Good afternoon,
It's time for me to talk about the twenty-fourth issue of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones. The cover depicted Indy and an unidentified female up against a wall with light emitting from its cracks. The story was called "Revenge of the Ancients." The issue had a cover date of December 1984.
The tale began with Indiana in San Francisco, having taken some extended time from his teaching duties after having returned to the U.S. last issue. He'd been contacted by an epigrapher named Reeko, claiming to have some information that Jones would be interested in. Indy knew from past experience to be wary of him, but was still intrigued nonetheless.
As he walked down the rainy streets, Jones thought about the information on this lead that he'd received from Marcus Brody, and the unfortunate news that the crown of Rurick (which Jones retrieved from South America last issue) was fake. A whisper from a nearby alley alerted Indy to Reeko's presence. The man begged for help before keeling over, with a knife sticking out of his back.
Just then, a telephone from a booth on the corner started ringing. Indiana went to answer it, but didn't receive an answer on the other end. Indy tried to exit the booth but found that he was trapped inside, just as a semi truck headed right for him. He had no choice but to push the booth over, and it broke apart as the heavy vehicle sped by.
Jones emerged from the booth and followed the truck on foot. He finally caught up and jumped on board. Indiana crawled to the top of the tanker and saw a portly man wielding a wrench. He had Jones until the larger man was knocked down by a low bridge.
The vehicle arrived at its destination a few blocks away. Jones jumped off and decided to investigate the warehouse. He came across a young woman who was being held hostage in one room. Indy worked to free her before he was hit on the head from behind.
When Indiana awoke, he saw a pistol pointed at his head. He gave his opponent a quick shove in the stomach and disarmed him. Jones then grabbed the gun and coerced his foe into telling him what happened to the girl. A short taxi ride later, and Indiana reached the pier. He made a short dive and swam toward the Capricorn Queen, which was already floating away from shore.
As he climbed the side of the boat, Jones heard a pair of men talking. He identified one of them as Sigfriend Klexx, a man who was known for paying off authorities to break international rules and laws regarding antiquities and was wanted for crimes in more than a dozen nations. Klexx clearly played by his own rules and talked to his companion about Reeko's demise. He was on his way to obtain another historical treasure.
Right before dawn, Indy found the room where the girl was being held. He promised to help her once they landed, and left from sight before a guard arrived. Three days later, Jones returned and helped the woman escaped before the boat neared the shoreline.
She introduced herself as Julia Valdez right before the two of them were apprehended by Klexx and his men. Their leader pointed out how Indy had left the porthole open during his first sojourn, something that the woman who'd had her arms tied behind her back couldn't accomplish by herself. The group was then transported via chartered plane the following morning to a temple where a tablet had been found earlier. Reeko had been in charge of deciphering it, until his untimely end. Klekk's associate Flaggart now had that responsibility.
The tablet had been written in a language that predated any known human civilizations. It supposedly said that the tomb before them held a trove of valuable items. Indiana listened to all of this while being bound to a pillar and watched helplessly as Julia was strung to the top of a structure connecting two walkways. The rays of the sun would shine through the eye atop the temple and strike the rope holding the human sacrifice, dropping her down onto the pedestal below and subsequently open the vault.
Klexx explained that he'd chosen his victim because it had to be a female full-blooded Indian native to the area. He'd tracked Julia down after months of research. As the rope continued to burn, Indiana fumbled reaching for his pocket knife. He finally found it and started slicing his binds, freeing himself before the beam cut through Julia's rope.
Indy jumped to save the woman, knocking Flaggart onto the slab in the process. His body weight moved the slab which slid down the ramp and knocked into the vault, opening it. A powerful stench arose from it. Jones moved to protect Valdez from Klexx's men right before a blinding light emerged from the temple.
Those who weren't able to evade the light were instantly set afire. Indy took Valdez to safety, and protected them both from the explosion that followed. When the dust settled, the two looked at the carnage around them. They wondered why ancient people would have such a devastating weapon. Jones promised to return another time and search for the sites. For now, he was focused on getting Julia back home and return to normalcy for a while. They were leaving when we saw what appeared to be one of Klexx's hands breaking free from a pile of rubble.
This was another serviceable single-issue story that could have used a bit more background material. Danny Bulanadi's inks kept the art together, and had me interested in seeing the tale through to its end. It would have been nice to have learned more about Valdez, Klexx, and the temple legends. It appears that Klexx survived the destruction, but I don't believe that he or Julia return to this magazine again. More wasted potential, which I suppose is one reason why some readers lost interest over time.
That's all I have for now. Tomorrow, I'll cover the twenty-fifth issue of this series. Indiana travels to help an old friend while another supporting character bids adieu. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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