Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #1

In order to save the life of his daughter and unborn grandchild (who has inherited the super-powers of its father), Tom Strong will enlist the help Val Var Gram and travel to the alternate Earth known as Terra Obscura, the home of the magic elixir Aluson which can bestow temporary invulnerability and may be the only option to get his daughter safely through childbirth.

I was happily surprised to see a character like Tom Strong earn a new series from DC (as he certainly doesn't fit either the tone of the New 52 or Vertigo's usual fare). Originally created by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse, the character has been in limbo since even before DC ended their Wildstorm line.

The science hero raised in high-gravity chamber certainly embraces Silver Age comics (which are even directly referenced) in a style antithetical to DC's current gritty 90s reboot. I'm not sure how many issues we'll get out of this series (Vertigo currently lists solicitations for five issues), but I'll gladly take what I can get. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]