Random Happenstance

The Lilac City Comicon (formerly the Spokane Comicon) is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I should once again systematically make a list of the books I'm looking for, what I'm willing to pay for them, or so on. Or barring that, prepare to wade into any quarter bin I can get my hands on and grab whatever I vaguely remember looking for. Like back issues of the Secret Defenders: I just saw the cover to #15 for the first time, and it looks aggressively, and adorably, hilarious. (The corner box proclaims "All New! All Fresh!" which is just so sad...)

But today we'll take a peek at what's behind the fancy-pants "foil enhanced cover" of Secret Defenders #12, "Pawns" Written by Ron Marz, pencils by Tom Grindberg, inks by Dan Hudson. Thanos has resurrected Geatar, space pirate and second-in-command to Nebula; and who was previously best known as the corpse Thanos used to fake his death at the hands of the Silver Surfer just prior to Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos wants Geatar to run a mission for him, since he's too busy; and recruits from earth the villains Titanium Man, the Rhino, and Nitro; along with the Super-Skrull.

Before Thanos has to whup the Super-Skrull into line, Geatar manages a bargain with Thanos: he gets Thanos to agree to "stay his wrath" against Nebula. (Thanos here again denies being her grandfather.) Convincing them there's prizes in store for them as well, the villains are sent to the planet H'aarg, to steal "the Oracle of Ancient Knowledge," from a religious order that may be intent on universal holy war. But it remains to be seen if any part of this mission is as Thanos said...

I may have actually read this in 1994, but long since lost or sold my copy. Probably not super-hard to find, though: per the U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation; line C. Total Paid and/or requested Circulation...Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 294,033. Average no copies single issue nearest to filing date: 142,600." It's not a stretch that a foil cover might have driven the numbers up some, but compared to March's sales charts from Comichron, 142,600 would've been good enough for fourth place behind Princess Leia #1, Star Wars #3, and Guardians Team-Up #1...