Week 002: Magnus 5 - 8 and Solar 1 - 4

[greg]

Click on each individual cover for more information about each individual title.

[greg]

[[Originally posted by ManOfTheAtom on the prior message boards.]]

Solar Man of the Atom #1

No Place Like Home

A stranger falls out from the sky, his body surrounded by a yellow aura no different from that of a falling star.

A stranger worried about what happened to his clothes.

And so we are introduced to VALIANT’s first original super hero, Solar the Man of the Atom.

What’s that you say? Isn’t Solar just a new version of DOCTOR Solar, the Gold Key character? And isn’t Rai VALIANT’s first original hero?

Well, technically speaking Phil Seleski fits the part of original hero because he’s not the same Doctor Solar from the Gold Key books, and he beats Rai for the title since his series came out before Magnus #5.

As the issue progresses we follow this stranger from the stars (hmmm, allegory to Superman maybe?) as he makes his way through Muskogee, Oklahoma, to a home that appears to be his own… but in reality is not.

As the nameless stranger (who I’ll refer to as White because of the color of his hair) makes his way throughout the bedroom, helping himself to a new set of clothes, the door suddenly swings open and a man (who I’ll refer to as Brown for the same reason) that looks slightly like the stranger, just fatter and with different colored hair, makes his way inside the room holding a bust of Einstein on his hands, ready to hit the intruder with it.

White suddenly vanishes in a burst of multicolored lights, leaving Brown alone to ponder whether he’s suffering from a lack of sleep.

White makes his way across the night scan, using one of the many incredible powers at his disposal to tune into the local radio waves that encircle the globe, looking for where his help might be needed.

White makes his way to a prison where he stops a breakout, during which one of the prisoners’ punctures his back using a knife. The wound releases an incredible amount of energy, which kills the prisoner and melts away the walls behind White.

Meanwhile Brown makes his way to the Edgewater Research Facility, where he works as one of the many scientists involved of the construction of a very powerful nuclear reactor.

There he meets up with Doctor Dobson, the overseer of the project and Brown’s boss. It’s at this point that we finally learn Brown’s name, Doctor Phillip Seleski.

Seleski and Dobson go down to check the construction of the reactor. There Seleski crosses paths with Gayle, one of the many scientists involved in the project. Suffice to say that Gayle makes Phil’s heart go…

While this happens White continues on his one-man crusade to do good by helping the Russian army get to a sunken submarine that’s carrying nuclear weapons inside it.

White has no problem letting the Russians keep the submarine but he decides to take the weapons with him. A firefight ensues, in which White’s jacket is punctured by the Russian’s bullets (Thank God they missed the pants!).

At this point White refers to himself as the Polish Sun god… very weird reference.

White takes the nukes into space where he tries to deactivate them but in the process he manages to set them off, setting off a nuclear explosion… that he somehow survives! His entire body reassembles itself after having been destroyed in the explosion.

Shortly (?) afterwards (might have been a day), White makes his way across the city, stopping outside a woman’s apartment to watch the news which is reporting the detection of the nuclear explosion.

Back at the Edgewater Facility, Phil meets with another member of his team, Doctor Erica Pierce. He talks to her about his insecurities and the stress the job they are doing can cause, which she takes as a sign of weakness from him so she warns him about how dangerous the reactor they are building is and that there is no room for a psycho chicken.

In New York White joins up with a group of homeless people after one of them shares a drink with him. While talking to them he says his name is Sol, as well as reveals that at one point he held actual conversations with a pillow (!), he makes mention of his girlfriend Gayle (?) and then asks the date. The people around him what’s important about the date, to what he replies that depending on what day it is he may or may not have a home and a girlfriend yet.

He looks into a trashcan and picks up a newspaper dated September 27, 1990, to which him means that he is homeless (?).

He takes off and flies back to Muskogee. Just as he does O.D. , one of the homeless men, asks him to come back.

That night Phil meets up with John, his psychiatrist. They talk about the visit that Phil had in his apartment earlier, Sol. Phil is convinced that he’s seeing things and that worries him because of his work and responsibilities. John quickly dismisses what Phil saw as an escape fantasy caused by being a workaholic.

Phil asks John’s advise on what to do if he sees Sol again, to what John says not to call him and instead that he should just take a trip to relax, maybe take Gayle wit him, which Phil dismisses as being a true fantasy.

Phil returns home and to his amazement he finds Sol there, waiting for him. Phil confronts Sol, demanding to know who he is and what he’s doing there. Sol replies by saying that he’s leaving.

As Phil prepares to call the cops Sol leaves him with a warning; he’s not going to stand by and watch him make the same mistakes, he’ll kill Phil if he has to. Then Sol vanishes in a flash of multicolored lights.

Later Phil and John talk about the experience. Phil’s come to the conclusion that someone is trying to get him to quit his research for some reason, but John still doesn’t believe him.

Back in New York Sol meets back up with O.D. and his friends, whom he spends the night with, offering them heat from his own body to keep them warm throughout the night…

Alpha & Omega

Chapter One

We find Phil Seleski standing inside the kitchen of his house dressed in his pajamas staring at a bright flash of light coming from outside his window… it’s bad, he says as the window shatters and fills the room with broken glass.

He quickly puts his shoes on and runs downstairs to his jeep, blaming himself for what’s happened, thinking how everyone he passes is dead because of him. He speeds away towards the Edgewater Facility. There he sees all his frantic co-workers and peers running around like chickens with no heads, confused as to what’s going on. Doctor Dobson tells him that they’ve tried everything short of banging on the accelerators with a wrench to stop what’s going on but nothing has worked.

Phil looks on at a nervous Gayle while being lectured by Erica when suddenly the entire complex shakes as the reactor keeps exploding.

Phil wonders how the inside of the reactor looks like and then decides to go bang on the accelerators with a wrench…
What I’m wondering is WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?! Is this the future? It has to be…

Unless…

[greg]

[[Originally posted by ManOfTheAtom on the prior message boards.]]

Solar Man of the Atom #2

Out of My Mind

As the issue opens we find Sol using his powers to create a light sculpture of Gayle (?) which explodes as soon as his attention is diverted by one of O.D.’s friends.

O.D. thanks Sol for keeping them warm through the night and asks how he did it, to what Sol replies that he can radiate any kind of electromagnetic energy.

When Sol is invited to stick around he refuses, saying that he remembered things about himself last night, he says that he killed people, ate them.

He leaves O.D. and his friends, who say that they don’t want Sol to come back anymore.

Sol travels back to Muskogee just in time to see Phil leave the house and head to work. Once again he breaks into Phil’s home and takes clothes and money, leaving a note behind for Phil signed your other self.

Sol flies towards the Edgewater Facility and breaks into Dobson’s office, thinking how well he knows Phil.

Sol introduces himself to Dobson as Max Blackwell. He tries to convince Dobson that the reactor they are building is dangerous and a catastrophe might happen.

Before he can say much Dobson’s assistant interrupts them so he leaves. He flies to an abandoned factory where he starts to kick things, angry at Dobson’s cowardice.

Blackwell’s body suddenly turns to a state of physical light and his head begins to hurt terribly till he finally collapses. Suddenly a figure dressed in a red suit bursts from his forehead.

Blackwell is surprised at what he sees, claiming that he’s not real… till he touches him! Blackwell, in a denial, demands that the man in the red suit go back inside his head since he can’t be outside.

A battle ensues, which Blackwell quickly loses. He decides to run away and fight the man in red another day.

The man in red steps out of the abandoned factory and comes across a bunch of kids who run away after they see him except for one who sprains his ankle and falls down on the floor.

The man in red offers to take the child home. There, after meeting the boy’s mother, he says that his name is Doctor Solar.

Afterwards the kid tells Doctor Solar what Blackwell was shouting before he manifested. He was saying how stupid Dobson is and that he’s going to cause him to kill lots of people because of it.

Using this information Doctor Solar decides to go in search of Blackwell. First he goes looking for a place called Atom Valley but to his surprise he discovers that such a place doesn’t exists.

Next he stops in New York where O.D. and his friends hang out. At first they confuse him for Sol but then see that he’s someone else. Doctor Solar says that he’s looking for Sol so he can stop him but they can’t help him. O.D. asks him for money but having none Doctor Solar does the next best thing; using his incredible powers he transforms a bolt into a piece of gold!

As Doctor Solar takes off O.D. takes the gold and doesn’t share it with the others.

Doctor Solar’s next stop is Phil’s home. He makes his way across his room, looking at his possessions. Suddenly he comes along a box filled with old comic books that have him on the cover. As this is happening Blackwell appears behind Doctor Solar, ready to strike. But before he can the door to the apartment is opened and Phil walks in and sees Blackwell and Doctor Solar standing next to each other. Doctor Solar vanishes in a flash of multicolored lights, leaving Blackwell and Phil behind.

Phil demands answers, he demands to know why Blackwell looks like him to what Blackwell tells him that he should think of him as his older brother before taking a few comics from the box and vanishing just like Doctor Solar did.

Phil tries to convince himself that he’s imagining things just when he sees the note on his dresser that Blackwell placed there earlier.

Over at the Edgewater Facility Dobson is inspecting the reactor when he’s suddenly paid a visit by Doctor Solar. At first Dobson confuses Doctor Solar with Blackwell but Doctor Solar dismisses that but does point out Blackwell is the reason he’s there.
Not much really happens, all Doctor Solar does is point out Dobson’s failing as a man and says that Dobson’s actions have caused a lot of trouble before leaving.

Doctor Solar flies over the county, searching for Blackwell. Using his ability to see into different spectrums of light, Doctor Solar manages to track down Blackwell down to the South Pole.

Doctor Solar flies over the county, searching for Blackwell. Using his ability to see into different spectrums of light, Doctor Solar manages to track down Blackwell down to the South Pole.

There he finds something that he wasn’t expecting; Gail Saunders, his girlfriend, trapped inside a glass casing. As he tries to save her Blackwell rises up from the snow behind him and gets ready to strike. As Doctor Solar moves closer to Gail, Blackwell punches him in the back, ramming his fist inside him in an attempt to reabsorb him into him. Doctor Solar manages to break free and as he does Gail and her glass cage fade away.

Doctor Solar asks what happened so Blackwell tells him that she was a fake, a light sculpture. Blackwell tells Doctor Solar that she doesn’t exist and neither does he, to what he says that he is Doctor Solar.

Blackwell demands that he listen to him, that it’ll make it easier to explain.

Blackwell proceeds to explain that Doctor Solar is a part of him, a manifestation of his subconscious mind. When Blackwell was a kid he used to read Doctor Solar comics so when he grew up he ended up becoming just like him, even getting a girlfriend with the same name (yet spelled differently).

Blackwell explains that at first he tried to use his powers to help people, just like Doctor Solar, but that such a thing doesn’t work in real life. He remarks that that’s the reason why Doctor Solar has to go, that he should allow Blackwell to reabsorb him.

Doctor Solar asks if Atom Valley and Gail are real, to what Blackwell replies that only in the comics. Then he asks about the horror (?) he remembers, if it’s real or fake, to what Blackwell replies that it’s real. Doctor Solar accuses Blackwell of being a mass murderer and that he’s the part of him that wants to be a hero and that maybe it’s Blackwell that has to go.

A battle ensues between the two that takes them deep inside the Earth. There they both collide as they try to kill each other. Their hands meet as they try to subjugate each other, an opportunity that Blackwell uses to try to kill Doctor Solar by turning his body from mass to energy. The end result is a giant explosion that rocks the entire planet and decimates a great area of the South Pole.

Doctor Solar is the last man standing. Alone and thinking that he’s vanquished his enemy, Doctor Solar returns to the house of the kid he met outside the abandoned factory where he first manifested and asks to stick around since he needs someone to talk with since he’s finally found out who he is.

Alpha & Omega

Chapter Two

As this chapter opens we see Phil Seleski running down the stairs towards the main reactor at the heart of the Edgewater Facility.

A tech worker tries to stop him but another says to let him go since he’s the one responsible for the creation of this place, which makes him responsible for the impending meltdown.

Phil makes his way, barefoot, down through the long metal staircase. He decides to put on a radiation suit as his feet have almost completely burned down. Unbeknownst by him someone else is down there with him, hidden inside a radiation suit (!).

Phil’s mind wanders, he thinks how he’ll never have kids after having been exposed to all this radiation. He makes his way deeper into the reactor till he makes it to the core. He makes his way down to the floor and tries to turn the reactor off but it doesn’t budge. He realizes that something is broken inside so, in a fit of fury (and in my opinion suicidal delusion), Phil jumps inside the reactor.

As his body melts inside the reactor Phil’s last words are that he wishes this would stop…

[greg]

[[Originally posted by ManOfTheAtom on the prior message boards.]]

Solar Man of the Atom #3

Reality Check

As the issue opens we find Doctor Solar about to be run down by a car with three gang members inside.

Using his incredible powers Doctor Solar manages to fly out of the way of the car before firing a blast of multicolored lights at engine that disable the car.

A squad car drives by and stops not far from him Doctor Solar, using one hand, holds the car over his head and then throws it down on the floor next to the cops. He tells them that he saw the men inside the car shoot a pedestrian several blocks back.

Doctor Solar, in standard super hero fashion, hands the men over to the cops and makes his goodbyes, but then he’s stopped by the officers who want him to stay so he can answer some questions. One of the cops grabs Doctor Solar by the arm, which he doesn’t like so he raises his body temperature till he burns the cop’s hand so he’ll let him go.

Doctor Solar then takes to the sky and leaves the perplexed cops behind him. He goes back to Dwight (the kid from the previous issue) and his mom Tammy’shouse

Doctor Solar reveals that among the many things he can do he doesn’t require the need to sleep. He also explains that he’s a comic book character and that as such he can’t exist.

He goes on to explain who Phil Seleski is… or at least one of them…

Using his powers Doctor Solar creates holographic images showing Phil in his teens years reading a Doctor Solar comic book. He explains that Phil became so inspired by Doctor Solar that he decided to become a physicist just like him.

Years later he became the principal theorist behind the fusion reactor being built at the Edgewater Nuclear Facility.

And here’s where the tale becomes weird!

Shortly after the reactor went online something went wrong, it ran out of control. Doctor Solar explains how that event was disturbingly similar to his own origin, it was almost as Phil’s subconscious mind meant to recreate the event.

He goes on to explain that Phil managed to stop the event by sheer force of will, and how Seleski awoke in a hospital where he began to perceive energy of all types, not just the narrow light spectrum that ordinary people sense.

It was shortly after that, Doctor Solar says, that Phil began to discover that he could manipulate energy on a fantastic scale.

Doctor Solar tells them that at one point something happened, Phil got… high and mighty. He’s still not clear on that part but all he knows is that a catastrophe took place, a catastrophe that killed many people.

It was the guilt over the murder of those people that torn Seleski apart (at this point we're shown an image of Blackwell back in the abandoned factory where Doctor Solar first manifested. Outside of Doctor Solar's tale this is the only point in the first three issues where it's clarified that Blackwell/Sol and Phil Seleski are the same perso& but that still doest explain the Alpha & Omega chapters and how they relate to the other Phil Seleski, the one previously referred to as Brown).

Doctor Solar goes on to say that he thinks that his sole reason to exist was to destroy Phil Seleski (no, not Brown, the other one!)

Doctor Solar shows them holographic images of his battle with Blackwell/Seleski in the South Pole and of the giant explosion which he claims was too much of an effort on Seleski’s part and that it must have dissipated him.

Doctor Solar now has to ponder what to do with his existence now that his ‘mission’ has been accomplished. Where does he go from here? He tried to be a hero but things don’t work the same in the real world as they do in his world. He realizes that there’s no place for super heroes here, to which Dwight assures him that there is.

Tammy mentions that she recently saw an ad from an organization set up for people like Doctor Solar, people with strange powers and abilities called the Harbinger Foundation.

While Doctor Solar goes over the newspaper ad, Phil Seleski (Brown) is playing miniature golf with his psychiatrist. They are talking about what Phil saw in his apartment in the previous issue, Blackwell and Doctor Solar standing side by side next to the box filled with comics.

Phil is sure that it was real but John still doesn’t believe it. Phil shows him the note that Blackwell left on Phil’s dresser, which John points out it’s in Phil’s own handwriting.

John insists that Phil should try to relax but Phil decides to go back to work at the facility.

Back in Tammy’s house, Doctor Solar gets in touch with the Harbinger Foundation. To help verify his story he mentions the events that took place earlier with the men in the car and the police. This impress the operator he’s speaking with so much that she connects the call with a higher ranking member of the foundation, a woman called Miss Ando.

Doctor Solar sets up an appointment with the foundation for the next day. Tammy then attempts to seduce Doctor Solar by offering to teach him ‘things’.

This doesn't go well as Doctor Solar rejects Tammy, claiming that it's because he still has a lot to learn about being a normal man. In the comics he had to keep away from normal people as his body radiated lethal amounts of radiation (which he chalks up to bad writing since how can it be possible for a man that can control radiation to have a leak?).

Later that night, while alone in the den, Doctor Solar creates a light construct of Gail, his girlfriend from the comics. Dwight suddenly interrupts him, asking whom the image in front of him is of. Doctor Solar says it’s no one but Dwight recognizes her from an old Doctor Solar comic a friend of his lend him.

Dwight asks Doctor Solar if he’s thinking of making Gail real to what he replies that if he did then there would be two of them that didn’t belong in the real world. Dwight becomes concerned about what might happen to Doctor Solar so he asks him if he’s going away. Doctor Solar replies that he’s considered just dissipating, which makes Dwight sad.

The next day Doctor Solar flies to New York City, specifically to the Harbinger Foundation building. There he is met by Miss Ando, who quickly takes him to a conference room to meet with a Mr. Kuramoto.

In the conference room Mr. Kuramoto explains to Doctor Solar what the Harbinger Foundation does. The foundation was set up to help people who are different like Doctor Solar, people with powers and abilities. The foundation helps these people to achieve their maximum potential.

Doctor Solar goes on to give a small demonstration of his powers, using them to levitate a coffee pot in the air. Suddenly Doctor Solar becomes a bit apprehensive. He asks Kuramoto if people dressed like him visit the foundation often. Kuramoto replies not then asks Doctor Solar why he asked that.

Doctor Solar goes on to remark that no one has starred at him, laughed or made any jokes about his clothes, which he finds to be fascinating. Kuramoto goes on to explain that the foundation employees are respectful of others, then he invites Doctor Solar to visit the rest of the facility and meet the staff.

Doctor Solar declines, saying that he can see the entire building from where he is. Using his powers he makes the walls, ceiling and floor invisible to him, a sort of X-Ray vision. He discovers a room filled with video cameras and computers hidden behind one of the walls, which in reality is a one-way mirror.

Inside the room Miss Ando, who’s on the phone talking with someone, and a team of specialists take readings from Doctor Solar, cataloging him. Doctor Solar becomes infuriated and breaks the mirror. He walks inside the room and goes directly to a filling cabinet just as two members of the foundation staff walk inside the room.

Kuramoto pleads with Doctor Solar, but h⁥s not listening, he's looking through the disks inside the cabinet.

Miss Ando reports to the person at the other end of the line. She tells him that Doctor Solar is staring at one of the disks and that it’s possible that he might be using his powers to read it. She immediately orders a huge man dressed in black to destroy the disk, which he does.

Doctor Solar makes an analysis of the man’s power that then aggressively puts his hands on Doctor Solar’s shoulders, which annoy him. He warns the man to take his hands off him and when he doesn’t Doctor Solar uses his powers to push him across the room.

Miss Ando calls on a woman called Thumper to take care of Doctor Solar, which she does by punching him well across the room and in the process breaking a hole on his head, which begins to radiate multicolored lights.

Doctor Solar uses his powers to send Thumper across the room while his head regenerates.

Miss Ando keeps talking on the phone, reporting what’s going on, while the battle between Doctor Solar and Thumper continues.

Doctor Solar levitates an enraged Thumper in the air then asks Miss Ando to hand him the phone so he can talk with her boss. Doctor Solar then converts his body into light that then goes inside the phone and comes out at the other end, inside a private airplane.

There he meets Toyo Harada, founder of the Harbinger Foundation. After a small exchange of words Harada attacks Doctor Solar, claiming that he can read his mind, which is filled with caricatures and two-dimensional landscapes intertwined with reality. He also says that Doctor Solar believes he’s from the future (Alpha & Omega hint alert?)

Using his own vast powers Harada forces Doctor Solar’s body to lose cohesion, becoming a small ball of energy, which causes a fire in the airplane cabin. Harada goes on to explain how the explosion in the South Pole has caused the Earth’s environment to be affected, causing rain everywhere.

Harada, however, quickly loses control and Doctor Solar recovers. As Doctor Solar is about to confront Harada the fire inside the plane takes over, filling the pilot’s cabin with smoke and causing the plane to crash, leaving Doctor Solar as the only survivor.

As Doctor Solar flies away from the crash site a lone figure dressed in blue comes out from behind a mountaintop and follows him… it is Blackwell/Sol/Seleski, who somehow survived the explosion!

Seleski follows Doctor Solar unnoticed, planning to kill him… but then he decides not to, afraid that no matter what Doctor Solar will win since he’s the hero. He wonders what villains like Doom, Vader and Nuro would do (hey, if he had only waited a few years he could have asked Doom himself! Or Baron Zemo, lol)

Doctor Solar returns to Tammy’s house. He tells her that he’s found that there is a need for a hero in this world and that since he’s going to be sticking around he was wondering if she’d still be willing to teach him ‘things’ since he has a lot to learn about the real world.

Meanwhile Blackwell walks into a bar where he sees Erica Pierce drinking alone. He thinks of how he’s going to use her in his plan to destroy Doctor Solar and stop Phil Seleski from destroying the world…, which makes him loathe himself.

He begins to talk with Pierce, flattering her about her work. He asks to take her somewhere else to talk and she agrees to go with him…

Alpha & Omega

Chapter Three

A group of HAZMAT workers arrive at the core of the Edgewater facility where they find Phil’s charbroiled body inside the reactor. They slowly take him outside, where other HAZMAT workers are checking out the local populace.

Suddenly Phil’s ‘dead’ body becomes really heavy, forcing the workers to drop him on the floor. Outside the radiation meters suddenly go from red hot to zero, as if the radiation had suddenly vanished.

Some time later Doctor Dobson makes is way inside a quarantine room where Phil is being looked after by Jorge, one of the facilities many assistants.

Dobson explains to Phil, whose entire body is wrapped in bandages, that they needed to use a forklift to carry him into the room since his body has become extremely heavy (this same scene, at least a panel from it, was shown in Solar # 3 when Doctor Solar was telling his story to Tammy and Dwight).

Suddenly Phil’s eyes begin to glow, something that isn’t missed by Dobson. Jorge tells him that he’s detecting something in his spectra-analyzer but he can’t pinpoint what it is. Before he can do any more the readings vanish.

To Dobson’s and Jorge’s amazement Phil gets up from the floor and begins to take off the bandages around his head, much to Dobson’s and Jorge’s warnings that he don’t as his entire skin has been burned…

…but much to both men’s surprise as Phil takes off the bandages around his head it turns out that his injuries have vanished and he’s completely healed!

[greg]

[[Originally posted by ManOfTheAtom on the prior message boards.]]

Solar Man of the Atom #4

…All For One

As the issue opens we find Doctor Solar and Dwight playing outside his house, with Doctor Solar using his powers to make Dwight actually fly.

The two of them go back inside where Doctor Solar and Tammy, Dwight’s mother hug each other as he lifts both of them off the floor.

Suddenly the door opens and Earl, Tammy’s boyfriend, walks inside, catching the two of them together!

Enraged, Earl storms out with Tammy going after him. She catches up to him but he’s not interested in what she has to say, accusing her of ruining their relationship.

Ashamed, Tammy runs back inside, passing by Doctor Solar with Dwight running behind her.

Elsewhere Blackwell/Phil is in a hotel room with Erica Pierce, who’s just waking up from a hangover while he’s creating a holographic image of Doctor Solar with his powers.

Blackwell gets rid of the light show before Erica can focus her eyes on it. She comes to the realization that she must have slept with Blackwell but he quickly reassures her that no such thing happened, that she just passed out and he got the motel room for her so she wouldn’t get into an accident.

Groggy, Erica makes her way to the bathroom while Blackwell tries to push her to talk about her work. Before he can get any far she stops him, telling him that it’s clear that he’s trying to use her for something, so she asks him not to ‘rub her nose in patronizing crap’.

Blackwell quickly exists the motel, beating himself up for making a lousy villain, worried that he might have to kill someone today and longing for someone to talk to…

Meanwhile, at the Edgewater Facility, Phil Seleski and the rest of his team go over their preparations to activate Phil’s reactor.

Things go smoothly and the reactor quickly goes online. Dobson invites Gayle, Phil, Erica and the others to celebrate but Phil decides to stay and look after the reactor while the others go out to celebrate.

At John Veerhusen’s office Doctor Solar makes a surprise entrance in a wave of multicolored lights that spook Veerhusen, Phil’s psychiatrist.
Doctor Solar is about to talk with John about some doubts he’s having about himself when suddenly Blackwell/ Phil steps into the office right behind John’s secretary.

Seeing Blackwell standing in front of him sends Doctor Solar into frenzy and a battle ensues.

Blackwell pleads with Doctor Solar but he’s not listening. While the two of them struggle Blackwell introduces himself to John, saying that he’s the Phil Seleski from another world, from a future. John believes him since Phil has told him about Blackwell before and how he likes to borrow his clothes a lot.

Doctor Solar becomes enraged and calls Blackwell a liar and a murdered, then, using his powers, he takes off into the air holding Blackwell in his arms and leaving a multicolored explosion behind them.

The two separate in mid air. Blackwell turns his attention towards John’s office and he begs him to go stop Phil and tell him to shut down the reactor or what he did to his world will happen here when suddenly he’s hit on the head by Doctor Solar, a punch that sends him all the way to another state!

John believes him since Phil has told him about Blackwell before and how he likes to borrow his clothes a lot.

Doctor Solar becomes enraged and calls Blackwell a liar and a murdered, then, using his powers, he takes off into the air holding Blackwell in his arms and leaving a multicolored explosion behind them.

The two separate in mid air. Blackwell turns his attention towards John’s office and he begs him to go stop Phil and tell him to shut down the reactor or what he did to his world will happen here when suddenly he’s hit on the head by Doctor Solar, a punch that sends him all the way to another state!

Blackwell fakes being more hurt than he really is, trying to get Doctor Solar into a false sense of security. When Doctor Solar comes closer to him Blackwell fires a multicolored energy beam at him that slices Doctor Solar into three, but that doesn’t stop him. Doctor Solar, all three pieces of him, use their control of gravity against Blackwell and send him against a tree in a bayou somewhere (New Orleans maybe?). The tree falls to the ground and Blackwell uses it as a shield, but it’s not enough.

Doctor Solar delivers a bow that sends Blackwell flying through the air again. Doctor Solar catches up to him and punches him relentlessly till the two of them fall down into the ocean next to a navy vessel. The two of them fall into the depth of the ocean while Blackwell goes over Doctor Solar’s accusations of him. He realizes that he is a murderer and a super villain while Doctor Solar is his childhood hero whom he brought to life and is now trying to destroy him. Finally Blackwell realizes that the only way to put an end to his evil is by stopping the man he used to be from retracing his steps, something that’s well over Doctor Solar’s head.

Back at the Edgewater Facility Doctor Pierce convinces Phil to go home. As he’s leaving he’s informed by one of the other scientists that he got a call from John. Phil dismisses and remarks that it can wait till tomorrow and goes home. Not far from there, at a bar, Dobson and the other scientists make a toast in Phil’s honor. One of the scientists asks Gayle if she has any feelings for Phil.

She says she admires him but that for her he seems to be too driven to have a relationship and isn’t too interested in being human. Dobson then pays the bill and leaves. He drives by John’s office, which has been cordoned off by the cops. John recognizes Dobson and runs to talk to him. John pleads with Dobson to shut down the reactor but Dobson dismisses him, claiming that precautions have been considered but it wouldn’t hurt to check again.

Dobson drives away and John tries to chase him but collapses on the street. Meanwhile, in a beach somewhere, the battle between Blackwell and Doctor Solar continues. Blackwell suddenly decides to take someone hostage in an effort to stop Doctor Solar long enough for him to escape.

John believes him since Phil has told him about Blackwell before and how he likes to borrow his clothes a lot.

Doctor Solar becomes enraged and calls Blackwell a liar and a murdered, then, using his powers, he takes off into the air holding Blackwell in his arms and leaving a multicolored explosion behind them.

The two separate in mid air. Blackwell turns his attention towards John’s office and he begs him to go stop Phil and tell him to shut down the reactor or what he did to his world will happen here when suddenly he’s hit on the head by Doctor Solar, a punch that sends him all the way to another state!

Blackwell fakes being more hurt than he really is, trying to get Doctor Solar into a false sense of security. When Doctor Solar comes closer to him Blackwell fires a multicolored energy beam at him that slices Doctor Solar into three, but that doesn’t stop him. Doctor Solar, all three pieces of him, use their control of gravity against Blackwell and send him against a tree in a bayou somewhere (New Orleans maybe?). The tree falls to the ground and Blackwell uses it as a shield, but it’s not enough.

Doctor Solar delivers a bow that sends Blackwell flying through the air again. Doctor Solar catches up to him and punches him relentlessly till the two of them fall down into the ocean next to a navy vessel. The two of them fall into the depth of the ocean while Blackwell goes over Doctor Solar’s accusations of him. He realizes that he is a murderer and a super villain while Doctor Solar is his childhood hero whom he brought to life and is now trying to destroy him. Finally Blackwell realizes that the only way to put an end to his evil is by stopping the man he used to be from retracing his steps, something that’s well over Doctor Solar’s head.

Back at the Edgewater Facility Doctor Pierce convinces Phil to go home. As he’s leaving he’s informed by one of the other scientists that he got a call from John. Phil dismisses and remarks that it can wait till tomorrow and goes home. Not far from there, at a bar, Dobson and the other scientists make a toast in Phil’s honor. One of the scientists asks Gayle if she has any feelings for Phil.

She says she admires him but that for her he seems to be too driven to have a relationship and isn’t too interested in being human. Dobson then pays the bill and leaves. He drives by John’s office, which has been cordoned off by the cops. John recognizes Dobson and runs to talk to him. John pleads with Dobson to shut down the reactor but Dobson dismisses him, claiming that precautions have been considered but it wouldn’t hurt to check again.

Dobson drives away and John tries to chase him but collapses on the street. Meanwhile, in a beach somewhere, the battle between Blackwell and Doctor Solar continues. Blackwell suddenly decides to take someone hostage in an effort to stop Doctor Solar long enough for him to escape.

Dobson drives away and John tries to chase him but collapses on the street. Meanwhile, in a beach somewhere, the battle between Blackwell and Doctor Solar continues. Blackwell suddenly decides to take someone hostage in an effort to stop Doctor Solar long enough for him to escape.

Blackwell transports himself to a room in a close-by hotel and grabs a woman hostage. Doctor Solar follows him and fires a shot of multicolored energy at him after telling him not to hurt the hostage. The blast bounces off a mirror behind Blackwell but he had noticed it when he went inside the room so was able to deflect the blast. Blackwell makes a quick getaway, making a hole on the ceiling. Doctor Solar quickly goes after him.

As the two men hover over the horizon they see a giant explosion not far from them; it’s the Edgewater reactor, the tragedy is happening again! Doctor Solar flies towards the facility, followed by Blackwell. Blackwell goes directly to Phil’s home and sees him do the same things he did, get out of the house and hop on his jeep.

Blackwell beams himself inside the reactor where he finds Doctor Solar kneeled next to it. Blackwell slowly makes his way towards Doctor Solar, who notices Blackwell hovering over him so he fires an energy blast at him

Another battle takes place, with Doctor Solar firing all he’s got at Blackwell. Blackwell doesn’t stop and quickly makes his way towards Doctor Solar, ramming his fist into his chest and knocking him out. Blackwell carries Doctor Solar next to the heart of the reactor and drops him on the floor next to it. He tells him that he’d like to talk with him.

Phil arrives at the control center where he sees all his frantic co-workers and peers running around like chickens with no heads, confused as to what’s going on. Doctor Dobson tells him that they’ve tried everything short of banging on the accelerators with a wrench to stop what’s going on but nothing has worked. Phil looks on at a nervous Gayle while being lectured by Erica. Down below Blackwell and Doctor Solar talk. Blackwell explains how events are playing out the same way they did on his world and that Phil will be down shortly.

He explains that Doctor Solar is the part of him that wants to fix things and help everyone, but he also points out that that doesn’t work, that Doctor Solar is also the part of him that caused the accident in the first place. Before he can say more Doctor Solar swats him with the back of his hand and throws him back. Doctor Solar then lunges against Blackwell and grabs him by the arms and then the neck. As they wrestle Doctor Solar again accuses Blackwell of being a villain, to what Blackwell retorts that he thought like that before but what actually happened was that when Doctor Solar first manifested Blackwell became colder, darker and more cynical. Doctor Solar takes Blackwell’s words as an attempt to confuse him so he pushes him inside the reactor but falls in along with him.

Inside the reactor Blackwell tells Doctor Solar that he has a plan on how to stop the explosion. Doctor Solar suggests that maybe they should merge, but Blackwell tells him that that would only turn them into the man they used to be before, full of flaws and failings, but perhaps a little wiser. Meanwhile Phil runs down the stairs towards the main reactor. A tech worker tries to stop him but another says to let him go since he’s the one responsible for the creation of this place, which makes him responsible for the impending meltdown. Phil decides to put on a radiation suit as his feet have almost completely burned down. Unbeknownst to him someone else is down there, hidden inside a radiation suit (who?!?). Phil makes his way deeper into the reactor till he makes it to the core.

He makes his way down to the floor and tries to turn the reactor off but it doesn’t budge. Inside the reactor Blackwell and Doctor Solar merge, once again becoming one. Outside Phil realizes that something is broken inside so, in a fit of fury he decides to jump inside the reactor. As he’s about to do so Blackwell, his body glowing brightly, comes out from the reactor and stops Phil.

Phil asks Blackwell who is he. Blackwell replies by giving him a brief summary of his life, he tells him that the reactor he created is not just that, but it's a wish machine. Built with good science, but still a machine that scratches the surface of reality. He tells him that the reactor is going critical because he wishes it to on a subconscious level and only he can stop it. Before he does he's going to hurl himself into the reactor fire and become transforme⁤& into him. Blackwell tells him that he already experienced this before and that it's not how he thinks it is, that it'll be a catastrophe. He knows he can't convince Phil not to go through with it and he doesn't want to kill him, so he offers him a deal. Phil wants power, knowledge and the tools of God at his fingertips. Blackwell wants another chance to be human. He offers Phil the chance to meet both their needs at the middle. H⁥ll have the power he desires with Blackwell's experiences and Blackwell will have his life back, and another chance with Gayle.

Blackwell warns Phil that the merge they are about to go through will be painful, it will burn his flesh. Phil doesn’t back down, he agrees to go through with it. In a flash of light Blackwell and Phil’s bodies merge into one. Phil stands next to the reactor, which is about to go critical, and simply wishes it that it would stop… which it does!

Suddenly a HAZMAT teams burst into the room and see Phil standing there, his radiation suit ripped to shreds. They ask him what happened and he says that he doesn’t know, that maybe the scram systems kicked in. One of the HAZMAT people says that there’s no radiation to which Phil thinks that that’s because he absorbed it. A second HAZMAT man says that it’s impossible for Phil to still be alive, to what Phil agrees, adding that science barely scratches the surface of reality. Two other HAZMAT men discover Doctor Pierce buried under some rubble left over from the explosion. Her presence there amazes Phil, as well as worries him. He wonders how much she saw of what took place. Sometime later Phil’s paid a visit to his home by John, who’s recovering from a near-heart attack. John mentions that Phil spent some time in a hospital and he’s glad they finally let him out.

Phil says that they wanted to keep him on observation to make sure he was absolutely normal, to which John remarks that he was able to fool them. John tells him that he thinks they should have a long talk about what Phil is now and what he’s planning. Phil says that John sounds concern to what John says that he is simply because he lives on this planet. Phil explains that he’s no longer a Godlike being torn between being aloof and interfering too much, nor is he just plain old Phil. John asks him what he did with the red suit. Phil waves his hand in the air and the suit appears in front of him. He says that he hasn’t decided what to do with it, but he’ll keep it in case he ever needs it. He excuses himself to make a phone call to Tammy but when Earl picks up the phone he simply wishes him a goodnight and hangs up. Next Phil and John have a long talk…

Phil waves his hand in the air and the suit appears in front of him. He says that he hasn’t decided what to do with it, but he’ll keep it in case he ever needs it. He excuses himself to make a phone call to Tammy but when Earl picks up the phone he simply wishes him a goodnight and hangs up. Next Phil and John have a long talk…

Alpha & Omega

Chapter Four

Doctors Dobson and Pierce, along with Jorge the technician, are in a laboratory running tests on Phil, whose entire body is completely healed, not one mark. Phil has electrodes attached to his chest and abdomen, which are hooked up to a monitor station overseen by Jorge. Phil is an anxious and tired. Dobson tells him that a few more tests and they’ll be done. Jorge prepares the test, which reads what happens when Phil tries to influence his own radiation. Phil is reluctant to do it as he’s done it many times before., he’d rather be out celebrating being alive. Dobson tells him that he should be a puff of ionized vapor and he’d like to find an explanation for why that’s not the case before his testimony to the N.R.C.. Phil turns his attention to Pierce and asks her if she’d like to see something.

Phil points his finger at his nose, which is glowing brightly. Pierce finds it ridiculous, while Dobson and Jorge are caught by surprise. Dobson asks Jorge if he got a reading from that but he says that it happened too fast. Dobson asks Phil to do it again but he refuses and instead he makes his nipples glow. Phil challenges Pierce’s remark that the nose glowing was the dumbest thing she’s ever seen but that this is. Angry, Pierce leaves, pointing out that her five year old behaves better than Phil. Sometime later Phil is alone in a room, putting together a "pillow person" using various cushions from the couch. He calls her Mr. Lumpfluff and starts to talk to "her". He tells her that he’s no longer the man he used to be, a fact the others haven’t figured out how it happened but he has.

He goes on to say that the others are still wondering how the reactor shut down. He say that he did it, he just wished it… no, willed it away. He points out that they have no idea of what he’s become. Suddenly Erica walks into the room, she has some documents that require Phil’s signature. He gestures to put on a pair of glasses but Erica stops him, saying that he doesn’t need to bother with the Clark Kent bit (another comic book character!), that she knows he doesn’t need them anymore. He asks him to sign the papers at the bottom and then she’ll leave him alone. Phil asks her not to leave him alone, that it gets lonely being alone in there, it can drive one crazy… his attention quickly falling on Mrs. Lumpfluff. Erica says that the N.R.C. people will be back soon and they are trying to keep him out of it as much as possible and again asks him to sign the papers.

Phil signs the papers and hands them over to her, saying that it was crazy of him to expect her to want to hang out there, that she’s probably anxious to get home to her husband and kid. He says that she has a life, unlike him as he was worried trying to pick God’s toolbox. Erica tells him that his relationship with Mrs. Lumpfluff constitutes a fuller life than hers, then she goes. Sometime later Phil is back being experimented on by Dobson and Jorge, this time an experiment in which they try to measure how much radiation Phil can generate inside a room through an isolation door. Phil asks how much they want him to affect the sensors in the room to what Dobson replies that as much as he can.

Phil stares into the room and, with a sarcastic tone, his eyes begin to glow in multicolored lights and suddenly the room before him is filled with so much radiation that it explodes, causing the walls to shatter and fall on the ground in a dozen pieces. The effort causes Phil’s robe to incinerate and turn to ash.

Phil, again in a sarcastic tone, asks if that much was enough. Dobson’s *SQUEE* at Phil and starts to insult him saying how reckless, juvenile and a wasteful display what he just did was. Phil is about to say something when he’s interrupted by Erica, who tells Dobson that they got what they deserved, they were asking for it. Dobson reluctantly agrees and asks Phil to take it easy the next time. Jokingly Phil tries to de-frizz Dobson’s hair, which is going up on its head thanks to an influx of static electricity in the air.

[myron]

bumpalooza

[myron]

Writer: Jim Shooter
Pencils: Paul Creddick (is this a shooter name?)
Inks: Bob Layton
Color: Janet Jackson
Letters: Jade Moede
Editor: Don Perlin

Goph Rules Invasion part 1

We find Magnus on the goph levels at Oinker's Eats and Slosh.

His Account Card has been denied and he has no money. The bartender notices that his tunic is made of Durium and has the Bouncer Robs try to get it from Magnus. Magnus destroys a couple but is hit from behind by BD-8, a local freewill...

cut to Ottawas Sector, Triumph Milespire: The Japan Embassador(Tsuda) is looking for Magnus...only to be informed of Magnus being an outlaw and of the "problem" of the freewill robots. Tsuda tells Nugent what a great service Magnus has done for the people and how he hopes magnus will do the same for Japanese people.

back to goph level: Once people recognize Magnus the fighting stops. Magnus meets Felina the dancer and goes with her.

to President Clanes office: Clane demands that all freewills be exterminated and he is informed that it will be months before everything gets back to normal. Clane rants on about Magnus being "criminaly insane" and tells Mimsy to find another robot fighter amongst the gophs

Felina's room in Oinkers: Felina is awoke by BD-8(Toony) who warns her what will happen if her boyfriend returns with Magnus there. Felina leaves telling Magnus that she will be back. BD-8 warns Magnus of her boyfriend. Mimsy appears on the goph levels looking for "Slagger--Tark Mulko". Magnus hunts for a job when he notices an aircar out of control...he catches the car and fixes it for the people. Tsuda and Nugent are also searching the goph levels for Magnus. Back at Oinkers, Magnus pays the bartender for the previous night and is attacked by Slagger. A brief fight ensues and Slagger gets knocked down, Felina steps in to stop the fight and tell Slagger she cares for him. Magnus and Slagger talk when Mimsy shows up. She offers Slagger a job which he refuses and then she tries to place Magnus under arrest. Slagger says he wants to have a drink with Magnus so all of the gophs accept him as one of there own...Tsuda shows up and offers Magnus a job...but first he and Slagger need some swill...

[myron]

Writer: Jim Shooter
Pencils: Paul Creddick (is this a shooter name? see magnusr's reply below)
Inks: Bob Layton
Color: Janet Jackson
Letters: Jade Moede
Editor: Don Perlin

Spirit against the Flesh Invasion Part 2

Open with Rai overlooking Japan and the Sunrise, talking with Grandmother--the computer that oversees Japan and her people.

Rai complains lightly that he wants to sleep in and fish and that the new Rai should take over.

An emergency! Grandmother calls Rai to an area to fight a rogue vi-rob. He gets there via ducts and Nueral Nets and starts to fight hand to hand. He forms an energy staff and destroys the rest of the robs.

Cut to Okazaki island. Torhu and Kazuyo are talking...him about fishing with the babe Takashi, her about how evil grandmother is...soon they are sleeping and grandmother calls Tohru to her...

Rai is injured...we learn he is Tohru's father and that Tohru is destined to be the next Rai...as it has been for a thousand years. Grandmother shows Tohru that the anti-grannies have enlisted Magnus to come and kill her...he takes on the abilities of Rai.

Rai Tohru returns to the island to get Takashi. Kazuyo attacks him as he takes the babe and we learn that she was/is an anti-granny. Rai gives the babe Takashi to Grandmother and he observes the sunrise over Japan...

[ManofTheAtom]

Pencils: Paul Creddick (is this a shooter name?)

Yep.

[myron]

Writer: Jim Shooter
Pencils: David Lapham
Inks: Bolinger with Holdredge
Colors: Knob Row
Letterer: Joyce
Editor: Janet Jackson

Invasion Part 3: Just Say Noh!

Civic Center Skyport, North Am.: Magnus and Tsuda are attacked! Magnus pushes Tsuda out of the way and disables the ninjatron with little effort. He is pleased that she is not destroyed. They board Tsuda's sky pontoon and head to Japan. Magnus explains that he can harden his skin...that is why he can rip apart metal. Tsuda begins to explain that Japan is having problems with a robot...Magnus gets his first glimpse of Japan and is impressed.

They land on Shichito Island, which Tsuda says is the home of the "legitamate" government headquarters. Magnus visits a doctor where his scars are heald and his hair regrown...some Japanese women comment on magnus' appearence.

The next day Magnus is told how Japan came to be the way it is...and how Grandmother and Rai run things. They ask Magnus to destroy Grandmother. Magnus says NO and gives them advice...he tells them to move!

During the night, Magnus gets a visitor...Solar! Magnus can't believe it, Solar hasn't been seen in a thousand years. Solar explains how he is having problems concentrating and holding form. He also tells Magnus that an alien fleet is on its way and that no harm must come to Grandmother. That she is the Earths only hope.

Magnus decides to explore the night. He finds Tsuda and some others meeting with a cloaked stranger with a strange device...and overhears that they are planning on destroying Grandmother.

Cut to 1-A: He is entering Japan, and seems to know Grandmother (Kimi) quite well. She shows him the youngest Rai...and explains that Magnus is there to kill her.

Back to Magnus: He enters the room where Tsuda and the others are meeting and show that the stranger is an alien! Everyone tries to kill Magnus! Magnus destroys all comers, but not before Tsuda escapes with the aliens device. Tsuda crashes his aircar into Japan...and the device enters.

Grandmother and 1-A think that Magnus is going to attack her...Magnus dones a jet pack...with thoughts of being her savior...

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Yes, Paul Creddick is a Shooter alias.

[magnusr]

Pencils: Paul Creddick (is this a shooter name?)

Yes, taken from his brother in law.

Spirit against the Flesh Invasion Part 2

But more importantly he did not pencil this story. By mistake the same credits were put on both stories in this comic. It is really David Lapham.

/Magnus

PS, great summaries of the comics. Thanks.

[myron]

Pencils: Paul Creddick (is this a shooter name?)

Yes, taken from his brother in law.

Spirit against the Flesh Invasion Part 2

But more importantly he did not pencil this story. By mistake the same credits were put on both stories in this comic. It is really David Lapham.

/Magnus

PS, great summaries of the comics. Thanks.

interesting info ...and thanks!

[myron]

Killing Stroke
Invasion part 4

Writer: Jim Shooter
Pencils: David Lapham
Inks: Kathryn Bolinger
colors: Jade
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Don Perlin

Japan, March 16, 4001...

Grandmother is taking physical form...she tells Rai she wants to hold him and take a walk...she is crushing him.

Rai senses something is wrong and destroys the giant grandmother...he contemplates what is wrong with grandmothers brain...

Rai commandeers a vehicle to get to grandmothers head and see what is going on. All the while he is in communication with grandmother...she seems to be having some sort of demensia and Rai wants to know what is wrong.

In the headlands, Rai is attacked as a trespasser. Grandmother then shows him pictures of Takashi...saying that they are actually him at a young age. He explains this to her and asks her to find Takashi...she cannot.

Rai enters the brain complex...and sees a huge tumor growing on grandmothers brain. She keeps insisting that she feels fine...he knows better.

Rai sees the discarded shell of the alien technology that made grandmother sick and realizes that while the anti-grannies inflicted the harm, they needed help doing it.

He tells grandmother that he is going to remove the tumor...she attacks!, sending robot after robot to attack Rai. Rai destroys them all...all but one. The last one to appear, Rai cuts of her arm...and realizes that it is the true embodiment of grandmother...without the demensia. They speak and Rai heads to the brain to cut out the tumor.

At the brain, Rai forms his Katana...and with Grandmother begging him to take Takashi and leave...he states that he will fight to the end...Rai slices the cancer from the brain...there is a large release of energy...and all is dark. Grandmother is no more, Takashi is gone and Japan is dark.

Send in the alien fleet...

[myron]

The Ballad of East and West: Invasion part 5

Writer(s): Jim Shooter and Laura Hitchcock
Pencils: Mark Moretti
inks: Ernie Colon
Colors: Knob Row
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Janet Jackson

The Headlands of Japan, March 26, 4001

Japan is in rough shape. Magnus is helping people with the wreakage, removing rubble and directing people around. All of the people are wondering what is wrong with Grandmother. Magnus informs them that she is ill and that he must get to her brain or the 50 billion people of Japan will die. A young boy explains to Magnus how to get to the brain.

When Magnus gets to the brain, it is dark..."From Chaos to Deadly Darkness". He finds Rai...crying in the dark that all is lost...Rai notices Magnus and draws his Katana...he fears Magnus has caused the disaster and is there to make sure that Grandmother is dead. Magnus explains otherwise and tells Rai to look for a fight elsewhere.

Magnus finds what is left of the alien device that hurt Grandmother. He asks Rai to explain what has happened. Rai tells Magnus of the technotumor and that with Grandmother dead, all the people of Japan will also die. Magnus explains that aliens are responsible and that they are poised to attack the Earth. Grandmother was the only thing that was holding them back. With her gone, the invasion begins. Rai decides to leave to find Takashi. Magnus gives him his flight pack, since the neural pathways are down and decides that he needs to look around the brain a little, since he knows something about robots.

Rai takes off as 1-A enters the brain. He blames Magnus for the problems and goes into a tirade about how Magnus should know better and that he was raised better...the entire while Magnus is examining Grandmothers brain in the last robot that she inhabited. After some poking around, Magnus explains that there is much damage and that they need an independant power supply to boot Grandmother back up. 1-A volunteers himself for the power supply...telling Magnus that he loved his "kimi" and that it was something he had to do.

After some fiddling around there is a large discharge of energy...1-A and Grandmother are merged into one! Japan comes back to life and it's people are saved! Grandmother and 1-A now look to the attacking aliens...there are millions in the fleet. Meanwhile, Rai has made it to an industrial zone that is running amuck...and for some reason he cannot contact Grandmother. Magnus tells Grandmother/1-A that the Earth needs their protection. Grandmother /1-A explains that when her robot arm was cut off, she lost control of the analagous region of Japan...the industrial zone where Rai is...and unless it is released (amputated) from the rest of Japan they cannot take battle form. They give Magnus a Key to release the defunct region and magnus heads off to the arm area.

Once there, Magnus is set to release the limb...and is attacked by Rai! Magnus tells Rai that Grandmother lives, but Rai doesn't care...he is on a mission to save his son who he believes is trapped in the malfunctioning zone. Rai asks Magnus for 10 minutes, Magnus tells him the limb must be released now...there is no time. Rai attacks Magnus again and breaks the key that Grandmother gave him...after throwing Magnus through a wall. Rai flys off to find Takashi, who we see surrounded by flames in the malfunctioning zone, as an angry Magnus gets up from where Rai left him...

[myron]

bumpski

for the heck of it