You realize how truly well done this first issue in the series is merely by reading it. Rob Williams has done a fantastic job of reigning in the action and applying a magical touch to the tempo throughout. This issue moves with an amount of logic and fluidity from one panel to the next that you simply do not see in comics as much as you would like too. While this is all good, it would be a shame for the dialog to ruin this comic as so often happens with licensed material. Thankfully, it does not. The lines spoken by characters remained mood accurate, and the occasional joke popped by Indy was, in reality, funny ("...But I really hate secret passageways. They never lead anywhere good"). Rob Williams seems to have a good handle on the fictional persons he is dealing with. This is very reassuring.
If the writing is so solid, how does the art stack up? Do I think that Rob Williams did such a great job in the authorial division that the nontextual matter has been hopelessly side-lined? Think again! Steve Scott has managed to pull off a smart and satisfying job on the first issue in this title that nicely complements the writing. Picture it now, if you would: rooms that actually look period, cinematic angles that provide viewing depth, good use of references, and the occasional dramatic pose along with lots of fun action. Placed together with the hearty inks and capital color you are left with what may only be described as a wonderful confluence of talent! The result? Firm presentation. Of particular interest is the death scene of Henrik Mellberg, which I found to be illustrated quite powerfully. One can almost feel themselves falling forward into the panel along with the unfortunate, and now late, Mr. Mellberg.
The end of the issue certainly qualifies as a "cliff-hanger". We find ourselves left to ponder not only what the majuscule mystery of this artifact may be, but whether our man Indy is even alive at this junction, and how, if he be alive, he is going to get out of this one. It is a certainty that he will figure something out, but we must wonder: was Henrik Mellberg correct, in the moments before his death, when he warned Indy that "Some mysteries are best left undiscovered"? And also, why is it that no one told Marcus to dress appropriately for travel in Tibet? Well, I cannot say on that account, but I can allege that it would be a shame if this four issue series from Dark Horse remained an undiscovered mystery to those who read comics and those who do not, alike.
