In the Palm of Your Hand...

In the Palm of Your Hand...
Publisher	Valiant Comics
Label	Nintendo Comics System
Artist(s)	Art Nichols, Gray Morrow, Paul Creddick, Ken Lopez, The Gradations.
Writer(s)	George Caragonne, Todd Haedrich
Release date	February 1990
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In the Palm of Your Hand... is the first issue of Valiant's Game Boy comic mini-series, part of Nintendo Comics System.

Plot synopsis

In his Piscataway, New Jersey apartment, Herman Smirch plays Super Mario Land on his Game Boy and manages to reach the game's final level. Instead of battling Tatanga though, Herman just allows him to blow-up the Sky Pop, along with Mario. Looking at his watch, Herman realizes that it's time for him to go to work and bids farewell to his pet hamster, Attila (or "Atty").

While waiting for the bus, Herman is approached by a homeless man looking for money. Annoyed and disgusted by the man, Herman tells him to go away. The beggar, insulted, claims to be a war veteran and begins telling Herman off. Herman, not knowing what to do, tries to get the man to go away by offering him a quarter. The homeless man tells Herman to keep his quarter and "stuff it!"

Arriving at the Wonder World Mall, Herman meets his boss, Mr. Levison at Lev's Lectronics, Herman's workplace. Noticing Herman looks distressed, Mr. Levison asks him if anything is wrong. Herman goes on to tell an exaggerated story about the days earlier events, saying he was nearly "mugged" and goes on to rant about how there's "no justice in the world".

Mr. Levison, after listening to Herman's story and seemingly not believing it, goes to the bank, leaving Herman in charge of Lev's Lectronics; before leaving though, Mr. Levison mentions that one of the stores Game Boys is missing and believes it may have been shoplifted.

Herman, now alone in the store, says to himself that he was the one to steal the Game Boy and, quite hypocritically, decides to steal another one, saying that he "deserves" it.

While Herman rummages through Lev's Lectronics' stock, two teenagers named Rick and Josh enter the store, looking for some copies of Super Mario Bros. 3. Asking Herman if he has the game, Rick and Josh end-up leaving the store when Herman, seemingly in a trance, doesn't answer them.

While heading to the food court of the Wonder World Mall, Josh hears a "thump" in Lev's Lectronic, though he is dragged away to the food court by Rick before he can check what caused the noise.

Inside Lev's Lectronics, Herman is forced to the ground by dozens of monsters that had come-out of the Game Boy. As Herman is tied down, he sees Tatanga and Princess Daisy on a large ship. Tatanga goes on to tell Daisy that he plans on conquering this "new world" and add it to his empire. When Daisy inquires what Tatanga plans on doing with Herman, Tatanga says he has served his purpose of showing him the path to Earth and he simply plans on killing him.

Before Tatanga's troops can execute Herman though, Daisy convinces Tatanga to let Herman live so he can be questioned. Seeing that Daisy has a point, Tatanga orders his second-in-command, Pionpi to interrogate Herman.

A bewildered Herman proceeds to ask Pionpi how he got here; Pionpi responds that Tatanga had used his "mind probes" to search for another suitable planet to conquer and Tatanga found this planet; all that was needed to gain entrance to the planet was a mind to act as a beacon and Herman's mind was used. Asking why he was chosen, Pionpi responds that an apathetic and weak-willed individual like him was perfect for use.

Tatanga and his troops, beginning their attack on the Wonder World Mall.

Herman, believing this to just be a dream, is asked by Pionpi where they are. Herman responds that they're in the Wonder World Mall, suddenly, Tatanga begins to deploy his armies, telling them to conquer the "Wonder World."

In the Wonder World Mall, Rick, Josh and everyone present, are suddenly accosted by Tatanga's minions, who proceed to cause chaos. As people begin to flee, Josh recognizes the creatures as enemies from Super Mario Land.

As Tatanga oversees the destruction of the Wonder World Mall, Daisy manages to convince him to get her something to eat as a distraction to make him stop his rampage. Momentarily stopping his destruction, Tatanga asks Herman where they could get something to eat. Herman replies that the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center would be perfect and is forced by Tatanga to take him there.

Meanwhile, Josh, seeing that Tatanga was able to come to Earth, begins to believe that Mario can do the same and begins trying to "summon" him, as a disbelieving Rick watches. Surprisingly, Mario does come-out of the Game Boy after Josh leads him through a mysterious "third door" in the Muda Kingdom.

After hearing that Tatanga is loose on Earth, Mario realizes he must have used a Warp Zone, though one on a dimensional scale, to get here. With help from Rick and Josh, Mario reaches New York City where he tries to track down Tatanga.

Meanwhile, in Windows on the World, Pionpi, using violent methods, begins demanding food for Tatanga's troops. Pionpi's methods work, as all of Tatanga's minions are given a large amount of food by several chefs.

At the ground floor of the World Trade Center, Mario, Josh and Rick arrive and begin fighting-off Tatanga's troops. After defeating a Gao, Mario finds an elevator and uses it to try and reach the top floor.

Upstairs, Daisy, while eating, tries to convince Tatanga to renounce his ways. Tatanga agrees too, but only if Daisy marries him. Daisy refuses, much to Tatanga's disappointment.

Reaching the room where Tatanga and Daisy are, Mario, Rick and Josh begin fighting their way through Tatanga's hoards. On his ship, Tatanga rebuffs Daisy pleas to spare Mario, saying this time, Mario will die.

As Josh tries to convince Rick to let him help Mario, Mario himself, after narrowly escaping the clutches of Tatanga's troops, is knocked to the ground by Herman Smirch, who had swatted Mario with a food tray. Before Mario can fall into the hands of Tatanga's troops though, he is saved by Rick while Josh points-out some nearby ? Blocks constructed by Tatanga's engineers, saying there are probably some items in them that could help Mario.

Hitting a ? Block while Josh and Rick distract Tatanga's minions, Mario grabs a Super Star and starts defeating all of Tatanga's men. As Herman flees the scene, Tatanga, infuriated, activates the Pagosu, only to be convinced by Daisy, who does not want either Tatanga or Mario to be killed, to return to Sarasaland.

Before he is trapped on Earth, Mario, after saying goodbye to Rick and Josh, goes back to the video game world using Josh's Game Boy, just as the police arrive.

Notes

• The story was reprinted in The Best of the Nintendo Comics System and Super Mario in: "Tatanga Invades Earth".
• Unlike the following issues, this one does not feature a fake newspaper page from the International Enquisitor, instead having an editorial statement discussing the premise of the series.