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Issue # 02 |
Dates, parties, school work... the problems that typical teenagers face are nothing compared to the troubles that plague the Young Pendragons. Formed in honor of their mentors, the Pendragons, this group of heroes serves as one of Britain's first line of defenses against the evil Bane. But there are secrets within the group and divisions which could spell their doom.... Young Pendragons logo created by Des Davies. Artwork by Roberto Cruz. Young
Pendragons Roll-Call:
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Written by Barry Reese |
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Generation Gap |
What Has Come
Before: The
Young Pendragons have been
organized by a strangely reborn Gawain. Forged in the fires of the
recent
cosmic event known as the Collision, the Young Pendragons have
dedicated
themselves to protecting Britain without the guidance of their adult
mentors. The
team has attracted the notice of their elders, however, thanks to their
recent
victories over Spring Heel Jack and the reappearance of Gawain. Now,
the
Pendragons head to London in search of the teen superhero group...
Meanwhile,
unknown to all but Gawain, the evil Mordred lies in agony within the
walls of
the team's headquarters.
Mordred lay quite
still on
the stone slab to which he was tied. There was no sign of the damnable
robot
and the taunting sounds of laughter that had risen up from below the
night
before were no longer present. He shifted his left arm, trying in vain
to test
for some weakness in his bonds. His entire body ached and he felt a
dark bile
rise up in his throat. Since his alliance with Ravonna and that other
universe
tyrant had come to its end1, he'd experienced nothing but
shame and
torture at the hands of Gawain. Now he would have his vengeance, though
it
galled him to have to resort to this.
"Mother!" he
cried aloud, his voice hoarse from all the screams it had endured.
"Come
to me, mother! Your only son has need of you... of your forgiveness, of
your
love, and most of all, your power!"
Twice more he
repeated his
entreaties, summoning the very last reserves of his strength to send
the
message far and wide. He had struck her down, in a foolish act of
matricide...
but she had survived death before and he prayed that she had done so
once
again. When at last he could project his plea no more, he sagged back
onto the
slab. The hideous machine had tortured him again and again, prying into
his
mind in hopes of finding some clue about his former allies'
whereabouts. He had
tried to explain that after Lorna Dane's actions in the Causal Corridor
they
had been separated, but Gawain either could not or would not believe
him.
"Please, mother,"
he whispered to himself. "Please come for me... I swear eternal fealty
to
you, if only you will come...."
Morgan stumbled,
nearly
falling flat onto her face. Cam caught her at the last instant, drawing
the
attention of the concert goers around them. One of them muttered
something
about kids not being able to handle their fairy dust, but Cam ignored
them all.
"Morgan? You okay?"
The raven-haired
girl held
one hand to the side of her head, nodding slowly. "Did you hear
that?"
"Hear what?" Cam
McClellan looked around the crowded park, at the sea of youth who had
come to
hear the Prince's Trust concert. The yearly event was being held
outdoors this
year and had taken on the air of a pagan festival, as at least of the
acts were
very anti-establishment in their lyrics and presentation. This had led
to some
protests from the Catholic church, which was still touting its "new
Crusades2."
Cam found his
attention
beginning to wander as Oasis finished up their set. He'd come here with
Morgan mainly
to hear Liam and Noel Gallagher's new material, which was just as
controversial
as he'd been led to expect. The duo had fallen hard into the pagan
scene and it
showed in every song.
"That voice,"
Morgan said, pulling away from him. "Sounded like someone was blasting
my
brain. I feel buggered six ways to Sunday."
Cam blushed a
bit, but said
nothing. Morgan could sometimes swear like a sailor on leave. "I didn't
hear
anything. What were they saying?"
"It was some
bloke with the
thicket accent you can imagine. He was calling for his mum like a
baby." Her
attractive features took on an odd cast. "He sounded familiar, Cam. I
knew him,
I'd swear it."
Cam sighed,
knowing that
much of Morgan's memory was lost to her. When Gawain had found her
months ago,
she'd been living hand to mouth, using her magic to survive. It had
become a
source of gossip between Cam and Rahne about the possibility – first
brought
forth by Gawain – that she might be a revived Morgan Le Fey. "Do you
think it
might have been Mordred? You said you've dreamed about him before."
"This was no
dream!" she
hissed. "And I'm not sure it's been Mordred anyway; not the real one."
She
locked eyes with him, suddenly looking far more vulnerable than usual.
"Don't
tell the others. Especially not Rahne. She'd just use it to tease me."
Cam started to
promise her
that he wouldn't, but he felt a hand on his arm. It was Rahne, looking
sunny
and happy. It was a typical overcast day in London and she was bundled
up well,
exposing only her face and the wild shock of red hair. At her side,
looking
broad-shouldered and bearded, was Gawain. It was a bit eerie, seeing
him this
way, with synthetic flesh covering his usual bland mechanical features.
Once,
he'd worn this false face 24/7... but that was before he'd "died" in
battle with
Blackheart3.
"Cam!
Did you see that? Liam Gallagher sneered at me!"
Cam grinned at
Rahne's
happiness. She was as different from Morgan as night was from day and
he found
the differences between them somewhat enchanting. "That's great, Rahne."
"Are you feeling
well,
m'lady?" Gawain inquired, his eyes seeming pierce straight through to
Morgan's
soul. The girl shrank away from him, a sneer rising on her face. "My
sensors
indicate a rise in body temperature and an increased amount of
adrenaline."
Morgan gripped
Cam's hand,
pulling him closer. "Cam's just making me hot, that's all."
The look that
Rahne shot
Morgan would have burned through adamantium. "I didn't realize you two
were off
snogging," she said.
"We weren't," Cam
protested, but he knew it was too late. Rahne's mood was shot for the
rest of
the day. He glowered at Morgan, wondering how he'd ever found her
attractive.
Gawain watched
the trio
with what could have passed for amusement. Though they had no clue
about how
and why he'd been resurrected, there was now a portion of him that was
bound to
Recorder-303. The Rigellian creation had borne witness to the death and
rebirth
of the universe... but even that glory was uninteresting when compared
to the
misadventures of the human heart. "The concert is nearly over," he
stated. "We
should be returning to headquarters and monitoring the transmissions
coming
from Lyonesse."
"When are we
going to
contact the Pendragons?" Rhane asked. "Betsy's had them reformed for a
few
weeks now...."
"They would
disapprove of
us. They would see the three of you as children, in need of their
mentoring."
"As opposed to
yours?"
Morgan challenged. "I think you're keeping us from them because you
want to
stay in charge."
"Think what you
like. It
was I who lifted the three of you from the gutters, both figuratively
and
literally. I gave you homes and an opportunity to prove yourselves
anew. I
would think that this would have earned a degree of trust."
Cam felt a sense
of guilt
creep over him. He was the only one of the three who had known Gawain
in the
old days. He'd been a good man then, android or not. "It's not that,
Gawain.
We're just wondering how things will go when they find out about us. It
was one
thing to run about calling ourselves Pendragons when the main team was
all
quits... but now that they're back, maybe we should at least let them
know we're
up and running."
Gawain hesitated
before
answering, formulating a response that would placate his young charges.
He had
appointed himself protector of this new reality but he'd foreseen the
need for
soldiers... soldiers who could be manipulated and trained. Having the
Pendragons
come onboard would not fit with his plans, for they would challenge his
authority. "I will make plans to contact them, everyone. Can we at
least agree
to wait until their own situation is stable, however. From what I
understand,
they are still drafting new members4."
Morgan started to
make
another glib reply, but the sudden screaming from the stage area made
all four
Young Pendragons whirl about. A figure had just emerged, still glowing
with
magical energy. He wore medieval armor and a long cloak, brightly
displaying
the Christian cross. A sword was held tightly in one fist and he
pointed it out
towards the crowd, while the performers on stage scurried away.
"Infidels! Hear
my words! The day of the one, true Christ is coming... and your souls
will be
found wanting if you continue to waste your lives following false gods!
Heed
the words of the Crusader!" To put final emphasis on his dramatic
words, the
Crusader grabbed hold of the young pop star who had just gone onstage
following
Oasis.
Cam summoned the
Pendragon
power that dwelled within his soul. As the glory of Avalon glimmered
around his
body, he was transformed from his normal to the powerful red white and
blue
uniform that he'd recently designed for himself5. It was
meant to
evoke memories of Peter Hunter's old uniform6, while still
giving
Cam his own sense of identity. "Let's take care of this guy,
Pendragons." He
cringed inwardly when he said the words, knowing how lame he probably
sounded.
But it was the kind of thing that Peter would have said... and he'd
been
incredible.
"Wait!" Morgan
screamed,
holding him back.
"What's wrong?"
he asked,
aware that both Gawain and Wolfsbane were abandoning their own
disguises,
revealing their heroic identities.
"That's Rachel
Stevens
onstage. From S Club 7!"
"So?"
"So... maybe if
we wait,
he'll kill her!"
Cam pulled away,
exasperated. Morgan's sense of humor could be incredibly inappropriate.
Besides... he really liked "Some Girls." Great song. "Be serious," he
exclaimed.
"I am,"
she
responded with all seriousness.
Wolfsbane growled
eagerly,
running through the frightened crowd. Some of them were uncertain as to
whether
or not the Crusader was part of the stage show, but most had correctly
recognized the danger and begun to flee. Rahne leapt through the air,
striking
the surprised swordsman in the chest. He lost his grip on Rachel
Stevens, who
quickly crawled off-stage.
"Vile beast!" the
Crusader
spat. "God will smite you down for your sins!"
"Murder's a sin,"
Wolfsbane
replied, circling him before attacking again. "Or does your bible not
include
that Commandment?"
"I fight with the
charge of
the Pope himself."
"No!" Wolfsbane
hissed.
"Take that back!" She lunged for him again, barely escaping a swipe of
his
blade. A devout Catholic herself, Rahne had been torn by the church's
recent
stance against paganism. Many of their targets included people – like
the
Pendragons – who were her friends.
"Watch yourself,
Rahne!"
Cam's words came
just
before he unleashed a flurry of eldritch flame. The Avalon-powered fire
was
usually enough to bring down the most hardened of enemies, but the
Crusaders
withstood their assault with ease. "Whelp! God himself has provided the
armor
that protects me! Your dark sorceries will never pierce it!"
"Bold talk from a
wanker
like yourself!" Morgan flew up beside Albion, propelled by a gust of
magically
induced wind. She hurled a spell at the Crusader, who suddenly howled
in pain.
He staggered back, his flesh growing old and wrinkled. Morgan grinned,
pleased
to be the one to do him in... but then he glowed a bright white and the
sorcery
began to fade. Within seconds, he was once again young and trim.
"If that's the
best you can
do, lass... you should fall on your knees and begin begging for
forgiveness now!"
The Crusader hit Wolfsbane with the flat of his sword, knocking her
flat on her
back. He followed that by pointing the blade at Albion and unleashing a
force
blast that would have sliced the hero in two, had he not dodged at the
last
moment.
The Crusader
strode towards
Morgan, who was readying another magical charge. From behind him,
Gawain
suddenly materialized out of thin air. The android clasped both fists
together,
raising them high before dropping them down upon the back of the
Crusader's
skull. He sagged forward, blood gushing down from the massive wound
that Gawain
had delivered.
"Nice move,
mate." Morgan
dropped down beside Gawain, impressed despite herself. "How'd you do
that
invisibility trick?"
"I am constantly
modifying my
physical form," the team's leader responded. "I wonder if his tales
were true?
That he is indeed an agent of the Catholic church."
"I doubt it,"
Albion said. "He
seems like a nutter. What should we do now? Turn him over to the
authorities
and head home? I think the concert's a washout now."
"Are you okay,
Rahne?"
Morgan asked.
Wolfsbane hid her
surprise
at the question. "I'm fine. Just a bit off my balance. He hits hard."
"Nice work,
everyone."
Cam blinked. He
was facing
Gawain, but he thought he could read disappointment in the android's
body
language. Someone behind Cam, someone whose voice he had not heard in
far too
long, had spoken the words. "Betsy?" he asked, turning about.
The Pendragons –
the adult
ones – were gathered there, watching them: Captain Britain, Nocturne,
Polaris,
Ghost Rider, Union Jack and Spitfire. Legends, one and all... the
inspiration for
the youths before them. "Hello, Cam. Do the four of you mind if we go
somewhere
and talk?"
Gawain answered
for them
all, sounding surprisingly weary. "Of course, Captain Britain. It would
seem
that the fates have conspired to bring us together this afternoon."
"Why didn't you
tell us you'd
been revived?" Spitfire sat on a large couch, her husband Union Jack at
her
side. The two groups of Pendragons were gathered at Lyonesse, with most
of the
heroes sharing a bit of tea.
Gawain stood off
to the
side, hands clasped behind his back. He was well aware that his
mannerisms were
bound to attract suspicion, but there was only so much he could do
about his
innate coldness. "The Pendragons were disbanded when I first achieved
new
sentience. I managed to rebuild myself with tremendous effort and, once
I'd
learned of Spitfire's decision to end the group's existence, I set
about
forming my own replacement team. Something with a younger flair to it,
one that
would be able to function without much of the baggage that had brought
down the
last incarnation of Pendragons."
"Baggage?" Union
Jack
asked, sounding a bit insulted. "Bloody hell... We'd just witnessed the
whole
universe get turned off and back on again. We needed a break!"
"I do not mean to
criticize. I am only speaking fact. The Pendragons throughout the years
have
occasionally hit dry spells. After the Second World War, for instance,
the
group simply splintered apart. I felt that it was time to build
something new,
using elements of the past, but not bound by them."
"And you thought
it was a
good idea to recruit Morgan Le Fey?" Nocturne asked.
Morgan glared at
him. "There
might be others reasons I'd have some of her memories, you sod."
"Not many,"
Captain Britain
said. "I've conducted some surface scans and—"
"Stay out of
head!" Morgan
yelled.
Betsy ignored
her. "I
believe you've at least got a portion of her essence in you. Without a
deeper
probe—"
"No chance of
that. Cow."
"Without a deeper
probe,"
Betsy continued, "there's no way I can tell if you're a girl whose mind
has
been suppressed by Morgan... or if you're Morgan herself, in a form."
"Given how many
times
Morgan's tried to kill us all, I say you poke around a bit more." Union
Jack
leaned forward when he spoke. "And I'd scan Gawain and Albion, too.
One's
acting nothing like himself and the other's had his share of insanity
in the
past."
Cam felt like
he'd been
punched in the stomach. He'd given in to the Bane once before, but he'd
overcome it eventually... "We're here, you know... You can't just
decide what's
best for us."
Gawain moved in,
aware that
the Pendragons had unknowingly played into their hands. "Cam's speaking
the
truth. It's his decision to let Betsy into his mind. Just like it's his
decision to tell his mother what he's been up to."
Cam blinked. He
looked at
Betsy. "You didn't call my mum, did you?"
"She has a right
to know."
"Gawain was right
about all
of you," Wolfsbane whispered. "He said you'd want to control us."
Captain Britain
glanced at
Gawain before speaking. The android continued to regard her steadily.
"I'm not
sure he is Gawain. Suzi says he's built out of Gawain's old
parts but
that doesn't mean it's his consciousness inside."
"Why? Because he
acts
different now?" Cam challenged. "He died. That changes a man,
I'd think.
Just like being possessed by the Bane changed me. But it doesn't mean I
can't
be trusted anymore!"
"No one said
that,"
Spitfire cautioned. "We're just being cautious. We care about—"
"You don't care
about any
of us," Morgan stated. Her voice was cold and dangerous. "You think I'm
evil;
Gawain's an imposter; Cam's insane... You probably think Rahne's been
replaced by
a Space Phantom or something. Well, you can all kiss off for all I
care! I
survived fine before you and I'll survive fine without you!"
"Calm down,"
Polaris said.
She was looking at Morgan with a bit of understanding. Not so long ago,
she'd
been on the edge herself... but coming to the Pendragons had helped
restore her
self-confidence. "Maybe you guys should stay here at Lyonesse. You all
want to
be Pendragons, right?"
Cam sighed. "We are
Pendragons, Lorna. We don't need your approval for that."
"You do need the
approval
of the Green Knight," Ghost Rider said. His voice was chilling to those
who
weren't used to it. "Has he given his blessing to your little grouping?"
"I have the
Pendragon power
within me," Cam muttered. "And the others will get theirs, too, as soon
as
Gawain takes them to Avalon."
"Why haven't you,
Gawain?"
Captain Britain rose from her seat, subtly drawing the power in the
room
towards her. "Is it because you're afraid the Green Knight wouldn't
recognize
you?"
Gawain looked
into the
faces of his fellow Young Pendragons. "You see? This is why I avoided
contacting them. They have become lost in their little intrigues, their
petty
power struggles. They have forgotten the days when they believed that
they
could change the world. But the four of us have not had our idealism
dimmed.
Even the ones of us who seem the darkest and most dangerous," he nodded
at
Morgan, who stood straighter, "have the capacity for greatness within
us. We do
not need nor do we seek your approval. We are the Young Pendragons, the
true
bearers of the faith." He stepped towards Betsy. "The spirit of Avalon
is
splintering. There is your group. There is ours. And there is the one
that
serves Dane Whitman."
Betsy frowned at
that, but
said nothing. He was right that there was a split developing... but he
was wrong
if he believed anyone other than the Pendragons were in the right.
"Let's go," Cam
said. He
cast one last look at the people he'd once considered family. "Go to
hell."
Next Issue:
The
opening storyline comes to an
end when Morgan confronts Mordred! Secrets are revealed and alliances
are
tested, as the Young Pendragons come to a turning point in their lives.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
First up, we have
our usual
batch of footnotes.
1.
See Pendragons
72-75 for the full story of "The Collision" which spilled over into
other titles such as Knights of Avalon, Tales
of the Pendragons and Miracles, Inc.
2.
Robert
Rock introduced the concept of a new Crusade against the rising tide of
paganism in Dept. F 66 # 6
3.
Back
in the classic "Isles of Magick" event that raised the Black Mass
Barrier and
crossed over from the pages of Pendragons into Ghost Rider U.K.
4.
Actually,
the Pendragons set their lineup in issue 76 of that title.
5.
Roberto
Cruz, who also drew the nice image at the beginning of the issue,
conceived the
new costume. Way to go, Roberto!
6.
Peter
Hunter was the original Albion, active from the first World War until
his death
in the aforementioned "Isles of Magick" event. He's since appeared a
few times,
most recently during the Collision, when he welcomed his lover Grace
into the
glory of Avalon.
And now on to the
letters!
This month we have a review from David Ingram, posted the Pendragons
mailing list:
Let
me first say
that I truly, truly loathe Young Avengers. No matter the writing, I
feel its
attempts to ham fistedly force a younger generation on the MU simply
doesn't
work, and it annoys me they are so creatively bankrupt as to rip off
DC's Teen
Titans, especially considering that Titans is more suited to the DCU
than
Marvel.
Yet, none of those feelings carry over to Young Pendragons (perhaps
because
while inspired by Young Avengers, Barry is using existing characters
and the
idea works for the Pendragon verse). It's good to see Albion and
Wolfsbane back
in action, and the idea of a reincarnated Morgan spells instant and
interesting
trouble down the road. I was surprised to see Gawain back (and boy did
he add
tension to the end of issue one) but I'm not complaining. Their intro
of taking
down Spring Heeled Jack was pretty cool and thus far imo the series is
shaping
up nice. Superhero action, imo is vastly under rated, especially with
all the
bastards out there who use their series as political soapboxes.
My only real complaint is the number of team members. I think 4 members
only
works for one team (guess which one). It's an obsessive compulsive
thing with
me, but I like at least five members per team.
I felt that Young
Avengers
got off to a good start, but now I'm beginning to suspect that much of
its
appeal stems from the utter crap that is New Avengers. Still, it did
serve as
the inspiration for this series, so I have to give it a few props, I
suppose.
The lineup will
evolve a
bit over time, especially when the title's new writer comes onboard
with # 4.
This series was conceived originally as a limited series but someone
with some
great ideas has approached me about continuing the Young Pendragons
title. So
you can expect to see a few changes coming with the fourth issue – I'll
still
be around in a coordinator sense, though, so you can expect the series
to
maintain its "superhero action" roots.
By the way,
anyone who isn't
reading David's Excalibur series at Marvel 2000 is missing out on one
of the
classiest, most well-written titles out there. Go check it out!