Big Bang Comics #8

When Dave Donovan wakes up in the hospital after a routine tonsillectomy, he’s stunned to find himself outfitted with mechanical arms, a titanium leg, and a transistorized headset—mistaken for the elite soldier chosen for a secret experiment. The project, backed by the mysterious "Crusading Crew," has just released its pulsating eighth issue, and Dave’s life is about to change in ways he never expected.

In "null," an ordinary man known only as Jo finds himself in a hospital bed, desperate to contribute during a time of national need. When he learns that Colonel Adam is scheduled for a life-saving surgery that will transform him into a superhero, Jo makes a quiet, selfless decision to take his place—stepping into a destiny not his own.

In "By Any Other Name..." from Big Bang Comics #8 (1997), orphaned draft-dodging hippie Brett Kowalski is taken against his will and subjected to the secret "Project Perfect Patriot" experiment, thrusting him into a life of government service he never chose. The story explores the cost of identity and loyalty when a man’s past is erased and his future rewritten.

In "Old Glory," the truth behind Mister U.S. is finally revealed: the hero known as Caspar Milquetoast was never real, and the man in the suit was always a machine, his memories of a human past a carefully crafted illusion. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, this four-page story peels back the myth of a national icon with a quiet, haunting twist.