''Tom Strong'' is a comic book created by writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

and artist

Chris Sprouse Chris Sprouse (born July 30, 1966) is an Americans, American comics artist. Sprouse has worked for multiple publishers and has won two Eisner Awards for his work on ''Tom Strong'', a series he created with writer Alan Moore. Early life Chris Spro ...

, initially published bi-monthly by

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Best ...

, an imprint of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

division. Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero", with a wife, Dhalua, and a daughter, Tesla, both with enhanced physical and mental abilities and longevity. He lives in a building called The Stronghold in Millennium City. He is also helped by Pneuman, a

steam-power A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cylinder. This pus ...

ed robot, and King Solomon, a

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

with human characteristics. His greatest foe is tuxedo-clad "science villain" Paul Saveen. The series explores many different timelines and universes, which are a nod to different comic genres. The primary characters are tributes to and spoofs of early pulp heroes. Spin-offs include ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales'', ''

Terra Obscura ''Terra Obscura'' is a 2003 comic book miniseries spin-off from Alan Moore's ''Tom Strong'' series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. ...

'', and the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

''The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong''. A limited series titled ''Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril'' was published in 2013 by

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

. Tom Strong appears in ''The Terrifics'', a DC Comics series about a group of the same name formed by Mr. Terrific,

Metamorpho Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created in 1965 by writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon. Metamorpho is a founding member of the Out ...

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the first superheroes to ...

and

Phantom Girl Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo) is a superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. In the Post-'' Zero Hour'' continuity, she is known as Apparition. She has the power ...

Fictional character biography

Tom was reared in a high-

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

chamber and given an intensive education by his eccentric scientist parents on the fictional

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

island of Attabar Teru. His upbringing, plus ingesting a root used by the natives of the island for health and long life, have made him nearly physically and mentally perfect. Though born at the dawn of the 20th century, by the year 2000 he looks as if he is only in his 40s. Tom Strong frequently has adventures alongside his younger self. There is also a parallel cartoon universe where a talking bunny is a version of Tom Strong, as well as a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

universe, and even "Tom Teen", where characters are similar to those from

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Alan Gordon ''c: ''Tad Ehrlich
:Timmy Turbo receives his Strongmen of America membership, which also includes the story of ''How Tom Strong Got Started''. As he reads of Tom Strong's origins and upbringing on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong defeats Blimp Bandit in the very

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** Bi ...

in which Timmy is riding — but Timmy is too engrossed in his reading to notice. Tom Strong #2 – ''Return of the Modular Man'' (12 May 1999)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Tad Ehrlich
:The Modular Man, the unique mechanical-molecular megalomaniac Tom first destroyed in 1987, returns to Millennium City after two

nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...

s download Modular Man's plans from the internet and accidentally reactivate him. Tom must find a way to stop the Modular Man before he envelops the whole city. Tom Strong #3 – ''Aztech Nights'' (8 July 1999)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Tad Ehrlich
:When a mysterious

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

building materialises in Millennium Park, Tom discovers that it belongs to a brutal futuristic race from an alternate Earth. These Aztecs worship a sentient computer program that models itself after

Quetzalcoatl Quetzalcoatl (, ; Spanish: ''Quetzalcóatl'' ; nci-IPA, Quetzalcōātl, ket͡saɬˈkoːaːt͡ɬ (Modern Nahuatl pronunciation), in honorific form: ''Quetzalcōātzin'') is a deity in Aztec culture and literature whose name comes from the Nahu ...

. Tom Strong #4 – ''

Swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

Girls!'' (1 September 1999)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Art Adams Arthur Adams (born April 5, 1963) is an American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries ''Longshot (Marvel Comics), Longshot''. His subsequent inte ...

(untold tale) ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Tad Ehrlich
:Ingrid Weiss and her

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

cohorts attack Tom Strong's home, The Stronghold, in Millennium City. When Tom attempts to defend his home and family, he finds himself drawn into a sinister plot. Along the way we see an ''Untold Tale of Tom Strong'' which reveals when Weiss and Strong first met in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1945. This is the first sequence of a four-part arc. Tom Strong #5 – ''Memories of

Pangaea Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million y ...

'', ''Escape from Eden!'' (13 October 1999)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths' ...

(untold tale) ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Tad Ehrlich
:Having been sent backwards through time to a primordial Earth, Tom Strong must defend himself from its single inhabitant, which spans the Earth's entire solitary continent: The Pangean. Along the way we see Tom's first expedition to ancient Earth, with his wife, Dhalua, in the 1950s. The flashback is drawn to resemble an

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

story. Tom Strong #6 – ''Dead Man's Hand'', ''The Big Heat?'' (29 December 1999)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

(untold tale) ''i: ''Alan Gordon, Dave Gibbons ''c: ''Mike Garcia
: Trapped by villainous Paul Saveen, Tom must fight his way out of his captor's grasp; even if he succeeds, Ingrid Weiss has one last trump card to play: their son, Albrecht, who was conceived after she stole Tom's sperm while he was unconscious. Along the way we see the first encounter between Tom and his arch-nemesis Saveen in the 1920s. Tom Strong #7 – ''Sons and Heirs'', ''Showdown in the Shimmering City'' (1 March 2000)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse, Gary Frank (untold tale) ''i: ''Alan Gordon,

Cam Smith Cam Smith is a British comic book artist and inker known to British comic book readers for his work on '' 2000 AD'' and in the American comic book market for his collaborations with Gary Frank, inking that would earn him an Eisner Award nomina ...

''c: ''Mike Garcia
: Held emotionally to ransom by Paul Saveen and Ingrid Weiss, Tom Strong must come to terms with his shocking piece of news. Along the way we see a futuristic Tom Strong in 2050. The conclusion of the four-part arc.

Issues #8–14

The following issues are collected in ''Tom Strong: Book Two'': Tom Strong #8 – ''Riders of the Lost Mesa''; ''The Old Skool!''; ''Sparks'' (17 May 2000)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse, Alan Weiss ''i: ''Alan Gordon, Alan Weiss ''c: ''Wildstorm FX, Mike Garcia
:''Riders of the Lost Mesa'' – A prospecting town in Arizona that disappeared on New Year's Eve of 1849 suddenly reappears again 150 years later. Tom Strong and King Solomon investigate. :''The Old Skool!'' – During a school trip, Timmy Turbo and other members of the Strongmen of America find themselves sucked into a warp dimension where harsh teaching methods are enforced by massive robots. :''Sparks'' – Tesla Strong investigates sudden unexpected volcano activity in San Mageo amid native talk of "fire-devils" and "salamanders", and finds a little more than she bargained for. First appearance of Val Var Garm. Tom Strong #9 – ''Terror Temple of Tayasal''; ''Volcano Dreams''; ''Flip Attitude!'' (19 July 2000)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Paul Chadwick Paul Chadwick (born 1957) is an American comic book creator best known for his series ''Concrete'' about a normal man trapped in a stone body. Biography Born in Seattle, Chadwick grew up in its suburb Medina, where his father, Stephen F. Chadw ...

''i: ''Alan Gordon, Paul Chadwick ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth
:''Terror Temple of Tayasal'' – En route to meeting with his wife and his father-in-law on Attabar Teru, Tom Strong stops off to investigate an intriguing archaeological find amongst the ruins of the

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

city of Tayasal. :''Volcano Dreams'' – Tom Strong arrives late on Attabar Teru to meet his wife, Dhalua, and father-in-law. Dhalua recounts the story of her "Vision Ordeal" (a

rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

for Omotu women) on Attabar Teru. :''Flip Attitude!'' – Tesla Strong meets Kid Tilt, daughter of science-villain King Tilt who Tom Strong captured and placed in jail, while Tom and Dhalua are away. Tom Strong #10 – ''Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro''; ''Funnyland!''; ''Too Many Teslas?'' (20 September 2000)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Gary Gianni Gary Gianni (born 1954) is an American comics artist best known for his eight years illustrating the syndicated newspaper comic ''Prince Valiant''. After Gianni graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1976, he worked for the ''Chicag ...

''i: ''Alan Gordon, Gary Gianni ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth
:''Tom Strong and his Phantom Autogyro'' – In 1925 Tom makes a journey into the land of the dead using the late Foster Parallax's final invention and learns a little about his parentage. :''Funnyland!'' – Inspired by his visit to a parallel dimension in ''Aztech Nights'', Tom builds and uses a "searchboard" capable of pan-dimension travel. His first stop takes him to the anthropomorphic animal world of Warren Strong. :''Too Many Teslas?'' – Eager to try out her father's new invention, Tesla sneaks into her father's laboratory and activates the "searchboard", but it seems like all the Teslas in the different dimension have the same idea at once. This issue marks the first appearance of several alternate Earths later featured in ''The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong''. Tom Strong #11 – ''Strange Reunion'' (20 December 2000)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth, David Baron
:Tom gets a surprising visit from old acquaintance Tom "Doc" Strange, who arrives all the way from

, an alternate version of Earth on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy which Strong visited in 1969. This is the first appearance of ''Terra Obscura'', which would later have its own spin-off series. Tom Strong #12 – ''Terror on Terra Obscura!'' (18 April 2001)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth
:Part two: Tom Strong and

Doc Strange Doc Strange is a Golden Age comic book superhero who originally appeared in ''Thrilling Comics'' #1 (Better Publications, also called Nedor Comics) in February 1940. The character continued in ''Thrilling Comics'' until issue #64 (Feb 1948). He ...

return to ''

'' together to battle the evil that threatens the planet, freeing many of the science-heroes that have been trapped for the past 30 years in the process. Tom Strong #13 – ''The Tower at Time's End!'' (16 May 2001)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Kyle Baker Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''. Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...

Russ Heath Russell Heath Jr. (September 29, 1926 – August 23, 2018), was an American artist best known for his comic book work, particularly his DC Comics war stories and his 1960s art for ''Playboy'' magazine's "Little Annie Fanny" feature. He also prod ...

, Pete Poplaski ''i: ''Alan Gordon ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth :The mysterious Time-Keeper at the End of Time itself is forced to split the ruby capstone of Eternity into three, and send it back through time to into the care of three different versions of Tom Strong, in the hope of saving it from the evil clutches of Paul Saveen and thus foiling his plans to dominate history. Tom Strong #14 – ''Space Family Strong''; ''The Land of Heart's Desire!''; ''Baubles of the Brain Bazaar!'' (8 August 2001)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Hilary Barta Hilary Barta (born June 17, 1957) is an American comic book writer and artist. Biography Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide in ...

''i: ''Alan Gordon, Hilary Barta ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth
:''Space Family Strong'' – Tom Strong's family go into space for their vacation of 1954, and everything goes wrong. This is a comedy episode, featuring a

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

of Tom Strong. :''The Land of Heart's Desire'' – During the Strong family vacation of 1955, Tom and Dhalua are drawn to a mysterious and dangerous planet. :''Baubles of the Brain Bazaar!'' – When the Strong family attempt to return home from their vacation they find themselves 40,000,000 years in the future alongside Johnny Future battling a heartless slaver of souls. This is the first appearance of Johnny Future, the predecessor of

Jonni Future Jonni Future is a fictional comic book heroine, who appeared in the pages of ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales'', a series published under writer Alan Moore's America's Best Comics line of comic books for Wildstorm Comics. The stories were written by ...

. This issue was most likely an inspiration for the spin-off series ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales'', featuring a comedic "untold tale", a story featuring Young Tom Strong and an adventure set in Jonni Future's universe.

Issues #15–19

The following issues are collected in ''Tom Strong: Book Three'': Tom Strong #15 – ''Ring Of Fire!'' (4 January 2002)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''Matt Hollingsworth
:Tesla Strong is kidnapped by the mysterious "fire devil" from ''Tom Strong'' #8 (story "Sparks") and it is up to her parents to rescue her. Tom Strong #16 – ''Some Call Him The Space Cowboy'' (27 February 2002)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''Alex Sinclair
:Part One: While Tom Strong is struggling to come to terms with his daughter's new boyfriend, a mysterious three-eyed stranger arrives in Millennium City with a warning for Tom Strong. Tom Strong #17 – ''Ant Fugue!'' (3 July 2002)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''Alex Sinclair
:Part Two: Tom Strong and the Weird Rider attempt to prepare a force to tackle the impending invasion of Earth. Tom Strong #18 – ''The Last Roundup'' (30 October 2002)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''Dave Stewart
:Part Three: Tom Strong and company defend Earth against the alien menace. Tom Strong #19 – ''Electric Ladyland!''; ''Bad To The Bone''; ''The Hero-Hoard Of Horatio Hogg!'' (19 February 2003)
''w: ''Alan Moore,

Leah Moore Leah Moore (born 4 February 1978) is a British comic book writer and columnist. The daughter of comics writer Alan Moore, she frequently collaborates with her husband, writer John Reppion, as Moore & Reppion. Biography Moore was born to comics ...

''p: ''Chris Sprouse,

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...

Shawn McManus Shawn McManus (born June 30, 1958) is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint including the ''Fables'' series. Comics Born in Brookline, Massachuset ...

''i: ''Karl Story, Howard Chaykin, Steve Mitchell ''c: ''Dave Stewart
:''Electric Ladyland!'' – Dhalua is kidnapped by a secret society of women. :''Bad to the Bone'' – The details of Paul Saveen's death are revealed as he searches for the Temple of Everlasting Life. :''The Hero-Hoard of Horatio Hogg!'' – Tom and Tesla are trapped inside a booby-trapped comic-book by crazed collector Horatio Hogg.

Issues #20–25

The following issues are collected in ''Tom Strong: Book Four'': Tom Strong #20 – ''How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter One'' (23 April 2003)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''

''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''Dave Stewart :Part One: The Stronghold is invaded by a mysterious woman who claims to be an alternate-timeline version of Susan Strong, Tom's mother. She tells him of an alternate history in which Sinclair Strong, rather than the sailor Tomas, was killed in the landing on Attabar Teru. Tom Strong #21 – ''How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Two – Strongmen In Silvertime'' (20 August 2003)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Jerry Ordway ''i: ''Trevor Scott, Karl Story, Richard Friend ''c: ''Wildstorm FX :Part Two: The greater emotional warmth and social skill of the mixed-race science-hero Tom Stone enable him to reform many of the villains who Tom Strong merely fought. Tom Strong #22 – ''How Tom Stone Got Started: Chapter Three – Crisis In Infinite Hearts'' (8 October 2003)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Jerry Ordway ''i: Jerry Ordway, Sandra Hope, Richard Friend ''c: ''Dave Stewart :Part Three: The tragic collapse of Tom Stone's life is revealed, and Tom Strong helps Susan Stone to make a terrible decision. Tom Strong #23 – ''Moonday'' (12 November 2003)
''w: ''

Peter Hogan Peter Hogan is an English writer and comics writer, best known for ''Resident Alien'', which he co-created with artist Steve Parkhouse. Hogan began his comics career as editor of cult British comic ''Revolver'' in 1990–1991, before workin ...

''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story, John Dell ''c: ''Dave Stewart :Svetlana X and Tom Strong travel to the moon to rescue Svetlana's missing partner Dimi. Tom Strong #24 – ''Snow Queen'' (2 January 2004)
''w: ''Peter Hogan ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story, John Dell ''c: ''Dave Stewart :Tom discovers that his first love Greta Gabriel, believed murdered by the villain Dr. Permafrost, is still alive in a mutated form. Tom Strong #25 – ''Tom Strong's Pal, Wally Willoughby'' (25 February 2004)
''w: ''

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He serve ...

''p: ''

John Paul Leon John Paul Leon (April 26, 1972 – May 2, 2021) was an American comic book artist, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series ''Static'', and the Marvel Comics limited series ''Earth X''. Leon also provided artwork for a number of style g ...

''i: ''John Paul Leon ''c: ''Dave Stewart :Tom has to deal with Wally Willoughby, a socially crippled obsessive fan whose pain manifests itself through uncontrollable and destructive reality-warping powers.

Issues #26–30

The following issues are collected in ''Tom Strong: Book Five'': Tom Strong #26 – ''The Day Tom Strong Renegotiated the Friendly Skies'' (5 May 2004)
''w: '' Mark Schultz ''p: ''

Pasqual Ferry Pasqual Ferry (sometimes credited as Paschalis, Pascual or Pascal Ferry) is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Biography Ferry is known in the United States' comic industry for his work on ''Heroes for Hire'' (1997), ''Action Comics'' (2 ...

''i: ''Pascual Ferry ''c: ''Wendy Fouts, Carrie Strachan :When all Earth's heavier-than-air flying machines mysteriously stop working, Tom must follow in his father's footsteps to renew an old compact. Tom Strong #27 – ''Jenny Panic and the Bible of Dreams'' (8 July 2004)
''w: ''Steve Aylett ''p: ''Shawn McManus ''i: ''Shawn McManus ''c: ''Wildstorm FX :Tom tries to put a non-violent end to the trail of deaths unknowingly caused by a young woman whose vengeful dreams assault their real-world targets. Tom Strong #28 – ''A Fire in His Belly'' (22 September 2004)
''w: ''

Brian K. Vaughan Brian K. Vaughan (born July 17, 1976) is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series '' Y: The Last Man'', '' Ex Machina'', '' Runaways'', ''Pride of Baghdad'', ''Saga'', and '' Paper Girls''. Vaughan was a ...

''p: ''Peter Snejberg ''c: ''Wildstorm FX :Sad events cause Pneuman to make a shocking decision. Tom Strong #29 – ''The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 1'' (13 October 2004)
''w: ''

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

''p: ''

Duncan Fegredo Duncan Fegredo (; born 1964) is a People of the United Kingdom, British comic book artist. Career Born in Leicester, Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together th ...

''i: ''Duncan Fegredo ''c: ''Carrie Strachan :Tom Strong battles mad scientist Eldon Moravia for an ancient magical artefact. Tom Strong #30 – ''The Terrible True Life of Tom Strong, Part 2'' (29 December 2004)
''w: ''Ed Brubaker ''p: ''Duncan Fegredo ''i: ''Duncan Fegredo ''c: ''Michelle Madsen :Trapped in a hideously grim and gritty universe, Tom finds himself making increasingly horrific discoveries about his own past. This issue can be seen as a parody of elements of Moore's famous metafictional superhero comic Miracleman.

Issues #31–36

The following issues are collected in the final volume ''Tom Strong: Book Six'': Tom Strong #31 – ''The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 1'' (16 February 2005)
''w: ''

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

''p: ''Jerry Ordway ''i:'' Jerry Ordway ''c: ''Michelle Madsen :Metatemporal investigator Sir Seaton Begg persuades Tom to travel to an alternate Earth's Golden Age of Piracy, to stop the albino Captain Zodiac unleashing Chaos on the Multiverse. Tom Strong #32 – ''The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast, Part 2'' (13 April 2005)
''w: ''Michael Moorcock ''p: ''Jerry Ordway ''i:'' Jerry Ordway ''c: ''Michelle Madsen :Tom and Zodiac fight over the mysterious Black Blade, while Solomon meets some distant relatives. Tom Strong #33 – ''The Journey Within'' (8 June 2005)
''w: ''

Joe Casey Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as '' Wildcats 3.0'', ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' The Intimates'', '' Adventures of Superman'', and '' G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' among others. As part of the comics creator grou ...

''p: ''

Ben Oliver Ben Oliver is a British comics artist who has worked for '' 2000 AD'' on ''Judge Dredd'' as well as providing art for '' The Authority'', '' The Losers'', and ''Ultimate X-Men'' Biography Ben Oliver lives in Bristol, his first professional wor ...

''i: ''Ben Oliver ''c:'' Joe Mettler :Pneuman's increasingly bizarre behaviour forces Tom and Solomon to engage in some very hands-on debugging. Tom Strong #34 – ''The Spires of Samakhara'' (31 August 2005)
''w: '' Steve Moore ''p: ''

Paul Gulacy Paul Gulacy (; born August 15, 1953) is an American comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 '' Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species'', ...

''i: ''

Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...

''c: ''Michelle Madsen :Tom investigates an anomaly in China and encounters places and characters from a boyhood favourite pulp fantasy story. Tom Strong #35 – ''Cold Calling'' (2 November 2005)
''w: ''

''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''

Karl Story Karl Story (born 1967) is an American comic book artist specializing in inking. He is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios. Over a career of almost two decades, he has worked on books such as ''Nightwing'', ''Batman'', ''Star ...

:The second part to Hogan's "Snow Queen". Tom is shocked to discover that Greta is apparently the partner-in-crime of a new Dr. Permafrost. Tom Strong #36 – ''Tom Strong at the End of the World'' (8 March 2006)
''w: ''Alan Moore ''p: ''Chris Sprouse ''i: ''Karl Story ''c: ''

José Villarrubia José Antonio Villarrubia Jiménez-Momediano (born 17 November 1961) – known professionally as José Villarrubia – is a Spanish-American artist and art teacher who has done considerable work in the American comic book industry, parti ...

:The final issue features a cross over with the final issues of ''

Promethea ''Promethea'' is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm. It tells the story of Sophie Bangs, a college student from an alternate futuristic New York City in 1999 ...

'' – and the apocalypse depicted therein – from Tom's perspective. Guest appearances by characters from all the ABC series, including '' Top 10'', '' Tomorrow Stories'', ''

'' and ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales''.

Additional appearances

* ''America's Best Comics: 64 Page Giant'' featured a Tom Strong story written by Steve Moore with pencils by

Humberto Ramos Humberto Ramos (born 27 November 1970) is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as ''Impulse'', '' Runaways'', ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'', ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and his creator-owned series ...

and inks by

John Totleben John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books. Biography After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent se ...

. * The ''ABC Preview'' was polybagged with Wizard magazine and this story (with art by Chris Sprouse) was the actual first appearance of Tom Strong and King Solomon, albeit in a one-page cameo. * Tom Strong also makes an appearance in ''The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong'', a 64-page story written by Peter Hogan with various artists (the above stories are collected in the ''America's Best Comics'' trade-paperback). *

also had an appearance from Tom Strong, which was recounted from Strong's perspective in issue #36. * ''Tomorrow Stories Special'' #2 included an "America's Best" story, "The Lethal Luck of the Magister Ludi". This was set in the Silver Age of the ABC universe and featured Tom Strong, the

Cobweb A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spi ...

, the William Woolcott version of

, Splash Brannigan, Johnny Future (the uncle and predecessor of

), and air-ace heroine Fancy O'Keefe (who had previously appeared in the Young Tom Strong story in ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales'' #11). The story was a pastiche, printed on deliberately aged-looking paper and with mock-1960s art, of Silver Age

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

comics. * Tom Strong's name is mentioned in '' Top 10: The Forty-Niners'' during an old World War II video as one of 'America's Science Heroes' who joined in the war effort to fight the

s. * Tom Strong was featured as a recurring guest-star in the DC Comics series, "The Terrifics" (2018-2020).

''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales''

''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales'' was an anthology spin-off from the parent title. It usually featured three regular storylines in each issue: * One story would usually focus on Tom Strong, or on one of his supporting cast, and be either experimental or humorous in tone; * Another would be a ''Young Tom Strong'' tale (set during Strong's formative years on Attabar Teru, and illustrated by Alan Weiss); * A ''

'' story (by Steve Moore and Art Adams) would often round out the issue. The series ran for twelve issues, and would be sporadically published over the space of a couple of years. Stories of note include: * A silent story in which Tesla steals the keys to the Hyper-Saucer and parties on another planet (art by

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...

; appeared in issue #1) * King Solomon in a solo adventure (by

and

Sergio Aragonés Sergio Aragonés Domenech ( , ; born September 6, 1937) is a Spanish/Mexican cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to '' Mad'' magazine and creating the comic book ''Groo the Wanderer''. Among his peers and fans, Aragonés is w ...

; appeared in issue #5) * A

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

history of Millennium City, with illustrations by

Mike Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer Den ...

(appeared in issue #9) * Another silent story, with art by

Peter Kuper Peter Kuper (; born September 22, 1958) is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, best known for his autobiographical, political, and social observations. Besides his contributions to the political anthology '' World War 3 Illust ...

(appeared in issue #10) * A collaboration between Alan Moore and

Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and ''Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced ...

, which recasts the Strong family in a

milieu The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educate ...

not unlike the one used by Bagge in his ''

Buddy Bradley Harold "Buddy" William Bradley Jr.,Peter Bagge ''Hate'' #6, 1991 Fantagraphics; page 6, panel 3. generally referred to as Buddy Bradley, is a comic book character created by Peter Bagge and the main protagonist in several of his comic books, mos ...

'' stories. This was printed in the final issue (#12), and features appearances by characters resembling

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

Fred Flintstone Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintsto ...

and the Kool-Aid Man.

Limited series

In 2010, Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse produced the six-issue series ''Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom'', followed by six-issue story ''Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril'' in 2013.

Collected editions

The ''Tom Strong'' series been collected into individual volumes: * ''Tom Strong: Book One'', issues #1–7 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Book Two'', issues #8–14 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Book Three'', issues #15–19 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Book Four'', issues #20–25 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Book Five'', issues #26–30 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Book Six'', issues #31–36 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom'', issues #1–6 (paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril'', issues #1-6 (paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book One'', issues #1–6 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book Two'', issues #7–12 (hardcover: , paperback: ) * ''Tom Strong: Deluxe Edition: Book 1'', issues #1–12 (336 page, oversized hardcover: ) * ''Tom Strong: Deluxe Edition: Book 2'', issues #13–24 (336 page, oversized hardcover: ) The short story ''Skull & Bones'', the 64-page story ''The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong'' and the original one-page cameo from the ''ABC Preview'' are collected in: * ''America's Best Comics'' (softcover: ) Limited series * ''Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom'', issues #1–6 (144 page paperback: )'' * ''Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril'', issues #1–6 (144 page paperback: )

Awards

The story "How Tom Strong Got Started" in ''Tom Strong'' #1 was a top vote-getter for the

Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award The ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG'') magazine administered the annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982 to circa 2010, with the first awards announced in issue #500 (June 17, 1983). Upon taking over as ''CBG'' editors, Don and Maggie T ...

for Favorite Story for 2000.

References

External links

Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Tom 1999 comics debuts Comics by Alan Moore America's Best Comics titles America's Best Comics superheroes DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics scientists Fictional engineers Fictional explorers Fictional inventors Characters created by Alan Moore Eisner Award winners Vertigo Comics characters