In 2019, FBI Agent Anna Wednesday was killed while attempting to arrest the man who would have been the next mayor of Millennium City. It was an incident that involved the heroes of Project Mycroft, and their participation would shatter the relationship between the United Nations and both the United States and Millennium City in particular.
Now, a few years later, the heroes are forced to recount the events of that tragic incident, and the man who killed Agent Wednesday learns his own fate.
It looks like Santa’s helpers are a little behind on getting the tree finished, but it still looks great in the Renaissance Center.
Click to view and download this 1600×900 wallpaper
We’re certainly busy here working on Issue 24 of “Future’s Guardian“, but with the holiday season here, it does limit where we can work on certain scenes. We’re looking at the end of January 2023 for the tentative release.
Keep checking with the Battlerock Comics website for more updates and for any news from other members of the City of Comic Creators.
And we hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!
Back in 2019, the decision was made to skip forward five years in the world of “Future’s Guardian”. This was to match the gap of time between the releases of Issues 12 and 13. The matter of Malizia in “Psilence of Conscience” was over with, questions surrounding Galatea Future going back to the first issue were “answered”, and there was even a resolution with Starlett’s story. It was time to move forward.
At the start of Issue 15, five years had passed since the last issue. Obviously some things had changed. Right off the bat, we know that from the cover that Starlett and John Battle were together. Then we’re introduced to a new reporter named Mercedes Reale who gets us caught up on one of the other things that changed.
From “Future’s Guardian” #15
Mercedes go on to say that the Agent Wednesday would be killed while attempting to arrest Betters and his “security consultant”. It would later be revealed that the heroes of Project Mycroft were somehow involved with that incident, and that the aftermath had “poisoned” relations between the United Nations and the local authorities. Project Mycroft would be put under the supervision of an elite U.N. administrator named Lady Esther Glacia. Galatea Future would be sporting a new outfit and hung up in Congressional hearings, taking her out of the scene for much of the whole storyline involving John Battle and the “Real Truth”.
But the question remained… what really happened?
Issue 24 brings us back to the events of one year before the “Real Truth” storyline, and the mayoral race that cost FBI Agent Anna Wednesday her life.
We’re introduced to Ronald Betters, the wealthy businessman mentioned in Issue 15. He has a few things in common with a certain real-world businessman who also entered the political arena, but the similarities end when it comes to the election and how it turns out.
Campaign sign for Ronald Betters
“Betters is more your old-school mob boss,” said writer/creator David 2. “Think Al Capone or John Gotti if they ever decided to get involved with politics instead of bootleg alcohol and drugs. He’s made a name for himself in Chicago with some questionable actions but then he’s encouraged to show up in Millennium City and start running for mayor.”
Galatea Future, circa 2018, racing to the scene
The story of the mayoral election will be told through narration, flashback, and testimony during the sentencing phase of Betters’ security consultant, “Lunk”, who, at the time of the issue, would already be found guilty for murder.
“Each of the characters in the episode will have part of the overall story,” David 2 said. “Starlett will show the friendship she had with Wednesday and how she connected with the other heroes. Galatea will show what happened to Wednesday. And then there is Ronin Omega, who will be tying it all together. Because, of all of the heroes in Project Mycroft, he’s the one that knows all the details with Wednesday and how she got involved investigating the mayoral race. He’ll be explaining it all to Agent Piper, who is the new member of the team and has no idea why there would be this animosity between agencies.”
Agent Peri Piper with Ronin Omega and Miss Lady
By the end of Issue 24, David 2 says that everything will be made clear about “the incident”.
Agent Anna Wednesday
Issue 24 is still in production. Keep checking with the Battlerock Comics website for more details on this issue when they become available and when it will be released.
Mad Vyking and John Battle in Champions Headquarters for DawnCon 8
So yesterday (as of this post) was the “main event” for DawnCon 8, otherwise referred to as “DawnCon Prime”(in reference to the “prime boss” in video games) when the big things happen.
I (David 2) was there representing Battlerock Comics, as my third year as an invited guest, complete with my own convention lanyard, which everyone still talks about. I mean, you can’t be considered a convention “guest” if you don’t have your convention badge and lanyard.
By the way, people keep asking where I get my lanyards, and the answer is simple: WalMart. Go to the office supply section. Then I fire up Microsoft Publisher (same software used to make our comics), load up the convention graphic and add in a “label” with the guest name and who or what they represent. Print it up, trim it, put in in a pouch and hook it to the lanyard.
But back to the virtual convention…
I was in Champions Online inside Champions Headquarters in Millennium City as my “heroic” character John Battle. It was still several hours before my interview, so we listened to the two hour special broadcast from Louis Friend and his Super Sounds of superhero music from both TV and movies.
“Dawnconmination” hosted by Pogoman (upper right on the ring post)
Then we had “Dawnconmination”! A special exhibition match that took place in Carl’s Gym between two characters, hosted by Pogoman.
As an invited guest, I felt obligated to be there to cheer on the combatants, who seemed to spend more of their time trash-talking than to actually fight. Still, at least it was better than a Dragon Ball fight.
Afterward, I jumped on my patriot bike and flew back to Champions HQ for the “DawnCon Prime” event.
I was joined by Von from CoX Comics as we were both interviewed on Dawn Radio by Mad Vyking. We each talked about our respective comics, how we got into doing them, our history with shared universes, including Galatea Future’s crossover with her counterpart in the world of Star Trek Online, and her current activity with “The Crucible” at CoX Comics.
That led to the first of 2 surprises.
The first was a special dramatic audio from the forthcoming “Battlerock Comics Presents” #3, which will be online on July 29th.
This issue wraps up Galatea’s encounter with Watcher Twelve, Tombstone Zero, and the “family” that could overpower her at the end of Issue 40. She does make it home to Millennium City, but it’s how she gets back that will surprise you.
After our interview, I stuck around long enough to hear Mad Vyking interview Louis Friend before I had to be called away.
There’s still one more day of events as of this post, and it will cross several MMO mediums, so there’s still something for everyone online to help celebrate DawnCon.
I want to thank Mad Vyking and the folks at Paragon Dawn and Dawn Radio for having me as an invited guest. It is always a pleasure attending these conventions. I will say they are a lot better than FoxbatCon. And you’re not being overcharged for nachos and soda.
It’s finally come down to this! Starlett and Red Sinner will finally make their move against the blackmail team of VoxPop 2.0 and the Hometown Hero. After all that Starlett endured these past few issues, she will finally be able to free herself from their clutches.
But will they be able to bring the duo to justice?
For the past few issues, Starlett has been blackmailed by the two-man team of the Hometown Hero and his tech partner, VoxPop 2.0. This blackmailing has resulted in her breaking up with her boyfriend, John Battle, as well as forcing her to change patrol schedules, change her civilian work schedule, and even forcing her to resort to wearing her original flirtatious outfit.
And while Starlett has been been spending her time with the Hometown Hero, risking her life as he simply watches her take on the criminal element, she also knows that his partner is always watching her digitally, tracking her every movement online. Worse yet, she does not know who this partner really is, or that he has a connection to her from a decade ago.
From “Future’s Guardian” #3
While she has employed the help of Red Sinner to identify and put this duo to an end, the Hometown Hero has been busy himself, doing everything he can to further integrate himself into every part of Starlett’s life, including her work with Major Cross and Project Mycroft.
(And while he’s at it, why not drop a few more lines from TV spy and crime drama shows?)
Not to mention making more changes to Starlett’s attire with the help of a local tailor…
(An open-air tailor? Well at least it’s not Crupp’s.)
Meanwhile, VoxPop 2.0 has his concerns after the warning in the last issue by his patron and he is trying to secure his own exit.
But will he need it? And would he be able to escape what is clearly coming for him?
“Future’s Guardian” #23 will be online on Friday, March 25th.
The tribulations of Starlett continue, as the Hometown Hero and VoxPop 2.0 make the vigilante’s life more and more difficult. Boundaries are blurred as the blackmailing duo continue to break down Starlett’s personal and vigilante roles.
With John Battle out of the picture, who can Starlett turn to for help?
Meanwhile, Red Sinner is unable to track down VoxPop. Can Cassie Dare somehow do what Red Sinner cannot?
It’s not easy for heroes to keep two lives. Either they wear masks as heroes to protect their civilian identity, or they wear disguises in their civilian identity to keep people from identifying them as heroes.
Think about Galatea Future. For most of her life before she went to the world of Champions Online, she really didn’t have a secret identity, because she didn’t have a personal life outside of who she was as a hero. Yes, in those early years in “The City”, she had a secret identity as a tailor apprentice, but that ended up being scuttled when she disappeared for five years and her civilian identity was presumed killed. After that, she was simply “Galatea” That’s what that whole universe knew her as.. Then, after she arrived in the world of the Champions, she was given a new civilian identity of Athena Rose Fairmore, but even that is a disguise for who she really is.
In fact, as we see in this preview of “Future’s Guardian” #22, Galatea’s civilian identity as a bestselling writer reaches new levels as she goes from pure fiction to crime drama.
Then there is Starlett. A former movie stunt-actor turned vigilante, Dee Risk tries to balance her personal live as a club DJ with her vigilante life as the sword-wielding Starlett. In this case, Starlett is Dee’s disguise.
But, just like the character in Athena’s latest book, Dee’s secret identity as Starlett was discovered by the wrong people, and they are using that to control her. And in this scene, that includes showing up at her civilian job in Club Caprice…
It’s clear that lines are being crossed, but how long will this go on, and to what extent will she be pushed?
Plus, we get another look at a certain “mad scientist” from Issue 21 and his creation.
What is going on with him? And how does this affect Galatea Future?
You’re just going to have to wait and see…
“Future’s Guardian” #22 will be going online on “Black Friday”, November 26th.
It’s Halloween weekend, and we here at Battlerock Comics would like to share in the scary festivities with a look at comics past.
CITY OF HEROES
Our first venture involves a hero who isn’t a witch in the beginning, but later learned by some of the best.
Courtney Hart started as a frumpy teenager who got her hands on a cursed spellbook and became locked into being eternally beautiful and with fire-based superpowers. She adopted the codename Coeur Du Feu(or “Heart of Fire”).
As a member of the Guardians of the Dawn, Courtney earned the respect of both her fellow heroes and also some of the more powerful mystical members.
In her debut in “Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight” #9, Courtney went toe-to-toe with The Cabal, the biggest collection of witches and wizards in the world of the City of Heroes to retrieve a cursed object before it could kill the one that possessed it.
Coeur Du Feu getting “fired up” to go to work.
Eventually her powers would develop to where she would need to train with the famed Stonehenge Coven, the premiere coven on the planet.
In “The Guardian Powers” #9, we are introduced to Tessa Romanna, the mother of the teenage Pyrogurl. Even though she’s now an executive with Hero Corps, Tessa is still someone that you do not want to cross when it comes to her daughter.
As members of the private Crey Police Force discovered the hard way.
In what was aptly titled “Galatea’s Bad Day”, our favorite superhero started her day with an Armageddon nightmare, followed by a siege involving a minor deity…
… to the reanimated flesh-monsters known as the Vahzilok…
Of course in the world of Champions Online, there are plenty of mystical forces as well.
In “Future’s Guardian” #5, we are introduced to Elite Ice, a young ice-based mystic who lives up to the arrogance of her name.
Of course she does end up delivering what she promises.
Finally, of course, we have our “Reaper of Evil” himself… Penitence.
In the debut issue of “Battlerock Comics Presents” #1, we are introduced to the man who is not alive but also not dead as he tries to sit out the annual Blood Moon event.
But, of course, he is called into action, and he is forced to unleash his ultimate power.
One has to wonder what else will await our heroes… and not-so-heroes… during this season of witches and zombies and monsters.
For years, Starlett was able to keep her dual life as a club dee-jay and as a vigilante separate.
But now, two people with grudges against her and against John Battle have found out her secret. And now they plan on using it to get her do to their bidding. Can she and her associate Red Sinner stop them? Or will she be forced to do something that will end her relationship with John?
Also, what happened to that stolen data about Galatea Future? Why is SpiralCross so obsessed about it? And who ended up with that data? Find out!
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