Rick Tylor Hourman Books?

[Hellstormer]

Is there any good books or TPBs out there that focus on the Rick Tyler Hourman? I just bought the entire run of the 853 Hourman robot and loved it and I wanna get inot the human Hourman any recommendations? <--(is that a word?) :confused:

[Crimson Avenger]

Rick Tyler first appeared as Hourman II in Infinity Inc #21, and I believe he officially joined the team in issue #31 of that series. I think he quit and then re-joined the team before it ended with its 53rd issue in 1988.

He showed up next in the Justice Society of America series published in 1992. He was featured in issues #5 and #8, though he never appeared in costume there.

I don't think he made any other appearances until 1999 with the android Hourman series that you already have. After that series ended, Rick would not show up again until JSA #33 in 2002 in the "Stealing Thunder" storyline. He's been featured a good bit in that storyline and a few others since then.

There may be some other titles in which Rick has appeared, but this is all I'm aware of.

[Mr. Jixx]

Very well said. I would just add that Rick has a huge role in I.I. #20, before his 'official' turn as Hourman II.

Rick has been stretching himself out in the DCU a bit. While just cameo blips, he was in the Omac Project, and GL Rebirth(no speaking lines, just a couple of panels). He was recently in Aquaman #38(?), and in Teen Titans #33(?), where he bashes Superboy Prime in the head with a street sign, before getting pounded.

I like Rick. Kind of nervous that we haven't heard or seen anything from him OYL.

It was revealed that an upcoming issue of JSA Classified will be Hourman vs Bane, but it wasn't revealed if it was to be Rex, Rick or Ty.

[Hellstormer]

Was Infinity Inc ever printed in trades or could I find the issues cheap?

[DouglasDanger]

What if Bane got ahold of Miraclo?

[Doug Strange]

What's the current status of Rick/Rex (so far as we know...before one year later)? I stopped reading JSA many years ago, but I thought the idea of bringing Rex back was a horrible one. Is Rex still around? And if so, does it mean Rick was trapped in the timepoint, or whatever it was called? Or did he get out and they're both operating as Hourman? Or something else entirely?

[Gingold]

What's the current status of Rick/Rex (so far as we know...before one year later)? I stopped reading JSA many years ago, but I thought the idea of bringing Rex back was a horrible one. Is Rex still around? And if so, does it mean Rick was trapped in the timepoint, or whatever it was called? Or did he get out and they're both operating as Hourman? Or something else entirely?

Rex returned to the timepoint to switch places with Rick. Time was running out and Rex was going to meet his fate in Zero Hour against Extant. Rick tried to take his place and die instead, but at the last minute, Tyler, the android Hourman, impersonated Rex and "died" in his place. Rick and Rex returned to Earth, with Rick now operating full-time as Hourman with Rex in semi-retirement and working to rebuild the android Hourman. Neither character's been seen OYL yet.

[Doug Strange]

Rex returned to the timepoint to switch places with Rick. Time was running out and Rex was going to meet his fate in Zero Hour against Extant. Rick tried to take his place and die instead, but at the last minute, Tyler, the android Hourman, impersonated Rex and "died" in his place. Rick and Rex returned to Earth, with Rick now operating full-time as Hourman with Rex in semi-retirement and working to rebuild the android Hourman. Neither character's been seen OYL yet.Well, at least 853rd Century AI technology should be a piece of cake for a chemist from the 1940's, right?

I just knew Johns would find a way to weasel out of that 1-hour-left thing in the timepoint and bring Rex back full-time. He's incapable of letting go.

[Mr. Jixx]

I don't think that's fair. Rex is retired, not Hourman. It's Rick's turn, now. God forbid a golden ager could just ride off into the sunset without a asinine death.

As for your "chemist from the '40s" crack, blame Tom Peyer, not Johns. Rex Tyler actually built Ty in the 853rd century in the Hourman series.

Hourman fans are having their cake, and eating it. Rex was rescued from the horrible Zero Hour debacle, getting a second chance. Rick is the current Hourman. And we've already heard that the Tyler droid will be back in '06.

[comicfreak]

And we've already heard that the Tyler droid will be back in '06.
Really! Could you please tell me, where this has been said?

[Crimson Avenger]

Was Infinity Inc ever printed in trades or could I find the issues cheap?

Infinity, Inc has never been collected as a trade paperback, as far as I know.
You should be able to find back issues at your local comic shop at fairly reasonable prices.

[Crimson Avenger]

What if Bane got ahold of Miraclo?

Uh, he'd have the strength of ten Banes for one hour?

[Mr. Jixx]

That's Roy Thomas' version. The real Hourman has the strength of 50 men.

As for the 'Ty in '06', I don't have a link, sorry. During the Out of Time arc when Rex came back, there were a lot of people upset over the android's demise. Geoff, on his own boards, assured folk that Ty would be back, and back big in '06. Vague? Yes, but it's something, at least.

[PatrickG]

Actually, Rex Tyler was summoned by the androids of Tyler Chemorobotics in the 853rd century to build Tyler.

And they downloaded the necessary scientific knowhow into his brain and did mindwipes on him so that, upon returnining to the 1960s, he would have no memory of his double life.

As it turned out, although the androids of Tyler Chemorobotics were well-intentioned, their timeplucking and infodownloading and mindwiping had some negative impact on Rex Tyler's psyche, causing him to go a bit bonkers and develop a hatred of the android Hourman. And it was this subconscious hatred which strained his relationship with his son, Rick.

[Hellstormer]

And we've already heard that the Tyler droid will be back in '06.Seriously? I hope he gets his own series again and maybe Rick could even be in it :D

[Doug Strange]

I don't think that's fair. Rex is retired, not Hourman. It's Rick's turn, now. God forbid a golden ager could just ride off into the sunset without a asinine death.Hey, I'm with you. Zero Hour had some stupid deaths. It was generally stupid on all levels, though.

But there simply isn't any reason to dignify horrible stories like Zero Hour by writing more shlock to explain your way out of it. Same thing with "Green Lantern: Rebirth." Why bother with all that?

If a creator has an Hourman story they're dying to tell, they should tell it in flashback form or just reboot him in the modern era. All these "he's-dead-no-he-isn't" soap opera antics do is dilute the concept...and deny the characters the "riding off into the sunset" that they deserve. It's the 21st Century...in 10 years, most everybody in the real-world "Greatest Generation" will be dead. How long are we going to demand our WW2 characters do their Continuity-Is-King dog and pony show for us? How many more scenes do we need of Jay Garrick telling whoever the current Flash is..."Just...not...fast enough...anymore, kid!" Or, even worse, employing those lame de-aging devices. "I really should be 140, but I only feel in my mid-80's!" That's compelling storytelling.

As for your "chemist from the '40s" crack, blame Tom Peyer, not Johns. Rex Tyler actually built Ty in the 853rd century in the Hourman series.PatrickG's got a decent explanation for this. Rex may feel that the necessary know-how is still inside his head somehow. Still strikes me as silly, though.

Hourman fans are having their cake, and eating it. Rex was rescued from the horrible Zero Hour debacle, getting a second chance. Rick is the current Hourman. And we've already heard that the Tyler droid will be back in '06.Rex didn't need a "second chance" like you describe. He's a fictional character. Somebody wrote a lame story. It happens. No reason to write more lame stories just for the sake of keeping the character "alive."

I'm a huge Rex fan. I'd love to read a good book with Hourman in it. But 80-year-old-feels-40-was-almost-dead-but-an-android-he-must-now-rebuild-took-his-place Rex doesn't do it for me. Too much baggage.

All I want is pure, unadulterated, Miraclo-Munching Man of the Hour. No soap, radio!

[Gentlegamer]

These two TPBs contain a nice story arc about Rex and Rick Tyler:
JSA: Black Reign (http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=3655)
JSA: Lost (http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=4016)
The story begins in Black Reign and concludes in Lost.

[Mr. Jixx]

Fair enough, Doug, I can even agree with most of your points. I'm usually against the 'bring them back' stuff, but I liked this one, for whatever reason.

Maybe I've been searching for a 'replacement' for how cool the elder Ted Knight was in the Starman series.

[Babylon23]

I have no problem with character returning from the dead when their death is so abyssmally bad that it's disrespectful to the character. For me, Zero Hour took 2 of my favourite long-standing DC characters and killed them in a way that was disrespectful to their history and status in the company. Hal Jordan's death was the same. If Johns wants to undo these stories and restore the status of the characters, then I say great.

Also, if the writers have more interesting stories to tell with these formerly dead characters, then I see no problem in bringing back to life if there's a loophole where this is possible. In both instances, the loopholes were there, and Johns took advantage of them.

As it is, their replacement characters are all pretty much active, with the exception of the android Hourman (who, as has been mentioned, will be returning this year). If your a fan of Rick, or Kyle Rayner, you can see them appearing regularly in different titles, while fans of Hal and Rex can do the same.

[Yoda]

I loved Mike Allerd's Hourman story in SOLO. That thing was great and actually got me to like Hourman for the first time. Since then I've snagged most of the Hourman series by Peyer & Rag's and I've got into JSA pretty heavily. I hope we see more of Hourman (any of them) soon.

[Hellstormer]

I loved Mike Allerd's Hourman story in SOLO. That thing was great and actually got me to like Hourman for the first time. Since then I've snagged most of the Hourman series by Peyer & Rag's and I've got into JSA pretty heavily. I hope we see more of Hourman (any of them) soon.
That was a good story

As far as bringing characters back from the dead, the only time I don't mind is when it was a cheap death (Ollie, Ted Kord, Creeper)