The story gets turned upside down as Mr. Terrific continues his investigation into Adam Strange.
Strange Adventures 6
Written by Tom King
Art by Mitch Gerads and Evan Shaner
This is how you end the first half of a good mystery.
In the last issue of Tom King’s 12-issue maxiseries, it seemed pretty clear that Alanna Strange, the wife of Rann’s champion, was hiding something. As Mr. Terrific investigates what happened to Adam and Alanna’s daughter, the first lady of Rann acted like it was all an inconvenience. With the alien race that nearly defeated Rann on its way to Earth, it all seemed too much of a coincidence.
It still seems like it all wraps up a little too nicely, but the latest issue shows us a different side of Alanna Strange. The preparations for Earth’s war with the Pykkt take a back seat in the sixth issue – the end of the first half of the series – as the focus shifts to a conversation between Mr. Terrific and Alanna.
King gives us a different side of Alanna here than we’ve seen in the first five issues. As Terrific opens up about the loss of his pregnant wife – and the guilt Terrific felt in his lack of grief – seems to soften her. At the very least, it seems to allow her to tap into the loss she’s experienced.
On the other hand, Alanna admits to being smarter than both Adam and her father, Sardath, the leader of Rann, so it’s entirely possible she was trying to snow her investigator. Given how different she acted in this issue compared to the previous issues, it’s not hard to believe that she’s putting on an act to seem more sympathetic and to deflect suspicion to her husband, the man who’s about to save the world from an attack by the Pykkt.
I get the feeling that, as the issue comes to a close, Mr. Terrific sees through what Alanna is trying to do. He is, after all, the third smartest man in the world.
But you don’t reveal the end game of a mystery half-way through the story. I’m sure King has a lot more story to tell – which means there are likely more revelations to come.