Hard Time

    (DC, 2004-2005)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Hard Time will be a hard pill to swallow for certain readers, since the protagonist—the “hero”—takes part in a Columbine-type shooting spree. What makes this concept palpable, though, is the relative innocence of the protagonist in question: he thought the guns were loaded with blanks; he never fired a shot; and he was under the impression that the whole thing was an elaborate prank to simply antagonize and humiliate the school’s bullying jocks. Unlike Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who appeared to be equally responsible for the Columbine tragedy, Ethan Harrow is clearly less culpable than his partner, Brandon Snodd.

Relatively innocent or not, Harrow, who discovers that he has mysterious super-powers, is served with hard time (hence the title), and this is a sobering message for teen-agers who think a fake bomb threat, a hold-up with toy guns, or any other type of life-threatening prank is a laughing matter. Not that this comic book should be mistaken for a morality play—it’s basically a satire (no surprise, considering that writer Steve Gerber created Howard the Duck) that is counterbalanced by an overriding seriousness concerning bullying and its correlation to teen angst, the celebrity of criminality, and an unfair justice system. (Harrow’s sentence is a bit harsh.)
Fittingly, the name of the school is Caulfied, an obvious reference to the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s teen-age angst-heavy Catcher in the Rye.

— Brett Weiss
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  • 1
    #1
    Apr 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    6 copies from $0.99
  • 1/NS
    #1 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Tomer Hanuka
    Apr 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 2
    #2
    May 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 2/NS
    #2 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Tomer Hanuka
    May 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 3
    #3
    Jun 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 3/NS
    #3 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Tomer Hanuka
    Jun 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 4
    #4
    Jul 2004
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  • 4/NS
    #4 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Tomer Hanuka
    Jul 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 5
    #5
    Aug 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    4 copies from $1.75
  • 5/NS
    #5 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Aug 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 6
    #6
    Sep 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 6/NS
    #6 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Sep 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 7
    #7
    Oct 2004
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  • 7/NS
    #7 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Oct 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 8
    #8
    Oct 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 8/NS
    #8 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Oct 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 9
    #9
    Dec 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 9/NS
    #9 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Dec 2004
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 10
    #10
    Jan 2005
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  • 10/NS
    #10 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Jan 2005
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
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  • 11
    #11
    Feb 2005
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    3 copies from $2.98
  • 11/NS
    #11 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Feb 2005
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    No copies available
  • 12
    #12
    Mar 2005
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    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    6 copies from $3.00
  • 12/NS
    #12 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Brian Hurtt
    Mar 2005
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    No copies available
  • Bk 1
    Book #1
    Nov 2004
    Cover: $9.95
    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    Collects Hard Time #1-6
    1 copy for $7.98
  • Bk 2
    Book #2
    Cover: $14.99
    W: Steve Gerber  ·  A: Brian Hurtt
    Collects Hard Time #7-12; ca. 2012
    No copies available