Jim Shooter, he's back...

Free Comic Book Day, 1992

Thanks to Dark Horse Comics Jim Shooter is returning to the game and bringing with him both Solar, The Man Of The Atom and Magnus Robot Fighter. I couldn't be more excited about this fact and in preparation of his return I broke into the great white cardboard vault of my humble collection of books and broke the scotch tape seals upon the plastic storage containers of one of my all time favorite comic book reads; Unity, Time Is Not Absolute the Valiant Comics crossover event of 1992.

In my humble opinion this is still the best crossover event ever produced in the history of modern comics. For those of you who've never had the opportunity to read this eighteen chapter story you just don't know what you're missing. What made this crossover event so unique is that every single issue in the event really mattered. Each and every book in the crossover event was completely dedicated to the Unity, Time Is Not Absolute storyline and as the tale unfolded it was truly majestic in both scope and content. It was special and so were the group of creators who put the event together.

One of the key individuals responsible for this wonderful work was a young man named Jim Shooter. Called bad boy by some, maverick by others and visionary by most of the rest of us, this guy brought something to comics that hasn't been seen since the magical days of Valiant Comics. He brought excitement and promotions that had people waiting outside the doors of their local comic book stores drooling with anticipation. Valiant comics rocked the comic book world in their day. And Jim Shooter was the front man of the organization.

I've always thought of Jim Shooter as one third snake oil salesman, one third carnival barker and two thirds creative genius. Jim is one of the very rare artistic types who knows how to take care of business too. And he loves making money. And he's a bit ruthless. And people seem to think he's a loose cannon and dangerous to work with. I think if Jim Shooter had gone into politics he'd be Carl Rove, but man, I just love the guy. When he's on his game he brings a real excitement to comics.

I hope he just rocks with Doctor Solar and Magnus. I want to see Jim Shooter work his amazing mojo at Dark Horse and show the comic book fans of today what a real writer and a real promoter are all about. I think Dark Horse could use a little Jim Shooter magic. You see, the only complaint I've ever had about Dark Horse is that they're too darn humble and low key. Jim Shooter on the other hand has stones so big you could use them for Olympic Curling. He's got Chutzpah! And he isn't ashamed of the act of promotion like so many people at Dark Horse seem to be. He's loud and proud to be a promoter and he's darned good at it too.

Dark Horse could use a good front man. Don't get me wrong, they've got some talented names on the Marquee, but they're like the original members of the band, Van Halen. Each is extremely skilled in their own right, but they lack the real charisma of a David Lee Roth. Jim Shooter is a David Lee Roth kind of guy. He's got charisma and he draws attention and he holds it like a trained professional. He's star quality and I hope Dark Horse gets him out on the comic con circuit and let's him do what he does best. Jim Shooter will generate interest. Fans like myself would kill for a chance to shake his hand and say hello. Seriously, I'd much rather meet Jim in person than Stan Lee.

Thank you Dark Horse for bringing Jim Shooter, Doctor Solar and Magnus back to my comic book table. I couldn't be happier for everyone involved.

Jim, knock us all dead, Dude...