Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods is a comic series from Dark Horse Comics that began in July 2008 and concluded in March 2009. It was composed of four issues, and was later collected in the Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods trade paperback in July 2009.[1] Publisher Spotlight released the issues in four individual, 24 page hardcovers for libraries in August 2009.[2]
Synopsis
In 1936, Indiana Jones took on the quest of archaeologist Henrik Mellberg, to keep pieces of a mysterious artifact from falling into Nazi hands. The artifact was found in Siberia in 1931 by Mellberg and two associates, who divided it into thirds. Unfortunately, while being chased by Nazi agents in Manhattan, Jones lost Mellberg's piece to a mysterious woman posing as a maid, but learned that the Nazis already have one piece. Jones and Marcus Brody traveled to Tibet to find the third piece, held by Francis Beresford-Hope. But when they reached his cave, they discovered cryptic clues written on the walls, and someone threw some dynamite into the cave.
Surviving the collapse of the cave, the two confronted their attacker, who turned out to be Alex Beresford-Hope, Francis' son. The three recognized their common cause in keeping the secret of the key out of Nazi hands. With Jock Lindsey's help, the three escaped from some Tibetan bandits and flew to Shanghai. Concerned with the significance of the last piece, Brody tried to convince Jones to destroy whatever secret the key was supposed to open, but Jones headed off with Alex toward Siberia on a freighter, determined to find the secret. After a stop in Japan, Jones was captured by some extra passengers: the Nazi team leader, Friedrich von Hassell, and the mysterious woman, Janice Le Roi, now working with the Nazis. Von Hassell claimed Jones' piece and left him and Le Roi adrift in the North Pacific Ocean.
Fending off sharks, Jones and Le Roi started a smoky fire to attract rescuers. As their fire died, they began to lose hope when a great white shark began circling. As the shark attacked, shredding their overturned lifeboat, a whaling ship's harpoon caught the animal. Brody had set out after Jones and had seen the signal fire. Le Roi was locked in a supply room while the ship traveled north into the Arctic Ocean. Without the map or Alex Beresford-Hope's knowledge, Jones and Brody were lost. Jones freed Le Roi, and in return, she produced a copy of the map as seen on the two pieces of the key in von Hassell's possession. Jones had copied the map from the Beresford-Hope piece, and they teamed up to race to their destination. Landing on the north coast of Siberia, Brody, Jones and Le Roi set out on dogsled on a shortcut route to catch up to von Hassell's group. Racing along the ice toward a stormy mountain, Jones attacked the Nazi sledges, hoping to free Beresford-Hope. A lightning strike opened up a large crack in the ice ahead of the dogsleds, and both teams fell into the dark chasm.
Jones found himself clinging to an ancient sculpture, but while trying to get a better grip, it broke, and he slid down into the chasm. Finding some sled dogs, and a dead Ahnenerbe agent, he continued along the underground passage, where he was grabbed by Le Roi. She pulled him to an overlook of a giant chamber, where Jones saw that von Hassell and his men had captured Brody as well as Beresford-Hope. His thoughts towards forming a rescue were stopped when Le Roi focused his attention on what the men below were staring at: the mammoth green structure inside the cavern - the Tomb of the Gods, whose plant-like coverings emanated warmth. Von Hassell led the way into the antechamber, and marveled with Beresford-Hope and Brody at the star charts on the ceiling, before trying to force Beresford-Hope to open the main portal at gunpoint. Knowing that only death and madness lay beyond, Beresford-Hope refused, and von Hassell used his hidden blade to kill the young man. Before he could threaten Brody to open the door, three Ahnenerbe agents, now possessed by voices they had heard in the chamber, opened fire on the party, killing their colleagues. Before they could attack Brody, Jones swung in on a vine, kicked over the first agent, punched out the next gunman, and Le Roi shot the third gunman with the goatee. Von Hassell took the key and opened the door himself, and entered the vault. Jones took Brody's dynamite and followed him. Fighting Jones in front of a giant pit, von Hassell argued that he and Jones were alike in seeking the knowledge of the site. Jones agreed, but felt that avenging Beresford-Hope and keeping this site from falling into Nazi hands was more important, and dropped von Hassell into the pit, and threw the ignited bundle of dynamite after him. Jones pulled Le Roi and Brody to safety, while von Hassell was killed in the explosion, which also pulled down the entire structure. Resting before making their exit, Brody agreed with Jones' decision to destroy the tomb, and Le Roi was a little disappointed in the lack of treasure.
Appearances
Characters
- Indiana Jones
- Marcus Brody
- Henrik Mellberg
- Marwell O'Brien
- Francis Beresford-Hope
- Friedrich von Hassell
- Janice Le Roi
- Alex Beresford-Hope
- Tibetan Bandit
- Jock Lindsey
- Bald Ahnenerbe Agent
- Goatee Ahnenerbe Agent
- Blond Ahnenerbe Agent
- Whaling Boat Captain
- Joseph Stalin (Mentioned only)
- Bertolt Brecht (Mentioned only)
- Forrestal (Mentioned only)
- Abner Ravenwood (Mentioned only)
- Jack Benny (Mentioned only)
- Adolf Hitler as the Führer (Mentioned only)
- Hermann Oberth (Mentioned only)
- Wernher von Braun (Mentioned only)
Locations
- Soviet Union
- United States of America
- Tibet
- Beresford-Hope's Cave
- Lhasa (Mentioned only)
- Shanghai, China
- Japan
- North Pacific Ocean
- Bering Strait
- Arctic Ocean
Artifacts
- Key to the Tomb of the Gods (3 pieces)
Animals
Behind the scenes
Cover to Previews announcing the return of new Indiana Jones comics with Tomb of the Gods. Art by Dustin Weaver
The release of the individual issues of the comic were delayed from the original publishing schedule. Originally, the four issues of the story arc would be released from July 2008 to December 2008, but the final issue was not released until March 2009, and using a different art team (Bart Sears and Randy Elliott) than the first three issues (Steve Scott and Nathan Massengill).
The inside front cover of the individual issues use Indiana Jones' passport to include the publication information, as well as displaying a chronology of the places visited in this adventure. Here is a list of the dated stamps (and the issue of first appearance):
- 23 May 1936 - New York - (Issue #1)
- 06 June 1936 - Tibet - (Issue #1)
- 12 June 1936 - Shanghai - (Issue #2)
- 01 June 1936 - North Pacific - (Issue #3)
- 25 June 1936 - Siberia - (Issue #4)
Note that the entry for the North Pacific is not in chronological order, and may be a typographical error, in issues #3 and #4.
While the writer Rob Williams mentioned in interviews that the story was supposed to take place before Raiders of the Lost Ark, the ambiguities of the Raiders timeline may place Tomb of the Gods before Raiders (the timeline in the Raiders of the Lost Ark junior novelization), during Raiders, in between Peru and Nepal (the timeline in The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones), or even after Raiders (the timeline in Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide).
Collections
Issues
- Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods 1
- Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods 2
- Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods 3
- Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods 4
Cover gallery
Notes and references
External links
- Newsarama.com interview with Rob Williams
- Newsarama.com interview with Steve Scott
- Comicbookresources.com interview with Rob Williams
| ADVENTURE TIMELINE | ||
|---|---|---|
| previous | next | |
| Summer 1935 | 1936 | 1936 |
| Indiana Jones and the Cup of the Vampire | Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods | Indiana Jones et le Grimoire Maudit |