Previously-Taped Broadcast

“Good evening, and welcome to Marvels! I’m your host, Mallory Keirn. Tonight, we’ve got a very special episode, focusing on a long-standing group of heroes that has recently stepped back into the spotlight—in a big way!

“The New Warriors first formed in response to a threat posed by intergalactic terrorist, Terrax! The original team consisted of several unknown young heroes—Night Thrasher, Namorita, Kid Nova, Marvel Boy, Firestar and Speedball.

“Since that time, the Warriors have been in and out of the limelight, their roster changing numerous times over the years. After a brief disappearance, Marvel Boy—now calling himself Justice—and Firestar joined the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers!

“And now, a new group of New Warriors has appeared to reclaim the mantle of the old. While many former members have recently been spotted on the west coast, only a few of the original team remain true to their original group.

“This new incarnation consists of largely-unknown young heroes as well as veterans Rage and Speedball—who has recently emerged as the team’s new leader.

“Join us tonight as we explore the history of this incredible group, which have recently been dubbed New York’s favorite underdogs. With us first is Speedball! Welcome to the program!”

The screen shifted to show a close-up of Robbie Baldwin, dressed in the blue and gold costume he has been associated with for the past five years.

“Great to be here, Mallory. Gotta say, I’m a big fan,” said Speedball.

“You’re too kind, Speedy,” said Mallory with a smile.

“Watch it with that name, the distinguished competition may slap me with a lawsuit!” said Speedball. His response elicited laughter from the hostess.

“Now Speedball, I have to ask… what brought about this new team?” asked Mallory. “And why were you and Rage not present in the team’s first appearance against Firebrand?”

“Funny story, actually,” said Speedball. “Y’see, this team formed without any veterans. Once Rage and I saw that, we decided we should reach out to these guys, make sure they were on the level and that they weren’t ruining the Warriors’ good name—however good it may have been!”

“So a team of young heroes with no connection to you and your friends just appeared and stole your name?” asked Mallory. “Wow, that must have stung.”

“Not really, it was actually kinda flattering,” said Speedball. “At the time, I kept hoping for a call from Nita or Nova or Thrash saying they wanted to get the old band together for a reunion tour. I was checking my e-mail religiously, but all I got was spam telling me a distant yet wealthy relative died in Africa or offering me free Viagra.”

“How did this new team react when you and Rage approached them? Was there any opposition?”

“At first there was, and I can’t say I blame ‘em,” said Speedball. “And yeah, part of me was kinda like, ‘who the hell’—can I say ‘hell’?”

“Sure, this is a cable show.”

“Oh right. Anyway, I said to myself, ‘who the hell do these guys think they are?’” said Speedball. “And then once we talked to them, I realized, ‘hey, these guys are idealists, just like us. They just wanna change the world, like we do.’ And I thought to myself, ‘damn, Speedball’—can I say ‘damn’?”

Mallory nodded.

“Well I thought, ‘damn Speedball, you were all about opposing authority and youthful rebellion and here these guys are, doing the same thing you used to do, and now you wanna be this authority figure an’ wag your finger and say don’t do this.’ And that was pretty stupid.

“So once I realized that, I said to them, ‘look, let’s make a deal, guys. You’re using our name, so you should really live up to it. So me an’ Rage, we’re gonna help you out. This isn’t gonna be a junior New Warriors or anything, we just wanna work with you.’ And they were really cool with that.”

“And you, you’ve really come a long way, Mr. Masked Marvel,” said Mallory with a smile. “No offense, but you were always seen as something of a joke.”

Speedball offered a nervous laugh in response.

“So what made you qualified to become the new leader?” she asked.

“We had a vote, actually,” said Speedball. “And at first, I didn’t want the job. I just came here to do some good and have a good time doing it. I didn’t think I was ready for the responsibility. But Thrash and Nova and Nita and Justice and Firestar, they all stood behind me. They said I was ready for this, that if anyone was qualified to lead the Warriors, it was me. So I was reluctant, of course. But I said I’d give it a shot. And now, here we are! On Marvels no less! How cool is that?”

“Very cool,” said Mallory. “When we come back, we’ll meet the rest of this new team, starting with the new couple dubbed Gravider by the media!”

MEDIA BLITZ

Part I: Prime Time

By Dino Pollard

Manhattan
One Month Earlier

Eddie McDonough maneuvered the War-Chopper above the devastation of the city. In the passenger compartment, the New Warriors prepared themselves for the upcoming battle.

“So who’s this joker again?” asked Gravity.

“Fin Fang Foom,” said Eddie. “He’s an alien dragon or something. Fought the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, just about every A-list hero under the sun.”

“Funny, a fortune teller once told me I’d be eaten by a giant dragon,” said Ricochet, pulling his mask over his face. “I always thought it was some kinda metaphor.”

“Ever go up against him, Robbie?” asked Spider-Woman.

Speedball shook his head. “Nope, not once.” He raised his goggles over his eyes. “How tough can he be anyway?”

“Famous last words,” said Joystick. She tested out her gauntlets, an energy baton flaring into existence, held in the palm of her hand. “What’s the game plan?”

Speedball shrugged. “Hit ‘im hard, I guess.”

“That’s it?” asked Joystick.

“Hey, whaddaya want from me?” asked Speedball. “Battle strategy’s not really my strong suit.”

“Obviously,” said Joystick.

“How about we cut the arguing and just dive right in?” asked Gravity.

“Now you’re playing my song,” said Ricochet.

“Gravity, keep an eye on the non-flyers, we don’t want anyone going splat,” said Speedball. “Ready when you are, Elvin.”

Rage pulled open the War-Chopper’s hatch and Speedball moved towards the opening, looking down at the giant, green dragon tearing apart Manhattan.

“Wow…” he said, the flames reflecting off his goggles. “That’s a big dragon…” He looked back to his team and gave them a goofy smile combined with a thumbs-up. “Okay peeps, let’s move!”

Speedball leapt out first, multi-colored bubbles forming around his body as he brought his knees up to his chest, his arms wrapped around them. “WARRIORS ASSEMBLE!”

Spider-Woman looked back at her teammates. “Warriors assemble?” she asked.

Rage shrugged. “With a name like Speedball, he’s not exactly the most original guy on the block.”

Previously-Taped Broadcast

“Welcome back to Marvels! With us now is the latest and greatest superhero couple on the block, Gravity and Spider-Woman or Gravider as the media have dubbed them!”

An audible groan came from Gravity just as the camera cut to the young couple. “Seriously, what’s with these combined names? Bennifer? Tomkat? Brangelina? They’re all horrible.”

Mallory offered a fake laugh before continuing. “So tell us, what’s it like to be the new hot couple on the New Warriors?”

“We… uh… we actually just started dating,” said Spider-Woman.

“The Warriors had first Justice and Firestar and then Nova and Namorita as their darling couples. How do you guys think you match up next to them?”

“We’re… not trying to,” said Gravity.

“So tell us, Spider-Woman, what’s it like sleeping with a man who can control gravity?” asked Mallory. “Any space roleplaying?”

“That’s… kinda personal,” said Spider-Woman, thanking the gods her mask concealed her blushing cheeks.

“Now Spider-Woman, everyone’s dying to know—just what is your connection to Spider-Man or the previous Spider-Women?” asked Mallory.

“I don’t have any, well at least I didn’t,” said Spider-Woman. “The first Spider-Woman is actually training me.”

“You seem a little young, wouldn’t Spider-Girl be more appropriate?” asked Mallory. “After all, Sue Richards started off calling herself the Invisible Girl.”

“I’m not Sue Richards,” said Spider-Woman.

“Spider-Woman’s just fine,” said Gravity.

“Really?” asked Mallory. “Well tell us, Gravity, is she more woman than girl?”

“We’re not here to get personal, we’re just here to talk about the Warriors,” said Gravity.

“Right, of course, I’m sorry,” said Mallory, not even bothering to hide how completely insincere her apology sounded. “How did you both join up with the Warriors?”

“Me, I just saw them taking on Firebrand and decided to join in,” said Gravity. “Afterwards, they asked me to join.”

“I see.” Mallory turned to Spider-Woman. “And what about you, Spider-Woman? How did you join?”

“I was recruited,” she said.

Mallory raised an eyebrow. “By who?”

“Patriot founded the team, but he left after a recent mission,” said Spider-Woman.

“Yes, we’ve seen him in the media, let’s bring up a photo of him,” said Mallory. In response, the screen switched to a photo of the Warriors with Patriot at the fore. “Look at that body!”

Both Gravity and Spider-Woman rolled their eyes, safely concealed by their masks.

“The costume… it looks really familiar, doesn’t it?” asked Mallory. “What does this remind you of, viewers?”

The screen switched again, this time showing an image of Bucky. “That’s it!” she continued. “It looks like a modified version of the costume Bucky wore, Captain America’s sidekick from World War II. So tell us, what is Patriot’s connection to Captain America? Is he the new Bucky?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” said Spider-Woman. “I really don’t think so, though.”

“Well, thank you for your time!” said Mallory. “When we come back, we’ll speak with Ricochet! Is he the next Spider-Man? Find out soon!”

Manhattan
One Month Ago

Fin Fang Foom scoffed once he saw his attackers. “Whelps. I have taken on the likes of the Mighty Thor. What hope do you children have against the might of Fin Fang Foom?”

Ricochet twisted in midair, golden discs emblazoned with his symbol flying from his fingertips and striking Fin Fang Foom with no effect. He spun, guiding his momentum towards a building. As soon as his feet struck the wall, his legs coiled and he sprung off again.

Speedball charged forward, his kinetic bubbles first tiny and numerous around his body. They began to collide, merging together into larger bubbles in smaller quantities. These bubbles flew from his body, each large one striking Fin Fang Foom as a blow from the Thing.

Spider-Woman glided closer, riding the air currents. Her fists were clench, beginning to crackle with energy. She slapped her palms together, a massive venom blast being the result and one that struck Fin Fang Foom in the neck, throwing him back with such force that he struck a nearby building, bringing it to the ground.

Previously-Taped Broadcast

“Hello and welcome back to Marvels! Once again, I’m your host, Mallory Keirn. Tonight, we’ve got a special episode dedicated to the latest superhero sensation, the New Warriors! With us right now is Ricochet! Great to have you here, Rico.”

“Yeah, thanks,” said Ricochet.

“Have you seen the headline in Us Weekly?” asked Mallory. She held up the issue and on the cover was a picture of Ricochet leaping into action with the words “The Next Spider-Man?” beneath it.

“That’s a horrible picture,” said Ricochet. “I look fat. I’m really not that fat.”

“Your abilities are very similar to Spider-Man’s and you’ve become known for your banter in the heat of battle, just like Spidey,” said Mallory. “So is this description appropriate?”

Ricochet shrugged. “I guess you’d have to ask Spidey. He’s more of an authority than me,” he said. “Luckily though, the Bugle hasn’t started slamming me yet. But now that I’ve said that, I’ll probably see an editorial from Jameson tomorrow.”

“You’ve been sighted before around New York, Rico. Before the Warriors, you were seen with another group of heroes.”

“Yeah, the Slingers,” said Ricochet. “It was me, Hornet, Prodigy and Dusk.”

“And where are the Slingers now?” asked Mallory.

“We lost touch,” said Ricochet. He left out that Prodigy was actually Patriot, the Warriors’ former leader, and he left out that Hornet was currently assisting the Warriors in a support role. Of the Slingers, Dusk was the only one he had no clue about.

“How did you get your powers, Rico?”

“I… uhh… I was… I was bitten by a… a… radioactive…” he paused and tried to think. “…ricochet.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” said Mallory. Solidifying Ricochet’s belief that she actually paid no attention to his responses. “So what brought you to the Warriors?”

“I was asked, thought it’d be fun to be part of a team again.”

“And what’s your opinion on your teammates?”

“Speedball’s cool. So is Rage, although he’s kinda quiet. Spider-Girl and Gravity can get kind of annoying. And Joystick… well, Joy’s a character.”

“So we’ll find out shortly,” said Mallory. “Stay tuned as we meet the former criminal, Joystick!”

Today

“I can’t believe you,” said Mattie. “I just cannot believe you!”

“What?” asked Johnny, his mask pulled down and hanging loosely around his neck. “You can get a little annoying.”

“You called me Spider-Girl!” said Mattie. “How many times do I gotta tell you, it’s Spider-Woman! How would you like it if I started calling you Rico-Boy?”

“…mostly I’d be confused, because that makes absolutely no sense,” said Johnny.

The Warriors gathered around the large, LCD monitor, watching the broadcast of their appearance on Marvels!

“But did you see how she bought the whole ‘bitten by a radioactive ricochet’ thing?” asked Johnny. “My god, she looked like an idiot.”

“Actually, you looked like the idiot, Rico,” said Janice.

“Huh? How?”

“You kept stuttering,” she said. “’Umm… ahh… uhh…’”

“I was pausing for effect,” said Johnny.

“Of course you were,” said Janice, rolling her eyes.

“Anyone else a little nervous about all this media attention we’re getting?” asked Elvin.

“Relax, big guy, this is all part of the game,” said Speedball. “The Fantastic Four and the Avengers have been dealing with this for years and they seem to take it just fine.”

“Yeah, I know, but… I dunno,” said Elvin. “It just makes me kinda nervous.”

“You worry too much,” said Greg. “We’re just getting what we deserve. We could probably use this to help out with mutant rights. Having a mutant celebrity can’t hurt.”

“Yeah, that’s why the Beast and the Scarlet Witch have been able to completely turn around public opinion of mutants,” said Janice. “Being a mutant is like being gay—if you’re a celebrity, it’s all cool and exotic. But if you’re a regular person, it’s like you’re a leper.”

“I say we just stay outta the whole mutant politics thing,” said Johnny. “It’s too sensitive, and I think we shouldn’t get involved in that.”

“You’re such a pussy,” said Greg.

“I’m just sayin’…” said Johnny.

“Quiet, the show’s back,” said Eddie.

Silence fell over the group and they turned their attention back to Marvels!

NEXT: It’s Joystick and Rage’s turn to sit in the Marvels! hot seat! Will they soar or crash and burn? And speaking of things burning, come back for more on the Warriors’ battle with Fin Fang Foom!

WAR ROOM

Apologies for the delay of this issue. Between substitute teaching, coaching, comic book lettering, original writing, and preparing a novel for publication, my time for fanfic these days is a bit more limited than it used to be. But I’m a glutton for punishment, which is why I’m still here.

Now, onto the letters. First one is from Tim Veselka, regarding issue #16:

I like what you’ve done with Robbie here. A lot better than the emo shit Marvel is pulling. I’m excited to see the new line-up.

Short and to the point. Thanks, Tim. I’m also not a fan of what’s been done to Robbie, even if I am digging the hell out of Ellis’ Thunderbolts, so I’m glad you’re a fan of my take instead. There won’t be a new line-up per se, just some changes, and that’ll happen in the near future.
Next letter is also from Tim, regarding issue #17:

I’m glad to see someone finally using the idea of integration with the X-men. For a group that believed so much in harmony between the two races they never seemed to really invite many humans to their school.

Couldn’t agree more and that’s one of the reasons I decided to ship Psionex over to the Xavier Institute. I know Ryan’s been making a better effort and integration by introducing X-Corporation and having a human sit on the board of directors (Melissa Bennett) as well as bringing a human into the X-Men, albeit briefly (Cameron Dalin).
Now we’ve got one from Scott Redmond, writer of this book’s sister title, Champions:

Great issue Dino. I like the Spider-Woman/Gravity relationship, and hope it doesn’t end or go a cliche route like most fictional relationships. Gravity is one of my favorite characters, but I think lately you have made him more of a favorite.

Hopefully my ideas live up to the ones you had for the old Warriors as Champions. I’m just thankful you gave me a shot at it!

But anyways, keep up the great work, as I look forward to more Warriors goodness.

Lots of Gravity love around, I see. Makes me feel a little guilty for what’s in the pipeline for him.

…ooops. I’ve said too much.
And last but not least is Wil, another frequent reader/commentator:

Hmm, the original guard using the old Champions name for their new west coast team’s name-just make sure that dear old Mister Worthington the Third doesn’t get uppity you know? 😉

On the other hand, I think what happened with Patriot was a killer idea but I think that there is something more that you can do with the character-I mean there is alot of things that he can do because once you get bitten by the “Hero Bug” you just can’t give it up-I mean he did take Rosen’s offer true? Plus if you’re willing to take a suggestion-Patriot could come up with the idea for a suit of battle armor ala Blackbird of the post Civil War New Warriors for instance-but that’s just my thoughts on it.

Looking forward to the next issue, Dino. Keep up the killer work man!

I wouldn’t worry too much about Warren. He seems to have his hands full with X-Corporation to even care about whether anyone’s using the Champions name.

In regards to Ritchie, I can tell you he won’t be donning the Blackbird armor—if we’re gonna have an armored guy on the team, it’s gonna be Hornet! However, don’t start assuming Ritchie’s gone for good. He may be down, but as this title has shown, that’s definitely not proof that he’s out. He’ll turn up in the future, I can promise you that.
Looks like that’s it for this month. See you guys next time!

Dino Pollard