Adam Strange was created by
Gardner F. Fox and
Carmine Infantino and first appeared in
DC Comics's
Showcase #17, Nov-Dec 1958. He is a classic
silver-age character.
The Adam Strange tales were unusual in that their hero had no super powers. He was an
idealistic scientist, an
archaeologist, who tried to help people and solve problems.
Adam Strange's costume is a brilliant red, like other Infantino heroes such as
The Flash. The twin jet packs on his back look like angel's wings in traditional art. Since Adam Strange is a figure of 100% virtue, this is not inappropriate imagery. He can indeed seem like an angel figure, trying to help the people of
Rann.
Adam Strange did his work on the planet Rann. Its largest city
Ranagar was a typical example of Infantino's futuristic
Art Deco.
Most Adam Strange stories have a
menace. This is a science fictional catastrophe that threatens the people of Rann. For example, in "
The Planet That Came to a Standstill" (1962) an
evil scientist uses a device that freezes people in their tracks, making them unable to move. Adam Strange always comes up with an approach that frees Rann from the menace. This is seen by the other characters in the story as his main job: he is the "
Champion of Rann", the person who protects it from harm.
Adam Strange continues to play a role in the
DC Universe, having in the last year made some significant guest appearences in
Starman and
JLA.
Strange is married to
Alanna and travels from Earth to Rann using the
zeta beam created by his
father-in-law Sardath.
There is a new Adam Strange mini-series being produced by DC at this time (October 2004). It is written by Andy Diggle; Art and cover by Pascal Ferry.