[Izulde]

For the second segment of the issue, the writers wanted to use The Flashing Blade, Wilde, Cain the Shorn, City Sweeper, Rachel Noir, and Risktaker. I was the one who actually took issue with that (no pun intended).

When you have a pugilist's wet dream of Shrinkfit and the Bull Brothers mixed in with the likewise resistant Iron Raptor and the damned obnoxious Ito the Ninja, you're telegraphing to the readers you're forcing a Sienna Scarlet turn. All the suspense and tension is gone out of it.

"No, no it's heroic! See, the reader knows that's a bad team and when they win, it'll be surmounting the odds."

I stared Barry down. I don't know how he got hired - he's always the dumbest person in any room he's in. Then I remember. Hank. "My nephew is worthless, but it'll make my sister happy." Yeah. I'm not Hank, so I don't have a cool cutting remark for nepotism.

"So what do you want us to do instead?" Thankfully Sal was the lead writer and a voice of reason.

"Hmm. Keep City Sweeper, Risktaker, and The Flashing Blade. Insert Cyco, Dark Justice, Midnight Fox, and Delphi. Bigger team and more attack avenues to make it more interesting."

"All right," said Sal. "We'll get on it."

***

Chips refilled, Geoff returned to reading in his chair. Only to groan when he saw The Flashing Blade as part of the team sent to deal with Shrinkfit. But at least Dupin also sent Midnight Fox. She was quickly becoming one of Geoff's favorite characters already in this first issue.

As the team left the police station and made their way to 7th Street, they were suddenly impeded by a huge crowd who was there for the Number Streets Fall Festival. But luck was also on the heroes' side - Shrinkfit and his goons were planning on using the crowd to ambush them, but Delphi's prescience allowed the heroes to spot the villains first.

Shockwave attacks by Dark Justice, Midnight Fox, Cyco, and Risktaker all failed, while Shrinkfit and the Bull Brothers quickly knocked out Cyco with hard-charging attacks. Tauran injured himself when Cyco managed to dodge the younger brother's stampede, which provided a potential opening for the heroes.

"Pull yourselves together!" shouted City Sweeper, raising the team's resolve so that each of them could attack.

Seeing the blood, The Flashing Blade darted forward, flourishing his enchanted blade to strike Tauran. The strike hit home, spurting more blood from the younger minotaur. About damn time he did something useful, thought Geoff.

From his perch on the rooftop, City Sweeper coolly pulled out his rifle and, spotting him from the shadows, Dark Justice readied her own gun. The duo fired at the Bull Brothers, Iron Raptor, and Shrinkfit - a furious hail of bullets that spread across two pages and was one of the coolest things Geoff had seen. Minatoro and Iron Raptor dodged, Shrinkfit was slightly glazed, and Tauran continued to bleed.

Dark Justice followed up with an energy attack on Tauran, but though reeling, he managed to dodge.

From the depths of the crowd, Delphi sent out a psychic attack at everyone but the hovering Iron Raptor. Seeing everyone stunned and reeling, Tauran officially down for the count, Geoff reflected that the heroes should have had her go first - it would have left everyone vulnerable and the battle would have been over quickly. Tactical error on their part.

Midnight Fox and Risktaker saw an opportunity to catch Shrinkfit between them in a flurry of marital arts strikes and both of them hit.

Then Iron Raptor swept down on City Sweeper. Sweeper ducked the first time but Raptor flew down, plucked him off the roof, and hurled him onto the ground. Shrinkfit broke free of the Fox/Taker trap and teamed with Minatoro to put a savage beatdown on Sweeper that put the team leader in danger of dropping.

Sweeper grimly stood up and promptly hurled a pulled grenade in their faces: "Eat shrapnel!" Unfortunately, it quite literally blew up in his face and knocked him out.

Geoff laughed and laughed and laughed. Okay, this issue was getting a lot better.

Delphi stunned Minatoro and Midnight Fox took advantage by hitting him. The enemies then all converged on Dark Justice, but she expertly avoided all of them, as it was too dark to find her in the shadows.

Minataro was next to fall, taken out by Dark Justice's savage counterattack.

"Stop that seer!" shouted Shrinkfit. Iron Raptor heard and dragged Delphi bodily and bloodily out into the open. Only the seer's awareness saved her from Ito's shuriken and kept her still barely standing after being pummeled by Shrinkfit.

More continued to fall, as Iron Raptor took out Delphi and Shrinkfit finally dropped after dodging Dark Justice and The Flashing Blade, leaving Midnight Fox to again be the hero. Still, Iron Raptor and Ito remained.

Iron Raptor continued to wreak havoc, this time using his aerial advantage to put a hurting on Dark Justice, and toxic pellets thrown by Ito later, the most resistant hero on the team was in danger of falling.

But then Midnight Fox, the lone hero who dodged the poison, scored another victory, martial striking Ito into submission.

Only Iron Raptor was left. And though he put a serious bruising on Risktaker, even he couldn't win in a 3 vs 1 battle, and Midnight Fox once again delivered the finishing blow.

What a great fight, Geoff thought. His girl Midnight Fox kicking all kinds of ass, and a balla villain in Iron Raptor. He was going to have to look up figurines.

His phone chimed with a text message notification.

"Yo, bro, did you see that grenade shit? Hilarious! I was rolling!"

Geoff smiled. Trent was one of his favorite people to chat comics with.

"That's the part where the issue turned for me."

And so they fell into conversation about the first issue of the arc.