Author's Note: I wanted to get this one out sooner, but I've recently started a new part time job. No reason to stop writing my fics of course, so no worries there. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait for those of you who have been following Glimpses. Much like the very first chapter, this serves as the introduction to a universe of reimagined public domain comic book heroes from the Golden Age. In this case, it's the characters of Standard Comics, also known as Nedor. Like with the Prize characters, I took some big liberties. I hope you find them interesting at least.
Earth-136
Schomburg, Connecticut
It was late at night in the secluded little town of Schomburg. The sky was like a sea of black, with the faint light of the stars being all that broke it up. There was a chill in the air as well. It didn't seem like a good time for anyone to be outdoors if they had the choice, which is why it was peculiar to see that one small and humble home on one certain street had a man and a woman sitting on its brightly lit porch. The flag of Puerto Rico slowly flapped in the wind nearby. The man was a Latino in his mid seventies, with long and frizzy gray hair, and was dressed in an old bathrobe over an undershirt and boxers, and wore mismatched slippers. He looked tired, and also very forlorn. The woman was a Latina in her early thirties, with very dark, straight brown hair that stopped less than halfway down her neck. She was dressed in a light sweater, a jacket, long jeans, and sneakers. Her expression was one of sympathy and concern. One feature they shared were their deep brown eyes. The resemblance there was so great that even a stranger could be able to tell that the two were related. The younger woman looked at the older man, who was staring down at an old photo he was holding in his hands.
"Oh, Ricardo…" he sadly sighed.
The younger woman suddenly hugged him.
"Dick is alive, Tío Jacobo. I'm sure he is. He has to be." the younger woman proclaimed.
There was a hint of desperation in her voice, like she was saying that not just for her uncle, but for herself as well. Jacobo reciprocated his niece's hug, before pulling back and smiling softly at her.
"Thank you, Mickey. It means a lot to me that you came to visit." Jacobo said to her.
He held up the photo so Mickey could see it as well. It was of a man in his mid forties, who looked very much like a younger Jacobo, except taller and stronger looking, and had short, swept back hair that only showed the beginnings of graying.
"You know, when I look at this photo, he looks so much like your father to me, Mickey." Jacobo stated.
"A true Martinez. A hero." Mickey said.
"A hero, eh? You don't mean like that super fella you used to follow around?" Jacobo asked.
Mickey gulped. Her uncle raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know who you're talking about." Mickey responded.
"Come on, Mickey. Don't be embarrassed about what you did as a teenager." Jacobo teased. "They called him the American Crusader."
Mickey tried to simply ignore what her uncle had just said. It was easy to see that she was uncomfortable with the topic he was bringing up.
"I actually saw something online a few days ago. There's apparently a new, female American Crusader running around now. Makes me wonder if there'll be a new Pyroman too." Jacobo went on. "So…how do you feel about there being a new Crusader, given that you used to be friends wi—"
"I said that I don't know who you're talking about!" Mickey suddenly snapped at him.
Jacobo fell silent, as did Mickey. Even though he didn't press any further, the air between them was now a bit tense. After a while, just long enough for both to pretend to have forgotten about it, Jacobo yawned loudly.
"Hey…I'm sorry…" he managed to get out afterwards, before yawning again.
He was barely able to keep his eyes open. Mickey stood up and helped him out of his chair.
"I'm going to get you to bed, Tío Jacobo. You need your rest." Mickey told him.
Jacobo attempted to protest, but his words all transformed into more yawns. Mickey led her uncle inside and brought him to his bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed and did nothing to keep his niece from placing the blanket over his body. Mickey switched off the lights and left the room so Jacobo could fall asleep in peace. She slumped down against the door.
"I really wish you were still with us, Archie. Maybe you could've helped me find Dick. The world doesn't need to lose Pyroman too." Mickey wept softly to herself. "…y'know what? No. I have to get my mind off this for a little."
Mickey then walked over to the living kitchen and got herself a glass of water. She then walked over to the living room, set the glass down on the cocktail table. She sat down on the sofa and switched on the television on the wall with the remote control. It was on a news channel called BTR News, in the middle of an ongoing program. The presenter was a fairly average, nondescript man in a suit and tie. A graphic on the screen, to the left of the presenter's head, showed a picture of an African-American man with a salt and pepper beard.
"…and Dr. Foster has denied all accusations that he had any involvement, insisting that all of his mechanical creations are accounted for. We will provide updates as this story develops." the newsman finished saying. "In other news, we move onto the confirmed exploits of some of the strangest men in America. No, not the ventriloquists, but the superheroes."
"Was that supposed to be a joke? Eh, whatever. Might as well see what the capes have been up to." Mickey shrugged. "Hopefully they won't mention Archie."
"The man called the Black Terror appeared in San José earlier today, where he intervened to stop an armed robbery in the neighborhood of Little Saigon. Additionally, the mysterious being dubbed the Alien Eagle was seen in Denver just two hours ago doing battle with an unidentified attempted murderer. The story is still developing." the news anchor read off.
Footage was then shown of the two costumed adventurers in action. The Black Terror was shown first, showing him in the interior of a shopping centre; He was a dark haired, muscular man who wore a black costume that had a white skull and crossbones on the chest, black gloves and boots with golden yellow trimming, a sword holster belt, and a black cape with red lining on the inside. He wore a black mask over his eyes which, when combined with his dusky skin tone and ambiguous facial features, made it hard to determine his ethnicity. The footage showed him dodging a gunshot from one of the robbers before knocking him into a table, before quickly spinning around while pulling out his sword on another robber who had been trying to get the jump on him with a broken glass bottle. He promptly dressed it and surrendered to the Black Terror, who knocked him down with the handle to his blade.
"Looks like he's doing as well as ever." Mickey noted. "Man, I sure am happy he's still around."
It then cut to the footage of the Alien Eagle, which was outdoors and in the streets of downtown Denver. Compared to Black Terror, he was a much stranger sight; He had dark blue skin with light violet feathers going down his arms and legs, as well as feathers going down from his chest to his groin, making up for his lack of apparent clothes. If one looked closely, the hair on his head could be seen to be feathers as well. While his face looked otherwise human, save for his irises being white. As the scene on the television showed, Alien Eagle was able to expand the feathers on his arms into wings that he could fly with. His foe was a normal human man dressed in all black, who had been trying to assault people with a knife. He attempted to slash at the Alien Eagle with his weapon, but it was no use, as he was able to fly up to dodge him at every turn. Alien Eagle toyed with him for a few moments before swooping down and socking his wannabe killer across the face, knocking him unconscious with the one blow.
"Ha! That guy fighting Alien Eagle is no Black Terror!" Mickey laughed.
Even though the Alien Eagle was bizarre in both his appearance and abilities, people could be heard cheering for him in the background. It then went back to the presenter at the newsdesk, now joined by a woman.
"I'm glad people finally came around to him. Just because he isn't just another guy wearing the stars and stripes doesn't mean he can't be one of the good guys." Mickey commented.
She legitimately smiled to herself. It seemed that this was actually helping her. Then she noticed the woman, who was a pale skinned blonde wearing a red blouse or dress. Mickey squinted at her.
"Is that...Jane Peters?" Mickey asked herself. "No...it can't be."
"I'm now joined by Jane Peters, the leader of a grassroots organization who are attempting to find the missing American Crusader, who has come here tonight to give her thoughts on the rumored successor to the patriotic hero." the newsman announced.
Mickey frowned at this. Her brow furrowed and she became visibly upset. Despite this, she didn't turn off the television.
"It's a pleasure to be here with you tonight, Ted." Jane said.
"The pleasure is all ours, Ms. Peters. After all, you know practically everything there is to know about the American Crusader." the newsman praised her.
"Seriously? Jane couldn't even piece together that he was Archie." Mickey huffed.
"So, what do you believe is going on with this new American Crusader?" Ted asked.
"Oh her? Let me tell you what I think about her!" Jane chortled.
Mickey groaned and placed her forehead in her hand. This was going to be painful for her.
"She's just a stupid fangirl. A fake. Not a real hero." Jane sneered. "If the real American Crusader was around, he'd call anyone trying to replace him an embarrassment!"
Mickey couldn't help but to laugh at what she was hearing.
"Plus, let's be honest here; Superheroes are men, not girls." Jane added.
"Wait. Hold up a minute. That just isn't true." Ted demurred. "What about the Woman in Red or the Grim Reaper? She came out as trans recently, you know."
"The Grim Reaper? Don't make me laugh, Ted. The Grim Reaper is a man, no matter how much he insists otherwise." Jane insisted.
"She's even worse than I remember. Nobody deserves to be misgendered, especially not Grim Reaper." Mickey said in disgust.
"Look, Ms. Peters, I think you should stop talking." Ted said. "Umm…How about we change back to the topic of missing superheroes? With both American Crusader and Pyroman missi—"
"Pyroman? Nobody cares about that loser, Ted. Even my late boss, Archie Masters, was more of a man than Pyroman. I mean, have you ever seen his stupid helmet with the lightning bolts? I'd be surprised if anyone actually missed him!"
"That's it! I've had enough!" a fed up Ted suddenly shouted, before quickly turning to look off camera. "Cut to commercial! Now! Remove her!"
Mickey shut off the television and hopped up from the couch. She now wore a steely, serious expression.
"She knows nothing. Not about Archie, Dick, or me." she said to herself.
She strode away from the living room, silently passing by Jacobo's room before entering another room, presumably the guest bedroom where she was staying during her visit. She closed the door behind her gently. It was readily apparent that she wanted to make as little noise as possible so she wouldn't wake her uncle. The living room was just far enough away from the hall that the bedrooms that noise there wasn't an issue. After a few minutes, Mickey emerged from the guest bedroom, but now looked very different from before; Mickey was now dressed in a form fitting bright red costume with vibrant blue gloves, boots, and trunks. She wore a long black cape that was attached to a black mask that encompassed her head and neck, with openings for her lower face and eyes. On the chest of the costume was a large blue circle with a white and red star shape within it. A smaller version of the same emblem was also on the forehead of her mask. Mickey clenched her right fist as she looked at the door to her uncle's room.
"I don't know how, Tío Jacobo, but I'm going to find Dick." Mickey swore in a hushed, but solemn voice. "You'll have your son back…"
She walked back into the guest bedroom, this time leaving the door open. She stared out of the room's window, looking up at the night sky.
"…and the world will see the new American Crusader be the one to bring back Pyroman, and prove Jane Peters wrong. I'll bring our family together again and prove Archie right for trusting me to carry on his legacy. Then we'll both tell you the truth about who we are. This I promise. …I'm coming for you, primo. Wherever you are."
A loft apartment somewhere in the Washington metropolitan area
A man was staring down at his wristwatch. The hands on it indicated that it was half past ten in the evening. The glass of the watch also showed the man his reflection; he was a gray haired, brown eyed white man in his mid-to-late fifties. He was sitting at a dining table on the far left end, and the only other person at the table was another man, who was sitting at the opposite end, drinking a glass of wine. He was also white, but had a full head of brown hair and shiny blue eyes, and appeared to be in his early forties. Both were dressed in expensive black business suits.
"You look tense, Representative Nowakowski. Is something the matter?" the younger man asked as he set down his glass.
The older man looked up from his watch and put on a smile.
"Everything's fine, Mr. Mull. You have been nothing less than an excellent host." Representative Nowakowski reassured him.
"So you enjoyed the dinner I had prepared for us?" Mr. Mull asked.
"Yes, it was lovely." Rep. Nowakowski answered.
"Thank goodness. I was honestly worried you wouldn't actually like seared duck breast." Mull cheerfully confessed. "Oh, and since we're friends now, please call me Alvin."
Mull frowned when he saw that Nowakowski was looking at his watch once again. He smacked his hand down on the table, which startled Rep. Nowakowski and brought his attention back to Mull.
"I think it's high time we cut to the chase. We both know why I invited you here for dinner tonight." Mull stated, his demeanor becoming cold and serious.
Nowakowski sighed and pinched his brow in annoyance. He stood up from the table and looked down at his host.
"Of course I know why you invited me here; You want me to accept financial aid from you to help my reelection campaign. In exchange, you want me to give you political favors, so you can grow your company." Rep. Nowakowski spoke. "Normally, I would welcome such a thing…"
"You're going to say 'but'. I can tell." Mull glowered.
"…Way to ruin my moment. Good thing we didn't try to watch a movie." Nowakowski deadpanned.
Mull stood up from the table and got up in Rep. Nowakowski's face.
"So you're not going to accept my donation, I take it?" Mull asked angrily.
Rep. Nowakowski shoved the younger man away. Mull stumbled back, but caught himself. Rep. Nowakowski smirked.
"There are a lot of scumbags in Washington who I'll work with, Mull, but I'm not going to risk being associated with you." Rep. Nowakowski said. "You see, I did my research."
"How much do you know, exactly?" Mull asked.
"Not much, and that's the problem. It's obvious that you've spent a lot of cash on burying your past." Rep. Nowakowski answered, crossing his arms. "You would only do such a thing unless you have a skeleton in your closet. Whatever it is, I want no part of it. The only reason I accepted your invite was so I could tell you this; Stop calling my office! You do it so often that the interns have made you into a running joke, and I don't blame them!"
"Let's see if you're still saying that after I do this, you filthy Pole!" Mull snarled.
Mull's eyes began to glow with bright blue energy. Rep. Nowakowski instinctively staggered backwards.
"You…you have powers?! How?!" he gasped.
Mull smiled wickedly, saying nothing in response. What he was doing was already proof enough.
"Yes. Mind control, to be precise. I was among the people who were turned to dust and I gained the ability after we were brought back." Mull answered.
He menacingly stepped forward towards Rep. Nowakowski.
"Please don't take control of my mind! I have a wife…a daughter…grandkids too!" he begged Mull. "I'll give you what you want in exchange!"
"Too late for that now, dumbass. Originally, I did intend to take control of your puny Polish brain, but your insults have left me feeling much more…sadistic. I think it's time you met the 'skeleton in my closet', as you put it." Mull taunted him.
The sound of a door being opened could then be heard from down the hall, followed by footsteps. After a few moments, a figure then emerged, revealing themselves to Mull and Rep. Nowakowski. His body was covered up with a metallic armor of some kind that was a dark red in color, with some subtle dark blue trimmings in some spots. He wore a sleek, dark blue helmet which had a semi-transparent black face visor that was held on with two red pieces shaped like lightning bolts.
"Oh my god! Pyroman?!" Rep. Nowakowski cried out in shock.
"That's him alright." Mull confirmed as he strode over to stand next to the superhero. "Pyroman discovered my secret and tried to take me down, but as you can see…"
He flipped up the visor on Pyroman's helmet, revealing the vacant, stubble covered face of Ricardo "Dick" Martinez. His eyes glowed with the same blue energy as Mull's.
"…he's now my slave, my greatest weapon, and the man who will be taking your life."
"No! No! You can get away with this!" Rep. Nowakowski screamed.
"Now, Pyroman. Kill him for me now." Mull commanded, his face twisted into a sinister grin.
"As you command, Mr. Eyes." Pyroman robotically responded.
Pyroman lifted up his right arm, stretching out the fingers of his hand towards Rep. Nowakowski, who stared forward at the mind controlled superhero. Crackling, sputtering bands of electricity began to manifest from his hand. Rep. Nowakowski pointed forward at Pyroman as he shot one last hateful glare at Mull.
"He won't be yours forever."
Those were the last words he ever uttered, before being struck down by a bolt of blindingly bright lightning that made everything in the room go white.
I'd love it if I could get some feedback on this, so if you have the time to leave a review, please do.
Some Notes:
- Earth-136's number is in reference to the year 1936, which is the year Standard Comics was founded. Like Earth-140, it is a shared universe for its heroes and villains, who are now more diverse and exist in a contemporary setting.
- In the original comics, Mickey Martin was a short-lived teen sidekick to the American Crusader, who rescued him from danger after being stranded in Europe during World War II. Here, the character is Michaela "Mickey" Martinez, a female Stateside Puerto Rican. She was American Crusader's uncostumed sidekick for a time as a teen, under different circumstances. Her being the successor to him has no basis in the comics. The original American Crusader, Archie Masters, arranged for her to be inherit all of his equipment, including a way to gain the same powers as him. So yeah, he died. It has nothing to do with the Snap though. Anyway, I picture Mickey as being played by actress Rosa Salazar.
- In the original comics, Pyroman was Richard "Dick" Martin. He had no relation to Mickey. Here, Ricardo Martinez and Mickey are cousins through their fathers.
- The fictional town of Schomburg, Connecticut is named for Alex Schomburg, a Puerto Rican comic book artist and painter whose long and respectable career included drawing many of Pyroman's cover appearances.
- Jacobo's name is a reference to Jack Binder, the creator of Pyroman.
- The "Dr. Foster" mentioned is the Earth-136 version of Bill Foster. There actually was a character named Bill Foster in some Nedor comic books, who was the creator of a robot called Mekano. Here, he resembles the Earth-199999's Bill Foster, meaning he looks like Laurence Fishburne.
- The Black Terror is Standard/Nedor's most famous hero. In the original comics, he was Bob Benton. Here though, I decided to make him more mysterious to both the reader and even myself. Even the other heroes in his universe have no clue who he is behind the mask. The idea is that he could be revealed to be a version of Bob or even an original character down the line, by myself or anyone else who wants to include the Black Terror in an Infinity Crisis story.
- Alien Eagle is a very heavily altered reoworking of the hero American Eagle. I did it because, well, a lot of the superheroes were...kind of "same-y", and I figured it wouldn't hurt to make one more unique by giving him an inhuman appearance. Originally, he was yet another Captain America style patriotic, flag wearing guy. That said, I took the blue and purple color scheme of his body from his costume in the comics, so there's that.
- Jane Peters was Archie Masters' secretary in the comics and was a Lois Lane-esque love interest for him. She looked down on Archie while fawning over American Crusader, never learning that they were the same man. Here, she's, well, just a crappy person. Even her "movement to bring back the real American Crusader" is just her trying to use his image to elevate her own image so she can spread her problematic political takes.
- Grim Reaper and the Woman in Red are other heroes who started out at Standard/Nedor. Grim Reaper being a trans woman is a remnant of an idea I had where Mickey would be trans, that I ultimately didn't go though with because I had already decided to model her on Rosa Salazar in my head, and she isn't trans.
- Alvin Mull is my reimagining of "Mr. Eyes", a villain who was fought by American Crusader in the original comics, where he was a Nazi agent who used televisions to hypnotize. This version is not a Nazi agent (though is still a bigot, as his comments about the Polish show) and is a free agent out for himself. The name I've given him is in reference to Kroll Mull, a villainous despot of the future from the comics who was fought by a time traveling Black Terror.
Okay, I think that should be everything. Again, I hope you liked it. The next chapter will revolve around something more mainstream, and also be a crossover. Until then, stay good!