January '08 # 1

STARRING:

Commander Marvel

Iron Man

ALSO FEATURING:

Loki

The Jötunn

Seattle, Washington
Present Day

Rain poured down over a small apartment complex, drenching it for what seemed like hours on end. The residents of Seattle were accustomed to such things, and even though the dreadful weather tended to depress people in other parts of the country, there it only added to the city’s personality. Or at least, most of the residents felt that way.

For Walter Lawson, the rain never seemed to stop. His wife had left him, his only real friend had left with her, and his dog had died of cancer. It was a series of cascading events that had taken place one right after the other, and regardless of the fact that he possessed one of the rarest of things in the universe, he still felt like killing himself.

His dank apartment was cluttered with take-out boxes and empty beer bottles. Walter pressed his forehead against the glass pane in the window and wondered how many bones would shatter when he jumped through it and landed in the parking lot two stories below. Probably none, given who he was. The television droned on in the background, having been left on for the last few days in an attempt to stay in touch with the outside world, and his phone rang now and again. His attention tuned in and out to what was on the TV, it’s presence little more than white noise at this point.

“With us today, via satellite, is a man you will surely recognize as one of the most powerful and influential men in the business world,” the television host told her audience. The soft light generated by the screen was the only thing that illuminated the room.

Walter scoffed as he stared out the window, watching the rain fall numbingly. He adjusted his focus to look at his own reflection and winced when he saw just how bad he looked. His blonde hair was shaggy and mussed and the stubble across his chin was just long enough to be itchy, but not yet formed into any sort of beard or goatee.

He and the general populace of the planet had very different ideas of what power was. Influence was a form of power, but not in the sense that he could appreciate. Power, real power, was something he had in spades, and yet his entire life had still been turned upside down.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the host continued, “please give a warm welcome to Mr. Tony Stark!”

The camera panned a quick shot of the audience clapping as a large monitor lowered down over the couch where the host’s guests would normally sit. A close-up of a dark-haired, well-groomed man was displayed on the screen, smiling widely enough to show a flawless set of pearly teeth. Even though the monitor only showed him from the shoulders up, you could still make out the collar of a tailored suit that had to have cost more than most people make in a year.

“Thanks for being on the show, Mr. Stark,” the host said in greeting once the crowd had quieted. “Although I can’t say I’m not disappointed that you couldn’t be here personally. In fact, you’ve never given an interview in person. I’m hurt! I thought we had something, Tony.”

“My business keeps me well occupied here in New York,” the image of Tony Stark replied. “But I’m always up for a quick chat between meetings with my development teams.”

“Ah, yes. And would those meetings have anything to do with the recent rumors about your hot new nano-phone hitting the market soon?”

“Melissa…you know I can’t divulge anything like that.” Stark tossed a quick wink that the tabloids had made him famous for. “Not until Christmas of ‘09.”

The crowd rumbled with a soft laughter as the host, Melissa, feigned a swoon over the satellite image of her billionaire guest. Walter had half-turned his head to listen for a moment but quickly returned to staring out the window.

“Actually,” Stark continued, “I was hoping to make a little announcement on your show this morning if I could.”

Melissa leaned in toward the monitor, but made sure to angle herself toward the camera. “If it’s about our engagement, Tony, I said I wanted to keep that quiet.” The audience laughed again as Stark chuckled.

“No, no. Although, believe me, Melissa, if that basketball player friend of yours doesn’t pop the question soon I may have to act the gentleman and step in. You’re too precious to be single.

“But, I had something different in mind. It’s no secret that Stark Enterprises has vast, limitless resources. Resources that are better off put to use in the aid of my fellow man. When I started this company I had nothing, and now I feel it’s time to give back. It’s time the world had heroes to look up to again, and that’s why I’m going to plunge all of my available efforts into discovering what happened to this world’s greatest heroes, the Invaders.”

Walter’s head snapped back to the television. He had barely been listening, but the very moment the last words hit his ears he had been yanked from his melancholy and thrust to attention. Before he knew what he was doing he had leapt across his apartment in three huge steps and was now on his knees in front of the screen.

After saying something unimportant about the brevity of the billionaire, the host chose then to cut to a commercial. Walter swore, but took the opportunity to jump back up and race to his bedroom closet, where he shoved aside piles of clothes to get to an old footlocker.

He could feel the energy pulsing from within even before he opened it. He ripped the lid open and stared in awe at the round stone sitting in his footlocker. He had never seen the stone do anything but sit there, although now it was glowing brighter and brighter with each pulse. Walter gently picked the stone up and cradled it in his arms. He knew what he had to do next.

Against his better judgment, Walter Lawson began to think about how he was going to save the world.

Marvel 2000 Proudly Presents...

# 1- "The End of Days"
Part One

Written by D. Golightly

Los Angeles, California

“Welcome back, and if you’re just joining us, I’m here with the most eligible bachelor on the planet, Tony Stark, who has just revealed what may be the biggest endeavor he’s ever undertaken.”

Melissa Gilroy, famed host of the morning talk show The Sunrise Show, tossed her long, blonde hair back over her shoulder as she turned her attention back to the flat-screen monitor hanging over the couch beside her. Tony Stark smiled back at her as she leaned toward the monitor again. If it was an actual person sitting in place of the monitor there would be no doubt that her body language was slightly more suggestive than normal.

“I don’t know about the biggest,” Stark’s image replied, “but it’s definitely the most important.”

The air conditioned sound stage on which The Sunrise Show was broadcast live from each morning was filled to capacity with the staff and nearly a hundred audience members. All of them were intently focused on the scene unraveling before them. They had expected the billionaire playboy to announce his latest fling, or perhaps another brilliant electronics invention that would revolutionize the way they live. They had expected anything other than what he had just said.

“The mystery of what happened to the Invaders is something that historians have argued about for decades,” Melissa commented.

“That’s true, but none of them have been able to provide us with concrete proof as to what really happened. There’s no doubt that they were history’s greatest heroes and they deserve to be avenged.”

“I think we’re all a little surprised, Tony. Why the Invaders? Why now?”

The satellite image of Tony Stark, beamed through orbiting equipment that he owned, took in a deep breath before answering. “Like I said before, Melissa, I came from nothing. Had nothing. Started with nothing. I overcame many obstacles to now oversee several dozen companies that provide the world with things that make life better. It may seem a bit childish to some, but I like to think that this world needs saving. We need heroes. We had them and for whatever reason we lost them. We need to have them again.”

“So what exactly are you proposing?”

“I’ve already mounted an investigation to decipher the riddle of their disappearance. My experts are currently working to ascertain the fate of the Invaders, and in the meantime, I’ll premiere the very first in a new age of heroes that will find the truth about their predecessors.”

“A new ago of heroes, Tony?” Melissa chuckled softly as she stole a quick glance to the camera. “Does that mean we can expect to see you in a pair of skimpy briefs with a cape around your neck?”

A low rumble sounded from somewhere outside of the sound stage. It steadily grew to the point where the water in Melissa’s coffee mug was getting ripples along the surface. The executive producer slowly took his headset off and looked to the ceiling. He motioned for a stage hand to run to the side exit and look outside. The teenager, an intern, quickly hopped over the running cables on the floor and ducked his head out the door.

“I’m sure that the National Tribune would love that,” Stark quipped. “But I think I’ll leave that sort of thing to those better suited. Melissa, allow me to introduce a brave man who is now piloting the latest in StarkTech offensive combat armor, and the first in a new breed of hero, the invincible Iron Man!”

The intern stumbled over his own feet as he backed up into the studio. The door he had poked his head out of was flung back open and the sunlight behind the figure in the doorway cast a bulky silhouette over him. The audience gasped and Melissa Gilroy propped herself up by the armrests of her chair. Tony Stark’s electronic facsimile continued to smile, unmoved by the entrance of a strange metallic behemoth on the sound stage.

“Holy shit…” Melissa muttered.

“It’s all right, everyone,” Stark said after a moment. “Please, remain calm. This is my employee and bodyguard. There’s no need for alarm.”

The figure Stark had alluded to, Iron Man, stepped up onto the stage and into the light. The powerful and hot stage lights reflected off of the red and yellow encasing armor that covered him completely. With every step Iron Man took a heavy clank and thud followed as the enormous metal boots slammed down on the floor. Given his obvious bulk, Iron Man still maintained a certain grace as he walked. His helmet had several slots cut into it, mimicking eyes and a mouth. Several wires ran the length of his arms, disappearing under the thick metal shoulder pads. In the center of his chest was a round insignia that protruded out several centimeters.

“Good morning, Miss Gilroy,” an electronic voice said. It took the talk show host a moment to realize that the voice had been filtered through the helmet of the monstrosity that had just walked up to her.

“G…uh, good morning,” she finally muttered to blurt out.

“Iron Man is leading my field investigation,” Stark explained. “As I’m sure you noticed, he’s complimented with the latest technology that my company has been developing through military contracts. He is the first of many to pilot the armor, which has many offensive and defensive capabilities that will change modern warfare.

“Until then, of course, he’s the first in that new age of heroes I mentioned. Sorry for the lack of skimpy briefs and a cape.”

Melissa visibly swallowed her confusion and fear. She looked to her producer, who simply shrugged and motioned for her to say something, anything. She turned back to the metal behemoth standing barely a dozen feet away from her and looked him over from head to toe. The sleek design amazed her, almost as if it was aerodynamic. It was hard for her to believe that there was actually a person wedged inside it.

She cleared her throat, and tried to speak. “Um. I…that’s…okay, Tony. We’ll take a quick break and then we’ll be right back with this incredible story.”

New York, New York

“What sort of progress has been made?” Tony Stark asked.

An obviously frustrated black man, visibly irritated by Stark’s question, quit typing commands into a keyboard and looked over his shoulder at another computer screen. Most of his attire was hidden by the white lab coat he wore, which nearly reached the floor. Tony Stark’s immaculate face looked back at him on the screen with an eyebrow raised, awaiting an answer.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, Bill,” Stark quickly added. “I’m just asking for a report.”

“It would be easier if you would come down to the lab,” Bill replied. “Instead you insist on talking to me through the webcam.”

The lab was filled with the latest technological equipment that money could buy, and even a few pieces that no one else had access to. One of the perks about working for Stark was the availability of certain scientific advancements that most of the world wasn’t privy to. Large machines lined the walls with workstations, like the one Bill was at, spaced throughout.

“The StarkCam 500 has a higher per pixel resolution than any other digital camera and beat out HD television by over three months, making it just as good as being there in person. Better even.” Stark’s image leaned back in his leather office chair and slipped his hands behind his head. “So, what’s going on with the stone?”

Bill Foster sighed. He had almost come to regret having accepted the offer that Stark Enterprises had made him two years ago to join the budding research team. Even though the resources he had been provided with were greater than he ever dared dream, the limitless ego of his employer grated on his nerves. He enjoyed the oxygen filling his lungs with a second deep breath, calmed himself, and turned to face the digital representation of his boss.

“The natural geological process that affects the decomposition of long chain polymers apparently has subsided concerning the specimen,” Bill stated. “I’ve been running tests, but I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“That just means it isn’t organic,” Stark replied with a slight wave of his hand. “Why isn’t it a good idea?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t think that rock came from Earth.”

Bill nodded to the side where Stark’s attention was directed to a Plexiglas cube, inside of which sat a glowing, egg-shaped stone that was slightly larger than a football. Its surface was rough, apparently worn down over the years like a fossil. The reverberating glow pulsed off and on, barely strong enough to brighten a dark room. Instruments monitored the energy that the stone was giving off, which had grown steadily over the last week since it had been brought to the lab.

“No luck in cracking it then?” Stark asked.

“Whatever is giving off the energy, it isn’t the stone itself. You were right in assessing that there was something inside it causing it to glow like that, but no, we haven’t been able to penetrate the outer layer yet.”

Stark’s brow crinkled with concern. “I see,” the billionaire said.

“Nice show today,” Bill commented after a moment of tense silence. “Real smooth, saying Rhodes is the first of many to pilot the armor like that. Think SHIELD will throw a hissy fit anytime soon?”

“Fury has been after our patents for years. The Mark IV armor wasn’t built so they could—”

“I know, I know.” Bill waved a hand nonchalantly and turned back to his workstation keyboard. “Preaching to the choir, Tony. It’s just funny that you alluded to government sanctioning concerning the project, that’s all.”

“Yes, well. We’ll cross that bridge when Fury builds it. In the meantime, I need you to do a favor for me.”

Bill cocked his head back to look over his shoulder at the screen with Stark’s image on it. One thing he had learned about working with one of the world’s most successful CEOs was that there were always strings attached to favors. Always.

Stark cleared his throat before continuing. “I’ve looked over the latest analysis of Pym’s formula and I see that we’re no closer to understanding it now than we were six months ago when he left.”

“Tony—”

Stark raised his hand to cut Bill off. “I’m not pulling you off it. I have the utmost faith in your abilities and I understand that you need more time. It’s my fault, for forcing you to divide your attention between the formula and the stone. The problem is we don’t have more time. My sources tell me that Pym has been picked up by some other small pharmaceutical company. Legally, the work he did before he stormed out is ours, but it won’t be long now before he redesigns the formula and patents it.”

“So it’s a race then.”

“Basically. I’m bringing in Pym’s old research assistant to take over work on the formula. This should free you up to study the stone more closely. She’ll be flown in this afternoon, so please, give her a hand getting settled, and for god sakes be nice to her.”

Bill grumbled something that Tony couldn’t make out as he turned back to his workstation. Data streamed across the screen as Bill typed furiously. He hated taking a backseat. He had made giant strides into understanding the biochemical compounds that Pym had invented and he didn’t want someone else getting credit for his work. The irony of it all evaded him, or perhaps he just didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he was primarily building on what other people had already accomplished. Either way, he wasn’t satisfied.

“Her name is Janet. She’s quite a looker, Bill. I hear she did some modeling before finishing her second doctorate in astrophysics. You might find you actually enjoy working close with someone when you meet her.”

Somewhere in the Artic Circle

His trek had been perilous, but at last he was at the end of his journey. He could feel the rampant energies of the land already, begging to be unleashed at his command. The pure, flat plains of the snow-covered artic ground looked almost peaceful now that the hurricane winds had died down.

He had walked several hundred miles atop nothing but sheets of ice to reach his destination. It was something that would have killed normal men without transport and protection from the extreme temperatures, but this man had made the journey on foot, wearing only a purple cloak as cover. His hands, warmed by the dark magicks that had been his to command for decades, were covered in golden gauntlets that were carved with intricate arcane symbols that few could hope to translate.

His entire body glowed with a soft, golden hue that helped keep the harsh bite of winter cold away. Atop his head was a golden helmet that left his face open, with two protruding horns coming out of the top, each at least a foot in length.

Even though he was much older than most would guess, the years had been kind to the sorcerer known and feared as Loki.

He looked at his surroundings with contempt. The deep chill that attempted to shudder his spine, while most inhospitable, was still an improvement over the Isle of Silence from which he had finally escaped. If it were not for Odin’s apparent blinding, he may never have been able to flee back to Earth.

“They say revenge is best served cold, so why not continue my plan here?” Loki muttered. “Isn’t that right, my precious gems?”

A pair of egg-shaped stones descended upon Loki, swirling around each other until they hovered a foot above his head. He watched them with a swelling pride. It had only taken him a day to retrieve two of the original six, and within a few moments he would have a third.

Concentrating on his magicks, he held up his arms and felt the power of the stones flow into him. The landscape began to twist and shake as ice shattered, snapping apart and forming deep crevices. The quake nearly toppled Loki over, but he held his ground. A large split ruptured open directly in front of him and out sprung another rounded stone, rising to join the other two. He felt his power increase as the stone joined its brethren, and smiled.

“That contemptuous woman sought to hide you away from me, but there was nowhere on Earth she could hope to keep safe. Not now. And she even unwittingly led me to a place where I can gain an even stronger foothold in my bid for power.”

Loki summoned his energies again and kneeled down, thrusting his hands down into the soft, fluffy snow. “With the third stone retrieved, I can now access that forsaken plane in Asgard where the Frost Giants roam. Under my guidance they shall by my army, strong enough to crush all who oppose me!”

Lightning danced out from his fingers, feeding directly into the icy ground. Beneath the surface a portal opened and Loki mentally shoved through it to grasp onto the consciousness of the ones he sought. So fearful was the might of the Jötunn that Odin had long ago exiled them from the open ranges of Asgard, condemning them to wander an environment just as harsh as the one Loki now occupied. It was that similar connection that allowed the sorcerer to reach across space to coax the lumbering Frost Giants to Earth.

After a moment Loki felt his call answered. He pulled his fists back out of the freezing snow and watched in awe as shapes began to form in front of him. The very landscape was bending to the will of the coming Jötunn, forming bodies for their spirits to inhabit. Towering over Loki, shards of ice piled atop one another and fused together, creating arms and legs, torso and heads. In less time than it took for Loki to cast the spell, ten Frost Giants had been resurrected on Earth.

“Who dares summon us?” the closest one demanded once the others had finished forming. Its voice was deep and bowled over Loki like a vicious storm.

“An ally,” Loki responded with a devilish smile. “We have much work to do.”

Bill Foster pulled his lab coat tighter, shuffling down into the flipped up collar. A chill wind had swept over the city, and from where he stood atop Stark Tower the air currents were anything but forgiving.

“They just radioed in, Mr. Foster,” a technician standing a few feet behind him said. “They should be arriving in just a few moments.”

“Thanks, Eric,” Bill replied without looking. He heard the technician leave the rooftop, leaving Bill alone. His mind was still replaying his conversation with Stark back in his head, wondering why he had agreed to come work for the man in the first place. What had begun as a prosperous career in advanced biochemistry and physics had been reduced to placating the eccentric whims of a billionaire living out his boyhood fantasies.

The shape of a helicopter poking through the overhead clouds made him dismiss those thoughts. His new co-worker, someone he had to remind himself was not his replacement, would be onboard with and awaiting his help. He still resented the implication that he actually needed someone to cover his work, but he would simply grin and bare it if that was what it took. He wasn’t too big of a man to set his pride aside now and again.

The chill wind turned into a torrential blast as the helicopter slowly touched down on the roof, strengthened by the whirling blades of the aircraft. The tails of Bill’s lab coat flapped behind him furiously as he watched the chopper touch down. A moment later the side hatch opened and his jaw metaphorically hit the rooftop.

From inside the helicopter stepped out one of the most gorgeous women he had ever had the fortune to lay eyes on. Her thick black hair hung loosely around her shoulders, which was then thrown into chaos once she stepped down onto the roof. Even still, she made it look good, as if she had meant for that to happen. She looked to be a couple of inches under six feet in height, and she couldn’t have weighed more than 120 pounds. He could make out some of her curves beneath the long, stylish coat she wore, but not enough to tell if she had an athletic build.

One thing was for sure: Bill had never met an astrophysicist that looked like that.

She scurried away from the aircraft and headed straight for Bill, with something tucked under one arm. “Are you William Foster?” she screamed over the noise of the whining helicopter.

Bill took a second to blink before responding. “Oh, yeah. Hi. Uh…call me Bill.”

“Janet,” she said as she stuck out her free hand. “Janet Van Dyne. I was hoping to get right to work. I brought a sample of Dr. Pym’s original formula with me.” She motioned to the sealed container under her other arm.

“Oh, of course. Right this way.”

There was an awkward moment when Bill turned the same way that Janet did and they nearly bumped into each other. He quickly reversed his direction and fell into step beside her, motioning toward the door to the stairwell. “The lab is just a few floors down,” he told her.

Once they crossed the rooftop, Bill reached his hand out to pull open the door leading into the stairwell. His fingers wrapped around the handle, but before he could open it the sound of metal crunching and a motor dying stayed his hand.

Both he and Janet whirled around to see the stunning sight of a man actually flying in midair above the helicopter that had just landed on Stark Tower. The chopper’s blades slowed down to a crawl before stopping completely, caused by the crushed turbine at the center that strangely had a footprint pressed into its casing.

“What the hell…” Bill managed to say.

The masked flying man was dressed in a tight fitting costume that made him look like someone who had just visited a comic book convention. Garbed in a red, black, and yellow costume that seemed snug enough to be uncomfortable, the man bobbed in the air as he stared down Bill and Janet. A pair of shimmering bracelets, each thick enough to hinder his wrist movements, caught Bill’s attention. He looked at one hand which was hanging carelessly at the man’s side, to the other, which was holding something that shocked him more than witnessing a flying man.

In his left hand, the man held an exact duplicate of the stone orb that Bill had relentlessly been studying.

“What’s going on?” Janet whispered behind Bill. He turned to see her startled expression and quickly put his eyes back on the flying man.

“I’m not—”

“My name is Marvel,” the man said as he floated closer to the pair. “I need to speak with Anthony Stark immediately.”

Now that he was closer, Bill tried to make out any type of expression on the man’s face that would give a hint as to his intentions. The facemask blocked everything except his mouth, which was held tightly shut in what Bill assumed was anticipation.

“You’ll need to calm down if you—”

Marvel let out an irritated breath. “Waste of time,” Bill heard him mutter. Marvel held up his free hand and the glowing bracelet around his wrist began to amazingly actually bend the light around it, forming tiny, blazing, yellow spheres of energy that drew into the bracelet like droplets spilling a puddle. The scientist in Bill was fascinated, while the man in him placed his arm behind his back in an effort to shield Janet.

A streak of energy blasted into the rooftop almost exactly between them, but it didn’t come from Marvel. A few wisps of smoke billowed up from the fresh hole that had been punched through the roof as the streak dissipated as quickly as it had come. The three of them followed the trail of the streak back into the air, angling away from Marvel. Bill blinked in surprise again as he watched another flying man descend from the sky.

“Like the man told you,” the red and gold armored figure of Iron Man said as he leveled with Marvel in the air, “you’re going to have to calm down. I wouldn’t mind hearing an explanation for why you felt it was necessary to wreck Mr. Stark’s property and then threaten his employees.”

“Unless you can take me to Stark you’re also wasting my time,” Marvel replied.

The jets in Iron Man’s boots maintained his balance while the sole antigravity engine on Earth held him aloft. “He’s busy. Can I take a message?”

“You can tell him that unless he’s willing to hand the keys of fate over to a madman, he needs to cease his operations immediately.”

“Oh.” Iron Man crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I don’t think that’s going to work for him. How about we…wait, what’s that in your hand?”

Marvel shot a quick look at the stone he had carried across the country and frowned. “This is pointless,” he said under his breath as he drew in energy to his bracelet. This time, however, he was much quicker on the draw.

Iron Man didn’t have time to react before the blast hit him square in the chest. He was flung back head over heels as Marvel flew after him. The gyroscopes inside Iron Man’s armor worked furiously to right him, and his boot jets kicked on and off to provide stable compensation for his new flight path. He found his systems righting him after a brief moment of being totally out of control, and silently thanked a higher power for the ingenuity of the armors development.

Through his visor he saw “Marvel” approaching fast. His onboard computer told him the velocity at which the man was traveling and momentarily shocked him. It was impossible for anyone to fly that fast under their own power…or for them to fly at all. He wasn’t prepared for this. Not yet.

Iron Man stuck out his arm and unleashed another blast of his own. The blast, a new technology that was based on the same dynamics as his antigravity engine, was strong enough to punch through six inches of steel. He limited its output so as to only knock the man aside. Like the first, it streaked through the air in an instant, only this time haphazardly. He hadn’t taken the time to utilize his computer’s targeting system as he was only trying to put off the fast approaching attacker.

The patented “repulsor” ray slammed into Marvel’s side, knocking him off course. Iron Man heard him grunt, mostly from the surprise attack. The blast had hit the arm that was been balancing the stone, however, and dislodged it. The stone tumbled back down to the roof of Stark Tower, rolling along until it came within a few feet of where Bill and Janet stood watching. Bill took a step forward and reached for the stone, planning to scoop it up and retreat inside the building with Janet.

“No!” Marvel screamed.

Marvel fired another thin blast of energy from his outstretched hands, guided by his sudden panic. Bill had grabbed the stone and half turned back to Janet, gripping her elbow to lead her to safety when the bolt struck. He felt a strange sensation pass through him just before his nerve endings all seemed to fire at once, seizing him in a violent convulsion.

To his horror he saw Janet undergo the same thing. Her eyes opened wide as she was thrown back against the stairwell door, banging her head off it with a sickening thud. She fell down in a heap next to him and didn’t get back up.

The last thing he saw before passing out was the retrieved stone and the canister that Janet had brought, the lid of which was now cracked open with the contents seeping out…

MAIL CALL

Something that I always thought was interesting about the Avengers, as a team, was that they had been tossed together by fate. Initially, it was the meddling of Loki that brought some of Marvel’s most popular heroes together. I’ve obviously emulated that here, but still woven an original tale that has nearly the same effect. In the zero issue there was a big, badass green thing cavorting about, an homage to that original script by Stan Lee. Most of this series will flow like that; making a tip of the hat to the source material while keeping things fresh.

Hopefully I’m not falling short on that fresh part.

The zero issue set up quite a few plot lines that I’ll be dealing with in good time, but for now, let’s see what some readers had to say about it. Our first letter is from Anthony Crute, a relatively new writer at M2K that’s been getting a good bit of attention concerning his Doc Samson series (and rightfully so; it’s a solid read).

First off this is a brave choice to start off the series featuring none of the team whatsoever.

That said...INVADERS! I go absolutely friggin wild over anything golden age in nature (seriously I have issues and am constantly trying to bring them back) so seeing the Invaders being ingrained in Ult continuity makes me happy (Where's Union Jack and Spitfire I may very well ask.)

Anyway the issue itself is a big long fight scene which is not a bad thing especially in such a well written one. There are several teases for future things coming up (mostly that you told us this stuff will be revisited) such as the red caped man (I want to know who he is).

A criticism of the issue is the characters seemed a little flat to me but seeing as they're not the actual characters and those who do return (if they do at all) will probably get fleshed out (saying that I did particularly enjoy Loki).

The ultimizations seen in this do need a mention and I think you know which too. As well as Golden Age, pulpy stories I also have a love for Victoriana/steam punk fun and so the steam powered metal man that is The Human Torch (making the name even more ironic) is just brilliant to me. The second is Namor who I also thought was a great and bold move just to make him a normal atlantean in the little bubble dome thing. Nice work there.

The only real problem with this (and Meriades ultimate stuff) is it makes me want to contribute and I just know I'm going to have too much on soon but still the ideas I had previously for Ultimate F4 call to me.

-Anthony Crute

(review originally posted on the M2K message board)

Thanks for the feedback! I had thought about putting more of the original Invaders into the issue, but it turned out fairly long as it was. Union Jack would have been the next to appear if I had allowed the story to grow another thousand words. I’m admittedly not very familiar with Spitfire, although maybe I could work some flashback scenes into future issues…

The red-caped man will be back very soon. He's going to be one of my favorites. I have this huge backstory worked out for him and I think people are going to be surprised when they learn who he is. Although, given Avengers mythology, maybe they won’t be.

I purposely left the Invaders a little flat to try and entice the reader more. After all, this zero issue was supposed to set things up for the ongoing series, and as you pointed out, they weren’t even the stars. I plan to go back and expand on them more but for now I’ll just leave you wanting more. I had fun developing them and will look forward to fleshing them out in the near future.

Glad you enjoyed the not-so-human Torch and the aquatic Sub-Mariner. I originally planned to do just the same characters but thought it would be more fun as a steampunk kind of thing for the Torch. I think the visual is better and it lends a different quality to the character. Is Namor just a normal Atlantean? Hmm. I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that one (he does need water in his breathing apparatus to survive on the surface, however).

Doc Samson has been doing great so far, so maybe once that’s wrapped up we can get something moving on an Ultimate Fantastic Four title. There’s always room for more!

Next is a small bit of feedback from Garvin Williams.

Must say, I just read this and am intrigued in the direction you’ll go with this title. I will stay tuned. Great start thus far!

A personal request, please put more Thor in this series, you’ve written him like the bad-ass that he should be from the beginning and I hope you continue in the arc, as he learns humility.

Thanks, B/Rgds,
Garvin

Glad I’ve got you intrigued, Garvin! I’ll try and keep the book on a monthly schedule so as to not let a lull in the action. Oh, and I’ll be more than happy to get a ton of Thor into the stories. In fact, he’ll be popping back in sooner than you may realize.

Next issue, we’ll see the throwdown between Commander Marvel and Iron Man (as well as the repercussions of that open canister)! If you’ve got some feedback for me, feel free to hit me up at h4hdave@yahoo.com.

-D. Golightly
1-25-08