I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book, but I did know I've enjoyed previous works of both the writer and the artist. Ultimately, this is a traditional Adam Strange science-fiction story dressed up to look like a non-traditional approach to the character. I liked the double-twist, and I'm pleased I didn't notice the story's title on the first reading of the issue. Diggle has proven with Losers he scripts action incredibly well, so the excitement of the latter scenes in this issue come as no surprise. But the greatest strength of this comic book isn't the writing; it's the stunning artwork of Pascual Ferry, who reaches a pinnacle in his craft with this project.
Adam Strange... archaeologist, adventurer and alien hero to a world billions of light years away. At least, that's who he used to be. Today, Adam Strange is drunk, depressed and directionless, forever marooned on the planet of his birth. With a life of happiness within his grasp, he finds it taken away. Rann is gone, he's told by an old ally, and so is everyone and everything he holds dear. Even if he could return to his home across the cosmos, there's nothing left to return to. That's what he tells the cops who suspect him from blowing up his apartment building, anyway.
Pascual Ferry demonstrated on Heroes for Hire and his work on the Superman titles that he had some solid super-hero genre art chops, but he steps up to a new plateau here. The subtle redesign of the classic Adam Strange look is sharp, but I'm more impressed with the dark atmosphere he fosters here and the hazy, dream-like quality he employs for a key flashback sequence. There's a sharp, angular quality in his approach to the linework that instills a dynamic quality in the characters, but there's a softness as well that brings them down to earth. Dave McCaig's colors here are amazing, reinforcing the inventive nature of Ferry's line art incredibly well. I don't know if this is the title that's going to spark a legion of Adam Strange fanboys, but it should be one that launches Ferry's name near the top of a list of the best in fresh art talents in the industry.
The dark, urban tone of this first issue struck me as an appropriately new element in the world of Adam Strange. It brings the character down to earth (literally and figuratively), and Diggle manages to draw the reader into the story further with the cop-drama riff as well. The writer conveys the title character's anguish to great effect, just as he conveys his confidence later in the issue.
The revelation of the fate Rann seems to celebrate the larger-than-life, Silver Age origins of the Adam Strange property, but it also comes off as a little too convenient. The dark, downtrodden atmosphere that opens the series is abandoned surprisingly quickly, and it seems as though the way has been paved for more traditional comics storytelling. It's still entertaining, but I was rather enjoying the unfortunate vision of the hero.
