Good afternoon, all,
Hope everyone's having a great weekend!
It's time for me to talk about the twelfth issue of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones. The cover, drawn by New Mutants co-creator Bob McLeod, showed Indy hanging onto a post that had been impaled by a charging bull. The story was called "The Fourth Nail Chapter 2: Swords and Spikes!" The issue had a cover date of December 1983.
The tale began right where the last issue left off. Indiana had just come up through a Barcelona city sewer into the stock pen of a bullring when he found a bull charging at him. Five darts lodged in the beast's torso indicated what set the animal off. Someone must have opened its stall, and it found Jones as the closest thing to him.
Thinking quickly, Indy tossed his whip to the rafters above him, only to have the weakened post break from his weight. Jones used one of the splintered boards and put it between himself and the bull's horns. That was a temporary distraction, but then Indy grabbed hold of the animal's tail.
The bull waved his tail wildly, knocking the American archaeologist around the room until he came crashing through a door. Jones pulled a set of wooden shelves down onto his foe. The blankets that fell blinded the creature, allowing Indy enough time to escape.
Indiana peered around a corner and saw the same angry mob that had been chasing him and his friend Torino (in issue #11). He turned when he heard a familiar voice from behind him. It belonged to his former lover Marion Ravenwood, who was beginning her new role as public relations officer for the National Museum.
Marion informed Indy that she'd be tagging along on many of his excursions for the time being. Indiana explained who he was looking for, and Marion told him that she'd seen someone who matched that description being carted off by four men in black robes. They sounded to Indy like the Ismailis who were under the employ of Ben Ali Ayoob (Jones met the Ismailis and Ayoob in the previous issue).
Indy and Marion went to the warehouse where Torino was being held. On the way, Indiana explained his captors to Marion. When they arrived, Jones peered inside the slits of a boarded-up window and saw his old ally tied to a statue, as the Ismailis demanded information from him.
Jones took out a pocket knife to slice through the rope of an overhead net. That didn't hold the Ismailis long. The assassins were good, but even they couldn't dodge the bullets fired from Marion's gun. After downing one of their opponents, she tossed her revolver to Indiana before Torino was freed. The trio fled on foot immediately thereafter.
The Ismaili, who had just been shot in the chest, rose, with the assistance of his fellow mercenaries, who had been temporarily incapacitated as they struggled to get out from under dozens of wooden paddles that had fallen down upon them during the fracas. They were still bound and determined to carry out their objective for their master.
Speaking of Ayoob, he was still in his Australian compound when he heard the news that his subordinates had contacted the gypsies in Barcelona, and that they were confident that they would soon obtain the Fourth Nail, the rumored spike that was supposedly intended for the killing blow to Jesus before it was stolen. Ben was satisfied with the report and his presumption that Jones would soon be eliminated as well.
Indy, Marion, and Torino were still skulking in the shadows, making every effort to evade contact with the local authorities. They finally settled in a nearby barn to rest for a bit. Jones and Torino filled Ravenwood in on the Fourth Nail. Torino said that he could not bring his companions to the Phuri Dai, but that he would guide them to their tribal leader, who would decide if they could go on from there. He warned about the threat of the Ismailis, not knowing that one was watching them from above and had just listened in to their conversation.
Back at the cathedral, the townspeople who had gone after Indy and Torino were being told by the police that there was nothing more that they could do. That wasn't about to discourage them from taking matters into their own hands. A few hours later, Jones, Ravenwood, and Torino arrived by truck at one of the local gypsy encampments. Torino introduced his comrades to their king, Maximilian.
Maximilian listened to Indy's story, stating that he didn't fully believe it, but that he would consider their guest's request. They were encouraged to join in the festivities. As Torino started taking a shine to Marion, Jones noticed the arrival of the angry mob, including the heavyset brawler whom Indiana had tussled with earlier.
Torino held out his small knife and closed his eyes, right before an Ismaili jumped down and took care of Torino's attackers for him. Afterward, Maximilian announced that their guests had earned the right to see the Fourth Nail. Torino then led Jones and Ravenwood to the Phuri Dai.
The gypsy elder examined the foreigners carefully before showing them to a pulley arrangement that was used to bring workers to the lower levels. Further on, in a side room, the Fourth Nail rested on a pedestal. It looked like nothing more than a rusty railroad spike to Indy, but it was something that the Ismailis and their master valued greatly.
Indiana pointed his revolver at the assassin that Marion had shot at the docks, but then saw Torino had been tied to the pulley, and was about to be let go to fall to his death. Marion and then Indy jumped for the rope just in time to save their host.
As the friends were helping each other, the assassins demanded access to the Fourth Nail, which the Phuri Dai granted. The leader of the group grabbed it before the lights went out momentarily. The chamber was then filled with a strange glow, emanating from the nail itself.
Tortured screams could be heard as the heroes were finally back on solid ground. They ran to the chamber and found that all of the Ismailis were dead. Each of them appeared to have been pierced through the heart. The gypsy woman picked up the nail and offered it to Jones, who politely declined, reasoning that it was probably in better hands with the Phuri Dai.
Marion and Indy started heading for home the next morning. They'd missed out on a valuable artifact, and Indiana complained about the aches and pains he was bringing back. Ayoob had assumed that his soldiers had failed after not hearing from them for more than 24 hours. He presumed that Jones had won this time, noting that the American had begun a game for which there could only be one victor.
This was a fast-paced conclusion to this storyline, and I enjoyed it. My only concern was that you could really tell the differences in art between Kerry Gammill and Luke McDonnell's pencil work. I understand that there are times when artists can't complete a full issue, but it would be nice if the artists' styles were at least somewhat similar in those instances. I think that one of the reasons why this title didn't have a very long life was that it changed creative teams more frequently than many other ongoing series at the time. Ayoob was an intriguing villain, and this wouldn't be the last time we'd see him in the pages of this magazine.
That wraps up this article. Next time, I'll cover the thirteenth issue of this series. We'll find out what happens when the professor takes some of his students out on a field expedition, and they run into something that they weren't expected to see. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment