Dial "G" For Geography, Please
ENTRY #25
0802.07
I first encountered reprints of Dial "H" For Hero . . . well, let's just say that it was many, many years ago, and leave it at that. I think I fell in love with the series concept at first glance. If you loved to play superheroes when you were growing up, Robby Reed had to be the embodiment of your ultimate fantasy. Instead of being just one superhero, Robby could become any superhero. Of course, there was that one little hitch in that he never knew what hero he might become every time he dialed the letters "H-E-R-O" on his H-Dial.
So as you can imagine, I let out just the tiniest bit of a fanboy squeal a few weeks ago, when I saw the latest issue of The Brave And The Bold (#9, to be precise). That issue featured a team-up between Dial "H" For Hero and the Metal Men.
It wasn't perfect. The story was only seven pages long (it was one of three in that issue). Barely an appetizer, when I was hoping for a full-course meal. (But better than nothing, I guess.) And the focus of the story was more on the Metal Man Tin, who had used the H-Dial after Robby had become injured after dialing "O-R-E-H" and returning to normal. But there were a few good moments. Like on the last page, when an intrigued Dr. Will Magnus credits the H-Dial as the sole source of the multitude of superheroes appearing in Robby's locale -- neglecting to take into account the person using the dial. (Okay, I can see why Magnus went into robotics. His people skills are even worse than mine.)
But there is one teensy tiny little thing about the story that struck a wrong chord with me. When did Robby's hometown of Littleville get located in Colorado?
I have all of the original run of Dial "H" For Hero from House Of Mystery. Littleville was clearly a coastal city. One story mentioned that the town had docks, and the second story had Robby foiling an attack on a nearby city called Whale Harbor (as an energy being called Super-Charge).
To me, the name "Whale Harbor" suggested that it was somewhere in New England. This suggestion was probably reinforced by the 1980s version of Dial "H" For Hero, which was definitely set in "the New England town of Fairfax." (The state was never explicitly mentioned, but a background clue in DC Comics Presents #44 suggests that Fairfax was in Rhode Island.)
Somewhere along the line, though, someone got the bright idea that Littleville was in Colorado. I think the first reference I saw of this was in the Dial "H" For Hero special from 2000's Silver Age crossover event. That story had Robby foiling an attack at a missile base (I think there was at least one reference to it being a NORAD base in the various comics from the crossover).
Placing Littleville in Colorado may have been more a story requirement for "The One-Man Justice League" than anything else, but it still struck a slightly wrong note with me. You would think that DC's writers and editors would have taken enough time to do a little bit of research in their archives.
I suppose that the powers that be at DC Comics could always explain the change in location as an aftereffect of something like Crisis On Infinite Earths, or as being caused by one of the occasional ripples in Hypertime. I just wish they would give us an explanation. Any explanation will do. Even an "Oops, we goofed."
-30-
0802.07
I first encountered reprints of Dial "H" For Hero . . . well, let's just say that it was many, many years ago, and leave it at that. I think I fell in love with the series concept at first glance. If you loved to play superheroes when you were growing up, Robby Reed had to be the embodiment of your ultimate fantasy. Instead of being just one superhero, Robby could become any superhero. Of course, there was that one little hitch in that he never knew what hero he might become every time he dialed the letters "H-E-R-O" on his H-Dial.
So as you can imagine, I let out just the tiniest bit of a fanboy squeal a few weeks ago, when I saw the latest issue of The Brave And The Bold (#9, to be precise). That issue featured a team-up between Dial "H" For Hero and the Metal Men.
It wasn't perfect. The story was only seven pages long (it was one of three in that issue). Barely an appetizer, when I was hoping for a full-course meal. (But better than nothing, I guess.) And the focus of the story was more on the Metal Man Tin, who had used the H-Dial after Robby had become injured after dialing "O-R-E-H" and returning to normal. But there were a few good moments. Like on the last page, when an intrigued Dr. Will Magnus credits the H-Dial as the sole source of the multitude of superheroes appearing in Robby's locale -- neglecting to take into account the person using the dial. (Okay, I can see why Magnus went into robotics. His people skills are even worse than mine.)
But there is one teensy tiny little thing about the story that struck a wrong chord with me. When did Robby's hometown of Littleville get located in Colorado?
I have all of the original run of Dial "H" For Hero from House Of Mystery. Littleville was clearly a coastal city. One story mentioned that the town had docks, and the second story had Robby foiling an attack on a nearby city called Whale Harbor (as an energy being called Super-Charge).
To me, the name "Whale Harbor" suggested that it was somewhere in New England. This suggestion was probably reinforced by the 1980s version of Dial "H" For Hero, which was definitely set in "the New England town of Fairfax." (The state was never explicitly mentioned, but a background clue in DC Comics Presents #44 suggests that Fairfax was in Rhode Island.)
Somewhere along the line, though, someone got the bright idea that Littleville was in Colorado. I think the first reference I saw of this was in the Dial "H" For Hero special from 2000's Silver Age crossover event. That story had Robby foiling an attack at a missile base (I think there was at least one reference to it being a NORAD base in the various comics from the crossover).
Placing Littleville in Colorado may have been more a story requirement for "The One-Man Justice League" than anything else, but it still struck a slightly wrong note with me. You would think that DC's writers and editors would have taken enough time to do a little bit of research in their archives.
I suppose that the powers that be at DC Comics could always explain the change in location as an aftereffect of something like Crisis On Infinite Earths, or as being caused by one of the occasional ripples in Hypertime. I just wish they would give us an explanation. Any explanation will do. Even an "Oops, we goofed."
-30-