Post by Uatu the Watcher on Feb 13, 2007 23:20:26 GMT -5
[Miller, Mark (w), Steve McNiven (p), and Dexter Vines (i)] “Civil War.” Civil War., #1, (Jul. 2006), Marvel Entertainment: [1-7]
Adapted By: The Punisher
Inside the control room of WTNH-Channel 8 of Hamden, Connecticut, two individuals stood in front of a plethora of large and small television monitors. One was comfortably seated in an office chair in a casual t-shirt, a pair of windbreaker pants, and a beanie resting comfortably atop his head; his fingers worked the control board as his various tattoos were made apparent on his arms. The other was well dressed in every modern sense. Black jacket. Black slacks. Black tie. And a fashionable pair of sunglasses pushed up atop his slicked back hair. With his laminated employee card draped across his chest, he stood on his own two feet; hunched to his side while using his right hand to support his stance. All about them, the monitors were alive with lights and sound. They broadcasted their ‘MRVL Network’ logo on certain screens. Whether graphs and maps were displayed on other ones. But most concerning and interesting of all, was the footage that was broadcasted out of Stamford, Connecticut.
“Okay, how many Super-Villains are we talking here, Speedball?”
Far across the great state of Connecticut, in Stamford, the most recent assembly of the nearly famous group of superheroes, the New Warriors, awaited patiently outside a single story, wooden, suburban residence. A grass lawn. A wooden fence. A front porch. All seemed normal, save for the small formation of meta-humans hiding in the collage of trees and bushes. Camera operator John Fernandez stood behind the four heroes with his equipment raised and recording the entire conversation. The notable Atlanean Namorita. The big and loveable Microbe. The mysterious and vigilant Night Thrasher. And last of all, the comical and brash Speedball. The hid, staking out the abode in front of them. With a pair of advanced binoculars, the Night Thrasher watched for any suspicious movements while Speedball spoke; responding to the executive producer in Hamden.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Three. No, wait. I think I see Coldheart in the backyard emptying the trash. That’s four of ‘em in total, and all four are on the FBI Most-Wanted list, right?"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]"Cobalt Man, Coldheart, Speedfreek, Nitro… yep. They all broke out of Ryker’s three months back, and all of them have records as long as your arm. Coldheart fought Spider-Man a couple times and-–get this--Speedfreek almost took down the Hulk." He replied to Speedball through the microphone; adjusting his tie as he did so. The man beside him remained silent as his fingers danced across the control panel.
“He what?” Night Thrasher boldly claimed as he heard the news.
“These guys are totally out of our league, man. No way we should be going in there.” Microbe chimed in, enforcing the concern his mentor had expressed.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"But think about the ratings, Microbe. This could be the best episode of the entire second season."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball made an effort to make his words as persuasive and influential as he could. With complete seriousness, he suppressed his childlike tendencies; even as kinetic balls of energy floated about his body.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Six month’s we’ve been driving around the Midwest looking for goofballs to fight, and the best we managed so far was a bum with a spray can and a wooden leg. This could be the episode that really puts New Warriors on the map, dude. We beat these guys and people stop bitching about Nova leaving the show to go back into space."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]“So what’s the plan?” Namorita commented; curious as always.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"The plan is you spend five more minutes in makeup, Namorita. You think people wanna see that great big ugly zit on your chin?"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Almost immediately, the New Warriors makeup artist had rushed over to the blue skinned heroine and began brushing away at her face. She complied, nonchalantly, as the crewman did his best to conceal the embarrassing outbreak on her chin.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Then we—"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball was interrupted with an outburst from the Night Thrasher.
“Uh-oh.” He stared through his binoculars, watching the house before him.
Microbe leaned inwards and replied, “Whassup?”
“We’ve been marked.” The Night Thrasher spoke as the near infamous villain, Coldheart, looked across the lawn at the superheroes in the foliage. She held a full trash bag in her hand just as she had removed the lid from the plastic receptacle. At the sight of the New Warrior’s presence, Coldheart in instantly dropped the bag and frantically dashed back inside of the house; and shouted.
“Everyone in costume! IT’S A RAID!”
Outside, the four heroes broke from hiding and rushed the dwelling ready for combat. Speedball valiantly cried out in the air just before the assault. [shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"GO!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]“Holy shit!” Met with surprise, these were the only words the half-dressed villain Speedfreek could let out as Speedball came bursting through the glass window; shattering it at an incredible speed. “OOF!”, he yelled, as he was knocked directly out the front door; demolishing it completely. Speedball had succeeded in tackling his target, and proceeded to mock his opponent.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"I’d heard that clothes make the man, Speedfreek…"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Just before the New Warrior could deliver the punch line, cameraman John Fernandez was already positioned outside recording the assault.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"… And in your case it’s totally true!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball swung a kinetically charged punch across Speedfreek’s face; the villain was powerless without his armor. “Ungh!” He grunted from the strike.
“Sound was off for a second there, bud. Any chance of that last part again?” John requested, holding the camera over his shoulder and staring through the eyepiece.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Sure thing."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball replied.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"And in your case it’s totally true, Chuckles!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Sealing the insult, Speedball delivered a high-powered back kick to Speedfreek’s face. “Ungh!” He cried as some of his teeth flew loose from the blow.
Across the other side of the lawn, Namorita and the Night Thrasher were engaged in a fierce battle with Coldheart. With her swords drawn, she stood in attack stance as frost and ice emitted from her blades; taunting the heroes.
“Wait a minute. I know you guys. You’re those idiots from that reality show. I’m not getting taken down by Goldfish Girl and the Bondage Queen.”
As she spoke, she sliced in half one of Night Thrasher’s battle staves that he had tossed in her direction. The Escrima stick split apart as a layer of frost coated over the divergence. As Coldheart remained distracted with the Night Thrasher, Namorita came flying down from above and delivered a super powered right hook to the villain’s face; commenting for the camera.
“Beg to differ, Coldheart.”
Night Thrasher followed up the hit with a stern kick to Coldheart’s stomach; afterwards pleading to the cameraman. “Could we cut out the part where she called me the Bondage Queen?”
A loud crash was heard as the unprepared villain Cobalt Man writhed helplessly atop a crushed outdoor barbeque grill; Microbe stood over the defeated enemy and spoke. “Oh, yeah. Because Night Thrasher sounds so much straighter. Got my bacterial beasties rusting Cobalt Man if anyone wants to track down that old Captain Marvel villain.”
“Not to worry, Microbe…” Namorita said after she had already taken off into the air above them, flying out and afar to pursue the chase. Microbe watched from below, nearly concerned that she would take on such a villain all by herself. “… I’m on it.”
Below on the streets of Stamford, Super-Villain Nitro ran across the black asphalt. He had, apparently, escaped quickly enough to avoid attack. So quickly, in fact, that he didn’t even have enough time to put on his complete outfit; running around barefoot. Not planning on sticking around much longer, he raced across the way to a school bus parked on the other side of the road; to use it as his means of escaping completely. The school bus was, of course, not complete without an actual elementary school nearby. At Stamford Elementary, kids were out and about on the grand front lawn. They played soccer and kickball on the grass. Dodgeball and Basketball on the courts. Some, just rested and chatted about on the field. Laughing. Joking. Relaxing. Enjoying themselves. At this time in the afternoon, it was recess time at Stamford Elementary School. The staff and faculty members rested inside their classrooms; grading papers and speaking about with other teachers. All the while their students enjoyed their temporary break from the educational system outside. The heart-filled sounds of children’s banter could be heard about the scene. They frolicked. They played. They embraced their childhood without a single care in the world. Life was simple. Yet, they were blissfully ignorant to the events that happened across the street.
Namorita quickly came speeding down from the sky and collided into Nitro; crashing him face first into the side of the bus he desired to escape in. Glass shafted and the giant, elongated, yellow vehicle became fiercely dented at the display of strength. The villain collapsed against the deformed bus as the Atlantean heroine stood triumphantly over his body, in attack stance, and boisterously exclaimed, “On your feet, Nitro. And don’t try any of your stupid explosions because that’s only going to make me hit you harder.”
“Namorita, right?” Nitro spoke in his weakened state, just loud enough for the girl to hear. “Aren’t you the Sub-Mariner’s cousin or something? Well, I’m afraid we’re not the bargain basement losers you guys are used to, Baby…”
Just then, a brilliant fire ignited in Nitro’s eyes. His tone seemed to deepen as they glowed with intensity. Small particles of glass and debris began to almost levitate up off the ground and into the air. The climate about the area seemed to slightly change in temperature. Nitro’s face shifted into a scowl as a sinister grin spread over his face.
“… You’re playing with the big boys now.”
Time almost stood still. The air was deathly silent. That was all true, of course, just before Nitro self-exploded. It happened all too fast. Too fast for Namorita, who was instantly incinerated. Too fast for the children and employees of Stamford Elementary, who would only get a quick glance at a hot, burning, blinding light bursting in their direction. Too fast for the other members of the New Warriors, the studio crew, and the apprehended Super-Villains. Too fast for the other nearby inhabitants of the area; who rested peacefully in their homes. All, consumed by fire. By force. By the sheer and utter devastation. Their lives, gone. Taken. In a flash. Consumed completely by a giant ball of a burning inferno in the center of Stamford, Connecticut. The young heroes. The renown villains. The innocent bystanders. Dead. The explosion illuminated the surrounding neighborhood in a brilliant light, sending shockwaves in every direction. The sound of the blast shattered all forms of glass about. It was almost as if the combustion itself had temporarily assumed a life all on its own. Expanding. Annihilating. Laying waste to all its surroundings, and enjoying every second of it; turning all that was once peaceful and tranquil into ruble and death. An explosion that would not only have a tragic impact, but tragic consequences. For this, was only the beginning…
Adapted By: The Punisher
Inside the control room of WTNH-Channel 8 of Hamden, Connecticut, two individuals stood in front of a plethora of large and small television monitors. One was comfortably seated in an office chair in a casual t-shirt, a pair of windbreaker pants, and a beanie resting comfortably atop his head; his fingers worked the control board as his various tattoos were made apparent on his arms. The other was well dressed in every modern sense. Black jacket. Black slacks. Black tie. And a fashionable pair of sunglasses pushed up atop his slicked back hair. With his laminated employee card draped across his chest, he stood on his own two feet; hunched to his side while using his right hand to support his stance. All about them, the monitors were alive with lights and sound. They broadcasted their ‘MRVL Network’ logo on certain screens. Whether graphs and maps were displayed on other ones. But most concerning and interesting of all, was the footage that was broadcasted out of Stamford, Connecticut.
“Okay, how many Super-Villains are we talking here, Speedball?”
Far across the great state of Connecticut, in Stamford, the most recent assembly of the nearly famous group of superheroes, the New Warriors, awaited patiently outside a single story, wooden, suburban residence. A grass lawn. A wooden fence. A front porch. All seemed normal, save for the small formation of meta-humans hiding in the collage of trees and bushes. Camera operator John Fernandez stood behind the four heroes with his equipment raised and recording the entire conversation. The notable Atlanean Namorita. The big and loveable Microbe. The mysterious and vigilant Night Thrasher. And last of all, the comical and brash Speedball. The hid, staking out the abode in front of them. With a pair of advanced binoculars, the Night Thrasher watched for any suspicious movements while Speedball spoke; responding to the executive producer in Hamden.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Three. No, wait. I think I see Coldheart in the backyard emptying the trash. That’s four of ‘em in total, and all four are on the FBI Most-Wanted list, right?"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]"Cobalt Man, Coldheart, Speedfreek, Nitro… yep. They all broke out of Ryker’s three months back, and all of them have records as long as your arm. Coldheart fought Spider-Man a couple times and-–get this--Speedfreek almost took down the Hulk." He replied to Speedball through the microphone; adjusting his tie as he did so. The man beside him remained silent as his fingers danced across the control panel.
“He what?” Night Thrasher boldly claimed as he heard the news.
“These guys are totally out of our league, man. No way we should be going in there.” Microbe chimed in, enforcing the concern his mentor had expressed.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"But think about the ratings, Microbe. This could be the best episode of the entire second season."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball made an effort to make his words as persuasive and influential as he could. With complete seriousness, he suppressed his childlike tendencies; even as kinetic balls of energy floated about his body.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Six month’s we’ve been driving around the Midwest looking for goofballs to fight, and the best we managed so far was a bum with a spray can and a wooden leg. This could be the episode that really puts New Warriors on the map, dude. We beat these guys and people stop bitching about Nova leaving the show to go back into space."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]“So what’s the plan?” Namorita commented; curious as always.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"The plan is you spend five more minutes in makeup, Namorita. You think people wanna see that great big ugly zit on your chin?"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Almost immediately, the New Warriors makeup artist had rushed over to the blue skinned heroine and began brushing away at her face. She complied, nonchalantly, as the crewman did his best to conceal the embarrassing outbreak on her chin.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Then we—"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball was interrupted with an outburst from the Night Thrasher.
“Uh-oh.” He stared through his binoculars, watching the house before him.
Microbe leaned inwards and replied, “Whassup?”
“We’ve been marked.” The Night Thrasher spoke as the near infamous villain, Coldheart, looked across the lawn at the superheroes in the foliage. She held a full trash bag in her hand just as she had removed the lid from the plastic receptacle. At the sight of the New Warrior’s presence, Coldheart in instantly dropped the bag and frantically dashed back inside of the house; and shouted.
“Everyone in costume! IT’S A RAID!”
Outside, the four heroes broke from hiding and rushed the dwelling ready for combat. Speedball valiantly cried out in the air just before the assault. [shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"GO!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]“Holy shit!” Met with surprise, these were the only words the half-dressed villain Speedfreek could let out as Speedball came bursting through the glass window; shattering it at an incredible speed. “OOF!”, he yelled, as he was knocked directly out the front door; demolishing it completely. Speedball had succeeded in tackling his target, and proceeded to mock his opponent.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"I’d heard that clothes make the man, Speedfreek…"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Just before the New Warrior could deliver the punch line, cameraman John Fernandez was already positioned outside recording the assault.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"… And in your case it’s totally true!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball swung a kinetically charged punch across Speedfreek’s face; the villain was powerless without his armor. “Ungh!” He grunted from the strike.
“Sound was off for a second there, bud. Any chance of that last part again?” John requested, holding the camera over his shoulder and staring through the eyepiece.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"Sure thing."[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Speedball replied.
[shadow=yellow,left,300][shadow=yellow,right,300][shadow=yellow,up,300][shadow=yellow,down,300]"And in your case it’s totally true, Chuckles!"[/shadow][/shadow][/shadow][/shadow]Sealing the insult, Speedball delivered a high-powered back kick to Speedfreek’s face. “Ungh!” He cried as some of his teeth flew loose from the blow.
Across the other side of the lawn, Namorita and the Night Thrasher were engaged in a fierce battle with Coldheart. With her swords drawn, she stood in attack stance as frost and ice emitted from her blades; taunting the heroes.
“Wait a minute. I know you guys. You’re those idiots from that reality show. I’m not getting taken down by Goldfish Girl and the Bondage Queen.”
As she spoke, she sliced in half one of Night Thrasher’s battle staves that he had tossed in her direction. The Escrima stick split apart as a layer of frost coated over the divergence. As Coldheart remained distracted with the Night Thrasher, Namorita came flying down from above and delivered a super powered right hook to the villain’s face; commenting for the camera.
“Beg to differ, Coldheart.”
Night Thrasher followed up the hit with a stern kick to Coldheart’s stomach; afterwards pleading to the cameraman. “Could we cut out the part where she called me the Bondage Queen?”
A loud crash was heard as the unprepared villain Cobalt Man writhed helplessly atop a crushed outdoor barbeque grill; Microbe stood over the defeated enemy and spoke. “Oh, yeah. Because Night Thrasher sounds so much straighter. Got my bacterial beasties rusting Cobalt Man if anyone wants to track down that old Captain Marvel villain.”
“Not to worry, Microbe…” Namorita said after she had already taken off into the air above them, flying out and afar to pursue the chase. Microbe watched from below, nearly concerned that she would take on such a villain all by herself. “… I’m on it.”
Below on the streets of Stamford, Super-Villain Nitro ran across the black asphalt. He had, apparently, escaped quickly enough to avoid attack. So quickly, in fact, that he didn’t even have enough time to put on his complete outfit; running around barefoot. Not planning on sticking around much longer, he raced across the way to a school bus parked on the other side of the road; to use it as his means of escaping completely. The school bus was, of course, not complete without an actual elementary school nearby. At Stamford Elementary, kids were out and about on the grand front lawn. They played soccer and kickball on the grass. Dodgeball and Basketball on the courts. Some, just rested and chatted about on the field. Laughing. Joking. Relaxing. Enjoying themselves. At this time in the afternoon, it was recess time at Stamford Elementary School. The staff and faculty members rested inside their classrooms; grading papers and speaking about with other teachers. All the while their students enjoyed their temporary break from the educational system outside. The heart-filled sounds of children’s banter could be heard about the scene. They frolicked. They played. They embraced their childhood without a single care in the world. Life was simple. Yet, they were blissfully ignorant to the events that happened across the street.
Namorita quickly came speeding down from the sky and collided into Nitro; crashing him face first into the side of the bus he desired to escape in. Glass shafted and the giant, elongated, yellow vehicle became fiercely dented at the display of strength. The villain collapsed against the deformed bus as the Atlantean heroine stood triumphantly over his body, in attack stance, and boisterously exclaimed, “On your feet, Nitro. And don’t try any of your stupid explosions because that’s only going to make me hit you harder.”
“Namorita, right?” Nitro spoke in his weakened state, just loud enough for the girl to hear. “Aren’t you the Sub-Mariner’s cousin or something? Well, I’m afraid we’re not the bargain basement losers you guys are used to, Baby…”
Just then, a brilliant fire ignited in Nitro’s eyes. His tone seemed to deepen as they glowed with intensity. Small particles of glass and debris began to almost levitate up off the ground and into the air. The climate about the area seemed to slightly change in temperature. Nitro’s face shifted into a scowl as a sinister grin spread over his face.
“… You’re playing with the big boys now.”
Time almost stood still. The air was deathly silent. That was all true, of course, just before Nitro self-exploded. It happened all too fast. Too fast for Namorita, who was instantly incinerated. Too fast for the children and employees of Stamford Elementary, who would only get a quick glance at a hot, burning, blinding light bursting in their direction. Too fast for the other members of the New Warriors, the studio crew, and the apprehended Super-Villains. Too fast for the other nearby inhabitants of the area; who rested peacefully in their homes. All, consumed by fire. By force. By the sheer and utter devastation. Their lives, gone. Taken. In a flash. Consumed completely by a giant ball of a burning inferno in the center of Stamford, Connecticut. The young heroes. The renown villains. The innocent bystanders. Dead. The explosion illuminated the surrounding neighborhood in a brilliant light, sending shockwaves in every direction. The sound of the blast shattered all forms of glass about. It was almost as if the combustion itself had temporarily assumed a life all on its own. Expanding. Annihilating. Laying waste to all its surroundings, and enjoying every second of it; turning all that was once peaceful and tranquil into ruble and death. An explosion that would not only have a tragic impact, but tragic consequences. For this, was only the beginning…