There's no need to fear! The Mercury is here!

It's not easy being the promotions and marketing guy for a newspaper in the age of 'dieing newspapers.'

People look to you to be the hero. But dudes like me--standing 5'4, and weighing in at 130 pounds--aren't exactly hero material. (A radioactive spider bite might help.)

Funny thing is, that's why people turned to newspapers in the first place--for a hero. The people wanted the uncanny truth, unfloundering democracy... and crossword puzzles. Think about it; why did Clark Kent and Peter Parker work for their city's newspaper when they weren't fighting baddies? Because newspapers fight for the truth, for the people, for a better community and for a better tomorrow.

So I figured if what the people want is a hero, it's time we gave 'em one, darn it. And last week, that's exactly what we did. We had our resident (and awesomely talented) cartoonist Alan MacBain bring The Mercury to life--as a full on super hero with Dr. Manhattan's glowing blue skin, a shiney chrome Jay Garrick helmet, and a faithful (not to mention feisty) floating sidekick named "Dot." Besides, after all these years of elegantly posing next to The Mercury logo, it's the least we could do for our pal Skippy.

If you missed Sunday's Mercury, you missed this introduction panel. (Give it a click for full resolution.)

But now that Pottstown's hero is here, how do you see his crusading story unfolding in the future? What evil villains might await him? What are his weaknesses? Will Marvel Comics hate us for creating a superhero cooler than The Mighty Thor? And does anyone else have Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero" stuck in their head?

But more importantly... who will play Skippy in the movie adaption? Def not Christian Bale!