Indiana Jones Adventures, Vol. 1: An Honest Review
One thing that I'd like to point out to begin with, is that Indiana Jones Adventures, Vol. 1 is the first published work of writer Philip Gelatt. He's a lucky bastard, and upon reading the comic, clearly he's a talented one at that.
The story moves at a brisk pace, even for 80 pages: we begin in Sweden, 1930, with Indy on the trail of a Norse treasure, which crosses his path with that of Theresa Lawerence, a British archaeologist who is none too pleased to see Dr. Jones on her site. A little searching reveals their treasure: a golden ring used by an ancient Odin cult, but it turns out that that's not really what the treasure was, and so the hunt begins with Indy and Theresa on the trail of a certain French archaeologist/mercenary.
Without spoiling much, I'll tell you that this is book is just as action-packed as any of the films, and quite honestly the best work of the expanded universe I've read to date. Indy is a little more ruthless in this outing (as we see from his trip to the British Museum), but he's younger, more brash, and willing to get into trouble. He's also confident and cool, and there's one page near the end that perfectly marries the art and the writing to give us a bona fide Indiana Jones moment, one of those where John Williams' theme swells in the background. This is something I wouldn't mind seeing as, say, a serial or an animated ongoing. The art, by Ethen Beavers, is quite good as well, more emotive and detailed than I thought it would be from the previews. What makes the art work so well is that it takes the "animated" route, but you can see traces of Harrison Ford in Indy, you can recognize Marcus Brody, and when Belloq makes his appearance, you know exactly who it is. The detail work on the background and the caves evokes Hellboy, which isn't bad, considering that Hellboy was evocotave of Indiana Jones as well.
My only complaint about the book is that Indy's escape (or, should I say, "release") felt a little too easy, especially considering some of the sticky situations he gets himself into. Granted, there wasn't a lot of room left to play with, but the climax is a bit of a let down in that he just gets to walk away. I can't go any further, but you'll see what I mean. Any my other source of unease, and this is more as a parent than a critic, is that there's a scene which is actually quite graphic for a comic marketed towards kids, but is perfect for the Indiana Jones story. It wasn't grisly, there's no actual blood or gore shown, but it's intense, and you know exactly what the violence entails. For me, I thought it made sense, but as a parent, it made me a little hesitant to show it to my five year old son. But this is a minor quibble, and boils down to what a parent is willing to show their child and what they are not.
That said, Indiana Jones Adventures, Vol. 2 will not be arriving soon enough, especially since it's nowhere in sight yet. Here's hoping that next week's Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods will be of the same quality, and whet our thirsts for more.
Score: 8/10