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The Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade comic adaptation was published by Marvel Comics from October through November 1989.

Plot summary

1938. Indiana Jones completes his lifelong request to recover the Cross of Coronado from a ruthless collector, resulting in his enemy's death at sea. Stateside, he is approached by a wealthy antique dealer and businessman named Walter Donovan who claims to have clues to the final resting place of the Holy Grail, the sacred cup said to bring eternal life to whoever drinks from it. Jones is not interested...until Donovan reveals that his father, Henry Jones, was originally his project leader and has gone missing in Venice. Accompanied by Marcus Brody, Indy travels to Venice where he meets the enchanting Dr. Elsa Schneider, and they are attacked by members of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword.

Eventually, a tipoff leads Indy to a gloomy castle on the Austrian-German border, where he is reunited with his father...and discovers, to his horror, that his old enemies the Nazis are involved. Worse, both Donovan and Elsa are cooperating with them, because the want the Grail for themselves. Using Henry's diary he and the Nazis plan to seek the Grail in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon in Hatay. Jones and his father escape from the sadistic Colonel Vogel, and find themselves in a race to both avoid being killed by the Nazis, but also to beat them, Donovan and Elsa to Hatay, lest the Grail fall into their hands.

Differences from the film

The comic differs from the film on several minor points, many of them similar to the novelization:

  • When Indy is picked up by Donovan's men, he goes with them because he notices that one of them has a gun in a shoulder holster under his jacket.
  • Indy notices Kazim's tattoo on his chest when Kazim's shirt gets ripped open during their fistfight on the boat, rather than Kazim showing it to him afterwards.
  • Indy kills all three of the Nazis in Henry's room instead of just knocking out the officer.
  • All of the Nazi officers in the communications room are male, and they are not sealed in the burning room, they merely rush in, and Indy and Henry go through the fireplace door and escape while the Nazis react to the fire.
  • There is no motorcycle chase.
  • While aboard the zeppelin, Indy and Henry are chased by a Gestapo agent. He and a World War I pilot he drafts into service attempt to follow the Joneses in a second biplane, but crash.
  • Kazim (oddly still wearing his pinstriped suit) is shot in the back by Donovan.
  • Instead of a Kübelwagen, the Nazi car that hits the tank is Donovan's Renault 6CV Torpédo staff car, oddly without Donovan in it. Also the tank simply runs over and crushes the car. It does not get stuck on the cannon and need to be blasted off.
  • All of the tank crew are Germans.
  • Vogel's death is different. He gets tangled in the chain he was using as a weapon against Indy, and he and Indy get tangled together. They jump off the tank, but the chain gets stuck, and although Indy manages to free himself, Vogel remains tangled and is pulled over the cliff by the falling tank.
  • The Grail Knight follows Indy and Elsa out into the temple proper and there delivers his warning about not taking the Grail past the Great Seal.

Appearances

Characters

Cover gallery

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