Megaton #7
Megaton #7 (April 1987) is the pivotal installment in Gary Carlson's copper-age independent anthology, resolving a cliffhanger that had been left dangling since Megaton #1 (1983) — a gap of four years — by reuniting Megaton (Matthew Scott) with both Ultraman (Christopher Kelly) and his daughter Christie Kelly as Ultragirl for the first time in the same story. The issue marks Ultragirl's second-ever comics appearance and her first substantial role outside of her origin, setting the emotional and narrative foundation for the character's ongoing significance in both the remaining Megaton issues and Gary Carlson's later Big Bang Comics universe. It also represents a crucial transitional chapter in the run of a series that served as an early proving ground for artists who would go on to co-found Image Comics — making even its late issues part of the broader origin story of the independent comics revolution of the 1990s.
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Publisher and writer Gary Carlson created and edited the entire Megaton run, but reaching issue #7 was a protracted struggle: a revolving door of artists (Butch Guice, Clarke Hawbaker, Angel Medina, and others) had departed for Marvel, First Comics, or other publishers between 1983 and 1987, and Carlson himself was sidelined for a period by a serious back injury requiring surgery. By the time issue #7 was finally assembled in late 1986 for an April 1987 publication, Carlson had settled on Gary Thomas Washington as the new regular interior artist for Megaton, while enticing original Ultragirl artist Butch Guice back one more time to provide the cover — deliberately bridging the long gap back to issue #1. Rob Liefeld, then a teenage aspiring artist working with Carlson, contributed layouts for the main Megaton story (though Washington drew the finished pages), and future Fables writer Bill Willingham contributed interior work as well; the book was published just months before Megaton Comics folded amid the broader black-and-white independent comics market collapse of 1987.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published April 1987 by Megaton Comics; 36 pages, black and white; edited by Gary Carlson.
- Cover drawn by Jackson 'Butch' Guice — the same artist who drew Ultragirl's debut in Megaton #1 — deliberately connecting the two issues across the four-year gap.
- Marks the second appearance of Ultragirl (Christie Kelly) and her first appearance alongside Megaton (Matthew Scott); she had debuted in Megaton #1 (1983) and not appeared again in any main story until this issue.
- The main Megaton story was written by Gary Carlson with interior art by Gary Thomas Washington, who was beginning his debut run on the title with this issue.
- A back-up Ultragirl story drawn by John Thompson and Mike Matthew resolves the fate of Ultraman (Christopher Kelly): having leeched his daughter's energy, he walks away and fakes his own death so he will never endanger her again.
- Bill Willingham (later the creator of Fables) contributed interior work; an inside front cover illustration is credited to Willingham and Rich Rankin.
- Rob Liefeld provided layouts for the main story (though Gary Thomas Washington executed the final art), part of his early collaborative period with Carlson before Liefeld went on to co-found Image Comics.
- One of only eight issues ever published in the Megaton (1983 series) before Megaton Comics ceased operations in 1987; the entire series was later collected and reprinted.
Cast · 17 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Ultragirl and Megaton meet for first time and hit it off. Ultraman is cured temporarily of his radioactivity, but urges Megaton to let his daughter Ultragirl think he's dead, for her own safety.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).