DC '78 # 15: Deconstructed Cosmos--The Book of Judgment

My life was not horrible, not by any means, comparatively speaking.

Yet, there was much amiss, if only in my own head. I was dissatisfied,

and my only refuge seemed to be nonexistent realms--places I could

either reimagine as I pleased, or recall from my childhood memories.

There's a certain solace to revisiting an unsoiled place, safely preserved
from the changes and evils of the real world.

I never saw the harm in escapism; after all, everyone has their crutches.

I wasn't drinking and endangering others. I wasn't fanatically pushing

some concept of religion. I wasn't raging and intimidating my neighbors

or co-workers to feel superior. I just wanted some downtime with simple,
good old-fashioned release.

But, over time, the real world started creeping into my fictions. The dark

taints, the affects and characteristics. The place that was known for its
consistency became a place of turmoil and unrest--no longer where I
remembered. No longer the place I knew. No longer a place I wanted to be.

So I went on for several years, merely dissatisfied with my lot, my life,

the unfairness of the world, and resigned to not have any pass times
that provided a joyful escape.

So when I found The Book.....well, my heart stopped. And then it began

again with a song, and a renewed energy like I had never known. I felt
better than I knew possible! How can you know how badly off you've been
until you experience something tremendous that lifts you up and shows
you heights undreamed of?

I knew. I just--I don't know--instinctively ? Somehow. But I knew.

Deep in my gut. Like a spiritual revelation had tacitly revealed itself.

I, Walt Burns, had discovered a treasure reserved for no on else on

earth. I had been fortunate...blessed...maybe, I don't....however it

happened, I was special. That in itself was a magic feeling all its own.

And maybe that's why I did nothing at first. That hope was so fresh

and all-consuming....like the idea that you have the winning lottery
ticket before you check the numbers. Or how the 'Honeymoon Period'
in a relationship feels, before reality and repetition start to intrude.

I knew what I had, but I was afraid that if I tested it, I would be sorely
disappointed. (I guess once you get an idea in your mind of how life is
'supposed to go' you have trouble kicking it.)

But eventually I pushed myself. Or, more accurately, my desire to please

my daughter pushed me. She had been doing somewhat poorly since her
mother and I separated, and I wanted to do something for her. Something
special. Something no one else would be able to do. After all, I was in part
responsible for her heartache, so who else could heal it?

So I took the book out of the safe I had bought, unwrapped it, and I

placed it on my kitchen table, still laden with jam and crumbs from
that morning's breakfast. My mind was singular in its pursuit, and I
could see nothing around me, nor anything to come.

 

I wrote of a wish for my daughter-- a world of fantasy, surrounded by
all the wondrous animals I had introduced her to with 'Tiny Titans'

and the Krypto cartoon, and the Amethyst comics she had requested
after she saw  the DC Nation short. I wrote as truth in the book, on
those crackly pages, that she had a world where she was a princess
and was caring for all the animals come together.

I wrote oh-so descriptively of the winged horses from mythology

and different corners of the comic book universe, and of Streaky

and Beppo and flying dogs. I wrote of a safe and favored place

from my childhood memories; the Kent Farm in Smallville, where

love was enough to handle any super-situation.

And as I set, milling over the passages, pages long, that I had written,

in a fan-boy effort of absurdity to try and bring a special world to my
only daughter--then it happened. The phone rang, tearing me from
my writing--now a dozen pages long--even as my eyes lingered at the

shimmering page.

My wife was hysterical. Dana had disappeared from in front of her.

She couldn't make any sense of it. Her words were barely discernible
as she shrieked and pleaded and cursed me for messing with her mind.
She was clueless and scared as a result of the mystery, but I was
attuned and so thus even more terrified.

I had not been clear enough. Instead of bringing my daughter's dream

to her, I inserted her life into the dream. Or, the reality from which
we are dreamed. Who can say? I don't know anymore. I don't know
the depths of how much I don't know. I am awash with ignorance.

For a writer, letting my mind race freely was always my best trait.
Asking questions is what we do. Now, suddenly, the premise of
"Just Imagine" had become a deadly proposition.

Following my panic and fear, I wrote endlessly about my daughter's

return. In my arms, safe, unaffected. I wrote of seeing her where she

was to know if she were safe or not. I wrote of everything conceivable

until my hand cramped and blistered and bled. Finally I knew..there

was no undoing what was created with the pen and page. It left a

change that once transacted, could not be undone.

So I did the one thing I knew to do. Only once again, I was foolish

and short-sighted. I wrote for 'realities' to be aligned so that I could
join my daughter. My fate and presence changed, not hers. Smart on
my behalf, right? Shakespeare was right about man's arrogance and folly.

In my haste, I was not specific enough. "Be careful what you wish for"

should be extended to "what you think upon," "what you write of,"

"what you surround yourself with," "what you speak of," etc. It all

comes back on you in the end.

My body buzzed and vibrated as I felt...the world ?--more than

just my world--shimmer and shake and convulse. After what seemed
a lengthy roller coaster ride within my own body, I had my vision
clear to reveal myself still in my house. But I could tell--just like I
knew with the book--that there was more than seemed to be. Would
this physical premonition be less disastrous than the last?

I went to the window, and there was a new sight through those

old frames. I saw new houses lining the street. Fields. Tractors
driving down the street. Could it have possibly worked?

I ran outside to take in what had happened. I was running, not

aware of it, still tingling and dizzy and pained, but not aware of it.

My mind was overtaken with finding Dana. I felt like a beacon

was pulling me to her. Parents can have that--no matter what the

skeptics say. That connection that can alert us, if we're attuned.

I saw a large grouping of animals ahead of me, gathered under a

tree by a barn, or a farmhouse...who the hell knew the difference.

I was from St. Paul, for crying out loud. Although apparently, almost

coinciding with leaping over Toto (who evidently is always underfoot,)

I didn't think I was in St.Paul anymore.

My memory banks were flooded with recall as I strode past the

menagerie; my subconscious filing away information even as I strode

on to my daughter--a writer's mind always on three things at once.

A talking raven...likely Matthew? Winged horses....Amethyst's

steed...A flying monkey? Damn--it's Buffkin! The Fables are here, too.

Finally I saw her--the most magical thing of all; my baby, feeding

Super-Turtle and petting Ace.

I cried, I laughed....I probably bruised her ribs squeezing her.

She seemed completely unfazed except for wondering why

her dad had lost it.

We contacted her mother through the police in Seattle; her phone

number didn't survive the jump. Even still, it took days to get in

touch--there was so much turmoil and conflict as a result of the

merge. It took a good deal of time to work through it all.

What I have discerned is this; my writing seems to have merged

not only my world and the one where I sent my daughter; it merged

all realities. There was far more going on in those moments (for me

at least) where I was vibrating and realigning 'here' on what I would

assume was originally Earth One. The merge was not an easy one.

Much was lost. Many were erased...although they won't be forgotten.

Transition isn't easy, even in a --well, what do I call this place?

It certainly isn't fictional--I'm here, living, breathing, pumping blood.

Along with what I had always known to be--even in my deepest

moments of escapism--to be comic book characters, cartoon

characters...creations of the mind and pen.

But they are real. Beautiful. Alive. Surrounding me. I think perhaps

my writing was somehow subconsciously influenced--that the magic

(or whatever you call it) itself was led by my inner vision. This blending

of the best of all worlds...and certainly us being brought 'back in time'

to 1978. It's a strange feeling...that I may run into 'another' me who's

younger. What a trip.

The book's magic can't be undone. My carelessness dissolved so many

worlds before this one was settled. I have hidden the book so no further

harm can be caused. It had proven impervious to all methods of destruction
I attempted.

Here, in this world I have created, however inadvertently, my peace

remains intact. Heroes are not killers, and even villains are mostly

sporting and crooked, not sociopathic. Here, Barbara Gordon has

not been assaulted, nor will she be. The Metal Men are fun robots.
Sue Dibny is fun-loving and alive. There is no undue darkness and
misery here.

Of course, maybe it is all fantasy. Maybe I'm nuts. Perhaps right now

I'm locked in a padded room or sitting drooped over the side of a chair

drugged into oblivion. Maybe all of this is a desperate release from a

reality I can no longer handle.

Maybe I'm not at all compassionate or kindly. I could be the biggest

sociopath in the world--imagining myself capable of making such grand,

sweeping changes. That I have the right to make such intensive and

destructive choices about these people's lives...what kind of ego does

that depict?

They say there are  more stories in one event than can be told.

Not only what happened, what the viewer thinks happened, and

what the reader thinks happened, but every variation thereof.

I live in Smallville now...a sleepy small town where an inviting and
quaint billboard welcomes people to the childhood home of
Superboy. But greatness isn't relegated to the past, stale memories
of simpler times.

This town is now home to another young Superboy--a young man from
a place called Earth Prime--once again providing refuge and solace
to a lost youth. He who lost everything due to my efforts receives the
proper love and guidance that will keep him in a good place. He is part of
a family here...a community...he has a home. He's growing strong again,
not merely relegated to being 'another lost soul, another tragedy.' A little
nurturing and positivity goes a long way. Funny--that's all most of us need.

As I've gotten older, that's what I see. Most of us just need a place to
belong-- someone to take us in and make us feel important. Nobody
wants their life, their hard work, tossed aside and forgotten.

The animals love it here. Plenty of camaraderie and companionship.
Even the anthropomorphic (did I spell that right?) fellas like Peter
Porkchop and Fox and Crow fit in well on these huge farms. What's
the difference between one talking animal and the next, right? The
Super Pets, the Zoo Crew, the Fables....it's nice to have some peace
and calm after everything that's happened.

Riverdale, a new post-Crisis neighbor, is only a stone's throw away, and
they seem to be adjusting well, too. A good fit, really.

Life is good. There's so much possibility here. And everyone here
is fortunate. No longer tossed aside...no longer the victims of arbitrary
whims and edicts. From here on, life is what we make of it.

********************************************************

DC '78 # 13: The Future Foreseen--THE GREAT DISASTER

To the immediate attention of Director Bones:

Re: Coverts Ops 78ASeek

Field Update

September 21, 1978

***

The formation and maintenance of the group known loosely

as "The Seekers" (sometimes "Persuasion") has not been

arbitrary in the least. These Oracles, these Lookers are gifted with

insights and abilities to read the minds and desires of other people.

Some are now also seemingly cursed with foresight of impending

events. These visions and premonitions began in earnest after the Crisis.

Each member of the group came together, as 'foretold,' to attempt

thwarting the Great Disaster that each envisioned. The one common

factor--despite their precognitive insights showcasing different

locations--was that the Disaster was likely super-human in origin.

As reported by the The Bleed Council of Lost Worlds, there were stories and

rumors from seers and time-travelers of some form of 'End Times'

on each planet Earth out there. All of these 'Elseworlds' share too

many commonalities and consistencies to ignore this fate as improbable.

To think we don't share a connection merely because of superficial

differences of evolution would be ludicrous. I think of it in this way;

there are only 3 basic colors, but look at the world of difference

in what we do with them! This game is the business of possibilities

and prevention, as well as policing.

(It is known that prior to "The Great Disaster" there was a swell

of super-human activity which probably culminated in a power

struggle that precipitated or directly caused the end of civilization.)

(Refer to Agent Raynor's illustrations for facsimiles of the described earths.)

This massive loss of life as a believed result of super-human action

is what led the group to take it upon themselves to monitor

the 'super hero' groups of the mid-to-late twentieth century,

infiltrating and spying on them from within.

The veracity of their claims and powers are impossible

to determine, but so long as they are operating and there is

a chance they truly hold precognitive abilities, we will monitor

their activities. If their claims pan out, it's in our interest

to be prepared. There may be greater applications as well.

These are summaries of the visions that the fourteen members saw.

Madame Xanadu herself was given a view

of an all-out war between heroes, ending in devastating nuclear

destruction. Lilith Clay saw a future where only a boy survived the

end of civilization, surrounded by beasts and constructs.

Always centering around a devastated climate and geography,

typically with only a smattering of survivors from unlikely

divergent groups, these visions foretold a dark future wherein

no significant remnants of civilization could be found.

Maria De Guzman is a second-generation meta human, daughter

of former hero 'The Jaguar' and his wife, Lydia Fellin, a former

criminal. It's believed she derived her psychic skills from her

mother's side, but she has only had some disturbing dreams

of late regarding an aged Batman presiding over a young

techno-Batman, but seeing as how she's untested and new to

these things, it could be a case of late night pizza for all we know. 

Perhaps more detail will develop in time.

Purportedly, the organization's goal mirrors our own;

to keep superhumans (or meta-human as the agency now

refers to them) observed and answerable to someone at all times.

However, as we knew, they are unregulated and unproven,

thereby likely as dangerous as the people they're monitoring.

Lia Briggs saw a variant of the ruined future, this time with a man

and mutates. Few other humans remain here, save as slaves.

There are such similarities to these constructs, we speculate

they are imagined interpretations of the same world through

different eyes, or if perhaps the erased earths' divergent futures

were absorbed into this one new reality, pulling at the minds of

psychics and precognitives. (See Professor Palmer's attached

report regarding his conclusions re: realigned energies.)

Lucian Crawley believes these are all segments of the same

earth having befallen the same horrors, yet each region developing

its own unique identity. His view was of  advanced AI or robots of

some sort--electrical warriors. And still there was darkness and strife.

In most cases, the subjects of these clairvoyant episodes

did not experience precognition prior to the Crisis.  It would seem

likely that the advent of such abilities is likely to have occurred

in such individuals as these, who were already possessed of telepathy,

telekinetics, and related skills, but the exact trigger is unknown.

M'gann M'orzz  has a vision of the despot Darkseid having overrun

the planet, destroying most and keeping the remaining

people alive as mental slaves and target practice. There's

also something to do with a Philosopher's Stone, so that one

may bear careful watching. Talk about a double dose of terror.

A red-headed young woman (that seems a common theme) whose

name we haven't discerned was assigned to keep watch over

Superman and Batman. She tells of a future where a single hero

is corrupted and betrays the rest, leading to true Armageddon.

A time-displaced western warrior fights with future

technology in a mad world struggling to rebuild post-disaster,

as related by William Dawson.

On a sidenote, there are others who seem to have

particular insights as to future events, many of whom are

rumored to be part of a 'Skull & Crossbones' type underground

organization known as The Light. All accounts have chalked

such individuals, like Loren Jupitor, John Constantine, Harry Chawney,

Steve Dayton, and Max Lord--all of whom were already on our

radar, incidentally--as being mere futurist individuals...

shrewd businessmen and progressive by all reports.

A band of family and friends become rebels against

throngs of tyrannical guards and other threats in a post-nuclear

landscape, as seen by 'Fiona Webb.'

A version of 'Hercules, the demigod, was witnessed by Leah

Wasserman surviving a nuclear holocaust and fighting to keep men free

in yet another vision.

Seeing as how we have approximately 9 different documented

Hercules/Herakles running about, there's no telling if this is one of

the current guys or someone new ...if he's the 'actual' Hercules at all.

Another nuclear wasteland, tyrants and mutates rule and only

a small band of adventurers stand against them with but crude artifacts

 and weapons; this is the sight of Kari Limbo.

A collapsed society where mutated rats have overcome the world,

albeit it in a benevolent capacity, as man in fact devolves, was the

experience of one Henry King, Jr.

Headquarters for the group continues to be a secret embedded

section within "Lookout Mountain," Georgia, from which they

fancy themselves witnesses to the world below. The funding for

the lair as well as technologies seem to come from one Ruby Ryder

(yes, of 'richest woman in the world' and Ruby Ryder Enterprises'

fame) although her agenda has not yet been made clear. She has

not made an appearance at the gatherings.

Investigation has proved difficult due to the nomadic existence

of most 'members.' In fact, the group is really in name only; after

having established themselves as a dedicated front, there hasn't

 been much in the way of interaction (occasional, but not significant.)

Reports are filed electronically, and since the plants are embedded,

there is minimal contact. A few members sleep at the facility, but

socialization and communications are minimal.

Adrianna Tereshkova tells of a future where the offspring

of a Teen Titan has become a crazed warlord and created

a militaristic rule. Entire teams of 'Titans' are running amok.

The Warp Zones may offer insights, if one of them is perhaps

comprised of a time in the future either before or significantly

after these events. However, the results from those preliminary

expeditions have been slow to process, and other agencies aren't

exactly bending over backwards to disseminate the intelligence

reports. I would recommend sending Blue Trinity, Black Orchid,

or shape-shifters in--someone with knowledge of covert ops that

can gain Intel without upsetting the balance inside the Zones.

We know there are more variables than 14, so if they are

 all being foreseen, we can assume there are that many other

psychics, etc with mental abilities and enhancements out there

who haven't come forward. Agent     is checking up on the current

status of known telepaths. Some known contacts of Xanadu who

are not believed to be associates are a 'Charity' in Opal City, Rose

Psychic (CWU,) Brainstorm (incarcerated Mt. Olympus,) and Lady Zand.

Given that some will be looking to get their own piece of the pie

based on any insights garnered from future-insights, so also gathering up time travellers and sequestering them seems valid.

There has been enough trouble from these escalating 'Legends of the

Dead Earth.' Further precautions are advised.

Would also like someone (Agent Prince?) to check with

'Harbinger/Lyta' who was the accomplice of the guy who was monitoring

everyone. He seemed to 'know stuff' as it were; what happened

to him in the end? Could that explosion have been a

means of passing on his energies and powers to others?

We still know so little about 'The Explosion.' I still think

she knows more than she lets on, but I'd like to send a crew

out to Paradise Island to verify. As yet, visions have not been clear

enough to determine if these are different parts of the same future

on earth, or if each is a different possible outcome.

However, the relentlessness of the visions and the whelmingly

negative view gave pause to the various pre-cogs and psychics

who suffered them, bringing them together to find a solution.

We thought Crisis was the big hit, but since it was a bullet

dodged, the 'Evil Forces' lot seem to have amped up their game.

Just as the 'Seekers' have infiltrated various super-hero groups

and individuals' lives, so too do we have an undercover agent

in their team's midst (pursuant to Executive Order 15323.)

We will continue to monitor their dealings and investigate

whether or not their claims have any basis.

Sincerely,

Agent Cameron Chase

DEO Investigator, Badge 4321

cc: Sergeant Steel, Checkmate Division

King Faraday, CBI

Amanda Waller, Task Force X

see also attached files:

* The History of the Seekers

*Individual Profiles for Looker, Mindgrabber Kid,

Miss Martian, and Brainwave, Jr.

* Professors Runk and Palmer's Report on

Energy Displacement and Conversion

* Time Anomaly Construct Studies by Professor E.N. Bridwell

* T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent Menthor's assessment

of his own newly developed visions

***

DC '78 # 12: The Soldiers of Star City

by Yolanda Montez,

on assignment for Rolling Stone

The new park, created with architectural assists from John Stewart
and long hours from city planners and an extensive construction crew.

As part of the millions spent on gentrification and development

during Star City's tourist hey-day in the earlier part of this decade,

expressionist artists Christo and Jean-Claude were contracted to

create one of their controversial and stimulating designs.

The effect, which entailed the bulldozing and demolition of

several miles of Star City's inner city streets to make way
for an over-the-top lush park in the middle of the city,

drew extreme criticism from all quarters.

  Yet, in a time when drug proliferation and violence

had brought the burg into the "Top Ten Worst Cities in

North America,"* people were desperate for some sort

of marked impact signalling change. Unfortunately, things

have come full circle, and Star is once more in the grip of despair.

.

But all hope is not lost in this fabled city, with its rich

history and once-lucrative port of call. The rebellious

archer known as Green Arrow, a street-level fighter

with a checkered past (mostly for his outspoken politics and

quick temper) has left his prestigious post within the

Justice League of America to devote himself to taking

back the streets of his city.

To that end, the former billionaire has enlisted help from

his immediate 'Green Arrow Family' as well as outside

connections to help win the battle over the soul of his

hometown. And it has decidedly become an all-out war. 

Green Arrow (who last year publicly revealed his true identity

to the world when he commenced his bid for mayor) is ably

aided by his second-in-command, his son Connor Hawke,

whom Queen only recently discovered. (Details of the union that

produced Connor as well as his whereabouts have understandably

been kept hidden, however. Neither Queen nor Hawke was

forthcoming for this interview.)

The group has engaged in some controversial tactics; they are
renegades operating outside the law, but with open consent of

 law-makers and denizens of the beleaguered city. Vigilantism

seems not as frowned upon when it involves members
of the masked hero and spandex variety. (Editor's

 note; It should be noted in the interest of fairness that Miss

Montez is the goddaughter of the Earth-2 Wildcat, Ted Grant.

She is also an Earth-2 transplant herself.)

Keeping to the shadows and blending in is a big part of what

the Arrow does in his mission to fight blue collar crime in his alter ego,

getting into the places that Mayor Queen (following his successful

campaign last November) is unable to reach in his war on the

corporate demons that seek to capitalize of Star's misfortune.

This goes a long way to explaining his choices for operatives in

protecting the city. Many have questioned why he didn't bring

in big guns like the Justice League to assist him in securing the citizens,

to which he scoffed rather angrily before laughing out loud.

"Those guys are the opposite of invisible.

People don't trust them; they're bigger than life, and regular Joes

can't relate. The only way to get anywhere doing undercover work

is to fade into the woodwork." Queen advised me.

I asked the same of Roy Harper. Not the Roy Harper who grew up

here as Arrow's protegee; he's serving in the Teen Titans in New

York. This is an older, darker Roy who now goes by Red Arrow,

and came to us from one of the merged earths destroyed in the

Crisis. This Roy says with a sorrowful forlornness that "..the battle

we're waging here isn't for soft sorts. It's bloody. It's complex.

The fight isn't fair, the stakes are high, and a traditional 'hero' who

thinks goodness and light will win the day isn't going to work."

When questioned if this meant that these soldiers they have gathered

were picked because of their willingness to break or bend the law,

Roy merely stared blankly and added; "We do what we have to

do to survive. High morals are not a luxury we can afford now."

There are plenty of other things the city and its administration

can't afford, as well, thanks to the high level of corruption, graft, and

misuse of funds under former mayor, Thomas Bolt.**  Bolt's

excesses and theft left the city devastated from within, as their

infrastructure is barely able to maintain the basics of monthly

expenditures even on a Queen-devised emergency budget.

Star City International Airport, site of last
year's incident with Count Vertigo

When the Arrow initially recruited his band of outlaws

(the ironies not lost on his advocates nor his opponents)

he started off calling themselves the 'Seven Soldiers of

Star City,' a nod to his 'Earth-2' counterpart who had

passed in the Crisis. Originally, the other Green Arrow

and Speedy were founding members of that team.

This starting effort on our earth included Arrow, the Earth-2

Speedy, Onyx, Arrowette (daughter of the Golden Age

heroine/athlete,) Artemis, his son Connor (also going by the

moniker 'Green Arrow,') and a mysterious new Crimson Avenger.

Quickly they realized this would not be a sufficient force to crack

down on the growing epidemic of organized criminal activity

that now saturates Star. (Queen gruffly dispatched the notion

that he would need to rename the group; "If people can't count,

that's not my problem.")

According to local police representatives, (evidently

under some duress, as they are currently undergoing investigation

themselves from direct order of Mayor Queen's office,)

there has developed a gang war of sorts here.

It's unknown what the catalyst was, or what possible unique

properties Star holds that have driven this land grab from the

underworld, but such major players as the assassin Deathstroke and

international financier Ra's Al Ghul have both been implicated

in arrests over the past six months.

(So far we have identified through sources that H.I.V.E.*** and

Intergang also have agents operating large cells in the city, and

rumors abound that the Bertinelli family is looking to set up shop as well.)

Photographer  Donna Troy was allowed to photograph the
interior to the vaunted 'Operations Central' of the
resistance. (She was escorted in blindfolded, however, and it should
be noted that the clock face is merely ornamental, not longer
 part of a building's facade.)

According to the characteristically frank Queen, it's

much deeper than that. He points out a minimum

of six major organizations vying for control of his city,

many of them led by super-powered criminals. He, too,

is uncertain for the impetus of this new and undesired

attention his fair city has received.

But Queen remains resolute, certain that he and his team

are capable of handling all that the admittedly tough

coming months will bring.

I asked him about the visibility of his team membership

during a ride-along with the chief of police. He daringly

stated his defiant response; "I want them to know we're

here. I want them to know we're coming for them, that

we're prepared."

The mayor further explained that he and his crew

don't wear their well-known costumes when patrolling the city.

They are given to undercover work and disguises more

often then not, eliminating the concern for standing out.

My skepticism was palpable, and Queen recognized it. "I've

got some surprises in my back pocket, too; my cards aren't

all on the table. I'm like a Boy Scout; always prepared."

Surprises, possibly, like the presence of other known

vigilantes Arrow counts as friends. The Black Lightning has been

spotted on occasion, linked to unconfirmed reports of the criminal

organization 'The 1000,' as well as another new Huntress.

And distance does not make connections impossible; longtime
lady love Black Canary, former ward Speedy, and the newest
female Speedy, although departed from home, use Justice League
teleporters to quickly return in times of need--such as last Winter's
S.K.U.L.L.**** assault of S.T.A.R.*****  Labs' Star City location.

If police reports and underworld buzz is any indication is

accurate, he needs an army. He and Star City certainly have

no shortage of enemies. If hard streets indeed require hardened
heroes, said heroes in turn draw out hardcore enemies.

There are other groups that reportedly work outside the law in

such a fashion, including those in such places as Gotham,
Spiral City, Iron County, and Bedlam,  but these are only rumors
as the operatives work in secret. These groups, if they exist, are comprised
of unnamed, unknown  quotients, and stay off the grid.

Arrow, on the other hand, has been above board about his activities,
which may actually work to his detriment in the long run.

All that we could find out about the mysterious new 'Arsenal'
is that his father was the original 'Red Dart,' and the Arrow
was instrumental in helping him get turned around.

Most notably, Jack Ryder referenced a group of 'outsiders' in an

unconfirmed piece he did on Nightline last fall, calling for a need

for tighter sanctions against such groups--that one supposedly

operating between the divergent cities of Gotham and Metropolis.

Likewise, columnist Michael Jan Friedman and photo-journalist

Luke McDonnell recorded actions of a modern day group of

not-so-merry men located in the swamps outside Biloxi, Mississippi

in a "This Nation" piece in Life magazine last fall.

And Vicki Vale championed the notion that an all-female group

of operatives is working in unison on cases outside government

jurisdiction, also not-as-yet grounded in hard facts (although one

wonders why such a group would not be front and center with

women's lib in full swing!)

Blurred lines allow for more effective working, since the same laws

that are being broken often limit and kneecap the very mystery men

that are seeking to produce justice. These tactics--and the state of Star

City--have brought the vigilantes under the scrutiny of groups like the

DEO and Checkmate, both governmental teams regulating the super

hero community.

During my week stay in Star City, I was privy to see not only the inner
workings of the mayor's office, a drug sting being finished up by the crew,
personal interviews, and a police ride-along, I also did an extensive
tour of Queen Industries...yet another front on which Queen is
making strides to improve the city.

Queen Industries leads the nation with environmentally friendly
products and packaging, and has initiated statewide recycling
programs, an "Every Day is Earth Day" Program, amnesty
days for getting rid of toxic and non-recyclable items, as well
as creating over 1,200 jobs in the first quarter of this year
alone. Queen's business acumen almost seems to run counter
to such community standards, but he asserts it isn't difficult, but
rather business owners are complacent and lazy.

Although Star compares to nearby Seattle and Portland for having

a large counter culture movement as part of their makeup, inclusion

of such high-profile associates as the homosexual-rights advocate,

Rainbow Archer, still have drawn some public criticism. Arrow

dismisses those complaints outright, using words not allowed in this 

publication to describe "a bunch of hair-brained religious zealots

who are at the core of what's wrong with this society's new direction."

The Rainbow Archer was not specifically in the closet, but when

attacks on bars and gay couples in Star's "Little Castro" district

started, he felt it imperative that he make himself known. "Visibility

is the answer," he told me. 

     "Whether fighting ignorance or drug dealers of corporate
crime, you have to stand up to it and say 'That's enough!'"

Queen's plans for riverfront development have blossomed,

with his plan to give contractors and builders a piece of

their investment in exchange for their sweat equity.

Progressive thinking outside the box is what has

established Queen as a successful businessman in a

volatile market, and he is applying those same tactics

to his restructuring for the city.

"We can't let development and our import/export

businesses falter. That's our bread and butter. So you

can see the scope of this gargantuan puzzle; keeping

the public safe, stopping organized crime, saving

existing businesses, developing new ones, keeping

the nation and the world's faith in the city solvent...."

He seemed to become distracted, reflecting on

the fate of his city, as a parent would a fragile child they

were steadfastly fighting to save, not knowing what

the future might bring. His icy and snappish facade

skipped a beat.

"It sounds whelming...quite intimidating," I offered as he

collected himself. "Oliver Queen hasn't seen the

problem yet that he can't find a way to beat.

We're survivors here in this town....believe that."

I do believe it. And therein lies the strength of

Queen's campaign, on multiple levels; his is

a passionate and endearing presence, one that rallies

people and demands self-empowerment.

He's an everyman success story that helps others

on the bottom aspire to same. It's about underdogs, the little

guys, and overcoming tremendous odds.

I always have loved a comeback story.

-Yolanda Montez works out of Los Angeles

and makes frequent trips adventuring around

the globe. Her passions range beyond journalism

to boxing, fashion, and criminal law.

**********************************

                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                              

Behind the Scenes: Profiles and Backgrounds

A little something extra with the Answer Man, Robert Rozakis

....

Well, for a hero junkie like me, just making it to this

'new earth' alive should be reward enough, right?

But add to that an assortment of masked wonders

who are more plentiful than ever before, and this

former comics scribe is a happy camper.

It's One Year Later and we still need a map

and a genius to figure out half of the dynamics

as to "Who's Who?" on this patchwork world.

It's a regular mosaic of mythological proportions.

So this month I'm here to give some extra

behind-the-scenes scoop on some of the new

personalities running around Star City!

Chloe Sullivan is new to 'our' earth (as mentioned,

along with yours truly and a few billion more!) and she hails

from a small town experience that certainly  didn't prep

her for the hustle and bustle of the down-and-out Star

City. She's an old soul, though, and has quickly made

the transition not only to the big city, but also the

reverse-engineered computer technology brought to us courtesy

of some of our time-lost friends and dwellers in the Time Warp Zones.

Chloe is a mathematical genius, with a great sense for

coordinating and strategizing. She helps coordinate all

the activities and divisions in the city...a daunting task

to say the least.

Next up comes a 'new' Black Canary, who at first was thought

to have been reunited with Arrow after a highly publicized

breakup last year when they both departed the Justice

 League (geez! I feel like Rona Barrett with the gossip report!)

But we discovered that this is an older Black Canary

who, like our world's known entity, came to this earth from another.

On the earth this new Canary was from, where there was

never a Superman, she lost her Green Arrow during the Crisis,

even as he resided in a new android body. His sacrifice allowed

Canary and several dozen inhabitants of their earth to make

safe passage to our earth before the Great Explosion closed

off all those many other worlds. 

Arrow originally took a lot of heat when the Canary we know
as a long-time Leaguer originally returned to this earth from
her home on Earth 2, romantically linked to the significantly older
Queen. Now, with rumors swirling that he has taken up with another
'version' of Black Canary, he is under attack again.

 ARTICLE NOTATIONS:

*Star City ranked lower only that the following cities, all judged

on economic growth, poverty levels, school capabilities, drug use,

and gun violence; Dakota, Detroit, Gotham City, Hub City, and

Los Angeles. Definitely not statistics they wish to be tied to.

** Former Star City mayor Thomas Bolt was not only

indicted by a grand jury on 16 different counts--ranging from

misappropriation of funds to cronyism, bribery, and extortion-- but

there were allegations raised at his trial that he also masqueraded

as the city's nefarious drug lord, Steelclaw.

Bolt denied those charges to the end, and now a possibly new

Steelclaw is loose in the city while the former mayor sits behind bars.

***H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance

and Extermination) (No, we kid you not!)

Obviously a super-villain terrorist organization with cells

around the world. Built from the embers of C.Y.C.L.O.P.S.

and other such organizations. Little is known, except that

they have been implicated in several FBI and CBI reports,

but their existence was revealed when the Teen Titan Bumblebee

went undercover in one of their 'Youth Training Programs.'

**** S.K.U.L.L. is a criminal organization with known

ties to scientific stakes, and formerly headed by the Atomic Skull.

***** S.T.A.R. Labs (Scientific and Technological Advanced

Research Laboratories); worldwide company with facilities in

most major cities. S.T.A.R. does R & D, meta-human studies,

housing and study of alien artifacts, and much more.

***