Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods
Encyclopedia
Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods is a Dark Horse Comics
limited series
based on the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones
.
, and divide it between them. Five years later, the Ahnenerbe
, led by Friedrich Von Hassell, have captured O'Brien's piece. Mellberg sends a letter to Indiana Jones
to come to his Manhattan
apartment to help, but the Nazis are there and interrogate him. A maid interrupts, causing Indiana to escape with Mellberg through a secret passage. Mellberg is fatally shot and gives his part of the key to Indiana, only to be forced at gunpoint by the maid, who is actually treasure hunter Janice Le Roi, to give it to her.
Indiana and Marcus Brody fly to Lhasa
to track down Beresford-Hope, who took refuge in the mountains and died. While inspecting the cave he lived in, Beresford-Hope's son Alex, who protects his father's secret, throws dynamite at Indiana and Brody because he fears they are Nazis. The archaeologists survive and clear-up the misunderstanding, and all three flee on Jock Lindsey's plane when bandits attack. Alex gives them his father's piece, which contains a map pointing to the Tomb's location in Siberia
.
Brody gives Indiana dynamite, telling him whatever is contained in the Tomb must be destroyed. Indiana disagrees, and is just as eager as the Nazis to discover the Tomb. He and Alex take a ship from Shanghai
to travel to Siberia. While stopping in Japan
, he is confronted by Von Hassell and Le Roi, who is now in the Nazis' pay. After taking the final piece of the Key, Von Hassell betrays Le Roi and cuts her arm, placing her and Indiana in a boat with no oars. Von Hassell shoots the boat, and pushes it out to water, where Le Roi's blood will attract sharks. Indiana escapes by removing his and Le Roi's shirts and lighting them, creating a signal that leads Brody and a whaling ship to rescue them. Indiana, Le Roi, and Brody sail on the ship to Siberia
, using the respective copies Indiana and Le Roi made of their portions of the map on the key. There, they engage with Von Hassell's team in a sledge chase, when all of the characters fall into a chasm opened by a crack of lightning.
Indiana survives the fall, and is met by Le Roi, who leads him to a cavern. There, Von Hassell has discovered the door to the Tomb, and pressures Alex to open it, but he refuses. Von Hassell then kills him, and tells Brody to open the door, but suddenly three of Von Hassell's men are possessed, and kill almost everyone with their machine guns. Indiana defeats the men and rescues Brody, and with a horrifying sound, Von Hassell opens the door himself, to reveal a bottomless pit. Indiana then realizes that Brody was right, and shoves Von Hassell into the pit with the dynamite. The explosion destroys the Tomb, and Indiana escapes, along with Brody and Le Roi.
where Indiana lowers his bazooka aimed at the Nazis, declaring he would give up the Ark of the Covenant
for Marion Ravenwood
. Williams felt Indiana from the prequel Temple of Doom
would not do this, and wanted to explore why Indiana becomes less materialistic.
Williams created a new group of characters to lend the new run of DH Jones comics in its own tone, but also used Brody, who is his favorite element of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
. He chose the Ahnenerbe
(which Heinrich Himmler
founded) to make the comic "not just Indy versus your typical Nazi goons, [but] Indy up against his counterparts from within the Nazi party". He promised they would be recurring enemies, in a need to give Indiana "his own Doctor Doom
or Joker
".
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
based on the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
.
Plot
In 1931, archaeologists Henrik Mellberg, Francis Beresford-Hope, and Marwell O'Brien discover the Key to the Tomb of the Gods in NorilskNorilsk
Norilsk is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located between the Yenisei River and the Taymyr Peninsula. Population: It was granted city status in 1953. It is the northernmost city in Siberia and the world's second largest city north of the Arctic Circle...
, and divide it between them. Five years later, the Ahnenerbe
Ahnenerbe
The Ahnenerbe was a Nazi German think tank that promoted itself as a "study society for Intellectual Ancient History." Founded on July 1, 1935, by Heinrich Himmler, Herman Wirth, and Richard Walther Darré, the Ahnenerbe's goal was to research the anthropological and cultural history of the Aryan...
, led by Friedrich Von Hassell, have captured O'Brien's piece. Mellberg sends a letter to Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
to come to his Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
apartment to help, but the Nazis are there and interrogate him. A maid interrupts, causing Indiana to escape with Mellberg through a secret passage. Mellberg is fatally shot and gives his part of the key to Indiana, only to be forced at gunpoint by the maid, who is actually treasure hunter Janice Le Roi, to give it to her.
Indiana and Marcus Brody fly to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
to track down Beresford-Hope, who took refuge in the mountains and died. While inspecting the cave he lived in, Beresford-Hope's son Alex, who protects his father's secret, throws dynamite at Indiana and Brody because he fears they are Nazis. The archaeologists survive and clear-up the misunderstanding, and all three flee on Jock Lindsey's plane when bandits attack. Alex gives them his father's piece, which contains a map pointing to the Tomb's location in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Brody gives Indiana dynamite, telling him whatever is contained in the Tomb must be destroyed. Indiana disagrees, and is just as eager as the Nazis to discover the Tomb. He and Alex take a ship from Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to travel to Siberia. While stopping in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, he is confronted by Von Hassell and Le Roi, who is now in the Nazis' pay. After taking the final piece of the Key, Von Hassell betrays Le Roi and cuts her arm, placing her and Indiana in a boat with no oars. Von Hassell shoots the boat, and pushes it out to water, where Le Roi's blood will attract sharks. Indiana escapes by removing his and Le Roi's shirts and lighting them, creating a signal that leads Brody and a whaling ship to rescue them. Indiana, Le Roi, and Brody sail on the ship to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, using the respective copies Indiana and Le Roi made of their portions of the map on the key. There, they engage with Von Hassell's team in a sledge chase, when all of the characters fall into a chasm opened by a crack of lightning.
Indiana survives the fall, and is met by Le Roi, who leads him to a cavern. There, Von Hassell has discovered the door to the Tomb, and pressures Alex to open it, but he refuses. Von Hassell then kills him, and tells Brody to open the door, but suddenly three of Von Hassell's men are possessed, and kill almost everyone with their machine guns. Indiana defeats the men and rescues Brody, and with a horrifying sound, Von Hassell opens the door himself, to reveal a bottomless pit. Indiana then realizes that Brody was right, and shoves Von Hassell into the pit with the dynamite. The explosion destroys the Tomb, and Indiana escapes, along with Brody and Le Roi.
Background
Writer Rob Williams noted Indiana's character in the first two films is very different, pointing out a scene in Raiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
where Indiana lowers his bazooka aimed at the Nazis, declaring he would give up the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
for Marion Ravenwood
Marion Ravenwood
Marion Ravenwood Jones is a fictional character that first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Played by Karen Allen, she enters the story when Indiana Jones visits her in Nepal, needing her help — specifically, he needs an artifact in her possession, originally obtained by her...
. Williams felt Indiana from the prequel Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark . After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone...
would not do this, and wanted to explore why Indiana becomes less materialistic.
Williams created a new group of characters to lend the new run of DH Jones comics in its own tone, but also used Brody, who is his favorite element of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
. He chose the Ahnenerbe
Ahnenerbe
The Ahnenerbe was a Nazi German think tank that promoted itself as a "study society for Intellectual Ancient History." Founded on July 1, 1935, by Heinrich Himmler, Herman Wirth, and Richard Walther Darré, the Ahnenerbe's goal was to research the anthropological and cultural history of the Aryan...
(which Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
founded) to make the comic "not just Indy versus your typical Nazi goons, [but] Indy up against his counterparts from within the Nazi party". He promised they would be recurring enemies, in a need to give Indiana "his own Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
or Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
".
External links
- CRACKING THE WHIP: Artist Steve Scott on Indiana Jones and The Tomb of the Gods, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
, April 25, 2008