So, I ‘ve got two #adventurecomicsmonth books here and I gave this post this title because I read them under the influence of one Professor Alan. In one case, he sent this directly to me courtesy of the #comicbookcircleoflife (and I have since returned the favor), but in the other he had covered it as part of the Quarter-Bin Podcast last year.

I don’t know if a Sherlock Holmes comics qualifies as “Adventure” or “Crime”, and this one actually might qualify as “Science Fiction” because it is Sherlock Holmes in the Case of the Missing Martian. Published by Eternity Comics in July 1990, it was written by Doug Murray and featured out by Topper Helmers. The story answers a question that I don’t think anyone ever asked: What if Sherlock Holmes crossed over with The War of the Worlds? It certainly would have been a possibility considering that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells were writing and publishing at the same time. I only have the first issue of the series, but Doug Murray (whose writing I loved on The ‘Nam and whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for “In Country” a number of years ago) builds a really solid mystery around one of the Martian invaders’ corpses having been stolen, with the person behind it being really the only person who could have been behind it–Professor Moriarity.

Eternity Comics was one of those independent publishers who were established in the 1980s and were still kicking around through the early 1990s, eventually being acquired by Marvel and shutting its doors in 1994. Its most successful titles had been Ninja High School (which was a mainstay of the back of Previews for years) and their Robotech comics (which they’d picked up from Comico). 1990 was when the boom in comics was really starting and that would be helpful for a number of independent publishers, and therefore Eternity could take a chance with a miniseries like this. Not only is it well-written but has really solid artwork, something that was rare when it came to the independent comics world back then (there were a lot artists who could draw a “sexy” pinup or cover but rarely gave you good sequential art. I’m going to have to look out for the other three books in the series.

Guns of the Dragon fell under Alan’s #warcomicsmonth coverage because it starred of a couple of characters and elements from DC’s classic war comics lines. But this definitely overlaps both genres as it does not take place specifically during a war and actually involves characters from several of DC’s genre books. The adventure takes place in the Far East and winds up involving Dinosaur Island, which was a mainstay of DC’s war books in the Silver and Bronze Ages (especially Weird War Tales), and stars Enemy Ace, Bat Lash, Biff Bradley, Miss Fear, and Vandal Savage (who, of course, makes for a great villain). Taking place between the two World Wars, it involves a maguffin of swords that will give their user serious power as well as Savage’s usual attempts at influence and conquest.

Now, I’ll confess that I would not have sought out this series if I had not spotted it in a quarter bin sale last November. In fact, the four issues of the series were doubled-up in comic bags so I actually paid 50 cents for all four issues (I’m sure the professor would approve). And aside from Alan’s good review, the appeal was twofold: Tim Truman was the writer and artist, and the concept was really cool. Both Enemy Ace and Bat Lash exist in this story past their “prime” setting, with World War I being over and the Wild Wild West being a distant past. But the “Wild West” feel of the place where they are (it’s very much like the opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) along with their listlessness in life make for good characterization. The intersection with a bunch of other genre characters also makes for some really fun adventure, and while there certainly is a nod to continuity, there’s nothing that you absolutely have to know about any of them.

So dammit, Alan. You’re making me keep stuff.