Year in Review

Year in Review for 2000

Hard to believe that a year has passed since I put up last year's awards page. Time does truly fly. For us, the last year has been one of change. Muskateer got married and started a new job. While I haven't done anything as drastic as that, I have had four different jobs in the last year which entails quite a bit of change.

I should probably explain that a little better. You see, I was working in a shop as an electrician when we started the site. My last few years were ones with more than a few temporary layoffs. I'd work a couple of months, collect unemployment for a couple of months. I wrote a lot of files because I had the time to write a lot of files. There was a point where I was as many as five files ahead of what was on the website! That backlog has long since disappeared and files are now pretty much finished right before they get uploaded.

There came a point when I didn't get called back to my job and had to find employment elsewhere. That led to my first two jobs, both of which were temporary anyway. I started the 3rd around March and left that one in late August for the fourth and more money. That's where I am right now, working all kinds of hours which has cut significantly into devoting time to the website. Let's face it, after 10-12 hours at work, creative writing is about the last thing you want to do.

Overall, I think we had a good year on the site. Sure, there could have been more files written, more pictures drawn, and so on. Unfortunately, life and the desire to do other things get in the way. We'll see what happens next year.

We added a message board this year based on the responses we got from last year's awards. While it hasn't seen as many posts as we might have liked, it has picked up in the tail end of the year. Feel free to post or ask something. We don't bite!

Easily, the most surprising point in the year came a few days after last year's winners were posted. I received an E-mail from none other than Scorpia herself! (Rather someone with that E-mail address.) You have no idea how surprising it was to find a letter from Scorpia in my mail box! I'm just glad she won. I would have hated to see what I would've got had she lost!

Anyway, enough about us. Below you'll find our review of files from last year. Work on this review was started last June with files from that point on added as they were written. In short, it wasn't written in the order that you're going to read it. Enjoy!

File Review:

Overview:

The Avengers are the premiere hero team in our universe. The team's regular membership includes: Black Diamond, Muskateer, Firestar, Enchantress, Supreme, Lightburst, Nightingale, Texas Ranger, Huntress, & the Thing.

Issue #25 "Ravaged"

Plot: The Ravager comes to New York City, destroying everything in his path.

Villain: Ravager

Guest Stars: Guardian Angel & the Wildcards - Sword of Justice, Silver Spectre, Major America, Psi-Queen, and Jet.

Notes: This file is our largest issue to date, clocking in at a whooping 74K in size. The idea for this issue was massive fight, one mother of a blowout. Bodies flying, things getting torn up, and lots of destruction. I think we accomplished that in spades. Believe it or not, we only wrote about 60% of what was originally envisioned for the issue. The remainder we're saving for the Ravager's return engagement!

Issue #26 "Darkness Falls"

Plot: The heroes clean up after the battle with the Ravager, while the forces of evil plot their diabolical plans.

Villain: Lady Darkness, Lord Evil, Vilsimbra, Ravager, Crystal, Ghost Fire, Dreadknight, Lady Zee, Lord Shadow, Gratz & the Vampire Police.

Guest Stars: Guest Stars: Guardian Angel, Silver Avenger Jake Koweleski, Jack O' Lantern, Photon, and Yu.

Notes: This was definitely a catching your breath issue after the mayhem with the Ravager. It was also time to re-introduce some of those villains that you might have forgotten about. This issue goes a long way to explain just what's up with Lady Darkness & the Crystal. Can anyone guess on which world Captain Valor is now? The epilogue with Yu, the spitball from hell, was originally written for Avengers #25, but got put into this issue when we decided to not do the complete Ravager plot.

Issue #27 "The Vampire Hunters"

Plot: The Avengers and Photon track the vampires.

Villain: Lady Darkness, Lord Evil, and the Vampiric Police.

Guest Stars: Photon, Guardian Angel, and Jack O'Lantern.

Notes: Events in this issue of the Avengers were originally slated to occur in the Huntress series, but were moved over here. I pretty much decided that during the conversation between Helena, Felina, Lydia, & Megan at the end of Huntress #20. Sometimes we have to listen to the characters as they're thinking clearer than we are. Plus, I needed to move some stuff out of Huntress to make the events of issue #25 work out anyway. The tale of the vampires was one that we were always going to do, but I never really gave it much thought just how this was all going to be resolved. Not until I sat down and started to write this issue.

Issue #28 "Out For Blood"

Plot: The Avengers take on Gratz and his vampires while the Crystal and his minions assault Lady Darkness and her mind controlled thralls.

Villain: Gratz, the Vampire Police, Crystal, Ghostfire, Dreadknight, Lord Shadow, Lady Zee, Lady Darkness, Vilsimbra, Blaise Morgan, Power Crusher, Deathsinger, Mechassassin, Sparkler.

Guest Stars: Photon, Jack O'Lantern

Notes: Okay, I lied in the previous issue notes. I never really figured out exactly how all of this was going to be resolved until doing this issue. This was a 'File from Hell' type of issue. Don't get me wrong, I think it turned out very well, it was just very hard to write. Probably spent something like a month on this issue alone. Realizing that the stuff with the vampires probably wouldn't fill an issue, I ended up looking for something else to add. (I can hear Bruce saying 'Add Jeeves background!' right about now. Maybe next time.) Since the conflict between Lady Darkness and the Crystal was already in place, this seemed like a good spot to bring it to a head. The title is one of our favorite type of issue titles-- one with a dual meaning. On the one hand you've got bloodthirsty vampires and the Crystal trying to assassinate Lady Darkness. In both cases, they're "Out For Blood".

Overview:

This series focuses on a young heroine trying to make her way in the world of super-powered folk as a 3rd generation hero. In addition to the Huntress, her mother, Felina, is a series regular.

Issue #21 "Showdown on Sanctuary"

Plot: The Huntress is tested on Sanctuary.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Night Owl, Willow Witch, Tigress, Archangel, Texas Ranger, Muskateer, the Enchantress, & Photon.

Notes: This one was primarily an issue where obligations were met. The Huntress' recent activities in other files were covered and the plot with the vampires was advanced. I thought the mock-combats with Archangel and Tigress captured all of their personalities quite well.

Issue #22 "Through the Eyes of the Cat"

Plot: Felina narrates her trials on Sanctuary and reveals a few secrets.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Night Owl, Willow Witch, Muskateer, Enchantress, Texas Ranger, Archangel, and Tigress.

Notes: This was the issue narrated by Felina. I ended up settling on that format as there were several important plot points concerning Felina that had to be introduced for later use. Loved how Felina's trials turned out since she avoids violence. Nice interplay between her and the Tigress. I thought the ending was very powerful.

Issue #23 "From Russia... With Love"

Plot: The Huntress encounters a new villain and holds the pool party.

Villain: Red Fly

Guest Stars: Night Owl, Willow Witch, Muskateer, Enchantress, Texas Ranger, Kor Hunter, Terra Fire, Firestar, Scarlet Sabre, Black Diamond, Supreme, Thing, and Nightingale.

Notes: Now that our characters are starting to get established, we're beginning to work on assembling Rogue Galleries for them. The Red Fly is just such a new addition who should annoy the Huntress in the files to come. He wasn't part of the plot line from the beginning, but with the lack of action in the previous issues, I thought the Huntress needed to see some excitement. We got to see the Pool Party from the Huntress' point of view and this was the third time we've shown the party. We learned a little bit more about Kor too. We're curious as to how many people figured out what the Red Fly was saying to the Huntress as well.

Overview:

Lost Heroes focuses on a future version of Muskateer and the horrible events that have forever changed his life. Molly "Starshine" Berkowitz and Sandra "Ladybug" Anderson are regular characters.

Issue #3 "I Stand Alone"

Plot: A visit from Black Diamond from the past spurs Muskateer back into action.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Black Diamond, Tesseract, and Eclypse.

Notes: There are literally tons of revelations revealed in this issue about the future of our characters and explains some of our mysteries. The prologue for this issue was originally written as the epilogue for issue #2. I figured it better to leave Marv's appearance at the end of that issue unexplained until this issue. On the whole a very powerful issue. Oh, here's one secret that I can now reveal: Tess was the woman with the chessboard at the beginning and ending of X-Factor #4. Truth be known, often the hardest part of the LH series is coming up with the titles, since they are based on song lyrics. The first issue was easy, but some of the others have taken some work. For instance, we had another title for this issue in mind, when this particular song happened to be playing. "There's our title!", Musky announced and thus it came to be.

Issue #4 "Murder Incorporated"

Plot: Muskateer invades the old CII Plant on his quest to avenge Black Diamond's death at the hands of Resonator.

Villain: Resonator, HK's and assorted goons.

Guest Stars: None

Notes: Okay, let's see some hands. Who out there actually expected to see Ladybug in this issue? Seriously, this file was wall to wall action. Musky wrote the lion's share of this one, with me supplying the interludes with Resonator. Many gadgets used by lots of other people were featured in this issue. Originally, we had planned on making this a 2 part story with Molly getting some on screen time, but ultimately decided to do it in one with all the other sub-plots being covered in the next issue.

Overview:

Muskateer focuses on the solo-exploits of the sword-swinging Avenger. Work on this series has been slow, and some of the events to be shown in future issues have already been referenced in other series. But be patient and Muskateer will be brought back up to speed. The Enchantress is a regular guest star.

Issue #19 "The Terrible Tank"

Plot: Muskateer goes to Tyler Labs to retrieve his Flying Scooter. While there, the lab is attacked by the Terrible Tank!

Villain: Agents of Fuergeson the Great

Guest Stars: Black Diamond, Enchantress, Huntress, Scarlet Sabre.

Notes: This one was a fun romp. I try to help Musky out as much as I can and probably wrote half the file on my own. He comes along later and adjusts his dialogue to match his level of smart-alecness. Ironically, we were working on Lost Heroes #3 around the same time as this file was being written. We played some with the potential relationship between Musky and Scarlet in this file. Try reading LH #3 and then this file to see what I'm talking about.

Issue #20 "Face to Face with Fuergeson the Great!"

Plot: Muskateer and the Scarlet Sabre confront the forces of Fuergeson the Great.

Villain: Fuergeson the Great & his goons.

Guest Stars: Scarlet Sabre, Enchantress

Notes: Unlike the previous issue, I ended up writing all of it with Musky adjusting his dialogue. Originally, I planned to do about half with Muskateer focusing on the combat and the resolution, but it didn't work out that way. I ended up getting some inspiration and finished the file on my own. We had planned on using this particular adventure for a very long time, even before Scarlet had her own series. The plans for the Scooter were made way back in Muskateer #9.

Issue #21 "Fangs and Arrows"

Plot: Muskateer is ambushed by Rainbow Archer who is in turn assaulted by the vampires.

Villain: Rainbow Archer & the Vampire Police.

Guest Stars: Huntress, Enchantress

Notes: This file was a bit of a surprise entry. Muskateer's birthday was rolling around and as per tradition, he wanted to put up a file for that particular update. At the time he had started Lost Heroes #5, but ultimately settled upon doing a Muskateer file. As I noted, surprising, since I ended up writing the previous issue. This time out, Musky did indeed do the majority of the work. Several obligations are touched on in this issue, such as getting Hunter's old wardrobe, traveling to Sanctuary for testing, and Musky's solo encounter with the vampires. At one time we had considered doing a full file for the Sanctuary stuff, but ultimately just decided to re-cap those events in a flashback. Musky couldn't think of a title for the issue while "Fangs and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune" was my choice; a pun on the Shakespearian quote. We compromised and settled on "Fangs and Arrows". Well, it's better than "Fangs for the Memories" (or "Musky, the Vampire Slayer")...

Overview:

This title focuses on the Scarlet Sabre, the computer whiz from the Freedom League. As the League isn't much of a normal hero team, Scarlet often adventures with other heroes or by herself. Scarlet's cybernetic alter-ego is her constant companion.

Issue #4 "Stalking the Dragon"

Plot: Scarlet visits the Huntress and gets involved with her action against the Dragon Lords.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Huntress, Felina 'Cat' Kirby

Notes: This is yet another case of material originally conceived for the Huntress series appearing somewhere else. Much like the vampires storyline, this particular Dragon Lord scenario was shifted over to Scarlet's series. Scarlet renewed her friendship with Helena and got to meet her mother for the first time.

Issue #5 "Dragon in the Crossfire"

Plot: Scarlet and the Huntress try to save the Dragon Lords from the forces of Duchess Industries.

Villain: Dragon Lords, Duchess Industries Agents

Guest Stars: Huntress

Notes: This issue wrapped up the Dragon Lord storyline with Scarlet and the Huntress trying to take out the Dragon Lords before the Duchess Industries security can get their hands on them. They only partially succeeded, proving that heroes don't always win.

Issue #6 "Career Decisions"

Plot: Scarlet investigates the trouble at Tyler Labs and contemplates a new job.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Sheryl Campbell, Microwave

Notes: Much of the Scarlet Sabre series has been dedicated to solving or expanding upon plot points from other series. Issues 1 & 2 dealt with Shockwave's new job. Issue 3 the behind the scenes part of Lord Evil getting the final part for his portal device. Numbers 4 & 5 cover Huntress material. Starting with this issue, that all changes. While it does continue upon and set up future events in Muskateer, this issue also has Scarlet starting to do her own thing. The idea of her getting a promotion pretty much came up as I was writing the file. It made a lot of sense, so I went with it. I also needed to touch upon her connections with the other Freedom League members, since that has been pretty much ignored so far. Oh, and the concept of a 'quantum computer chip' isn't the BS science that it might sound like. They might really exist in about twenty years or so.

Overview:

The adventures and misadventures of Spectrum are covered in this series. Now that he's the leader of X-Factor, there hasn't been as many solo adventures. Impact, Whitney Parks, and Stephanie Sculley appear frequently in this title.

Issue #28 "Dressed for Success"

Plot: Impact gets a real costume courtesy of Spinnerette.

Villain: None

Guest Stars: Blizzard, Empress, Shockwave, Morning Star, Spinnerette, Sabre, Satara, Vindicator, and Mockingbird.

Notes: This entire issue was conceived when Muskateer said that he doubted that Spinnerette would actually work with someone in such a sorry excuse for a costume as Impact was first sporting. One thing led to another and we conceived a costume and this file introduced it.

Overview:

Troubleshooters is our anthology series featuring a variety of characters and situations.

The year's mini-series focused on the Purple Phlox. Regulars in this series were Kari Donovan, Peter Ramsey, and Snowball the cat.

Issue #13 "Legend of the Purple Phlox"

Issue #14 "Final Battle of the Purple Phlox"

Issue #15 "Rebirth of the Purple Phlox"

Plot: Kari Donovan inherits the mantle of the Purple Phlox.

Villain: Gallifrey

Guest Stars: None

Notes: The concept of the Purple Phlox was something that we kicked around for a few years. Finally, I just decided to try and come up with a story to continue the Troubleshooters series. We went through several different concepts before settling on the 'inheriter of the mantle' type of storyline. The time-hopping angle was one of the last things we came up with and it fit the concept rather nicely. And yes, the demon Gallifrey is in homage to the home planet of the Time Lords in Doctor Who. All in all, I thought this mini-series came off very well.

Overview:

X-Factor is one of the newest hero teams around, comprised of mostly new heroes with one veteran. This is an offbeat look at the team concept starting with a group that doesn't have any equipment of their own. Membership includes: Spectrum (Leader), Morning Star, Sabre, Shockwave, Mockingbird, Blizzard, and the Empress.

Issue #11 "Snake Pit"

Plot: X-Factor invades the local VIPER's Nest.

Villain: VIPER Agents, Shadowfist, Brick, Nest Leader

Guest Stars: Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle

Notes: This scenario was a long time in coming. Seeds of it were laid as far back as Young Champions #1, which was among the first files we put on the site. This was the original first issue of X-Factor in the old stuff. Very much was changed and about all that's similar between the two files is that X-Factor raids the VIPER's Nest. There is an inside joke in this file as well that no one other than Muskateer and myself know is there. It takes place while a disguised Spinnerette is approached by the VIPER Agent and he says, "Diana? Is that you?" Okay, that's the joke, but here's what it means. As regular readers may know, Spin's secret identity is Victoria Lacey. Well, it wasn't always that. Her original name was Diana Lacey, and hence the inside joke. Musky changed her name in the new stuff to Victoria so that he could use the nickname Tori for Spin. And so, the VIPER Agent calling Spin by her old first name is the inside joke. End of story.

Issue #12 "Snake Bit"

Plot: X-Factor finishes off VIPER, while Icicle starts down the road to redemption.

Villain: VIPER Agents, Shadowfist, Brick, Nest Leader

Guest Stars: Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray

Notes: I was rather pleased at how these two issues came on. I was juggling quite a few characters and everyone had their own moment to shine. Loved the Nest Leader being spun rapidly in his Fang Chair bit. One day Icicle will become a full member of X-Factor, but it's not going to be an easy path for the icy mutant.

Issue #13 "A Change of Colors"

Plot: After sacking the VIPER's Nest, Shockwave and Satara get new costumes.

Villain: Terror Unlimited -- Scorpia, Shamrock, Mind Slayer

Guest Stars: Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray

Notes: This file was another one of those cases where things didn't turn out as planned. The Satara costume change was one of them. Events in this issue were supposed to dovetail into the next Spectrum file, number 29, but it didn't work out that way. X-Factor #14 will do that. I had the idea of Scorpia going after VIPER weaponry at some point, but decided to use it much earlier than planned. Scorpia's logic on the situation just made too much sense to delay it until later. Loved the blow up between Shockwave and Empress. Based on this issue and the previous one, I wonder if anyone has figured out Mockingbird's secret as of yet.

Issue #14 "Long Way 'Til Dawn"

Plot: Terror Unlimted invades the VIPER base while Icicle's fate is decided.

Villain: Terror Unlimited -- Scorpia, Shamrock, Mind Slayer

Guest Stars: Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray

Notes: Yet again, another issue that didn't quite go as planned. Not like it's the first time that's ever happened. Originally, I was going to touch upon each member of the team in addition to what was written. As Muskateer pointed out to me, "It's five AM. They're probably sleeping." Fortunately, the main plot was more than enough to fill an entire issue without any padding. As I mentioned in the previous issues notes, I had intended for this issue to go right into Spectrum #29, but again it doesn't. Instead, Spectrum #29 will probably run parallel to X-Factor #15. Check next year's review to see if my best laid plans get foiled again.

Overview:

Young Champions focues on a bunch of supers in training. The series is set on Sanctuary and includes island staff and many superpowered guests. Members of the Young Champions include: Gladiator (Leader), Archangel, Terra Fire, Tempest, Nemesis, Sapphire, Tigress, and Turbo. Sanctuary Staff members include Charcoal, Peacekeeper, Pooka, Metalla, Dr. Angelique Marin, and Hyperion. Firestar and Nightingale put in frequent appearances.

Issue #15 "Fun and Games"

Plot: Terra Fire attends the Huntress' pool party while Tempest wonders what became of the Tigress.

Villain: Malachite's Scientists, Carlson, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon

Guest Stars: Scarlet Sabre, Huntress, Felina 'Cat' Kirby, Willow Witch, Night Owl, Kor Hunter, Black Diamond, Supreme, Muskateer, Enchantress, Thing, Texas Ranger.

Notes: This file offers the Huntress' pool party from Terra Fire's point of view. By the time the party is over with, we'll have five different views of it. (With Huntress, Muskateer, and Scarlet Sabre's turns still coming up yet.) Unlike some of the older stuff where we showed the same thing from multiple points of view, each file presented a different view on the party with only minor overlapping. The fun in this issue is balanced out by the seriousness of the Tempest situation.

Issue #16 "Saturday Night Fever"

Plot: Sapphire and Charcoal go on a double date while Archangel looks for love.

Villain: Thunder & Lightning

Guest Stars: Seeker, Tritium, Solitaire, Obsidian from the Champions.

Notes: This one was basically 'Fun & Games Part Two'. As noted in the What's New when this file was uploaded, I had been collecting notes on our various cast members and realized that several folks were not getting much on screen time. Hence, I focused in on Sapphire, Nemesis, & Turbo a bit more than usual. The idea of having the Champions appear on Sanctuary came to me while I was coloring their group portrait. Seeker has the reputation of a girl in every port and Charcoal fit the bill nicely. It was fun to see Sapphire's alien take on human dating rituals.

Issue #17 "Terror Below"

Plot: The Jade Princess is attacked by sea monsters.

Villain: Malachite's Scientists, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon, Aquans & their Sea-Beasts.

Guest Stars: None

Notes: And back to our regularly scheduled plots. The events in this issue were originally slated for #16 until they were pushed back. The submarine Tempest discovers shouldn't have been a great big secret for those observant readers-- a periscope was spotted way back in YC #10. Finally got to use some British Slang with Panda this issue. Hopefully, it sounded normal to those readers from the UK. Wonder if anyone realized that Malachite was behind all of this as of yet?

Issue #18 "Mutiny"

Plot: The Tigress is finally found and Howler learns the true motives of her employer.

Villain: Malachite's Scientists, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon, Aquans & their Sea-Beasts.

Guest Stars: None

Notes: More things are revealed in this issue which should explain what's been going on. This issue ran much longer that I had planned, but isn't that always the case? Tigress had some great lines in this issue.

BACK TO AWARDS PAGE

Issue #25	"Ravaged"
Plot:	The Ravager comes to New York City, destroying everything in his path.
Villain:	Ravager
Guest Stars:	Guardian Angel & the Wildcards - Sword of Justice, Silver Spectre, Major America, Psi-Queen, and Jet.
Notes:	This file is our largest issue to date, clocking in at a whooping 74K in size. The idea for this issue was massive fight, one mother of a blowout. Bodies flying, things getting torn up, and lots of destruction. I think we accomplished that in spades. Believe it or not, we only wrote about 60% of what was originally envisioned for the issue. The remainder we're saving for the Ravager's return engagement!

Issue #26	"Darkness Falls"
Plot:	The heroes clean up after the battle with the Ravager, while the forces of evil plot their diabolical plans.
Villain:	Lady Darkness, Lord Evil, Vilsimbra, Ravager, Crystal, Ghost Fire, Dreadknight, Lady Zee, Lord Shadow, Gratz & the Vampire Police.
Guest Stars:	Guest Stars: Guardian Angel, Silver Avenger Jake Koweleski, Jack O' Lantern, Photon, and Yu.
Notes:	This was definitely a catching your breath issue after the mayhem with the Ravager. It was also time to re-introduce some of those villains that you might have forgotten about. This issue goes a long way to explain just what's up with Lady Darkness & the Crystal. Can anyone guess on which world Captain Valor is now? The epilogue with Yu, the spitball from hell, was originally written for Avengers #25, but got put into this issue when we decided to not do the complete Ravager plot.

Issue #27	"The Vampire Hunters"
Plot:	The Avengers and Photon track the vampires.
Villain:	Lady Darkness, Lord Evil, and the Vampiric Police.
Guest Stars:	Photon, Guardian Angel, and Jack O'Lantern.
Notes:	Events in this issue of the Avengers were originally slated to occur in the Huntress series, but were moved over here. I pretty much decided that during the conversation between Helena, Felina, Lydia, & Megan at the end of Huntress #20. Sometimes we have to listen to the characters as they're thinking clearer than we are. Plus, I needed to move some stuff out of Huntress to make the events of issue #25 work out anyway. The tale of the vampires was one that we were always going to do, but I never really gave it much thought just how this was all going to be resolved. Not until I sat down and started to write this issue.

Issue #28	"Out For Blood"
Plot:	The Avengers take on Gratz and his vampires while the Crystal and his minions assault Lady Darkness and her mind controlled thralls.
Villain:	Gratz, the Vampire Police, Crystal, Ghostfire, Dreadknight, Lord Shadow, Lady Zee, Lady Darkness, Vilsimbra, Blaise Morgan, Power Crusher, Deathsinger, Mechassassin, Sparkler.
Guest Stars:	Photon, Jack O'Lantern
Notes:	Okay, I lied in the previous issue notes. I never really figured out exactly how all of this was going to be resolved until doing this issue. This was a 'File from Hell' type of issue. Don't get me wrong, I think it turned out very well, it was just very hard to write. Probably spent something like a month on this issue alone. Realizing that the stuff with the vampires probably wouldn't fill an issue, I ended up looking for something else to add. (I can hear Bruce saying 'Add Jeeves background!' right about now. Maybe next time.) Since the conflict between Lady Darkness and the Crystal was already in place, this seemed like a good spot to bring it to a head. The title is one of our favorite type of issue titles-- one with a dual meaning. On the one hand you've got bloodthirsty vampires and the Crystal trying to assassinate Lady Darkness. In both cases, they're "Out For Blood".

Issue #21	"Showdown on Sanctuary"
Plot:	The Huntress is tested on Sanctuary.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Night Owl, Willow Witch, Tigress, Archangel, Texas Ranger, Muskateer, the Enchantress, & Photon.
Notes:	This one was primarily an issue where obligations were met. The Huntress' recent activities in other files were covered and the plot with the vampires was advanced. I thought the mock-combats with Archangel and Tigress captured all of their personalities quite well.

Issue #22	"Through the Eyes of the Cat"
Plot:	Felina narrates her trials on Sanctuary and reveals a few secrets.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Night Owl, Willow Witch, Muskateer, Enchantress, Texas Ranger, Archangel, and Tigress.
Notes:	This was the issue narrated by Felina. I ended up settling on that format as there were several important plot points concerning Felina that had to be introduced for later use. Loved how Felina's trials turned out since she avoids violence. Nice interplay between her and the Tigress. I thought the ending was very powerful.

Issue #23	"From Russia... With Love"
Plot:	The Huntress encounters a new villain and holds the pool party.
Villain:	Red Fly
Guest Stars:	Night Owl, Willow Witch, Muskateer, Enchantress, Texas Ranger, Kor Hunter, Terra Fire, Firestar, Scarlet Sabre, Black Diamond, Supreme, Thing, and Nightingale.
Notes:	Now that our characters are starting to get established, we're beginning to work on assembling Rogue Galleries for them. The Red Fly is just such a new addition who should annoy the Huntress in the files to come. He wasn't part of the plot line from the beginning, but with the lack of action in the previous issues, I thought the Huntress needed to see some excitement. We got to see the Pool Party from the Huntress' point of view and this was the third time we've shown the party. We learned a little bit more about Kor too. We're curious as to how many people figured out what the Red Fly was saying to the Huntress as well.

Issue #3	"I Stand Alone"
Plot:	A visit from Black Diamond from the past spurs Muskateer back into action.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Black Diamond, Tesseract, and Eclypse.
Notes:	There are literally tons of revelations revealed in this issue about the future of our characters and explains some of our mysteries. The prologue for this issue was originally written as the epilogue for issue #2. I figured it better to leave Marv's appearance at the end of that issue unexplained until this issue. On the whole a very powerful issue. Oh, here's one secret that I can now reveal: Tess was the woman with the chessboard at the beginning and ending of X-Factor #4. Truth be known, often the hardest part of the LH series is coming up with the titles, since they are based on song lyrics. The first issue was easy, but some of the others have taken some work. For instance, we had another title for this issue in mind, when this particular song happened to be playing. "There's our title!", Musky announced and thus it came to be.

Issue #4	"Murder Incorporated"
Plot:	Muskateer invades the old CII Plant on his quest to avenge Black Diamond's death at the hands of Resonator.
Villain:	Resonator, HK's and assorted goons.
Guest Stars:	None
Notes:	Okay, let's see some hands. Who out there actually expected to see Ladybug in this issue? Seriously, this file was wall to wall action. Musky wrote the lion's share of this one, with me supplying the interludes with Resonator. Many gadgets used by lots of other people were featured in this issue. Originally, we had planned on making this a 2 part story with Molly getting some on screen time, but ultimately decided to do it in one with all the other sub-plots being covered in the next issue.

Issue #19	"The Terrible Tank"
Plot:	Muskateer goes to Tyler Labs to retrieve his Flying Scooter. While there, the lab is attacked by the Terrible Tank!
Villain:	Agents of Fuergeson the Great
Guest Stars:	Black Diamond, Enchantress, Huntress, Scarlet Sabre.
Notes:	This one was a fun romp. I try to help Musky out as much as I can and probably wrote half the file on my own. He comes along later and adjusts his dialogue to match his level of smart-alecness. Ironically, we were working on Lost Heroes #3 around the same time as this file was being written. We played some with the potential relationship between Musky and Scarlet in this file. Try reading LH #3 and then this file to see what I'm talking about.

Issue #20	"Face to Face with Fuergeson the Great!"
Plot:	Muskateer and the Scarlet Sabre confront the forces of Fuergeson the Great.
Villain:	Fuergeson the Great & his goons.
Guest Stars:	Scarlet Sabre, Enchantress
Notes:	Unlike the previous issue, I ended up writing all of it with Musky adjusting his dialogue. Originally, I planned to do about half with Muskateer focusing on the combat and the resolution, but it didn't work out that way. I ended up getting some inspiration and finished the file on my own. We had planned on using this particular adventure for a very long time, even before Scarlet had her own series. The plans for the Scooter were made way back in Muskateer #9.

Issue #21	"Fangs and Arrows"
Plot:	Muskateer is ambushed by Rainbow Archer who is in turn assaulted by the vampires.
Villain:	Rainbow Archer & the Vampire Police.
Guest Stars:	Huntress, Enchantress
Notes:	This file was a bit of a surprise entry. Muskateer's birthday was rolling around and as per tradition, he wanted to put up a file for that particular update. At the time he had started Lost Heroes #5, but ultimately settled upon doing a Muskateer file. As I noted, surprising, since I ended up writing the previous issue. This time out, Musky did indeed do the majority of the work. Several obligations are touched on in this issue, such as getting Hunter's old wardrobe, traveling to Sanctuary for testing, and Musky's solo encounter with the vampires. At one time we had considered doing a full file for the Sanctuary stuff, but ultimately just decided to re-cap those events in a flashback. Musky couldn't think of a title for the issue while "Fangs and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune" was my choice; a pun on the Shakespearian quote. We compromised and settled on "Fangs and Arrows". Well, it's better than "Fangs for the Memories" (or "Musky, the Vampire Slayer")...

Issue #4	"Stalking the Dragon"
Plot:	Scarlet visits the Huntress and gets involved with her action against the Dragon Lords.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Huntress, Felina 'Cat' Kirby
Notes:	This is yet another case of material originally conceived for the Huntress series appearing somewhere else. Much like the vampires storyline, this particular Dragon Lord scenario was shifted over to Scarlet's series. Scarlet renewed her friendship with Helena and got to meet her mother for the first time.

Issue #5	"Dragon in the Crossfire"
Plot:	Scarlet and the Huntress try to save the Dragon Lords from the forces of Duchess Industries.
Villain:	Dragon Lords, Duchess Industries Agents
Guest Stars:	Huntress
Notes:	This issue wrapped up the Dragon Lord storyline with Scarlet and the Huntress trying to take out the Dragon Lords before the Duchess Industries security can get their hands on them. They only partially succeeded, proving that heroes don't always win.

Issue #6	"Career Decisions"
Plot:	Scarlet investigates the trouble at Tyler Labs and contemplates a new job.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Sheryl Campbell, Microwave
Notes:	Much of the Scarlet Sabre series has been dedicated to solving or expanding upon plot points from other series. Issues 1 & 2 dealt with Shockwave's new job. Issue 3 the behind the scenes part of Lord Evil getting the final part for his portal device. Numbers 4 & 5 cover Huntress material. Starting with this issue, that all changes. While it does continue upon and set up future events in Muskateer, this issue also has Scarlet starting to do her own thing. The idea of her getting a promotion pretty much came up as I was writing the file. It made a lot of sense, so I went with it. I also needed to touch upon her connections with the other Freedom League members, since that has been pretty much ignored so far. Oh, and the concept of a 'quantum computer chip' isn't the BS science that it might sound like. They might really exist in about twenty years or so.

Issue #28	"Dressed for Success"
Plot:	Impact gets a real costume courtesy of Spinnerette.
Villain:	None
Guest Stars:	Blizzard, Empress, Shockwave, Morning Star, Spinnerette, Sabre, Satara, Vindicator, and Mockingbird.
Notes:	This entire issue was conceived when Muskateer said that he doubted that Spinnerette would actually work with someone in such a sorry excuse for a costume as Impact was first sporting. One thing led to another and we conceived a costume and this file introduced it.

Issue #13	"Legend of the Purple Phlox"
Issue #14	"Final Battle of the Purple Phlox"
Issue #15	"Rebirth of the Purple Phlox"
Plot:	Kari Donovan inherits the mantle of the Purple Phlox.
Villain:	Gallifrey
Guest Stars:	None
Notes:	The concept of the Purple Phlox was something that we kicked around for a few years. Finally, I just decided to try and come up with a story to continue the Troubleshooters series. We went through several different concepts before settling on the 'inheriter of the mantle' type of storyline. The time-hopping angle was one of the last things we came up with and it fit the concept rather nicely. And yes, the demon Gallifrey is in homage to the home planet of the Time Lords in Doctor Who. All in all, I thought this mini-series came off very well.

Issue #11	"Snake Pit"
Plot:	X-Factor invades the local VIPER's Nest.
Villain:	VIPER Agents, Shadowfist, Brick, Nest Leader
Guest Stars:	Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle
Notes:	This scenario was a long time in coming. Seeds of it were laid as far back as Young Champions #1, which was among the first files we put on the site. This was the original first issue of X-Factor in the old stuff. Very much was changed and about all that's similar between the two files is that X-Factor raids the VIPER's Nest. There is an inside joke in this file as well that no one other than Muskateer and myself know is there. It takes place while a disguised Spinnerette is approached by the VIPER Agent and he says, "Diana? Is that you?" Okay, that's the joke, but here's what it means. As regular readers may know, Spin's secret identity is Victoria Lacey. Well, it wasn't always that. Her original name was Diana Lacey, and hence the inside joke. Musky changed her name in the new stuff to Victoria so that he could use the nickname Tori for Spin. And so, the VIPER Agent calling Spin by her old first name is the inside joke. End of story.

Issue #12	"Snake Bit"
Plot:	X-Factor finishes off VIPER, while Icicle starts down the road to redemption.
Villain:	VIPER Agents, Shadowfist, Brick, Nest Leader
Guest Stars:	Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray
Notes:	I was rather pleased at how these two issues came on. I was juggling quite a few characters and everyone had their own moment to shine. Loved the Nest Leader being spun rapidly in his Fang Chair bit. One day Icicle will become a full member of X-Factor, but it's not going to be an easy path for the icy mutant.

Issue #13	"A Change of Colors"
Plot:	After sacking the VIPER's Nest, Shockwave and Satara get new costumes.
Villain:	Terror Unlimited -- Scorpia, Shamrock, Mind Slayer
Guest Stars:	Spinnerette, Satara, Impact, Vindicator, Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray
Notes:	This file was another one of those cases where things didn't turn out as planned. The Satara costume change was one of them. Events in this issue were supposed to dovetail into the next Spectrum file, number 29, but it didn't work out that way. X-Factor #14 will do that. I had the idea of Scorpia going after VIPER weaponry at some point, but decided to use it much earlier than planned. Scorpia's logic on the situation just made too much sense to delay it until later. Loved the blow up between Shockwave and Empress. Based on this issue and the previous one, I wonder if anyone has figured out Mockingbird's secret as of yet.

Issue #14	"Long Way 'Til Dawn"
Plot:	Terror Unlimted invades the VIPER base while Icicle's fate is decided.
Villain:	Terror Unlimited -- Scorpia, Shamrock, Mind Slayer
Guest Stars:	Icicle, Silver Avenger Joesph Gray
Notes:	Yet again, another issue that didn't quite go as planned. Not like it's the first time that's ever happened. Originally, I was going to touch upon each member of the team in addition to what was written. As Muskateer pointed out to me, "It's five AM. They're probably sleeping." Fortunately, the main plot was more than enough to fill an entire issue without any padding. As I mentioned in the previous issues notes, I had intended for this issue to go right into Spectrum #29, but again it doesn't. Instead, Spectrum #29 will probably run parallel to X-Factor #15. Check next year's review to see if my best laid plans get foiled again.

Issue #15	"Fun and Games"
Plot:	Terra Fire attends the Huntress' pool party while Tempest wonders what became of the Tigress.
Villain:	Malachite's Scientists, Carlson, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon
Guest Stars:	Scarlet Sabre, Huntress, Felina 'Cat' Kirby, Willow Witch, Night Owl, Kor Hunter, Black Diamond, Supreme, Muskateer, Enchantress, Thing, Texas Ranger.
Notes:	This file offers the Huntress' pool party from Terra Fire's point of view. By the time the party is over with, we'll have five different views of it. (With Huntress, Muskateer, and Scarlet Sabre's turns still coming up yet.) Unlike some of the older stuff where we showed the same thing from multiple points of view, each file presented a different view on the party with only minor overlapping. The fun in this issue is balanced out by the seriousness of the Tempest situation.

Issue #16	"Saturday Night Fever"
Plot:	Sapphire and Charcoal go on a double date while Archangel looks for love.
Villain:	Thunder & Lightning
Guest Stars:	Seeker, Tritium, Solitaire, Obsidian from the Champions.
Notes:	This one was basically 'Fun & Games Part Two'. As noted in the What's New when this file was uploaded, I had been collecting notes on our various cast members and realized that several folks were not getting much on screen time. Hence, I focused in on Sapphire, Nemesis, & Turbo a bit more than usual. The idea of having the Champions appear on Sanctuary came to me while I was coloring their group portrait. Seeker has the reputation of a girl in every port and Charcoal fit the bill nicely. It was fun to see Sapphire's alien take on human dating rituals.

Issue #17	"Terror Below"
Plot:	The Jade Princess is attacked by sea monsters.
Villain:	Malachite's Scientists, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon, Aquans & their Sea-Beasts.
Guest Stars:	None
Notes:	And back to our regularly scheduled plots. The events in this issue were originally slated for #16 until they were pushed back. The submarine Tempest discovers shouldn't have been a great big secret for those observant readers-- a periscope was spotted way back in YC #10. Finally got to use some British Slang with Panda this issue. Hopefully, it sounded normal to those readers from the UK. Wonder if anyone realized that Malachite was behind all of this as of yet?

Issue #18	"Mutiny"
Plot:	The Tigress is finally found and Howler learns the true motives of her employer.
Villain:	Malachite's Scientists, Howler, Panda & Raccoon, Daigon, Aquans & their Sea-Beasts.
Guest Stars:	None
Notes:	More things are revealed in this issue which should explain what's been going on. This issue ran much longer that I had planned, but isn't that always the case? Tigress had some great lines in this issue.