3 out of 5

Derek Drymon will eventually rule the S.Bob roost along with Jacob Chabot – he’d already made an impression with his bits in previous issues – but this first attempt at a multi-part story drags on a bit too long.  It’s a fun idea, with Jerry Ordway doing knockout art work on Mermaid Man flashback bits, as SB tries to piece together what happened in a classic issue (he’s missing the telltale page) by recreating it, and Drymon’s comic timing in the modern day sections are equally rewarding, there’s just the sense that the gags – which repeat – could’ve worked better compressed down to either a full-length story issue, or split up into less parts.  While the remaining space in the issues have a fair amount of worthwhile stuff (Tony Millionaire and Rich Tomasso pop up!), it all feels like everyone’s holding in their best material to let ‘Showdown’ shine.  So when its shine is minimal…