Polania the Contemplatrix sat in a deep trance as she used her powers to view the key players in the coming events which would decide the fate of the universe.
On Hala, the former renegades, now the rulers of the Kree empire, were addressing a crowd of their most loyal subjects, those who were filled with anticipation for the summoning of Garero.
"In mere moments," said Captain Atlas, "the sacred ritual shall commence!"
"And Garero shall walk among us, leading us to victory against all who oppose us." said Minerva.
The crowd began chanting Garero’s name.
Polania turned her attention to the Avengers, Helkon, and an army of air and ground centurions, all marching toward the Deathlands, from whose ground Garero would emerge unless they could prevent it.
Thor and Helkon were holding a conversation.
"...and that is why no other gods could accompany us." said Helkon. "The corrupting influence of Garero is such that only the purest of heart may resist its invitation to sink into the lowest depths of the darkness within every soul. The centurions, being as they are of the living dead, hath no souls to corrupt. Unfortunately, that also doth leave them as little more than cannon fodder."
"If he art thy father, as thou sayeth, wouldst thou not be particularly susceptible to said malign influence?" Thor inquired.
"Aye," replied Helkon, "that is why the Avengers must face him. Myself and the centurions do accompany thee for the sole purpose of holding off Garero’s acolytes. Most art merely a motley crew of demi-gods and minor demons – the only true threats are my half-brother Vultro and the sorcerous Tigin the Trickster."
At Helkon’s mention of Garero’s acolytes, Polania shifted her view again, this time to the bleak, darkness-shrouded Deathlands, where the acolytes were preparing the mystic ritual to liberate Garero from the realm of death. As the necessary artifacts were arranged and symbols drawn on the ground, Garero’s other son Vultro, he of the coarse black hair and considerable bulk, turned to the cowled, long-fingered Tigin the Trickster.
"Hath our worshipers on the mortal plane commenced the sacrifice?" asked Vultro in a voice like an automobile exhaust.
"Yes, yes," replied Tigin in a nasal voice with strange inflections, "see for thyself, thou brute of little faith." Tigin waved his hand and a ball of light floating above the palm appeared. Inside the ball, Vultro and Tigin observed as the new Kree rulers tossed the bodies of the civil war’s many wounded into a giant brazier.
"Excellent!" said Vultro. "Let the ritual commence, before my hated half-brother doth arrive and attempt to disrupt us."
Tigin raised his hands and began chanting incomprehensible incantations while Vultro and the other acolytes watched the mystic circle from which Garero would emerge if they succeeded.
Polania shuddered before shifting her view one last time, towards the players in this drama who were oblivious to the shattering events now unfolding. She simultaneously observed the approach of an interstellar pirate armada towards the border worlds of the Kree empire, and a Titanian starship stealthily following the armada while concealed within sub-space.
Within the starship, Eros of Titan, also known as Starfox, and the former Pyreus Kril of Xandar, now known to all as Firelord, sat in the pilot and co-pilot chairs respectively. They nervously awaited the best chance to reveal themselves.
"I grow impatient, Eros." barked Firelord. "Too long have we lain idle while Nebula continues to spread death and destruction. Her victims must be avenged..."
"...and you’re the one destined to carry it out. I know, you’ve only told me a hundred times." muttered Starfox warily. "But if we’re not cautious, we may both end up among the casualties. Might I remind you that she stole a Negative Zone weapon from Annihilus himself?"
And in the pirate armada’s flagship, presiding over the bridge, was Nebula herself, the terror of a thousand galaxies.
She turned to her right-hand man, Gunthar of Rigel, and said, "With the power of the Negavator, we shall be unstoppable as we conquer the Kree empire."
"Overconfidence could lead to disaster." replied Gunthar. "This is, after all, the Kree we are talking about."
"Ha!" said Nebula, "the Kree are a fading shadow of their former selves as long as the Supreme Intelligence continues to rule them. Of course, I would rather return to my original goal of conquering the Skrull empire, but they have grown far too strong during the time it took me to free myself from the Negative Zone and rebuild my armada."
"Border patrol directly ahead!" alerted Gunthar.
"Superb." said Nebula, grinning wickedly. "Any excuse to activate the Negavator is a good one."
At her command, a gigantic laser cannon attached to the flagship made a single clean sweep, and every ship of the Kree border patrol exploded in a string of red and orange fireballs.
Nebula laughed as she exulted in the destructive power at her fingertips.
Over in sub-space, Starfox and Firelord were left temporarily speechless by the morbid spectacle. "It’s worse than I feared." said Starfox. "Our best option is to head for Hala; Mar-Vell showed me the planet’s safe zones on clandestine voyages we made there; then we’ll formulate a plan."
Polania was satisfied with what she had seen, and dared to hope she would not have to interfere. For if she did, there was the possibility it could cause a disaster even worse than Garero’s triumph.
*********
"...and then Bianca and I went to 54 and..."
The Black Knight set down his cards, got up from his seat, and spoke up.
"You know, Janet, we’ve made a lot of changes to the base since the last time you were here. Why don’t I show you around? The others can continue the game without me."
"What a SPLENDID idea, Dane." replied the Wasp loudly before turning coy. "Of course, you always have splendid ideas. Have I ever told you that?"
"Right this way." said Dane awkwardly as he led Janet out the door.
"Boy, that was weird." remarked Ant-Man warily.
"Hey," said Hellcat, "Isn’t Dane dating Jennifer?"
"I have not been privy to the recent romantic entanglements amongst the Avengers set." replied Beast crisply.
"Janet’s lucky that Jennifer’s not here." said Hellcat. " I’ve heard she’s the jealous type and she has the worst temper. And aren’t they supposedly best friends? If my best friend tried..."
"Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, Hellcat," said Ant-Man, "Beast and I are guys. Playing cards."
"Right," said Hellcat, smiling tightly, "so, how about those Mets?"
Some distance away, Dane led Janet into the medical center where Monica still lay in a coma.
"Terrible." said Janet with zero conviction. "Just terrible."
Terrible was the word for how Dane felt at that moment. Something was freezing Janet’s heart, turning her into someone far different from the winsome Wasp everybody knew and loved. But for the life of him, he couldn’t come up with an explanation that made any sense to him.
He ushered Janet out of the medical center, and they headed for the heart of the machinery that ran Hydrobase. Inside, a young woman whose shortish hair was growing out awkwardly was busy at work fine-tuning the machinery.
"This is Rita," said Dane, "she’s become our official mechanic as has been a great help..."
"IT’S YOU!" screamed Janet. "YELLOWJACKET!"
Rita cowered in fear as Janet’s fists began blazing in preparation to fire a bio-electric blast. Dane immediately got between them and grabbed Janet by the wrists, suffering minor burns on his hands and lower arms.
"Janet, no! She’s reformed! She’s under house arrest here at Hydrobase. We made all the arrangements, and it’s worked out really well. Plus, her computer skills saved the Avengers and the entire world from the Fixer’s plans."
"What kind of a team have the Avengers become??" cried Janet.
"How," inquired Dane, "is Rita any different than Clint, Wanda, Pietro...?"
"I CAN’T TAKE THIS!" yelled Janet, running into the nearest bathroom and locking herself inside.
For the next fifteen minutes, Dane pounded on the bathroom door, begging and pleading for Janet to come out. Then the alarm rang, summoning Dane to the control center. Dane turned to Rita and said, "Watch that door."
"I will." Rita replied meekly.
Dane rushed off, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. When he arrived at the control center and saw the monitor, the weight felt heavier.
"A time/space flux pulse in Washington, D.C." reported the Beast. "It appears to be an invasion of highly evolved apes from an alternate timeline."
"Their leader!" exclaimed Hellcat, pointing at the monitor’s screen. "He’s very much from THIS place and time! It’s my old enemy, the Mandrill!"
"Looks like Mandrill has watched ‘Escape from the Planet of the Apes’ too many times." Ant-Man quipped drily.
"Hellcat, you say you’ve faced him before. Was this with the Defenders?" asked Dane.
"Yes. Twice." said Hellcat.
"Then you’ll be field commander." said Dane.
Hellcat’s eyes widened, followed an instant later by a wide smile. "Yes, sir!" she gleefully replied, giving a salute.
Dane and the reservists ran to the nearest quinjet.
********
As the skies grew ever darker in the Deathlands, and the Avengers and their companions reached their quarry, Thor and Helkon looked at each other. They didn’t have to say a word – they already knew they were too late.
At the site of the ritual, white fire erupted from the ground, followed by billows of the blackest smoke, and finally, the rising of the imposing, intimidating, armor-clad, impossibly muscular figure of Garero. Within Garero’s horned helmet, two evil eyes glowed like hot coals; the rest of the evil god’s face was hidden, lest it horrify to death those who glimpsed it.
"LET ALL WHO LIVE BY THE CODES OF WEAKNESS CHOKE ON THEIR TERROR," declared Garero in a voice deeper than the deepest abyss and which echoed for untold miles, "FOR I HAVE RETURNED TO CONQUER THE UNIVERSE!"
"All hail Garero!" exclaimed a kneeling Tigin the Trickster like some demented evil preacher.
"I bid thee welcome, father!" said Vultro, kneeling as well. "The time for battle is nigh."
Vultro received an unexpected response from a familiar voice.
"Closer than thou dare imagine, perfidious ones!" said Helkon, as he and the Avengers and the centurions stood atop the nearest hill.
Vultro stood up and laughed in the face of his defiant relation. "So, thou hast come for more punishment, my weakling brother!"
"Tis thee who shall be punished for thy deeds!" snarled Helkon. "Punished by DEATH!"
Spurred on by Helkon’s words, the forces of good charged like a modern-day Light Brigade. Helkon’s mace and Vultro’s axe clashed deafeningly as the two brothers enacted the ultimate sibling rivarly. The centurions quickly overwhelmed the acolytes, giving the Avengers a clear path towards Garero, who stood tall, arms folded, eyes radiating evil.
Quasar’s quantum armor was now outfitted like a war machine, with twin guns at the end of each arm and a shoulder-mounted cannon. Quasar opened fire on Garero, hitting the evil god with a barrage of destructive quantum force.
But when it was over, Garero still stood, completely unscathed. His eyes turned from glowing red to glowing white, and he fired the deadliest cosmic beams imaginable at Quasar, who instantly turned away to prevent a direct hit. But merely being grazed by Garero’s beams shattered his armor and left him lying motionless on the ground.
Namor hit Garero high with all his might; She-Hulk hit Garero low with all her might. Both heroes bit down hard to try and deny the unimaginable pain they felt and keep up the attack, but it was not enough, and Garero brutally swatted them away.
"Garero!" yelled Thor. "Turn and face the God of Thunder!"
Garero roared with contemptuous laughter. "ART THOU THE BEST MY SON COULD SUMMON AGAINST ME, GODLING?"
With a berserker’s roar, Thor let his hammer Mjolnir fly with a force he had never before used.
It did no good. Mjolnir struck Garero square in the chest, but the evil god did not flinch...and Mjolnir shattered!
The split second of Thor’s paralyzing shock gave Garero the opportunity to lunge at Thor. The two gods hit the ground with seismic force. Thor, as he had always done in the most extreme situations, began to surrender to the warrior madness, and his punches began to connect with Garero. But even this was in vain, as Garero quickly gained the advantage and within a minute, was back on his feet again, holding Thor aloft. Garero then tossed Thor aside, and the thunder god landed next to Namor and She-Hulk.
Garero then began to use his least physical but most dangerous power – he reached into the minds of the Avengers, in the hopes of making them soldiers in his army. It was Thor he hoped the most he would be able to turn to his side, but Thor’s millenia of hard-won wisdom proved impossible to crack; similarly, Quasar, despite his youth, had seen a lot and unlocked many cosmic secrets, and was also immune.
But with Namor and She-Hulk, Garero struck gold. Namor, in particular, had always been morally ambiguous and had even been an outright villain many times over; his facade of middle-aged serenity was brittle and easily shattered – Namor stood, his eyes glowing red. Next, She-Hulk put up the best fight she could, but her many resentments and her accumulated bitterness, combined with her feelings of persecution, eventually found her standing with eyes aglow.
The severely wounded Thor was barely standing and just beginning to realize what was happening to Namor and She-Hulk, when Garero gave them a psionic order to attack Thor with all their strength. This they did, viciously beating their fellow Avenger until he lay on the ground unconscious.
Garero then sent his new soldiers over towards Helkon and Vultro. They had disarmed each other, and Helkon had Vultro in a headlock until She-Hulk came up from behind and struck Helkon’s head. Momentarily disoriented, Helkon was pulled away from his brother, Namor and She-Hulk holding his arms in a tight grip, and dragged over to where Garero stood.
"THOU HAST DEFIED MY WILL FOR THE LAST TIME, TRAITOROUS SON OF MINE." said Garero. "TO KILL THEE WOULD BE MERCIFUL, AND I AM NEVER MERCIFUL. NO, THOU SHALL FIGHT BY MY SIDE, THE ULTIMATE HUMILIATION FOR THEE!"
Helkon tried to resist, but in the end, the evil flowing in his blood would not be denied. His eyes, which normally glowed red, now glowed white.
In the realm of mortals, on Hala, the new rulers of the Kree had witnessed the entire battle thanks to their cosmic awareness. They knew now the time had come to stand in a circle and use the power cosmic to open a rift through which Garero and his acolytes could cross over. This they did.
When the Kree masses saw Garero standing directly before them, they exploded in reverential celebration. And when Garero motioned for silence, they obeyed.
"HERE WE STAND, ON THE VERGE OF THE GREATEST WAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. FOR WHEN IT IS OVER, THE KREE WILL RULE SUPREME, AND ALL SENTIENT BEINGS SHALL SERVE ME AS GOD OF GODS. A NEW DAY IS RISING – THE DAY OF GARERO!!"
The masses exploded once again in rapture, their chants of Garero’s name echoing through galaxies.
And an all-consuming darkness began to fall upon the universe.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART VIII
Showing posts with label superheroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superheroes. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell", Part Six
As the centurions moved in for the kill, Thor’s powerfully deep voice exploded across the horizon.
“Avengers, we hath suffered too many humiliations recently. Let us show these abominations the warriors we truly are. ATTACK!”
Thor’s hammer swung left and right, sending wounded centurions flying out of control in every direction. Namor took to the air and used his fists to prevent more centurions from descending, while those who descended had to deal with She-Hulk and a quantum-armored Quasar. The Avengers whipped themselves into a frenzy, and the intensity of the battle was almost tactile. In what seemed like an instant, all the centurions were lying unconscious on the ground.
The Avengers were still catching their breath when they heard an authoritative female voice seemingly coming from out of nowhere.
“Hail, Avengers! Thy coming was foretold and you hath proven yourselves worthy of your legends.”
They turned to see a statuesque woman with fair skin and long brunette hair, clothed in regal wear and standing on a high-tech floating platform. She had not been there a moment ago.
“Introductions are in order. I am Polania, the Contemplatrix, goddess of knowledge in the Kree Pantheon.”
“Didst thou send those murderous monstrosities after us?” Thor angrily demanded to know.
“Nay,” replied Polania, “twas Helkon, god of gods, who did order the attack. Do not take it personally. He hath become paranoid of late, with good reason.”
“Yeah?” sneered She-Hulk. “I’d like a personal apology from this Helkon.”
“So shall it be.” declared Polania. Her chair began to glow, becoming brighter until the Avengers were blinded. They felt themselves being teleported to an unknown destination.
********
Destruction rained down on Hala from the sky above. The fleet of ships under the renegades’ command pressed forward. For every ship that was taken out by the cannons on the ground, two more bombarded their targets and hit the precise spots.
It was time for the renegades to bring out the heavy artillery, namely the renegades themselves. Captain Atlas led the charge as the six cosmic-powered villains dive-bombed their opponents. When they reached the ground, the infantry swarmed around them. Zetazia became a living flamethrower, torching dozen of soldiers with one breath while Verxa and Loparr dismembered the others with their claws and fangs and Gurge single-handedly took on the nearest tank and, after taking a direct hit without flinching, tore it apart with his bare hands. Atlas then cleared a path for them with his super-telekinesis, sending the giant tanks scattering like so many toys. It looked like it would only be a matter of time before the renegades succeeded in their coup.
*********
The Avengers found themselves inside a palace that had clearly seen better days – the walls were cracked and discolored, and the decor was dusty and rusty. Atop a battered throne sat Helkon, who looked somewhat like Thor, only with long red hair and glowing red eyes to match.
“Your highness,” Polania said to Helkon, “as I did predict, the Avengers hath arrived.”
“Greetings, Avengers,” said Helkon in a low, menacing voice, “and apologies for your reception. We are in a time of crisis. When last Garero broke free from captivity, he did verily exterminate my predecessor. I doth not pretend to be worthy of this throne upon which I sit, nor to be fit to lead the coming battle against Garero’s imminent return. It is in thee that we place our faith against an enemy whose greatest advantage lies within my lifeblood.”
“Thou speakest in riddles, Helkon!” said Thor impatiently. “Explain thyself!”
“Very well.” grumbled Helkon. “Garero...is my father!”
“Jeez!” muttered She-Hulk, “were caught in the middle of a soap opera!”
*********
Meanwhile, at Hydrobase, the Black Knight and most of his reserves had taken up the Beast in his offer of a game of poker.
“I fold.” said the Black Knight.
“I’ll see you,” said Hellcat to the Beast and Ant-Man, “and I’ll raise you...”
Suddenly, the Wasp burst into the room. She had overdone her hair and makeup to the point where she almost looked like a drag queen, and she began talking at a mile a minute. “Poker, huh? Did I ever tell you about the time I was gambling in Monaco after a fashion show in Paris? What a night that was, I tell ya...”
The rest of the team cringed silently, not knowing what to say or do.
********
The road to the Supreme Intelligence’s citadel was paved with incalculable collateral damage. The renegades did not betray any guilt as they strode purposefully toward their target.
There was silence when they first entered the Supreme Intelligence’s antiseptic chambers. It was the Supremor who broke the silence.
“I would advise you to turn back now,” he growled stoically at the renegades, “or your fate shall be a deadly one.”
“Words, mere words!” shouted Atlas. “We speak through ACTION!”
And the renegades began their assault on the Supremor, using everything from cosmic rays to telekinesis to flames to claws to bare fists to break through the super-computer which gave way to reveal a giant transparent tank containing the Supremor’s corporeal form. Verxa, Zetazia, and Loparr savagely severed the cables while Atlas and Gurge pounded on the tank and Minerva worked her way to the Supremor’s brain. With a wicked smile, she unleashed her eye beams on the brain, which disintegrated as the Supremor screamed. The screams grew louder as the tank shattered and the renegades began tearing into him, ultimately leaving a giant pile of circuitry, vegetation, flesh, and ooze.
The renegades took several minutes to catch their breath. Finally, Zetazia spoke up. Her words expressed no sense of triumph, but rather uncertainty tinged with fear.
“This was too easy!”
Before anyone could respond, a hidden door opened up on the floor behind Zetazia and out of it emerged a nightmarish vision of the Supremor as a demonic-looking ten-foot-tall ambulatory cyborg with a scythe on each hand. Only Minerva’s seventh sense saved Zetazia from being sliced in half. Minerva’s eye beams caused the Supremor to stagger, but he quickly regained his footing and began a series of athletic leaps intended to take down each of the renegades. Gurge was too slow to dodge, and the blade left a nasty gash in his super-thick skin. Gurge summoned all his strength to deliver a roundhouse punch which sent the Supremor flying, before Gurge blacked out and fell to the floor.
The remaining renegades began attacking the Supremor from all sides, only for the Supremor to send them reeling with a telepathic shockwave.
Minerva mind-melded all the conscious renegades for a five-sided telepathic counterattack which brought the Supremor to his knees.
Atlas seized the opportunity and poured on his telekinetic powers, leaving the Supremor immobilized and floating in mid-air.
Verxa and Loparr slashed and tore at every inch of the Supremor’s body before Zetazia breathed her hottest fire on the Supremor, burning him until the Supremor’s last signs of life seemed to evaporate.
The Supremor’s body lay motionless on the floor. The renegades stood on guard. Abruptly, the Supremor got on his feet, though his legs were visibly shaking. His voice emerged, strained and parched.
“What I was unable to do...”
His voice rose to a roar.
“...THE GODS SHALL UNLEASH UPON YOU!”
And with that, the embers in his green eyes were extinguished and he fell forward, landing face-first. After a long wait, it was clear to the renegades that he was finally dead.
The renegades began laughing, nervously at first, then loud, hearty, and triumphant. Gurge, with help from his friend Loparr, regained consciousness and joined in the celebration.
“How wrong we shall prove the Supremor!” exclaimed Verxa.
“Indeed!” replied Minerva. “The gods will now become...mere PAWNS of ours!”
“And WE,” declared Atlas, “WE shall be the new universal pantheon!”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART VII
“Avengers, we hath suffered too many humiliations recently. Let us show these abominations the warriors we truly are. ATTACK!”
Thor’s hammer swung left and right, sending wounded centurions flying out of control in every direction. Namor took to the air and used his fists to prevent more centurions from descending, while those who descended had to deal with She-Hulk and a quantum-armored Quasar. The Avengers whipped themselves into a frenzy, and the intensity of the battle was almost tactile. In what seemed like an instant, all the centurions were lying unconscious on the ground.
The Avengers were still catching their breath when they heard an authoritative female voice seemingly coming from out of nowhere.
“Hail, Avengers! Thy coming was foretold and you hath proven yourselves worthy of your legends.”
They turned to see a statuesque woman with fair skin and long brunette hair, clothed in regal wear and standing on a high-tech floating platform. She had not been there a moment ago.
“Introductions are in order. I am Polania, the Contemplatrix, goddess of knowledge in the Kree Pantheon.”
“Didst thou send those murderous monstrosities after us?” Thor angrily demanded to know.
“Nay,” replied Polania, “twas Helkon, god of gods, who did order the attack. Do not take it personally. He hath become paranoid of late, with good reason.”
“Yeah?” sneered She-Hulk. “I’d like a personal apology from this Helkon.”
“So shall it be.” declared Polania. Her chair began to glow, becoming brighter until the Avengers were blinded. They felt themselves being teleported to an unknown destination.
********
Destruction rained down on Hala from the sky above. The fleet of ships under the renegades’ command pressed forward. For every ship that was taken out by the cannons on the ground, two more bombarded their targets and hit the precise spots.
It was time for the renegades to bring out the heavy artillery, namely the renegades themselves. Captain Atlas led the charge as the six cosmic-powered villains dive-bombed their opponents. When they reached the ground, the infantry swarmed around them. Zetazia became a living flamethrower, torching dozen of soldiers with one breath while Verxa and Loparr dismembered the others with their claws and fangs and Gurge single-handedly took on the nearest tank and, after taking a direct hit without flinching, tore it apart with his bare hands. Atlas then cleared a path for them with his super-telekinesis, sending the giant tanks scattering like so many toys. It looked like it would only be a matter of time before the renegades succeeded in their coup.
*********
The Avengers found themselves inside a palace that had clearly seen better days – the walls were cracked and discolored, and the decor was dusty and rusty. Atop a battered throne sat Helkon, who looked somewhat like Thor, only with long red hair and glowing red eyes to match.
“Your highness,” Polania said to Helkon, “as I did predict, the Avengers hath arrived.”
“Greetings, Avengers,” said Helkon in a low, menacing voice, “and apologies for your reception. We are in a time of crisis. When last Garero broke free from captivity, he did verily exterminate my predecessor. I doth not pretend to be worthy of this throne upon which I sit, nor to be fit to lead the coming battle against Garero’s imminent return. It is in thee that we place our faith against an enemy whose greatest advantage lies within my lifeblood.”
“Thou speakest in riddles, Helkon!” said Thor impatiently. “Explain thyself!”
“Very well.” grumbled Helkon. “Garero...is my father!”
“Jeez!” muttered She-Hulk, “were caught in the middle of a soap opera!”
*********
Meanwhile, at Hydrobase, the Black Knight and most of his reserves had taken up the Beast in his offer of a game of poker.
“I fold.” said the Black Knight.
“I’ll see you,” said Hellcat to the Beast and Ant-Man, “and I’ll raise you...”
Suddenly, the Wasp burst into the room. She had overdone her hair and makeup to the point where she almost looked like a drag queen, and she began talking at a mile a minute. “Poker, huh? Did I ever tell you about the time I was gambling in Monaco after a fashion show in Paris? What a night that was, I tell ya...”
The rest of the team cringed silently, not knowing what to say or do.
********
The road to the Supreme Intelligence’s citadel was paved with incalculable collateral damage. The renegades did not betray any guilt as they strode purposefully toward their target.
There was silence when they first entered the Supreme Intelligence’s antiseptic chambers. It was the Supremor who broke the silence.
“I would advise you to turn back now,” he growled stoically at the renegades, “or your fate shall be a deadly one.”
“Words, mere words!” shouted Atlas. “We speak through ACTION!”
And the renegades began their assault on the Supremor, using everything from cosmic rays to telekinesis to flames to claws to bare fists to break through the super-computer which gave way to reveal a giant transparent tank containing the Supremor’s corporeal form. Verxa, Zetazia, and Loparr savagely severed the cables while Atlas and Gurge pounded on the tank and Minerva worked her way to the Supremor’s brain. With a wicked smile, she unleashed her eye beams on the brain, which disintegrated as the Supremor screamed. The screams grew louder as the tank shattered and the renegades began tearing into him, ultimately leaving a giant pile of circuitry, vegetation, flesh, and ooze.
The renegades took several minutes to catch their breath. Finally, Zetazia spoke up. Her words expressed no sense of triumph, but rather uncertainty tinged with fear.
“This was too easy!”
Before anyone could respond, a hidden door opened up on the floor behind Zetazia and out of it emerged a nightmarish vision of the Supremor as a demonic-looking ten-foot-tall ambulatory cyborg with a scythe on each hand. Only Minerva’s seventh sense saved Zetazia from being sliced in half. Minerva’s eye beams caused the Supremor to stagger, but he quickly regained his footing and began a series of athletic leaps intended to take down each of the renegades. Gurge was too slow to dodge, and the blade left a nasty gash in his super-thick skin. Gurge summoned all his strength to deliver a roundhouse punch which sent the Supremor flying, before Gurge blacked out and fell to the floor.
The remaining renegades began attacking the Supremor from all sides, only for the Supremor to send them reeling with a telepathic shockwave.
Minerva mind-melded all the conscious renegades for a five-sided telepathic counterattack which brought the Supremor to his knees.
Atlas seized the opportunity and poured on his telekinetic powers, leaving the Supremor immobilized and floating in mid-air.
Verxa and Loparr slashed and tore at every inch of the Supremor’s body before Zetazia breathed her hottest fire on the Supremor, burning him until the Supremor’s last signs of life seemed to evaporate.
The Supremor’s body lay motionless on the floor. The renegades stood on guard. Abruptly, the Supremor got on his feet, though his legs were visibly shaking. His voice emerged, strained and parched.
“What I was unable to do...”
His voice rose to a roar.
“...THE GODS SHALL UNLEASH UPON YOU!”
And with that, the embers in his green eyes were extinguished and he fell forward, landing face-first. After a long wait, it was clear to the renegades that he was finally dead.
The renegades began laughing, nervously at first, then loud, hearty, and triumphant. Gurge, with help from his friend Loparr, regained consciousness and joined in the celebration.
“How wrong we shall prove the Supremor!” exclaimed Verxa.
“Indeed!” replied Minerva. “The gods will now become...mere PAWNS of ours!”
“And WE,” declared Atlas, “WE shall be the new universal pantheon!”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART VII
Sunday, December 14, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Five
Quasar abruptly went silent.
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
Saturday, November 29, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell Part Four"
Suddenly, Minerva’s laughter caught in her throat when her Seventh Sense alerted her to the approach of another cosmic presence.
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
Friday, November 28, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Guardians of the Galaxy #7
Until now, I had been less enthusiastic about this book than a lot of other people on the web. Starting from an iffy first issue, the series improved quickly, but I kept waiting for an issue to explode colorfully across the corners of my mind, the way great space opera should.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Thor: The Truth Of History
I'm an Alan Davis completist, so there was never any question I was going to buy this. I enjoyed it. It seems to me that it's Davis's tribute to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Tales of Asgard back-up serials in the Silver Age issues of Thor, where Thor and the Warriors Three had adventures in various realms. This time it's ancient Egypt. Davis's art is always a feast for the eyes, even in cases like this one where the coloring is not very good. And Davis writes a great Thor. There's a fine line between a fierce but noble warrior and an outright oaf, and Davis stays on the right side of the line. A simple story, but a good story well told.
Monday, October 20, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Three
A considerable distance from where Thor and Minerva had fought, another battle was about to take place. The Kree ship, apparently overwhelmed by the Avengers’ three-pronged attack, was coming in for a landing.
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Two
The Kree ship loomed monolithically over the heroes approaching it, Captain Marvel flying in energy mode and Namor piloting a quinjet. Inside the ship, five fearsome Kree warriors stood on the bridge: Verxa, Gurge, Loparr, Zetazia, and their leader, Captain Atlas.
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part One
This is the second in a series of alternate-timeline Avengers fanfics. The timeline diverges after Roger Stern & John Buscema's "Assault on Olympus" arc. To read my first Avengers fanfic, "The Omega Sequence", visit http://www.avengersforever.org/fanfiction/
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Green Lantern #35
Geoff Johns wraps up his 7-part Secret Origin arc with an excellent issue. The scenes of Hal Jordan standing up to the Guardians are just the latest reminder of why Hal's fearless decisiveness is so refreshing after nearly two decades of wishy-washiness in pop culture. Hopefully that attitude is where the next decade will be heading. And let's not shortchange penciller Ivan Reis, who has arguably become the best artist at visualizing something as abstract as Hal's decisiveness. This is a great time to be a Green Lantern fan.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Fanfic: Marvel Woman in "Unlock the Doors" Part 1
NOTE: This story does not take place in Marvel Earth-616 continuity. Let's call this Marvel Earth-7619.
Okay, what's going on here?
All of a sudden I'm fourteen years old again, inside the Central City penthouse belonging to Mr. Simon Williams and Mrs. Wanda Maximoff-Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch), baby-sitting their three-year-old daughter, sitting on a very tiny, very uncomfortable chair, playing tea party. I wasn't into tea parties when I was little, so I'm not into it, but I'm trying my best to please the little one, who is adorable and sweet and whose parents are obviously raising her right.
She holds up a plastic tray filled with little plastic cakes. "Another cake?" she asks.
"No, thank you," I reply, "I'm stuffed."
I take a pretend sip of my imaginary tea from a tiny empty cup, and smile. "You put on the best tea parties, Maggie."
"That's MAGDALENE!"
The icily regal voice behind me is unmistakably that of the just-returned Mrs. Maximoff-Williams. I'm shocked and embarassed. I turn around. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. M-m-Maxi-moff-Wil-liams. I promise I won't make that mistake again."
She responds promptly and crisply. "See that you don't."
Suddenly, the room empties of all other people and all furniture. The room starts spinning as I recall how mortified I was at my faux pas, and suddenly a voice that sounds like my own double-tracked with the voice of someone with an unplaceable accent begins talking to me, and my head feels like it's full of cement.
"That's why your application for probational membership in the Avenging All-Stars was turned down. You gauche little fool."
"No, no," I yell, "it was just a little thing."
"And then you decided you'd show them by starting and leading your own team with your friends, the Young Warriors...and all of them but you died during the alien invasion. You failed them. You're a FAILURE!"
Before I can respond, a pair of decomposing hands tears through the wall and zombies stumble in. I scream in horror, then scream louder when I recognize who they are: the other Young Warriors! Namorita, Speedball, Red Raven, Blizzard, and Firestar. All present, all dead, all coming for me.
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T HURT ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"
I cower in a corner, curled up into a ball. Then they disappear. But no sooner is one threat gone than other appears. Suddenly basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, and softballs begin dropping out of nowhere until I can't dodge them anymore and I'm all but drowning in them. Then the balls sprout arms, legs, bloodshot eyes, and mouths with sharp teeth. Above my head, a pink cloud appears through which I see all things sugar and spice: dresses, unicorns, dolls, tea sets...
Then the voice returns.
"You never really learned to be a girl, did you? You were too busy trying to be the son that your parents wanted. You tried so hard to please them. But it didn't keep them from getting divorced, now did it? You've never succeeded at relationships, you don't have children -- you're a failure as a superheroine, a friend, a daughter, a woman. You're a WORTHLESS FAILURE!!"
Now I feel like I'm drowning in the ocean. There's no top, bottom, or sides to anything. Just water. Dirty, disgusting, polluted water. I'm drowning, I'm about to surrender my will to live...
When, suddenly, I find the strength inside me to go on and fight back. My words are defiant and proud. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not a failure. I'M MARVEL WOMAN!"
I break the bonds that have been holding me and rip off the needles and tubes that have been injecting chemicals into my brain. I open my eyes. I'm back in the real world.
I'm in a high-tech laboratory.
I see the people responsible for my ordeal: a raven-haired woman in her forties, and a girl of about twenty who looks like the woman, except with green hair.
I frown and grit my teeth as I issue my ultimatum. "You have three seconds to tell me what's going on here before I bring this whole place down on your heads."
TO BE CONTINUED
Okay, what's going on here?
All of a sudden I'm fourteen years old again, inside the Central City penthouse belonging to Mr. Simon Williams and Mrs. Wanda Maximoff-Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch), baby-sitting their three-year-old daughter, sitting on a very tiny, very uncomfortable chair, playing tea party. I wasn't into tea parties when I was little, so I'm not into it, but I'm trying my best to please the little one, who is adorable and sweet and whose parents are obviously raising her right.
She holds up a plastic tray filled with little plastic cakes. "Another cake?" she asks.
"No, thank you," I reply, "I'm stuffed."
I take a pretend sip of my imaginary tea from a tiny empty cup, and smile. "You put on the best tea parties, Maggie."
"That's MAGDALENE!"
The icily regal voice behind me is unmistakably that of the just-returned Mrs. Maximoff-Williams. I'm shocked and embarassed. I turn around. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. M-m-Maxi-moff-Wil-liams. I promise I won't make that mistake again."
She responds promptly and crisply. "See that you don't."
Suddenly, the room empties of all other people and all furniture. The room starts spinning as I recall how mortified I was at my faux pas, and suddenly a voice that sounds like my own double-tracked with the voice of someone with an unplaceable accent begins talking to me, and my head feels like it's full of cement.
"That's why your application for probational membership in the Avenging All-Stars was turned down. You gauche little fool."
"No, no," I yell, "it was just a little thing."
"And then you decided you'd show them by starting and leading your own team with your friends, the Young Warriors...and all of them but you died during the alien invasion. You failed them. You're a FAILURE!"
Before I can respond, a pair of decomposing hands tears through the wall and zombies stumble in. I scream in horror, then scream louder when I recognize who they are: the other Young Warriors! Namorita, Speedball, Red Raven, Blizzard, and Firestar. All present, all dead, all coming for me.
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T HURT ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"
I cower in a corner, curled up into a ball. Then they disappear. But no sooner is one threat gone than other appears. Suddenly basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, and softballs begin dropping out of nowhere until I can't dodge them anymore and I'm all but drowning in them. Then the balls sprout arms, legs, bloodshot eyes, and mouths with sharp teeth. Above my head, a pink cloud appears through which I see all things sugar and spice: dresses, unicorns, dolls, tea sets...
Then the voice returns.
"You never really learned to be a girl, did you? You were too busy trying to be the son that your parents wanted. You tried so hard to please them. But it didn't keep them from getting divorced, now did it? You've never succeeded at relationships, you don't have children -- you're a failure as a superheroine, a friend, a daughter, a woman. You're a WORTHLESS FAILURE!!"
Now I feel like I'm drowning in the ocean. There's no top, bottom, or sides to anything. Just water. Dirty, disgusting, polluted water. I'm drowning, I'm about to surrender my will to live...
When, suddenly, I find the strength inside me to go on and fight back. My words are defiant and proud. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not a failure. I'M MARVEL WOMAN!"
I break the bonds that have been holding me and rip off the needles and tubes that have been injecting chemicals into my brain. I open my eyes. I'm back in the real world.
I'm in a high-tech laboratory.
I see the people responsible for my ordeal: a raven-haired woman in her forties, and a girl of about twenty who looks like the woman, except with green hair.
I frown and grit my teeth as I issue my ultimatum. "You have three seconds to tell me what's going on here before I bring this whole place down on your heads."
TO BE CONTINUED
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Comic Books: Out With the Old, In With the New
I'm dropping several comics.
I'm dropping Captain America for reasons listed in my previous post.
I'm dropping X-Factor because this month's issue was the make-or-break issue for me. It doesn't look like it's going to return to the quality of the first 24 issues any time soon. In fact, I have a feeling Peter David will be leaving the book before long.
I'm dropping Eternals because it's been a tremendous disappointment, especially the art by Daniel Acuna, who is capable of so much better. There was promise at first that Sersi would be positively portrayed for the first time since she was an Avenger, but it didn't happen.
I'm dropping Captain Britain and MI 13 because, while it's well-done, I still can't get myself to care about anyone or anything in the book.
I'm dropping Ms. Marvel because the stories are dumb and because artist Adriana Melo can't seem to handle a monthly schedule.
On the other side of the coin, I'm cautiously going to start following Thunderbolts when Andy Diggle takes over the writing next month. The 2004 Adam Strange mini was brilliant, and The Losers was one of the few Vertigo books I've ever liked. If Thunderbolts gets good enough, I'll add it to my list.
Once they're on the schedule, I'll definitely be adding a couple books:
*The second Justice League book with Hal & Ollie and with James Robinson writing. I've wanted a Hal & Ollie League since forever (I wish Black Canary could be there too instead of in the flagship Justice League book) and my increasing appreciation of Robinson's Starman (it only took 15 years) makes me more excited about this book than ever.
*Power Girl's solo book, although Gray & Palmiotti have yet to live up to their reputation for me; it'll be great to have Amanda Conner on a monthly book, though.
I'm dropping Captain America for reasons listed in my previous post.
I'm dropping X-Factor because this month's issue was the make-or-break issue for me. It doesn't look like it's going to return to the quality of the first 24 issues any time soon. In fact, I have a feeling Peter David will be leaving the book before long.
I'm dropping Eternals because it's been a tremendous disappointment, especially the art by Daniel Acuna, who is capable of so much better. There was promise at first that Sersi would be positively portrayed for the first time since she was an Avenger, but it didn't happen.
I'm dropping Captain Britain and MI 13 because, while it's well-done, I still can't get myself to care about anyone or anything in the book.
I'm dropping Ms. Marvel because the stories are dumb and because artist Adriana Melo can't seem to handle a monthly schedule.
On the other side of the coin, I'm cautiously going to start following Thunderbolts when Andy Diggle takes over the writing next month. The 2004 Adam Strange mini was brilliant, and The Losers was one of the few Vertigo books I've ever liked. If Thunderbolts gets good enough, I'll add it to my list.
Once they're on the schedule, I'll definitely be adding a couple books:
*The second Justice League book with Hal & Ollie and with James Robinson writing. I've wanted a Hal & Ollie League since forever (I wish Black Canary could be there too instead of in the flagship Justice League book) and my increasing appreciation of Robinson's Starman (it only took 15 years) makes me more excited about this book than ever.
*Power Girl's solo book, although Gray & Palmiotti have yet to live up to their reputation for me; it'll be great to have Amanda Conner on a monthly book, though.
Comic Book of the Week: Captain America #42
This issue of Captain America is, just like the previous 41 issues, a well-written, well-drawn, expertly crafted superhero comic, and it seamlessly ties up all the plot threads from the past three-and-a-half years.
So why am I dropping the book?
Blame Civil War and the subsequent death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Civil War, of course, turned the Marvel Universe into a fascist state and committed character assassinations on Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But the damage to Captain America, the character and the book, was more insidious. Civil War ended with the poorly motivated surrender-to-the-authorities of the anti-fascism Captain America. Immediately afterward, in Captain America #25, Captain America was publicly gunned down; the shooter was eventually revealed to be one of his closest allies (in more ways than one), Sharon Carter, who was being mind-controlled by a cabal of villains headed by Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull. Over the next year-and-a-half, James Barnes a.k.a. Cap's WWII sidekick, Bucky, and latterly the vicious Winter Soldier, became the new Captain America, complete with a gun! A harsher Cap for harsher times, we were told by Marvel's spin-doctors. I don't buy it -- I think Cap should be a shining symbol of the less-harsh options, ESPECIALLY in harsher times. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter was revealed to be pregnant with Steve Rogers' child, leading to further victimization by the villains and a miscarriage. Ugly stuff, no matter how well-crafted.
Now, understand, I had no problem with the basic concept of Steve Rogers being replaced. Back in the mid-90s, the late writer Mark Gruenwald wrapped up his long run on Captain America with an interminable story about Cap slowly dying. At the time, I was hoping that Cap might be replaced by Rachel Leighton, a.k.a. Diamondback, a reformed costumed villainess who, in an eerie parallel with Sharon Carter's future fate, became Cap's lover and was victimized by the forces of evil. I knew it was a long shot because the majority of the audience for superheroes is male; even today, with more fangirls and female creators than ever before, the audience is still mostly male. So, in the end, Cap survived, Mark Waid took over the writing and wrote out all of Gruenwald's supporting cast, and brought Sharon Carter back from the dead (she had first appeared in the 60s, before being killed off in the 70s.) Fast forward to 2004 and, after many, many, many false starts, Cap's book was relaunched with Ed Brubaker writing and the great Steve Epting (Avengers, Aquaman, Crux, El Cazador) drawing. I came in with issue #18 and caught up with the previous ones thorough trades. It was great stuff: Brubaker was doing Cap stories that were up there with those of Roger Stern, Steve Englehart, and his personal favorite, Jim Steranko. And Epting was Epting, one of the modern masters of sequential art. Little did I know that Civil War and its repercussions were just around the corner. While I don't consider myself a fan of Sharon Carter, I actually held out hope for a few issues that she, and not James Barnes, would become the next Captain America. But it wasn't to be. In one of the most anti-climactic passing-of-the-torches, Barnes inherited the Cap identity, and Carter was reduced to vengeful victim, with the implication that the "vengeful" part made it okay -- and it doesn't.
I kept buying the book mostly for Epting. But the recent announcement that, after #42, Epting would begin alternating story arcs with Luke Ross, provided me with a welcome excuse to drop the book.
Let's face it: in pop culture, sometimes good craftsmanship just isn't enough.
So why am I dropping the book?
Blame Civil War and the subsequent death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Civil War, of course, turned the Marvel Universe into a fascist state and committed character assassinations on Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But the damage to Captain America, the character and the book, was more insidious. Civil War ended with the poorly motivated surrender-to-the-authorities of the anti-fascism Captain America. Immediately afterward, in Captain America #25, Captain America was publicly gunned down; the shooter was eventually revealed to be one of his closest allies (in more ways than one), Sharon Carter, who was being mind-controlled by a cabal of villains headed by Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull. Over the next year-and-a-half, James Barnes a.k.a. Cap's WWII sidekick, Bucky, and latterly the vicious Winter Soldier, became the new Captain America, complete with a gun! A harsher Cap for harsher times, we were told by Marvel's spin-doctors. I don't buy it -- I think Cap should be a shining symbol of the less-harsh options, ESPECIALLY in harsher times. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter was revealed to be pregnant with Steve Rogers' child, leading to further victimization by the villains and a miscarriage. Ugly stuff, no matter how well-crafted.
Now, understand, I had no problem with the basic concept of Steve Rogers being replaced. Back in the mid-90s, the late writer Mark Gruenwald wrapped up his long run on Captain America with an interminable story about Cap slowly dying. At the time, I was hoping that Cap might be replaced by Rachel Leighton, a.k.a. Diamondback, a reformed costumed villainess who, in an eerie parallel with Sharon Carter's future fate, became Cap's lover and was victimized by the forces of evil. I knew it was a long shot because the majority of the audience for superheroes is male; even today, with more fangirls and female creators than ever before, the audience is still mostly male. So, in the end, Cap survived, Mark Waid took over the writing and wrote out all of Gruenwald's supporting cast, and brought Sharon Carter back from the dead (she had first appeared in the 60s, before being killed off in the 70s.) Fast forward to 2004 and, after many, many, many false starts, Cap's book was relaunched with Ed Brubaker writing and the great Steve Epting (Avengers, Aquaman, Crux, El Cazador) drawing. I came in with issue #18 and caught up with the previous ones thorough trades. It was great stuff: Brubaker was doing Cap stories that were up there with those of Roger Stern, Steve Englehart, and his personal favorite, Jim Steranko. And Epting was Epting, one of the modern masters of sequential art. Little did I know that Civil War and its repercussions were just around the corner. While I don't consider myself a fan of Sharon Carter, I actually held out hope for a few issues that she, and not James Barnes, would become the next Captain America. But it wasn't to be. In one of the most anti-climactic passing-of-the-torches, Barnes inherited the Cap identity, and Carter was reduced to vengeful victim, with the implication that the "vengeful" part made it okay -- and it doesn't.
I kept buying the book mostly for Epting. But the recent announcement that, after #42, Epting would begin alternating story arcs with Luke Ross, provided me with a welcome excuse to drop the book.
Let's face it: in pop culture, sometimes good craftsmanship just isn't enough.
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