...when a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. 
Terra Obscura #2 is an issue of the series Terra Obscura (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 2003. It was published on July 23, 2003.
Synopsis for "Chance & Certainty"
Grant Halford (The Magnet) is in Las Vegas investigating the death of his private investigator partner, Lance Lewis. The coroner tells him that Lewis' body was found in the desert, but killed someplace else. Cause of death was a broad-beamed electromagnetic ray that "flash-fried him". Whoever killed him also took his heart. The police are in the pockets of organized crime, so no real investigation has occured. Halford took some sand samples from Lewis' clothes.
Reflecting on his time with Lewis during WWII. Recently, he and Halford formed The Magnet Detective Agency. When Lewis disappeared the week before, he left Halford a note seeming to indicate that he knew his own death was upon him.
Questioning the owner of the Rabbit's Foot Nightclub (based on a $20 betting chip found in Lewis' belongings), he found nothing. Heading out for the crime scene, he encounters a green glow - The Green Ghost waiting in an ectoplasmic living room set. He senses occult vibrations at the crime scene and was unable to locate Lewis' spirit and fears that the death is part of "big cosmic stuff". Instructing Halford to go back to Vegas, to a club called "The Wheel" and a woman named Betty, he leaves.
Halford's contacts indicate that the Grim Reaper's energy sword is similar to the murder weapon and that the Reaper died in an attempt to kill the Terror.[1] Following up with Diana Adams in Invertica, he learns that three days ago, the Reaper tired to shut down the Terror and that the police likely had the sword.
Diana decides to go with Carol back to New Lancaster while Tim is out of town of business.
Halford finds The Wheel and Betty. As the lights go out, they make a break for it as canines invade the club. Betty notes that "it's not just power cuts, it's more than that. It's like all technology ... even the laws of physics ... they just don't work anymore." Which explains why neither Halford's gun, or his magnetic powers, are working. They flee the club in Halford's car and head for the airport with the city in ruins.
Appearing in "Chance & Certainty"
Featured Characters:
- Grant Halford (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Lance Lewis (Appears only as a corpse) (Flashback only)
- Tom Strange
- Adam the Ape
- Blackjack Rabbit
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Tom Strong Vol 1 11
- Tom Strong Vol 1 12
- Terra Obscura Volume 1
- Terra Obscura Volume 2
- Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril Vol 1
- Terra Obscura & Splash Brannigan - a Who's Who type issue covering Terra Obscura characters.