“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Night Man #10

The Night Man’s true arch enemy: The Day Man.

The Night Man #10

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (July, 1994)

“Chalk”

WRITER: Steve Englehart

ARTIST: Kyle Hotz

COLORING: Mickey Rose & Foodhammer

LETTERER: Kevin Cunningham

EDITOR: Roland Mann

A man is killed by the gang he’s planning to leave on the park grounds. However, he was one of the riders on…that cable car. He didn’t think he had powers but the chalk outline around his body comes to life. After an initial fight with the Night Man, our hero investigates, going to talk to the man’s girlfriend. When the gang comes to silence her, The Night Man “hears” them and goes to protect her, as does the chalk outline man. Knowing his full story, he helps the victim get revenge on the gang leader. Meanwhile, Hunt decides to make a new Techknight using ye old armor and a human pilot, Prototype style. Also, now that Johnny’s dad knows he’s the Night Man, he moves his base of operation inside the scary roller coaster ride’s back area.

What they got wrong: You’ll understand in a moment why I’m doing this backwards from the usual pattern. Hunt is still written off character from the smooth talking and cool headed businessman we see in other stories. Also seems off that The Night Man lets “chalk” kill someone, even in revenge. Not that there hasn’t been death in his world before, but the superhero usually stands against that. Maybe that’s just personal preference.

What they got right: However, as he explains in his first radio broadcast from the amusement park HQ, he’s at least conflicted if that was the right thing to do, possibly driven by emotion seeing a young Ultra taken out before even learning he has powers and now spends the rest of his existence as a living chalk outline. We also get civilian help from his father and a dedicated base of operations, two things like I seeing in superhero stories: support and a cool headquarters.

What I think overall: Another good story from this series. Hunt’s personality is off but otherwise the closest thing to a misstep is personal preference, but one that’s at least addressed. This is still one of my favorite reads.