Simple Unicycle

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Y'all better stay tuned for 🅱️lade's 🅱️aller 🅱️aturdays.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

And to think I was worried Byrd was gonna steal my boi Question from me.

Nice sheet (or rather, nice sample post) Byrd, can't wait to read your posts.

The Occult Investigations Agency

Henry Thompson

---

Thompson had been spending the last fifteen minutes in front of the hotel. After Minos had sent him to join the roof team, he had went, only to be told that they couldn't welcome one more member into their ranks. Something about there being too many of them to safely breach the hotel and still maintain the element of surprise, so he'd have to rejoin the OTOs in front of the hotel.

Which lead to now, with him wandering around grumbling about his circumstances and how it was the reserves situation all over again. That was just how it was for him: always on the sidelines, waiting for his chance and never getting it. To be fair, he was a normal human in a line of work where they didn't have a long lifespan, so maybe him getting put back outside saved his life. Still, he signed up for this job knowing the risks, and he'd be damned if he had to sit aside instead of doing his job.

His silent brooding was interrupted when he saw a woman heading towards him. He had met her once before, though he didn't know much about her aside from the fact that she also worked with the OTOs. Her name was Ephielle Okairos, and he didn't know much about her save for her impressive capabilities; nothing about how she is able to pull of those feats or what her true strength is.

And here she was, coming up to him and trying to... Banter with him? It was the friendly sort from what he could tell. But he was still hung up on one thing, that he just couldn't wrap his head around, and his normally cold and distant tone was remarkably confused as he made his reply. "... Handsome? That doesn't make sense, I'm wearing a mask, you can't tell what I look li-"

His confused reply was cut off by his radio coming to life, with Sergeant Minos' voice coming through. His commander was panicked and calling to him for back up. Instantly, Thompson went into mission mode, turning to face the woman next to him. "Okairos, you're coming with me. Have to help my team." There was no time to wait for the boss to give the okay on who he brought with him, and from what he had seen this woman was powerful. "Let's go. If I remember, they're in the basement."

With that, the operative double checked his equipment before going on his way to the basement rear entrance, ignoring any protests from the woman he had decided to drag into this situation.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

VOIDED

---

ISSUE #8
WE'LL BE COWBOYS

---

Blade's Unnamed Shop
New York City, New York

We pulled up to my place about half an hour after we met with Harker. It was almost one in the morning now, and the streets were quiet. As I got out, I looked back to the van and at the two who resided within. Van Helsing had the same stoic expression on her face, making it hard to see how she was feeling. Drake was the kinda guy to wear his heart on his sleeve though, and I could tell he was glad to see me go by his relieved smile.

"I'll be sure to give you guys a ring if I get a job. Y'know, build that rapport and shit," I said, shooting a finger gun at the two. "But for now, I'm gonna get some well deserved rest. Need it after all the shit that went down tonight."

"You do that. And I'm sure Frank will be happy to join you on any jobs you get." Van Helsing's reply got her companion to look dumbfounded.

"What? Why me?"

"Because you two obviously have some differences to work out."

I grinned and shook my head. "Don't worry, he and I'll be thick as thieves in no time. Ain't that right, Frankie?"

In response, Drake simply started the van back up. He turned to me with a glare, simply muttering, "Eat shit and die." And with that, the van took off down the road, leaving me to watch while laughing quietly to myself. With nothing left to do, I opened the door to my shop and took a look around at the place.

It was in the same condition I left it in. Empty pizza boxes stacked next to the desk, jukebox in the corner with the remains of my poker table piled next to it, weapons rack against the wall behind my desk... I only just now noticed that the place was a bit of a mess, too. Aside from the pizza boxes, there were fast food scraps strewn about the floor by the desk, half empty Pepsi bottles lined up next to each other on the windowsill, and a few bloodstains I hadn't bothered to mop up after the fight with those vampires.

I almost felt like tidying up.

Keyword being "almost".

I headed up stairs to my bedroom. Not even bothering to tear off the bloody rags I called clothes, I hopped into bed, and was out like a light in seconds...

---

Lawn Outside of Abraham Whistler's Home
Albany, New York
Nine Years Ago

"Saddle up, pardner. We're goin' huntin'," Deacon said to me in a badly imitated southern drawl, adjusting Whistler's cowboy hat. The hat was too big for his eleven year old head, constantly sinking down to cover his eyes. I giggled at the sight, adjusting my own hat; I had actually gotten one at a fair recently that fit me. Deacon, being the more introverted of the two of us, chose not to try and win a hat for himself and was still stuck with Whistler's.

"We gotta find them banditos 'fore they can attack the town again!" I replied enthusiastically with my own drawl, letting out a laugh. Whistler always watched westerns, in fact the only movies in the house were all westerns from the 50s and 60s; stuff like Shane, Fistful of Dollars, True Grit, and all that. As a result of that and a lack of cable or game consoles, Deacon and I still played Cowboys and Indians to pass the time fifty years after it had gone out of style.

So off we went to chase after those imaginary banditos, toy revolvers in hand and glorious (imaginary) steeds beneath us. Soon enough, we got off our imaginary horses and started scrambling for the trees, away from imaginary bullets that were flying right towards us. Deacon and I started firing back at the bandits. "I got one in the chest! Just a few more to go!"

"I just got two in the head, Eric! Get your behind in gear!" Deacon always wanted to be the best between us, so whenever I'd try and be realistic when playing, he'd be the one getting headshot after headshot on the bandits. But still, I didn't complain, because I knew he was like this. We continued to pretend we were in a shootout until finally, all of our imaginary foes had fallen.

Deacon and I ran towards each other with a laugh and high five. "We got 'em good, didn't we?"

"You bet! They won't be comin' 'round here no more!"

"Couldn't have done it without you, pardner!"

At that, we both let out another laugh and started to head inside. It was hard to believe with our relationship now that once upon a time, we were thick as thieves, two kids against the world. We weren't born from the same parents, but we were raised by the same man, and to us that meant that for all intents and purposes, we were brothers. We still were, even when trying to kill each other.

As we sat down on the couch, finally dropping our cowboy shticks, Deacon faced me with a smile and said something that's stuck with me for years.

"One day, Eric, we'll be cowboys."

We'll be cowboys, huh?

Yeah.

One day, Deacon, we'll be cowboys.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

So, in the interest of spurring OOC discussion (so we can get to the 2000th post and it can be used for something that isn't a GIF of Thanos dabbing), what is, all time, your favorite single piece of superhero media?

@DocTachyon

This run right here:



I know me being "that guy who likes the Question" is a bit of a meme at this point, but I'm dead serious when I talk about how much I love the character. Something just... Clicked in a way that no other superhero has clicked for me. I loved the character as a kid watching JLU, and I love him as a not-quite-adult after rediscovering him a few years back through reading Dennis O'Neil's run on the character. Everything about this run is just amazing, be it the writing or the artwork or the characters. Couldn't recommend it enough.

When talking about films and shows and stuff, I'm right with you on Spider-Verse. I was grinning the whole time I watched it, made me feel like I did when I was a kid watching the Raimi films. Honestly the best Spider-Man movie to come out in a long time.

On the shows side, Batman Beyond has always held a special place in my heart and was the thing that sowed the seed for my love of cyberpunk. Gonna have to get to reading Wraith's Terry run soon.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

<Snipped quote by officaz>

Please tell me that you are going to make it canon that Frank Castle was the former President of the United States.

@mattmanganon

I know you're memeing but hard no.

Ruins of Norn: Another Side

Got an... 8 on my constitution check. Well, that's nice.

And got an 18 for my search, using survival.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Thank you Gowi, very cool.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

@Simple Unicycle Where's my damn Question application? That's the real question here!

@Lord Wraith

IT WOULD BE HERE ALREADY IF YOU LET ME HAVE A SECONDARY CHARACTER

even though I peaced out for a month and haven't proven myself to be dedicated enough to have two characters.

But for real, it's finished, just waiting until I wrap up this arc with Blade to play Q. Might do something like alternate characters every major story arc.

EDIT: ... Looking back, apparently I misremembered. I finished a Question sheet for UOU, but haven't finished the Absolute Comics version yet. Gonna hop on that soon.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

<Snipped quote by Simple Unicycle>

*Blue Beetle flies around in his Charlton Comics-mobile alone*

@Hound55

Dammit...

Okay no Chow Yun-Castle.

*Gets to work on Arm Fall Off Boy CS*