Queen & Country 4

Queen & Country 4

Sep 2001

Operation: Broken Ground - Part 4

by Greg Rucka, Steve Rolston

The minders deal with the Russian would-be assassins without sustaining any serious injuries. Two of the Russians are killed, one by Edward Kittering and one by another Russian who shot at Tara Chace and missed. David Kinny goes through the roof when he finds out that the Minders engaged with the Russians. He only wanted them to draw them out. Chace let’s Kinny knows what she thinks of his opinion.

Crocker wants the surviving Russians dead. He tries to get an op authorized to do just that. His proposal gets shot down, first by Weldon and then, when he goes behind Weldon’s back, by C. He tries through other means to get at the Russians but finds out too late that they are being handed over to the CIA.

Secret Origins (1986) 9 (2)

Secret Origins (1986) 9

Dec 1986

The Secret Origin of the Golden Age Flash

by Roy Thomas, George Tuska, Jerry Acerno, David Cody Weiss, Carl Gafford, Bob Greenberger

22 pages

Jay Garrick was an average college football player (at best) when he was injured in a laboratory accident. He woke up after the accident to discover that he could now move extremely fast. He shares this discovery with Joan Williams, a fellow student at Midwestern University. Joan wasn’t terribly interested in Jay until he developed superpowers but she promises to keep his secret. 

Jay starts to use his super speed to fight crime. Joan’s father is kidnapped by a gang of thugs known as the Faultless Four. Jay comes up with his superhero name while rescuing his future father-in-law. 

The Flash went on to become one of the founding members of the Justice Society and the team’s first chairman. 

Uncanny X-Men 150

Uncanny X-Men 150

Oct 1981

I, Magneto…

by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Josef Rubinstein, Bob Wiacek, Tom Orzechowski, Jean Simek, Glynis Wein, Louise Jones

39 pages

Magneto demands that the world’s nuclear powers start disarming their nuclear weapons immediately. The Russians respond by launching nuclear missiles at Magneto’s island in the Bermuda Triangle. Magneto destroys the missiles before they can cause any harm. He also destroys the submarine from which the nuclear missiles were launched and a city in Russia, in retribution for the attempt to derail his plans.

Cyclops and Lee Forrester, his girlfriend, both Magneto’s unwilling guests, are unable to stop Magneto. Cyclops’ mutant eye blasts are non-functional due to some of the technology that Magneto has running on his island.

Queen & Country 3

Queen & Country 3

Jul 2001

Operation: Broken Ground - Part 3

by Greg Rucka, Steve Rolston

Crocker has Wallace and Kittering, Minders One and Three, keep an eye on Chace, Minder Two, while she waits for the Russians to try and hit her. Wallace has armed all three of them with pistols.

Weldon, Crocker’s boss, objects to arming the minders. He insists that the agents from MI5 who are also keeping an eye on Chace will be armed and that’s enough. MI6 agents are not supposed to conduct operations domestically. 

Secret Origins (1986) 9 (1)

Secret Origins (1986) 9

Dec 1986

The Secret Origin of the Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy

by Roy Thomas, Tom Grindberg, Mike Gustovich, David C. Weiss, Carl Gafford, Robert Greenberger

16 pages

The origin of the team of the Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy (which is retold in this issue of Secret Origins) was first told in Star Spangled Comics 18 (Mar 1943). This story is set on the Fourth of July 1941. Neither was a costumed superhero when the story begins but both quickly don costumes which emphasize their patriotism.

The Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy do not get along when they first meet. They are forced to work together to escape from a trap set by Nazi saboteurs. It isn’t until after they have defeated the saboteurs that they concede that they make a pretty good team and agree to work together in the future. 

Star Wars (1977) 38

Star Wars (1977) 38

Aug 1980

Riders in the Void!

by Archie Goodwin, Michael Golden, Terry Austin, Joe Rosen, Danny Fingeroth

Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are on the run from an imperial Star destroyer when they make a jump through hyperspace. Their engines were damaged at the time they made the jump and they wind up traveling much further than they expected they would, beyond their own galaxy. 

Luke and Leia encounter a giant sentient spaceship which tries to kill them after taking in their spaceship. The sentient spaceship wants to know more about them after it sees how they care for one another, and stops trying to eject them into the vacuum of space. It tells them it’s story, how part of it was once human before becoming one with the ship. 

Queen & Country 2

Queen & Country 2

May 2001

Operation: Broken Ground - Part 2

by Greg Rucka, Steve Rolston

The Russians retaliate by hitting MI6 HQ in London with a shoulder launched rocket. Two people are killed and one is injured. Paul Crocker wants to retaliate but his superiors are against that. They force him and his team, which includes Tara Chace, to work with MI5 which has jurisdiction in this case. 

MI5’s investigation reveals the culprits behind the attack and that there is a bounty on Chace’s head. Tara agrees to be the bait in an operation to draw out the Russian agents sent to kill her. 

Batman: Son of the Demon

Batman: Son of the Demon

1987

by Mike W. Barr, Jerry Bingham, John Costanza 

Batman works with Ra’s Al Ghul and Talia, his daughter, to stop Qayin, a terrorist whose parents once worked for Ra’s. Qayin blames Ra’s for his parents death but Quyin himself is responsible for the death of Melisande, Ra’s wife and Talia’s mother. 

Batman moves in to Ra’s secret headquarters, he and Talia are married, and not longer after that get pregnant. Qayin moves forward with his plan to wreck havoc by taking over a US satellite that can control the weather. 

X-Men Annual 3

X-Men Annual 3

1979

A Fire in the Sky

By Chris Claremont, George Perez, Terry Austin, Tom Orzechowski, Glynis Wein, Roger Stern

Arkon arrives on Earth. He heads to Avengers mansion in search of Thor. Jarvis is the only one at home. He informs the irate monarch that Thor is no longer an Avenger. Arkon is contacted by his grand vizier (at this point) who informs him that there is another who can help them.

Arkon arrives at the X-Men’s mansion in Westchester County. He sneaks in and tries to surprise Storm but she senses his presence and fights back. The fight moves outside where Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Colossus join the fight. Arkon puts up a valiant fight but the X-Men eventually overcome him. He hurls a golden lightning bolt at Storm before he is taken down. She vanishes.