642 TOM STRONG
and the 1992–94 series Nightstalkers, which stars Frank, Blade, and King. A 1980 ani-
mated movie based on the series was released in Japan but has never received widespread
distribution in the United States. A major motion picture based on Blade, starring
Wesley Snipes, was released in 1998, becoming a box offi ce success and spawning two
sequels (2002, 2004). Th e fi lm version of Blade bears only a superfi cial resemblance
to the character from the comics, and the fi lm version of Deacon Frost has nothing in
common with the comics version but his name. Wolfman sued Marvel in 1998 for own-
ership of Blade and Frost, but the court found in favor of Marvel, ruling that Marvel’s
uses of the character were diff erent enough from the original characters that Wolfman
could not claim ownership. Th is decision was viewed by many as a setback for creators’
rights.
Selected Bibliography: Cooke, Jon B. “Marv Wolfman Interview: Wolfman by Day.”
Comic Book Artist 1(13) (May 2001): 30–47.
Aaron Kashtan
TOM STRONG. Published between 1999 and 2006, To m S t r o n g is a monthly comic
book series created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse. Th e series was
one of the initial four monthly titles from the America’s Best Comics (ABC) imprint of
Wildstorm Comics. Alan Moore—the writer and co-creator of all of the initial ABC
comics—was the principal creative force behind the small line of comics. Shortly after
Moore, who was given substantial creative freedom, made the deal with Jim Lee’s co m -
pany Wildstorm to publish his books, the publisher was purchased by DC Comics,
inadvertently making Moore renege on a pledge never to work again with DC. Moore
and Sprouse were responsible for most of To m S t r o n g ’s 36 issues, but several artists
and a few writers—including Ed Brubaker and Brian K. Vaughn—also contributed
stories. Th e series also inspired a 12-issue spin-off , the anthology series Tom Strong’s
Terrifi c Tales. In 2003, ABC published Th e Many Worlds of Tesla Strong, starring Tom’s
daughter, Tesla. Th at year also saw the six-issue miniseries, Terra Obscura, which fl eshed
out the story of a parallel Earth introduced in To m S t r o n g; a second Terra Obscura mini-
series came the following year. Like the rest of Moore’s work with ABC, To m S t r o n g is a
genre-bending adventure series that, in this case, merges elements of superhero comics
with those of comic books’ predecessors, pulp fi ction, and the adventure novel.
Tom Strong’s origin is explained in the fi rst issue, in a story entitled, “How Tom
Strong Got Started.” His parents are American scientists who, in 1899, locate a
supposedly mythical island known as Attabar Teru in the West Indies. Upon arrival,
Sinclair Strong assembles “Pneuman,” a robotic manservant with prototypical artifi -
cial intelligence. Susan is soon impregnated and the couple meets Attabar Teru’s other
inhabitants, the native Ozu tribe, when some members assist with the delivery of Tom
Strong, born in the fi rst year of the 20th century. Th e Ozu share their customs with the
Strongs, including the chewing of the indigenous “goloka root,” which promotes vitality
and substantially retards the aging process.
