Good morning,
Hope all's well. I'm starting today by recapping the third issue of what is commonly known as TFAOIJ. The cover to this issue showed Indiana Jones driving a Jeep that was hauling a cannon on a trailer while being fired at from behind. The story was called "The Devil's Cradle." The issue had a cover date of March 1983.
The tale began not long after the events in the second issue. Indy was still parachuting slowly down to the ground when he heard the sounds of gunshots nearby. He landed a fair distance away from the action, and after untangling himself, Jones saw that a group of locals were about to lynch a young man. He decided he couldn't let that happen and used his bullwhip to disarm the lead man.
Indy held the accusers at gunpoint before fleeing with the lad. He realized that he'd forgotten to gather the firearms, and soon ventured further away with the young man. They passed an overturned Army truck, which the lad explained had to happen so that his grandfather could continue to produce an elixir that was supposed to extend a person's life. Indiana found that to be rather doubtful, and was still pondering that possibility when they ran into Colonel Bulldog Hannigan.
He was none too pleased about the overturned truck, and his soldiers opened fire on the pair. Indy and the lad escaped once more, but ran into the same group from before as they were crossing a bridge. Jones decided to take out the bridge, and he and his new companion held on tightly as the structure gave way. They helped each other up the cliff face, evading gunfire as they pressed on.
Before long, they reached the mountain known as the Devil's Cradle. Inside, they found the young lad's grandfather, Prospero. He used the waters inside the cave to concoct his elixir. It was a process that he'd repeated several times over at different locations. Prospero knew that they would eventually have to move on before too long and pointed out the rock atop the mountain that could fall and trap them inside at any moment.
Prospero talked about using explosives to bring the cradle-shaped rock down upon the soldiers' base, an act that Indy simply couldn't allow. The two tussled, and Jones was amazed by the older man's vitality. Indy lost the fight, and when he awoke, Jones found himself tied to the rock on the mountain. Prospero lit the fuse before the two of them departed.
Indy had accidentally swallowed some of the elixir during the fight and thought that maybe it could have helped. He swung his arms together and snapped the rope. Jones then jumped down to where the dynamite had been stored. Upon further examination, he noticed that the rope had been cut, probably by the lad whom he'd saved. He then tossed one of the barrels down one side of the mountain, where it detonated upon landing.
Jones took a nap until sunrise, when he found himself staring down the barrels of rifles pointed at him by Hannigan's men. The Colonel knocked him out with the butt of his pistol and had him placed in a cell. Later that morning, Prospero and his grandson recovered the remaining TNT. He chastised the youth for sparing his savior and noted that the Devil's Cradle still had to come down.
Indy had a conversation with the Colonel while he was in his cell. He was accused of a crime he hadn't committed. When the Colonel left, Jones took the opportunity to slide his belt free and use it to snag the keys hanging on the opposite wall. He grabbed his gear after freeing himself and was careful to avoid detection by the Colonel or his men.
Jones borrowed a nearby Jeep that was hauling a cannon, and it was fired at a few times before leaving the base. A few miles away, Indy stopped to get a closer look at the mountain. He used a pair of binoculars to watch Prospero and his grandson return the dynamite to the mountain and light the fuse before retreating. He then went to the cannon and aimed it before firing a salvo that hit the mountain. The resulting blast sent the cradle-shaped rock down the far side of the mountain.
When Indy arrived at the base of the mountain, he saw that the cave entrance had now been blocked by the rocks that had slid down as a result of the explosion. He didn't see any traces of Prospero or the youth, but found a couple of locals who were about to turn Indy in for the reward that the Army offered. Jones offered one man his binoculars, which he flung at his foe's face. The other opponent aimed his rifle at Indy, only to have his aim averted by Prospero's hand. The old man grabbed the weapon and threatened its owner.
Indiana was relieved and surprised by his rescue. Prospero said that they should be friends, because the spring inside the cave was no longer accessible, giving them no further reasons to argue. They moved on. Prospero noted that he'd been around for four centuries and was confident that they would survive and find another spring.
Even though it was lacking in details at times, I still felt that this was an interesting standalone issue. I liked the art by pencilers Richard Howell and the late Gene Day, and inks by Danny Bulanadi and Mel Candido. My only complaint was that this was the only appearance in this series for Prospero and his grandson. I still wonder what happened to them, and if they continued to live on.
That's it for this issue. Next time, I'll tackle the fourth issue of the first Indiana Jones comic book title. David Michelinie teams up with Bulanadi and penciler Ron Frenz for the first part of a two-issue story that begins the quest for a legendary treasure at a very well-known historic European location. Tune in then to find out more. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment