I found these old comic stories (or beginnings to stories) in amongst all my old files. I had this whole idea for a new universe, or Butcher's Universe if you will. Sure, it was going to be highly derivative of DC Comics and some others, especially when I was into Batman and Justice League big time at that moment of my life, but it was fun.
I reproduce here, two of those ideas, The Union of Heroes featuring The Saviour, and an idea for a Batman story I had.
THE UNION OF HEROES
A comic book series by Matthew Butcher
Issue #1
Splash Page 1: Blimp shot of futuristic city (as in Batman movie).
Captions interspersed across picture, going down.
(New Chicago.)
(A city of crime, corruption, and the dirtiest
politics in the world.)
(I have adopted this city as my home. Only I can
save this city. Only I want to.)
Splash page 2: Full body shot of Saviour, in all his glory.
(Only. . . THE SAVIOUR.)
page 3 (1): Shot of dilapidated warehouse, light emanating from one window. (Armani Warehouse 19, Rush Street, 1:23 A.M.) (2): Shot of the inside of the warehouse through a window. Can
see six men talking around a table. White pouches on table.
With a very loud sound of breaking glass, the Saviour crashes
through the skylight, garbed in his red and black uniform with
poleclub. To the astonished looks of the six men, Saviour begins
beating them up. He knocks one in the stomach with the club while
also throwing a fist into another. With a flip, he drives his feet
into another man's chest, bouncing off him into another with both
fists, holding the club vertical to his body. He now stands
between the two last men. The one in front fires his gun, but it
is deflected by a swing of the poleclub. Saviour then back kicks
the man behind him. A dumb look from the guy in front. An angry
look from the Saviour. A scared look from the guy in front, same
angry face from the Saviour. The guy simply falls to the ground,
pleading, "No, man, don't hurt me, man."
"Your kind is all alike." says the Saviour, as he begins to
take out a gun from his belt holster. "You plead for mercy, yet
show none. Just think of it this way: This hurt is only a small
fraction of all the hurt you've inflicted on people."
"They want the drugs, man! I'm only giving them what they
want!" yells the guy.
"You're only giving them what they want. I'm only giving you
what you deserve," says the Saviour as he pulls the trigger.
A fat man in a black suit stands behind his desk with a cigar
in his mouth. There are three other men around him. This is Mr.
Jake Armani himself, head of the organized crime of New Chicago.
Armani yells, "This is the third set-up this guy has busted in
as many weeks! What's it gonna take to stop this guy!"
Wilson, Armani's right hand man speaks, "We need to establish
this guy's identity. From the one survivor of the second attack,
we know what he basically looks like, except for that damned mask!
I say we send out a contract to all the major families."
"I wanna know why!" yells Armani, slamming a fist down on the
desk. "Why just us? Three other major families in New Chicago and
he only picks on me! Why?"
"Maybe it's because I hate you the most." Voice from the
window. Armani and his men turn to look in shock to see Saviour
kneeling in the window sill in a Batman-type pose. Two men pull
out guns, but Saviour's net-rope gun knocks the guns out of their
hands with a small bola-net.
"Just want to talk. I don't want to kill you yet." says
Saviour, climbing down from the window sill.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" yells Armani pointing his
index finger. "You a cop?"
"I'm just someone you've ticked off. I have only this to say:
Get out of New Chicago by the end of the week or I come back and
kill you."
"You? Kill me? No one threatens me, NO ONE!" Very angry
face on Mr. Armani.
"Not a threat. A promise." says Saviour as he climbs back
out the window.
"You're dead!" says Armani, chasing after him out the window.
Doesn't see him out on window sill. "Hey, wait a minute, we're
twenty stories up!" he whispers.
First, we see the outside of Armani Warehouse 2. It's late at
night again, and Armani is inside, checking some packages of a
white powdery substance. Wilson is right behind him with a
clipboard and sunglasses. After a minute of inspection, Wilson
says, "Sir, I hate to remind you, but it has been a week since our
visit from that guy the media has called the Saviour. Don't you
think we should get some more protection?"
"Listen, you pencil-neck!" yells Armani as he grabs Wilson by
the tie and holds him over the table. "I am afraid of no one! No
tough guy comes and threatens me. If he ever shows his face again,
I'll show him what tough is! Should I maybe start on you?" His
face really gets close to Wilson's with a really angry tug at the
lips. His cigar dangles from his mouth.
"You can try your luck on me if you'd like," the voice comes
from a dark corner. When he steps into the light, it is the
Saviour.
Three of the thugs around Armani rip their pistols out of
their shoulder holsters. Bullets ricochet around the Saviour as he
lunges to the right, behind stacks of crates. "Get him! Get him!"
screams Armani from off panel.
Saviour takes out a quarter staff rom behind his back, draws
it to its full length and slams it into the stomach of the first
assailant. The gun goes flying out of his hand. Saviour catches
it and shoots another attacker in the leg. He aims at the third
thug. With a "don't shoot!" look, the thug drops the gun and puts
his hands above his head. The Saviour rushes the gun around to aim
at Armani.
A panel here across the page that shows them aiming at each
other from a distance. No words. Two close up shots, one of
Armani's face, one of Saviour's mask. Another panel of Saviour,
looking down the barrel of the gun, with him saying, "Boo!"
Armani freaks and fires his gun. Saviour drops to the floor
and fires two shots to Armani's chest. Armani goes down like a
lump.
Saviour all of a sudden gets hit by two bullets in the small
of the back. He whips his leg around and spin kicks the gun away
from the third thug. Close-up panel of him growling and flexing,
like he wasn't even hurt. With a quick motion, Saviour grabs the
thug by the throat and hoists him up in the air. Then in a
whisper, "I'm gonna let uou live for only one reason: You are
going to tell the entire underworld to get out of business, or I
will come looking for them."
Saviour lets him go to fall in a heap on the floor, grasping
for breath. As the Saviour walks away, he says, "Tell them The
Saviour sent you." END.
Issue #2
Charlie was simply minding his own business...unfinished
BATMAN
Plan for "Innocence"
Batman foils a bank robbery late at night by three "kids."
Disarms and stops 2 but 1 runs (he's got some of the money). The
getaway car follows the kid Batman is following. Kid ends up in a
dead end alley. Cornered. Game's up. Until kid sees a little
orphaned ragamuffin girl in tattered clothes (about 12 years old)
amidst the garbage and takes her hostage at gunpoint. An innocent
is at risk. Kid's clumsy (can't be more than 16) and Batman easily
ends the threat by swinging the batarang connected to rope on the
ground, tripping them over. Gun flies. Batman moves in. Getaway
car lights flash on and big hulky man gets out. Garbed in spiked
belts with no shirt (army pants). Batman and hulk fight tight
battle and hulk ends up getting the best of Batman with crowbar and
at end he points his own gun in Batman's face. It's over.
Thoughts cross Batman's mind. Then orphaned girl shoots hulk with
16 yo bank robber's gun. If she didn't he'd be dead. He embraces
& thanks her, sorry for living how she is and her innocence lost
and how he can't do a thing for her but give her over to cops.
They can handle it. Maybe humble her and make her regain
innocence. But Bats knows she will always remain "innocence lost."
He had saved the innocent, but he lost it anyway.
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