Strange Adventures #1

Strange Adventures #1is an excellent start to the series and deals with a lot of heavy themes right off the bat. The book itself excels at creating a disorienting discomfort. I can't put my finger on what is making me so unsure about the ongoing events but whatever it is, I commend it. Read Full Review

Every inch of every page has been carefully crafted by this amazing creative team. They tell a timely story of the nature of truth and the cost of lying to yourself. Read Full Review

Strange Adventure promises to be another Tom King classic. Mitch Gerads, and Evan "Doc" Shaner elevate the story and bring everything forward in a meaningful way. This DC Black Label maxi series is one not to miss out on. A politically charged comic that has something important to say about war and service. Read Full Review

Should the rest of the series be as strong as this first issue, expect this to be a major player at next year's Eisner Awards. Read Full Review

This is a series that nobody will want to miss out on, as readers are taken to the outer limits of imagination and to the very depths of what it means to be a human being seeking peace after war. Read Full Review

Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner deliver some beautiful art in this issue. The contrasting styles work perfectly together with Shaner providing crisp, bright visuals that highlight the comic book adventurism of the story while Gerads offers gritty, stylized realism to his pages that ground the story and its characters. Read Full Review

Strange Adventures #1 delivers a debut that'll get the reader to think and reflect. It's an exploration of the horrors of war, during and after, in a pulp-adventure wrapping. While we've seen many of these themes before with King, the package and delivery is still top-notch. It's a must get first issue that entertains and will get you to ponder. Read Full Review

With Strange Adventures, King looks to have yet another successful maxi series under his belt, proving once again that this kind of self-contained storytelling is where he's most comfortable. However, those burnt out on his work may want to sit this one out as he goes through much of the same execution as he does for books like Mister Miracle and Vision. This is wholeheartedly a book for King fans through and through and will likely be an instant pull list addition for many. Read Full Review

OverallTom King is giving us the beginnings of what could well be an epic story here. If this first chapter is anything to go by. We could wind up seeing a story that examines the nature of truth. The comic also looks like it is looking to examine the traditional true blue heroes like Adam Strange, who is similar to Flash Gordon in that he espouses very traditional values and has a bit of a black and white view of right and wrong, a lense, which suspect is going to get smashed as we see shades of grey coming through. I'm really enjoying the fact that the media is turning on Adam Strange in this first issue. Read Full Review

Strange Adventures #1 is a delightful start that threatens to live up to the unreasonable expectations set upon its shoulders. Shaner and Gerads' art work together by operating independently, while Tom King proves he's more than a one-trick pony by offering a unique perspective on truth rather than trauma. Provided the rest of the series is consistently as strong as this opening, we'll have another modern classic on our hands. Read Full Review

To sum up, Strange Adventures #1 is a solid start to this twelve issue series. It brings up some different themes and tones yet to be explored by King. King and Gerads seem to thrive in this twelve issue story telling method and they may have struck gold once again. Bringing Evan “Doc” Shaner along only sweetens the pot. As his classic styling are always a visual treat to see. Read Full Review

If you're in the mood for some complex, surprisingly astute analysis of western colonialism wrapped in a patina of 1940's all-American pulp, pick up the first issue of Tom King's Strange Adventures. It's well worth the cover price. Read Full Review

This comic will likely not change your mind on Tom King, but for his fans, it's exactly what you've been waiting for. Read Full Review

King tries an ambitious storytelling approach with this saga. For the modern scenes, his Mister Miracle collaborator Mitch Gerads handles the art while Doc Shaner tackles the flashback sequences. Shaner seems to have landed from the Silver Age to modern times with his throwback style so he was an ideal choice for the old scenes while Gerads brings a stripped down, real world take to the story. Interestingly on more than a few panels it looks like King was Gerads inspiration for Strange. The choice of colors Gerads and Shaner use effectively tells their respective eras as well. Read Full Review

I love this issue; I keep finding myself going back to it to read the Rann portions to see what more I can learn about Pykkts and Gerad’s work to see what I can tell about Alanna and Adam’s relationship by their glances. Strange Adventures offers a layered read and is sure to build to an incredible story. Read Full Review

It's hard to tell where a Tom King story is going from only one issue, but this issue makes me think there's a fascinating one to be told. Let another year of almost unbearable suspense begin as we likely rocket towards a tragedy. Read Full Review

If you can overlook the DC hype machine's hard sell in the wake of their other recent publicity tomfoolery, "Strange Adventures" #1 seems to be the start of another winner from Tom King and Mitch Gerads. Evan Shaner's contributions are excellent as well, and the whole thing feels important by not trying to be, a sin perhaps committed in the creation of "Heroes in Crisis." Read Full Review

We'll see where it goes, but I suspect every issue purchased will be a test of will for me. As always, I hope for the best and fear the worst. Read Full Review

Overall, Strange Adventures manages to be a strange book. Written with King's typical flair paired with two completely different artists this could be one to watch. Read Full Review

It's a solid opening issue, one that naturally feels a whole lot like Mister Miracle in a lot of ways, but is stretching its fingers out and beginning to reveal its intent. I enjoy this kind of storytelling and I love the visual design with what Gerards and Shaner bring to the page. I'm excited to explore the twists and turns of this over the next year in order to discover what the real story is as opposed to the pieces that we're presented with here to set the foundation for it. Read Full Review

The positives outweigh the negatives here as the technical aspects of Strange Adventures #1 manage to outweigh the content. Additionally, some of the negatives are based on conjecture and expectations based on King's other work. Adam does seem COMPLETELY sure that he isn't guilty of the charges brought against him. Even if one is unsure of King's story direction, it's undeniable that Gerads and Shaner do everything they can to sell book! Read Full Review

If you liked Mister Miracle (and the only reason you wouldnt is if you hadnt read it), then youll no doubt like this too. For some, the parallels and similarities might detract from this new story, but it was gonna be near impossible not to have commonalities. Perhaps that speaks to a greater truth about how heroes exist and the way we perceive them. The public face versus the private life. Regardless, this series looks set to pick at the scabs and wounds, and shine a light on the darker side of this intriguing character. Read Full Review

It's worth a follow for the first few issues to see where things lead. But, like Bert in Mary Poppins: "Can't put me finger on what liesin store. But I fear what's to happen all happened before." Read Full Review

The first issue sets up everything it needs to set up with charm and aplomb. Read Full Review

The artwork in this book is absolutely superb, yet it remains to be seen whether the plot and themes will, A. have something new to say apart from past King works, and B. prove insightful enough to carry a satisfying 12-part superhero story. Read Full Review

Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Doc Shaner kick off their new book, and while I will not proclaim it an instant classic yet like most reviewers probably will, I think it's worth checking out.  Shaner's art is the wildcard here and gives everything a breath of fresh air even as things go to hell around our hero.  Tom King does not have an excellent track record when it comes to murder mysteries, but this was a good start. Read Full Review

The debut issue introduces its story with confidence and skill, but struggles to clearly address its thematic core or offer a clear perspective. Instead, it is a muddled entry point that attempts to cover up a lack of voice with excessive style. Read Full Review

Overall, King builds a potentially intriguing mystery between these two timelines, but doesn't supply the audience with enough breadcrumbs to create the necessary tension to truly get sucked into the mystery. Read Full Review

mynameisraj

Mar 03, 2020

Gotta say we may have another classic on our hands. King is giving us a story about fact vs fiction that wouldn't be where it is without Shaner and Gerads art elevating his material. From the panel layout to switching between art styles are done masterfully. Seriously, go grab a copy.

Linkush

Mar 04, 2020

Wow, what a way to start the series. The first issue already deals with heavy themes like Facts vs Fiction that are super interesting in my opinion. Also, just like Mister Miracle, this issue creates a feeling of discomfort, making you question everything that you see which fits perfectly with what King is trying to do with this series. Combine all of this with Gerads and Shaner's absolutely beautiful art and you got yourself a hell of a first issue to start the series with. I'm so goddamn excited to see how this one will turn out.

Inknight033

Mar 04, 2020

Damn!!! Couldn't have started this series stronger.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Apr 21, 2020

Off to a pretty great start. Funny enough even though Tom King is known for deconstruction of a character, this is the closest thing to silver age Adam Strange since his solo series in the 90s' changed his appearance and totally retcons his supporting cast's motives for the worse. The name of his daughter is wrong, it is supposed to be Aleea, but that can just as easily be blamed on the editor. Small con. It feels much different than I expected. It didn't wow me quite as much as Mister Miracle's first issue, but it is definitely a different feeling TK title. Love the art from both artists. Some fantastic visuals.

Avanvolk

Feb 17, 2024

This was such a brilliant first issue. Not much else to say. Story hooked me from the get-go, both artists absolutely killed it... I'm so down for what King has in store with Strange Adventures.

Another Nerd

Mar 04, 2020

The King is back. I was afraid Strange was going to be a Vision or Mister Miracle 2.0 but this is new narrative territory. Gerads and Shaner’s art mesh together perfectly.

Rauld

Mar 04, 2020

This is King at his best. He's using his best skills on this story. If you love Mister Miracle and Vision you'll love this. He's not rehashing old work, but the best of the style is the same. The combined art by Gerads and Shaner was an amazing idea. I can't wait for next issue. Seriously, pick this book up, you'll regret it if not.

M1sf1r3

Mar 06, 2020

Prelude: It's time for Strange Adventures! Hopefully this follows more Mister Miracle and Vision then his controversial Batman and Heroes in Crisis. The Good: Both Mitch Gerads and Doc Shaner's art was out of this world. I loved the Silver Age tone on Rann. Some really great mystery set ups. Love the human focus. Mister Terrific is interesting and I didn't expect to see Batman. The Bad: Nothing. Conclusion: Great art, mystery and focus with some potential leads, Strange Adventures comes flying right out of the gate.

allenquanobi

Mar 04, 2020

Read it once before work this morning, and read again after lunch. It's definitely loads better than his Batman. It moves at a glacial pace, but I do like the mystery that's being presented with Batman and Mister Terrific. I also like the duality that's displayed by the art, very smart choices made by King and the artists to portray the heroic side and ptsd side by different artists, it really makes you feel that Adam Strange is going through a tough time, much more so than any character who supposedly had ptsd in heroes in crisis. I'm excited for the rest of the series

Nickweiser

Mar 04, 2020

I had my issues with Batman after #54 and HIC but this book is a solid return to form for Tom. I am sold!

Swanktub

Mar 05, 2020

This was a great first issue. Tom King, Mitch Gerards and Evan Shaner have all brought their A-game. The story feels very relevant to the modern era of the USA with both main political factions distrusting the media (e.g. left-wingers distrusting Fox News and right wingers distrusting every news station but Fox News). This struggle to tell fact (fictional fact anyway) from fiction feels like it is going to be a key part to the series, and is genuinely intriguing. By having Shaner draw the scenes in the past with such a clean and aesthetically pleasing style, this book is able to employ one of the best uses of the 'unreliable narrator' I have ever seen in comics. The art is absolutely amazing. Gerards' art is so gritty and unique, and Shaner 's art is like a modernised version of classic sci fi art. My only problem with the comic is that it feels a little bit too similar to Mister Miracle. King has not done enough yet to separate Adam Strange from Scott Free, however he has 11 more issues to establish Strange's personality. more

Wolf Warner

Mar 07, 2020

Tom King needs to nail this....so far so good

Señor Smokey

Aug 06, 2020

-Great start, love the story being told in parallel with the events on raan and earth -Love the themes of heroism, regret, and morality -The art connects so damn well with the emotion of adam

Ryan

May 22, 2025

Pretty chill first issue. Excited to see where it goes. I could end up being proved wrong but King really wasnt subtle about Alanna possible being fishy. The tears at the press conference and that last panel…

wakizashireviews

Mar 05, 2020

I wasn't going to pick this up until I saw the two different art styles. I'm familiar with Mitch Gerads work but Evan Shaner is new to me. Both look great. I think the contrast between the two styles works well with the fractured storyline. King's love of repeating the same panel and dialog started to grate in the "real" world scenes but maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I really liked the scenes set on Rann...(is that the right name of the planet Strange was on? I'm new to Adam Strange:) It was cool seeing Batman in there. And an intriguing cliffhanger to finish.

Liem Duong

Jun 20, 2020

A good enough start for King after his Batman run. Adam Strange, War hero or War criminal? A sci-fi tale of a hero returning home, but rumors of war crimes performed by Strange turns him upside down. Now he asks for help to investigate himself. Great premise to start off with. I really like how King tries really dive into ideas we see and twisting them in a way that makes us ask questions. This time, his victim is Sci-fi, birth of Star Wars and Star Trek. His dialogue here is distinct into two different stories, one following a classic adventure sci-fi, the other following King's signature modern nuanced vision. These two distinctive styles are backed up by two different art styles, each coinciding with their respective stories. Both Shaner and Gerads art style perfectly capture the tone each story presents to the reader, and although contrasting each other, balances the story out and flows. A real strong point of this comic that makes it stand out. Great start with a promise of a great story and mystery to be solved. more

TSMack

Jun 08, 2021

King's dialogue is a little awkward in some places but his setup for this series is interesting. I'm curious how the murdered man would have any knowledge of what occurred on Rann during the war.

MKW69

Mar 04, 2020

A step up after King Batman, but that's not saying anything. There are good ideas, but this feeled really skimmed through. Outside of last 2 pages, it didn't grabbed me.

Psycamorean

Mar 10, 2020

I thought this was pretty good. The story is interesting enough, and the dialogue isn't really like what we've grown to know from King. It's actually evolved a little and that's what I've been clamoring for, for so long. I want King to evolve and this is the right path towards that. My favorite part of the issue may be an unorthodox one, but it's the stuff on Rann. It reads (hopefully, intentionally) like a silver age comic without the overbearing amount of words. I tend to like when writers pay homage to that era. But, I will say that this book isn't groundbreaking or doing something incredibly new here. I didn't expect that and I had a better experience for it, I think. Don't let the hype get to you.

Staff Comic writer

Jul 22, 2020

Written by Tom King Artists by Evan “Doc” Shane Interior & Cover by Mitch Gerads Review of DC’s Black Label, Strange Adventures Tale of Two Heroes In DC’s Dark Label latest comic book from the writer Tom King who brought you the critically acclaimed comic book series, Mr. Miracle brings us a new action series fittingly titled, Strange Adventures. Adam Strange, born on Earth, lives a quiet and ordinary life as an Archaeologist. But during an expedition, Adam is engulfed in a ray of light and is suddenly whisked away to a planet called Rann. There, he becomes a guardian of the planet and valiantly decides to fight alongside the people of Rann against their oppressors. Meanwhile, the tyrannical empire called the Pykkt has begu n its onslaught as their mission for world domination becomes closer to achievement. Now with enemy forces knocking down the city walls, the decision to abandon everything is a dire option as well as irreparable. They may have lost the battle, but not the war. But leaving the planet Rann may be the beginning his Adam’s problems. Though Adam, an American, is recognized as a war hero on Earth, there are few who believe Adam is a war criminal who has performed heinous acts and should be brought to justice. Tom King’s newest series has a way to make the reader be absorbed into the story and why should that surprise you. He’s going to take you for a ride that will soon be etched into your permanent memory. This series has the adventures, few kids dream of becoming a hero in another universe That gets the girl, the fame, and the notoriety. But someone is wanting this American hero stopped and will do anything to see Adan Strange fall from grace forever. more

Spacey Medicine

Apr 26, 2020

I thought I would dislike this one, but I ended up not. I’m quite interested in seeing how it all goes.

JHugh

Feb 06, 2021

I'm going back and rereading the entire series. This story isn't spectacular to me, it's not bad but it's just not great. Some of the faces just look kind of meh as far as the artwork as well.

egonnn244

Mar 07, 2020

"Hi, I'm Adam" I was prepared for this to be horrible, bad like the second half of his Batman run. I was trying to write some clever and snarky review in my head. But in the end, what I read was something that looked pretty but didn't get any emotions out of me. Neither negative or positive. The very definition of "meh". The story is rather easy to follow and doesn't have any King-isms (although one could argue that this whole thing is one big King-ism) but it just doesn't engage you. It might be due to the way the narration works with the constant jumping back and forth between Earth and Rann. I'm all for some gritty war story, but why can't it be told in a straightforward manner? So yeah, I checked the first issue and just like i t was with Mister Miracle, I know that I'm done with Strange Adventures from Tom King. more

Nihilist

Mar 04, 2020

I'm not going to lie, I'm not familiar with Adam as a character. And that's a problem, because I can't say how much of Adam Strange as shown in this comic is the original Adam Strange, and how much of him was deconstructed, reinvented by King, already infamous for decontructing, reinventing and plain butchering well known, already established characters. For a while I was thinking should I even write this review considering my lack of knowledge about the protagonist and his history. And then it striked me - I am the average person, a regular, ordinary reader with no expertise in the field, which makes it impossible to tell how much did King make up this time. Remember when Heroes in Crisis and his Batman run utterly failed? The avalanche of criticism and hatred wasn't coming from normies, it has been coming from knowledgeable fans who know for granted what a character would, and what would not do in given circumstances. So, this time I'm here representing the completely neutral audience who has absolutely no clue who, what, where, when and how. Completely uninformed. Kinda like Joe Biden's voters (shots fired! Too soon?). All that being said, the comic didn't really get to me. I remain open minded, and I get the idea of what's happening to the titular character, what he deals with, but... I'm not really sold. The story felt like it's constructed out of snippets intended to tell a larger story, but there's so many holes and missing links between them, it really made me put the book down, do something else, return after 10 minutes, read few pages more, rinse and repeat. It didn't feel captivating, and the only thing about it I really enjoyed was the art. The story and dialogues, especially one panel, where Adam says out loud everything the reader needs to know about him and character close to him, are not great, to say at least. They're not bad, either, however. King's dialogues in Batman and Heroes in Crisis were beyond awful, here they are passable, I guess, at least coming from the perspective of a total Adam Strange ignorant. Long time fans may have different opinion, and I'd like to hear what they have to say about it all. What's my final verdict? It's a rather underwhelming start. On the other hand, it's limited series, not a long running soap opera, so maybe the story will turn out to be well thought through and all the loose dots will connect in the end... then again, it's King, so I wouldn't hold my breath for that. Not after the disastrous ending of his Batman run. I don't remember who said it... may have been Grant Morrison, that radical tonal changes and reiventions may work well with more obscure characters who don't sell well. Judging by King's success with Mister Miracle AND trainwrecks involving bigger DC names like Bats and Harl, it may as well be a spot on observation, and Strange Adventures will repeat this success. Time will tell. more

ohhaimark

Mar 06, 2020

I don't know, I thought this was pretty boring. I don't see the need for the Shaner parts.

Talon1load

Mar 04, 2020

How can a writer who gets so much praise, suck so bad? He once again uses a DC property to work through his own anxiety and depression from his time in the CIA. Get a therapist already and stop with this shit. He also shows that he STILL doesn’t know Batman in just a couple of panels. Batman investigates everyone but suddenly wont investigate Adam Strange? Bullshit. The art was fine but the writing is repetitive and just goes over the same shit that King goes over in every single series he writes.

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VicSav - Mar 9, 2020

Batman wouldn’t investigate him because he’s a friend and saved his life before so there is a connection. Why are you so into Batman doing mindless things so that he appears as someone that is not human but a robot just doing everything with no emotion and guilt shown. Batman was never perfect in comics.

Talon1load - Mar 11, 2020

I don’t think Batman is a robot but saying he wouldn’t investigate a friend is stupid and shows he, and apparently you, don’t know the character. When has he ever declined to investigate someone? Especially a superhero suspected of murder. If he wasn’t going to do it why even put him in the story? It is just more bullshit from a limited writer.

KFuqua

Mar 10, 2020

I was looking forward to this, but instead of something enjoyable, I got more garbage from Tom King. Please DC...get rid of him.