SAVIOR 28: Confess! You're an impostor!

[starwolf_oakley.insanejournal.com]

Many new series involve a superhero going bad. IRREDEEMABLE, THE MIGHTY, ABSOLUTION. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28 is a mini-series where a superhero goes good. Too good. So good that his friends and fellow heroes are convinced he has to be an evil duplicate.



THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28 is written by J.M. DeMatteis wrote about a kind of Superman/Captain America/Spirit pastiche named Savior 28. It is narrated by his former sidekick, Dennis (who looks like Jack Kirby), who used to be his sidekick, the Daring Disciple. The first issue revealed that Savior 28 was assassinated by Dennis using special bullets.

The series so far is Dennis recapping Savior 28 (real name, James Smith) and his "Save the World" movement.

After accidentally killing his worst enemy (Savior 13) and his first girlfriend (Samantha) dying of old age, Savior 28 hits rock bottom. After the World Trade Center attacks (which happen on September 12, 2001, for some reason) Savior 28 is on a World Peace kick. He's even telling other superheroes that fighting isn't solving anything.

Naturally, the other superheroes are suspicious. So they captured Savior 28 and are interrogating him. Harshly. Their thought: Evil duplicate.



DeMatteis is poking a little fun at his classic "Kraven's Last Hunt" story with Kraven impersonating Spider-Man during the "black costume" phase.



Dennis is the only one who is certain this is the real James Smith. Heroes like Captain Crystal and Blackrat III aren't convinced.





Dennis is not only certain that's the real Savior 28, he arranged his capture, torture and "mind-sifting" or whatever that screen is showing.



The death of Savior 13 was in the first issue. And it was an accident. The fight with Ms. Jupiter was in issue #2 (I think). Being a villain and all, she attacked him at a peace rally. Savior 28 tried reasoning with her, then threw a tree at her in frustration.



Whoops, misplaced word balloon.



"... when 3000 people went down with those two towers."
Jimmy admits that part of this "plan" was because of guilt, as well as feeding his ego by a "Grand Gesture." But Jimmy is certain this idea can work. Even if it is a delusion, it is better than "telling the same old story."

Dennis lets Jimmy go, warning him about the assassination we already saw happen. Then Jimmy is rescued by two anti-heroes (or anti-villains) who agree with him. That doesn't end well either, but Dennis doesn't want to "rush things," as this is *his* eulogy as well.

I'm very curious where this mini-series is going.

Comments

[geoffsebesta.insanejournal.com]

So if we can't even agree on what Kirby actually wrote, discussing his politics is going to be impossible, right?

IMO, it would be a little strange if Stan Lee, who never was in a war, wrote a story about PTSD. But, whatever.

[halloweenjack.insanejournal.com]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof; you've got one story in which there's a psychiatrist as a supervillain, some random quote from Kirby that could be interpreted as him wondering how he'd fit someone into a fight scene, and an apparent belief that Lee contributed nothing to the books that he was co-credited with, something that Kirby himself never claimed. You can believe whatever you like, but you're going to have to make a more convincing case than that on a public forum like this one.

[geoffsebesta.insanejournal.com]

Out of curiousity, have you read the Thor or Cap comics from the late 1960s?