According to my source, this comic came with a copy of the fan magazine Hero Illustrated. So this is just won of those that the reading order creator dropped it in because they didn’t know where else to put it.
Tom’s fans are really getting vicious.
Hardcase Premiere Edition
Malibu Comics/Ultraverse/Hero Illustrated (July, 1993)
“Bombs Away”
WRITER: James Hudnall
ARTIST: Art Nichols
COLOR DESIGN: Keith Conroy
INTERIOR COLORISTS: Family Fugue
COVER COLORIST: George Cox
LETTERER: Tim Eldred
EDITOR: Hank Kanalz
“MISTER DESTRUCTO” CREATORS: James Robinson & (designer) Art Nichols
Some nut calling himself Mister Destructo is threatening to blow up every Los Angeles landmark unless he’s paid a lot of money. His first attack is a store used in a lot of movies. Hardcase manages to capture him, but he won’t say where the next bomb is. Using clues of what he did say, Hardcase and Detective Brown go with the Hollywood Bowl, where Johnny Domino is performing. Hardcase manages to find the bomb and get rid of it before it destroys the place.
This is a short story, typical for the comics that came with Hero Illustrated. The goal is really just to promote a character, but you still get a decent story out of it. Nice continuity with Johnny Domino. Depending on where this should go, the reading list is early in his time as The Night Man, and Hardcase wouldn’t know his identity either way. Had Hardcase not caught him sooner, though, Johnny’s ability to hear evil thoughts could have been a benefit. The art isn’t as good as in the main comics but I wouldn’t call it bad. Plus it’s still 90s comic art, so any time the exaggerations can be toned down, I can live with it.
Overall, this is a comic to only pick up if you’re a completist of Hardcase’s adventures or the Ultraverse as a whole. It’s a short promo story and it does work on that count.
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