Indiana Jones Annual 1990

[1989] Annual. Original price £2.99.
NA pages. Full colour contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.

Edited by Louise Cassell.
Designed by Rebecca Owen.

Photo cover (Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones)

Features by Patrick Mulkern & Louise Cassell

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED endpaper by Luigi Stefanelli / Gina Hart.

 6 Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Story: A Photo Tribute

 9 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - The Story: A Photo Tribute

12 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

13 Gateway to Infinity! w: David Michelinie; p: Ron Frenz i: David Bulanadi, colouring by Bob Sharen.

r: Indiana Jones (Marvel Comics) #04 (Apr 1983)

35 The Making of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

40 The Harbingers w: David Michelinie; p: Ron Frenz i: David Bulanadi, colouring by Bob Sharen.

r: Indiana Jones (Marvel Comics) #05 (May 1983)

After two hardback annuals with beautiful painted covers, this is - at first appearance - something of a letdown.

Recaps of Indy's big-screen adventures are entirely perfunctory, serving as little more than set-up for the cinema release of The Last Crusade. The problem with much of Indiana Jones' comic-book material is the focus on merchandise and (naturally enough) the films, missing a great opportunity to get readers interested in aspects of history which underpin the character, or escapades which he becomes involved in.

Rather more interesting than the synopses is the feature on the making of The Last Crusade, though this too suffers from a lack of elaboration. Split into paragraphs about the main players, there isn't room to delve into the numerous aspects of production which might have been more interesting. Special effects, perhaps - given some elaborate set pieces - might have been a worthwhile addition, or location scouting.

The two-part strip reprinted from Marvel's Indiana Jones series is less detailed and sketchier than the film adaptations, suffering from a poor likeness of Harrison Ford, some awkward compositions, and a story which doesn't reveal anything about the character which would make it essential reading. A strange choice for this annual, and it sits uncomfortably with the previous ones.

1985

Indiana Jones Annual

2009