Herocopia - User contributions [en]

G-Dog

2026-05-22T19:38:42Z

3aaadad: spelling change

{{character infobox2
|image = Image:g-dog.jpg
|imagewidth = 300
|status = Inactive and partially Deceased - It's a bit complicated.
|realname = Hank and Andy Merton. Like we said, complicated.
|debut = <issue>
|earliest = <in world date>
|origin = {{AC}} No.47
|affiliation =
|baseops =
|rangeops =

|relatives =
|aliases =
|occupation =
|birthdate =
|maritalstatus = Andy is Married
|height =
|weight =
|eyes =
|hair =

|headlines = <in world date and Headline>
|appearances = <issue list>
}}

{{character page
|intro = Half Man. Half Corgi. ''Mostly'' Hero. Utterly Adorable.
.

|history =
[[image:AndyNV.jpg|100px|left]]
''"To start with, I want to be '''really clear''', I didn't '''steal''' Hank."'' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Andy Merton, a minor thug, took Hank, a corgi, from a fellow minor thug and druggie called [[Mannie]]. They both worked occasionally for a bigger thug named [[Mack Faraday]] and both owed him a considerable amount of money. Mannie just owed more. Mannie also owed Andy which is why he took Hank. He thought Hank was Mannie's pet, and would be motivated to cough up some money to get Hank back. Turns out Mannie had stolen him from a breeder to resell. SO basically Andy got Hank.

[[image:AndyNV.jpg|100px|left]]
''"I did '''steal''' the amulet though. '''Straight up."''' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Desperate for money, Andy broke into a house over Eastbrook, where he found a shrine to [[Stormhawk]], he took some jewelry from the house. That was for profit. He also took an amulet, not for monetary value, he just wanted it.

Afterwards he spent a good amount of time looking after Hank, mostly house training him to start off with, but over time, he grew close to the little corgi. One day, after a walk in the park and whilst thinking about how Andy owed Faraday another payment soon, Hank touched the amulet with his nose, fusing them together, briefly. Andy quickly understood how to go back and forth between dog/human and was very intrigued by the experience.

While testing out his powers, Andy was mulling thoughts of pulling a few bank jobs, but somehow, he could hear Hank in the back of his mind saying "No. Not good." This "communication" with Hank increased over time. While in Dog/Human form Andy/Hank came upon a mugging in progress. At the strong urgings of Hank, they took action and foiled the actions of the muggers. After stopping the mugging, the victims wanted to know what he was called, Andy wanted to say either 'Nighthound' or 'Guardsman' but Hank barked in (ha) with the nickname that Andy gave him 'G-Dog' and he left flustered and embarrassed at the same time.

Over time they gained experience as a hero and Andy gained a girlfriend in a woman named [[Esme]] as well as a job working at a bar, as well as taking down Faraday after reaising that 'oh wait I have superpowers' and over time thanks to Hanks' influence, he stopped thinking about doing criminal acts and after taking down [[Lichen-Thrope]] he was thanked by [[Honor Guard]] which amazed him. Andy's life was going incredibly well, until he took Hank to the vet and discovered that he only had a few more years to live

Four years after becoming G-Dog, Andy knew that he need answers after earning that he could fly. After defeating the [[Mecha-Nerds]], Andy returned to the brown-house that he had burgled stole the amulet from and spoke with the woman who owned the house. The two discussed the amulet and [[Stormhawk]] as well as the advanced powers that were gained from the amulet, namely super strength, flight and lightning powers and after Andy left, he revealed to Esme pretty much everything about him being G-Dog and his own past and she accepted it and they became even closer.

As he was about to attack an [[Iron Legion]] cadre, he was introduced to the [[Pet Patrol]] attacking right before him. Following the battle, a slightly baffled G-Dog turned down an offer to join the Pet Patrol. He was holding out for an Honor Guard invitation or maybe [[the Irregulars]].

Life moved on; Andy graduated College, he and Esme bought the bar he had been working at, and of course, they got married (with Hank as the Best Dog). As happy as things were, a routine visit to the vet revealed a sudden shocking truth. Andy was stunned to learn that Hank's recent exhaustion bouts were just the simple effects of old age. The vet warned that Hank had three, maybe four years.

Andy left, filled with thoughts of dread and disappointment. He realized just how important Hank was to him and it was time to indulge more in Hanks needs and desires. So G-Dog joined Pet Patrol after all. along the way they gained Stormhawk's lightning powers. The remaining times passed much too quickly and Hank was now almost seventeen. Worse, the vet revealed that Hank had cancer and advised Andy to consider euthanizing Hank. Andy tormented himself over what to do. Ultimately he decided that as long as he and Hank could still communicate on their special level, he would do everything he could to make Hank happy and comfortable. A few months later, Hank passed away peacefully.

[[image:g-dog-is-good.jpg|350px|center]]

Soon the amulet materialized around Andy's neck. Andy had done a lot of soul-searching and he knew that no matter what was going to happen he was never going to be G-Dog again, and he wasn't going to bond with another animal. It just wasn't in him. Hank had been too important of a partner, especially helping Andy to be a much better person. He said proper goodbyes to the Pet Patrol, went to a desolate area of the mountains, and there he left the amulet on the branch of a tree for new individuals to claim it and be changed by its bonding powers.

It didn't take long.
[[image:bonding-amulet-new-home1.jpg|400px|center]]
 
 
[[image:bonding-amulet-new-home.jpg|400px|center]]

|powers =

|equipment =

|observations =

|speculations =

|timelines =

|footnotes =

}}

[[Category: Heroes]][[Category: Pets]]

G-Dog

2026-05-20T19:37:52Z

3aaadad:

{{character infobox2
|image = Image:g-dog.jpg
|imagewidth = 300
|status = Inactive and partially Deceased - It's a bit complicated.
|realname = Hank and Andy Merton. Like we said, complicated.
|debut = <issue>
|earliest = <in world date>
|origin = {{AC}} No.47
|affiliation =
|baseops =
|rangeops =

|relatives =
|aliases =
|occupation =
|birthdate =
|maritalstatus = Andy is Married
|height =
|weight =
|eyes =
|hair =

|headlines = <in world date and Headline>
|appearances = <issue list>
}}

{{character page
|intro = Half Man. Half Corgi. ''Mostly'' Hero. Utterly Adorable.
.

|history =
''"To start with, I want to be '''really clear''', I didn't '''steal''' Hank."'' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Andy Merton, a minor thug, took Hank, a corgi, from a fellow minor thug and druggie called [[Mannie]]. They both worked occasionally for a bigger thug named [[Mack Faraday]] and both owed him a considerable amount of money. Mannie just owed more. Mannie also owed Andy which is why he took Hank. He thought Hank was Mannie's pet, and would be motivated to cough up some money to get Hank back. Turns out Mannie had stolen him from a breeder to resell. SO basically Andy got Hank.

''"I did '''steal''' the amulet though. '''Straight up."''' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Desperate for money, Andy broke into a house over Eastbrook, where he found a shrine to [[Stormhawk]], he took some jewelry from the house. That was for profit. He also took an amulet, not for monetary value, he just wanted it.

Afterwards he spent a good amount of time looking after Hank, mostly house training him to start off with, but over time, he grew close to the little corgi. One day, after a walk in the park and whilst thinking about how Andy owed Faraday another payment soon, Hank touched the amulet with his nose, fusing them together, briefly. Andy quickly understood how to go back and forth between dog/human and was very intrigued by the experience.

While testing out his powers, Andy was mulling thoughts of pulling a few bank jobs, but somehow, he could hear Hank in the back of his mind saying "No. Not good." This "communication" with Hank increased over time. While in Dog/Human form Andy/Hank came upon a mugging in progress. At the strong urgings of Hank, they took action and foiled the actions of the muggers. After stopping the mugging, the victims wanted to know what he was called, Andy wanted to say either 'Nighthound' or 'Guardsman' but Hank barked in (ha) with the nickname that Andy gave him 'G-Dog' and he left flustered and embarrassed at the same time.

Over time they gained experience as a hero and Andy gained a girlfriend in a woman named [[Esme]] as well as a job working at a bar, as well as taking down Faraday after reaising that 'oh wait I have superpowers' and over time thanks to Hanks' influence, he stopped thinking about doing criminal acts and after taking down [[Lichen-Thorpe]] he was thanked by [[Honor Guard]] which amazed him. Andy's life was going incredibly well, until he took Hank to the vet and discovered that he only had a few more years to live

Four years after becoming G-Dog, Andy knew that he need answers after earning that he could fly. After defeating the [[Mecha-Nerds]], Andy returned to the brownhouse that he originally stole the amulet from and spoke with the woman who owned the house. The two discussed the amulet and [[Stormhawk]] as well as the advanced powers that were gained from the amulet, namely super strength, flight and lightning powers and after Andy left, he revealed to Esme pretty much everything about him being G-Dog and his own past and she accepted it and they became even closer.

When he was about to attack an [[Iron Legion]] cadre he was introduced to the [[Pet Patrol]] attacking right before him, slightly baffled G-Dog, left soon afterwards and life moved on from there. Andy graduated College Brought the bar with Esme and got married, (with Hank as the Best Dog) and when he took Hank to the vet and he found out that Hank had only three years left and he realised just how important Hank was to him. G-Dog joined Pet Patrol and he gained Stormhawk's lightning powers, but soon it was too late, Hank was almost seventeen and unfortunately, the vet revealed that he had cancer, the vet advised Andy to consider euthanizing Hank but Andy refused and a few months later during that fall, Hank passed away peacefully.

After he died the amulet returned around Andy's neck, and Hank knew that no matter what was going to happen he was never going to be G-Dog again, he said goodbye to Pet patrol, went to the mountains and left the amulet on a branch of a tree, as he flew away a hawk grabbed the amulet without Andy knowing.

{{EditMark
|notes = <Good start here. I thought I was editing old material, and went ahead and did some touching up. Didn't mean to step on you toes. Feel free to continue. I've added an outline that I had done yesterday of things I thought would be good content. Use as you see fit. Thanks for you contributions>
}}

'''Outline:'''
Andy was a minor thug involved with other thugs. That's how he acquired Hank, a corgi dog.

The theft of the amulet.

His "linking" with Hank and its attitude changing effects towards him being a low cost grifter.

His developing powers and how they included more than just heightened dog related skills. He could fly

His shocked at finding out Hank's life span was limited.

His sad and touching goodbye to Hank.

His passing on the amulet to allow for a new bonding. He was too attached to Hank to want to do another.

The main focus is on how the amulet, Hank, and Esme helped Andy to grow and make his life more meaningful, more caring. Good!

|powers =

|equipment =

|observations =

|speculations =

|timelines =

|footnotes =

}}

[[Category: Heroes]][[Category: Pets]]

{{stub5}}

G-Dog

2026-05-20T18:02:51Z

3aaadad: finished History

{{character infobox2
|image = Image:g-dog.jpg
|imagewidth = 300
|status = Inactive and partially Deceased - It's a bit complicated.
|realname = Hank and Andy Merton. Like we said, complicated.
|debut = <issue>
|earliest = <in world date>
|origin = {{AC}} No.47
|affiliation =
|baseops =
|rangeops =

|relatives =
|aliases =
|occupation =
|birthdate =
|maritalstatus = Andy is Married
|height =
|weight =
|eyes =
|hair =

|headlines = <in world date and Headline>
|appearances = <issue list>
}}

{{character page
|intro = Half Man. Half Corgi. ''Mostly'' Hero. Utterly Adorable.
.

|history =
''"To start with, I want to be '''really clear''', I didn't '''steal''' Hank."'' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Andy Merton, a minor thug, took Hank, a corgi, from a fellow minor thug and druggie called [[Mannie]]. They both worked occasionally for a bigger thug named [[Mack Faraday]] and both owed him a considerable amount of money. Mannie just owed more. Mannie also owed Andy which is why he took Hank. He thought Hank was Mannie's pet, and would be motivated to cough up some money to get Hank back. Turns out Mannie had stolen him from a breeder to resell. SO basically Andy got Hank.

''"I did '''steal''' the amulet though. '''Straight up."''' 
'''-- Andy Merton'''

Desperate for money, Andy broke into a house over Eastbrook, where he found a shrine to [[Stormhawk]], he took some jewelry from the house. That was for profit. He also took an amulet, not for monetary value, he just wanted it.

Afterwards he spent a good amount of time looking after Hank, mostly house training him to start off with, but over time, he grew close to the little corgi. One day, after a walk in the park and whilst thinking about how Andy owed Faraday another payment soon, Hank touched the amulet with his nose, fusing them together, briefly. Andy quickly understood how to go back and forth between dog/human and was very intrigued by the experience.

While testing out his powers, Andy was mulling thoughts of pulling a few bank jobs, but somehow, he could hear Hank in the back of his mind saying "No. Not good." This "communication" with Hank increased over time. While in Dog/Human form Andy/Hank came upon a mugging in progress. At the strong urgings of Hank, they took action and foiled the actions of the muggers. After stopping the mugging, the victims wanted to know what he was called, Andy wanted to say either 'Nighthound' or 'Guardsman' but Hank barked in (ha) with the nickname that Andy gave him 'G-Dog' and he left flustered and embarrassed at the same time.

Over time they gained experience as a hero and Andy gained a girlfriend in a woman named [[Esme]] as well as a job working at a bar, as well as taking down Faraday after reaising that 'oh wait I have superpowers' and over time thanks to Hanks' influence, he stopped thinking about doing criminal acts and after taking down [[Lichen-Thorpe]] he was thanked by [[Honor Guard]] which amazed him. Andy's life was going incredibly well, until he took Hank to the vet and discovered that he only had a few more years to live

Four years after becoming G-Dog, Andy knew that he need answers after earning that he could fly. After defeating the [[Mecha-Nerds]], Andy returned to the brownhouse that he originally stole the amulet from and spoke with the woman who owned the house. The two discussed the amulet and [[Stormhawk]] as well as the advanced powers that were gained from the amulet, namely super strength, flight and lightning powers and after Andy left, he revealed to Esme pretty much everything about him being G-Dog and his own past and she accepted it and they became even closer.

When he was about to attack an [[Iron Legion]] cadre he was introduced to the [[Pet Patrol]] attacking right before him, slightly baffled G-Dog, left soon afterwards and life moved on from there. Andy graduated College Brought the bar with Esme and got married, (with Hank as the Best Dog) and when he took Hank to the vet and he found out that Hank had only three years left and he realised just how important Hank was to him. G-Dog joined Pet Patrol and he gained Stormhawk's lightning powers, but soon it was too late, Hank was almost seventeen and unfortunately, the vet revealed that he had cancer, the vet advised Andy to consider euthanizing Hank but Andy refused and a few months later during that fall, Hank passed away peacefully.

After he died the amulet returned around Andy's neck, and Hank knew that no matter what was going to happen he was never going to be G-Dog again, he said goodbye to Pet patrol, went to the mountains and left the amulet on a branch of a tree, as he flew away a hawk grabbed the amulet with Andy knowing.

{{EditMark
|notes = <Good start here. I thought I was editing old material, and went ahead and did some touching up. Didn't mean to step on you toes. Feel free to continue. I've added an outline that I had done yesterday of things I thought would be good content. Use as you see fit. Thanks for you contributions>
}}

'''Outline:'''
Andy was a minor thug involved with other thugs. That's how he acquired Hank, a corgi dog.

The theft of the amulet.

His "linking" with Hank and its attitude changing effects towards him being a low cost grifter.

His developing powers and how they included more than just heightened dog related skills. He could fly

His shocked at finding out Hank's life span was limited.

His sad and touching goodbye to Hank.

His passing on the amulet to allow for a new bonding. He was too attached to Hank to want to do another.

The main focus is on how the amulet, Hank, and Esme helped Andy to grow and make his life more meaningful, more caring. Good!

|powers =

|equipment =

|observations =

|speculations =

|timelines =

|footnotes =

}}

[[Category: Heroes]][[Category: Pets]]

{{stub5}}

G-Dog

2026-05-19T19:58:44Z

3aaadad: Stared History

Beautie

2026-05-15T09:21:11Z

3aaadad: added Category

{{Character infobox2
|image = Image:beautie-in-battle.png
|status = functioning android entity
|realname = not revealed
|debut = {{KBAC1}} [[1:1|#1]]
|origin = {{BEAUTIE}} #1

|affiliation = [[Honor Guard]]
|baseops = [[Astro City]]
|rangeops = local, global, galactic, intergalactic and inter-dimensional.
|relatives = When her memory circuits are aligned correctly, Beautie thinks of her inventor, [[Elaine Girbachs]], as her mother.

|aliases =
|occupation = Beautie is a spokesperson for [[Businesses#Tip-Top Toys|Tip-Top Toys]].
|birthdate =
|maritalstatus =
|height =
|weight =
|eyes = blue
|hair = blonde
|headlines =
|appearances =
{{KBAC1}} [[{{KBAC1}} No.1|#1]], [[{{KBAC1}} No.6|6]] 
{{WP}} [[{{WP}} No.1/2|#1/2]] 
{{KBAC2}} [[{{KBAC2}} No.1|#1]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.5|5]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.6|6]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.7|7]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.9|9]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.19|19]], [[{{KBAC2}} No.20|20]] 
{{LH}} [[{{LH}} No.1|#1]] 
{{BEAUTIE}} [[{{BEAUTIE}}|#1]] 
{{DA3}} [[{{DA3}} No.2|#2]], [[{{DA3}} No.3|3]], [[{{DA3}} No.4|4]] 
{{DA4}} [[{{DA4}} No.3|#3]], [[{{DA4}} No.4|4]] 
{{AC}} [[{{AC}} No.2|#2]], 25, 27 
}}

{{Character page

|intro =
A full sized doll brought to life. Her petite figure conceals surprising strength and resiliency. Designed for super-strength, the structure of her artificial body allows her to endure extreme environmental conditions. Her artificial construction also provides her certain types of advantages over weak, frail human anatomy, including an immunity to the aphrodisiac allure of [[Goldenboy]]'s pheromones.

"Hey, [we've got] super-people, aliens, monsters; what's so weird about a genuine living doll?" -- [[Robert Haney]], resident of [[Goldwater Heights]].

|history =
Beautie is a perfect life-size replica of the children's doll of the same name sold by [[Businesses#Tip-Top Toys|Tip-Top Toys]]. She is their corporate symbol and spokesperson, making appearances world-wide. In mitation of her source material's popularized attitudes, she has a predilection for all manner of clothing and accessories. A personality trait probably grafted on her by her creator,

[[image:beautieFlying.jpg|250px|left]]
Beautie was built by 8-year-old Elaine Girbachs, daughter of criminal technologist, "[[Dr. Gearbox]]." Elaine constructed Beautie to be a playmate, companion, and protector. Despite all of the intelligence and cleverness of this little girl, her father merely ridiculed and shunned her creation, evidently humiliated that such an advanced android had been built by his daughter single-handedly. Deeply hurt by her father's rejection of her technical accomplishment, Elaine ordered Beautie to leave and to forget about her, but Beautie's own heuristic design algorithms developed and resisted the command, repeatedly helping Beautie to re-establish memories back to her past and eventually rediscovering her creator.

Beautie arrived in Astro City in the Fall of 1969. Her first recorded heroic act was foiling the kidnapping attempt made upon Joanie Wheaton, the heir to the [[Businesses#Wheaton Investments|Wheaton Investments]] fortune. Six months later, she assisted [[Honor Guard]] in defeating the [[Toymaker]], who'd attempted to copy her design to build a robotic toy army. The Honor Guard brought her into their ranks, leading to legal action declaring her a free person, using the [[Loony Leo]] v. [[Fago's Funny Features]] decision as precedent. As part of the case settlement, Beautie acts as the corporate symbol and representative for Tip-Top Toys, making appearances nationwide.

In 1978, she broke up an attack on the [[Entertainment and Media#Astro City Gay Freedom March|Astro City Gay Freedom March]], which inspired the gay community of Astro City to adopt her as their favorite hero. Not long afterward, she moved into an apartment located over a gay bar in Astro City. Their company provides some relief and a barrier of sorts against the not-just-occasional advances of obnoxious males with romantic notions.
|powers=
Beautie possesses super-strength, enhanced hearing, and the powers of flight. Her ferro-styrene skin makes her resistant to a considerable amount of damage. As a robot, she doesn't breathe.

|observations =
* She is a friend of [[The Tourist]].

* Given her design – she was not built to be anatomically correct, plus her skin is rigid ferrostyrene on an omnitanium frame - this suits her quite nicely.

* Over the course of her heroic career, she has been destroyed twice, once by the Living Nightmare, and once by [[Silver Brain |The Silver Brain's]] minions, the [[Sledgehamsters]]. Each time, she has been rebuilt, the first time by [[Augustus Furst]] and the second by the [[Black Rapier]].

|footnotes= Kurt Busiek says he views her as the type of hero who appears in a team book but has no on-going solo series.{{CN}}
}}

[[Category:Artificial Life Forms]][[Category:Heroes]]

The WOW Finish

2026-04-20T10:25:55Z

3aaadad: punctuation and spelling check

"The WOW Finish" was orginally published in [[Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 No.20]].

==Synopsis==
The Conquistador's plan is in full swing: Black Masks are committing robberies all around Astro City, whilst big name villains are distracting the superhero community outside, meanwhile Steeljack's got a mission to do. Having paid a pilot to fly him above Astro City, Steeljack jumps out of the plane and lands in the Wildenburg Centre where he knows the Conquistador's base is, having no idea where to start lookng, the Conquistador blasts him in the back, Steeljack recovers and attacks, calling him out as El Hombre, The Conquistador takes off his mask to reveal, Maria Alvarado.

Stunned for a moment, Steeljack immediately knows that Hildago's faking it, since both of them had the same thought, "How every failure in your life just piles up on you, heavier an' heavier and you gotta try and throw them all of your shoulders at once." He insults Hildago for using Maria and The Conquistador is impressed by him and he lays out his real plan, when all the Black Mask return, he will show up as 'El Guerrero' and make an incredible debut as a hero. Steeljack points out that the police will find out once the Black Masks start talking, until Hildago reveal that they won't, thanks to a "Tragic accident - a power overload in their lair, during their final battle. An Insulated Hero."

And with that, Steeljack realizes just how far Hildago has gone to be seen as a hero once again, and filled with rage he leaps at the Conquistador. He thinks to himself as he attacks about just what was eating up inside Hildago all this time, as well as figuring out that he was the Black Mask killer, all so that no one knew about his plans. Steeljack points out that Hildago's plan was going to avoid any deaths and he clarifies, "I meant people. Innocents. Not such as you." Slamming Hildago into the water, Steeljack takes a brutal pummelling and is knocked unconcious.

Dragging him up, Hildago plans on framing Maria and placing Carl in the armour and whilst he walks away, Steeljack somehow, even though he can barely move and his lungs are full of water, rises to his feet and continues to fight and he explains how he's doing this, "And in the end, it ain't about being smart. It ain't about being clever. It ain't even about right. Unless, somehow, bein' right---- is what makes me tough enough." Steeljack lands a series of blows that crack the Conquistador's armour, allowing water to seep in and zapping him unconcious.

Carl collapses and lays there silently, thinking about what he'd just done and then he notices something in the sky and he sees them, the angels coming down from the sky. Honor Guard comes down, picks up Hildago, calls an ambulance for Carl and leaves. Shockingly, the police aren't taking Carl in, Honor Guard informed the police about what had happened, as well as make it clear that if Carl hadn't interfered, Honor Guard would have been too late and so, they were dropping the charges. Hildago's invovement is being kept silent and he's being thrown into an asylum for the rest of life, since they don't want to disgrace him again, not because of '''what''' he'd done, but for the memory of he'd '''used''' to be, and silently both Bravo and Carl shake hands.

Some time later, Ferguson leaves Keifer Square, scared of retribution, Goldenglove starts training with the Irregulars and Carl now works in the graveyard. He finally got his ma an angel for her headstone, "Had to get it on credit, of course, but I'm paying it off in installments."
==Notes==
* [[White Lightning]] first appears here, although he was first seen in an Astro City promotional post card in 1996 that was promoting volume two of the series starting up.

[[Category: Story Synopses|WOW]][[Category: Story Publication Order| 200001]]

The WOW Finish

2026-04-17T09:16:05Z

3aaadad: punctuation and spelling check

"The WOW Finish" was orginally published in [[Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 No.20]].

==Synopsis==
The Conquistador's plan is in full swing: Black Masks are committing robberies all around Astro City, whilst big name villains are distracting the superhero community outside, meanwhile Steeljack's got a mission to do. Having paid a pilot to fly him above Astro City, Steeljack jumps out of the plane and lands in the Wildenburg Centre where he knows the Conquistador's base is, having no idea where to start lookng, the Conquistador blasts him in the back, Steeljack recovers and attacks, calling him out as El Hombre, The Conquistador takes off his mask to reveal, Maria Alvarado.

Stunned for a moment, Steeljack immediately knows that Hildago's faking it, since both of them had the same thought, "How every failure in your life just piles up on you, heavier an' heavier and you gotta try and throw them all of your shoulders at once." He insults Hildago for using Maria and The Conquistador is impressed by him and he lays out his real plan, when all the Black Mask return, he will show up as 'El Guerrero' and make an incredible debut as a hero. Steeljack points out that the police will find out once the Black Masks start talking, until Hildago reveal that they won't, thanks to a "Tragic accident - a power overload in their lair, during their final battle. An Insulated Hero."

And with that, Steeljack realizes just how far Hildago has gone to be seen as a hero once again, and filled with rage he leaps at the Conquistador. He thinks to himself as he attacks about just what was eating up inside Hildago all this time, as well as figuring out that he was the Black Mask killer, all so that no one knew about his plans. Steeljack points out that Hildago's plan was going to avoid any deaths and he clarifies, "I meant people. Innocents. Not such as you." Slamming Hildago into the water, Steeljack takes a brutal pummelling and is knocked unconcious.

Dragging him up, Hildago plans on framing Maria and placing Carl in the armour and whilst he walks away, Steeljack somehow, even though he can barely move and his lungs are full of water, rises to his feet and continues to fight and he explains how he's doing this, "And in the end, it ain't about being smart. It ain't about being clever. It ain't even about right. Unless, somehow, bein' right---- is what makes me tough enough." Steeljack lands a series of blows that crack the Conquistador's armour, allowing water to seep in and zapping him unconcious.

Carl collapses and lays there silently, thinking about what he'd just done and then he notices something in the sky and he sees them, the angels coming down from the sky. Honor Guard comes down, picks up Hildago, calls an ambulance for Carl and leaves. Shockingly, the police aren't taking Carl in, Honor Guard informed the police about what had happened, as well as make it clear that if Carl hadn't interfered, Honor Guard would have been too late and so, they were dropping the charges. Hildago's invovement is being kept silent and he's being thrown into an asylum for the rest of life, since they don't want to disgrace him again, not because of '''what''' he'd done, but for the memory of he'd '''used''' to be, and silently both Bravo and Carl shake hands.

Some time later, Ferguson leaves Keifer Square, scared of retribution, Goldenglove starts training with the Irregulars and Carl now works in the graveyard. He finally got his ma and angel for her headstone, "Had to get it on credit, of course, but I'm paying it off in installments."
==Notes==
* [[White Lightning]] first appears here, although he was first seen in an Astro City promotional post card in 1996 that was promoting volume two of the series starting up.

[[Category: Story Synopses|WOW]][[Category: Story Publication Order| 200001]]

Sunshrike

2026-04-08T17:51:35Z

3aaadad:

{{character infobox2
|image = Image:Sunshrike.jpg
|imagewidth = 400
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|realname = Leah (last name not revealed)
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[[Category: Heroes]]

2026-02-13T10:42:57Z

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The Gang War that erupted in January 1977 in Astro City involved most of the cities major crimelords fighting one another.

==Beginnings==
There was already all sorts of infighting between rival mobs and not to mention dealing with super powered beings. In the previous years before the [[Scarpelli Mob]] and [[Forgione Mob]] had been shattered and splintered elsewhere, leaving power vacuums. The Ace had recently died. And in October of 1976, Jack-in-the-Box busted up Seven organized crime leaders. By December 1976, it was really starting to heat up.

===Mob Leaders Involved===

*[[Bamboo]]
*[[Braintrust]]
*[[The Deuce]]
*[[Tommy Gunn]]
*[[Joey Platypus]]

==Start of warfare==
The quest for power was everywhere, with the mobs starting to really step on one another's toes. Bamboo was mainly centered in [[Fujitani Bay]], Braintrust in the [[City Center]] area, Tommy Gunn in the former Forgione territory and Joey Platypus working out of the [[Chesler|Sweatshop]].
The crime bosses all used their own "special forces" too. Bamboo used ninjas and marital arists. Gunn employed his [[Gunbirds]], while The Deuce had [[The Shaders]] and Braintrust [[The Dominos]], while Joey Platypus seemed to be without a specialized group. Gunn's crew hitting one of Platypus' casinos set him off to call his friends from Chicago; [[Pyramid]]. 
Pyramid was the secret backer of Platypus, and his top lieutenant [[The Deacon|Deke MacManus]], in Astro City. They decided to sent help in the form of [[Jitterjack]] the Divided Man, a superpowered killing machine. 
By January 1977, the war was in full swing, with all the powers going after one another. The rise of the darker vigilantes in Astro City helped the fighting roll right along. [[Hellhound]] had a vendetta against Braintrust and helped to wreck his network. The [[Jade Dragons]] were out to avenge their father's death. [["Energy" Brown]] and [[Black Velvet]] had it out for the men responsible for turning them into the super-powered beings they were. 
Black Velvet, was particularly nasty, using her darkness powers to one by one gain revenge on the men who transformed her. She even turned the [[Street Angel]] into a hardened vigilante who used excessive force. 
And when Jitterjack finally arrived, he proved his worth for Joey Platypus, decimating and killing whole squads of rival gangs and helping to intensify the fighting of the others.
By one fateful evening in late January, the final battle was taking place with all of the gangs striking one at one another weakened and unsure of what moves to make. 

==Final Battle==
When Black Velvet was getting close to her "employer," who had contracted her to kill [[Dr. Lewis Oscar Croft]] in Milwaukee, the renowned criminal scientist who had a hand in her creation, as well as many other of the super powered vigilantes of the day, her "employer" decided it was time for a preventive strike.
When Jitterjack found her, it was revealed that it was MacManus who was her "employer" and the one responsible for her transformation. After battling Jitterjack and appearing to defeat him, she was unaware of his dual hearts and he delivered a fatal blow to her, though he himself was badly injured.
But Black Velvet spilled her darkness power into the Astro City populace creating even more problems for the heroes and vigilantes. The madness and darkness that Black Velvet housed took a hold of the city. Even Hellhound transformed into a giant creature that the combined might of the heroes, could barely contain, before the [[Silver Agent]] returned to help at this "Crisis Point". The Agent was able to relieve her pain and helped to end her life, which alleviated the city's madness.
The turmoil also gave MacManus the proper time to reveal himself as the true player in the igniter of the whole war and the one with the Pyramid connections. He killed Platypus and essentially had control over all of the cities organized crime syndicate.

==Aftermath==
In addition to Platypus, Tommy Gunn and the Deuce were also killed, Braintrust thought destroyed and Bamboo left town, leaving MacManus, who became known as '''The Deacon''', control of the city, which he has held onto for 30 plus years. An by bringing in Pyramid and its agent Aubrey Jason, it would create larger problems down the road...
The Deacon, along with [[Damon Black]] and [[Oswald "Massacre" Morton]], using Dr. Croft's technologies, were some of the first prominent mob leaders, who thought to try and create their own super-powered enforcer. Though [[Dr. Norton Ganss]] had been doing it a decade before. It would serve the dual purpose of having an edge of rival gangs and someone who could go toe-to-toe with the heroes who stand in their way.
The rise of the vigilantes already established and created by the mobsters, led to a continued period of distrust of heroes where people wondered, "how different they were than the actual criminals and killers?" Black Velvet had already tarnished the Street Angel with her powers and it turned Hellhound into an uncontrollable creature in which it took several years before he returned to the public light.

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{{DEFAULTSORT: Historical Highlights}}

The Final Crisis Point

2026-02-11T11:15:20Z

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These are the events of the [[Silver Agent]]'s first (or last depending on your view) time traveling jumps, to a crisis point in Astro City's history. This one was in July of 1984.

==Prior Crisis Points==
Previously the Agent had returned from the far future in 1982, to help stop the destruction unleashed with the [[Rise of Kerresh the Devastator]]. Before that he arrived during the [[1977 Gang War]], and stopped [[Black Velvet]]'s darkness power from turning the whole city mad. And his last(or first) was in 1973 during [[Madame Majestrix's Invasion]] to broker peace talks which led to her standing down and not ripping North America apart.

==The Crisis Point==
This time the Agent arrived in Las Vegas in July 1984 for the first of the major crisis points from coming from the future. He found local hero and former [[Honor Guard]] teammate, [[Mirage]], fighting an army of [[Dynamoids]] along with [[Hellhound]]. Mirage revealed that he found out they were missing hobos being transformed by a front company at a casino. And that the work was being done by [[Dr. Norton Ganss]], who was making troops for the [[Iron Colonel]].

The trio of heroes were trying to make their way to Ganss's machine in order to shut down the Dynamoids. But at the same time Dr. Ganss was in his very lair with his benefactor [[Lord Sovereign|Aubrey Jason]], turning him into one his super powered creation, tapping into the dark energy that was running in the world in 1984.

A pair of vigilante brothers, [[Charles Williams|Charles]] and [[Royal Williams]] were on Jason's trail for a long ago crime against their family. They caught up to Jason and Ganss right in the middle of his transformation and knocked out his machines. This broke the mind of the Dynamoids calling them back to the base and in turn destroyed much of Las Vegas and enabled Jason to get away from them and the heroes.

The Agent contacted Honor Guard to meet him later and the three started helping with rescue of trapped civilians.

At the same time in Astro City, another nigh-powerful figure had crept from nowhere into the spotlight; the [[Pale Horseman]]. Whatever vigilantes, like the [[Blue Knight]], had put fear into the minds of Astro citizens, the Horseman topped them all. Riding a flaming stead and acting as his Biblical namesake, he started incinerating criminals at will. And no matter what the crime from murder to petty child thievery, no one was safe from him. In his wake he even killed the reformed [[Street Angel]].

The Honor Guard had tracked down the Iron Colonel, though apparently didn't get much information. While Aubrey Jason, broke into an [[E.A.G.L.E.]] facility in Tuscon, Arizona and stole a piece of the Sekhmet Stone, which bolstered his power after he was injured in Las Vegas. A few days later, he returned to Astro City to a former Pyramid base and was feeding off the dark energy and hatred swelling around the city and now calling himself Lord Sovereign.

But Silver Agent and the Honor Guard were back too. With the swirling power all around they could only send one person in with the Puls-Canon and the Agent volunteered himself.
After getting himself into Sovereign's base, he found the Williams brothers who had tracked him again as well and enlisted their aide in stopping him. Here he revealed that the rift in reality caused by the [[Point Man]] firing the Innocent Gun during the Rise of Kerresh the Devastator, was what let the Pale Horseman into our reality and was the energy source that let Dr. Ganss power Lord Sovereign. And the dark energy was started to seep out into the public. They were feeding on the blood lust and it was evidenced in the heroes and vigilantes popping up at this time. They even cheered on the Pale Horseman's killing of the Street Angel. This was the major crisis that the Agent was trying to fix.

By this time the Pale Horseman had noticed someone trying to tap into his power and came into contact with Lord Sovereign. The battle between the two of them, enabled the Agent to get to the machine powering Lord Sovereign and let the rift collapse upon itself. The two beings then blinked out existence, at least in this reality.

==Aftermath==
The Silver Agent gave a brief speech, letting the people know that the worst was now behind them, but it was up to them to get through the rest. And this was beginning of the end of the "Dark Age" for Astro City. Things started getting better outlooks and the mood started to change. The people seemed to shake off the darkness and heroes of the like and the heroes started to resemble that outlook.

And on January 28, 1986 when [[Samaritan]]'s dramatic debut to the world happened, the "Dark Age" was no more and a new age beginning.

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{{DEFAULTSORT: The Final Crisis Point}}

2022-03-31T16:52:41Z

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