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Terra Obscura #1
Terra Obscura: Volume 1
After breaking out of thirty years of captivity at the hands of alien invaders, the heroes try to adjust to their new lives and face new threats.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
About the author
Alan Moore
1,858 books19.4k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 28, 2016
At its best, Terra Obscura is a homage to superheroes of the early ages. There's more talk and discussion than action and everything runs at a very slow pace. At its worst, Terra Obscura is a sad chronicle of heroes on a quest that Superman could have solved in just a single issue.
To be fair with the material, I haven't read any Tom Strong story from which Terra Obscura has spinned off. So I may be missing a chunk of the universe. But my biggest gripe in this first volume is its pacing. Majority of the story is dedicated to finding the source of the impeding end of the world, while the last issue is way too convenient and fast to solve everything. I honestly do not know what really happened in the last part. Everything just ended well with the bad guy defeated.
Terra Obscura is definitely not among Alan Moore's best.
To be fair with the material, I haven't read any Tom Strong story from which Terra Obscura has spinned off. So I may be missing a chunk of the universe. But my biggest gripe in this first volume is its pacing. Majority of the story is dedicated to finding the source of the impeding end of the world, while the last issue is way too convenient and fast to solve everything. I honestly do not know what really happened in the last part. Everything just ended well with the bad guy defeated.
Terra Obscura is definitely not among Alan Moore's best.
August 20, 2008
A mini series from Alan Moore, spinning of from his Tom Strong series, that got almost no attention whatsoever.
Shame as it's a great example of how you can reintroduce golden age supers and do it by blending the 'modern' with old fashioned super hero action.
There are numerous story threads that Moore manages to juggle and keep you guessing as to which ones are actually connected to the main mystery. Nice ensemble feel to the cast and while some of the heroes get 'updated' or given a modern touch ( can't be a modern comic without at least one drinking problem, a lesbian romance and one hero going bad), Moore does it well and leaves most of the cast to just be larger than life heroes.
Fun little world that I wish Moore had gotten to do more with.
Shame as it's a great example of how you can reintroduce golden age supers and do it by blending the 'modern' with old fashioned super hero action.
There are numerous story threads that Moore manages to juggle and keep you guessing as to which ones are actually connected to the main mystery. Nice ensemble feel to the cast and while some of the heroes get 'updated' or given a modern touch ( can't be a modern comic without at least one drinking problem, a lesbian romance and one hero going bad), Moore does it well and leaves most of the cast to just be larger than life heroes.
Fun little world that I wish Moore had gotten to do more with.
April 14, 2016
disclaimer: i haven't read any of the tom strong stuff
of which this is apparently an extension, but it's
basically an homage to golden and silver age comics,
with funny insights into/twists on the common tropes
but stopping shy of going full bore slapstick. the plot
is typical alan moore fare, which is still better than most.
of which this is apparently an extension, but it's
basically an homage to golden and silver age comics,
with funny insights into/twists on the common tropes
but stopping shy of going full bore slapstick. the plot
is typical alan moore fare, which is still better than most.
August 9, 2011
Almost nice, but kind of boring...
September 22, 2018
This is readable, but not memorable. Spinning off from Moore's Tom Strong series, the premise is that this Earth's superheroes (all public domain from the defunct Chesler Comics) have been sealed away for thirty years, but now they're back! Thus we have lots of names dropped and characters introduced, and a big threat emerges, but it really comes off like a competent but average Silver Age story. Project: Super-Powers did better with the same characters.
March 6, 2020
A delightfully fun, if light, adventure romp.
July 9, 2015
I lost track of these guys. I thought this Justice League homage was in Invincible or, failing that, Supreme. But, no, I've been misremembering Tom Strong the whole time, I guess.
Tom Strong, surprisingly, does not appear anywhere in this book.
I thought this whole story was pretty good, but it had too few characters and rushed through a series of revelations. The most interesting dynamic in this book is the way in which the authors try to bluff the reader into caring about these characters. Usually, there's a lot of tentative explanation as to who everyone is. But these guys are introduced like you would introduce superheroes who had their title canceled last year--not 50 years ago.
It's like we're already supposed to care. I think it doesn't work, but it's gutsy.
Tom Strong, surprisingly, does not appear anywhere in this book.
I thought this whole story was pretty good, but it had too few characters and rushed through a series of revelations. The most interesting dynamic in this book is the way in which the authors try to bluff the reader into caring about these characters. Usually, there's a lot of tentative explanation as to who everyone is. But these guys are introduced like you would introduce superheroes who had their title canceled last year--not 50 years ago.
It's like we're already supposed to care. I think it doesn't work, but it's gutsy.
October 27, 2013
Terra Obscura retoma a los personajes de la tierra homónima que aparecieron allá por el #14 de Tom Strong. De algún modo Hogan (con "co-argumentos" de Moore) se encarga de hacer una historia de misterio-superhéroes-dioses-descubrimientosexual-cienciaficción con buen ritmo y ayudado por un correcto Paquette. Hay que ver cómo termina todo en el tomo 2, porque acá la pasé bien pero no me resultó particularmente atrapante.
March 21, 2008
Alan Moore spins off his Tom Strong comic adventures into an alternate earth Tom Strange...all the characters are "science heroes" and they get together to solve mysteries
big muscles/soap opera bland handsomeness and genre celebration/skewering
not bad but not great
big muscles/soap opera bland handsomeness and genre celebration/skewering
not bad but not great
March 5, 2009
Although this title looks like the book is in Spanish or something, rest assured I read it in English. A tip of the hat to my brother Scott for recommending it.
October 18, 2009
Nice art, decent use of public domain characters, but kind of bland.
December 16, 2012
The problem with this comic...Alan Moore didn't write it, he only co-plotted it.
November 20, 2012
Lacks the usual Moore magic. The art is OK, but a bit over-exagerated in some cases (does Tom Strange need to have such a humongous chin? ;-)
April 9, 2015
Very good mini series revamping many Golden Age comic characters. Nice Plot and well written. Recommended
August 6, 2013
lazy writing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews