In past columns I’ve covered various heroes from the big two, Marvel and DC, but there are other companies. Take America’s Best Comics, for instance. Sure, they’re published by DC, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that if I hadn’t just told you. In ABC, there are various types of heroes, but they aren’t exactly super heroes. The term that is coined in the books themselves is “Science Hero”. It’s a pretty sweet concept, that calls back to characters like Doc Savage and the pulp roots of comics, but with a little bit of a sci-fi twist. By far, the most approachable and easy to get into hero (not to mention my personal favorite) is Tom Strong. When Alan Moore created the character, he used a pretty ingenious and fun way to introduce him to the reader, so rather than just talking about it, here we go. Presenting the Secret Origin of Tom Strong!

Our story opens with young Timmy Turbo getting a rather highly anticipated piece of mail. His mother wants to scoot him off to school, but Timmy has to at least open the package before he leaves, and with good reason!

Timmy's mother is apparently Nanny from Muppet Babies.

Timmy walks out the door, just a bit oblivious to the outside world, which we’re also introduced to. Millennium City is like the idealized futuristic city with mile high skyscrapers, but with retro throwbacks like cable cars. As the series went on, MC became just as much a character as Metropolis and Gotham. Anyway, As the cable car starts its crawl to school, Timmy starts to read “How Tom Strong Got Started” and so too, do we. It’s a really cool meta thing, which I’ll get back to in a while. For now, let’s get into the origin proper.

We start on a ship sailing in the West Indies, circa 1899. We’re quickly introduced to Sinclair and Susan Strong, along with the ship’s captain, Tomas. Before we can really get to know them too well, the weather started getting rough and the tiny ship was tossed. Instead of a life full of coconut radios though, Tomas unfortunately is killed by the falling mast of the ship. The Strongs arrive on shore, relatively unharmed. They truly have arrived at their destination, the island of Attabar Teru. Being freshly shipwrecked, Sinclair gets to work, though not building a shelter as you might suspect. Instead he is assembling something even better:

Hello... Pneuman.

Now why would Sinclair build such a thing? So it can build the shelter, of course! After introductions and how Pneuman operates, we’re told how the isolation of Attabar Teru will provide the perfect enviornment for Sinclair’s many scientific experiments. If the Strongs could see who’s lurking in the bushes, they may change their tune. As it is, we cut to a few months later. Pneuman has built quite the domicile in the heart of an extinct volcano! Things are going so well for the Strongs that they decided to surrender to their passion for each other, with no one but Pneuman to look on. Nine months later, We see Susan about to give birth, but there is a problem, the baby is coming feet first! Sinclair isn’t a medical doctor and is unsure of what to do and is on the verge of panic! When all seems lost, the heretofore unseen (except for that guy in the bushes) native make themselves known. They have a capable midwife, and after a bit of touch and go, our hero is born.

I'd make a joke about Tomas being the real father, but that's actually a future storyline!

As Part one closes, we cut back to Timmy. He muses to himself how this book is just about the best thing ever. He flips through the magazine, looking for part two, oblivious to the fact that his cable car is being paid a visit by… The Blimp Bandits! They start to assault the passengers asking for valuables and whatnot, but just as Timmy is about to be accosted, artist Chris Sprouse gets to show off his skills, and we get one of those really nice intro shots I like so much.

I want one of those backpack thingies. Get on it, guys!

Before Tom can start meting out some two-fisted justice, Timmy finds part two, and we are thrust back to Attabar Teru. It is now 1903 and young Tom Strong is almost 4 years old. Susan is concerned that Tom isn’t able to have normal human interactions, he can’t play with the children from the nearby Ozu tribe, he can’t even have a mother’s caress. You may be asking yourself why, and that answer is Sinclair Strong. Sinclair reveals through exposition to the reader that Tom is the product of a grand experiment. Tom is being raised outside of the influences of modern society. He’s getting progressive schooling, is on a vegetarian diet, including the root of a native plant called the Goloka root, which provides longevity and higher cognitive awareness. This is all fine, but the point of contention is the fact that Tom is also being raised in a special chamber inside the volcano where the pressure is at 5 G’s. While this has the benefit of making Tom very strong, he has also never truly interacted with anyone physically.

Mmmmm, Pi.

Sinclair and Susan continue their argument/discussion, Sinclair ultimately says Tom is probably on the safest place on Earth. It’s too bad for Tom that his day has a penchant for saying everything’s ok before they go all to heck. We’re juxtaposed to 1908 where Attabar Teru is hit by a pretty sizable earthquake, making the humble volcano abode collapse in on itself. Tom indeed is unharmed, but the same can’t be said for his parents. Amid the devastation, a mother and her son get their fondest wish fulfilled, but at what price? Finally emerged from his gravity chamber, Tom carries the lifeless bodies of his parents when he encounters the Ozu. Having learned their language from Pneuman, he asks for help and we close out part two of our tale.

The definition of 'bittersweet'

Cutting back to the cable car, Timmy is a bit verklempt at the scene he’s just witnessed, So overcome with emotion is he, that he still doesn’t notice the action taking place behind him! Tom is on top of the cable car, taking out each of the blimp bandits as only he can, when one of them pulls out a handheld harpoon gun! He threatens to use it to puncture out hero, but Tom just grab the bandit by the wrist and makes him deflate his own blimp! As Tom takes out the last of the baddies the crowd cheer him on, and our Timmy, well he’s a bit annoyed.

Look closely, I guess Timmy is reading the Manga version.

Now, where were we? Back on Attabar Teru, it’s now 1921, and Tom is preparing to leave the Ozu and make his first trip to the land of his parents’ birth. In the intervening years, he’s rebuilt Pneuman, introduced electricity to the Ozu, but wonders aloud if his parents would be proud of his accomplishments. Pneuman assures him they would be, and they go to meet their Ozu farewell party. We’re told the Ozu chief, Omotu has raised Tom, and he sees them as family. Omotu’s daughter, Dhalua is among those seeing him off, and it’s revealed that she loves him deeply, waiting on the beach long after everyone else has seen him off. We’ll get back to her in a bit.

We have a quick cut to Millennium City and a battle atop its equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. The mad genius, Paul Saveen is pontificating that the city is his in a very Lex Luthor kind of way. A struggle ensues, and it culminates with Tom tackling Saveen off of the statue and into Millennium Bay. Tom think Saveen is finally gone for good (hint: nope). His work in America apparently finished, he returns to Attabar Teru ro take care of some business that’s unfinished. And what business it is!

Dhalua's dress provided by Peacock & Sons Outfitters, Attabar Teru

Now married, Tom and Dhalua discuss the future. Tom suggests bringing more intelligent life in this world. Dhalua is ecstatic, having wanted a baby of her own for a while. Tom says he actually was thinking of performing brain experiments on a monkey, but sure, why not a baby too?

We flash forward to 1999, where Tom is relating the story to his daughter, Tesla. It’s revealed because of the Goloka Root, the entire Strong family has aged very slowly, despite having lived decades. We’re teased a bit with what the book/character will hold for us in the future (I told you Saveen wasn’t dead). We’re introduced to the entire family, in addition to Tesla, the aforementioned “monkey” is with the group too. King Solomon has a delightful English accent, and has a playful antagonism with Pneuman. He’s also in charge of sorting through applications for new members of the Strongmen of America, which brings us to the end of our tale.

You know Tesla, I think I will!

Oh, did I say the end? Well not quite. We cut one last time back to little Timmy Turbo. Amid the commotion of everyone talking about the daring mid-air rescue of their cable car, Timmy still is engrossed in the story of how Tom Strong got started. He walks, still oblivious to everything and finishes the walk to school, until:

"I have GOT to start paying attention to the world around me!"

And that, as they say is that. While this was pretty much all exposition, it was still a fun ride, and if you enjoyed it, I implore you to track down Tom Strong in any form you can get it, you won’t be disappointed!