Tom Strong #13

Posted: Friday, May 18
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Alan Moore
Pencils: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker, Russ Heath & Pete Poplaski
Inks: Al Gordon

Publisher: America's Best Comics

PLOT:
As the guardian of the end of time finds himself attacked by a trio of Paul Saveens, we see him prevent this group from laying their hands on a gem that would give them control over time, by splitting this gem into three & sending each piece back in time. However, while each gem does end up in the general vicinity of Tom Strong, in each era a version of Paul Saveen is able to grab it away, forcing Tom to follow the villain through the temporal gateways.

As Tom & his daughter Tesla find themselves allied with a younger version of Tom & Warren Strong (the talking bunny version of Tom Strong), we see them discover Paul Saveen has been busy pulling versions of himself from the time-stream, and has amassed an army. However, while Tom & Warren Strong jump into the fray, Tesla & young Tom free the guardian of time's end, and he manages to correct the temporal mess that has been created.

COMMENTS:
Alan Moore takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the idea of time-travel, as he offers up a battle at the end of time between a trio of Tom Strongs (and Tesla), and an army of villainous Paul Saveens. This issue has a good deal of fun dealing with the logistics of time-travel, as the interaction between the various versions of the same character are highly amusing, with a highlight of the issue being the conversation the Tom has with Tesla, after she learns what the young Tom thinks of her mother.

The scenes where the various Paul Saveens deal with each other also had me smiling, and the panel where the army of Paul Saveens react to the idea that one of them is one of their number is on fire, ranks as one of the funniest moments of the year.

Now the premise does lose momentum toward the end, and I've never been a fan of the wave a magic wand & everything's fixed type ending, but overall this was a highly enjoyable read.

My one complaint about Tom Strong is that he continues to remain a flat, uninteresting character. I mean, the scenarios that Alan Moore comes up with to send Tom Strong's way are nicely imaginative, and the supporting players are a lot of fun, but Tom himself is strictly a one-dimensional boy-scout. Now when all is said & done there's room for this type of hero, as Superman & Captain America have both been around for over half-a-century.

However, as a character Tom Strong lacks the humanity that the Clark Kent identity brings to the Superman books, and Captain America has always benefited from his interplay with the Avengers. Tom Strong simply wanders through each issue fighting the good fight, standing in the path of evil, and all while lacking an interesting personality. However, I will concede that he does deliver a pretty funny joke in this issue, as he quashes a romance between Tesla & his younger self.

Well, the return of the multiple artists is a bit disappointing, as while it does allow one to see Tom Strong from a variety of different artists, the sudden change in styles is a bit jarring, and frankly none of the other artists are quite as good as Chris Sprouse. However, I must confess it was a lot of fun to see Tom Strong rendered like an underground comic from the 60's, as the final chapter was a unexpected treat.

The opening chapter by Chris Sprouse was also well done, and the animated world that Warren Strong protects was nicely animated, with the arrival of the elderly Paul Saveen making it quite clear that he was not part of this world. However, the young Tom sequence was decidedly lacking in detail, and the sense of grandeur that it is asked to present. Still, I guess if the price for getting this issue on a monthly basis is the use of guest-artists, I'm willing to accept it, though I don't have to be happy about it.

FINAL WORD:
An amusing issue that has fun with the concept of time-travel, as this issue is littered with multiple timelines, and temporal logic that makes the head spin. The plan of the villain is decidedly goofy enough that Alan Moore is allowed to have fun, as there is never a sense of danger developed, but rather one is left with the sense that Alan Moore is simply messing around in a sandbox that had been strip-mined of it's storytelling potential long ago.

The entire issue is almost one big gag, and while it does feel like he's reusing material toward the end, I must confess I loved the look on the young Paul Saveen's face when he spots the effect this plan had on the elderly Paul Saveen.