Adam Strange, DC's Scientific Spaceman, is a man of two worlds but only totally happy in one: Rann, where his wife Alanna awaits the Zeta Beam that will reunite them. Created in 1958 by editor Julies Schwartz and writers Gardner Fox and Edward Hamilton, Adam Strange was one of Schwartz's sci-fi heroes along the lines of the Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern, appearing just after Flash and just before GL.
Adam was meant to be less of space opera like Flash Gordon and more like the fact-based science-fiction stories Schwartz enjoyed. Adam usually won his battles using some interpretation of a scientific principle, however it may have been fudged for fiction. His original adventures were short battles with weird menaces, ending in a fade back to Earth as the Zeta Bean wore off, leaving Alanna and the reader wanting more.
Rann-Thanagar War (2005)
The planet Rann is moved to Thanagar's solar system, where it poses a threat to both planets. With Rann and Thanagar on the brink of interplanetary war, Adam Strange enlists Thanagarains Hawkman and Hawkgirl to help stop the coming conflict.
This was a prelude to the Infinite Crisis crossover event in DC Comics, and it is alluded to in the main books, but not quite essential to the full story. Written by Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame and illustrated by Ivan Reis, it ran for six issues. It is a dense but rewarding read for dedicated fans well-versed in DC's space hero/alien race lore.
Adam Strange: Planet Heist (2004)
Spaceman Adam Strange waited for a Zeta Beam to join his wife and daughter on Rann, leaving Earth forever, but the Zeta Beam never came. He's trapped on Earth and scared sick that Rann and his family is in danger. He then discovers Rann, the planet, has been stolen.
This is a story that respects the Gardner Fox/Carmine Infantino tales of the 1960s. A stolen planet is right at home in an Adam Strange adventure. Adam is a brilliant scientist, a man who, when encountering the many problems and dangers besetting Rann, uses his wits and ingenuity as well as his raygun to get out of trouble. Here, Adam is more of an adventurer. It's more space opera than science-fiction. It's a slight change, but still respectful to the character.
Justice League Of America #138: "Adam Strange, Puppet Of Time" (1977)
In this great '70s Justice League of America issue, buildup of Zeta Beam energy has Adam Strange appearing randomly in Earth's future timeline. Where he appears, random menaces show up as well. He fights them, but they're not what they seem. Alanna asks the Justice League for help.
The Zeta Beam particles rocketing Adam through time have taken away the wits and reason that he used to solve so many problems in the past, forcing him to believe the future tech is a menace and his only weapon is his raygun. An armed and unreasoning Adam Strange, unable to comprehend what is happening to him is no longer a champion, he is a menace.
Showcase #17: "Secret Of The Eternal City" (1958)
Archaeologist Adam Strange is working in the country of Caramanga in South America when a tribe of angry Incan villagers begins to chase him. He's struck by a strange beam of energy (later known as a Zeta Beam) and is whisked away to the planet Rann.
This is the first Adam Strange adventure, and it's properly in a comic book called Showcase, designed as a tryout for new characters and concepts such as the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, two of the best characters who debuted in the Silver Age of comic books. Adam Strange is a new John Carter, only instead of landing on Mars, he's the guest on Rann of the scientist Sardath and his beautiful daughter, Alanna. Adam is a natural hero and leader who is soon solving problems for the Rannians. But he can't stay, for once the beam wears off, he is transported back to Earth to await the next one.
Mystery In Space #76: "Challenge Of The Rival Starman" (1962)
An alien watches Adan Strange as a Zeta Beam hits him, and the same alien is there on Rann, staring at him when he reaches the planet. The alien challenges Adam to three tests under threat of death.
Adam Strange has at this point in his history become something of an interplanetary legend, drawing beings to Rann to challenge him personally. This story is a great example of Adam Strange thinking his way out of a problem by using reason and science, which he uses to pass each of the alien's tests and live to face the next challenge the Zeta Beam inevitably brings.
Mystery In Space #55: "The Beast From The Runaway World" (1959)
Adam Strange is waiting for a Zeta Beam that doesn't arrive. His beam has been intercepted by a giant alien lizard that lands on Rann and immediately terrorizes the Rannians.
Adam Strange is now considered by the peaceful Rannians their protector, the first person they turn to when things go wrong. This time, it's a huge alien lizard from a planet that drifted through Adam's Zeta Beam, and a hostile neighboring planet dropping bombs and demanding surrender. Adam dispatches them all with logic and science along with his raygun and jet pack.
Strange Adventures #226: "The Magic-Maker Of Rann" (1970)
Adam Strange returns to Rann to discover that a giant rainbow has filled the sky and all Rannians have developed some sort of magic powers. They've also all gone mad.
Adam, a hero and a man of science and reason, suddenly is confronted with magic and insanity, two things that defy his logic. He's forced to find reason in insanity and the science behind the magic. This is a prose story written by Adam Strange co-creator Gardner Fox, one of the last he would write about the character. Fox was one of the earliest Batman writers and wrote hundreds of comics for DC, later transitioning into writing novels full time.
Mystery In Space #61: "Threat Of The Tornado Tyrant" (1960)
This time, Adam's Zeta Beam delivers him not to Rann but to the strange planet Xalthor instead. There, the scientist Ulthoon boasts that he's trapping Adam Strange on a planet, which about to explode, so he can take over Rann.
In this story, the Zeta Beam once again bestrays Adam and delivers him into danger. As usual, he has to science his way out of danger. Not only are reason, wit and logic his powers, but Adam's innate bravery to face unknown menaces with coolness cannot be discounted, as he escapes from an exploding world with his skin intact.
Mystery In Space #82: "World War On Earth And Rann" (1963)
The people of Rann are starting to ask questions: Is their champion, Earthman Adam Strange, defending them from the menaces that show up after he arrives, or is he actually causing them?
This was a question that the civilians of New York were asking of the Fantastic Four around this time in the pages of Marvel Comics. Are they fighting the villains, or are they causing them to arise due to their very existence? In Adam Strange's story, some of the Rannians start an underground movement to undermine his hero status. Through fear, scientific jealousy, and anger, they seek to destroy the very thing standing between them and unknown danger.
Mystery In Space #75: "The Planet That Came To A Standstill" (1962)
Adam teams up with the Justice League to fight Kanjar Ro, one of the first 10 supervillains the JLA ever fought in comics. The villain has trained himself to become more powerful than the members of the Justice League.
Kanjar Ro has become more powerful than the JLA and has taken over Rann, forcing Adam to seek the help of the League. Ro shrugs off Adam's raygun and easily defeats each of the JLA's powers in turn, leaving Adam standing and staring helplessly at Ro. But Adam is able to rely on his own power: his mind. He defeats Ro using his famous intelligence, allowing the JLA to capture him and take him off to interstellar jail. Strange proves himself a friend to the JLA and will reteam with them in the future.