Retro Comic Recap: The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #22

Good afternoon,

Hope you've been having a nice, relaxing holiday. Today's topic is the twenty-second issue of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones. The cover depicted Indy facing a bear in a castle, as Ben Ali Ayoob and Marion Ravenwood looked on. The tale was titled "End Run." The issue had a publication date of October 1984.

The story began right after the events in the previous issue. A man in a suit pointed a gun at Jones, claiming that the responsibility for his death lay with him, per his orders from the Führer. Indiana tried to reason with his foe, who was undeterred, even after Austin Coleridge's second in command, Tarrant, tried to attack him from behind. The stranger simply moved his arm backward, knocking Tarrant down the hill.

Indy was given 24 hours to stop the matter with Ayoob. If he didn't adhere to that timeline, his opponent would have no choice but to take matters into his own hands. By then, Marion and Marcus Brody had arrived on the scene. Marcus recognized the man as Hans Degen, an agent of Scotland Yard. 

The quartet later departed on a train bound for Switzerland. During the journey, they talked about their mission, which began with Indy's acquisition of the real Arnhem ring (in issue #11 of this title), which began his rivalry with Ayoob. They discussed the fake version of the artifact that had been discovered in the National Museum, and Brody ascertained from Coleridge where Ayoob now was. 

After reaching their destination, Jones and Degen moved on foot toward Ayoob's hideout. It didn't take long for the pair to be met with several of Ayoob's Ismaili assassins. The sword-wielding soldiers put up a brave fight as their leader was informed of Indy's arrival. He was convinced that he must be the victor of their contest.

 Meanwhile, Brody and Ravenwood had breached the compound by jumping from the hot air balloon that they'd acquired. While they were meeting more Ismailis, Degen and Jones were busy creeping into the palace via a sewer grate after having defeated their own foes. The duo argued over their perspectives long enough not to initially notice a trio of Ismailis behind them.

Jones and Degen were soon brought before Ayoob, who showed off the Devil's Heart, along with the real Arnhem ring and other artifacts from his collection. He swore that his opponent would die, and moved to bring that possibility closer to reality. Ayoob had Degen and Brody tied to a tree in a pit where Indy would have to face off against Ben's pet grizzly, while he and Marion ate together. 

Indiana threw a few rocks at the animal, thinking that he was probably doomed. Marion was less than cordial to her host and threw a drink in his face. She then tossed Indy a bottle of champagne. He popped the cork at the bear and broke the bottle to use it as a tool to cut the ropes that bound Brody and Degen.

Marion escaped and descended a set of stairs leading to Ayoob's animal pen. She decided to free the creatures, who ran toward the grizzly and took its attention away from Jones. While Degen was using the rope to keep the bear at bay, Indy and his friends ran back into the compound.

Ayoob was prepared for their arrival and pointed his pistol at his rival. Degen crept behind him and took a bullet meant for the American professor. As Degen fell, he tossed the Devil's Heart into the fireplace. Ayoob leapt after it and was instantly consumed by the flames emitted by the icon. 

Degen admitted to Brody that he'd engaged in a battle of wills with Indiana and lost with his last dying words. The trio left the complex and headed for home. When they reached Marshall College, they celebrated the return of the genuine Arnhem ring, and Indy asked for a bit of a hefty advance on his salary to cover his travel costs. 

The art in this issue was better than the one before it, but the constant change of creative teams on this title is one reason why regular readers may have found it difficult to stay interested. I was a bit surprised to see Ayoob's demise, thinking he was a clever opponent who could have stayed around to cause more trouble in the future. 

That's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll discuss the twenty-third issue of this series. Indy takes part in a Hollywood production as he tries to get closer to a legendary treasure in a foreign land. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.