Hero Hotline #1 (1989)

Hero Hotline #1 (April, 1989)
"Hero Hotline"
Script & Coloring - Bob Rozakis
Art - Stephen DeStefano & Kurt Schaffenberger
Lettering - John Costanza
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.75

Let's take another trip into the consignment section.  Hero Hotline was a series I had never heard of... finding the entire six-issue miniseries for 99-cents pretty much forced my hand.  I also see that it is by the 'Mazing Man team of Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano, so at least I know it'll be a good read, right? (At 16.666...-cents a piece, does it matter?)

Let's find out...

--

We open in the call center of the Hero Hotline.  Mrs. Jackson enters, and is berated for her tardiness.  Mrs. Jackson is one of the facilities resident heroes for hire, Microwavabelle (or Microwave Mom).  Cybernetic assistant, 500Z-Q (Soozie Q in people-speak) informs Microwave Mom that there is a reporter from The Observer waiting to interview her.  Mom enters the squad room and we are introduced to the "team".

Voice-Over: With ventriloquism powers.

Mister Muscle (Formerly known as Flex, Mister Mighty, Brother Bicep):  Super strong body builder, super self-conscious.

Diamondette: (R) Can make her hands as hard as diamonds.  Has smoking addiction.

Hotshot: (L) Shoots fireballs from hands.  Really digs Diamondette.

Private Eyes: Eyewear grants him vision powers.

Microwavabelle/Microwave Mom: Generates heat in objects.

Fred: Invisible man.  Some believe him not to exist, claiming it is simply Voice-Over throwing his voice.

Stretch:  Can... stretch.  Every superhero team needs one of these, right?

SOOZIE-Q: Mobile Computer/Assistant







Microwave Mom introduces herself to Ms. O'Flaherty, the reporter from the Observer.  Before they get too far into their interview, a job comes across the radio.  The job is to retrieve a missing ring, Stretch and Private Eyes head out.

Microwave Mom and Ms. O'Flaherty are able to watch the job in progress via one of SOOZIE-Q's many monitor screens.  This device is used to frame much of the story, and is a very creative way of introducing the reader to the cast and their mission.

Stretch and Private Eyes arrive at the corner of 23rd and Bleecker to attend to the emergency.  It turns out that a man dropped his fiance's ring down a storm drain.  Where is Superman when you need him, right?

The heroes for hire use their specific gifts and rescue the ring from its cell of sewage.

We jump back to Hero Hotline HQ, just as Mister Muscle (or was that Brother Bicep?)  is called into action.  There is a battered wife calling in for help.  Mister Muscle comments that he loves to "deal with" bullies, and heads into action.  As he leaves he passes another cast member.

Miss Boulder: Country-lookin' gal, carries a gee-tar.  Romantically linked with Private Eyes.  What does she see in him?

Back to the ring-rescue.  The civilians tell the heroes that it was an earthquake that caused them to drop the ring down the grate.  Private Eyes expresses disbelief citing the scientific impossibility of such an event occurring in that part of the country.  Moments later, wouldn'tcha know it... the Earth's a-quakin'.

Back at H-H-H-Q, another job comes over the radio.  This time it's an older woman who claims to be visited by martians every night.  Voice-Over is given the gig, and decides to take Invisible Fred along for the ride.

We join Mister Muscle on his call.  He timidly enters the battered woman's home, offering to provide her with literature that may be of help.  She begins telling him about her relationship with her husband, and how (and why) it deteriorated so.  As they talk, her drunken husband stumbles in.  He suggests Mister Muscle is there for adulterous reasons.  He raises his hand to his wife, and our man intervenes... seemingly crushing the husband's arm, and threatening to do worse if the abuse continues.

Back with Stretch and Private Eyes, they discover that the cause of the earthquakes is an armored beast of a man is jack hammering in a nearby building.  It is the Quakemaster, later of the Secret Society of Super-Villains... SOOZIE-Q calls for all available heroes to head out to the scene, ASAP.

After having their heads handed to them for much of the battle, the Hero Hotline All-Stars realize they must work in tandem to down this foe.  By combining their powers, they make short work of the villain.

We now join Voice-Over and Fred as they speak to an elderly woman about her martian visitations.  V-O cannot control his laughter, and offers to leave Invisible Fred behind for the night so he may bare witness to the martian threat.  The old woman claims that she can actually see Fred, which only amuses V-O more.

Back at headquarters, the squad drags the Quakemaster in to have his rights read.  SOOZIE-Q attempts to explain his rights, however, QM becomes belligerent.  He is knocked out by a sedative gas... SOOZIE decides she'll try explaining his rights to him a bit later on.

The day shift ends, and the team disperses for the evening.  Ms. O'Flaherty thanks Microwavabelle for taking the time to speak with her.  The night call center crew takes over, and we are out.

This issue wraps up with some character sketches and bio's:

--

It's interesting... I actually read this issue twice for this review.  The first time I read it, I really didn't like it.  Like, it was fine... I guess, just not nearly as charming as I felt it took itself.  This is not 'Mazing Man, and I suppose it would be unfair to compare the two just because of the shared creative team.

I hate feeling my biases enter into my reviews... so, I set the book down.

I returned several hours later, and gave it another look through.  This time without visions of a pint-sized bucket-headed do-gooder dancing through my head... and I'm glad that I did.

This really was a lot more fun than I expected it to be.  The characters really jumped out at me upon my second read.  They appeared more well-rounded, and I found myself noticing quirks that I had missed the first time through.  Reading the character bios that closed the book out helped out a bit too.

Microwave Mom is very much the "mom" of the group.  We learn that she has three children of her own (one of which the cause of her tardiness in the open), and that she is a widow.

Diamondette is struggling to quit smoking.  She is constantly shadowed by the much-younger Hotshot, who has romantic feelings toward her.

Private Eyes attempts to interject logic into the fantastic world he inhabits.  Questioning the "impossibility" of something in the DC Universe makes him an interesting fellow.  His relationship with Miss Boulder has not been fully explored at this point... it is, however, intriguing.

Despite Mister Muscle's large size, he appears to be quite vulnerable.  He states his hatred for bullies, even though no bully in their right mind would mess with him.  His timidity during his call was also something of a red-flag.  Perhaps I'm reading too much into it... I guess we'll find out.

All we know about Stretch is that he goes way back with the "Coordinator", the boss of the Hero Hotline.  He uses the same Gingold as Ralph "Elongated Man" Dibney, and he appears to have a problem with the more menial nature of the Hero Hotline calls he goes out on.

Lastly... my man, Voice-Over.  What a character, right?  What an absolute jackass... but, he's awesome.  I'm very curious to see if Fred is an actual character, or simply a trick V-O is playing on everyone.  This is the main thing that would bring me back for the next issue.

Bob Rozakis has a wonderful knack for dialog.  A bit corny at times, just as in 'Mazing Man... but great fun... and not too silly.

The art in this issue is reminiscent of a "lite" version Keith Giffen's more experimental work.  Definitely more follow-able than Hex, however.  All of the character models are fantastic, and the costumes really fit the tone of the series.  Again, my man V-O... that's an awesome costume!  It looks like something off a Slash Maraud cover.

Like 'Mazing Man before it, this is a hard one to give a proper recommendation for.  While it's most definitely worth the dime-nickel-and-penny I paid for it, I'm not sure how high I would go for this one.  To the shock of absolutely nobody, DC has not made this available digitally, and to my knowledge it has not been collected.

If you come across it in the buck-'n-below bins, you can certainly do far worse.  Maybe give it a shot.

--

Interesting Ads:

Guy Gardner: Warrior #29 (1995)

Guy Gardner: Warrior #29 (March, 1995)
"It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To"
Writer - Beau Smith
Penciller - Phil Jimenez
Inkers - John Stokes & Dan Davis
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Letterer - Albert DeGuzman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Warrior's Designed by - Brad Gorby
Cover Price: $2.95 (gatefold) $1.50 (standard)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I was planning on doing a "Green" book today (Arrow or Lantern, natch).  While flipping through my books, this one just jumped out at me.

Visiting Warrior's Bar should be a nice way to hold me/us over until the weekend.  At least at my house corned beef, cabbage, soda bread, and family will be in abundance come Saturday.

--

We open on Darkseid and Desaad curiously observing a large conglomeration of superheroes.  They appear to be gathering for reasons other than battle.  What event could be so significant as to pull nearly the entirety of DC's metahuman community together?  Well, today is the opening of Guy Gardner's WARRIOR'S.  Part bar, part Planet Hollywood, Warrior's features tons of superhero ephemera to peruse and enjoy while you dine and drink.

We watch as Guy interacts with just about all of the movers and shakers of the DC Universe at the time.  No pun intended, this issue really is a "Who's Who?" of the DC Universe circa-1995.  One interaction of note concerns Aquaman.  This is shortly after Aquaman loses his hand... Gardner approaches, and Arthur fully expects a snide comment about his new hook-hand.  Instead Gardner gives a snarky comment about the length of Aquaman's hair.  Too funny.

A (very convincing...) impostor in a Superman outfit gets evicted by the real steel deal.

This opening is receiving television news coverage, so we become privy to the thoughts of those watching from afar, including a collection of super villains currently locked up in Blackgate Prison (a handy note informs us that at this time Arkham Asylum was destroyed).

In a tiny panel, we observe that Zatanna and the then-Vertigo imprint only John Constantine are present.

The Blood Pack introduce themselves.  They appear to be a team consisting of the new characters introduced in the Bloodlines crossover... and Jade?

Look out, Dylan McKay!

Current (at at the time, final) Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner meets up with former-GL Arisia (who may at this time be part of Guy's side-cast).  They discuss the recent happenings regarding Hal Jordan.  Kyle apologizes thinking he may have killed Hal.

Captain Atom shows up... don't dig Nate with the longer hair.  Doesn't feel right to me.  As he is settling in, Guy... in full Vuldarian Warrior form, lands a blow that sends Atom flying.  Guy blames the Captain for what has happened to his former squeeze, Ice.  She had apparently died at the hands of the Overmaster in a recent Justice League story line.

Donna Troy (now a Darkstar) has a brief confrontation with Artemis, who is the current Wonder Woman.  Just as the discussion gets heated, the entire party gets interrupted by...

The main man, Lobo.

Guy and Lobo begin brawling, inciting the entire establishment into a riot.  As the brouhaha continues, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis arrive on the scene, perhaps to scope out the competition to their own Planet Hollywood venture.  They decide discretion is most definitely the better part of valor, and vamoose.

Later on, we find that Lobo has passed out.  He had apparently finished off every drop of beer in the bar.  Gardner himself is conspicuous by his absence.  Arisia and Veronna head up to Guy's office to check on him.  The blast open the door, and find a potentially un-well Warrior... and we are [to be continued...]

--

This issue proved to be one of the more difficult to synopsize/spoil.  So many guest stars... and just so much going on.  If I'm honest, DC Comics really weren't my thing in the mid-nineties... so many of these characters (and/or their current circumstances) are somewhat unfamiliar to me.  I also don't have a large Guy Gardner(: Warrior) collection, so the main cast is rather foreign to me as well.

This was an extremely fun romp through mid-nineties DC Comics.  It's incredible that they were able to pull such an issue off.  I highly doubt anything like this could be done today.  For the near ubiquity of cross overs and guest shots in contemporary comics, a story such as this is still a wonderful novelty.

The first Beau Smith I'd read was actually not in comics, but in a column he kept in one of the Two-Morrows Publishing's "How-To" magazines... either Sketch, or Write Now!  His real-man persona is quite engaging, and he is one of the writers whose work I actively seek out if I come across it in the bins.  This issue was very well written, all that appeared felt very much in character... and they all seemed as though they were having fun.  Fun was a precious commodity during this vintage, I am glad that a book like this existed back then (wish we had more like it now).

Phil Jimenez is at his George Perez best here.  I would have sworn some of these pages/characters were actually drawn by Perez in this issue... Donna Troy, especially.

Highly recommended.  This issue has not yet to my knowledge been collected, and is unfortunately absent on DC's Digital Comics site.  So, this will be a single-issue only experience.  I have come across it several times in the wild.  Should not be terribly difficult to procure, if you are so inclined... and it won't set you back much.  Read this one as you down your next green beer.  Now, what say you, Guy?

Umm... Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!

--

The version I own features the gatefold cover.  When we open the fold we are treated to a view of the inside from over Superman's (or his swarthy mustachioed doppelganger's) shoulder.

The standard edition features perhaps an even better image.  It is an homage to Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks.

--

Interesting Ads:

I have absolutely no recollection of this...

$15 for a year's worth... yes, please!

In an era where I'm surprised when books make it to issue #25...

... seeing those about to hit #100 is somewhat bittersweet.

Captain Atom #1 (1987)

Captain Atom #1 (March, 1987)
"Point of Origin"
Writer - Cary Bates
Penciller - Pat Broderick
Inker - Bob Smith
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Carl Gafford
Editor - Dennis O'Neil
Special Thanks to Greg Weisman
Cover Price: $1.00

"Hey, have you checked out our consignment section?" asked the friendly comic shop owner.

"The what now?" was my erudite response.

One of the shops I venture down to somewhat seldomly had turned about one-third of their sales floor into a consignment area.  Folks could sell their books through the store, and the shop would take a cut.  It's the first time I'd ever encountered this, so I figured I'd check it out.

Of the area's offerings were two titles I'd long wanted to collect, but felt rather overwhelming to consider... Blue Devil and Captain Atom.

Blue Devil was marked at $25.00 and was a complete set.  Captain Atom, however, was $40.00 and was missing about a half-dozen issues (I had a smattering of issues from both series' so there were sure to be some doubles as well).  This was October, 2010, and I had just finished working a government contracted position... I wasn't bringing in any money at this point, so I decided against grabbing them.  I suppose it can be asked why I was in a comic book store in the first place when I was in-between contracts... what can I say?  I've got a problem.

As I was leaving, the shop owner furrowed his eyebrows and commented on the fact that I hadn't found anything.  I told him what caught my eye... and he asked if either of those sets had a red sticker on them.  I popped over to check, and in fact... both sets had a large circular red sticker on their respective bags.

He advised me that the red sticker was to indicate which sets were selling at 50% off.  Well, hell... that changes everything.  Picked up both sets for a song, and headed home in the uncharacteristic Phoenix rain (it's funny the things you remember... I also stopped at a Dutch Bros. drive-thru on the way home for a cup of coffee that was almost impossibly smooth).

Captain Atom had long been on my radar.  Ever since reading his exploits in Justice League Europe, the Captain Atom series was placed on my "if you see it on the cheap, pick it up" list that I would keep in my pocket every time I went out.  This was pre-smartphone for me, so my lists were all hand-written at this point.

Prior to this great find, my Captain Atom collection was quite modest.  Maybe a dozen or so issues... including, for whatever reason, three copies of the issue I wish to discuss today, Captain Atom #1.  Is it worth owning more than one copy of?  Let's find out...

--

Falsely(?) accused of treason, Captain Nathaniel Adam agreed to take part in the Captain Atom Project in exchange for his life and freedom.  The Project sought to bind him to a metal alloy procured from a crashed UFO.  It is 1968.

We open as the project is about to be conducted.  As the process commences, Nathaniel is nervously telling jokes... trying to keep his mind off of what's to come.  The idea that he may not survive the proceedings... the fact he may never again see his family.  The project is the brainchild of Dr. Megala and is being overseen by Colonel Eiling.

Nathaniel Adam is seemingly vaporized and it appears as though the project was unsuccessful.  As this is occurring we join Adam's wife, Angela sharing her apprehension with Nate's best friend Jeff Goslin.  They discuss the probable danger the project brings with it.  Goslin is confident in his buddy's survivability and assures her that all will go well.  Nathan and Angela's young children (Randy and Peggy) are also present for this scene.

The scene shifts to the Winslow Air Force Base.  It is nighttime and there is something of a quantum explosion on the airstrip.  A humanoid glob of metallic energy has made its presence known.  The Base attempts to defend itself, opening fire on the creature.  The glob blasts back with energy emanating from its hands.  It's not until taking the full force of a rocket launcher to the gut that the metallic mass collapses to the ground.

Inside the facility, the humanoid is strapped to a bed and studied.  Much to the surprise of the scientists, the creature exhibits many tell-tale human qualities.  The creature adapts its form a few times, internalizing its mass... molting layers of its own mass.  The process ends with Nate in his more familiar Captain Atom metallic body-type.  He wakes up, and begins to speak.

(Now General) Eiling recognizes who and what he is looking at and demands the room be cleared.  Adam comments on Eiling's seemingly advanced age and almost immediate ascension from Colonel to General.  Eiling hints that it's no longer 1968 when he begins naming all of the people who had died in the past couple of decades... including Adam's own wife.  This proves to be too much for Nathan to handle as he begins glowing a bright red.  Eiling orders the room be filled with nerve gas to sedate the Captain.

Eiling then meets with Dr. Megala, who now appears to be more synthetic than human.  His torso sits in a high-tech wheelchair with mechanical arms.  Megala proposes that during the process, Nathan was somehow thrown into the fourth-dimension of space-time.  He continues by commenting on the power Adam may now command, and asks if Eiling ever considered that potentiality.

Eiling takes his leave.  In the hallway he orders a subordinate to ensure that within the next 12-hours Megala, who is one of the few "in the know" about the Captain Atom Project, is rendered brain-dead.  Megala, either overhears... or just knows Eiling well enough to assume what is to come makes a distress call to a "Babylon".

Adam is placed into a body bag and loaded onto a rocket ship.  Eiling plans to launch Adam into space.  Of note, the servicemen all believe Adam to be an extraterrestrial rather than the result of a decades old government project.

As the rocket lifts off, a man brandishing a hypodermic needle enters Megala's room.  Before he can act, a large man emerges from the shadows and stabs the invader in the neck with his own needle.  This imposing fellow is Babylon, and he is working for (as well as protecting) Dr. Megala.

We rejoin Adam as he awakens in total blackness.  He hears the rocket engines, and realizes his current plight.  He destroys the vessel and begins plummeting to Earth.  He is shocked to find that he now has the ability to fly.  As he approaches the ground, he decides to follow Route-202 to his family home.

Upon arrival, Adam peers into the window only to find that a different family now inhabits his house.  So curious... the buildings, roads, and even the cars... all different.  Megala and Babylon arrive, and enlighten Adam to the fact that he is currently 18 years in his future.  It is now 1986.

Megala proposes a partnership.  He brings Adam to his secluded mountainside home to help him work on mastering his powers.  Unbeknownst to them, General Eiling has eyes and ears all around.  The next several pages are tantamount to a training montage... Adam's body is hit with all manner of ballistics, and he spars with Babylon.

After receiving sufficient intel, Eiling orders an assault on Megala's retreat, and reaches out to contact the President of the United States.  Once at Megala's, Eiling orders to speak with Adam.  Adam is more than happy to oblige, and demands Eiling take him to see his wife.

Eiling takes Adam to the grave of his wife... it is revealed that since Nate had been believed vaporized, Angela Adam remarried... her next husband?  General Wade Eiling himself.  Adam begins to break down... he now knows Eiling not only shared his wife's bed, but also had a hand in raising his children.  Adam's own children would look at Eiling as though he were their father.

Eiling then informs Adam that the current administration has no obligation to honor the pardon he had earned by participating in the Captain Atom Project.  He states however, that if he were to become a secret operative for the United States while acting as the superhero Captain Atom... a new pardon may be granted.

One week later, Eiling meets with the President to discuss Captain Atom as well as consider moving on to "phase two"... and we are [to be continued...]

--

What a way to start a series!

This was yet another Post-Crisis re-imagining that really pulls me in.  I must admit, I have no experience with the Charlton or any Pre-Crisis iteration of this character, so I am ignorant as to whether or not there are any similarities between the versions.  Of note, this is listed in most online databases as Captain Atom volume 3, counting the two earlier Charlton Comics volumes.  For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to omit the "vol.3" for this one.  For all intents and purposes, this is the first DC Comics volume of this title.

Of potential interest, we are introduced to the President of the United States in this issue.  Oddly, he bears absolutely no resemblance to Ronald Reagan.  In this very issue there is an advertisement for the DC crossover Legends, which actually features Ronald Reagan as a plot point and character.  I'm not sure if this was a conscious choice to have the President of the United States not be Reagan in Captain Atom, or if there is perhaps something lost in the art.  It has been a couple of years since reading this series, so I cannot off the top of my head remember if this gets rectified/clarified.

--

This was an incredibly well-written issue... Captain Atom is introduced as such a likable and sympathetic character.  Dr. Megala and Babylon serve their purposes well, in training Nate and perhaps helping him adjust to the hustle and bustle of the 1980's.  General Wade Eiling's face is just begging to be punched in!  Such a slimy, self-serving jackass.  You read this while picturing the moment that Atom is just going to haul off and sock him!  Such a great antagonist.  The mysterious happenings behind Adam's accusation of treason is a great underlying way to keep moving the story forward.

This was an ad-free (barring inside covers) issue.  At no point in my reading did the story feel as though it dragged.  Oftentimes in over-paged issues, there may be a lull or downtime) in the narrative.  Captain Atom #1 sidesteps all that quite handily, every scene felt as though it mattered.

I feel as though by reading this issue, I've kinda talked myself into doing another full read-through of the series... it really is that good.

I can't not think of the McDonald's Mac Tonight Moon Man mascot.

Pat Broderick is definitely one of my top artists of the 1980's.  I honestly cannot think of anything he's drawn that I haven't liked.  I recently started a read-through of the Fury of Firestorm, and was surprised with how much I dug the art.  Broderick's Captain Atom work is no different.  Fantastic stuff panel-in and panel-out.  Faces are clearly identifiable and highly emotive, an absolute treat to behold.  Action scenes are fantastic, and the settings are wonderfully detailed.

Highly recommended.  I hope that this summer's DC Comics Rebirth event facilitates the return of this Captain Atom.  If you're so inclined, DC's digital site has the first 31 issues of this series up at $1.99 per.  At least in my area, this series is easily found in the cheap-o bins.  If digital comics make your teeth itch like they do mine... maybe treat yourself to a "bin dive" sometime soon.  Either way, you should certainly check this series out.

Also... I have recently been introduced to a wonderful Captain Atom (and Booster Gold)-centric podcast.  Pop in on the Silver and Gold Podcast and read along!  You can follow the show on twitter @SNGPOD4779

--

Interesting Ads: (This was, for the most part an ad-free issue... pickins be slim)

[Bin Beat] Romper Room

I have heard that people who attend church every week get annoyed when the see the turn-out on Christmas Eve and Easter.  It's difficult to get a seat or a parking spot... they're cramped and uncomfortable... and they're stuck dealing with people that only show up once or twice a year.  This is just how I feel during coupon weekends at Half-Price Books.

All year long nobody cares about reading... toss'em a coupon?  It's Midnight Mass.  Suddenly everyone in town discovers the joy of shopping for books.  Nothing wrong with that... certainly makes good business sense... but, for me?  It's pretty annoying.

Now, I don't go into Public Service Announcement mode much.  Like, honestly... who am I to proclaim anything?  I'm just a jerk on the Internet... but... I think I've got something here.

The comic book section of Half-Price Books is NOT the store's daycare section.  Please do not leave your (under 5 year old) children climbing all over the shelves and bins, throwing product all over the floor, tearing covers off books... and just causing chaos.

First of all, if I'm the only adult present... I don't want to be the sole witness of your kid hurting themselves.

Secondly, I don't want the store to think these are my kids... and I'm letting them destroy their product.

Third, I don't want to feel responsible if one of your kids wanders off.  I've actually had parents ask ME where their kids went.  I have no idea lady... where did YOU go?

Very young children running around a store unattended, mixed in with a massive influx of new looky-loo couponers is a dangerous combination.  One I'd rather not have to deal with.  This is a freakishly common occurrence in HPB... at least the ones I frequent.

Parents patting their kids on the head, saying "Oh, go stand over by the ca-mecks.  Mommy will be over here." as they meander across the store toward the DVD section.  Jeez.

So, here's my weaksauce PSA: Do not leave your children unattended... and, not just because they're in my way... well maybe, partly because they're in my way.  I just don't want to be around if anything goes down.

--

This big coupon weekend was a bit of a letdown.  I had a few books on my peripheral radar, however they were either no longer available... or available and in cruddy condition... another unfortunate result of looky-loo butterfingers.  These books... torn covers, missing pages, and all will haunt (and irritate) me each time I return to the store.

The quarter-bin deities didn't so much smile upon me... though, they did smirk.

Decent, if not a tad underwhelming finds.  I was surprised to find "Superman Takes a Wife", which features the Golden-Age Superman's wedding to Lois Lane... a charming little tale, I'm super happy to have it.  Found the one issue of Grant Morrison's Happy! that has alluded me... can finally (eventually) give that a proper read.

Ran into some decent stretches of both early Azrael and Books of Magic.  Not sure I'll get around to them any time soon... still nice to have in the library.

The wacky find of the week was easily the King James Powerade promotional comic.  This kinda thing is why I'll always dig through the cheap-o bins.  You never know what offbeat oddity you're gonna come across.

In trades, the only thing that caught my eye was a import copy of Seth's George Sprott 1984-1975 from Random House.  I took an American Literature class some time ago, which focused on American comic books.  One of the books I had to read (and write a great deal about) was George Sprott.  I initially read a digital version provided by the University... I'm glad to now have a physical copy.  Used my coupon on this one, so I only paid about four-and-change for it.

In the manga clearance section, I came across the final five volumes of Video Girl Ai.  A few summers ago I read through Masakazu Katsura's I"s, and found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would.  I've been grabbing Video Girl Ai volumes as I come across them in clearance, at a buck a'piece, I couldn't resist.  Ai's story comes across so charmingly 1980's, looking forward to completing my set.

So, all told... This coupon-weekend did not go as well as I would have hoped... though, I can't say I'm completely disappointed.  Hope all my fellow hunters had a fun time, and made some great finds!

Thanks for reading.

***DCBS Update***

Just received last week's Discount Comic Books Service order, so for completionist's sake...