Indiana Jones Vol.1 #3

Dec 1984. Cover price 50p
52 pages. B&W and color.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Sheila Cranna.

Cover by Rich Howell & Danny Bulandi.
r: The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones (Marvel) #03 (Mar 1983).

Contents:

 2 The Fantastic World of Annuals advertisement for the Perfect Mailing Company.

 3 Untitled Introduction text by Sheila Cranna? (uncredited). / Contents / Sock it to Someone This Christmas! (half page) subscription offer.

 4 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, part two, w: David Michelinie, based on the screenplay by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, from a story by George Lucas; p: Jackson Guice, i: Ian Akin & Brian Garvey, lettering by John Morelli, colouring by Andy Yanchus.

r: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Marvel) #01 (Sep 1984).

25 Great News for All Doctor Who Fans advertisement for Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text by ohn Tulloch and Manuel Alvarado.

26 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster.

28 Classifieds

29 The Devil's Cradle w: Denny O'Neil; p: Gene Day & Richard Howell, i: Mel Candido & Danny Buldani, lettering by Janice Chiang, colouring by Bob Sharen.

r: The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones (Marvel) #03 (Mar 1983).

51 Memo: Back Issues advertisement for the Perfect Mailing Company.

52 Initial Time Pieces wristwatch advertisement.

Under an effective and dramatic cover, albeit one let down by awful colouring, the third issue features the first shake-up for the contents page - a full half is given over to a seasonal subscription offer, with some 'jolly' Christmas clip art. It isn't brilliant, but at least there's a sense of the title changing from issue to issue.

The final section of the film adaptation closes out the story in style, though with odd pacing across the last four pages. Marking the end of this strip, the centre-pages are given over to a poster reproduction of the adaptation's cover. Unfortunately this is on the same awful paper as the rest of the issue, rendering its use as an actual poster rather limited.

The lack of a suitable back-up feature is highlighted by the monotony in this issue. By maintaining a title devoted to a single character, available stories limit the number of issues which can be pillaged for the reprint title. There aren't, looking at the US comics, many comics with a suitable air of thirties and forties mystery serials, or with pulp origins, but surely bringing back Night-Raven for another outing would have been wise. Or, with a degree of caution, Dominic Fortune.

Would it be too cruel to compliment adverts for breaking up the Jones-fest?

Only moments ago, Indiana Jones leapt from the doomed aircraft of Edith Dunne into a storm driven afternoon and began jerking and swaying toward the mountain below.

There's proper continuity-building in the back-up, which is something of a surprise. It isn't as involved or as (seemingly) clever as the later television series, but it is a delight to see some logic in the writing of his ongoing adventures. This is far more visually daring than the film adaptation, featuring some stellar artwork, but it is the narrative which is the big deal - nuanced, subtle, and dramatic in all the right places. O'Neil is a very clever writer, well aware of the strengths of this character. If only the style here had been present from the beginning...

#02

Indiana Jones Vol.1

#04