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Absolute Comics Presents: SUPERMAN, The Man of Tomorrow
ISSUE #1: A Lovely Day
Newtown Neighborhood, Queensland Park ♦ Metropolis
A cool breeze blew through the streets of Newtown. Brownstone townhouses stood tall and proud on either side of the street. Sets of large, plastic bins sat on the curb every hundred feet or so. The dour, goatee'd face of Mayor Colin Thornton decorated each of them, and with a speech bubble he helpfully labeled each bin 'Rycling!' 'Composting!' or'Trash!'. The mayor's new community bin program cut down on clutter, though at a cost- landlords had to pay the city for the privilege of using them, and they sure as hell weren't going to pay out of their own pocket. Rent went up, and the bins took up parking space, so people complained. Still, there was a distinct lack of trash covering the roadside on pickup day.
Shaun Newman followed the breeze down a newly paved sidewalk. Clutcing his battered leather jacket tight, he looked up, where wispy clouds drifted through a pale gray sky. N ature wanted this to be a monotonous morning, it seemed. Shaun would have none of it. He had a date to get to. Ahead, a crowd gathered on the steps of St. Mark's Church, all wrapped up in their Sunday best. Mrs. Harrison and Ms. Valdés huddled close upon the bottom stair. They glanced over their shoulders like a pair of criminal conspirators. They gossiped about Father Burke's private life- Shaun caught something about a 'hellion of a woman' and 'too handsome by half.'
Shaun had not aged as graceful as Father Burke. He was tanned and weathered beaten like an old rucksack. Deep lines ran down his face- trenches dug deep by the passage of time. His hands were just as beaten. Beaten, calloused, worn out. A lifetime in the shops had worked them raw; that same lifetime twisted his back so badly it forgot how to straighten out completely.
'Forgive me my envy, Lord. 'S a bad look.'
The conversation changed as he approached. Both women's eyes lit up with familiarity as they greeted him in unison. "Morning, Mr. Newman!"
Shaun lifted his cap and ran his hands through his hair, gray and wispy as the clouds above. "G'mornin', ladies. Lovely day we're havin'."
"The Lord is good!"
"All the time," Shaun agreed.
"Are you coming to church this morning?"
"'Fraid not," he shrugged, offering up a wry smile as apology. "I got plans."
Ms. Valdés wiggled a brow. "Ohh, still looking for a Mrs. Newman, are you?"
Shaun blushed like a nervous schoolboy. "Datin' ain't just for the young anymore. They got apps for us, too."
"My, I couldn't imagine. At our age?"
"Age makes a Chardonnay all the sweeter." The three of them shared a laugh. Warmth rose in Shaun's belly. It burned away the butterflies he felt a-fluttering within. There was nothing he had to be anxious about, he assured himself. He knew his worth. He knew he'd find someone who could appreciate him. It might not be this time, but it would come.
Or maybe this would be the one. He had a good feeling about today.
Waving goodbye to the women of St. Mark's, Shuan pressed on to Pelham Square. The market bustled with early bird shoppers looking to beat traffic. They roiled like waves out of the gate, past the wrought iron statues of greyhounds guarding the entrance. He made sure to pet the one on the right on his way inside, and would do the same for the dog on the left on his way out, as all good Newton folk knew to do.
The market buzzed with activity. Shoppers flowed from stall to stall, where people sold everything from vegetables grown in rooftop gardens to handcrafted jewelry. A young girl sold custom portraits for thirty bucks right next to a cellphone stall, where an equally young boy tried to hawk the latest L-Phone on everyone that passed by. Shaun waved him off. He didn't trust any phone smarter than he was, and he wasn't particularly bright. It didn't matter how much his great nieces and great nephews made fun of him for that brick he called a phone- he wasn't about to give it up any time soon.
The end of his journey led him to the back half of the square, where a line of food trucks circled the market. Every kind of food one could imagine could be conjured from the backs of those magical places. Shaun made his way forward, flowing through the crowd. He craned his neck to look over them, searching for a half familiar face. They hadn't chatted much online. Neither of them particularly enjoyed typing, and Shaun hated texting. He hoped he recognized her face. He knew he'd know her voice, though. They'd talked and talked and talked over the phone for the last few days. She had a beautiful voice. Listening to her was like drinking honey and bourbon on the patio on a warm summer's night.
Passing through throngs of people gathered around a chaotic splay of folding tables and lawn chairs, Shaun stopped. There she was. A single ray of sunshine pierced the clouds above to dance through her golden brown hair. The lilacs on her cream colored dress fluttered in the wind. She pulled tight a knitted sweater over her wide, defined shoulders to fight off the cold. She was tall- far taller than he expected- and she stood with her back straight and her chin held high. She carried herself with a confidence only found in native born Metropolitans: like nothing in the world could ever shake them. She stood only a few yards away- right beside a food truck decorated with a ridiculous looking anthropomorphic taco mascot.
Shaun went to take a step toward her only to find himself stuck. It was like his shoes had melded with the concrete. The butterflies he'd chased away earlier came fluttering back into his stomach, and this time they came in greater numbers. Anxiety quickened his heart. His Fingers twitched, and his throat tightened. He couldn't do this. She was gorgeous, confident, and looked thirty years his junior. He was going to muck this up royally if-
"Shaun!" She smiled, and lines sprouted around her mouth and eyes. Her cheeks flushed, bright red and rosy. Golden flecks sparkled in her emerald colored eyes. She was right in front of him now. One moment ago she'd been yards away, and now here she was, standing eye to eye with him, glowing like the dawn. "Its Shaun, yeah? Its me, Alisha. God, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you."
"Y-yeah." He chuckled, throat dryer than Kahndaq. "Its me. I'm happy'ta finally see you, Ms. Rhodes. You look...incredible."
"You're one to talk." With a quick step forward she planted a peck on his cheek and pulled him into a tight embrace, all in one motion. Shaun hugged her back as hard as he dared. He could smell her perfume now: it was a strong, floral scent, like violets. Floral perfumes hadn't been in fashion in decades. Shaun couldn't help but grin. They held one another for what felt like centuries, their shared warmth banishing the biting chill of the wind.
She was the first to pull away, though both of them seemed reluctant. "Let's grab a bite to eat. I'm positively ravenous."
"Yeah." Shaun chuckled. "I could eat a bear. Or a horse. Maybe a water buffalo."
"...Why don't we start with bagels first and then we'll see where the morning takes us."
THOOM.
Neither of them made it more than three steps before the ground began to shake. Shaun took Alisha's arm, grimacing. Metropolis wasn't on a major fault line. Not an earthquake. Something worse.
THOOM.
The ground shook again, harder this time. A thunderous noise like metal crunching up concrete echoed through the market square. People looked up from their plates. Some froze while others yelled, and a few people took off running. Shaun whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the noise so he could lead them away from it.
A giant automaton stepped out from behind a brownstone right in front of them. A towering being of metal with a face to terrify the soul: a smiling dolt's face, with white, shining teeth and enormous, glossy eyes. They were empty, terrible things, yet they seemed to stare into the depths of Shaun's soul as he looked up into them. The enormous machine looked like a plump man in a blood red bow tie and navy sweater vest. Its arms ended not in human hands, but grabber claws, like the old children's toy.
There was a loud click, and then a whining buzz like an intercom as a voice thundered out from the machine- a cowardly, sniveling voice, high pitched and snotty. "~bzzt~ Looks like everyone's out and about having a gggrrranddd old time this morning! Well isn't that just sswwwelllll for all of you?! Well some of us aren't so lucky! Some of us have to rrrrrotttt in a prison cell because our bosses ~bzzt~ couldn't appreciate true genius!"
One of the townhouses exploded as an arm passed through it, showering bricks, glass and rebar down on the crowd below. People scattered in every direction, screaming, as their stalls were crushed and glass shredded overhangs. Shaun and Alisha both yelled as they dove to the ground together, wrapping each other up to shield one another's heads from debris.
"Well here's what you get, Metropolis! Here's what you get when you screw over the great Winslow Schott. The one, the only, the TOYMAN!"
"You have got to be kidding me." Alisha groaned.
Shaun tried to stand, but his back started screaming in protest. "We- we need to get outta here, before-"
Toyman stepped forward, crushing the taco truck just ahead of them beneath an enormous robotic loafer. Concrete cracked beneath the weight of the blow. The machine loomed overhead, casting the two of them beneath the shadow of its mighty form. Slots in its chests opened, revealing rows upon rows of missiles. With a forward thrust of its arms, the robot ejected dozen of them. They screamed through the air, flying in every direction. Explosions filled the market. Fire bloomed. Rock dust, soot and smoke filled the air.
Shaun's eyes watered. It was hard to breathe. Impossible to see.
"Are you okay?!" Alisha yelled.
Shaun coughed, trying to clear his throat enough to respond. "I- shit, we- we need to go-"
Metal screeched and pistons boomed as the machine started up again. The leg sounded like crinkling sheet metal as it lifted off the ground, taking a long, striding step. The shadows around them darkened as it passed over head. Casting his eyes upward, Shaun saw the automaton's shoe hovering just overhead. Fear froze his throat. He couldn't scream. Not even as the foot started to come down on top of him.
They say you don't hear the shot that kills you. Well, Shaun heard it. He heard the riotous shrieking of steel, cogs and mechanical things as a couple hundred tons of metal came crashing down on top of him. His body should've popped like a grape. He should've been a smear of gore across the pavement, and the same fate ought to have awaited the lovely woman he had hoped to spend the rest of his life with.
Darkness, but not death. He saw something above him. The shadow of a man rose through the smoke.
Shaun blinked. He could make out colors, now, and he felt his heart melt for the second time in only minutes as he saw a man wrapped in red, blue and gold crouched above him.
He blinked, and he coughed, and he sputtered out tears of joy.
"Hnngh..."
Superman held the weight of Toyman's weaponized titan over his head. Flames licked harmlessly at him. Even his spandex, wide and blue as Metropolis bay, didn't so much as singe. With a huff, shifted the weight of the giant foot to his left hand so he could reach down with his right to Shaun, offering to help him up. "Hi, I'm SUPERMAN. Don't be afraid. I'm here to help."
Shaun Newman followed the breeze down a newly paved sidewalk. Clutcing his battered leather jacket tight, he looked up, where wispy clouds drifted through a pale gray sky. N ature wanted this to be a monotonous morning, it seemed. Shaun would have none of it. He had a date to get to. Ahead, a crowd gathered on the steps of St. Mark's Church, all wrapped up in their Sunday best. Mrs. Harrison and Ms. Valdés huddled close upon the bottom stair. They glanced over their shoulders like a pair of criminal conspirators. They gossiped about Father Burke's private life- Shaun caught something about a 'hellion of a woman' and 'too handsome by half.'
Shaun had not aged as graceful as Father Burke. He was tanned and weathered beaten like an old rucksack. Deep lines ran down his face- trenches dug deep by the passage of time. His hands were just as beaten. Beaten, calloused, worn out. A lifetime in the shops had worked them raw; that same lifetime twisted his back so badly it forgot how to straighten out completely.
'Forgive me my envy, Lord. 'S a bad look.'
The conversation changed as he approached. Both women's eyes lit up with familiarity as they greeted him in unison. "Morning, Mr. Newman!"
Shaun lifted his cap and ran his hands through his hair, gray and wispy as the clouds above. "G'mornin', ladies. Lovely day we're havin'."
"The Lord is good!"
"All the time," Shaun agreed.
"Are you coming to church this morning?"
"'Fraid not," he shrugged, offering up a wry smile as apology. "I got plans."
Ms. Valdés wiggled a brow. "Ohh, still looking for a Mrs. Newman, are you?"
Shaun blushed like a nervous schoolboy. "Datin' ain't just for the young anymore. They got apps for us, too."
"My, I couldn't imagine. At our age?"
"Age makes a Chardonnay all the sweeter." The three of them shared a laugh. Warmth rose in Shaun's belly. It burned away the butterflies he felt a-fluttering within. There was nothing he had to be anxious about, he assured himself. He knew his worth. He knew he'd find someone who could appreciate him. It might not be this time, but it would come.
Or maybe this would be the one. He had a good feeling about today.
Waving goodbye to the women of St. Mark's, Shuan pressed on to Pelham Square. The market bustled with early bird shoppers looking to beat traffic. They roiled like waves out of the gate, past the wrought iron statues of greyhounds guarding the entrance. He made sure to pet the one on the right on his way inside, and would do the same for the dog on the left on his way out, as all good Newton folk knew to do.
The market buzzed with activity. Shoppers flowed from stall to stall, where people sold everything from vegetables grown in rooftop gardens to handcrafted jewelry. A young girl sold custom portraits for thirty bucks right next to a cellphone stall, where an equally young boy tried to hawk the latest L-Phone on everyone that passed by. Shaun waved him off. He didn't trust any phone smarter than he was, and he wasn't particularly bright. It didn't matter how much his great nieces and great nephews made fun of him for that brick he called a phone- he wasn't about to give it up any time soon.
The end of his journey led him to the back half of the square, where a line of food trucks circled the market. Every kind of food one could imagine could be conjured from the backs of those magical places. Shaun made his way forward, flowing through the crowd. He craned his neck to look over them, searching for a half familiar face. They hadn't chatted much online. Neither of them particularly enjoyed typing, and Shaun hated texting. He hoped he recognized her face. He knew he'd know her voice, though. They'd talked and talked and talked over the phone for the last few days. She had a beautiful voice. Listening to her was like drinking honey and bourbon on the patio on a warm summer's night.
Passing through throngs of people gathered around a chaotic splay of folding tables and lawn chairs, Shaun stopped. There she was. A single ray of sunshine pierced the clouds above to dance through her golden brown hair. The lilacs on her cream colored dress fluttered in the wind. She pulled tight a knitted sweater over her wide, defined shoulders to fight off the cold. She was tall- far taller than he expected- and she stood with her back straight and her chin held high. She carried herself with a confidence only found in native born Metropolitans: like nothing in the world could ever shake them. She stood only a few yards away- right beside a food truck decorated with a ridiculous looking anthropomorphic taco mascot.
Shaun went to take a step toward her only to find himself stuck. It was like his shoes had melded with the concrete. The butterflies he'd chased away earlier came fluttering back into his stomach, and this time they came in greater numbers. Anxiety quickened his heart. His Fingers twitched, and his throat tightened. He couldn't do this. She was gorgeous, confident, and looked thirty years his junior. He was going to muck this up royally if-
"Shaun!" She smiled, and lines sprouted around her mouth and eyes. Her cheeks flushed, bright red and rosy. Golden flecks sparkled in her emerald colored eyes. She was right in front of him now. One moment ago she'd been yards away, and now here she was, standing eye to eye with him, glowing like the dawn. "Its Shaun, yeah? Its me, Alisha. God, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you."
"Y-yeah." He chuckled, throat dryer than Kahndaq. "Its me. I'm happy'ta finally see you, Ms. Rhodes. You look...incredible."
"You're one to talk." With a quick step forward she planted a peck on his cheek and pulled him into a tight embrace, all in one motion. Shaun hugged her back as hard as he dared. He could smell her perfume now: it was a strong, floral scent, like violets. Floral perfumes hadn't been in fashion in decades. Shaun couldn't help but grin. They held one another for what felt like centuries, their shared warmth banishing the biting chill of the wind.
She was the first to pull away, though both of them seemed reluctant. "Let's grab a bite to eat. I'm positively ravenous."
"Yeah." Shaun chuckled. "I could eat a bear. Or a horse. Maybe a water buffalo."
"...Why don't we start with bagels first and then we'll see where the morning takes us."
THOOM.
Neither of them made it more than three steps before the ground began to shake. Shaun took Alisha's arm, grimacing. Metropolis wasn't on a major fault line. Not an earthquake. Something worse.
THOOM.
The ground shook again, harder this time. A thunderous noise like metal crunching up concrete echoed through the market square. People looked up from their plates. Some froze while others yelled, and a few people took off running. Shaun whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the noise so he could lead them away from it.
THOOM.
A giant automaton stepped out from behind a brownstone right in front of them. A towering being of metal with a face to terrify the soul: a smiling dolt's face, with white, shining teeth and enormous, glossy eyes. They were empty, terrible things, yet they seemed to stare into the depths of Shaun's soul as he looked up into them. The enormous machine looked like a plump man in a blood red bow tie and navy sweater vest. Its arms ended not in human hands, but grabber claws, like the old children's toy.
There was a loud click, and then a whining buzz like an intercom as a voice thundered out from the machine- a cowardly, sniveling voice, high pitched and snotty. "~bzzt~ Looks like everyone's out and about having a gggrrranddd old time this morning! Well isn't that just sswwwelllll for all of you?! Well some of us aren't so lucky! Some of us have to rrrrrotttt in a prison cell because our bosses ~bzzt~ couldn't appreciate true genius!"
One of the townhouses exploded as an arm passed through it, showering bricks, glass and rebar down on the crowd below. People scattered in every direction, screaming, as their stalls were crushed and glass shredded overhangs. Shaun and Alisha both yelled as they dove to the ground together, wrapping each other up to shield one another's heads from debris.
"Well here's what you get, Metropolis! Here's what you get when you screw over the great Winslow Schott. The one, the only, the TOYMAN!"
"You have got to be kidding me." Alisha groaned.
Shaun tried to stand, but his back started screaming in protest. "We- we need to get outta here, before-"
Toyman stepped forward, crushing the taco truck just ahead of them beneath an enormous robotic loafer. Concrete cracked beneath the weight of the blow. The machine loomed overhead, casting the two of them beneath the shadow of its mighty form. Slots in its chests opened, revealing rows upon rows of missiles. With a forward thrust of its arms, the robot ejected dozen of them. They screamed through the air, flying in every direction. Explosions filled the market. Fire bloomed. Rock dust, soot and smoke filled the air.
Shaun's eyes watered. It was hard to breathe. Impossible to see.
"Are you okay?!" Alisha yelled.
Shaun coughed, trying to clear his throat enough to respond. "I- shit, we- we need to go-"
Metal screeched and pistons boomed as the machine started up again. The leg sounded like crinkling sheet metal as it lifted off the ground, taking a long, striding step. The shadows around them darkened as it passed over head. Casting his eyes upward, Shaun saw the automaton's shoe hovering just overhead. Fear froze his throat. He couldn't scream. Not even as the foot started to come down on top of him.
They say you don't hear the shot that kills you. Well, Shaun heard it. He heard the riotous shrieking of steel, cogs and mechanical things as a couple hundred tons of metal came crashing down on top of him. His body should've popped like a grape. He should've been a smear of gore across the pavement, and the same fate ought to have awaited the lovely woman he had hoped to spend the rest of his life with.
Darkness, but not death. He saw something above him. The shadow of a man rose through the smoke.
Shaun blinked. He could make out colors, now, and he felt his heart melt for the second time in only minutes as he saw a man wrapped in red, blue and gold crouched above him.
He blinked, and he coughed, and he sputtered out tears of joy.
"Hnngh..."
Superman held the weight of Toyman's weaponized titan over his head. Flames licked harmlessly at him. Even his spandex, wide and blue as Metropolis bay, didn't so much as singe. With a huff, shifted the weight of the giant foot to his left hand so he could reach down with his right to Shaun, offering to help him up. "Hi, I'm SUPERMAN. Don't be afraid. I'm here to help."
