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Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: September 2009
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Artist: Rick Burchett

Blaine Cole is a teenager on the run from the law. Sheriff McGreeley claims the young boy, nicknamed Kid Colt, murdered an innocent farmer. And, the Sheriff has hired Sherman Wilks, the deadliest bounty killer, to find Kid Colt. However, U.S. Marshal Samuel Gemmell might have a problem with that because he wants to see the Kid questioned and offered a fair trial – not killed!

While Kid Colt and his drifter companion, Everett Hawkmore, are out looking for an eye witness that can clear him of the murder charges, they come under attack by Sherman Wilks and his posse. And, after some fancy shooting by the Kid, the duo makes a break for it. They come across a burned down house and make their camp there. After hours have passed, Wilks and his bounty hunters catch up to the Kid & Hawkmore … and then they all find themselves set upon by raiding Scavengers! So, an unlikely truce is formed as our heroes team up with the men who were sent to kill them.

After the smoke clears, it’s just Kid Colt and Everett Hawkmore left … with Wilks aiming his shotgun at them both. The men swap stories – Kid Colt explains the circumstances behid his murder charge and Wilks reveals how and why he became a bounty hunter. Eventually, the two agree to a shoot out in order to determine their fate. After all, every good Western story should have a shoot out, right?

This story is pretty much a modern re-telling of Kid Colt’s beginnings. The interesting thing about his origin is that Colt is, indeed, a killer! He killed his father’s murderer in a fair fight, though, and in the “wild west” stories, this would have been a pardonable offense. However, the man he killed happens to be the Sheriff’s brother – with that in mind, you can bet that the Sheriff is out to get the Kid. So, while looking for a witness to clear his name, the Kid gets involved in other heroic adventures. Adventures like this one. And, it’s certainly good Western fun. I don’t know how long the concept could continue before it grew old but, it makes for a fine and dandy one-shot!

On Ebay: Kid Colt | Tom DeFalco
On AtomicAvenue: Kid Colt

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Dynamite
Cover Date: 2010
Cover Price: $6.99
Writer: Grant Calof with Eric Eisner
Artist: Jeevan J. Kang

Nearly 150 years from now, the Earth is in the midst of the Great Drought. It hasn’t rained in years, the oceans have dried up and the ozone layer has been entirely destroyed. There are only three giant nations left on earth. North America has joined together to form the N.A.U. The European nations have formed the A.I.U. and China has merged with Russia to form the U.S.R.C. The strongest of these nations only has enough water reserves to last for twelve months.

In the N.A.U., Dr. Aaron Turner has discovered a previously hidden, underground glacier that could temporarily ease the N.A.U.’s citizens. This newfound source of water would likely make the N.AU. the world’s greatest super-power and so, he is sent, along with a team, to uncover the glacier and prep it for utilization. Turner and his team must prevail against dangerous terrain, an active volcano … and, worst of all, a rival U.S.R.C. team who wants to claim the glacier for themselves. However, whichever group claims the glacier, it’s still only a temporary reprieve. Can humanity work together to solve their common problem? Or, will infighting lead to the destruction of the human race?

H20 is a thrilling prestige format one-shot that presents a frightening future vision. After all, clean water is essential for life to exist and the possibility of it disappearing spells the destruction of mankind. The opening pages of art present chilling scenes as we’re witness to landscapes devoid of water. San Francisco Bay – a vast dessert. Now, the science behind it all and the possible solutions to the problem may be far from rock-solid (I have no basis to say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’) but, the basic premise is great. And, after the glacier is found, it’s a race to beat the “soviets” there. It’s the Space Race all over again! But, this time it’s for humanity’s survival.

If there’s anything I could pick on this book for, it’s that I would have liked to see more of the ramifications of the Great Drought. Sure, they went into some details, like time-released water bottles but I’m very curious to see how else humanity has adapted. As you progress through the story, the possibility of clean water becoming the world’s scarcest resource sinks in and hopefully, you’ll truly appreciate how fortunate you are to have it readily available.

On Ebay: H20
On AtomicAvenue: H20