January, 1978. Los Angeles, California. The Champions have spent the past three years adjusting to life on the west coast, and the people of Los Angeles have likewise had to make their share of adjustments to having a prominent team of super-heroes in their midst. During that time, they have battled many menaces. Most recently, they battled the Vanisher and his re-constructed Sentinels.*

[*As shown in the final issue of The Champions, #17.]

♪Theme Music: “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller♪

The Champions Building stands tall amid the skyscrapers in Los Angeles.  Today, Warren Worthington III ushers in a special visitor to the Champions Building, bringing him in through the gym and into the specially-built lab. With Warren, adorned in his blue angel costume (with the halo on the chest), is his former teammate from the uncanny X-Men…Hank McCoy, the Beast!

“Thanks for coming by, Hank,” the Angel comments, leading them both into the scientific center of the building.

“No problem, Warren,” the blue-furred Beast responds, looking around with interest at the scientific equipment filling the room. “I’ve been meaning to come by and inspect your facilities. I was hoping to see you and Bobby both, but it would appear that he’s not with you.”

“Bobby’s off watching a movie with his girlfriend,” Warren points out. “That’s fine. It’s been pretty hectic around here lately, and it’s good that the team members are out getting some rest. You know how important that is.”

“I surely do,” the Beast responds, nodding. “Although I’ve come to appreciate it much more since I joined the Avengers. With the X-Men, it never seemed that we got as much rest as we’d like. I do remember a few fond occasions when, as college kids, the three of us—but never Scott—went out and patrolled the local nightclub scene for females in need of our company.”

The Angel thinks back and nods, with a smile. “We sure did,” Angel replies, “but only when Professor X let us out of the house long enough. I’ve never known someone so obsessed with training.”

“We can’t knock it, though,” the Beast interjects. “It’s put us where we are.” As they stop in the middle of the lab, the Beast turns back to the Angel. “But, I’m certain that I wasn’t called here merely to reminisce about our fond days with the X-Men.”

The Angel lets out a slight laugh, nodding his head. “No, I suppose not,” he admits. “I had a scientific question, and you’re about the best scientist I know.”

“I was wondering about that,” the Beast observes. “This is quite a scientific facility you’ve put together. But none of the Champions are scientists, I take it?”

“Not really,” Angel replies.  “But I think, with all the strange-powered people we run into, and all the wild things that have happened, we certainly need a scientific facility to study some of those phenomena.”

“I can see the benefit of that,” the Beast agrees, as they continue to walk towards a large machine, with shimmering energy creating light in the near distance.

“Well, anyway,” the Angel explains, “we recently fought the Vanisher and some Sentinels…”

“Hmm,” the Beast observes, “familiar names.”

“That’s right,” the Angel adds. “The Vanisher had some mad scheme, using Blob, Unus, and Lorelei, to get us to lead him to the X-Men. Anyway, we overcame his re-tooled Sentinels, and beat him. The thing is, just when he was making his getaway, Darkstar used her negative energy powers somehow to trap him in between here and wherever he was going.”**

[**A brief recap of the events from Champions #17.]

“What?!” the Beast responds, clearly shocked by what he is hearing. “What happened to him? Is he still alive?!”

“That was a question we had,” the Angel responds. “Although the Vanisher is certainly our enemy, it’s not our interest to kill him. That’s why I brought you here, to see if you could observe him, and see what could be done.”

The Beast nods. “Where is he?”

“We’ve set him up, using some contacts Natasha has with SHIELD,” Angel responds. “We mainly wanted to monitor his condition and to make sure that he doesn’t fade away further—whatever that might mean. But, the machinery is over here. I thought—well, I hoped—that you might be willing to take a look at it.”

“Okay,” the Beast says, looking over at the machine, which trails energy between two metallic bars, running perpendicular to the floor. “Where is he?”

“WHAT?!” the Angel exclaims, clearly surprised by what he is seeing. “I don’t believe it! He’s…gone!”

“Well,” the Beast remarks, “he is the Vanisher!”

Angel’s only response is rolling his eyes, and shaking his head. “Where is the old Hank McCoy, and what have you done with him?”

The Beast offers a wide smile, displaying his teeth, and opposing fangs. “I couldn’t resist, Warren.”

INTERLUDE

♪Theme Music: “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath♪

Mount Olympus. Ares sits at the head of a small coliseum, resting in his heavily-padded chair, as he raises a chalice of mead to his lips. A smile crosses his lips, as he tastes the latest of Dionysius’ meads, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation. Below him, two young warriors wrestle for his pleasure. He has taken the time to train these two young warriors.

Even as one of the young warriors flips the other, Ares’ thoughts are elsewhere. He muses, placing his chalice against the edge of the table resting beside him, as he runs his index finger along his bearded chin, stroking his whiskers absently.

“Ah, Hercules,” Ares silently muses, his eyes looking beyond the wrestling match displayed below him. “Thy continued interference—and that of thy foolish allies—will soon end. It is true that thou hath interfered with my plans often of late, thwarting my efforts as War Hawk***, and most recently, preventing my wedding to the lovely Venus.**** Such interruptions, while irritating, will soon end.”

[***As shown in Avengers #98-100.]

[****Which readers of Champions #1-3 will likely remember.]

“YIELD!” the brown-haired warrior exclaims, kneeling over his blond-haired counterpart, holding him tightly in a headlock, his legs bent forward, on either side of the blond-haired warrior, lowered to his knees during the combat.

“Nay!” the blond-haired warrior retorts, slamming his elbow back hard into the other warrior’s abdomen. As the warrior staggers back, he releases his grip on the warrior’s head.

The blond-haired warrior quickly presses his advantage, kicking his opponent in the mid-section, doubling him over. Before his opponent can mount a defense, he is upon him, striking him in the face with an upper-cut that drives him back. This is continued with a left hook that sends him foe crashing to the ground, scattering the dust as he falls, unconscious.

Standing before Ares, who looks down with interest, he raises his fist in a salute. Ares nods, as the warrior turns and walks back through the door, leading away from the coliseum.

“Soon,” Ares remarks, “all we be set in place to put an end to thy meddling…once and for all!”

END OF INTERLUDE

♪Theme Music: “Fire on the Mountain” by Marshall Tucker`♪

Across town, at a nightclub frequented by Hollywood movie stars and the Los Angeles elite, Hercules sits at a bar, directly behind a two liter mug of beer, which has just be re-filled by the busy bartender. At his immediate right is Johnny Blaze, known also as the Ghost Rider. He is wearing his leather costume, and is holding a glass of seven and seven in his hand, as he looks over to Hercules, who has a beautiful model to his left, and two others behind him, massaging his broad shoulders, as they look on with interest.

“I’m glad you accepted the invitation to attend the premiere of my movie, Hercules,” Johnny offers.

Hercules smiles at the models behind him, turning around briefly to greet them, then turning back to face Johnny. “’Twas my pleasure,” Hercules bellows, still carrying the wide smile that he is so well-known for. “Indeed, my thanks for allowing these lovely ladies to accompany us both.”

“That was easy enough,” Johnny returns. Johnny looks over at Hercules, shaking his head. He remembers a time when he was also care-free, before he made a deal with the devil…a deal that has left him cursed ever since. “Look, I know that you and I have had our differences…”

Hercules looks over at Johnny, ignoring the beautiful women around him for a moment, as his face becomes more serious, his hand reaching out and resting on Johnny’s shoulder. “Thy…other self…” Hercules responds, remembering that mortals have a need to maintain some level of anonymity, despite the fact that he has never understood how this is desirable, interfering as it does with the proper adulation of the masses. “…did, at first recall unpleasant memories of the dreaded Pluto, ruler of Hades. It had not been too long ‘ere he tried to make me take his place, through some dire scheme that prevented me e’en from defending myself. My friend Thor had to fight my battle for me, ‘gainst the hordes of his demons.”*****

[*****That memorable tale was told in the classic Journey into Mystery/Thor #124-129.]

Johnny looks over at Hercules with interest, not knowing the details of that part of Hercules’ life, but realizing that it probably is another thing they have in common. “When we first met,” Hercules continues, “I must admit that thy…appearance, and the hellfire that thou did summon, was a bitter reminder of that time. Since then, thou hath proven thyself in battle many times, to the satisfaction of the prince of power. Now, I am proud to call thee friend.”

“Uh…thanks,” Johnny responds, suddenly finding himself at a loss for words. Then, he takes another look at the women surrounding Hercules, and turns over to him, speaking more softly. “I was kind of surprised that you had…dates for the premiere, though. I thought you and the Widow were an item.”

“My friend,” Hercules responds, his familiar smile returning once again. “How long must Hercules endure the wiles of any one female?” He nods at Johnny. “Our parting was mutual. Thou may remember that she once was with Daredevil. He was recently injured, and we did visit him in the hospital.****** I could see that her feelings for him were deeper than she did realize. She hath not yet returned from her trip to New York. ‘Tis better for her to remain with a mortal.” Nodding at Johnny, he continues: “’Tis both a blessing and a curse to be immortal, my friend…as thou doth well know.”

[******See Daredevil #154-157 for the details.]

“Well,” Johnny agrees, “I guess you have a point there.”

♪Theme Music: “Cold as Ice” by Foreigner`♪

In a darker area of the nightclub, Bobby (Iceman) Drake is enjoying a slow dance with his girlfriend, Laynia (Darkstar). He is wearing a tuxedo, while his lovely date has a tight-fitting, low-cut black evening gown, her long blond hair trailing down her shoulders and back, as she sways with Bobby to the music.

“This is a long way from drab Moscow, isn’t it, Laynia?” Bobby asks, looking at his beautiful girlfriend’s face.

“It is, Bobby,” she replies, “but I must admit that it is taking me some time to get adjusted to the…waste of this city.”

“Waste?” Bobby asks, a look of surprise crossing his young face, as he continues to hold her close to him, but notes that she has leaned her head back slightly to look up at him. “What do you mean?”

“The Proletariat,” she responds. “You must understand that I have been trained from birth that such wealthy excesses are examples. In Russia, all people are equal…or so we are told.”

“Yeah,” Bobby retorts somewhat sharply, “I’ve heard about that. The only thing is, like the pigs said in Animal Farm, some are more equal than others. Those in high places want to keep things the way they are…and their control over the people.”

“Perhaps,” Darkstar replies, as they continue to dance. “It will take some time to get used to the way things are here.”

“I know, Laynia,” Bobby responds, smiling. “I’ve never cared much about politics anyway. Just let me know what I can do to help you adjust.”

Running her hand down along his back, she smiles up at him. “You’re doing plenty, Bobby,” she replies.

♪Theme Music: “The Spider” by Kansas`♪

Coming into Los Angeles, Natasha Romanova, the beautiful Black Widow, sits in the passengers’ seat of a small jet airplane, the pilot seated beside her. Her mind is elsewhere, however, turning back to the events of the past few days, as she looks down at the sprawling cityscape lad out below.

“Going back to New York,” she silently considers, “and seeing Matt again—much as I enjoyed it—just reminded me how out of place I feel there now. I’ve been in Los Angeles for the past two years, and it is feeling more like home all the time. It looked for a little while like the Champions might not last, but I think we’ve all re-committed ourselves to this group, and I think we’re growing stronger as a result of our efforts.”

“Miss Romanova,” the pilot offers, breaking her out of her thoughts for a moment. “We’re almost to the landing strip you told me about…”

“Good,” Natasha responds. She is wearing her tight-fitting blue costume, and her long red hair reaches back along her upper back. She is pleased that Warren completed the small airstrip that they had been talking about. It will provide them an opportunity to land away from LAX Airport, and avoid the crowds of the big city. “I’m ready to get home.”

“The only thing is,” the pilot interjects, “I’m getting some strange reports from the air traffic control headquarters in the city.”

“What do you mean?” Natasha asks, turning to face the pilot.

“It seems that someone is causing some havoc in the city,” the pilot responds.

“Someone?” Natasha asks, impatiently. “What kind of havoc?”

“Your kind,” the pilot explains. “One of those super-villains that you and your group are fighting all the time.”

“Hmm,” Natasha remarks, shaking her head in disappointment. She had really been looking forward to that warm shower and change of clothes. “Super-villain?! Do you know which one?”

“He’s throwing cars around,” the pilot replies, and using gravity powers, apparently—at least, judging from the chatter I’m hearing. Does that ring any bells to you?”

“Enough to know that I need to contact the rest of the Champions on this one,” Natasha replies, pushing a button on the side of one of the canisters on her belt. Immediately, the button, shaped like a “C”, starts to glow red.

Natasha reaches over, grabbing the spare headset from the dashboard, placing it on her ears, as she makes some adjustments to it. “Warren!” she calls out on the headset. “This is Natasha. Yes, I’m almost home. Are you aware of the disturbance in the city? Okay. Good.”

“What did you find out?” the pilot asks.

“The Champions are on the way,” she replies, looking down to see a car headed directly towards them. “Look out!”

A loud crash is heard, as everything suddenly goes black…

NEXT ISSUE: The Champions battle a familiar villain! Plus: A special guest-star! You won’t want to miss this one!

CABLES OF CHAMPIONS

Okay, so what do we have here? Well, several months ago, Cory and I started discussing the possibility of a 70s Champions series. We’re both fans of the Champions characters, and I’ve kicked around the idea of a Champions series, set in that timeline. Still, the discussion was tabled for a while, until recently. Then, Cory asked me what the plans were for the series. I’d been thinking about it some more, and pretty much knew where I wanted to go with it.

What you need to know about this series is that it is definitely taking place on an alternate Earth. However, the point of divergence is immediately following the events in Champions #17. After that, the Champions (on main Marvel Earth) pretty much broke up and went their separate ways. This wasn’t mandated by Champions #17, though, which pretty much left the Champions having just beaten Vanisher, and a set of re-tooled Sentinels. So, I figured that was a good jumping-in point for this title.

I also thought it would be cool to set the comic in that same time period—namely January 1978. That was the cover date of the last issue (although it as released in October 1977). This way, I can incorporate some 70s themes into the comic, and certainly intend to do so. Just keep in mind that, when the Champions do interact with other characters, they will be interacting with them as they existed in 1978. So, a lot of the modern things you’re used to seeing with some of these characters will not be present, although some of the back-story stuff might be used, when appropriate.

There will be some surprises in this series, and they will start pretty soon. I hope everyone likes where this series will be headed. I have always thought that the Champions was a good group of characters, with some compelling mythos surrounding them. They are also an odd assortment of characters, but I also think that they grow on you rather quickly.

You will see some familiar characters in these pages, and I have a specific line-up in mind for the group—not all of whom will appear immediately. But, within a few issues, you will see a cohesive group of heroes emerge under the Champions name that I hope everyone will enjoy seeing.

I plan to print letters in this space, if I get any. J I will also be using this space to explain some things that readers might be scratching their heads about. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, certainly e-mail them to me at earth2jsa@yahoo.com. I want this series to be fun for everyone, and hopefully, I’ll succeed at that. Speaking of the letters page, what you see at the top of this page is the title of the original letters page. I’m not beholden to that, though. If you have any suggestions for other titles, let me know, and if I like one of them, it might just get chosen. At any rate, don’t be a stranger. Write me and tell me what you think.

Jeff Melton

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