Pendragon Comics - The Pendragons

The Pendragons

Issue # 39

Brought together in defense of Avalon and the British Isles, the Pendragons are the officially-sanctioned heroes of Great Britain. Originally led by the Black Knight, the group is composed of the remnants of the old Knights of Pendragon group, as well as several other heroes. Willing to die for their beliefs, the Pendragons stand united as England's best defense against threats of a superhuman nature.

Special "Silver Anniversary" Pendragons logo created by Kell Carpenter, inspired by the logo created by Des Davies!

Written by Barry Reese

When illusion spin her net
I'm never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free
Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
So I will show another me
Today I don't need a replacement
I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart going boom boom boom
Hey, I said, you can keep my things they've come to take me home
-- Solsbury Hill, Peter Gabriel

Chanda's brains splattered against a rain-slicked brick wall, oozing down to the pavement to meet a growing pool of blood that rested beneath her body. Her eyes were open wide, mirroring her shock and surprise. The books in her hands had spilled free and lay, open and uncared for, as the rains began to fall heavy upon them.

Jacqueline stood at the window, watching as the rains came fast and strong. She wore only a simple cotton dress, but there was an air of nobility that clung to her, making her seem greater than another woman might appear. She was the heir to a grand and noble tradition, having followed her father into a life of heroism. She'd been an Invader and a Pendragon; mother and grandmother; she'd been old and infirm... and young and full of life.

"You can't be right," she said, her voice sounded brittle and frightened, even to her own ears. "Joey was a good bloke... brave and honest. But I never loved him the way you say."

Captain Britain watched her friend's face, studying the emotions at play there. Betsy Braddock knew how horrible this must seem -- to discover that one's life was a lie, that your true love lay dead and gone, torn from you before you even knew they truly existed... but truth was not always gentle, nor kind. "You feel it, Jackie. I know you do. This reality isn't right. It isn't real."

Jackie turned to look at her, eyes red and puffy. "I'm married, Betsy. Have you forgotten that?"

Jackie closed her eyes tightly, as if willing Betsy away. "How can Jaspers be capable of this? I mean... altering history? How can God allow such a thing?"

Betsy moved to her, taking Jackie's hand. "I don't know. But we don't have long to make our move. Jaspers isn't going to be distracted forever... I'm not even sure why he hasn't sensed all this all ready."

"Maybe he has," Jackie replied. "Maybe he's just playing a game with us... Letting us build ourselves up so he can swat us down."

"I've considered that... but we have to take that chance. I know what I'm asking of you, but will you help us?"

"I can't," she replied, turning away. "I'm sorry, Betsy... A part of me believes you. But I like this life that I've built. I love my husband... and I want this to be real."

"You're just saying that because you're frightened, Jackie. You're not the only one. Poor Breeze is dead in the real reality. Who knows what will happen if we confront Jaspers and make him reverse everything? She could vanish before our very eyes."

"I'm sorry. I truly am. But I find it much easier to believe you've gone insane... than accept that my entire life -- at least as I remember it -- is a lie."

"I'm sorry, too," Betsy replied, staring at her friend's back as Jackie moved to the door. "I didn't want it to be like this."

Jackie screamed as images flooded her mind, of such an intensity that she nearly blacked out. She saw herself in the arms of Joey Chapman... and she felt the love she'd shared for him suddenly flare back to life. He was dead now, torn away from her by a bastard who held the keys to heaven. "Stop it, Betsy!" she wailed, but the images kept coming, tearing their way through the false walls that had hidden them.

When it was all said and done, Spitfire looked up at her friend with tearful eyes and a sneer on her lips. "I hate you for that, Betsy... but it was needed. I want to see Jaspers' head on a pike!"

The Prime Minister lay face down in a tub full of water, his skin looking bloated and blue. "So sorry, Tony," someone said, lighting a fag and exhaling a long plume of smoke. "But you really should have paid more attention to the polls. People are ready for a change."

Jim Jaspers stepped forward, dressed in a checkered suit and bowler hat. The clothing shifted with every move he made, changing into a dark, dapper suit. He looked ready for a funeral... or a press conference. Picking up a small cell phone, he dialed a number and waited. He hummed a tune to himself, trying to place what song had gotten stuck in his noggin this time. He'd placed it -- Solsbury Hill -- just as a voice came on the other line. "Hullo there," Jim said, sounding cheery and excited. "Just wanted to let you know that things have been taken care of on my end."

Jim bent down and extinguished his cigarette by rubbing it out on the Prime Minister's buttock. The smell of burned flesh made his nostrils flare. "Then let's do this, shall we? Prime Minister found murdered by agents of foreign powers. Agent kills self to avoid capture. Handsome Jimmy Jaspers takes over under a state of emergency... How's that do, for a start?"

The man on the other end of the line sounded confident. "I think it'll play very well. Two questions, however...."

"Let fly, my friend. I'm ready with the answers." Jim's eyes twinkled. He liked this game. It was very exciting... almost too exciting. He regretted sending poor Ginny away now. He could use a bit of the old in-and-out. Maybe I'll play some games with the Chink back at Lyonesse -- Suzi could take Ginny's place and all would be well.

"Ah," Jim said, growing more merry by the second. He exited the bathroom, still clutching his phone. In the next room, a handsome young man dressed in a red-and-white costume stood silent, holding the barrel of a gun to his temple. It was Josef Petkus, the Red Guardian. "Let's just say that those nasty Reds could never be trusted and leave it at that for now." He chuckled then, a disturbingly mad sound that troubled the man on the phone.

"Hmm?" Jim murmured, growing more serious. Something was happening... something was shifting... He could feel it. This could be bad.

"I've just gotten word that the Death's Head robots have launched an assault on Darkmoor. The war between Doom and the Red Lord has begun."

Jim relaxed somewhat. That must have been what he sensed... Not so bad, after all. Potential armageddon, yes... but that was the sort of thing that made the game more interesting. "It's about bloody time," he whispered.

A small contingent of Pendragons -- Big Ben, Breeze, Miraclewoman and Shamrock -- watched anxiously as a former teammate digested all they'd told her. Rathoon, the dragon, was outside, using his ancient magicks to hide their presence from any enemies who might be scrying for them. It would probably not hold up to Jim's own powers, but it was worth a try in their eyes.

Big Ben tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but it was difficult. He considered womankind to be almost sanctified... but the woman before him wore leather pants and a cropped shirt that revealed altogether too much of her belly. And the piercings...! "My word," he whispered. Leaning over to Breeze, he confided "She looks a bit like a human pin cushion."

Breeze James did not respond. She had been uncharacteristically quiet since the team's realization that much of their world was a lie, one formulated by a time-warping madman. Breeze James, in the "real" world, was very much dead -- killed by agents of the Parliament of Darkness. But here, in Jim's warped reality, she was living and breathing. Why had he brought her back? What would happen if Jim were defeated? Those questions ate away at her, tormenting and teasing.

Shevaun Haldane's voice brought Breeze back to the present. The redhaired lass was standing in the middle of her makeshift lab, a poor replacement for the one that the Red Lord had destroyed. This one was located in a large London flat, again in stark contrast to her ancestral home at Castle Haldane. "I don't quite know what Brian meant. The realm where I go... to do what?"

Miraclewoman, one of the team's newer members, spoke up. Shevaun made a face as she did so and Winter knew why -- Shevaun had left the Pendragons to work out problems between her and Miracleman. The fact that Micky was nowhere to be seen spoke volumes about Shevaun's success -- or lack thereof. Somehow, the fact that the two of them were having problems was oddly pleasing to Winter. "I've read about the Realm of Dead Superheroes. Do you think he could be there?"

"No. I paid a visit there just the other day and no sign of him." She ran a hand through her hair, looking thoughtful. "I'm still amazed that Jaspers could have pulled all this off and I wouldn't have noticed. I mean, my costume is formed of the fabric of the universe...."

"Don't blame yourself," Shamrock said, moving closer. "Some of us had inklings but as soon as we did, Jim would wipe them from our mind. So it's no surprise he'd do the same to you."

"Then I bet I know where he is -- Unreality. It's a plane of nothingness, existing outside time and space. Jaspers probably shunted him there and is blocking him from returning. I've done the same a time or two, with enemies of my own."

"Can you retrieve him?" Big Ben asked, handling all this talk of planes walking surprisingly well, Winter thought. "If I understand correctly, he's almost as powerful as Jaspers. Correct?"

"As King of Otherworld, he's capable of amazing things," Shevaun agreed. "I'll give it a shot, but that's all I can do. Jim may have taken precautions we don't know about." As she spoke, her clothing shifted, changing to reveal a tight black bodysuit that glittered with the stars of heaven. Pieces of armor were attached here and there, along with a powerful gun strapped to her hip.

Everyone turned to look at Breeze, who was hugging herself tightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... if Jim can do all these things, why let us exist at all? Why not wipe us all from existence like he did Joey Chapman. Why would he not only keep his enemies around, but give them the means to possibly defeat him?"

"Because he's mad as a hatter," Shamrock replied hotly. Her temper was rising with every second they wasted. "In his sick little mind, this is all a game. And we're just pieces on the board -- he wants us to challenge him, so he can beat us again!"

"Molly might be right," Big Ben agreed. He pushed his bowler hat back a bit on his head. "But we're Brits, by God -- and none of us are going to stand aside and let our lives be run by a dictator. No matter what it may cost us. We are Heroes."

Breeze winced at the man's words. She was sure he hadn't directed them at her, but she still took them that way. She was, after all, the one with the most to lose. But didn't heroes focus on the good of an action -- and not what it might cost themselves?

Shevaun took a deep breath. "You guys can debate it all while I'm gone. Wish me luck." With a wave of her hand and a whispered incantation, she was gone.

Union Jack stepped back from Chanda's corpse, careful not to let the unleashed energies touch him. They'd begun spiraling out of him the second she'd hit the ground, spewing forth from her orifices. The clouds of energy were reddish-white in color and smelled like sweet clover, teasing at Union Jack's senses and making him picture green meadows and the wonder of Avalon.

It was the magic of the Pendragon that was fleeing her body, twisting and writhing in the air. The energies coalesced briefly into the form of a rampant lion, its mouth open in a triumphant snarl. Union Jack felt his own heart beat in response... it was beautiful, it was awe-inspiring. And it was terrifying beyond belief.

He reached out a gloved hand, running it through the stuff, and felt an electrical tingle run through him. This is it, he thought to himself. This is what I wanted... but what a way to get it. I hope it's worth it.

At some unseen signal, the energy pulsed in response. It washed over Union Jack in a wave, empowering him, altering him. He became stronger, faster... better. The doubts that had gnawed away at him since childhood were burned away, leaving something stronger, purer, in their place.

He staggered back, viewing the world with fresh new eyes. The dead girl at his feet was beginning to smolder now, as magical flames danced upon her flesh. She had once been a handmaiden of the Lady of the Lake, sent along with her sisters into the world to escape the hordes of Mordred*. The Lady had gone in search of her when she'd felt the first depredations of Jim Jaspers, giving her an awful mission: her own soul was purged, leaving behind an empty vessel with only the barest traces of Chanda's old personality. In the void, the Lady poured forth Knowledge, blessed Knowledge. Knowledge of the true world, before Jim's alterations had begun. With the vessel now destroyed, the Knowledge flew forth... and everything it touched, began to change....

Adam Crown stepped out onto the terrace, not caring that the rains were falling all about him. He felt like he needed cleansing, so he welcomed the water on his flesh. He had come here to Downing Street in response to Jim's summons... and had heard the awful news. He'd had his political differences with the PM in the past, but he never wished him dead. Especially not a time like this.

The world was falling apart, it seemed. War between the Bane and Latveria... his own relationship with Ginny coming to such a horrible end... his growing distance from the other Pendragons. There were days that he felt like he had only one true friend in the world.

A hand grasped his shoulder just then and Adam turned to see Jim looking at him with warmth and sympathy. The rain had stopped suddenly, letting just the tiniest bit of sun peek through the morning clouds. The light seemed to bathe Jim's shoulders and head in a golden halo. "Troubled, lad?"

Adam could only nod. "I'm supposed to be infused with the spirit of Arthur Pendragon... but England's falling to pieces and I'm not able to do anything."

"You're only one man, Adam. It's a difficult thing to do, but we all have to accept that we can only do so much. We're not gods, after all."

"Because of Ginny? The little tart got what she deserved, you kicking her to the curb. I applaud you, my boy. So many blokes would have been swayed by that nice bum of hers... But you showed spirit and pride. You said you were better than her, that you wouldn't stand for it." Jim squeezed Adam's shoulder. "I couldn't be prouder if you were my son."

Adam felt touched by the sentiment. "I guess I see you as a bit of a father figure, Jim. So your words mean a lot to me."

The door to the terrace opened, revealing a man in a dark suit. He nodded curtly to Adam before turning to Jim. "Sir... It's done. We've got acknowledgments from twenty members of Parliament all ready and others are coming in line, as well."

Jim nodded, his toothy grin stretching wider. He noted Adam's expression and said "It's going to be just fine. We're just going to have to clamp down a bit. We have to make sure that England is safe... this terrible affair with the Red Guardian could be the first step in a larger plan."

"Of course." Adam looked away, wondering when and how it all began to go so wrong. "I wish I knew where the other Pendragons were. They should be here."

Jim's expression darkened. "You don't know where they are? I thought they were just coming along later...."

Jim's face became feral in appearance, his anger beginning to rise. He'd been so distracted by the political power games... Had his control slipped in the meanwhile? He could sense them out, peer into their do-gooder minds... Or, he thought with a flush of excitement, I could let them go about their business and see what came of it. "You might have to accept some hard truths, Adam. It's possible your friends have been corrupted by the Bane, just like poor Cam."

Adam blinked in surprise. "No. Not all of them. That wouldn't be possible. But what makes you think so?"

"Look at the timing, lad. A rogue agent kills Mr. Blair... and then your friends go missing. Rather suspicious, wouldn't you say?"

Adam mulled it over and the more he did, the more suspicious it became. "They lied to me, too. Just like Ginny... They think I'm an idiot, don't they?"

"True friends are hard to find," Jim said, shaking his head. "It's a good thing we have each other, isn't it?"

Adam placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and nodded. He felt hatred flare in his soul. "If they've betrayed you... betrayed the Lady of the Lake... I swear they'll pay."

The people of London awoke to a new day, one filled with horrible news. A war had been launched, and a good man lay dead.

Most of them prayed that Honest Jim could lead them to salvation and they welcomed the sight of armed soldiers patrolling the steets.

But a few, the first ones to be touched by the spreading energies unleashed by Chanda's death, responded differently. They remembered. They began to sense that things here were not right, that "Honest" Jim Jaspers had risen to power before, years ago... and he had led them down a similar path of destruction.

Dark Angel floated through Unreality, using every bit of her willpower to hold onto her sanity. Stars birthed and died all around her, while things that never were and never should have been morphed into view at the edges of her vision. Here was the cosmic refuse center, home to all the garbage that could fit nowhere else.

He was naked, chained to a floating chunk of rock. Dark things with sharp beaks tore at his flesh, which bled profusely. His handsome face was wracked with pain and he held his hands clenched into tight fists, the muscles on his arm quivering from his efforts to free himself. How long had he been here, if time truly held any meaning in a place like this? Shevaun could only hazard a guess.

She flew closer, unleashing several energy blasts that sent the creatures squawking away from their prey. "Brian! Cavalry's here!"

King Brian of Otherworld favored her with a smile. He wasn't her normal type, but he was undeniably handsome and she felt a warmth come to her cheeks, despite their current situation. "Shevaun... I was hoping my message would reach you. I've been using every ounce of my power to keep tabs on the Jaspers Warp."

Shevaun reached out and grasped his chains, burning through them with her magicks. They fell away easily, having been shaped specifically to repel Brian's powers and not hers. "Jaspers Warp... That's what Betsy called it, too. Why?"

"He generates a warp field that surrounds a planet... it spreads out until it encompasses an entire reality and then can spread to others. Within the warp, he's God."

"How did he manage to slip past you?" she asked, freeing him from the last of his bonds. "I mean, you live at the heart of the Omniverse -- if he had come back and started doing all this, wouldn't you have noticed?"

"When the Fury destroyed him, we all thought the threat was over. But it wasn't... his consciousness had expanded to the point where he could still exist as disembodied energy. His physical form was a luxury that he no longer needed. He ended up being drawn to an object of incredible power... and he managed to somehow bond with the thing. It wasn't an accident that it then formed a connection with my brother. It saw him as a kindred spirit."

(*The focal point not only for Avengers Forever, but also for our own "A Secret War" that ran in issues 15-18)

"Yes. We thought it was acting in its own self-interest to protect itself. It wasn't. It was partially being led by Jim Jaspers. He helped turn my brother into Infinitus... and once Jamie was no more, he continued to reside in the Crystal until he was strong enough to launch his own attack."

"That's why he's even more powerful than before... he's merged with the most powerful weapon in existence."

Brian nodded. "And that's why he was able to take me out first. He was already right under my nose, in my own home*!"

(*The Crystal was kept in a locked vault inside Castle Braddock, as shown in Captain Britain: House Braddock
# 1)

"By the Lady," Shevaun whispered. "Do we stand any chance against him, Brian? This isn't like it was with Jamie -- he was bloody insane. Jaspers is devious...."

"More devious than you know. I've kept tabs on his various schemes... and he's planning something horrible. And it all starts in Darkmoor."

Less than an hour later, Rathoon the dragon swooped down low over the field of battle. He had the full contingent of Pendragons on his back, including both Spitfire and Brian Braddock. They had come here at Brian's behest, because he felt they needed to see this; needed to fully understand the insanity of Jim Jaspers.

Down below, the forces of the Bane were locked in battle with Doom's powerful army -- an army built from the ruins of a futuristic cyborg who had dared challenge the Latverian monarch*. Doom had taken this technology and melded it to his own designs, forming something of incredible power. Something self-aware and capable of finding new ways to destroy even the most powerful of foes.

Betsy Braddock, standing alongside her brother, could only stare in horror. Of the current Pendragons, only she had lived through the horrors of the first Jaspers Warp and retained full memory of it. And the things down below were a part of that nightmare. A big part. "Brian... How many of them are there?"

"Two hundred, I'd say" Rathoon rumbled, answering before Brian could get an accurate count. "Nasty little things, aren't they? Don't look much like that Death's Head chap."

"No," Brian said, his jaw tightening. "They don't. A single one of these wiped out all of Earth-238's heroes. A. Single. One."

"And now we face two hundred of them?" Betsy asked. "Brian -- It's hopeless. We've already lost."

Next Issue: "Tempus Fugit" concludes. The Pendragons vs. Jim Jaspers & Adam Crown, with an army of Furies waiting in the wings. Plus: Union Jack revealed!

A lot of feedback this time, as "Tempus Fugit" seems to be causing quite a stir, with folks on both sides of the fence so far. First up is John:

To be honest I'm quite unsure about this new direction, the stories are good but I'm disappointed that the change was so sudden.

One thing I would like to ask is how did Jim Jaspers come back to life, the last thing I knew he was dead.

Also how did he effect Brian and Otherworld, which should be untouchable to his abilities, has this version of Mad Jim had a power upgrade.

Also is it just me or is kinky sex on the rise in fanfiction.

Thanks for the comments -- even if they are a bit uncertain. :-) The change was meant to be sudden and disorienting, for both the characters and the readers. For what it's worth, "Tempus Fugit" runs through issue 40 after which the tone of the series will revert a bit more to the pre-Fugit state, though the Pendragons will remember
the events of this storyline and be (quite understandably) very upset over it all.

I assume (Pendragons-wise) you're speaking of the opening scene to # 37, in regards to 'kinky sex'? I was a bit uncertain about including it (and some of the spiciers bits of language from this storyline) but went ahead
because I want Tempus Fugit to be a darker story than anything I've told in Pendragons before. I felt the scene spoke volumes about Jim (and poor Ginny) and really set a feel to that issue. I would certainly never include anything that I considered gratuitous... the sex scene was there for a very specific purpose and I'm sorry if you
were in any way offended. I certainly tried to avoid being overly graphic in the scene.

Doing a long-running series like this can lead to burnout, believe me. This storyline was my chance to do something different and (for me, at least) exciting with these characters. I love them, but I felt things had gotten a bit stale... My inspiration, actually, was "The Judas Contract" by Wolfman & Perez. Their story wasn't as
dark as this one, but I loved how you saw the team really ripped to shreds before winning in the end.

Hope you'll stick around to see how your questions are answered and the storyline plays out. Thanks for the comments!

I have to say that I love the new direction. It was totally unpredictable, and the team has really been shook up as it was getting too... comfortable.

Really like Winter. I think she adds something to the team that Dark Angel didn't. Am interested to see where you go with her.

The only one I'm not liking in the team is Shamrock for some reason. Don't ask me why. She's just not doing it for me.

I love Jaspers. He is mad but devious in a way that Jamie Braddock wasn't. I don't know how the team are going to get out of this one.

Loved Ghoul's appearance, and the reference to Dane.

Keep Breeze around. 'Nuff said.

Didn't see the ending coming. Are we meant to know who this Union Jack is? I'll be surprised if Joey is actually dead, but I do think you should leave him and Jackie out of the title for a while.

Now we've got Travis Hiltz, who's been inspired by the recent "buzz" about Tempus to check out our older offerings:

Secret wars was fun. Joey in the alien costume, the replacement Pendragons and the neat visual of MM facing Galactus. The stuff with Brian got me interested in reading House Braddock next. Reminds me of Wildcats 3.0 or Black Panther in that it's saving the world through politics. Brian is the head guy but has agents to do the dirty work, while he deals with affairs of state, looking at the big picture. The Dark Guard is interesting, but I'd like to see the Captain Britain corps in action. The Commonwealth sounds like a neat idea. Give the heroes of Europe a turn in the spotlight. Fun stuff and a good mix of characters and types of stories.

The Good: The crossover with Black Knight, Cap Britain and Pendragons was incredible. I love hero vs. hero battles, but all too often they're never about valid ideological differences. I have a hard time blaming any character for how they acted or reacted. Building up the threats has also been very good with Red Lord and Dr. Doom. Not a single shot has been fired, and already I'm dreading the fallout of Doom vs. Red Lord. Nice to see that the general effect of the Black Mass Barrier is being addressed every step of the way too. Politics in the comics verse are always interesting when done right, and have been done right imo thus far. Kudos

The Bad: The Black Mass barrier creates an incredible amount of potential. As ever, the problem with creating so much potential is that all of it's never all utilized to a certain degree. What's the full membership of The Commonwealth(Blitzkreiger is dead, btw)? What's the V-Battlion(sp) doing now that their mole has turned to the darkside? What's the church doing to stem the tide of paganism? Etc. Another problem is have is the current storyline. I like the team shift, I like Jim Jaspers being alive and dangerous as ever. But at the same time, it puts a hold on the current tension with Doom and The Red Lord. It's hard to fear what they might do when Jimmy can just press a reset button on a whim. Also, I really, really hope none of Jim's changes last long term. I don't mind Spitfire and Chapman retiring, but I dislike Chapman dying off camera forever. At least you've got me on edge ;)

Is Wolfsbane or Micromax or anyone from Excalibur aside from the regulars going to ever appear? I understand that you don't wanna turn Pendragons into Excalibur Vol 2 (and geographical location and quality aside, it's not) but still, there are some great characters there. I'll settle just for Wolfsbane ;)

Does anyone recognize Fin Fang Foom or what? Yeah, he's Rathoon's buddy and whatnot, but aren't the Pendragons being too casual about FFF? He did play crack the whip with the Great Wall of China and try to kill Iron Man, after all.

Thanks for the kind words! I agree with that I've barely scratched the surface of the Barrier's potential. After "Tempus Fugit" I'll try to go more in depth on some things.

I do plan a trip to Muir Island soon, so maybe one or both of your requested characters will pop up.

As for Fin Fang Foom, the general public probably considers just "another" mythical beast come to life, but WHO might take an interest in him soon. As for the Pendragons, so far they're trusting Rathoon's word that he'll watch over him.