Tom Strong is an interesting pulp-inspired comic-book character created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse. He was published by DC Comic’s Wildstorm line as part of “America’s Best Comics,” a line consisting of several other characters written by Moore.
Tom’s origin has a Doc Savage/Tarzan feel to it, with Tom Strong being a super-strong and inventive genius “science hero” or adventurer, who fights various “science villains,” including genius Paul Saveen from his skyscraper headquarters, the Stronghold, in Millennium City. So less a pastiche as more influenced by or inspired by.
Tom’s parents, scientists from Millennium City around the turn of the century, travel to a Caribbean island to find an isolated place to raise their son. On the island, the natives found a local herb called Goloka Root that increases mental capabilities and prolongs life. Giving Tom a diet of Goloka and putting him in a high-gravity chamber in an extinct volcano, they hope to make him a super-human. After his parents die in an earthquake, he grows up on the island before leaving for Millennium City.
He associates include Pneuman, a steam-powered robot created by his father; King Solomon, a gorilla he operated on who now has speech and human intelligence; and later, his wife Dhalua, daughter of the chief of the island he grew up on, and his daughter Tesla, who looks like a teenager, but is actually about 80-years-old thanks to Goloka. Tom himself, while being over 100, looks about 40.
Tom fights various “science villains” over the decades. Paul Saveen was his arch-nemesis, and after his death it’s found he has a connection to Tom. Nazi villainess Ingrid Weiss plagues him for years, and would have a child by him, unwillingly, who would also be a long-time foe. He does have allies, such as Russian science heroine, Svetlana X.
An interesting sequence has the Nedor comic-book heroes — the comic-book line of Ned Pines — existing on an alternate Earth called Terra Obscura. The heroes include the comic-book version of the Green Ghost. There would later be two mini-series set on Terra Obscura.
The series ran for 36 issues from 1999 to 2006. These have been reprinted in six graphic novels. A companion series was “Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales” which ran 12 issues. It had three series, one being stand-along humorous stories of Tom Strong and associates, a series of “Young Tom Strong” showing him growing up on the island, and the third is an original series called “Jonni Future,” which was also influences by several pulp sf characters and themes. This series has been collected in two volumes.
Another volume, “America’s Best Comics” reprint the Tesla Strong one-shot, a Tom Strong one-shot and some other items.
Since the ending of “America’s Best Comics,” there have been two mini-series of Tom Strong, written by Peter Hogan and art by Sprouse. 2010 had “Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom,” which dealt with time travel and his evil son by Ingrid Weiss, along with Deros, deadly underground robots. 2013 had “Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril,” with a return of Tom Strong to Terra Obscura. It’s unknown if we will see another, but would love to have more.
Tom Strong is an interesting and original comic-book character inspired by Doc Savage. If you’ve never read it, check it out.
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