Hourman #3 (June, 1999)
"Timepoint"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Rags Morales
Inker - David Meikis
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separations - Heroic Age
Letterer - Kurt Hathaway
Editor - Tony Bedard
Cover Price: $2.50
"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or... the next issue of Hourman."
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We open with Hourman attempting to recover "the Timepoint" from JLA baddie Epoch. Now the Timepoint is a toughie to explain without me flailing my hands all over the place... but, I'll try. Like it's name suggests, it's like a "point in time"... I think. I believe it's both Epoch's base of operations... as well as a prison of sorts he keeps. Anyhoo, it looks like Tyler's going to get away with it... until Epoch goes back to the past to trigger something that will stop Hourman from succeeding here. It's time-stuff, we'll just go with it.
In reality, Tyler is bellied up to the coffee bar with Snapper and Bethany. He's unsure how to offer, because... get this... he's afraid he'll do it wrong! Wow, talk about a hero after my own disturbed tendencies. I definitely feel that.
He finally orders a double espresso. The trio head over to a table... Tyler again apologizes for baby-izing Bethany a couple issues back. She's totally cool with it, however... as she's turning it into a New-Agey venture, "Freeing your Toddler Brain"! Dammit, where has this book been my entire life! I love this.
Tyler takes his first sip of espresso... and, boy howdy... everything goes nuts. Really like the way this was depicted. Even in distorto-vision, Snapper still can't help but to *snap*. Love it.
Snapper offers to finish off Hourman's espresso... which Tyler appreciates. He expresses a desire to repay Snap and Bethany's generosity... and Bethany gives him an idea. She suggests he show them "his world". And so, he does!
All aboard the Timeship... Hourman flips his "egg-timer" and triggers the start of another Power-Hour. He asks Bethany to randomly pick a destination, which takes them "outside" of time... where they come across a rather curious time(stream)-traveller.
It's Rick Jones Snapper Carr! Well, a Snapper Carr... haven't you ever heard of Hypertime?! This is a Snapper Carr who looks to have his life totally together... which gives us a line that is as funny as it is sad. Our Snap says looking at Hypertime-Snap makes him feel like Bizarro looking at Superman. Very funny... also, very sad!
After dropping Hypertime-Snapper into a war between the Amazons and Gorilla City, the trio (or just Hourman, really) are attacked by Epoch! He winds up dropping them in... Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. It's got that effect where our characters are the only things in color... which is really cool. They are approached by a couple... who are clearly still in shock from the assassination of President Kennedy.
Then... aliens! They watch as those aliens from the cliffhanger last issue walk the streets. Then... that same couple expresses the same shock they did a few seconds ago. Uh-oh, looks like we're in a time loop! Worse yet, half of Tyler's Power-Hour has already elapsed.
Hourman takes off to try and find a way out, leaving Snap and Beth where it's "safe". Of course, they soon find themselves staring into the wrong end of a laser pistol. They meet a sorta off-brand Adam Strange looking fella, who introduces himself as a "Catastronaut" which, I gotta say... is a pretty cool name. He's also been trapped here.
There's a brief struggle... the "shocked couple" get blasted before Bethany wallops the 'naut with some of her "phys-ed training". She's mentioned a few majors/degrees already... I wonder if this might become a "thing".
Then, time loops... again, and again.
We join Hourman as he... does time stuff that I can't really wrap my head around. Well, actually... he attempts to do time stuff I can't really wrap my head around. Unfortunately, he finds that the Timepoint has been sealed off... and, his "egg-timer" goes a bit wonky before finally dropping the last few grains of sand.
He comes crashing down back in 1963 Dallas to let the gang know that his Power-Hour is up. Snapper's all "that's cool, we'll just wait an hour til it comes back"... not understanding that, since they're in a time loop...
Sixty-minutes will never pass! Meaning, this is now... their home?!
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So... just where in the hell has this book been my entire life? Absolutely adore this! Awesome blend of comedy and action... and it even has that, often hard to define... "heart" to boot!
The time stuff... is a little confusing, at least to me. In fairness, time stuff is always a little confusing to me, so that's not a knock on the issue. Still, don't wanna come off like I'm praising this one blindly.
There's a lot going on here. I suppose we can start with the Timepoint. I feel like placing the Time-Loop at a point in time where people are at their weakest... or at least their most fragile/dumbstruck emotionally, is clever... and it's pulled off (and rendered) incredibly well. The black-and-white "effect" was definitely appreciated. I was trying to remember the name of that movie that did something similar without Googling... it's "Pleasant...something"... I know that much.
Something that really made me pause was Tyler being afraid to mess up ordering at the coffee bar. It sounds silly... but, there's something scarily relatable there. I know, personally, I've chosen to do nothing... rather than try something, and fail. I've probably done that more times than I care to admit (though, I suppose I just did). Really well done.
Loved Bethany taking her time as a tot, and using it to create some sorta New Age seminar. It definitely feels like something people would do. I'm not all that tapped-in on the crystals or anything, but I could totally see similar seminars going on right this second! I mean, there have been re-birthing seminars and stuff... so, why not this?
And, though I might be reading into things... I'm really digging the idea of Bethany as a career-college student. Seems she's mentioned a few different majors... and a lotta years of study. I think that's a fun concept to explore... especially as so many of us Gen-Xers never really become sure what we wanna be when/if we "grow up". It might be getting played for laughs... but it's quite relatable.
Snapper... man, I get the feeling like I'm not supposed to like him (because of his Silver-Age dunce-iness), but I can't help it! Thought it was equally humorous and heartbreaking when he saw the "totally together" Snapper Carr hitchhiker. He sees his own potential staring him in the face... meanwhile, he's still slacking in Happy Harbor!
It goes without saying that I highly recommend tracking this run down. It might be a bit premature... but, this could end up being near the top of my list of favorite runs before it's all said and done.
Now... whatta we gotta do... to whom... to get this collected and/or made available digitally?! This is definitely a glaring omission in DC's digital library!
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Hourman #2 (May, 1999)
"Romancing the Tombstone"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Rags Morales
Inker - David Meikis
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separator - Heroic Age
Letterer - Kurt Hathaway
Editor - Tony Bedard
Cover Price: $2.50
I was thinking the other day how I "just" covered the first issue of this series. Then, upon actually checking the site, realized that it's been over 100 days since we looked at it. I guess if there's one book it's okay to be wonky about time about... it's Hourman! We can just blame it on T-Vision or something.
Anyhoo... we left off with "Tyler" chucking his omnipotence... and Rick's Snapper's gal pal Bethany being reduced to a baby. Annnnnd, go!
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We open at night with a little tot walking down a strangely busy Happy Harbor street... maybe it's early morning... either way, I don't picture Happy Harbor to be all this "bustling". If you read the previous issue, you'll know that this little gal is actually a de-aged friend (we'll call her "friend" for now) of Snapper Carr named Bethany. An officer calls the find into the Chief... who, upon hearing this baby was found near Snapper's residence, insists the officer go rattle Carr's cage. Seems we've got some bad blood here.
Meanwhile, at Snapper's place... he and Hourman are sleeping it off. We get a "catch us up" flashback which shows us how Hourman "chucked" his omnipotence last issue. Snapper gets up to throw on a pot of coffee, and mentions how it's a shame that Bethany didn't show the previous night... as he thought she and "Tyler" would hit it off. Hourman leaves to "soul-search" just as the police arrive to question Carr about the random toddler found playing in traffic.
Gary the Cop informs Carr of what's gone down... and tells him he's wanted for questioning down at the station. It's clear this isn't the first time Snapper's had to deal with a cranky Police Chief, so he's not all that shaken. He does insist they stop for breakfast before heading in though.
We shift scenes to the JLA Watchtower, where Hourman informs J'onn that he'd "chucked" his omnipotence... which (likely due to the vernacular), J'onn immediately connects to Snapper Carr. That's not the main reason for the visit, however... Hourman is looking to meet with longtime JLA-baddie, Professor Ivo.
J'onn directs him to Belle Reve... where Tyler can chat up the baddie. He wants to know why the first of his kind (Androids... as in, Amazo) was made soulless and evil. Ivo says he'll answer... only if he can ask a question first. Ya see, Ivo drank a serum which made him immortal... but, he's kinda over that and would really just rather die. He asks Hourman when he will finally die.
As Hourman "turns on" his powers, which by the way, is really cool... he just flips the hourglass on his chest... Ivo tells him that all Androids aren't evil, citing the recent Ivo/Morrow creation Tomorrow Woman. Satisfied with the answer, Hourman presents Ivo a vision of his tombstone. We readers don't get to see his "check out" date... only his reaction. This was very well done!
Back in Happy Harbor, the Chief finds Snapper (who I still keep wanting to call "Rick", as in Rick Jones), Officer Gary, and the baby. She doesn't seem interested in the baby, however... she just wants to know what Carr did with her daughter... Bethany! She wrangles him in for questioning... totally disregarding the tiny tot.
We rejoin Hourman as he arrives at the League's Tomorrow Woman memorial. He uses his Time-Vision-Powers (I think?) to bring her back to life for the remainder of his Power-Hour.
At the Police Station, Snap's being questioned... and it's made pretty clear that he and the Police Chief have some sort of "history". He says they "both" know why she's putting him through this... and you will too, if you read till the end! She then... get this, books him... for murder! They sure don't mess around in Happy Harbor!
Back at the cemetery, Hourman and Tomorrow Woman chat. He asks how she overcame her programming... to which she replies, "by doing". She proves this by flying to Happy Harbor and, together with Hourman, putting a stop to a store robbery.
As this goes down, Snapper is being booked... and is taking the charges rather seriously.
Hourman and Tomorrow Woman show up at the station just after Snapper's snappin' digits get all inky and inquire as to what's going down. He shares that he's there for "killing Bethany", and really starts playing along. It's actually pretty funny... but, I wouldn't recommend acting this way in real life.
Anyhoo, Chief Audrey starts rattling on... at which time Tomorrow Woman is all "uh, that's your daughter" while pointing at the baby.
After a bit of incredulousness, we get a tear-soaked mother and child reunion. Hourman knows that this is all his fault... and Tomorrow Woman comforts him, just telling him to be more careful with his powers... and not to use people as props.
Hourman uses the last nine-seconds of his Power-Hour to return Bethany to her post-pubescent glory... and when the timer hits zero, Tomorrow Woman vanishes.
It's now that the truth comes out... Bethany is Snapper Carr's... ex-wife. Which means, Chief Audrey is Snapper's ex-mother-in-law. Now it all (kinda) makes sense!
After a brief scene of Hourman mourning the loss of Tomorrow Woman, we get a... strange look at Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. We all know what happened on our Earth on this day... but, what in the world are we looking at here???
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Man-o-man, whatta fun book!
Now, I know that Snapper Carr is one of those "funny, ha-ha" characters, but I'm really digging him in this "Rick Jonesy" context. The reveal that he'd been not only married, but divorced was pretty neat... and the ongoing struggle with his kooky (and power-mad) ex-mother-in-law lends to a lot of fun future adventures. Also, gotta tell ya... I love that he still talks with this odd "jive"... like instead of "go for breakfast" he says "grab a stack at the Yak" *snap snap*. Love it!
The Hourman sections were... well, a little less fun, but right now he's all about self-exploration... gotta expect that to be a little drier than Snapper's antics. I do appreciate the use of Tomorrow Woman... as she really is the polar opposite of most Androids the League has had to deal with... and her ability to overcome her orders speaks to the amount of freewill an Android (in the DC Universe) might enjoy.
The art here is also a lot of fun. It really suits the series, and I'm digging it. Looking at the cover, I wouldn't have minded Scott McDaniel doing some interiors on this book either! He seems well-suited as well.
The cliffhanger... is pretty cliffhangery. I know the Kennedy assassination has been mined in fiction to the point of near-parody, but for some reason... it just keeps bringing us back. There's just something about 11/22/1963 that captures our imagination... and refuses to let us go. I'm definitely interested in seeing how this plays out.
It's series like this that I never expected to cover when I started this blog. I... well, I never really "planned" anything... but I assumed that I'd just be revisiting stories I'd already read. "Discovering" books like this really gives me another reason to be thankful I started this ridiculous endeavor. We're coming up close to our 900th Daily Discussion... maybe I'll compile a "Top Ten" list to show off my favorite "discoveries" since we started this strange little journey.
Overall, if I didn't make it clear... I definitely feel like this is a book worth checking out. I think a lotta folks can have a lotta fun with this one. Not (yet) available digitally... this one's gonna be a hunt, but I promise it's a hunt that'll be worth your while.
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Hourman #1 (April, 1999)
"Through the Hourglass"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Rags Morales
Inker - David Meikis
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Letterer - Kurt Hathaway
Editor - Tony Bedard
Thanks - Grant Morrison, Mark Waid & Dan Raspler
Cover Price: $2.50
Today we're going to discuss a book that went completely under my radar when it first came out... however, has intrigued me ever since!
Unfortunately it's not a series that I come across all that often "in the wild"... and whenever I do, it's never the first (or first few) issues.
Yesterday... St. Patrick's Day... I guess I had a little of the Luck of the Irish when I ventured down to a local shop, and plopped my happy self in front of their discount bins... because lo and behold... I found myself a grip of Hourman.
And today... we're going to finally "meet" him.
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We open with an introduction to our new Hourman from the 83rd Century... with some narration from... well, that'd be telling. We jump to the JLA Watchtower where Hourman is pleading with the team to allow them to jump ahead 20 minutes. The rest of the team hasn't the foggiest idea what he's going on about. He claims that there will be much awkwardness afoot over the next half hour or so, and he'd prefer to skip it altogether. He spoils who's going to win a will-construct video game between Wally and Kyle... and then infers that Kyle will eventually make a... sorta-kinda, but not really sexist comment. This annoys Huntress who berates Kyle as though he'd actually said anything at all. It's really much funnier than I'm explaining it to be!
Hourman's even more confused at this point... not grasping how dangerous his knowledge of the future might be to those around him... but he goes on anyway. He claims that Flash will make a remark about Hourman's need to socialize... and so, he wishes to go speak with the JLA's resident authority on... dating. You're gonna love this.
The League hops to and heads out to chat up... Batman. Unfortunately, he is currently preoccupied... he's dealing with the Mad-Hatter... and at the moment, his head is stuck in a guillotine. Hourman swoops in, ages the wooden guillotine to the point where it turns to dust... and de-ages the Hatter and his gang. Batman isn't pleased.
Batman insists he re-age the Hatter crew... and attempts to instill in Hourman that precognizance is not the same thing as actual experience. With that, Hourman decides to "absorb" the entire history of the Justice League of America.
Now, knowing exactly what he must do, Hourman takes off. The League follows him to the Mad Yax Cafe in Happy Harbor, where we meet our obnoxious mysterious narrator... Snapper Carr!
Snapper greets Hourman, or "Tyler" as he calls him... and the pair leave to meet up with a woman named Bethany. The rest of the League remains, kinda dumbfounded... just staring at one another wondering if they ought to follow. Zauriel suggests in Snapper, Hourman might've just found his "Guardian Angel".
On the walk to Snapper's pad, Carr tells Hourman everything he knows about him. He's from the year 85,721... and his Miraclo Geneware is a dupe of Rex "Tick Tock" Tyler's DNA... hence why he's calling him "Tyler". Hourman attempts to return the favor by telling Snapper everything he knows about him. Snapper responds to each guess with a "Bzzzt!". Snapper's house, by the way, is a dump.
Inside, Snap heads over to a corner of his disgusting living room (right next to the cinder-block bookcase) and fetches a thumbdrive... were those around in 1999? If not, this book might actually be prescient! Anyhoo, Hourman gets one sniff of it and says it "smells like... ten years.". Y'ever look back at pictures from the 1970's or something... and think, "Man that decade must've smelled bad!"... I wonder if that's what Hourman means here.
What it actually is is... a little piece of the Android Adam... the first android ever created... the Mighty Amazo! If I ever get around to building an android... I bet most of the time I'd be working on giving it the perfect Widow's Peak.
Anyhoo, Hourman... though annoyed that Snapper swiped this little bit from the JLA trophy room... really wants to chat up the first of his kind, and so... he summons him! Amazo instantly recognizes Snapper for the irritating little tool that he is, and lashes out.
Hourman responds by sending Amazo "back". Moments later, there's a great explosion... and Amazo has returned! This time, however, with one-half of Hourman's own (infinite) power! I can't claim to understand any of this... but it's pretty cool nonetheless!
At that moment, Bethany arrives at Snapper's (who I really want to call "Rick Jones" every single time I type it) hovel. She winds up getting blasted by an errant time-shot... thing, and is de-aged into a tiny tot.
Back inside, Hourman splits into various Hourmen of the past and future... I think. Amazo responds by building his own army of Amazos (or Timazos) from throughout time. Again, I don't understand it... but it makes for a great visual.
Hourman claims to have made preparations for something like this and proceeds to count down from five. At zero, Amazo... disappears. Hourman reveals to Snapper that in order to "do away" with the disparate Amazos, he had to reknit time... changing the future to affect the past... I think. At this point, Hourman realizes that Batman was right... there is a difference between power and experience. He wonders what to do about his omnipotence... to which Snapper suggests he "chuck" it.
And so, Hourman does just that.
We wrap up with Hourman passed out on Snapper's bed (I swear I typed "Rick" again)... while Bethan-ita plays in traffic.
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This was... a blast!
Definitely had more fun than I expected from this issue... I really didn't know what to expect going in. As mentioned above, this is a character I have almost no knowledge of... he seemed to fly just under my radar back in the day, and didn't "rank" high enough for be to drop two-dollars and two-quarters on every month. Looking back at some of the absolute garbage I paid that much (and more) for back then really compounds what a sin that was.
I mentioned that I kept wanting to refer to Snapper as "Rick" during the synopsis... that reason is twofold... first, I mean... duh, Rick Jones and Snapper Carr aren't terribly different... and second, I'm getting very strong Captain Marvel (the Peter David run) vibes from this. It's equally humorous, and the hero-dynamic feels quite similar.
I was afraid there would be a lot of Hourman backstory from DC One Million that I'd have to have a "working knowledge" of before popping in here... and though, it might've helped a bit, it certainly wasn't a requirement. It's been... yikes, twenty years since I read DC1M... can't remember a lick of it!
What we have here is a proper introduction to the character... his inexperience and naivete are the focus... and by the end, he has a newfound motivation to gain the experience to match his former omnipotence. The series is given a "hero's journey" kinda format... and for a character such as this, it's a really cool idea. He's discovering the "present" while at the same time learning more about himself. Can't give that a big enough "thumbs up".
Another thing I wasn't expecting... this book is funny. It's not often I chuckle (or even smirk) when reading a comic... but that bit at the beginning where Huntress is haranguing Kyle for a sexist remark he hadn't yet made? Very funny! Also, Batman as the League's "Resident Expert of Dating"? C'mon... that's just great!
The "time powers" he wields... are a bit confusing to me... though, that might be intentional. I really can't claim to follow much of what went down during the Amazo/Timazo fight... but again, I think (hope?) it was written that way to illustrate how truly powerful Hourman is... just how incomprehensible his powers are to us normies. Messing around with time is never something I'm able to wrap my noggin 'round anyway... so maybe it's just me!
The art here is fantastic. It's been awhile since I'd seen turn-of-the-century Rags... but, it's pretty great! Also love the Scott McDaniel cover... it gives the character a "chunky" feel... almost like an action figure. Really dig it!
Overall... if I haven't made it obvious, this book gets a high recommendation. I can't (yet) speak for the rest of the series... however, if it's half as fun as this issue, I think we're in for a good time! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this series has made it's way to DC Digital yet. Worth the hunt!
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The Making of Hourman:
A Wizard Magazine Free-Insert which shows preliminary sketches for Hourman... his costume... his mask... and his cast! Check out the ridiculous Snapper Carr!
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