The High: Back in Action? The Low: Still Missing?

DATELINE UNKNOWN - We here at BPD love a good rumor, and boy, did we hear one this week. Seems that long-bygone superhero the High (who reportedly imitated a bug on SkyWatch's "windshield" a few years ago) may not be as bygone as believed.


"I saw this... um, sort of glass tube," reported our source. "It was full of, of, red glop, I guess. Sorta made me nauseous looking at it, 'cause it was, uh, churning. If the paperwork was right, that's what the SkyWatch jockeys scooped up after he went splat. You ask me, wasn't nothing exactly dead in that glass tube."


What does it all mean? We have no idea, but we'll keep our ears open.


(P.S. We're only kidding about the Low--but wouldn't it be cool if the High had a thematic counterpart?)

Void Reveals Armageddon a Prank

NEW YORK - The superheroine Void, most recently associated with the WildCATs, today revealed that the near-future apocalypse dubbed "Armageddon" was her idea of a joke. Showing a future where an invasion of superhumans annihilated humanity and left Earth a smoking ruin was supposedly her way of saying "hi" to her new colleagues in the superhero community.

It backfired spectacularly.

"It took on a life of its own," Void confessed. "I mean, who knew showing six superheroes a vision of some nightmare near-future would cause such an uproar? Jack Hawksmoor has done lots worse, I'm sure of it."

Whatever her motives, Dane of Wetworks, Nemesis of the WildCATS, Maximum Man (most recently of the town of Tranquility), Caitlyn Fairchild of Gen13, John Doran of StormWatch PHD, and Midnighter of the Authority were not amused.

"Good thing she can teleport herself," growled Midnighter, "'cause I'm looking to have a few words with that silver-skinned &$#@*&."

Fairchild cracked her knuckles and said, "That sort of thing just isn't right."

Col. Jackson Dane agreed. "There are lines you don't cross. You think I wanted to see a Night Tribes-overrun Europe? Man, I'll be having nightmares for weeks! And when I have nightmares, my whole team shares 'em, what with me being psychic and all."

"I can't believe you clowns fell for it," laughed Nemesis. "Honest, a superhero plague? Sheesh! I... hey, who are those guys? Oh damn..."

And with that, the assembled heroes scrambled tso grab their weapons and face the arrival of hundreds or thousands of unknown superbeings.

Void claimed to know nothing about this apparently coincidental event.

Void artwork copyright WildStorm/DC Comics, all rights reserved

On the Horizon

BPD is getting strange rumblings of activity in Neo Orleans. A pair of retired couriers is on the trail of one Grace Anderson--and the CIA is apparently trailing them. Reporters Marc Bernadin and Adam Freeman are covering the situation, with photographer Lee Garbett providing the pictures. Of course, BPD will be offering its own take on the situation in days to come.

In other news, old weapons never die... they just find new battlefields. A Soviet-era superbeing has been "reactivated," triggering new tensions between the United States and the former Soviet Republics. The reporting team of Peter Milligan and C.P. Smith are providing coverage for WildStorm International.

Look for these and other late-breaking stories on Bugle's Planet Daily!

WildStorm Up and Running

If you've turned on the news any time in the last 72 hours, you've seen that southern California has been ravaged by wildfires. The area in and around San Diego has been among those hardest-hit.

BPD was very glad to receive email from WildStorm yesterday, indicating that they are in the office. We don't know if the staff of WildStorm (or any of the other comics businesses in the region) is in any immediate danger at home or at work, but we want to let them know that they and their families are in our thoughts. If there is anything we can do to help any comic book publisher's staff deprived of home or property by the fire, we hope they will not hesitate to contact us.

Let's hope that everyone comes through fine.

UPDATE- Comic Book Resources posted an excellent news report on comic book businesses in San Diego and Los Angeles, including phone conversations with Jim Lee, Scott Dunbier and Chris Ryall (IDW) and how they're coping with the fires. Give it a look.

Gen13 & Evil Ernie... Connected?

The Maiden and the Monster!

BPD WORLD HQ - One is tall, redheaded and voluptuous, with muscles strong enough to shatter bricks. The other is scrawny, with shaggy black hair, a maniacal grin and a torn-open belly full of magic green bile. Oh, and he's undead to boot.

Heroine and villain, they couldn't have less in common. And yet--could it be they're related?

It appears to be true.

BPD has learned that Caitlin Fairchild (of teen supergroup Gen13) and Ernest "Evil Ernie" Fairchild (undead homicidal maniac and purveyor of "Mega-Death" on behalf of Lady Death) are cousins!

"I remember him," Caitlin admitted during a recent interview with WildStorm World News. "We visited his family when I was little-- I was probably nine and he would've been, oh, ten or eleven. He was kind of quiet, and his room had lots of religious stuff in it, probably 'cause his dad was a minister. That's the only time we ever saw them. I heard he got into some trouble back in New Jersey but I've been kind of busy with stuff on my own, you know? Lots of stuff. Continuity problems you wouldn't believe."

Chaos!, the underground prozine which has followed Evil Ernie and his spectral benefactress, had no statement for BPD and didn't return our calls. After the collapse of "Mega-Death" and Ernie's subsequent escape into hiding, Chaos! temporarily severed all ties with the undead mass murderer, though there are informal reports that the magazine may once again chronicle his doings.

BPD will stay on this story as it develops.

Gen13 artwork copyright DC/WildStorm; Evil Ernie artwork copyright Devil's Due. All rights reserved.

Places: The BPD Travel Guide Pt 1

Visit Beautiful Tranquility!

TRANQUILITY, CA - It may look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, but Tranquility has the distinction of being the place where superfolk go to retire. The streets are bustling and local businesses do well, including the Chick'N Go eatery run by Suzy Fury (aka Pink Bunny).

Sheriff Thomasina Lindo says, "We have a nice little town here and are real welcoming to tourists. We don't want gawkers or lookee-loos or paparazzi, mind, but anyone who'd like a bit of history amid the small-town good cheer... well, you can't do better than Tranquility!"

Despite a sharp spike in index crimes (with the murder of crimefighter Mr. Articulate), there is not much local evildoing. A local Goth band known as the, ahem, Liberty Snots may seem intimidating but Sheriff Lindo assures this travel writer that they are hardly ever real trouble... mostly.

"They're just kids being kids," she says. "Superpowered kids being kids. You know, doody happens." (Her upbeat tone may have been a trifle forced.) "Of course, we did have a little dust-up or two... or three... when five new kids came to town. And we had folks from StormWatch pay a visit recently, following up on a murder... but stuff like that almost never happens here, honest!"

Tranquility is now home to the world-famous Liberty Squad, the superpowered team of "maxis" who struggled against fascist aggression in World War II. Surviving members include Judge Fury (now Mayor of Tranquility), Col. Cragg and his sidekick Bad Dog, Maximum Man, and Pink Bunny. These veteran heroes are in surprising vigor and good health, despite their average age now trending upwards of 80. "I guess we're just living right," Suzy Fury said with a saucy wink.

Where else can one find former child aviatrix Minxy Minerva crashing solid gold planes on Main Street, or undead undertaker Zombie Zeke screeching bad poetry at all who pass his Gate to the Underworld cemetery? Where else can you witness a chess match between Maximum Man and Henry Hate? Nowhere else, that's where.

And if you happen to be in town at the right time, you can even see a three-way slugfest between a pack of runaway Gen-Actives, the Liberty Snots and the Authoriteens--teenaged counterparts of the infamous Authority.

The WildStorm Travel Agency's Gail Simone gives Tranquility a four-star rating. "I've been in the tourism business for awhile now," Ms. Simone says, "and I can say Tranquility is one of the most interesting places I've ever been. Not that I don't love the excitement of a place like Gotham City but this small town has an awful lot going on."

BPD is proud to endorse Tranquility as our DESTINATION OF THE WEEK! Visit soon-- and send us comments about your trip! We'd love to hear what you have to say!

Coming up in PLACES-- beautiful Zenn-La! You will love it there... or else!