Unity |
What Has Come Before: Nocturne and Captain Britain have found themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance, even as London's underworld is apparently caught up between opposing forces: the evil Lord Pumpkin and the revived Hellfire Club. Unknown to the heroes, Lord Pumpkin is the new Black King of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, contriving the false gang war to hide his true activities. Meanwhile, Molly Fitzgerald has continued to have problems adjusting to her new status as the Celtic Phoenix, leading to her strains in her relationship with Bruce Banner. Adding to the team's turmoil was the arrival of an alien spacecraft, whose advanced technology plucked the Pendragons straight from Lyonesse. With the heroes away from Earth, Roma has empowered Kelsey Leigh to act as a new Captain Britain, for reasons that remain unclear.
Captain Britain leaped into the air, kicking out with both feet at once. The blows sent jolts of pain up both of her legs, but she knew quite well that her prey got the worst of it. Both men fell at once, blood streaming down from broken noses and teeth.
Kelsey Leigh had never felt anything like it. It was both thrilling and terrifying, all at once... a bit like her first sexual experience, really.
That thought made her smile and she could easily picture herself in the backseat of Tommy's roadster, his clumsy hands fumbling with the clasp of her bra.
Pain flared through her right temple and Kelsey stumbled back, blinded by pain for a moment. Keep your wits about you, she thought. Her assailant, a purple and black clad bloke who fancied himself Mr. Amazing or somesuch, ran towards her, a trash bin raised above his head. He looked almost comical as debris rained down about his shoulders, but she knew that he'd be more than capable of smashing her head in if he connected.
The new Captain Britain reacted automatically, trusting in her new senses and abilities. Like before, she seemed to know where he was going to strike even before he made his move. Ducking beneath him, she brought the Sword of Power up in a powerful stroke. The tip of the blade sliced through his costume from navel to neck, leaving a jagged scar along his pale belly.
The sense of power that she felt was intoxicating. All her life she'd been the quiet one -- the dutiful daughter, the pleasant wife, the sensible mother. But now she was more. She felt whole and complete for the very first time.
Mr. Amazing was on his back, staring up at her in alarm. Blood was oozing from his wound. "Please, have mercy...."
Kelsey brought the sword's tip to his throat. "You killed three people when you robbed that bank. Innocent men and women who had families... Why should I spare you?"
"You're Captain Britain," he said, a faint smile on his lips. "Everybody knows you don't kill, Ms. Braddock."
Kelsey narrowed her eyes and pushed the point of the blade down harder. A thin trickle of blood answered the move and she saw pure, animalistic fear in her foe's eyes. "I'm not Betsy Braddock."
The flat part of the blade whipped out, smacking the villain hard on the cheek. The blow was enough to knock Mr. Amazing out, leaving only Kelsey standing. She looked around the deserted parking lot, her eyes flicking over to the lorry which contained the group's ill-gotten gains. I could certainly use that money, she thought. I could take the kids on holiday and--
"The power's not meant for such things," she said, her own voice sounding strange to her ears. When Roma had transformed her into England's champion, her entire body had changed. She was an inch taller, her hair was much fuller and her body... she now had the toned curves of a model. And the scar that had hideously deformed her for so long was now gone from her face.
Captain Britain heard sirens in the distance, answering the gunfire that had filled the air here so recently. It was almost dawn and Kelsey knew her children would be waking soon. She was almost sad, thinking about stripping off this uniform... it felt so good on her, like a second skin.
Her mind drifted back years ago, to the night when she and her husband had been driving home... the countryside had seemed so quiet, so peaceful. Britain wasn't the hotbed of superheroes that it was today, they were mostly obscure characters who operated on the fringe of society. There had been Miracleman, of course, but he'd been missing for decades -- and Captain Britain had disappeared some time back*, leaving the country defenseless against the likes of the Reaver, Hurricane and others. But their few battles were usually in the heart of London, far from Kelsey's home. They were like myths, stories told to frighten small children.
(*Brian wandered amnesiac on an island for some time following a jump from an airplane -- no lie.)
But then they came crashing down -- quite literally -- on Kelsey's very head.
The Sentinel's sparking head had landed directly on top of their car, interrupting Kelsey's whimsical description of her afternoon chores. Her husband had been in mid-laugh, his eyes twinkling... and then the world had exploded in smoke and fire.
Kelsey had been thrown free of the blast, her face ripped apart by a jagged piece of metal. She'd screamed her husband's name, stumbling towards the flames, only to find herself enveloped in mist. Like a lost soul, she'd wandered through the void, convinced she was dead or dying... and then she'd seen a woman, ethereal and beautiful.
"My name is Roma, Goddess of the Northern Lights," the woman had said, her voice sounding impossibly sweet. "I offer you a choice... a choice which could save the life of your husband. Choose the Amulet of Right... or the Sword of Might."
Kelsey had been staggered by the choice, terrified by the implications she knew lay behind the words. This was no dream, no passing fantasy... this was something that could alter her life on the most fundamental level....
And she was scared.
Frightened of the possibilities, afraid of all that it meant. She knew, at a primal level, that this was not meant for her....
And then the fog began to fade and Roma looked saddened but not surprised.
For years, the memories would haunt Kelsey... until they'd returned in the full form of Roma again the other night. Offering the choice once more. Offering the power.
She looked down at the sword in her hand and clenched it tightly. I lost one opportunity to make this world a better place... I won't squander this one.
"She's a failure. Like all the rest in the Chamber."
"I know this. But I think she has... potential. Not all the failures are without merit."
"You have too forgiving a heart, Roma... When we were not certain of Brian Braddock's true nature, when we wondered if he would be a failure like so many others, you offered this woman power -- and she rejected it. It is in her nature to be weak and indecisive. You should have claimed her when this became clear."
"Then she would have been wasted, Father. She has a role to play here... Be patient. Let us observe her while the Pendragons are away. If she is as weak as you say, then she has been only a minor trifle. If she bears fruit, however..."
Merlyn, former Guardian of the Omniverse, smiled benignly at his daughter. Her schemes were ever doomed to failure, but they were sometimes of an entertaining nature. "And what if your brother discovers that I am not the simpleton he believes me to be? What if he uncovers the depth of your current deceptions?"
"Then we deal with him," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "Wynter can't be allowed to stand in our way."
Android Andy ran a metallic hand over the wall, his sensors doing their best to formulate a response to the most recent events. He and his fellow Pendragons had been warned of an alien spacecraft hovering above London. An unfamiliar wave of energy had washed out from the ship, aimed directly at the team's headquarters on Lyonesse... and in its wake, the heroes had found themselves transported off the planet. "This material is unfamiliar to me," he said, his voice taking on a sing-song quality. "I believe it is safe to assume that we have been abducted and are now within the belly of the beast, so to speak."
"That's one of putting it, I guess." Shevaun Haldane -- aka Dark Angel -- was far above her teammates, having soared upwards as soon as the energy displacement had passed. The ceilings in this chamber were huge, dotted by a criss-cross pattern of cables. "My powers are registering propulsion energies being unleashed all around us. I'd wager that this thing's taken us off Earth all ready."
Captain Britain nodded, using her telepathy to link them all together. We might be under surveillance. Let's continue the conversation this way, shall we? Betsy turned towards the Phoenix, noting the look of concern on Molly's face. Any clue what's going on, Molly?
None... and I'm not very adept at using my new powers for sensing things.
"I don't think that's a concern," Nocturne said aloud. He nodded towards a door along the far wall, which had slid open silently. "Our hosts are about to introduce themselves."
Pendragons, Betsy began, Take up the following formation -- Hulk, you're up front with me and Molly. Shevaun, Gray and Andy -- spread out. If they attack us, I want us to present a difficult target. Let's use the size of the room to our advantage. Breeze -- initiate maneuver 8.
Breeze James could barely hide her grin. She sometimes thought this whole business of wearing spandex and fighting crime was as silly as you could get -- and then Betsy would toss off a line like that. It made it all seem so sublimely ridiculous. Even so, she followed orders. Maneuver 8 was something they'd come up with to take advantage of Breeze's special powers -- by speeding up her internal molecules, the speedster could become almost invisible, vibrating at a speed that the human eye simply couldn't follow. By doing so, she became a secret weapon of sorts -- striking when and where it was needed.
The beings who entered the room, however, were beyond reproach. There were three of them, dressed almost as gaudily as the Pendragons themselves.
For a long moment, the two groups merely looked at one another... until the silence threatened to consume them. It was Captain Britain who stepped forward finally, her heart hammering in her chest. She could sense Nocturne's concern at her side -- her emotions were all to evident on her face, after all.
"Warren....?"
Warren Worthington III stood behind his two compatriots, but he stepped forward at the sound of her voice. He looked older -- far, far older -- than Betsy remembered him. He wore a blue and white costume, but the halo that had always adorned the center of the suit was missing. His hair was long and streaked with gray and his wings were thin with age, but his eyes that most showed the ravages of time. He looked like a man who had seen War. Long, bloody War. "Betsy. God, you're just as beautiful as I remember...."
The two former lovers stared into each other's eyes and then Betsy asked "What's going on here...? You look so...."
"Old?" he asked, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he smiled. "I suppose I am." He gestured to his companions. "These are my friends -- the synthezoid is named Jocasta. She's recently given birth, so I hope you can forgive her for being a little reserved. And the other you will probably recognize -- T'Challa, the Black Panther."
The dark garbed hero reached up and pulled away his mask, revealing a face that -- like Warren's -- showed much. His beard was speckled with gray. "Welcome, Pendragons," he said, speaking in the deep baritone of a King. "I know this is going to sound like quite a stretch... But we're from the future. And we've come back to make sure that our time never comes to be."
"That's impossible," the Hulk said. He was staring at the three beings before him with great interest, but he kept his distance from them. It was in his nature to be distrustful and he gave free reign to that impulse -- it had kept him alive this long, after all. "I've had some dealings with people from the future -- and the best they can hope to do is create an alternate timeline. Your world will still have the same history as before, no matter what you do."
"Not necessarily," Betsy whispered. Her own brother -- Jamie -- had successfully altered their own universe, operating under the tutelage of Jim Jaspers. She reached out and took Warren's offered hand. "You're going to explain all this?"
"Yes." He surprised her by kissing her on the lips. It lacked the passionate nature of their old embraces, but it was full of bittersweet emotion. "I'll explain everything, from top to bottom."
Lyonesse -- Castle Pendragons
Suzi Endo tried to tell herself that the excitement she felt was from pure nervousness and not anticipation... but deep in her heart, she knew the truth.
"How are the systems checking out, Gully?"
Gulliver Jones, former superhero and current holographic lifeform, watched her with obvious amusement. "There are protocols for this sort of thing, you know. Betsy and Wynter devised them after the last time the Pendragons disappeared."
"We don't need an entire replacement team. Not yet." Suzi studied herself in the mirror. The form-fitting body armor hugged her curves, making her look sleek and dangerous. "Besides, I'm only doing this in case something comes up. I don't plan to be going out on patrol."
"Hmm. All system checks are green-lighted. Looks like you've repaired the damage done to the unit by the Hulk*. Cybermancer is a go."
(*In our fiftieth issue.)
"Good. Now we can-- What the hell?"
Gully reacted even before Suzi had heard the blaring alarm. His holographic form dropped to the floor, staring at the monitor readouts. It was mostly for show, of course, as all the necessary data was flooding into his mind. "Class B situation developing in London's East End. A squadron of armored warriors led by the Hellfire Club's Red King is on the loose. They've opened fire in the middle of Gerard's Unicorn Playhouse."
"What is that?"
"A popular showcase for many of our new magically powered guests. Unicorns, fairies, elves, etc. Sort of a Cirque du Soleil for the post-Barrier world."
"That doesn't sound much like the Red King or the Hellfire Club. They're not usually so open in their actions...."
"I predict an 85.7% probability that this is a trap, designed to draw out the Pendragons."
"Wonderful." Suzi stared at the power readouts that hovered before her eyes, projected onto the wraparound visor she wore. The Cybermancer suit had been designed during a period of time when she'd been involved with Tony Stark's Force Works program... before its completion, her life had been hijacked by an evil duplicate of herself who infiltrated the FW team. Ever since then, she'd been hesitant to use the armor much, fearing that -- like her doppleganger -- she would eventually allow the cybernetic interface to twist her from human to machine. But things kept conspiring to bring her into the costume and she was being forced to admit that she wanted it. "I'm going in, Gully -- but I want you to monitor me at all times. If things start to go badly, alert the reservists and--"
"Incoming call on the public channels. I've flagged it as urgent."
"Why?"
"The caller claims to be Captain Britain, but her voice record doesn't match Betsy."
"Patch her in. I'll talk to her in flight." Cybermancer didn't wait for a reply, instead choosing to rocket out one of the castle's large windows. She didn't need Gully trying to talk her out of this. Almost immediately, she heard a click in her visor's radio circuits and knew that the caller had been patched through. "This is Cybermancer, adjunct associate of the Pendragons. Who are you?"
The woman's voice sounded nervous and a bit strained. Suzi could hear children playing in the background. "I know this will sound strange, but I saw your number on the telly once and I didn't know who else to call... I've been watching the news and I'm not sure I'm ready for this on my own--"
"Please," Suzi said, her voice full of impatience. "Just get to the point. This line is for important business only."
"I... I'm Captain Britain. And there are armed men in London, but I don't know if I can take them all on. I haven't fought that many before and--"
"You're not Captain Britain." Suzi started to sever the connection, wondering what had possessed Gully to flag this call. The woman was obviously another nut. The Pendragons' public line was usually flooded with calls from them.
"I have the Sword of Might."
Cybermancer paused. Very few people knew of that weapon, which had been offered to Brian Braddock ages ago. For a brief time, it had fallen into the hands of a villain known as the Reaver, but most recently it had been wielded by Brian in his duties as King of Otherworld. Not that it means anything, from what I understand. Those weapons -- swords and amulets both -- pop up in different incarnations all the time. I think Merlyn must have created a whole stash of the bloody things. "You've got my attention...."
"I was wondering if I might get some help. I want to do something, but I was thinking that maybe it was time for me to contact the Pendragons."
Suzi could sense the woman's relief when she said "Fine. I've triangulated your call and will be there in less than five minutes -- Then we'll go together and you can explain where in the hell you got the Sword of Might."
Kelsey Leigh hung up the phone, a nervous feeling in her stomach. She was standing in her kitchen, one hand resting on her face, touching the smooth skin where her scar had been. It had taken a lot of nerve to call them, but now she was glad she had. She only wished someone she had recognized had answered the phone... Cybermancer wasn't a name she knew.
"Mum?" her son asked, stepping in. "Can I play outside?"
"No... I want you and your sister to stay in for awhile. Mommy's got to go to market -- But she'll be back as soon as possible."
"Okay," he said, sounding slightly dejected. He looked up again, studying her. "It was a miracle that made your face all better, wasn't it, mum? It was magic."
"Yes," she said, smiling at him. "The best kind of magic."
"The ship is powered by a Vibranium core and uses an amalgamation of Terran and Martian technologies." Jocasta moved like a wraith through the room, pointing out various things of interest to Andy. The two artificial lifeforms had immediately moved towards one another as the groups had moved from the teleportation chamber into a more casual meeting room. The area retained a sense of sparseness, however, and Andy knew immediately that creature comforts were a secondary concern when this ship had been built.
"Fascinating," Adam replied, truly meaning it. "Might I ask you a more personal question?"
The other android turned to regard him. Her skin was as smooth as marble, with a faint greenish tint to it. Her perfectly sculpted face had been shaped to resemble that of Janet Van Dyne, the Avenger known as the Wasp... but Andy thought it unique in its own way. "Of course."
"You were recently with child... May I ask who the father was?"
"He was called X-51 by some, Machine Man by others. He was the bravest soul I have ever known."
Andy heard the emotion in her words, though her face never wavered in its calm expression. "I have not known love... though I know many songs that speak of it. Perhaps... perhaps later I could share one with you?"
"I would find that most pleasing," Jocasta replied. Together, they turned back to the large table, around which the Pendragons sat with their hosts.
T'Challa stood, his mask still pushed away from his handsome face. "I think we should get underway. We only have a brief amount of time to explain everything."
"Maybe you can begin with why you kidnapped us," Breeze snapped. "If you wanted our help, you could have asked."
"I apologize for the way you were brought here, but as you'll soon understand, time was of the essence. Let me begin by answering a question that's been eating away at Dr. Banner, if no one else... How did we pierce the Black Mass Barrier? The easy answer is that we--"
"Never did," the Hulk finished for him. "You were all ready under the Barrier's environs in the first place -- or at least where the Barrier once was. Right?"
"Very good. Yes... As you can probably tell from mine and Warren's appearances, we're from the future. A time when the Barrier is no more than a memory. We set this ship down within the boundaries of the old Barrier and then traveled back into your era. Once we had you onboard, we returned to our time and then back to yours -- but this time outside the Barrier."
"Bugger me," Nocturne whispered. "You're saying we're outside the Barrier now?" Gray Poldark had to almost forcibly restrain himself from getting up and finding a window of some sort.
"Yes, but you really should let us finish. Your enthusiasm might dip a bit when you hear everything we have to say," Warren said, leaning forward. He was sitting on the other side of Betsy, sandwiching her between her former lover and her current. It didn't take a telepath to pick up on the fact that Betsy was in a relationship with this Nocturne character... and Warren wasn't overly troubled by it. He'd given up all hope of being with Betsy again long ago. Still, seeing her again stirred up old feelings that he thought were gone forever. "Where we come from, the Martians conquered all of the non-Barrier lands. By the time the Barrier came down in '06, they were ready. They were waiting en masse on the borders of the Barrier. The Pendragons united with the remnants of the Avengers -- including the three of us -- and managed to hold the Martians at bay for a time, but eventually they ate away at our defenses... Hell, they ate away at our souls. Their tripods rained fire down on the cities, while their genetically-engineered Skorpsmen led their forces into battle." Angel's eyes flicked towards Molly, taking in her uniform. "Jean Grey was amongst the first to die. You have no idea how lost we all were when she fell."
Molly slipped her hand under the table, finding Bruce's. Jean's death had sent the Phoenix Force out in search of a new host -- a search that had led to Molly's own resurrection.
The Black Panther picked up the threads of the tale, letting Warren sink back into his seat. Talking about the deaths of his fellow X-Men always took a lot out of the man, T'Challa knew. "In 2027, we were visited by a group of time-lost Avengers. With their help, we were able to drive back the Martians and liberate our planet, but by then millions were dead and our world was in shambles. What's more, the whole population of Great Britain disappeared under mysterious circumstances, following the deaths in battle of Brian Braddock and the remaining Pendragons*."
(*See Tales of the Pendragons # 5)
Nocturne glanced over at Betsy, but her face was unreadable. He wondered how she could look so calm while hearing about the death of her brother... I wonder why the Looking Glass hasn't shown me anything about all of this. So far, all of its visions have been a short period of time into the future. I wonder if I could try and force it to look further....?
"The entire population... disappeared?" the Hulk asked.
"Yes. They've been gone for nearly eight months now. We can only hope they've gone to a better place."
"Maybe Otherworld," Betsy said. "Brian might have tried to shunt them all to his realm."
"We may never know," T'Challa agreed. "Still... That brings us to today. We looked at the ruined landscape of our world and decided to try and change it -- Maybe Dr. Banner is right and our efforts will prove fruitless. But it's a chance we must take. This era of history is very chaotic and only afforded us a certain number of safe points in which we could enter... looking over the state of affairs here, we've come up with a two-pronged plan of attack that will cripple the Martian forces before they can completely dominate the Earth."
"What do they want?" Molly asked, her heart growing cold in her chest. The thought of war made her uneasy... especially given the new scope of her powers. The thought of slaying mass numbers of alien invaders had been coming to her more and more lately... How far would she go to free a world? And what path would she be heading down if she gave in to her urges? At least Bruce can understand that side of things, she thought.
Jocasta replied "They are like locusts, moving from world to world and leeching it of all resources. They force the world's inhabitants into slavery and then abandon the planet when it no longer amuses them. They are not truly Martians, of course -- that world is merely one of their ancient conquests and a staging point for its attacks on Earth."
"Tell us your plan, T'Challa." Captain Britain sounded as cold and deadly as a katana.
"There were two major reasons that the Martians were able to outfox us. First: A group of powerful alien races came together at the behest of Quasar. This meeting is taking place now in the heart of the Shi'ar Empire. In our timeline, the decision was made not to help Earth repel the invasion. It was argued that we were a danger to the whole universe and only good could come of our defeat -- or, if we won, we would be too weak to continually interfere in their politics. I'd like to send some of us there to persuade them otherwise."
"The other thing that helped them was that they captured an ionic based being early on in the conflict. They took this being back to their Martian base and slowly bled him dry, powering various weapons which they used against us. They have no reason to suspect that anyone in this time knows of this -- we can send a strike force into the very heart of their staging ground. With this being liberated, their forces will take a big hit."
"Who is this being?" Andy asked.
"We don't know for sure," T'Challa admitted. "But given the fact that Simon Williams disappeared early in the war, we suspect it's Wonder Man."
Captain Britain sat back, ignoring Shevaun's attempts to reach her telepathically. She wanted to think this through and she wanted to take her time. But she could also feel the urgency surrounding her... "We'll go along with this, but we're picking who goes where. I take it there's not enough time for us to do one and then the other? They need to occur simultaneously?"
"Yes... And we have no objection to your dispersing your own forces. I only wish we'd had more Avengers to bring back with us, but most are so busy with -- Well. No point in discussing the problems of our era. I'd like to send Warren with the Shi'ar delegation. Jocasta and I will go with the strike force."
Betsy nodded, feeling that those decisions meshed well with her own. "I'll go to the Shi'ar. I've had some dealings with Lilandra before. Gray and Molly, you'll come with me. The rest will go on to Mars."
Molly couldn't hide her shock. "Are you sure about that? The Shi'ar don't have a very good history with the Phoenix Force, you know...."
"I know that -- And I'm counting on them being intimidated by you if necessary. I don't want to threaten them, but if that's the only way...."
"Then it's settled," Warren said. He reached out and squeezed Betsy's hand. "Off to save the world again, Bets. Just like old times."
Betsy Braddock smiled softly in return, but her thoughts were directed straight at Gray Poldark. Don't worry, Gray. I'm over him.
I bloody well hope so, Nocturne mentally replied. He's ancient.
The Black Panther watched Betsy turn to her lover and laugh, wondering at what secrets were passing between them. What I wouldn't give for telepathy, he thought. For a second he wondered if she'd peered into his mind, to see if he was telling them the truth. I hope she has. I need her to trust me... because if we fail in this, millions will die. And I won't let that happen. Not again.
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Issue: "Unity" continues as the Pendragons face threats on two fronts: Captain Britain leads her delegation before a group composed of the Shi'ar, the Kree, the Skrulls and many more, while the Hulk commands a squad of heroes bent on taking the war straight into the heart of the Martian Empire! Plus: Kelsey Leigh and Suzi Endo vs. the Hellfire Club!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
A lot of set-up this issue, but it all starts to pay off in a big way next issue. Trust me... There will be major surprises next issue! You've been warned... For those of you waiting for the big Exiles/Dark Guard storyline (and there seem to be quite a few of you), sorry there was no movement on that front this issue -- things were pretty well stuffed full all ready. Look for more soon.
A ton of mail this time! I should go on vacation more often....
Gary Jones offers up the first set of comments, with my responses sprinkled in-between.
Thoughts on
Pendragons #54:
The opening scene is good and shows that in a short time and with a lot of
hard work, Nocturne has established himself as a hero to be reckoned with.
Glad you liked that one -- I think
Gray has the potential to be a major force within the Pendragons and I'll
hopefully get more opportunities to showcase that.
His scenes with Betsy are also very interesting to me, but not in the way you
might be thinking. The speed and passions with which Betsy has fallen into
this relationship has me suspecting that there may be more to this than meets
the eye.
Several things are at work here,
but the major one is that we've pretty well established (I hope) that Betsy is
starving for a relationship. Look how quickly she glommed onto
"Warren" and how quickly she became intrigued by Jack Staff on their
one date. I'm not planning any kind of mind control or anything here, it's
just a case of a young woman who's far too
willing to "fall in love" right now. Will this one last or is she
headed for a heartbreak? That's the question. :-)
The next part that I enjoyed was the scene between the Hulk and Shamrock but
again not for the reason many may think. I'm wondering if it is really Bruce's
choice to spend so much time as the Professor, given the bleed over of the
Professor's personality into Bruce and the warning from Joe Fixit about the
possible origin of the Maestro.
This is something that will be
pursued in the Hulk series quite a bit.
My next bit is the part with the Cam and Grace; I am much looking forward to
the Dark Guard taking on both the Exiles and Weapon X (although my group could
whup all three teams `wink'). The only thing wrong with this scene was the
misspelling of the Tallus as "Tellus", but hey that's small potatoes
right.
Thanks for catching the 'Tellus/Tallus'
thing -- typo time, I'm afraid. I corrected it after you pointed it out. I've
had lots of requests for a Dark Guard/Exiles story so I figured the time was
right.
I also liked the Dark Angel scene with Suzi Endo but think it is a crying
shame that her relationship with Miracleman came to an end, is their no chance
of rekindling this as it was one of my favourite pairings in the book.
I liked it too. At the time that
Tom Deja began Miracles, Inc. however, he expressed that he wasn't too
interested in using Shevaun and that he instead wanting to play off the
Miracleman/Miraclewoman dynamic. So the break-up occurred. There are several
things I've done that were concessions to other writers that I might have
handled differently otherwise.
And not on to the bits that I didn't like (oh come on you knew they were
coming lol).
With the origin of Kelsey Leigh as the new Captain Britain in Marvel's
Avengers not even complete yet, the introduction of the character into
Pendragons smacks a bit too much of "I can do this better than you"
(it is better mind you but still the wrong time to bring her in).
I see your point and almost held
off on the story just because of that... but I think I've seen enough of
Kelsey in the comics to build off that and go in my own directions. In some
ways it is a pissing contest, I suppose... but then most fanfic is :-)
On a point unrelated to Pendragons #54, I always thought that the choice
between the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right was a test and that if you
chose the Sword you failed and did not become Captain Britain, I always
believed it was not a choice between destinies. Obviously I've been wrong all
this time.
In Brian's origin, it was
definitely implied that choosing the sword was the wrong answer. In fact when
the Reaver chose the sword, he became even 'worse' than before. But Austen has
chosen to allow Kelsey to use the sword in the comics and I'm going along with
that here -- though I plan to show the effects of her having made that choice,
as well (something Austen is planning as well, I think).
The next part I didn't get is the amount of holes that the barrier seems to
have. It seems pretty obvious that through dimensional travel you can
"get around" the barrier (travel from Otherworld, the Exiles making
an appearance, the Pendragons in Secret Wars). If this does turn out to be the
case, why has Thor not made an appearance through the use of Mjolnir? Or Reed
Richards not found a way through with his multitude of technology. With the
Martian Invasion taking
place outside the barrier and their inability to get through, I would have
thought getting inside the barrier would have been a priority for the Heroes
on the outside, getting to safe ground as it were to rest and plot a
counter-attack.
About the Barrier. Yes, there are
holes there. Left to my own devices, the Barrier would have come down back
around issue 40 or so ("Tempus Fugit" would have been the perfect
time for it)... but several authors here have more stories they want to tell
with it in place. So it's still here. On the other hand, I've now written
nearly 50 issues of Pendragons since the
Barrier went up, plus issues of Ghost Rider UK, Tales of the Pendragons,
Captain Britain, etc. Some of the luster of the Barrier has waned for me and I
admit that I've been seeking out ways to tell new stories without flat-out
removing the Barrier.
As for Thor and the other outside-the-Barrier heroes, I'd love to see somebody
write a War story set on the other side of the Barrier and explain what the
Avengers, FF, etc. are up to. We know Jean Grey was killed and a bunch of
mystic heroes were dead pre-Barrier, but what else? I don't have the time or
interest to do it, though :-)
Overall another great issue but with a few holes that I expect will be filled
before too long.
Next up is Dave Evans:
Just thought I'd drop you a line to say well done on 54, my excitement is peaking. I was wondering if you were gonna pull the new Captain Britain into the Pendragons universe and more importantly how. Thank you! The exiles are coming back and not only that so are the dark guard and weapon x, I can't wait to see their line ups. Have you had any further thoughts on a Pendragons Forever mini?
Thanks, David. I'm glad you're enjoying the current storyline so much. Like I said, I was a bit hesitant to bring in Kelsey but I had an idea and decided to go with it. The Exiles and Weapon X lineups will be quite interesting, I hope... look for some familiar faces that you might not be expecting! As for a Pendragons Forever mini, I'm still thinking -- it would be fun, but I'm not sure how much more I can handle at the moment. :-)
Daniel Ingram provided us with a very interesting letter:
Gotta say, I've been loving this series as long as I've been reading it.
The good= Finally! We've seen the Church's stance/reaction to the Black Mass Barrier! I've been dying to see this almost since day one, and the story didn't disappoint. The introduction (sorta) of the Commonwealth was fairly cool and an interesting mix. Gray's starting to grow on me as a sorta replacement for Joey (sorta) and the Hellfire Club's return certainly looks promising. Ten bucks says sleeping fat guy is Shadow King! The relationship between Hulk and Shamrock is fairly cool, though I wonder how it will change during their visit to Shi'ar space. Does this mean we get another Pendragons replacement team? (despite what they say, you can never have too many replacement teams). Please? And I think fandom demands a throw down with the Imperial Guard!
The bad=I'm gonna need some convincing with Kelsey. To be perfectly honest, I nearly stopped reading the issue when she came up. I don't know what Marvel is thinking replacing a character (Brian Braddock in this case) who's been penned and enhanced by Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Alan Davis, among others with some new Austen creation. The only thing that kept me reading is the fact that in another fanfic series, I write a Union Jack that's not Chapman, (no matter how much I want Chapman to be Union Jack) and the character's cool despite that. I'm willing to see things out for now, though be warned my Austen hatred runs deep ;) And don't we have a Cap. Britain already? I already know I like Betsy better
My only other complaint is that The Commonwealth battle was something of a curbstomp. Those guys never even had anything resembling a chance against the Pendragons. If they clash with the Pendragons in the future, how about leveling out the playing field? Good team otherwise.
Sorry that the battle with the Commonwealth didn't quite live up to your expectations. I'll freely admit that it was a bit one-sided, though I think it was more the result of the current Pendragons group being immensely powerful -- having the Hulk and a Phoenix on your side will skew things a bit! You're not the only one with concerns about Kelsey (see below), but I hope this storyline will allay your fears.
Finally we have Don Lurch:
Hello Barry, I
feel compelled to write you about this situation. Your stories are amazing and
make me eagerly await the next issue. But I am writing because you have
introduced a blight into your world. "that storyline so highly flawed
that I can barely stand it" Mr. Austen is a blight on the Marvel Universe
and has ruined first the X-Men, then the Exiles or vice versa, I'm not sure)
and now has gone to inflict his misery on the Avengers. I have stopped reading
3 books i loved reading because of this Sex-Addled Overaged adolescent., don't
let his ideas ruin your stories as well. I will give the benefit of the doubt
because you have redeemed both the Hulk and the Phoenix. Also, I believe that
the heritage and honor of being Capitan Britain should remain within the
Braddock family, but while Betsy is in Outer Space, Britain should still have
a
Captain Britain. Thanks for writing great stories.
P.S. I love the idea of the Dark Guard meeting the Exiles
It's always great to hear from someone new, Don. Welcome aboard! I'm not a fan of Austen's writing, either, to be honest. I decided to bring in Kelsey simply because I thought I had a neat idea on how to tie her into the Pendragons Universe. I'm with you on the Braddock family retaining control of the Captain Britain identity.
You can reach me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com
