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Adam Strange Collected Editions: #Planet Heist
Adam Strange: Planet Heist
Adam Strange searches for his missing planet, fearing that his wife and child may be gone forever.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
About the author
Pasqual Ferry
392 books15 followersPascual Ferrándiz Arroyo es el nombre de cuna del historietista español Pasqual Ferry (a veces, Pascual, a veces Pascal), de gran trayectoría en los mercados europeo y estadounidense.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 19, 2023
This is a collection that leads to the DC event of Infinite Crisis. This collection leads us to Rann-Thanagar war. In this one Adam Strange returns to Earth to pick up his his last remaining items as he is moving to be with his family. When he gets back his planet is supposedly destroyed. He doesn't believe it.
I liked this collection but it didn't exactly sell me on the character of Adam Strange. I don't know much about him. My knowledge of the character is just from this event. And I believe that is where this collection kind of lost me. I have read Infinite Crisis and going through the side pieces to that event. This is my last collection to read. The problem was that it really did not connect with that event per se. It gives the events leading up to the situation that is part of Infinite Crisis. I wasn't really looking for that. As for the story it started off strong and I was really enjoying it. Then it became convoluted with the overall pieces and the characters. I was not entertained as much as I was at the start of this collection. The highlight for me was the artwork as it was excellent.
I liked the story even though it wasn't what I was looking for or with my limited knowledge of the characters in the book. It is basically the old age story of a character doing anything for the sake of getting back to his family. I do believe the more knowledgeable fans will enjoy this much more than the casual fan. As for me I am the casual fan and why I did not love this like other readers have.
I liked this collection but it didn't exactly sell me on the character of Adam Strange. I don't know much about him. My knowledge of the character is just from this event. And I believe that is where this collection kind of lost me. I have read Infinite Crisis and going through the side pieces to that event. This is my last collection to read. The problem was that it really did not connect with that event per se. It gives the events leading up to the situation that is part of Infinite Crisis. I wasn't really looking for that. As for the story it started off strong and I was really enjoying it. Then it became convoluted with the overall pieces and the characters. I was not entertained as much as I was at the start of this collection. The highlight for me was the artwork as it was excellent.
I liked the story even though it wasn't what I was looking for or with my limited knowledge of the characters in the book. It is basically the old age story of a character doing anything for the sake of getting back to his family. I do believe the more knowledgeable fans will enjoy this much more than the casual fan. As for me I am the casual fan and why I did not love this like other readers have.
January 15, 2017
This is another of those books that I apparently read long enough ago that it was completely unfamiliar to me on this, presumably my second, reading. Most of the time when I reread books, I remember at least bits and pieces of them from the first time. It's also possible that I meant to mark this book as "Want To Read" and messed up. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, though I usually catch it when it happens. Who knows?
As a longtime DC reader, I need no introduction to Adam Strange. His original adventures from the 60's were some of my favorites when I'd encounter them (in reprints. I wasn't even born until '68) as a child. Part of his appeal for me was the lack of powers, surviving by the quickness of his wits and his natural athletic prowess. In Planet Heist, Diggle and Ferry give him an adventure in classic style, an actual Mystery In Space, if you will. Attacked by a couple of alien bounty hunters while on Earth, Strange learns that his adopted planet, Rann, has been destroyed by a supernova. Upon investigation, it appears to have actually been stolen ... But who would have the motive and resources to make off with an entire planet? Adam Strange is on the case, in a glorious space opera/mystery that touches on classic DC SF books like the Omega Men, L.E.G.I.O.N., and the Rann/Thanagar war.
Certainly, from a fanboy perspective at least, this is all glorious fun. I can't speak as to its mainstream appeal. There's certainly a smattering of coincidence to events, but nothing a reasonable suspension of disbelief can't handle. The story moves at a decent pace, the characters are fun, there are a appropriately suspenseful moments ... The book ends on a touch of a cliffhanger. There are enough threads left dangling that I'm assuming that this series continued for at least another volume or two. The main plot is resolved, but the situation in which everyone is left is not a good one, and I'm rather keen to see what happens next.
All in all, this was a pretty decent book. How much you enjoy it may depend on how much you love the classic DC SF characters, but I feel it's worth a recommendation.
As a longtime DC reader, I need no introduction to Adam Strange. His original adventures from the 60's were some of my favorites when I'd encounter them (in reprints. I wasn't even born until '68) as a child. Part of his appeal for me was the lack of powers, surviving by the quickness of his wits and his natural athletic prowess. In Planet Heist, Diggle and Ferry give him an adventure in classic style, an actual Mystery In Space, if you will. Attacked by a couple of alien bounty hunters while on Earth, Strange learns that his adopted planet, Rann, has been destroyed by a supernova. Upon investigation, it appears to have actually been stolen ... But who would have the motive and resources to make off with an entire planet? Adam Strange is on the case, in a glorious space opera/mystery that touches on classic DC SF books like the Omega Men, L.E.G.I.O.N., and the Rann/Thanagar war.
Certainly, from a fanboy perspective at least, this is all glorious fun. I can't speak as to its mainstream appeal. There's certainly a smattering of coincidence to events, but nothing a reasonable suspension of disbelief can't handle. The story moves at a decent pace, the characters are fun, there are a appropriately suspenseful moments ... The book ends on a touch of a cliffhanger. There are enough threads left dangling that I'm assuming that this series continued for at least another volume or two. The main plot is resolved, but the situation in which everyone is left is not a good one, and I'm rather keen to see what happens next.
All in all, this was a pretty decent book. How much you enjoy it may depend on how much you love the classic DC SF characters, but I feel it's worth a recommendation.
Read
March 16, 2021Not bad but not exactly great either. I’m reading the Countdown to Infinite Crisis books, and while this isn’t technically one of them, it ties in to the Rann-Thanagar War series. So we have Adam Strange on Earth learning that Rann is gone. He sets off to find out what could have possibly happened to an entire planet, encountering Thanagarians, Omega Men, and Darkstars along the way. Diggle’s writing gets the job done and Ferry’s art is serviceable. It’s a predictable space quest that never bores but never quite thrills like it should. Fun enough I suppose.
August 31, 2022
This is my second Adam Strange story that I've read in an attempt to re-read my entire comic book collection. This one starts with a brief recap of Adam Strange's origin, which pretty much retcons Richard Burning's and the Kubert Bros. previous 1990s series, in which Stange's wife dies and the capital city of Rann floats off like something out of James Blish's City in Flight novels. In this series, Adam Stange's wife Alana is still alive, alongside Adam's daughter. Or is she? Adam hasn't been able to use the Zeta Beam that teleports him to Rann. He even asks Superman to check in on them. Superman returns to Adam's apartment to tell him that Rann has been destroyed by a Supernova! Geeze, wouldn't a super advanced race of beings know ahead of time that their primary star was about to go supernova? Wouldn't the planet start heating up gradually as the star expanded before it folded into itself and exploded? I'm no scientist, but that part of the story was a little tough to swallow.
Adam then runs into a couple of space thugs/bugs sent by someone to get rid of him. Apparently, they tracked him across the cosmos by the zeta radiation that some of his items are giving off in his apartment. Really? Anyways, he defeats the aliens and takes their zeta beam transporter, and zaps himself to Rann. It's gone! Adam remembers something one of the bug thugs says, "It was all faked, the planet was gone before the star blew!". Adam sees a bunch of debris where Rann should be and says" this isn't Rann!". There's a lot of zeta radiation. Someone must have teleported the debris here to make it seem like Rann blew up, and the only logical conclusion is that Rann has been stolen! Urgh.
Adam's suit starts to malfunction because he just teleported into the fallout of a supernova and starts to drift into space. Luckily, a Thangarian ship is in the area and picks him up and cures him of heat exposure and radiation sickness! There's a weird moment between Adam and his Thnagarian savior, Sh'ri Valkyr, where Adam asks for some clothes, or would she rather he walk around naked? Sh'ri responds, "Now there's a question". Not sure why that was needed. Adam discovers that maybe Rann's solar system was switched with another solar system that was just about to go supernova. Meanwhile, Sh'ri has been ordered to take Adam into custody and bring him to Thangar for a trial. When they get there she finds out that she'll play the role of his defendant. Adam's being charged with "stellar genocide" for the destruction of Rann and will be executed as punishment. Thangarians and Rannians always refer to Adam as so Alien. The executioner asks "I've never cut a human head off before, do you bleed red like real people?" One of the ways the Thangarians could tell was human was that he had fossil fuel in his lungs?! Urgh. Adam looks exactly the same as these "aliens", even was compatible enough to have a baby with one of these aliens. Thangar, has a court system just like on Earth, and socially they act like all the cultures on Earth, so to keep reminding us that Adam is so alien compared to them is just weird.
Adam is bout to have his head cut off then all of the sudden teleports right into Sh'ri's lovenest!? She tells Adam she saved him because she wants to have sex with him. Adam refuses the advance, then Sh'ri says to go find your wife, and here's your suit and matter transporter, but it looks like it's all a ruse as she put a tracker in the matter teleporter. Adam shows up to the star system that he believes Rann was swapped with and runs into the Omega Men! The precog of that group has led them to this location as it's tied into a vision that will cause the end of the world, or what the Omega Men call...wait for it...the Omega Event, that will be caused by an instrument called the Omega Beam! Duh! Meanwhile, Sh'ri meets up with her true master, some all-devouring entity.
We're at about halfway through the story here, and I'll leave the rest for you to discover. By the end of the 8th issue, we discover that the story will be continued in the Rann/Thanagar War which is handled by another creative team. All in all, a poor plot that suffers from pacing issues and cheesy dialogue, with serviceable but not great art from Pascal Ferry. I'm glad both these Adam Strange stories are over and I can move on to better comics in my collection, which will be "The Agency" by Paul Jenkins and Kyle Hotz! See you on the other side.
Adam then runs into a couple of space thugs/bugs sent by someone to get rid of him. Apparently, they tracked him across the cosmos by the zeta radiation that some of his items are giving off in his apartment. Really? Anyways, he defeats the aliens and takes their zeta beam transporter, and zaps himself to Rann. It's gone! Adam remembers something one of the bug thugs says, "It was all faked, the planet was gone before the star blew!". Adam sees a bunch of debris where Rann should be and says" this isn't Rann!". There's a lot of zeta radiation. Someone must have teleported the debris here to make it seem like Rann blew up, and the only logical conclusion is that Rann has been stolen! Urgh.
Adam's suit starts to malfunction because he just teleported into the fallout of a supernova and starts to drift into space. Luckily, a Thangarian ship is in the area and picks him up and cures him of heat exposure and radiation sickness! There's a weird moment between Adam and his Thnagarian savior, Sh'ri Valkyr, where Adam asks for some clothes, or would she rather he walk around naked? Sh'ri responds, "Now there's a question". Not sure why that was needed. Adam discovers that maybe Rann's solar system was switched with another solar system that was just about to go supernova. Meanwhile, Sh'ri has been ordered to take Adam into custody and bring him to Thangar for a trial. When they get there she finds out that she'll play the role of his defendant. Adam's being charged with "stellar genocide" for the destruction of Rann and will be executed as punishment. Thangarians and Rannians always refer to Adam as so Alien. The executioner asks "I've never cut a human head off before, do you bleed red like real people?" One of the ways the Thangarians could tell was human was that he had fossil fuel in his lungs?! Urgh. Adam looks exactly the same as these "aliens", even was compatible enough to have a baby with one of these aliens. Thangar, has a court system just like on Earth, and socially they act like all the cultures on Earth, so to keep reminding us that Adam is so alien compared to them is just weird.
Adam is bout to have his head cut off then all of the sudden teleports right into Sh'ri's lovenest!? She tells Adam she saved him because she wants to have sex with him. Adam refuses the advance, then Sh'ri says to go find your wife, and here's your suit and matter transporter, but it looks like it's all a ruse as she put a tracker in the matter teleporter. Adam shows up to the star system that he believes Rann was swapped with and runs into the Omega Men! The precog of that group has led them to this location as it's tied into a vision that will cause the end of the world, or what the Omega Men call...wait for it...the Omega Event, that will be caused by an instrument called the Omega Beam! Duh! Meanwhile, Sh'ri meets up with her true master, some all-devouring entity.
We're at about halfway through the story here, and I'll leave the rest for you to discover. By the end of the 8th issue, we discover that the story will be continued in the Rann/Thanagar War which is handled by another creative team. All in all, a poor plot that suffers from pacing issues and cheesy dialogue, with serviceable but not great art from Pascal Ferry. I'm glad both these Adam Strange stories are over and I can move on to better comics in my collection, which will be "The Agency" by Paul Jenkins and Kyle Hotz! See you on the other side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2021
This was a tad disappointing because a) I am a huge Adam Strange fan b) I am a big Andy Diggle fan c) I had been trying to track this one down for a while and finally got it.
I guess I am a fan of the Gardner Fox stories where Adam has to use his brains to outwit some alien threat to his adopted planet of Rann. And this wasn't that. This was Adam trying to find out what happened to the planet of Rann since it seems to have exploded. Even though it wasn't what I was looking for it was a fun adventure tale of Adam going from planet to planet trying to solve this Mystery in Space. We get to see some DC space things like the Omega Men (which I loved), L.E.G.I.O.N. (which I knew of but didn't know anything about) and a Thanagar (with Hawk-people) I did not recognize. This might be overwhelming to a casual reader. Even I felt a little overwhelmed.
I think what disappointed me the most was because Adam wasn't on Rann we don't get to see him with his wife and child which I think would have been more interesting. Also...the big threat was a weapon his father in law created...which probably could have been solved by destroying it instead of doing what eventually happened.
The art is top notch. My only complaint is there were a few panels that were too dark to even see the characters in it.
In the end a good story but I wish I could have seen more of Adam on Rann. Since we get so few Adam Strange stories these days I want to see more of that. Oh..also the end leads into the Rann/Thanagar war so it ends on a cliffhanger which was not appreciated (by me).
I guess I am a fan of the Gardner Fox stories where Adam has to use his brains to outwit some alien threat to his adopted planet of Rann. And this wasn't that. This was Adam trying to find out what happened to the planet of Rann since it seems to have exploded. Even though it wasn't what I was looking for it was a fun adventure tale of Adam going from planet to planet trying to solve this Mystery in Space. We get to see some DC space things like the Omega Men (which I loved), L.E.G.I.O.N. (which I knew of but didn't know anything about) and a Thanagar (with Hawk-people) I did not recognize. This might be overwhelming to a casual reader. Even I felt a little overwhelmed.
I think what disappointed me the most was because Adam wasn't on Rann we don't get to see him with his wife and child which I think would have been more interesting. Also...the big threat was a weapon his father in law created...which probably could have been solved by destroying it instead of doing what eventually happened.
The art is top notch. My only complaint is there were a few panels that were too dark to even see the characters in it.
In the end a good story but I wish I could have seen more of Adam on Rann. Since we get so few Adam Strange stories these days I want to see more of that. Oh..also the end leads into the Rann/Thanagar war so it ends on a cliffhanger which was not appreciated (by me).
January 30, 2020
Adam Strange is an odd character, but he's great for good old fashioned space-fun! I originally got interested in him through his part of 52, but this version isn't quite as "out there" as Morrison's interpretation of him in that story.
Instead, this story is a little mystery, a little intergalactic politics and a ton of space battles and big world ending threats! It's a lot of fun, but that's also kind of it. The Omega Men are here as well, but as I've only read them in Tom King's Omega Men, this book made them seem like bumbling buffoons. One of their members die every other issue, and they all but shrug it off whilst Tigorr is making cat puns and Broot looks like a big potato.
Otherwise I thought the story was decently clever, I just almost wish they'd omitted adding the Omega Men and just making them outlawed super heroes.
Instead, this story is a little mystery, a little intergalactic politics and a ton of space battles and big world ending threats! It's a lot of fun, but that's also kind of it. The Omega Men are here as well, but as I've only read them in Tom King's Omega Men, this book made them seem like bumbling buffoons. One of their members die every other issue, and they all but shrug it off whilst Tigorr is making cat puns and Broot looks like a big potato.
Otherwise I thought the story was decently clever, I just almost wish they'd omitted adding the Omega Men and just making them outlawed super heroes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
I’ve been randomly selecting older books from my shelf to read. It’s providing a small trip back to re-experience what I was reading 15 - 20 years ago. This time it was Adam Strange: Planet Heist, an 8-part series from 2005. I recall really enjoying this story the first time through back then, and my re-read showed that the story still holds up.
Adam Strange is basically DC comics version of Buck Rodgers, and this story from Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry leans into the pulp storytelling esthetics and excitement but with a slightly modern reimagining. The story is fast moving and energetic , with plenty of twists and cliff hangers that are quickly resolved. Ferry’s artwork is dynamic and gives the whole story a glossy, futuristic feel that was great.
I think I will put it on the schedule to read again in 2041.
Adam Strange is basically DC comics version of Buck Rodgers, and this story from Andy Diggle and Pascal Ferry leans into the pulp storytelling esthetics and excitement but with a slightly modern reimagining. The story is fast moving and energetic , with plenty of twists and cliff hangers that are quickly resolved. Ferry’s artwork is dynamic and gives the whole story a glossy, futuristic feel that was great.
I think I will put it on the schedule to read again in 2041.
September 27, 2020
Really fun story and great art. I am revisiting a lot fo the past Adam Strange stories as I am currently reading Tom King's Strange Adventures. This particular story comes from Andy Diggle and paschal Ferry in 2005. It was enjoyable. Adam is told that his second home, the planet Rann has been destroyed but he doesn't believe that and goes on a quest through DC's Space Universe to find the truth. It was great seeing L.E.G.I.O.N., the Omega Men, the Darkstars and the Hawkmen of Thanagar. The art by Ferry is great and conveys the vastness of space as well as some really great planetary spots around the DC universe. Next am going to read Mystery in Space Volume 1 featuring Captain Comet which will eventually lead me back to Adam Strange again.
August 16, 2017
The Guardians of the Galaxy this ain't. While fun at times, Adam Strange is such a old school, stoic, iconic science fiction hero that an early attempt in this story to show a down an out Adam Strange trapped on earth doesn't ring true and while he resonates as a hero he still feels like he's trapped in 1950's amber.
October 8, 2019
The story started out really strong & promising. But as the story progresses it gets unnecessarily complicated & the villains are sadly one-dimensional, even towards the end. The redeeming parts are of course anything that involves Adam Strange himself as well as his wife & child. Not the best book I've read, I wish there was a better one about this hero that I could have picked up.
February 4, 2019
I loved the noir start to this and enjoyed the Superman bit. Then things got big, complex and uninteresting.
June 26, 2023
Amazing alien art? Check.
Cool, creative coloring? Check. Spectacular sojourn in space? Check.
Throughly enjoyable space romp with Omega Men, Thanagarians and even Virl Dox.
Recommend.
Cool, creative coloring? Check. Spectacular sojourn in space? Check.
Throughly enjoyable space romp with Omega Men, Thanagarians and even Virl Dox.
Recommend.
May 28, 2023
Not really selling me on the idea that Adam Strange's colorful silver age shenanigans should be updated for a modern audience.
I guess it's fun to bring back the Omega Men, but SPOILERS why did they have to kill off the coolest looking one?
C
I guess it's fun to bring back the Omega Men, but SPOILERS why did they have to kill off the coolest looking one?
C
May 31, 2024
Libro de historietas con ISBN propio. Probablemente sea la única edición en castellano.
May 5, 2013
Não se consegue ter um personagem mais retro do que este clone de Buck Rogers. Capacete com aileron, fato de cores garridas, pistolas certeiras e um jetpack. Vive em Rann, mundo alienígena de alta tecnologia exótica em que é o campeão planetário, derrotando os inimigos galácticos para voltar para os braços da bela alienígena por quem se enamorou. É a encarnação perfeita dos sonhos juvenis retro-futuristas. Adam Strange não costuma ser bem tratado pela DC, mantendo-se num curioso limbo de aparições em arcos narrativos de outros personagens ou mini-séries que pouco trazem de novo, mantendo-se sempre no registo golden age do personagem.
Andy Diggle consegue levar estas aventuras um pouco mais à frente, com uma história intrépida cujos capítulos terminam sempre em inesperado suspense. Vemos Strange encalhado na Terra, sem que o raio zeta que o transporta para Rann o traga de regresso à utopia. O raio inexistente está relacionado com o desaparecimento do planeta, aparentemente vítima de um cataclisma estelar. Buscando a verdade, Strange vê-se arrastado para uma intriga cósmica que envolve algumas personagens da vertente galáctica da DC. O argumento exigente de Diggle é potenciado pelo trabalho dos ilustradores, que conseguem tornar o personagem visualmente contemporâneo mantendo o estilismo retro que o caracteriza.
Andy Diggle consegue levar estas aventuras um pouco mais à frente, com uma história intrépida cujos capítulos terminam sempre em inesperado suspense. Vemos Strange encalhado na Terra, sem que o raio zeta que o transporta para Rann o traga de regresso à utopia. O raio inexistente está relacionado com o desaparecimento do planeta, aparentemente vítima de um cataclisma estelar. Buscando a verdade, Strange vê-se arrastado para uma intriga cósmica que envolve algumas personagens da vertente galáctica da DC. O argumento exigente de Diggle é potenciado pelo trabalho dos ilustradores, que conseguem tornar o personagem visualmente contemporâneo mantendo o estilismo retro que o caracteriza.
March 5, 2010
Comic que leí en la época en la que me estaba reeenganchando con DC y que me dio la falsa sensación de que todo era espectacular e impredecible como esta misma historia. Seguro que no es perfecta, y en una escala del 1 al 10 sería un nueve, pero la espectacularidad del conjunto me hace promediarla por arriba y llenarla con 5 estrellitas, aun cuando quizás no esté al nivel de las mayores obras maestras de la narrativa. No recuerdo haber leído mucho más de Diggle, pero ya demostró tener buena madera. Y Ferry está afiladísimo, y su coloreado brilla con luz propia, ajena y universal.
Ahora que tengo el tomo en la edición de Planeta, está esperando muy tranquilo en la columna de "to read", y espero que el reencuentro sea tan agradable como cuando nos conocimos.
Ahora que tengo el tomo en la edición de Planeta, está esperando muy tranquilo en la columna de "to read", y espero que el reencuentro sea tan agradable como cuando nos conocimos.
June 26, 2015
I recall this C rated hero from the first SHOWCASE comic I bought in 1978 featuring B list hero HAWKMAN.
I never understood who Adam Strange was.
Lol Omega Beam trumps the Zeta beam.
Seriously do they have draw Adam Strange ripped larger than Superman?
I never understood who Adam Strange was.
Lol Omega Beam trumps the Zeta beam.
Seriously do they have draw Adam Strange ripped larger than Superman?
Read
September 30, 2009Leads to Rann-Thanagar War.
June 12, 2013
A fun jaunt through the science-fiction side of the DC universe.
Read
May 19, 2015Edición española, tomo único.
February 4, 2016
Good art and story. Recommended
May 2, 2016
Meh, didn't really care about this Adam Strange episode..
April 15, 2019
Edición española que traduce Adam Strange: Planet Heist.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews