El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

The MASK copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema


The American Rivera

Chapter 01: Welcome To Miracle City

[Miracle City]

The Sun Rose Over Mexican Metropolis Of Miracle City.
It Was Home To Superheroes And Supervillains Alike...And, The "Hero/Villain" El Tigre.

As With Any Other Day, The Morning Started With The Usual-

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Policia Squad Cars Chased After a Large, Muscular Man In a Bear Suit Who Was Holding Bags Of Cash That He Stole From One Of The Many Banks Of Miracle City.

"YOU`LL NEVER CATCH ME, MANG!" Exclaimed El Oso

Just Then, a Man Wearing Bronze Boots And a Luchador Mask Arrived.

"EL OSO!
SURRENDER TO WHIIIIIIIIIIIITE PANTERA-"

Oso Punched Pantera In The Jaw.

"NO WAY, MANG!"

While Oso Was Distracted, a Mechanical Claw Snatched His Bags Of cash.

"WHAT!

Oso Looked To See An Old Man In a Gold, Mechanical Suit: Puma Loco.

"GOTCHA!"

Loco Fired a Missle AT Oso, Knocking Him Into a Wall.
He Then Walks Over To His Son...Who Is Still Dazed.

"Papi...I Didn`t Know You Had Twin Brothers!" Muttered Pantera In Slurred Speech

The Old Man Sighed.

"sometimes i no believe we`re related..."

Pantera Soon Recovers And Gets Up.

"Papi...Where Is The Money?"

Puma Whistles Innocently.

"What Money?

"The Money You Hiding Behind Your Back."

Puma Looks Behind Him.

"This Proves Nothing."

Pantera Reached Out his Hand.
Realising He Was Defeated, The Old Supervillain Gave Pantera The Money.

"killjoy..."

The Police Soon Arrived.
Pantera Gave Them The Money And Helped Them Haul Oso Into An Armored Truck.

Puma Loco Approached Pantera.

"Say...Just Where IS Manny, Anyway?
Wasn`t he Suppose To Be Helping You Fight The Crimes, today?"

"Actually, I Haven`t Seen Him Since This Morning...
But, When I Do...We Are Going To Have a "Serious Talk".

Pantera Marched Off.

"i sure glad i`m not him, right now." Said Puma Loco With a Smile

[Meanwhile, Atop The Miracle City Volcano]

a Mexican Boy With Chocolate Brown Hair Was With a Goggled Headed Girl With Blue Hair.
They Sat In a Shopping Cart That they Snatched From a Local Store And Wore Makeshift Helmets.

"THIS WILL BE AWESOME IF WE SURVIVE!" Said Manny

"LET`S GO!" Shouted Frida

The Two Teenagers Rolled Down The Volcano.
They Soon Picked Up Speed And Zoomed Into the City Streets Of Miracle City.

They Zoomed Down The Road, Narrowly Avoiding Passing Cars And Crashing Into Stuff.
Several People Yelled Angrily At Them As They Passed By...Some Even Cursing a Bit.

"WHOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO!" Shouted Frida

Manny`s Eyes Grew Wide As He Saw What Was In Front Of Him: The ENd Of an Incomplet Road.

"OH, !"

They Crashed Through The Warning Sign And Fell Down The Drop.
Luckily, They Landed In a Passing Garbage Truck Which Was Headed For The City Dump.

Manny And Frida Laughed Crazily At What Happened.

"That Just NEVER Get`s Old!" Said Frida

"When You Right Your Right." Said Manny

[Later]

"MANUEL PABLO GUTIERREZ O`BRIEN EQUIHUA RIVERA!" Shouted Rudolfo Angrily

Manny And Frida Were Sitting In Manny`s House, Who Were Being Scolded By Manny`s Dad.

Manny Was Being Scolded For Not Showing Up To Fight Crime Like He Said He Would While, FRIDA Was Being Scolded For Talking Manny Into Going On Their Little "Joyride".

"Manny, I Don`t Know What I`m Going To Do With You..." Said Rudolfo

"try spanking him." Whispered Grandpapi Rivera

"Come On, Dad.
I`m Sorry I Missed Out On Our Time Together...I Just FORGOT!"

"Yes, You Just Forget...for the hundreth time in several weeks." Said Grandpapi Rivera

"Dude, Why Are You So Upset?" Asked Frida

"Because I Have Been To Preoccupied With Saving My Idiot Son That I have Had NO TIME To Rob The Banks And Museums Like I`m Suppose To Do!"

"Oh..."

Manny Looked At His Dad.

"Come On, Dad...I Promise I`ll Be There NEXT TIME!"

Rudolfo Sighed.

"Oh, Very Well, Manny...I`m Giving You ONE LAST CHANCE.
But, Mess Up This Time...And, I Will Have No Choice But To GROUND YOU!"

Grandpapi Rivera Scoffed.

"You Heroes ALWAYS Go Way Too Easy On The Childrens...
When I Raised You, I Was Never Such a Softy...You get Outta Line Once, AND I CRUSH YOU!"

"Papi...I Never Got Out Of Line." Said Rudolfo

"HA!
See, My Point Exactly!"

Rudolfo Sighed.
Sometimes Having a Supervillain Father Was "Difficult".

Manny And Frida Got Up.

"Well, If You Need Us...We`ll be-

"OFF TO SCHOOL!" Finsihed Rudolfo

Manny And Frida Saw The School Bus Drive Off From a Window.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Manny And Frida Ran Out The Door So Fast, Rudolfo And Grandpapi Could Feel The Wind.
They Later Saw Manny And Frida Franticly Chasing And Yelling At The School Bus.

[Later, At The Miracle City High School]

a Woman With Long And Curly, Chocolate Brown Hair Put Some Books Away In The School Library...

The Woman Was MARIA RIVERA.
She Was Manny`s Mother And EX-Wife Of Rudolfo.

Though Divorced (Her Reasons Being Not Able To Handle Rudolfo`s DANGEROUS Lifestyle)
She Still Lived VERY CLOSE To Her Son`s Apartment Home In Her Own Mansion Which Was Built Off Of Her Past Musical Career As a MARIACHI SINGER.
Though, She Was Perfectly Content With Her New, Average Career As a Librarian.

"RIVERA!" Shouted a Harsh Voice

Maria Turned To See The High School`s Vice-Princeble, AKA "HER BOSS".

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"I Would Like To See You In My Office AFTER SCHOOL...It`s About Your Son."

Maria Sweated a Little.
She Knew That Everytime Someone Mention "Your Son", It Was NEVER Anything Good.

"W-What`s It About?"

"oh, nothing...
Just a Little Mishap That Involved Him And That Suarez Girl Causing a RUCKESS IN THE CAFETERIA!"

Maria Sighed.

"not again..."

The Vice-Princible Left, Leaving Maria Alone.
Sometimes She Wished Her Son Was "Better Behaved"...But THAT Was Too Much To Hope For.

[Meanwhile, Outside Miracle City]

a Train Moved Down The Tracks Going Through The Desert.
It Stopped At a Cental Station And Unloaded All It`s Passengers.

One Of Them Was a Teenaged Boy With Light Brown Hair, Light Brown Eyes And Carrying Only a Small Backpack And a Jack Russle Terrier WIth Him.

The Boy Was Obviously American And His Tattered Clothes Indicated He Was Poor.

The Sun Gleemed In His Eyes As He Got Off The Train.

"Well, Max...Here We Are." Said The Boy To His Dog

"Mexico...
If I Can`t Make It Here, I`ll Never Make It Anywhere."

Max The Dog Groaned a Bit.
The Boy Got In Line With Some People As They Presented Their "Papers".

Soon, Chris Walked Up To The Teller.

"Okay, Kid...Let`s See Your Registeration." Said The Teller

Chris Handed The Man His Passport.
He Read It Carefully, Muttering To Himself.

"now, let`s see, here...
mr. chris johnson, Hmmmmm...american, huh?
We Don`t Get Many Visitors From The "U.S. Of A" Around These Parts."

"I`m Just Here To Get Away From It All..." Replied Chris

"Well, Mexico Is Definetly The Place To Be...
Anyway...You Seem To Check Out Alright."

The Man Stamped On The Passport, Then Handed Them Back To Him.

"Welcome To Mexico, Kid...Enjoy Your Stay."

"Thanks...
Say, Do You Know Where The Nearest Town Is Located?

"The Closest Town Would Be MIRACLE CITY...Just Several Miles That-A-Way."

"Thanks."

Chris Began To Leave.

"I WOULDN`T RECOMEND GOING THERE, KID!
THAT TOWN IS FULL OF CRIMINALS AND OUTLAWS!"

"Gee...Sounds Just Like New Jersy." Joked Chris

The Man Sighed.

"Fine...Have It Your Way.
But, DON`T SAY I DIDN`T WARN YA!"

Chris Waved Goodbye, Then Walked Off.
He Walked Into The Nearest Bus...

But, Seconds Later...Was Thrown Out.

"NO DOGS ALLOWED!" Shouted The Driver

Max Growled At Him.

"(Sigh)...I Guess We`re Walking."

Chris Looked Out Into a Desert.

"My, My...
All Of a Sudden, I Feel Like "Lawence Of Arabia"." Said Chris

BARK! BARK!

Chris Began To Walk Through The Desert...Carrying His Dog Max In His Arms.

[Back In Miracle City]

Maria Sighed As She Drove Her Car Towards Home.
The Meeting With The Princible Wasn`t Exactly "Fun"...

Aside From Rudolfo Constantly Flirting WIth Her, She Kept Getting "Dirty Looks" From Frida`s Parents.
And, The Vice Princible Was His Usual ANGRY Self...Still Threatning Either HER Or MANNY.

Maria HATED Getting The Image Of a "Bad Parent"
She Mostly Got This Title Due To Her Not Living In The Same House As Her Son...
So, Because She Was "Never Around"...She Automaticly Got The "Bad Parent" Lable.

Sad Truth Is...Maria Actually DID Wish She Had Child Around The House.
But, She Couldn`t Really Take Manny AWAY From His Father And Grandfather...It Wouldn`t Be Right.

Some Days Maria Felt It WOuld Be Easier To Just RE-MARRY Rudolfo...
But, She Swore She Wouldn`t...Not Until He Gave Up Being White Pantera For Good.

Maria Stopped Her car At a Traffic Light.
She Looked Out Her Window At The Street...Her Mind Lost In Thought.

It Was At that Moment, That She Saw a Strange Boy In Tattered Clothes Walking Down The Street.
He Was Holding a Little Dog And He Looked VERY TIRED...His Hair Wet And Damp For Some Reason.

"(Deep Sighs And Groaning) Well...We Made It.
Now, All We Have To DO Is Find a Place To Stay And We`ll Be Fine..." Said Chris

Max Grumbled.

"Hey!, Don`t Give Me Any Lip!
Sure, Things Have Been Going Bad For Us...ALOT.
But, WHO KNOWS!...Maybe Our Luck Is Finally Changing!"

a Car Sped By And Splashed Sewer Water Onto Chris And Max.

"Yep...Our Luck is Changing: From BAD To WORSE." Said Chris

Maria Started At This Boy.

"oh my god...that poor boy."

Maria`s Kind Hearted Spirit Got The Best Of Her.
She Drove Her Car Over To The Curb, She Opened The door And Walked Over To Him.

"Boy!
Boy, Are You Okay?" Asked Maria

Chris Wiped The Slimey Water Off his Sweaty Scalp.

"Depends On Your Definition Of "Okay"..."

Chris Suddenly Sneezed Loudly.

"Oh, You Poor Thing...You`ve Caught a Cold."

"Naw...I Probably Had Some Dust In My Nose."

"You Shouldn`t Be Out In The Street All By Yourself...It's Dangerous In This Part Of Town."

"Yeah...I Sort Caught that When Some Creepy Guys Tried To Eat My Dog." Said Chris

Maria Bent Down To The Boy.

"Your...Not From Around Here, Are You?"

"No, I`m Not.
I`m New In Town...Just Got Here."

"Then...Where Are Your Parents?
Surely They Must Be Worried About You."

Chris Sighed.

"i don`t...have any parents."

Maria Was Take Back In Shock.

"No...NO PARENTS?"

Chris Shook His Head Silently.

"Well...Don`t You Have a Home?"

"no...i`m looking for one.
I`d Ask you Where The Nearest Hotel Is...Except, I Don`t have Any Money.
But, If You Have a Spare Cardboard Box You Not Using...I`d Be VERY GREATFUL."

Maria Stared Blanky At The Boy.
She Knew She Couldn`t Leave Him Alone...Not Like This.

"I Have a Better Idea...Why Don`t You Come With Me.
I Can Give You a Place To Stay...At Least For The Night."

"Gee...I Don`t Know.
I Wouldn`t Want To Intrude."

"Nonsense...I Can`t Just Leave You On The Streets"

Chris Thought About This.
He Looked At His Dog Max.

"What Do You Think, Boy?
Should We Spend a Night In a Box In The Dangerous City?
Or, Do We Go With This Pretty Lady to a NICE And SAFE House That May Actually Have a BED?"

Max Barked Loudly.

"Okay...You Talked Me Into It."

Chris Walked Over To Maria`s Car And Got In.
Maria Also Got In The Car And Drove Off.

"By The Way...My name Is MARIA RIVERA.
I Work At The Library At The Miracel City High School."

"Really?
That`s Great..."

"What`s Your Name?"

"Chris Johnson...And This Is My Dog: Max."

Maria Eyed Him.

"Chris Johnson?...That`s An Odd Name.
Where Did You Say You Were From, Again?

"I Didn`t...
But, Since You Asked: New York City"

Maria Swerved The Car a Bit.

"N-N-NEW YORK!
You Mean...Your From The AMERICA!"

"Yep.
And, Let Me Tell Ya...It Wasn`t Easy Getting a Train Ticket To Mexico From There!"

Maria Looked At Him, Then Looked Towards The Road.

"interesting..."

After a Few Minutes, They Reached a Large Mansion.
Chris Looked Out The Car Window With Wide Eyes.

"whoa...Now That DEFINETLY Beats a Cardboard Box In a Dark Alley."

Maria Parked Her Car She Got Out, As Well As Chris...Who Ran Inside The Mansion.

He Marveled At How Large It Was.

"Wow...That Libraian Salary Must Do You Good, Huh?"

Maria Chuckled.

"Actually, This Manor Came From The Money I Made As a MARIACHI SINGER.

Vhris Eyed Her.

"YOUR A SINGER!"

"I Was a Singer...I`m Retired, Now."

Chris Whistled Loudly.

"Some Retirment..."

Maria Walked Up To Him.

"So...You Hungry?

Chris Got Excited.

"YOU BET!
I AM STARVING!"

Maria Eyed Him.

"O...Kay.

[Later]

Maria Was Sitting At a Dinner Table And Watched Dumbfoundedly As Chris Skarfed Down Large Quantitied Of Food.

"You, Uhhhh...Must Of Been Hungry."

Chris Stopped Eating To Speak.

"you bet...I Haven`t Eaten Anything In a LONG TIME."

"Ummmm...Exactly HOW LONG?" Asked Maria, Dreading The Answer

"What Month Is It?" Asked Chris, Innocently

Maria`s Eyes Were As Wide As Dinner Plate.

"Hey...Are You Gonna Eat Those Mashed Potatos? Asked Chris

Maria Maintained Her Blank Stare As She Pushed Her Plate To Him.

"Thanks."

Chris Began To Eat Some More.
Maria Then Got Up From Her Chair.

"Excuse Me...I Need To Do Something."

Maria Walked Away.
She Ran Out Her House, Hopped In The Car And Drove Off.

[Meanwhile, At The Miracle City Orphanage]

Maria Was Sitting On a Chair In Someone`s Office.
a Man Was At a Computer, Searching Through Some Files.

"Your Saying The Boy`s Name Is CHRIS JOHNSON?" Asked The Man

"Yes...That`s His Name."

"And, He Is From NEW YORK And Is An ORPHAN."

"Uh-Huh...I`m Sure."

"Hmmmmm...Very Interesting."

"Can You get Some Information On Him? Asked Maria

"Well, That May Be Tricky...
Since He`s American, We May Have Problems Getting Info On Him."

The Man Stroked His Chin.

"I Suppose I Could Look Through Mexican Customs...
If He Has a Passport, Then I may be Able To Access His Records."

The Computer Beeped.

"AH-HA!, There We Go..."

"You Got Something?" Asked Maria

The Man Read What Was On the Monitor.

"Well...It Says Here, That Mr. Johnson Has Records Of Being In The "Martin Daniels Orphanage" Located In Queens, New York...
His Time There Goes Back To INFANCY...He Was Apparently Left There At The Doorstep, According To This Report."

"oh, my..." Said Maria

"Let`s See...
It Says He Stay Until He Was Twelve And Was Reported To Of Ran Away By That Time."

"How Come?"

"Because, It`s Usually At The Age Of Twelve That Kids Lose Their Chances At Being Adopted...
Everybody Knows That Parents Go For The Cute THREE Or FIVE Years Olds...NEVER The Teenagers."

"If That`s True, Then...How Come He Was Never Adopted?"

"Search Me...
Sounds To Me Like Nobody Wanted Him."

Maria Sighed Sadly.
Then, She Got AN Idea In Her Head.

"Mister...Could It Be Possible For ME To Adopt The Boy?"

The Man Eyed Maria.

"Well...I May Have To Go Through Some LEGAL ISSUES.
But, I Suppose It`s Possible...Though, I Don`t Know WHY You`d Want To."

Maria Eyed The Man Sharply.

"My Reasons Are SIMPLE: He`s a Boy That Deserves a Family.
And, If His Own People Won`t Take Him...I WILL."

"You DO Realise What You Getting Yourself Into?...
Raising An American Son In a Mexican City THIS BENT...Won`t be a Walk In The Park."

"I`ll Take My Chances..."

The Man Sighed.

"Very Well..."

He Tooked Out a Clipboard With a Piece Of Paper On It.

"Just Sign Your Name Here...
Ensuring That You Agree To These Terms And Take FULL RESPONSIBILITY For The Boy."

Maria Took the Clip Board.
She Grabbed a Pen And Slowly Signed Her Name On The Dotted Line.

The Man Took The Board And Paper Away.
He Ran It Through a Scanner And Typed Into The Computer.

a Paper Printed Out Of It Which He Handed To Maria Rivera.

"Congradulation, You`ve Just became a Mother The EASY, NON-PAINFUL WAY..."

Maria Took The Paper.
It Was An Official Document That Stated SHE Was Legally Chris`s Adoptive Mother.

"Thank You." Said Maria

She Got Up And Left The Office.

[Meanwhile, Back At Maria`s Mansion]

Chris Opened a Door And Found a Small Room.

"Well, This Looks Like a Decent Place To Stay."

Chris Walked Over And Flopped Down On The Bed.

"Ooooooooo...What a SOFT BED!
Been Awhile Since I`ve Been In One Of These Things."

Soon After That, Maria Walked In.

"Chris...Can I talk To You a Moment?"

Chris Sat Up.

"Sure, Ms. Rivera..."

Maria Sat Beside Chris On The Bed.

"Chris...I`d Like To Know More About You."

Chris Looked At Her.

"Okay...What Do You Wanna Know?"

"Well, For Starters...Could You Tell Me Why You Came To Mexico?"

Chris Sighed.

"Well...I`ve Had ALOT Of Bad Luck Back Home In The States.
See, I Grew Up In An Orphanage...I Was Left At The Doorstep As An Infant And Growing Up There Was HARD While Every Other Kid Were There Because Their Parents Died, I Was There Because My Parents Left Me."

Chris Sighed.

"I`m Not Sure If They Gave Me Up Because They Couldn`t Take Care Of Me And Wanted What Was Best For Me.
Or, Because They Didn`t Want Me And Just Wanted to get Rid Of Me...like all the other kids told me."

Maria Looked At Chris.

"oh...i`m so sorry."

Chris Sighed.

"Well...Things Got HARDER As The Years Rolled By.
I Was Always Picked On And Made Fun Of By EVERYONE, Which Didn`t Change As I Got Older I Watched Every Other Kid Get Adopted...While I Was Always Left Behind."

Chris Exhaled Deeply.

"no parent ever wanted to adopt me...
So, I Ran Away From That Place When I Was Twelve...No Way Was I Gonna Wait To Be Put In a FOSTER HOME.
I Tried To Make It On My Own, But I failed At Every Turn...So, that`s Why I`m Here In Mexico.
I`m Hoping To Start Over And Live a New Life Here...One That`s Better, Hopfully."

Maria Smiled.

"Chris...I Have Something For You."

"What Is It?" Asked Chris

Maria Handed Chris a Small Box.
He Opened It And Saw What Was Inside: An Adoption Paper...With Maria Rivera`s Signiture.

"W-What`s This?"

"You Know What It Is."

Chris Was Skaken, Near Tears.

"i...i don`t understand."

"Chris...Your a Good Boy Who Deserves a Family.
You`ve Had a Rough Life, And I Want To Help By Giving You a Better One.
Now, I Know I`m Not Perfect...But, I Hope That You Can Consider Me a Mother To You."

Chris Teared Up a Little.
He Hugged Maria, Who Hugged Him Back.

"i...i have a home." Said Chris In Disbelief

"i...i have a mother."

Maria Affectionetly Brushed His Hair.

"yes, my son...you do."

Maria Then Got Up.

"Now...You Must Be Tired From You Trip Here."

"Well, Now That You Mention It...I Am a Little Bushed."

Maria Tucked Him Into the Bed.

"Then Rest For Awhile...
I Call You Later To Meet The Rest Of Your Family."

Chris Smiled.

"Thank...M-Mom."

Maria Smiled.
She Then Left Chris Alone.

Chris Sighed Happily As Max Jumped Up To him.

"Well, Boy...Looks Like Things Are Finally Looking Up!

Max Made a Dog Noise, Then Curled Up To Chris Chris Yawned As He Turned Over And Took a Little Nap.