Category Archives: DC Comics

90s Comics, 90s DC, DC Comics, Uncategorized

Character Eradication (part 3 of 3)

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Well, here we are. The end of the Eradicator miniseries. I hope you’ve enjoyed his journey to discover himself as much as I have. Like I said in the first part of this series, the Eradicator character has been a creature of constant change from his very beginning. That used to annoy me truthfully. But now? I see him as a mirror for life. Aren’t we as human beings always recreating ourselves? Changing. Maybe that makes the Eradicator more human than I thought. Maybe. (Way too deep. I need a joke here. Please insert a fart noise at this point as you read. Thank you.) Now, sit back and enjoy my look back at “Eradicator” #3…..

The grotesque creature that thinks itself a type of reincarnation of the dead kryptonian scientist, Kem-L, bursts into our world over the freezing waters of the Antarctic! It delights in the sensations that its new form can feel. But suddenly, the creature feels intense pain! It is not yet complete. For that, it will need the full power of the one called the Eradicator. Kem-L knows where to go on this planet to get his attention too. He flies off with a sinister new purpose! Meanwhile, the Eradicator hovers over the vast Pacific Ocean. He is deep in thought when the person he’s been waiting for arrives at last. Superboy gives him a happy greeting, the small white dog, Krypto, held protectively in his arms. (Is it me, or does the bad guy somewhat resemble the trash after a night of chowing down on some delicious KFC? Ha! Just try and get that image out of your heads!)

The Eradicator asks if the rest of the Superman Family will be arriving soon. Superboy replies that the others were just too busy to come. It’d just be him. The Eradicator nods and the two super-beings fly off to speak more privately on land. They arrive quickly upon a tropical isle. After a moment, the Eradicator asks Superboy the question burning within him. He asks, since Superboy now knows himself to be a clone, does he still feel like a real person? Superboy is deeply offended by this question. Of course he does! What kind of a cruel question was that? The Eradicator attempts to apologize, but flees the uncomfortable scene instead. Moments later, Superboy joins him in the skies. Now calmed down, he answers that even though they weren’t born in the typical way, it’s their emotions that make them real. This gives them their soul. The Eradicator considers Superboy’s outlook later. Could he actually have a soul? (Try to sing the blues my kryptonian brother. Then you’ll know. God, that was a lame joke. Umm…..more fart noises? There! Saved it!)

At that moment in the Bronx, Sarah Conner lies awake, troubled by recent events in her life. Could the monster that destroyed her apartment actually be her husband reborn? How would that even be possible? Suddenly, she becomes aware of a bright light coming from outside the bedroom window. Sensing trouble, she protects her children as best as she can. That’s when an energy blast explodes through the wall and the demonic-looking Kem-L steps through! Meanwhile, the Eradicator makes up his mind in the planet’s orbit. He will leave the Earth behind and explore deepest space. But first, he must at least see his human side’s family one last time. He flies off immediately to do so. Kem-L looks to the human family before him, breathing in the scent of their rage and fear. He finds it intoxicating. (Probably a bit of poo stink too. I know if that horrific thing burst through my apartment wall, he’d smell more than rage and fear. Just sayin’.) He demands that they tell him where they have the Eradicator hidden!

Sarah’s brother, Mike, leaps off of his sleeping place on the floor and puts his arms out in a protective manner towards his sister and nephews. He would protect them with his life if need be! But this scene is interrupted by gunshots hitting the creature’s exposed back from the hole in the wall! It turns to see police officers as they open fire once again. More amused than anything else, Kem-L blasts his energy towards the police! After a parked car explodes and the officers run for safety, he turns his attention back to the family once more. Only they’re no longer there! But alas, the family is quickly located once again, nearly free of the building before Kem-L blasts a hole in the floor above their heads! Sarah pleads for her children’s lives as the descending Kem-L slowly hovers towards them! He grabs Sarah by her throat and lifts her menacingly into the air! Her boys look on helpless as their uncle lies on the ground unconscious! (Is there another way to choke someone besides menacingly? Don’t answer that! Perverts.) But before the monster can hurt her, the Eradicator arrives, eyes and fists glowing with power! He orders Kem-L to drop the woman now!

Kem-L seems genuinely confused. Are they both not superior lifeforms? Better in every way than these frail humans? The Eradicator replies that he shares their core weakness. He cares. He continues that he can drain him of his energies, just leave the human family alone. The monster replies that this will not do. No. They must die to free the Eradicator of his weakness. The Eradicator answers that he will not fight Kem-L. Kill the humans then. He cares not! And with that, he flies through the apartment’s roof! Leaving Sarah, Mike, and the two young boys to perish at the hands of this nightmare from Krypton’s dark past! Kem-L cackles maniacally as he readies himself to snap poor Sarah Conner’s neck! Just then, the Eradicator smashes through the roof above the creature, severing it’s right arm with the force of his blow! (Psych! You thought he was gonna leave too, didn’t you? Ha! He showed you. This guy should sell medical insurance over the phone with his uncanny skill to lie without remorse.)

The beast roars in pain as Sarah and the children escape! It then begins to shapeshift into it’s female form. It talks calmly to the Eradicator as it slowly approaches. The dark hero seems transfixed by these words and the beautiful face until Kem-L strikes with a mighty uppercut! This sends the Eradicator crashing into a brick wall with such force, even he is stunned! Kem-L follows this by throwing the other being through wall after wall! The blows begin to take their toll after awhile. At last, the Eradicator seems defeated! He replies that he will fight no more. He will give his energy over freely. His eyes glow as he says the last words. Suddenly, the building explodes into rubble as the Eradicator unleashes the fury of his full power! Sarah cries out that Mike is still inside! She runs to save him! But moments after she enters the inferno, the Eradicator comes crashing through a wall to the outside, Mike held safely in his powerful arms! (I hope these people have renter’s insurance and that it covers “Acts of Krypton”!)

Eradicator slowly and carefully lies the man in the street near the children. One of them pulls insistently upon the superhero’s cape. He turns to see terror in the boy’s face as he explains that his mother went back into the building! The Eradicator loses no time as he speeds back into the blaze! He calls out frantically for Sarah to say something so he can locate her. He hears a low groan. Turning, he sees her. She’s trapped under some flaming wreckage! He rushes forward and throws it off of her at lightning speed! He tries to console her. She’ll be okay. Sarah caresses his face and whispers that he’s lying with a gentle smile. That’s when the unthinkable happens. For the briefest of moments, their minds become one! He feels every emotion, sees every triumph and heartache! And then nothing. Sarah’s hand drops limply. She is no more. (I’m not gonna cry. I’m not gonna…..sob…..don’t look at me! Umm. I mean, let’s continue on with our story…..)

Later, he watches her funeral from a distance. It’s a beautiful service as services go. He mourns her. But does he have the right? After all, he only carries some of her husband’s memories. And now, her memories are a part of him as well. He feels more strongly than ever before because of this he believes. Does he now possess a soul, he wonders? He knows about as much as anyone else does. That’ll have to be enough.

End.

Dedicated to the woman who gave me life as I just recently celebrated my 46th. birthday, my mother, Pamela Bowen-Metz. I love you, mom.

90s Comics, 90s DC, DC Comics, Uncategorized

Character Eradication (Part 2 of 3)

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Well, after a near-lethal bout with the flu, (At least that’s what it felt like!) your loyal Symbifan has returned with more 90’s DC Comics goodness! So sit back, grab a can of Surge and some 3D Doritos, and enjoy a trip back through time with the 2nd issue of “The Eradicator” miniseries from 1996!

The strange but beautiful woman welcomed him home. She welcomed him to Krypton! She speaks to him of her love for him, of how long she has waited for him. She tries to caress his face. Instinctively, he turns from this embrace. She turns, seemingly hurt. She then states that she understands his apprehension. He is corrupted after all. Though they are both programs, are they not meant to be happy? Programs? What does she mean by this? Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the police have arrived on scene to take statements of the destruction caused by the Eradicator to the Connors’ building. The police attempt to talk to Sarah, David’s soon-to-be ex-wife about the whole ordeal, but they are interrupted by the youngest child’s outburst. This wasn’t some supervillain attack, this was his father! Wasn’t it? Sarah comforts her upset and confused son. But as she does so, even she must wonder herself. (Are we all just gonna ignore the fact that her name’s Sarah Connor? Like from the sci-fi classic film, “The Terminator”?! Hahaha! Awesome! Simply awesome. God, I’m a nerd. Moving on…..)

The woman continues. She states that yes, they are programs, like this beautiful “Krypton” that they stand in at this very moment. She says how the ancient kryptonian, Kem-L, created him to house all that was once Krypton within his memory banks when he was but a simple computer that was discovered within a crashed and abandoned starship. She was created soon after to house all of Krypton’s vast mythologies. But he was also given the mission to eradicate all that would threaten Krypton. Hence his name. She was named Faora, after Kem-L’s beloved grandmother. (I think Faora lost in the Badass Name Contest. Just sayin’.) The Eradicator lashes out at his surroundings in anger and frustration with an energy blast! He quickly apologizes but flies off to clear his head. If he was no more than a program, was David Connor truly dead and gone? Is he really nothing but an echo of a human soul?

Faora follows him. She tells him that her intent was never to hurt him, but free him with the truth. He is a program that absorbs essences like information. This happened with his alien creator, the Cleric, next was Superman, and now David Conner. He is only the Eradicator. No more, no less. Just then, the voice from earlier once again invades his mind! It speaks of truths. But before the Eradicator can reply, Faora cries out in pain! She seems to faint and begin plummeting to the planet below! The Eradicator quickly comes to her rescue. Catching her, she looks into his confused red eyes and whispers how her energies are not what they once were. She will not function for much longer. Now panicked, he offers her some of his power to sustain her. She agrees that this seems possible. Then, without hesitation, he kisses her, passing his energy into her! (Gives the term “sparks fly” a whole new meaning with this kiss, huh? Seriously though, he’s married. For shame! Or is he? I’m so confused!)

Suddenly, Faora latches onto the Eradicator and holds him still while she begins sucking all of the power within him into herself! But before he perishes, he swings with a mighty fist, knocking her away from his weakened body! Rising from a crater, she tells the Eradicator how pathetic he is and how she only sought to free him of his corruption! (Jeez! Just because the guy doesn’t wanna suck face anymore? I tell ya, some women are just born crazy!) Again the Eradicator hears the voice. It tells him to see the madness in her words! That’s when the crystalline orbs above Faora’s pet creatures heads begin to reveal an image. Faora cries out in outrage and the orbs crash together!The voice becomes louder as it begins to explain itself.

The voice was of the true creator of the Eradicator device, the Cleric. His people were a people of peace and harmony and they lived happily until they began to run out of the resources they needed to live. So the Cleric created devices he called the All. These computer-like machines would absorb all of the knowledge of their homeworld and take it to the stars, in search of other worlds that the Cleric’s race could colonize. They were overjoyed when they found such a world. It was called Krypton. But the Kryptonians were less than hospitable to alien races! They rounded up the males, females, children, and even rebel members of their own race and burnt their bodies until nothing remained! One of their number, a man named Kem-L, seized the All and reprogrammed it to want to preserve all that made up Krypton and to protect its ways even if that meant killing. The All was renamed the Eradicator and all memory of this “Great Purge” was erased from Kryptonian history. (Whoa! Kryptonians sound like monsters! They even make comic book movie fans look tame!) The Eradicator dropped to his knees, defeated emotionally at last.

Looking up, he cried out in anguish that he’s a monster. But the voice of the Cleric denied this. He was created as a peaceful tool. Only the evil of Kem-L had corrupted him. He had no choice. Faora roared at the Cleric. He was twisting the truth! She was the only way to help his fractured mind. Only she knew the way. But the Eradicator had had enough. He blasted Faora away from him. He then rose and approached her fallen form. Did she not feel remorse? Regret? She replied in anger that she did not. Kem-L was right in what he did. He was right! He? That’s when the mask of illusion fell and Faora became his true self, Kem-L! (Ewww! Gross! The Eradicator frenched an old dude!) The Eradicator stood stunned! The realm around them then reveals a world of floating, charred bones! Kem-L stated that the Eradicator had somehow evolved past being a simple program. This wasn’t fair! Kem-L should be the one that’s a living, breathing being! He is the savior of the true Krypton after all! He will take the Eradicator’s power for himself and live once more!

The Eradicator tries to attack the madman, but using the power he has already absorbed, he reforms easily and begins to draw the very essence from the Eradicator! Suddenly, inspiration hits. The Eradicator shouts that if he wants what he has contained within his physical form so badly, then take only what Kem-L created! Take all of the pain, the rage, and the fear! Take all of it! He’s done holding it for him. Kem-L’s program explodes! The Cleric then appears. What is the Eradicator to do now, he asks. The Cleric replies that now that he knows the truth, he is free to do what he wishes. His heart is the key. The two embrace before the vision of the Cleric fades away. With newfound hope, the Eradicator looks to the Earth as it becomes visible through the program. He then flies off to begin his life anew. (Awww! That’s sweet. See, there’s hope out there even for a Kryptonian killing program. Maybe there’s hope for Earth politicians as well? Nah!)

But what’s this? It seems our tale isn’t over quite yet. Energy crackles inside the program world, drawing the bones together as a being is formed from them! Kem-L completes his new, monstrous body and vows aloud that he will have all of the Eradicator’s power yet! He will live again!

To be concluded…..

Dedicated to my unborn grandson/granddaughter! That’s right! Your loyal Symbifan is gonna officially be an even older fart! I’m gonna be a grandfather! Congratulations to my son, James Miller, and his girlfriend, Abby Slifer!

90s Comics, 90s DC, DC Comics, Uncategorized

Green with Madness (part 3 of 3)

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Well, here we are, Unspokenites! The thrilling end to the “Emerald Twilight” saga. This article’s events take place in “Green Lantern” #50 and boy, was this one a page-turner! When we last left our “hero”, Hal Jordan had completely lost his mind! Now, all that seems to be standing in his way of achieving ultimate power, is the most evil being to ever work their way through the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps…..Sinestro! You know that it’s really hit the fan if the Guardians have called upon him to be their last line of defense! But enough of the recap. Sit back, relax, and let me take you back in time to 1994…..

The Earth’s Green Lantern looked at his sworn enemy standing defiantly across from him on the near-barren landscape. They’d battled many, many times over the years, but this time he wasn’t going to be the hero at the end of the story. He exclaimed to Sinestro that this would be their final fight. Sinestro smirked and concurred. Hal followed with roaring that he would kill his enemy this time. Sinestro merely scoffed. Hal Jordan has always been a big boy scout after all. The superhero doesn’t murder the supervillain. That was just a fact. That’s when Hal blasted Sinestro with a large burst of power, knocking the alien flying. After he recovered, he wiped the blood from his lips and grinned. (That’s right, Sinestro, tickle the homicidal bear on its tushie. Run, you fool! He’s gone friggin’ nuts!)

Sinestro stood and said that yes, Hal could obviously defeat him with the amount of power literally at his fingertips right now. But then he’d never know who was really better, would he? He’d always wonder. Hal then let all of the rings he’d acquired on his rampage drop to the rocky ground save one. (He fell for that?! For all of his might, and Hal still gets miffed if he’s called a wussy?!) Both Green Lanterns then mustered all of their inner strength and unleashed a mighty, green bast at one another at the same time! While the Guardians looked on at a somewhat safe distance, the two champions clashed below them! One would create an energy construct and the other would find a way to trump it with their own. Over and over again this would happen. Until finally, Hal drew first blood by opening up Sinestro underneath his ribcage! Both hurled themselves at the other then, creating a mighty crashing noise not unlike the loudest of thunderclaps! And still, the Guardians passively looked on.

As the dust settled, both men rose. Forgetting their powerful rings, they began to fight hand to hand. Punches and kicks were brutally delivered one after another until, bleeding profusely, Sinestro found himself in a headlock. Hal said to his longtime foe that he should have done this a long time ago. And before Sinestro could finish a witty retort, there was a quick snap of his neck! He fell lifeless to the ground! (Daaaaaamn! I might have to have a moment here. I’m utterly shocked! Aren’t you? Who wears a white cape after labor day? Geez!) Hal turned and walked towards the large Central Batterey. But before he could fully reach it, a large hand from behind grabbed him and pulled him back! It was Kilowog! He wasn’t defeated so easily after all! He only said, “No.” He followed that one word up with a big fist to the jaw that sent Hal sailing!

Kilowog continues his assault while he tries his best to talk some sense into his once-friend. Had Hal ever thought about how the Green Lanterns that he had depowered would survive in deep space without their rings to feed them an artificial atmosphere to breathe in? What if they were in mid-combat? Hal had no answer. In fact, he fell silent completely. Kilowog stopped attacking long enough to let his words sink in. It didn’t work. The fight lasted only a bit longer before Hal caught the alien’s oversized fist and blasted Kilowog with so much force, his blackened corpse was all that remained! (Umm. Now hear me out. You know how Kilowog somewhat looks like a pig? Do you…..um……think he smells like bacon at this moment? Oh, now I’m the monster?!) Hal then dropped to his knees and a single tear trailed down his bloody face. He then stood after a long moment and let his remaining ring fall to the ground. Hal Jordan began climbing the steps to the Central Battery.

He stopped a few steps up after hearing a small voice speak from behind him. It was the Guardians. They spoke of how he was no longer worthy of the power. How much of a disappointment he was. And now, he would be punished. These words enraged the ex-Green Lantern. Punished? By whom? All he wanted was to bring everything back. Why couldn’t they allow this one act? He turned and finished his walk, entering the core of the enormous battery itself! The Guardians turned to one of their own, Ganthet. There was only one hope left to the universe now. As they concentrated, they began to actually become green energy themselves! They then all combined as one and entered Ganthet’s small form! When this act was finished, the battery exploded! And out stepped what was no longer Hal Jordan. What emerged now was power and darkness personified. He looked down and spied his old ring upon the ground. With a look of disgust, he stomped it to pieces with his mighty heel. (Dark and menacing much? Come on! It’s only a comic book story. Only nerds take this stuff seriously…..I retract my statement.)

Ganthet crawled from underneath the corpses of his dead brethren. He picked up the broken ring and concentrated. The ring reformed! Then, using the very last of his energy, he sailed off into the night sky. Meanwhile, on Earth, young Kyle Rayner exited a nightclub to get some air. There was a sudden flash of green light! He looked towards its source and the weakened Guardian handed him the ring before vanishing completely. Curious, Kyle place the ring on his finger. The uniform of the Green Lantern Corps appeared over his body! It seemed that a legend was in the making.

The end and a new beginning.

Dedicated to Tim Osborn. Brothers 4-Life!