The man in the fedora is back and ready for action! Luckily, this time around we do not see Indy getting involved with any alien species.  This series rather hearkens back to the original Indy we all know and love (story takes place in 1931, which is earlier than anything from the trilogy).  Indy’s last outing was not his best, and I think fans that gave up on him, may come back after reading this interesting 4-part comic book series.  Now that all four volumes are out, you can find the graphic novel version online (I picked my copy up off Amazon.com for just around $10.)  With a great price and an old-fashioned Indy adventure, I think this is a title that will not only get people interested in the extended universe, but also remember how much they love the series.  So grab your fedora and your whip; it’s time to uncover some secrets.

An average day for an Archeologist.

I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, because half the fun is uncovering the secrets right along with Dr. Jones.  However, I guess I need to fill you in a bit on Indy’s latest adventure.  It’s what you’d expect from the series as we see Indy travel to interesting locales such as Tibet, Siberia, and even smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  The book starts on a great note; within the first few pages we get to see Indy trying to make a daring escape with a man he was looking for named Henrick Mellberg.  The story about Henrick is that he owns one piece (of three) to a key that will essentially, unlock the Tomb of the Gods.  Trouble is, although the three pieces were separated for safety’s sake…the Nazi’s are hot on the trail.  Although I would have liked seeing the story more fleshed out, I can understand why they’d condense it for a comic book.

He no nuts...he cwazy.

Throughout the story we are also introduced to a pretty interesting vixen named, Janice Le Roi.  I actually enjoyed her character very much, because she had the same biting, sarcastic humor as Indy; however, she’s no Marion Ravenwood.  After some interesting scuffles with Janice, they eventually become part of a huge race against the Nazi’s to find this tomb, complete the key, and unleash it’s power.  Speaking of the Nazi’s, the main antagonist, Von Hassell,  is quite underwhelming.  I think the main problem I had with Hassell, was that he wasn’t near ruthless and evil enough to be called an Indy villain…let alone a Nazi.  Towards the end he gets a bit more interesting, but it was too little, too late.  Gripes aside,  the final chapter is quite interesting, and the climax is certainly “explosive”; you will walk away, satisfied.

Indy and Janice are about to become shark bait

Each volume was illustrated by a different person, so as you are reading through, you will see four very different and unique styles.  I preferred Chapters 1 and 3 for their very lighthearted, cartoon look.  Chapter 4 is the complete opposite and takes a more realistic approach to Indy.  The funny thing about Chapter 4, is that they made Indy’s chin so big, I thought he was Bruce Campbell.  I guess I am being a bit nit-picky though, because the artist of the fourth chapter makes a really amazing tomb setting.  To be honest, the first time I read through the comic, I was kind of annoyed by the changing art styles.  After rereading, I realized that I actually thought it was interesting to see different interpretations of the same man, because no matter how much his looks change, he’s the same hero.

Overall, this graphic novel version of the comic series is a complete steal.  Also, if you find this particular series interesting, Dark Horse released an Omnibus series of the original Indiana Jones tales from the 80′s-90′s.  Apart from the great new adventure we get to embark on it was nice to see this title pay homage to a few cherished Indy moments.  One that rings a bell would be as we see Indy running from danger and yelling to Jock, “START THE ENGINES!”, and we hear Jock reply, “Always the same with this guy…”  Plus it was great to see Marcus Brody go along for the adventure since he wasn’t around in Crystal Skull.  Since this is an easy read  and has a good price point…this Indy adventure is a definite buy.  Even though Henrick tells Indy,  ”Some mysteries are best left undiscovered.”; The Tomb of the Gods is something you will want to uncover again and again.

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