Indiana Jones Vol.2 #1

Oct 1991. Cover price £1.00.
36 pages. Colour & B&W contents.
Trident Comics.

Edited by Martin Skidmore.

Painted cover by Dave Dorman.
r: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Dark Horse) #01 (Mar 1991).

Contents:

2 Indiana Jones credits. / The Story So Far... / Indicia

3 Indiana Jones The Fate of Atlantis w: William Messner-Loebs & Dan Barry (uncredited), based on a story by Hal Barwood, Noah Falstein & Lucasfilm Games; p: Dan Barry, i: Karl Kesel, lettering by Gail Beckett, colouring by Lurene Haines.

r: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Dark Horse) #01 (Mar 1991).

29 In Space, No-One Can Hear You Scream in-house advertisement for Aliens #09 (Oct 1991).

30 Apocalypse Presents Makabre in-house advertisement.

31 Next Month

32 Terminator T-Shirt Offer in-house advertisement.

33 Trident Comics Mail Order in-house advertisement.

34 Competition with five copies of Indiana Jones Explores Ancient Egypt to win.

35 Toxic! Bite off more than you can chew... in-house advertisement.

36 Terminator - A Gripping Comic in-house advertisement.

While there isn't an introduction to the title, at least there's a text primer for those arriving to the character late. This is primarily a title aimed at fans of the films, of course, so a proper introduction should have appeared inside the front cover - there's plenty of room left over, with the cover image re-used in light blue, the text inexplicably placed directly over Indy's face. Foregoing a free gift is slightly odd, especially as the (stunning) cover being a perfect depiction of the adventurer, and worthy of reproducing in a larger format.

Normally, Indiana Jones is a Professor of Archeology at Barnet College, in New York State. But he's no ordinary archaeologist. He's had extraordinary adventures all over the world. He's recovered the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets Moses received with the Ten Commandments engraved upon them. He restored some magical eggs, which bestow immortality, to the village which takes care of them. He even recovered the Holy Grail, the chalice from which Jesus Christ drank at the Last Supper.

But there's one place even Indiana Jones doesn't believe in. A place considered legendary by everyone. And now, discoveries made on Indy's first dig a decade ago are coming back to haunt him. and Indy must set out on a quest to discover...

THE FATE OF ATLANTIS

Addressing the storytelling issues which plagued the back-ups in Marvel's launch issue, the strip opens in the middle of an adventure. This is how the character should be seen at the opening of a new story, and it is a gloriously mad sequence with the self-proclaimed god Tenochtitlan preparing to throw him to crocodiles. It is, unfortunately, a dream sequence, but it is an important glimpse into his psyche.

The sixth of May, 1939.

One of the things which bothered me about the various Indiana Jones printed material throughout the nineties was the lack of direct inspiration from the films, and the manner in which we are given the date (not to mention the prior text introduction) is how pedestrian and unimaginative it is.

There was a wonderful conceit in his bulging diary, which was never - to the best of my knowledge - picked up on. Had there been a page of the diary, with attached photographs, sketches of artifacts, a fragment of a crumpled rubbing, or other elements which might he might have carried with him, then the immersion could have been so much greater.

Small details, building into something greater with each page revealed.

Samuel Corn, a man of many skills, arrives at the class Dr. Jones is teaching, with an ancient key which he finally identifies as containing similar markings to items discovered during the Jastro expedition in Iceland. Indiana Jones' first dig, a decade earlier, had unearthed an object of similar design - which happens to be the item to which the key belongs. Corn takes the contents from Indy at gunpoint before escaping, though without his ID - which reveals that his real name is Klaus Kerner, and that he is a colonel in the S.S.

Alongside Kerner's ID is a newspaper clipping referencing Sophia Hapgood, another member of the expedition. Indy decides to pay her a visit, and finds her living in New York, promoting ancient Atlantean culture, calling herself Madame Sophia. Sophia isn't pleased at his arrival in her life again, although she permits him to spend the night - which he fills by indexing her collection of irreplaceable relics. Kerner breaks into Sophia's apartment, and while the German gets his hands on the artifacts, Dr. Jones is able to save his friend's life.

An above-average beginning, reprinting a fine story, and with a competition which fits perfectly. There are, perhaps, a few too many adverts (the Terminator one is certainly effective), and a certain reserved caution in presentation - one would have imagined such a high-profile franchise to have been a feather in Trident's cap, yet there isn't any celebratory punch here. This is where introductions are so important, as they can say to the reader that there will be great things forthcoming, or to highlight how much the comic will develop over forthcoming issues with proper support.

Encouraging readers to write in with their opinions on the title is the main reason to include a brief message at the front of a new title. How many people, on picking this up, would have sent in missives regardless? By throwing suggestions on the naming of a letter column (The Snake Pit would have been perfect) readers are challenged to one-up the title's offerings.

It is early days for the title, and despite rough edges it feels promising.