I loved the idea of the “H Dial”. Dialing up a new hero whenever I needed a hero. You’d never know which hero would appear. Some of them were lame while others had interesting powers. As a kid, the “H Dial” inspired me to come up with my own heroes. It nurtured my creativity. As an adult I realize my creativity is a power that I have that can get me out of almost any situation. My creativity allows me to think out of the box. Truly that’s a great power to have.

Power Within

“…Within this old chest lies the power to help your fellow man. Take the power, use it wisely, for this is mankind’s darkest hour, and it will need the heroes which you shall bring forth.” - Plaque on Trunk*

The mysterious H-Dial, no one knows where it comes from or how it was made but the mystical energies allows the beholder to dial the letters H E R O in that order and become a hero whenever the need for a hero rises. Each time the H-Dial is used a different hero is created and seldom repeated. The powers are specific to help fix, correct or solve the mystery. There have been several keepers of the H-Dial, Robby Reed, Chris King, Vicki Grant, and Travis Milton. Some of the interesting heroes that have come forth are Zip Tide, Muscle Man, Robby Go-Go, Mr. Thin, Blast Boy, Moth, Attacko, Futuro, Alchemiss, Blazerina, and Star.

It would be nice to have a dial on our watches that would allow us to dial up a hero to fix any situation. The truth is we do have a power. We can turn to that power whenever we need it and each of us has a different power to turn to regularly. For some of us it might be steadfastness, or courage. For others it might be insight or creativity. While others may really be able to sit still and trust. We may have a combination of these gifts. The quarterback that can see the opposing teams next play. The painter that can accurately paint the surreal or the valedictorian that can move her classmates to tears with her speech. We find our gifts and we use them – that is true power. We do not need an Attacko, or Muscle Man, or Blazerina to save the day – we have ourselves.

Dial H for HERO
First Appearance: House of Mystery #158 (January 1966) - #173 (April 1968)

Second Appearance: Legion of Superheroes #272 (February 1981)

Third Appearance: H.E.R.O. #1 (2003)

Creators: Jim Mooney (art) and Dave Wood (script)

* Legion of Superheroes #272 (February 1981), DC Comics