Mister Terrific has started his investigation in Adam Strange, but there’s one person who won’t let it continue without a fight, Alanna Strange. Spoilers for Strange Adventures #3 follow.
If Strange Adventures #2 was all about getting readers to love Mister Terrific, then Strange Adventures #3 is all about following that same formula, this time with Alanna Strange though. It’s a style that worked well just one issue previously, but it’s rare when back to back issues using the exact formula in a maxiseries can work well. Luckily, this is the exception to the rule and this issue is phenomenal. Alanna jumped to my favorite character in this series thanks to this issue and things are only looking up from here on out.
This issue makes no alone the sidepiece to Adam, but his equal and some could probably argue, his better. She’s shown as intelligent, cunning, strong, and powerful throughout this issue, and that ties right into the themes presented in the first issue as well. Her intelligence and cunning allow her to manipulate public perception toward Adam in a believable, while also painting the Justice League, well mainly Batman, in a negative light. It’s really the tip of the iceberg regarding said thematic elements though as Alanna helps blast the story forward with what she does here.
Beyond just making me fall in love with Alanna, this issue once again is simply gorgeous to behold. Evan Shaner and Mitch Gerads are an art time made in heaven. Both handled their individual sections so well, while also effortlessly tying both storylines into each other with no shocking transition between the two. This is hard for a singular artist to do, but for two artists to do so and make it seem effortless, that’s almost miraculous.
Gerads handles the present storyline so incredibly well and his grittiness absolutely nails the tone needed for that section for the book. He also makes smoking look cool and I absolutely despise smoking, so that’s an accomplishment in of itself.
As for Shaner, his sections look almost fairytale-like, if a fairy tale was set in a ring where two people fight to the death. He lacks the grittiness that Gerads has, which is all for the best as it leads you into a sense of safety even if you don’t if what’s happening is 100% true like Mister Terrific implied in the previous issue.