; The Hero-Hoard Of Horatio Hogg! (19 February 2003)
w: Alan Moore, Leah Moore
Leah Moore
Leah Moore is an English comic book writer. She is the daughter of Alan Moore and Phyllis Moore, and is married to John Reppion. She has worked with both Alan and John on the comic Albion. She has also written for other comics and publications including Tom Strong and The End Is Nigh...
p: Chris Sprouse, Howard Chaykin
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material...
, Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint, including the current Fables.-Swamp Thing:...
i: Karl Story, Howard Chaykin, Steve Mitchell c: Dave Stewart
- Electric Ladyland! - Dhalua is kidnapped by a secret society of women.
- Bad To The Bone - The details of Paul Saveen's death are revealed as he searches for the Temple of Everlasting Life.
- The Hero-Hoard Of Horatio Hogg! - Tom and Tesla are trapped inside a booby-trapped comic-book by crazed collector Horatio Hogg.
Issues 20-25
(The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Four.)Tom Strong #20 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter One (23 April 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
i: Karl Story c: Dave Stewart
- Part One: The Stronghold is invaded by a mysterious woman who claims to be an alternate-timeline version of Susan Strong, Tom's mother. She tells him of an alternate history in which Sinclair Strong, rather than the sailor Tomas, was killed in the landing on Attabar Teru.
Tom Strong #21 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Two - Strongmen In Silvertime (20 August 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Trevor Scott, Karl Story, Richard Friend c: Wildstorm FX
- Part Two: The greater emotional warmth and social skill of the mixed-race science-hero Tom Stone enable him to reform many of the villains who Tom Strong merely fought.
Tom Strong #22 - How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Three - Crisis In Infinite Hearts (8 October 2003)
w: Alan Moore p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway, Sandra Hope, Richard Friend c: Dave Stewart
- Part Three: The tragic collapse of Tom Stone's life is revealed, and Tom Strong helps Susan Stone to make a terrible decision.
Tom Strong #23 - Moonday (12 November 2003)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
- Svetlana X and Tom Strong travel to the moon to rescue Svetlana's missing partner Dimi.
Tom Strong #24 - Snow Queen (2 January 2004)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story, John Dell c: Dave Stewart
- Tom discovers that his first love Greta Gabriel, believed murdered by the villain Dr. Permafrost, is still alive in a mutated form.
Tom Strong #25 - Tom Strong's Pal, Wally Willoughby (25 February 2004)
w: Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
p: John Paul Leon
John Paul Leon
John Paul Leon is an American comic book artist, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series Static, and the Marvel Comics limited series Earth X.-Career:...
i: John Paul Leon c: Dave Stewart
- Tom has to deal with Wally Willoughby, a socially crippled obsessive fan whose pain manifests itself through uncontrollable and destructive reality-warping powers.
Issues 26-30
(The following issues are collected in Tom Strong: Book Five.)Tom Strong #26 - The Day Tom Strong Renegotiated the Friendly Skies (5 May 2004)
w: Mark Schultz
Mark Schultz (comics)
Mark Schultz is an American writer and illustrator of books and comics. His most widely-recognized work is his self-created and owned comic book series, Xenozoic Tales, about a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures coexist with humans...
p: Pasqual Ferry
Pasqual Ferry
Pasqual Ferry is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller-Biography:...
i: Pascual Ferry c: Wendy Fouts, Carrie Strachan
- When all Earth's heavier-than-air flying machines mysteriously stop working, Tom must follow in his father's footsteps to renew an old compact.
Tom Strong #27 - Jenny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (8 July 2004)
w: Steve Aylett
Steve Aylett
Steve Aylett is a satirical science fiction and slipstream author of several bizarro books. He is renowned for his colorful satire attacking the manipulations of authority, and for having reams of amusing epigrams and non-sequiturs only tangentially related to what little linear plot the books...
p: Shawn McManus i: Shawn McManus c: Wildstorm FX
- Tom tries to put a non-violent end to the trail of deaths unknowingly caused by a young woman whose vengeful dreams assault their real-world targets.
Tom Strong #28 - A Fire In His Belly (22 September 2004)
w: Brian K. Vaughan
Brian K. Vaughan
Brian Keller Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer. He is best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad, and was one of the principal writers of the television series Lost, during seasons three through five...
p: Peter Snejberg c: Wildstorm FX
- Sad events cause Pneuman to make a shocking decision.
Tom Strong #29 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 1 (13 October 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
p: Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist born in Leicester in 1964.-Career:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel...
i: Duncan Fegredo c: Carrie Strachan
- Tom Strong battles mad scientist Eldon Moravia for an ancient magical artifact.
Tom Strong #30 - The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 2 (29 December 2004)
w: Ed Brubaker p: Duncan Fegredo i: Duncan Fegredo c: Michelle Madsen
- Trapped in a hideously grim and gritty universe, Tom finds himself making increasingly horrific discoveries about his own past. This issue can be seen as a parody of elements of Moore's famous metafictional superhero comic MiraclemanMiraclemanMarvelman, also known as Miracleman for trademark reasons in his American reprints and story continuation, is a fictional comic book superhero created in 1954 by writer-artist Mick Anglo for publisher L. Miller & Son. Originally intended as a United Kingdom home-grown substitute for the American...
.
Issues 31-36
(The following issues are collected in the final volume Tom Strong: Book Six.)Tom Strong #31 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 1 (16 February 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
- Metatemporal investigator Sir Seaton Begg persuades Tom to travel to an alternate Earth's Golden Age of Piracy, to stop the albino Captain Zodiac unleashing Chaos on the Multiverse.
Tom Strong #32 - The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 2 (13 April 2005)
w: Michael Moorcock p: Jerry Ordway i: Jerry Ordway c: Michelle Madsen
- Tom and Zodiac fight over the mysterious Black Blade, while Solomon meets some distant relatives.
Tom Strong #33 - The Journey Within (8 June 2005)
w: Joe Casey
Joe Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite, among others.-Biography:...
p: Ben Oliver
Ben Oliver
Ben Oliver is a British comics artist who has worked for 2000 AD on Judge Dredd as well as providing art for The Authority, The Losers, and Ultimate X-Men-Biography:...
i: Ben Oliver c: Joe Mettler
- Pneuman's increasingly bizarre behaviour forces Tom and Solomon to engage in some very hands-on debugging.
Tom Strong #34 - The Spires of Samakhara (31 August 2005)
w: Steve Moore
Steve Moore (comics)
Steve Moore is a British comics writer.Moore is credited with showing acclaimed writer Alan Moore , then a struggling cartoonist, how to write comic scripts...
p: Paul Gulacy
Paul Gulacy
Paul Gulacy is an American comic book illustrator best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, with writer Don McGregor.-Early life and career:Paul Gulacy began...
i: Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
c: Michelle Madsen
- Tom investigates an anomaly in China and encounters places and characters from a boyhood favourite pulp fantasy story.
Tom Strong #35 - Cold Calling (2 November 2005)
w: Peter Hogan p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story
Karl Story
Karl Story is an American comic book artist specializing in inking. He is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios.Over a career of almost two decades, he has worked on books such as Nightwing, Batman, Star Trek: Debt of Honor, Aliens versus Predator, X-Men, Wildstorm Summer Special,...
- The second part to Hogan's "Snow Queen". Tom is shocked to discover that Greta is apparently the partner-in-crime of a new Dr. Permafrost.
Tom Strong #36 - Tom Strong at the End of the World (8 March 2006)
w: Alan Moore p: Chris Sprouse i: Karl Story c: José Villarrubia
José Villarrubia
José Antonio Villarrubia Jiménez-Momediano – known professionally as José Villarrubia – is a Spanish artist and art teacher who has done considerable work in the American comic book industry, particularly as a colorist....
- The final issue features a cross over with the final issues of PrometheaPrometheaPromethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm....
- and the apocalypseApocalypseAn Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
depicted therein - from Tom's perspective. Guest appearances by characters from all the ABC series, including Top 10, Tomorrow StoriesTomorrow StoriesTomorrow Stories was an American comic book series created by Alan Moore for his America's Best Comics line, published by Wildstorm .-Overview:...
, Terra ObscuraTerra ObscuraTerra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
and Tom Strong's Terrific Tales.
Additional appearances
- America's Best Comics: 64 Page Giant featured a Tom Strong story written by Steve Moore with pencils by Humberto RamosHumberto RamosHumberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
and inks by John TotlebenJohn TotlebenJohn Totleben is an American illustrator working mostly in comics.-Biography:After studying art at a vocational high school in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year...
. - The ABC Preview was polybagged with WizardWizard (magazine)Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
magazine and this story (with art by Chris Sprouse) was the actual first appearance of Tom Strong and King Solomon, albeit in a one-page cameo. - Tom Strong also makes an appearance in The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong, a 64-page story written by Peter Hogan with various artists.
(The above stories are collected in the America's Best Comics trade-paperback.)
- PrometheaPrometheaPromethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm....
also had an appearance from Tom Strong, which was recounted from Strong's perspective in issue #36 (see above). - Tomorrow Stories Special #2 included an "America's Best" story, "The Lethal Luck of the Magister Ludi". This was set in the Silver Age of the ABC universe and featured Tom Strong, the CobwebCobweb (comics)The Cobweb is a comic book heroine co-created by famed writer Alan Moore and veteran underground artist Melinda Gebbie. Cobweb's only apparent powers were allure and the ability to make an entrance...
, the William Woolcott version of PrometheaPrometheaPromethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm....
, Splash BranniganSplash BranniganSplash Brannigan is a fictional humorous superhero. He was created by Alan Moore and Hilary Barta. His first appearance was Issue #6 of the anthology series Tomorrow Stories from America's Best Comics, a title he would continue to appear in on a semi-regular basis.He also appeared in the...
, Johnny Future (the uncle and predecessor of Jonni FutureJonni FutureJonni Future is a fictional comic book heroine, who appeared in the pages of Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, a series published under writer Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line of comic books for Wildstorm Comics...
), and air-ace heroine Fancy O'Keefe (who had previously appeared in the Young Tom Strong story in Tom Strong's Terrific Tales #11). The story was a pastiche, printed on deliberately aged-looking paper and with mock-1960s art, of Silver Age Justice LeagueJustice LeagueThe Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
comics. - Tom Strong's name is mentioned in Top 10: The Forty-NinersTop 10: The Forty-NinersTop 10: The Forty-Niners, a graphic novel published by America's Best Comics in 2005, is a prequel to the ABC series Top 10, a police procedural set in the city of Neopolis, where superpowers, robots, monsters, and other comic fodder are the norm for all citizens...
during an old World War II video as one of 'America's Science Heroes' who joined in the war effort to fight the Nazis.
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales
- One story would usually focus on Tom Strong, or on one of his supporting cast, and be either experimental or humorous in tone;
- Another would be a Young Tom Strong tale (set during Strong's formative years on Attabar Teru, and illustrated by Alan Weiss);
- A Jonni FutureJonni FutureJonni Future is a fictional comic book heroine, who appeared in the pages of Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, a series published under writer Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line of comic books for Wildstorm Comics...
story (by Steve Moore and Art Adams) would often round out the issue.
The series ran for twelve issues, and would be sporadically published over the space of a couple of years. Stories of note include:
- A silent story in which Tesla goes out on the town to party (art by Jaime HernandezJaime HernandezJaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
; appeared in issue 1) - King Solomon in a solo adventure (by Leah MooreLeah MooreLeah Moore is an English comic book writer. She is the daughter of Alan Moore and Phyllis Moore, and is married to John Reppion. She has worked with both Alan and John on the comic Albion. She has also written for other comics and publications including Tom Strong and The End Is Nigh...
and Sergio AragonésSergio AragonésSergio Aragonés Domenech is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer....
; appeared in issue 5) - A proseProseProse is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
history of Millennium City, with illustrations by Mike Kaluta (appeared in issue 9) - Another silent story, with art by Peter KuperPeter KuperPeter Kuper is an American alternative cartoonist and illustrator known for his autobiographical, social, and political observations.-Early life:...
(appeared in issue 10); and - A collaboration between Alan Moore and Peter BaggePeter BaggePeter Bagge is an American cartoonist. He is the creator of Buddy Bradley, Hate, Neat Stuff, Martini Baton, and Sweatshop, Apocalypse Nerd and Other Lives. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced expectations of middle-class American youth...
, which recasts the Strong family in a milieuMilieuMilieu is the word for environment in French, and, for hundreds of years, also in Dutch, Swedish, English, and other languages that were strongly influenced by French culture and French language, primarily during the 17th and 18th centuries....
not unlike the one used by Bagge in his Buddy BradleyHate (comic)Hate is a semi-autobiographical comic book by writer-artist Peter Bagge. First published by Fantagraphics in 1990 it ran for 30 issues, and was one of the best-selling alternative comics of the 1990s, at its height selling 30,000 copies an issue...
stories. This was printed in the final issue (#12), and features appearances by characters resembling Dick TracyDick TracyDick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
, Fred FlintstoneFred FlintstoneFrederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...
and the Kool-Aid Man.
Collected editions
The Tom Strong series been collected into individual volumesTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Tom Strong: Book One, issues 1-7 (hardcover: ISBN 1-56389-654-0, paperback: ISBN 1-84023-228-5)
- Tom Strong: Book Two, issues 8-14 (hardcover: ISBN 1-84023-456-3, paperback: ISBN 1-56389-880-2)
- Tom Strong: Book Three, issues 15-19 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-0282-9, paperback: ISBN 1-4012-0285-3)
- Tom Strong: Book Four, issues 20-25 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-0571-2, paperback: ISBN 1-4012-0572-0)
- Tom Strong: Book Five, issues 26-30 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-0624-7, paperback: ISBN 1-4012-0625-5)
- Tom Strong: Book Six, issues 31-36 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-1108-9)
- Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom, issues #1-6 (paperback: ISBN 1401231748)
- Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book One, issues 1-6 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-0030-3, paperback: ISBN 1-4012-0029-X)
- Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book Two, issues 7-12 (hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-0615-8, paperback: ISBN)
- TOM STRONG: DELUXE EDITION BOOK 1, issues 1-12 (336 page Oversized Hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-2536-5)
- TOM STRONG: DELUXE EDITION BOOK 2, issues 13-24 (336 page Oversized Hardcover: ISBN 1-4012-2680-9)
The short story Skull & Bones, the 64-page story The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong and the original one-page cameo from the ABC Preview are collected in
- America's Best Comics (softcover: ISBN 1-84023-813-5)
Awards
The story "How Tom Strong Got Started" in Tom Strong #1 was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's GuideComics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
Fan Award for Favorite Story for 2000.