I have a new comic store. And they just made me a loyal customer.
See, here’s the deal, I fell for the whole Countdown to Infinite Crisis hook like a hypnotized lemur. I put them all on my reserve file at my old comic book shop.
I checked back in a while later. I had issues 1 and 3 from one title. Only issue 2 from another. Only issue 3 from a third… it was pretty pathetic. So, I wandered into Hall of Heroes in Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey and ended up talking to the guy behind the counter. He helped me plug most of the holes in all four series… even going to the back room to find some. He pointed out some great titles I’d forgotten to look for (Like “The Defenders”) and was an all-around likeable comic-shop guy. 🙂
Before I knew it, I’d started a new reserve list there and left with plans to cancel my reserve at the old place.
Good enough, right?
Well, first a little backstory…
I’m still sore about the OMAC project series. Issue #3 leaves off and says you have to read three other titles to fill in the gap between OMAC #3 and OMAC #4. I hate that. And I didn’t read it until I already had OMAC #4 in my hands, saying, “Wha–? When did that ha–? What’s going on h–?!”
So I go in to pick up my reserves today, and I get the OMAC #5 and a bunch of other titles.
It’s not till I get home when I find a little something that they threw in for me: The issue of Wonder Woman that was one of the three you needed to read to understand the OMAC gap. A wonderful ish. An ish not in my reserve list, but one I wanted very much.
The guy behind the counter (a different guy) had asked me to check them over to make sure they were the ones I wanted — and I didn, kinda — but I kinda thought it was a formality.
Anyway… Whoever was thoughtful enough to throw that WW issue into my file won over a loyal customer for a long time… and a little plug. If they had a Web site, I’d link it. But suffice it to say, stop in to Hall of Heroes in the Cherry Hill mall. It’s a really swank store with books, T-shirts, figurines, Godzilla stuff… kind of a comic con in a can.
Transcript
Evil Inc by Brad Guigar
Jan. 21, 2025
Panel 1:
A building labeled "FNN" (Fairmount News Network) is shown with a banner displaying the network's logo. A yellow narration box reads:
Narration: "You’d never know it, but the Fairmount News Network is in chaos."
Panel 2:
Inside an office with multiple desks, workers look panicked and distressed. Some hold their heads, others gesture as if shouting, and a security guard seems trapped. Speech bubbles are empty.
Narration: "Inside: panic, pain, and pandemonium... without a peep!"
Narration: "Workers are trapped at their desks, unable to phone for help."
Narration: "Security guards are stuck inside invisible constraints."
Panel 3:
A dramatic reveal shows a mime in a black beret, striped shirt, and suspenders stepping forward with a menacing pose. A large caption introduces him:
Narration: "Presently, the menace behind the mayhem steps out of the shadows..."
Large Text: "The ANTI-VOXXER"
Footnote: "Note: 'Vox' is Latin for 'voice.'"
Panel 4:
The newsroom set is shown with anchors being blown away by a mysterious indoor wind, while the mime approaches.
Narration: "A mysterious indoor wind blows the anchors away from the news desk as he approaches!"
Narration: "He has the rapt attention of the city — and the nation!"
Panel 5:
The Anti-Voxxer gestures dramatically while holding a piece of paper. On-screen text identifies the situation.
Narration: "There have been better-thought-out schemes..."
Breaking News Caption: "BREAKING: EVIL MIME HIJACKS STUDIO - DELIVERS MANIFESTO ON AIR"
Time Stamp: "1:35 P.M."
