TITLE: The Comet Issue #15
YEAR: September 1992
COMPANY: Impact Comics
Script by Mark Waid
Pencils by Kevin West
Inks by Bruce N. Solotoff
Lettering by Tim Harkins
Coloring by Tom Ziuko
Cover by Mike Netzer
Edited by DWZ
Once upon a time, DC Comics created an imprint known as Impact Comics which was to be aimed at younger audiences and to reach out to kids who were not aware of the direct market system and sell them through newsstands.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
So, the imprint failed due to poor sales and what began in 1991, Impact Comics would end in 1993.
It was a shame because the titles on the imprint featured revamped versions of superheroes licensed from Archie Comics which included “The Fly”, “The Comet”, “The Shield”, “The Jaguar”, “The Web” and “Black Hood”.
But the titles continue today through Archie Comics’ Red Circle/Dark Circle imprint which is now geared for darker and more mature content.
In this 15th issue of “The Comet” (released back in 1992), the issue features The Comet going back to his home and finding that Inferno and Rob Connors were killed at his home.
Rob Connors is the real human body of the Comet.
Confused?
Rob Connors and his parents were kidnapped by aliens long ago and experiments were done in a alien lab/spacecraft in Alaska. The used shape-shifting powers to mimic their human forms and the three were deep frozen in the lab.
Rob’s consciousness swapped minds with the alien who impersonated him and so his consciousness is now in the alien body, which is The Comet. While his real human body (that the alien’s consciousness was trapped in) was the one killed.
This sets Rob in depression. He wants to speak to his girlfriend but he catches a guy leaving her home. He goes to visit his friend’s Roger’s home but instead runs into Alicia.
And while trying to let some of his problems out to Alicia, the two kiss and have sex and now he regrets it. Yes, the first thing I thought was…is this comic book still targeting kids?
Needless to say, while investigating, he realizes the aliens have taken the form of his mother and father and this leads to a confrontation between the Comet and the aliens that look like his mom and dad.
Unfortunately, while I was reading “The Comet”, among the many titles I was collecting in 1992, especially with the beginning of Valiant and Image, it really made it difficult to keep up. And I ended up having to stop collecting Impact Comic titles.
Fortunately, with online auction sites, it gives on the opportunity to read these titles again or completely.
But unfortunately with too many titles and comic books being released, Impact Comics was no doubt impacted by oversaturation in the market place.