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Post by DocQuantum on Mar 11, 2018 22:30:17 GMT
Continued from JLA/Legion of Doom: DoomsdayPrologue: Another Villain War Days ago:
A large group of colorfully clad but sinister-looking figures gathered in this cavern that was neither hot nor cold, each one carrying a burning green candle. In order to travel there, each of them had lit it at midnight as per the instructions they were given, and now waited -- with varying levels of patience -- for their host to arrive to present his offer.
They had heard about this host, and that he had the ability to enhance their powers, or remove a weakness, or grant some other wish they had. Of course there was a price to be had for those enhancements, and depending on whether or not they thought their souls were of any value, it was costly indeed.
These figures were famous around the world, or, more precisely, infamous. They were the rogues and super-criminals who had always kept super-heroes and law enforcement busy since they began appearing nearly three decades ago. And among their number were counted the most famous and well-known of these villains. All of them were, at the very least, curious about the power behind the Legion of Doom who had so famously broken out of Superman's Island. Indeed, some of those present had been able to escape from that super-maximum prison thanks to the green candles they'd been given, and they were willing to listen to someone with that kind of power.
The super-villains, as they were known to the living world, had been gathered there just long enough to start fighting among themselves. That was when their host decided to make his presence known.
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I come to you with an irresistible offer. My name is Neron."
And he would offer each one of them power -- on his terms. Many would accept that power, despite the cost. Some would reject it. And a few would merely agree to participate in Neron's scheme without signing over their souls to do it.
That was days ago now, and the world was just beginning to see the effects of this underworld unleashed. In truth, it was the beginning of what had the potential to become another villain war upon humanity itself -- one all too similar to the Villain War that had befallen Earths S, X, and Four during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Only this time there would be no last-minute rescue by heroes from another world.
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Post by DocQuantum on Mar 11, 2018 23:11:37 GMT
Now:
The three most beloved heroes of Earth-One had been arguing for what seemed like hours now, but all they'd been able to manage to agree on was to reach a stalemate. Now they each sat in silence, brooding on the seemingly insurmountable circumstances they found themselves in.
Superman had made his position clear. He thought the JLA needed to take out the Legion of Doom by any means necessary, since the lives of all their loved ones, as well as the fate of the world, depended on it. All his life he had believed in the intrinsic value of sentient life, and he had upheld that belief in all of his dealings with even the most evil of villains. But something had changed after he'd become a husband and a father. It had become personal. And he was prepared to do anything to protect his wife and daughter, even if it meant breaking the one rule he'd held most sacred. He owed nothing less to them.
Wonder Woman was also quite clear on her position. She had already gone down the road that Superman was veering toward, and she knew there was nothing but darkness that way. Having been raised as the daughter of the god of war himself, Nubia had never known peace until she finally met her sister Diana in battle, and ended up joining her against Ares. The Amazons had taught Nubia another way, a way that she had brought back to Mars Isle to combat the god of war's brainwashing on the population there. She had been tempted from time to time to fall back into her old ways, but having already walked that road, she knew there was no going back. As far as she was concerned, the only chance the JLA had at defeating Neron was to find a way to unite with the Legion of Doom against him.
Batman's position was less clear. All he was sure of at this point was that they were being manipulated by Neron to follow a path toward a goal that the dark lord wanted to accomplish. He was, quite frankly, disturbed at the change he'd seen in his old friend since their journey to Hell, and wasn't sure what to make of Superman's seeming abandonment of his principles even to save those he loved the most. Still, he was hesitant to agree with Nubia, given the ruthlessness that they'd already seen in the members of the Legion of Doom, and he worried that she was being naive about the possibility of teaming up with those who had vowed to kill all of them given half a chance. He had prided himself on being a master tactician, able to develop strategies for any battle plan as needed, but he found himself at a loss as to what they should do in this infernal place so far from the Gotham City streets he knew so well. Their options were limited, and they were at the mercy of their enemy. All he could hope for was that they'd be able to somehow salvage the plans they'd already laid in place. But that hope was becoming more and more remote with each passing moment.
"Well? Had enough of the penalty box?" said the disembodied, sneering voice of Neron. None of the three replied to him; there was no point. "Oh, so it's the silent treatment? Quite understandable, but completely unnecessary. I'm going to give you three another chance to make amends. Remember, with just your sworn loyalty, I'm willing to put an end to the threat of the Legion of Doom -- forever. You might want to consider that in a moment."
The three heroes glanced at each other with suspicion, a moment before they suddenly found themselves in a booth overlooking a huge stadium modeled after a Roman coliseum, but filled with the denizens of Hell itself. But that was not what drew their attention now, for on the field below was the Legion of Doom -- standing over the defeated members of the Justice League of America.
"This is another trick -- an illusion!" said Superman.
"Oh, this is no trick, Kal-El," replied Neron, who spoke to them from an adjoining booth. "My Legion of Doom has triumphed at last, and I have merely but to say the word, and they'll have accomplished the mission that I signed them up for -- the complete and utter destruction of the Justice League of America... more or less."
Superman and Wonder Woman each began striking against the barrier surrounding their booth, but to no avail. "It's made of magic, you fools!" taunted Neron. "You might as well sit back and enjoy the show... unless you would like to accept my offer."
Batman frowned as he saw that only the Flash still remained undefeated, and despite his incredible speed he was still outnumbered and outpowered, and it was only a matter of time before he would join the ten unconscious Justice Leaguers who had been placed in raised cages. Still, there remained a chance, even if it was a snowball's chance in Hell.
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Post by dave on Mar 11, 2018 23:17:34 GMT
I'm thinking that you're setting up on of those classic Gardner Fox/Mike Sekowsky stories where the trapped JLA uses team work to defeat their foes.
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Post by DocQuantum on Mar 11, 2018 23:28:37 GMT
They are an inspiration to these chapters for sure. I always did love how Gardner Fox's JLA managed to rise victorious, however improbably, after a massive defeat.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Mar 28, 2018 16:24:46 GMT
I just noticed these three new posts. Very interesting! I like the way the story is progressing. I do hope the heroes win in a proper silver-age manner, beating the odds without compromising their morality. I also get the fealing from the chapte ron the candeles that you are only just getting warmed up.
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 3, 2018 4:41:42 GMT
Alas, I may have been a bit too ambitious about the scope, so I've tried to slim it down a bit so I can focus on the JLA a bit more. But I do feel the need to add a few scenes to show what's going on in the outside world while the JLA is away.
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 3, 2018 4:42:28 GMT
Metropolis:
Inspector Bill Henderson was convinced it had to be a full moon tonight. What else could explain the drastic rise in crime that had befallen Metropolis over the last few hours? It wasn't that he was a superstitious man, but he'd noticed such coincidences in the past. Still, he'd never seen anything like this before in the thirty-plus years he'd been a member of the Metropolis Police Department, not even after Superboy moved to the city from Smallville twenty years ago.
It was as if every criminal element in Metropolis was going crazy at the same time. But this problem wasn't limited to Metropolis. Across the bay, Gotham City was dealing with the same problem, as were New York City, Boston, Chicago, Central City, and Los Angeles. As far as Henderson could tell, this was a nationwide, possibly even worldwide problem. And there weren't nearly enough lawmen on Earth to deal with it all.
For now, though, he had to deal with each problem as it came along, in order of priority. That was why he was in a standoff with a powerful foe who had taken hostage Dr. Jenet Klyburn and the rest of the staff of the Metropolis branch of STAR Labs.
According to all reports, when the perpetrator first arrived he looked like an ordinary, slim blonde man wearing glasses and a casual outfit. Now he'd been transformed into a hulking, muscular figure dressed in a gaudy costume of black and yellow, with skull insignia on his chest and a high-collared dark green cape. The most striking detail about his appearance, of course, was that his skin was transparent, and his head was a skull surrounded by a nimbus of green flame.
Already he'd turned three police cars into shrapnel with telekinetic blasts emanating from his skull. Henderson tried to make sure the hostages were safe by establishing a wide perimeter around the building. But their resources were already being strained by the chaos occurring all over the city.
"Who is this guy?" muttered a fellow cop.
"Unless I miss my guess, that's the Atomic Skull," replied Henderson. "And it looks like he's had an upgrade."
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 7, 2018 19:52:55 GMT
Central City:
The Flash Museum was under attack. The Golden Glider was ransacking the museum with the aid of her new partner, a brown-haired muscular masked man in a blue and yellow costume, fringed with white fur. His first name was Adam, but Lisa Snart had outfitted him with his costume and a cold-gun stolen from her brother Captain Cold, and had dubbed him Chillblaine. She had already made it quite clear that Chillblaine was her new and improved boyfriend, and one who would never break her heart.
The Central City Police Department was already swamped from the various crimes taking place all over the city to send more than one squad car to the scene. The two officers within had already been knocked unconscious when a barrier of thick ice was suddenly erected in front of their car as they rushed to the scene of the crime.
With the Flash absent from his city, and the police too busy to stop them, two other costumed heroes stepped forward to protect the legacy of the city's heroes. But Polara and Argus, having less experience as costumed crime-fighters, already felt that they had bitten off more than they could chew.
"Just stop this madness, already!" said Polara, using her magnetic control over metal objects to keep the villainess at bay, and struggling. Frances Kane wasn't fond of using her powers, but at times like these, it was fortunate that she had a super-hero name and costume of purple to wear. Maybe, one of these days, she wouldn't even feel all that awkward while wearing it.
"Aw, is the little girl in magenta feeling a bit overwhelmed?" taunted Golden Glider as she sliced closer and closer to the magnetically powered young woman. "If you want me to stop, you're going to have to catch me first. Now, do try to keep up, won't you?" At that, the villainess skated back into the museum on a bridge of ice.
Elsewhere in the museum, Argus was just barely avoiding the freezing blasts that Chillblaine was at him. "And here I thought Golden Glider had reformed," said Nick Kovak, using his enhanced speed to dodge the freeze-ray. "Wasn't she dating Captain Comet a while back?"
"If I was you, pal, I wouldn't mention him around her ever again," replied Chillblaine, pausing for a moment to speak. "She's... a bit touchy about how things ended between them. After he left Earth, she ditched all that hero stuff and went back to crime." (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See Captain Comet: A Higher Calling, Chapter 1: Leaving Earth Behind for Captain Comet's less cynical perspective on the breakup, and Justice League of America: The Beginning of the Ennead.]
"Damn shame, that," said Argus, grabbing a random artifact, a spinning top, and tossing it toward Chillblaine with his enhanced strength. As predicted, the villain easily dodged the top, which shattered the only remaining light, plunging the room into darkness. "Seems she's had a string of bad relationships, beginning with Roscoe Dillon."
"Hey, that's all in the past," said Chillblaine, looking around warily in the dark. "Now she's got me!"
Yeah, yeah, just keep talking, buddy, thought Nick Kovak, tracking his foe in the dark with his enhanced vision.
Chillblaine, suddenly feeling nervous, began shooting his freeze rays randomly at any sound he could hear in the damaged building. Thus, when Golden Glider skated back into the room, and Polara finally used her magnetic powers on Lisa Snart's skates to stop her in her tracks, Chillblaine accidentally struck Golden Glider instead.
"Aaahhh!" cried Glider, her legs stuck in place. "Adam, you idiot!"
"Aw, crap -- Lisa!" shouted Chillblaine, dropping his freeze-ray. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"
Having stalked his foe to his current position, Argus took that opportunity to throw a punch, knocking out the inexperienced villain. "You need to start picking better boyfriends, Glider," said Nick. "This one's a moron."
"Aren't all men, in one way or another?" replied Glider.
"Touché," replied Argus.
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 7, 2018 23:37:35 GMT
Titans Tower, New York City:
Garfield Logan was bored. The former Beast Boy had been on monitor duty all day long, and nothing was happening -- anywhere. It was as if crime and disasters had taken a holiday, things were so quiet. Even the weather was sunny, and nothing but chirping birds and peaceful city scenes could be seen on the monitors. That was why he was sleepily eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes while watching old cartoons on TV.
Titans Tower was nearly empty, too. Artemis had been summoned to Paradise Island for an emergency, and Cyborg, Raven, and Jericho were each downtown on various personal errands. That left Changeling minding the store and keeping an eye on the youngest and newest New Titans, Protector and Dynamind. They were on another floor in the tower playing video games, the last time he'd seen them, and that was fine by him. They'd been getting on his last nerve. Jason Hart, alias Protector, was a nice enough college freshman kid when on his own, but he started to get annoying whenever he was around high schooler Danny Chase, alias Dynamind.
"Teenagers," Gar muttered as he heard them laughing. "Can't live with 'em, can't dump 'em into the middle of the ocean."
"Ain't that the truth!"
Gar frowned as he turned his head to look for who had spoken in that strange voice.
"I'm down here, ya green-skinned maroon!" said the voice, and as Garfield Logan glanced at the small TV in front of him, he was surprised to see that the cartoon cat named Tom was looking directly at the screen. With a grin, Tom picked up a struggling cartoon mouse and dropped it into his mouth. That was followed by a disgusting crunching sound as Tom started chewing Jerry, only for him to hack up a bloody furball onto the floor, complete with tiny bones. "I've always wanted ta do that!" said Tom, and fell to the floor laughing.
"Eww, gross," Gar said, and quickly changed the channel. He sighed contentedly and sat back into his seat as the U.S.S. Enterprise soared through the starry void of space. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Bring it on, Kirk and Spock."
"Captain, the sensors are picking up a strange anomaly directly in front of us," said Spock, staring into a monitor at his science station. "I suggest we stop at once."
"Sulu, full stop," ordered Captain Kirk from the captain's chair.
"Full stop, Captain," replied Lieutenant Sulu.
"Care to elaborate, Mr. Spock?" asked Kirk.
"Captain, the anomaly in question is currently monitoring the bridge," replied Spock. "In fact, it appears to be able to see and hear everything on the ship at will."
Dr. Leonard McCoy, standing near the lift, stepped forward and said, "Damn it, Spock, don't keep us in the dark -- who is it?"
Spock turned and looked into the camera. "It's Garfield Logan."
Changeling gulped and dropped his spoon into his Frosted Flakes.
The scene shifted to a close-up of Captain Kirk, who also began looking at the screen. "Garfield Logan?" he said. "You mean the green-skinned actor who performed on that cheap knockoff of our show, Space Trek 2022?"
"The very same, Captain," replied Spock.
"Red alert!" said Captain Kirk. "Fire all phasers!"
A streak of red energy shot past Garfield Logan's left earlobe, and he fell out of his seat to avoid several more blasts, which shattered a stack of dirty dishes in the kitchen. Taking cover under the table, he reached up with one green hand and grabbed the remote control, pressing the right channel button as quickly as possible. "What the heck is going on here?"
The next channel was playing a breakfast cereal commercial. "Oh, good."
"Frosted Flakes good?" said Tony the Tiger. "They're gr-r-r-r-reat!"
"Yeesh, what a ham, huh?" said a new voice. And as Garfield Logan peered up over the breakfast table, he saw a figure wearing a green costumed, with a full-face purple hood and purple cape and gloves push Tony and a blonde kid out of their own commercial. "Get lost, ya lousy bums!"
"You'll be hearing from our lawyers," said Tony as he and the kid walked off the set.
"Lawyer-schmawyer," said the masked man, sitting down at the table on the screen. "Now, put down that remote, and let's get down to brass tacks, Beast Boy."
"It -- it's Changeling now," Gar replied, trying but failing to change the channel again.
"Oh, la-dee-frickin'-da," replied the masked man, the white eyes on his mask narrowing in an exaggerated fashion. "'It's Changeling now,'" he said in a mocking voice. "You call the bathroom la toilette, too, ya fruitcake?"
"N-no," said Gar, nearly at a loss for words as he pulled the power cord from the plug in the wall, only for the television to remain on. "So you've hijacked my TV. Now what do you want?"
"I want you to look out the window to see what's comin' ta getcha!" said the purple-masked man, pointing to the right of the screen. "Straight from Tinseltown to Titans Tower, it's--"
"The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?!?" cried Garfield Logan, seeing a gigantic, puffy giant made of marshmallows, as featured in one of his all-time favorite movies.
"Give the boy a medal!" said the masked man. "And, hey, ya might want to check in on the monitors, too! It's a real jungle out there today!"
Standing up, the man in purple and green gave a thumbs-up on the screen and said, "Seeya later, same Blackrock-time, same Blackrock-channel!" At that, the screen went dead.
Changeling gulped as he saw the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man wade through the East River slowly but surely toward Titans Tower. And then, hearing screams and explosions from the monitor room, he looked to see every single monitor displaying scenes of violence throughout New York City.
Jay Hart and Danny Chase ran into the room just then, looking startled. "Gar, I think we're in trouble!" said Jay. "Danny and I were playing Super Mario when--"
"--Bowser jumped out of the screen and started shooting at us!" continued Danny, the younger of the two. "We slammed and locked the door on him, but he's destroying the rec room!"
"Yeah, and we just--" began Jay, stopping when he glimpsed out the window. "Wait, what the heck is that?"
"Holee $#!*!" said Danny, his jaw dropping as he adjusted his glasses to make sure he was really seeing what he was seeing. "Is that who I think--?"
"Yep," said Gar.
Just then, the communications link, which had been quiet all day long, was flashing red and beeping for an incoming call. The panel indicated it was a call from Victor Stone, alias Cyborg.
Picking it up, Gar said, "Hello?"
"Logan, I've been trying to reach you all day! Where the hell you been?!" cried Cyborg. "We're up to our necks fighting the Fearsome Five and the Wildebeest Society! Downtown Manhattan is a war-zone! We're just barely holding on, and we need backup! The only reason we haven't been overwhelmed yet is that those two teams of villains would rather fight each other than us!"
"Uh, I'm a little tied up right now, Vic," replied Changeling, as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man came closer and closer, a cheerful look on his face. "Can I call you back?"
"Logan, don't you dare hang up on--!" Gar turned the receiver off with a click.
But as the three Titans stared in shock at the approaching marshmallow giant wearing a tiny sailor's hat, blue jean collar, and red scarf, all that Garfield Logan could think of saying was, "Well, there's something you don't see every day."
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 7, 2018 23:57:03 GMT
By the way, you read right -- Danny Chase is now a member of the New Titans under the alias of Dynamind (an old Superboy villain). This happened "between stories" as his joining hasn't yet been depicted, but I figure the New Titans needed another member to recover from the loss of other members, and he joined up sometime in the spring of 1988 in an untold story. Has Danny Chase matured a bit in the time since he first encountered the Titans back in 1986 (see The New Titans: Quest)? I guess you'll have to wait and see.... same Blackrock-time, same-Blackrock channel!
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Post by johnreiter902 on Apr 8, 2018 18:48:24 GMT
I guess the Titans recovered Kole sometime between stories as well. I don't think this is the same Blackrock as Peter Silverstone. His MO is a little different, and he doesn't sound as well educated.
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 8, 2018 19:26:52 GMT
You could be right about that. Blackrock has always been a different guy each time he’s been seen, and I have a very different take on him. Think Deadpool crossed with Max Headroom. Also inspired by the Televillain from Alan Moore’s Supreme stories.
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 8, 2018 20:05:08 GMT
As far as Kole goes, I was unaware. I've been reading to refresh myself on the current lineup of the New Titans, but I hadn't reached the latest story yet. I may have to make another edit.
I am worried that the New Titans' lineup is getting a bit too small, hence the reason I added one new member, Dynamind II. I just wish someone wanted to take the reins of that team and start up a new series of New Titans stories.
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Post by starskyhutch76 on Apr 9, 2018 18:39:54 GMT
As far as I know, Kole would still be a part of the team since she wasn't killed off in our Crisis. Personally, I miss Nightwing and Starfire being a couple and on the team.
Cool chapters. I would love to hear what Captain Cold has to say about Golden Glider giving his tech to her himbos. This Blackrock reminds me of Control Freak from the Teen Tians cartoons!
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Post by DocQuantum on Apr 9, 2018 19:25:09 GMT
Yeah, Kole has been a regular Titan since she survived Crisis, but Libby had Warp teleport her to an unknown destination in January 1988, and I’d rather not assume anything about the character’s current whereabouts. Since Marv Wolfman created her to die in the Crisis, maybe she’s living on borrowed time. Would free up Jericho to be a playa, too.
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