Good morning, everyone,
Happy Mother's Day!
I'm starting the day by summarizing the fifth issue of the first Indiana Jones comic book series. The cover, "featuring the hero of Raiders of the Lost Ark," showed Indy observing a strange phantom that emanated from a crystal wielded by an enemy, with his associate watching from behind. The issue had a cover date of May 1983.
The tale began on London Bridge in 1936, as the commandeered car containing Indiana and British Professor Karen Mays was about to plunge into the river below. It was hanging on by the rear bumper, which was gradually starting to give. Jones opened the front passenger door and tossed his whip at the bridge. With Mays grasping his torso firmly, Indy lunged outside, mere moments before the car fell.
Jones carefully climbed up, only to see the German named Hauptman pointing his pistol at the pair. Indy decided to drop rather than face this threat. His foes were stunned until they observed the professors drifting away on a garbage scow that was sailing by. Hauptman opted against firing on his prey, fearing the possible retaliation from onlookers.
Some time later, in a flat occupied by Karen's mother, mother and daughter talked about the American archaeologist and how he brought a shine to the younger woman's eyes. Indiana emerged from his shower refreshed and thankful for his host's hospitality. The trio talked about their plans to bring the crystal cylinder back to Stonehenge by midnight, unaware that their every word was being picked up by Hauptman and his crew.
The professors boarded a train at London's central railroad station, not knowing that a familiar face was already on that same train. Some time later in a dining car, Indy and Karen's conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Jones' former pilot, Smitty, aka Schmidt. The villain held the two at gunpoint and escorted them into an empty sleeping compartment, where he demanded the crystal cylinder.
Indy pulled the emergency brake, only to realize that his foe had cut the cord earlier. Jones then took the plastic handle that had snapped off in his hand and threw it at Schmidt. before engaging the Nazi in a fight that allowed Mays to escape.
Indiana was eventually able to exit the window, but was followed by Smitty soon thereafter. Indy finally handed the shaving kit over to Schmidt right before the train entered a tunnel. The German realized that obstacle far too late, and that was the last of him.
Karen stood by a car rail anxiously waiting for Indy, who dropped down from above. He pulled the cylinder from his jacket pocket, stating that he'd pocketed it before handing the shaving kit over to Smitty. The train was later stopped by authorities who looked remarkably non-British. As the "officers" began their rounds, Jones took one of them out and borrowed a motorcycle with a sidecar, evading Hauptman and his forces once more.
The duo stopped short of a rickety-looking wooden bridge. Indy chose to gun the motor before speeding across the bridge. Several planks fell to the waters far below after they crossed successfully. However, the cycle was now out of gas after one of the Nazi bullets clipped its fuel tank.
Jones and Mays continued to proceed further on foot until they landed in quicksand. Indy tossed his whip to a nearby tree, right before he was forced to surrender the cylinder to Hauptman and his men. The villain cut the whip, leaving our heroes helpless.
Mays pulled out a service revolver from her bag, which she'd been issued but had never used before. Jones took it and fired at the branch. Nothing happened until he threw the empty pistol at the branch, which then fell and allowed them to escape.
The weary adventurers then walked slowly toward Stonehenge. As they neared the historic monument, they noticed a pair of guards who had been knocked out. Indy and Karen looked up and were astonished by the faces of bizarre creatures floating in the sky above them.
Indy was mesmerized by the sight for some time, until reason got the better of him. While Mays fought off one of the German soldiers, Indiana lunged for Hauptman, knocking the cylinder from his grasp. The crystal cylinder spun around for a time before crashing to the ground and breaking into many pieces.
Without the cylinder, the apparitions ceased, and the portal behind them collapsed. Indy and Karen were able to convince an astounded bobby to apprehend the Nazi. The professors knew they did the right thing that evening, but Jones still wondered if what they'd given the world made up for what they'd taken from it.
This was another enjoyable issue. I felt that it wrapped up the storyline rather well, although I would have liked to have known more about the mysterious beings that predated man who had placed the cylinder at the site of the monument centuries ago. A follow-up story would be rather interesting, in my opinion. The artwork from Ron Frenz and Danny Bulanadi was steady, and writer David Michelinie took the characters just as seriously as he did the ones in the Star Wars title that he'd moved from.
That's all I have for this morning. Later today, I'll cover the sixth issue of this series. Howard Chaykin and Terry Austin join Michelinie to craft a yarn involving Indy and a popular character from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Find out then what kind of trouble the archaeologist gets into. Until then, have a great day and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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