“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Strangers #3

Come on, there’s clearly room for at least four more people on this cover.

The Strangers #3

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (August, 1993)

“TNTNT!”

I confirmed that with the Grand Comics Database. That’s the title.

WRITER: Steve Englehart

PENCILER: Rick Hoberg

INKERS: Tim Burgard & Larry Welch

COLORIST: Keith Conroy

LETTERER: Tim Eldred

EDITOR: Chris Ulm

Gathering at Bob’s parents, the Strangers explore their powers and design costumes while considering their next course of action. This is told to us back and forth as team are attacked by a group who uses their names as an acronym for their team name…TNTNT. Between flashbacks, Zip-Zap is attacked by men in suits, but Yral decides to actually help and rescues him. Hunt decides to cut his losses when the victorious Strangers are immediately greeted by the press. Lady Killer reveals her identity as Elena but introduces the others by their codenames (except for Yral, who doesn’t have one). Back in San Francisco, it wasn’t the old man with the powers. He may be immortal, but his cancer seems to have become its own being. Meanwhile, Johnny may finally be waking up while the Strangers pay a visit on the only veteran hero in the Ultraverse, Hardcase. (At least they had better luck than Prime.)

What they got right: Taking time to show the heroes develop their powers and costumes was nice to see.

What they got wrong: The method of showing it is a bit off though. The back and forth flashbacks take away from the main story with the poorly named team (not that their individual names–Tyrannosaur, Naiad, Torso, Neuronne, and Tugun–are any better) and we don’t even know how the fight got started in this location beyond TNTNT being sent by Hut to get Candy/Electrocute.

What I think overall: I’m still a bit neutral on this one. It’s better than Freex but it’s not very exciting. I kind of still want to give it a chance since I’m not paying for it but it’s not something I’d be adding to my collection and we’ll see if I even keep reading it.

I’m also started to question this reading order. It may indeed be chronologically correct but it’s kind of taking away from the reading experience. The problem is that since it’s the best way currently for me to tell when to start reading an issue without having a list of when every new comic started, it’s the best way to do this for the review.