After Adam Strange is accused of murder, there’s only one person that can determine whether he did or not. His name is Mister Terrific. Spoilers for Strange Adventures #2 follow.
After a three-month forced hiatus for the series, Strange Adventures has returned and immediately hits you with a reminder of why the first issue was so great. The first issue of this twelve-issue maxi-series started off with a bang (literally) and presented a fantastic introduction to the character of Adam Strange that also didn’t shy away from the inciting incident of the series. This second issue takes a step back from Adam though and instead focuses on Mister Terrific and, just like the first issue was a great introduction to Adam Strange, this is a great introduction to Mister Terrific.
One of the best things about Tom King written maxi-series is that you absolutely do not need to know anything the characters before jumping into the series. Whether it’s Mister Miracle, The Omega Men, or Vision, you can jump in blind and never feel lost. This is absolutely the case for Strange Adventures as well. I’m not all that familiar with either Adam Strange or Mister Terrific and yet, after reading the first two issues, I feel like I’ve read plenty of books featuring the characters.
One thing this issue does incredibly well with Mister Terrific that helps create this feeling is the emphasis on his intelligence in this issue. He’s never showing anyone up on it, but constantly using his T-spheres to ask him questions and then giving answers, usually pretty detailed ones at that. Beyond just that though, it’s the how and where that he does this. Whether he’s just walking, working out, or even sleeping, he’s being asked questions. It’s an ingenious way to show this character’s intelligence and skills without making him unlikable or pompous.
This issue also gives off the impression, with the dual storylines, that the flashback story is actually supposed to be the book that Adam wrote about his adventures. It’s an intriguing parallel story going on that you think you know how it’s going to end, but the last few pages of the issue pull that out from under you in a fantastic way.
And if the first issue wasn’t enough to convince you of the dual artist structure for the dual stories, this issue absolutely should do that. Mitch Gerads and Evan Shaner bring something unique to each of their stories while also working together incredibly well. Gerads’ gritty realism is absolutely pitch-perfect for the present story, which has a darker tone and much more, seemingly low-key story, at least for now.
Whereas with Shaner’s art, he is much more vibrant and holds a style much closer to animation than realism, which is perfect for fantastical alien setting that his story is taking place in. His art is vibrant even when the bulk of the story is set in a desert and it creates a vastly different tone than the present setting in that it’s much more hopeful feeling than the present day.
