Subject 13 #6 - Fall Out

[Once again, a reminder that Subject 13 contains coarse language.  The rest of the story is below the cut.]

"Natasha!  Natasha, where are you?"

Nasty stared at her right hand as it glowed purple.  C'mon, stop already!

Subject 13 #5 - Commentary

Again, go read the issue before continuing.

The past three issues have built up the setting, expanded the cast, and introduced plot elements.  A slow build up, but, like winter, a payoff is coming.

Issue #5 starts off with the Consortium, and sets out their plan.  And the title of the series should now make sense, even if it took five issues to get to the call out.  The Consortium has people who understand bureaucracy, too.  Bureaumancy isn't a superpower.

Nasty and her mother really do have problems.  Again, the view of their relationship has been one-sided, so the truth could be something else.  And, yes, Nasty has a potty-mouth.  I may have mentioned that I created the character while working as phone firewall for an ISP.  She got to say things I wasn't allowed to, especially to people who I really wanted to say it to.*

The big thing is Nasty's mother finally got a name!  Maria!  Nothing special about the name; I just figured an Italian Catholic would name her eldest daughter that.  Nothing special about the teacher's name, other than Nordberg comes from Police Squad and the subsequent Naked Gun movies.  Sometimes I can find a decent name; other times, I have to reach.  Nordberg was a character needed for the role of "English teacher" and not necessarily a major persona outside of allowing me to show off Nasty and Maria.  I could probably do an entire entry on how I go about naming characters at some point.

Nasty also does some flip-flopping.  To be fair, she had her reasons that seemed important at the time but now she wants to go back on them.  The confidence Nasty exudes is somewhat superficial at times, especially when she's out of her element.  Nasty can also be a little vindictive.  She's not a perfect person by any stretch.  She has a mean streak and will find ways to take it out on others.  Room for character growth, though.  Something that a serial drama needs.

Tia is a new character, at least for the series.  She was planned in advance, one part foil, one part, well, that comes out much, much later.  Eric returns, mainly because mushy!Nasty was fun to write.  Here, though, more depth.  Did I say Tia was a foil?  More rival, really, at least here.  Eric gets to be the apex of a love triangle and he's probably completely oblivious to it all.  And, with Nasty's emotions running hot already, what better time to ramp up the problem and have her fist flare?  (Hence, the title, partially.)

Tomorrow, Issue #6 hits the blog.  Saturday, look for my post at Fan To Pro as Lost in Translation looks at the upcoming Superman reboot and his origins, along with superhero origins in general.

 * She also got to hit people without getting into trouble, but that's out of scope for this issue.

Subject 13 #5 - Flare Out

Once again, Nasty uses strong language.  Reader discretion advised.

"Sir, Subjects 4 and 7 have checked in.  The Giuliano girl was the metahuman behind the attack.  Subject 4 confirmed that with a scan of her mind.  The girl's mother knows about her ability, too.  The power manifested recently."

"Your hunch paid off again."

Subject 13 #4 - Commentary

As usual, go read the issue before continuing on here.

The title deserves a note here.  A scrum is a crowd of journalists crowding around a subject, typically a politician who doesn't bother with press conferences.  In this case, I coupled it with the phrase "scum of the earth".  Other than that, no extra meaning.

The first three scenes show reaction to Nasty's television appearance from Issue 3.  The first shows the football players who aren't Tommy and the injured player.  The second scene is from Eric's view, going to show that Nasty's point-of-view isn't necessarily accurate.  The third is from the Consortium, who now know who they're seeking.

After that, Nasty is doing everything she can to get her mother (still nameless, though by now, I did have a name for her) to the school.  Now, again, it does look like Nasty's mother drinks heavily.  However, again, this is Nasty's point of view.  But, yes, her mother drinks heavily.  It'll be shown better later, though.

Next, well, the Consortium did send out Subjects 4 and 7.  Here they are.  A quick glimpse into their personalities, and, much to the consternation of Nasty's mother, they get names.  At this rate, people are going to wonder if Nasty's mom is a redshirt.  Then we go back to Nasty.  Hey, the Feds are involved now.  Some subtle foreshadowing, and end issue.

The last bit is Subject 4.  You might want to note his powers.

Subject 13 #4 - Scrum of the Earth

[Once again, language warnings.]

I wasn't home at the time.  I didn't see anything when I got home.

"Look at her squirm!  Tommy really got her!"

Subject 13 #3 - Commentary

Once again, go read "Crushed" before you continuing.  You'll be glad you did.

Still more world-building in this issue, as Nasty's school gets fleshed out a little more.  Also introduced, a love interest, because almost all superheroes have love interests.  Really, Superman has Lois Lane, Spider-Man has Gwen Stacy and Mary-Jane Watson, Mr. Fantastic has The Invisible Woman.*  Naturally, Nasty needs someone, too.  Humanizes her even more.  Thus, Eric, a classmate.  Right now, the interest is one-sided.  Nasty's other weakness, socialization, is shown.  Isn't young love fun to watch, when you're not involved?

Then the fallout from beating up the football players returns.  Powered people show up and hurt someone, naturally it's going to make the evening news.  The name of the reporter isn't significant; same goes for the channel number.  It's a fictional station, deliberately done.  The full name of Nasty's school is finally revealed, WH Seward, and, like the TV station, is also fictional.  However, the name is taken from a governor of New York State, William H. Seward, who seemed to be a good choice to name a private school after.

The end brings us back to the evil organization, who now knows who the girl was trying to help their driver.  They have plans, plans that they haven't revealed, even to me.  The organization loosely based off the different ones from comics and cartoons, like Cobra, AIM, and Hydra, with a dash of Across from Excel Saga.  Essentially, my so far evil organization, the Consortium, was going to take over the world, but do it slowly by getting its tentacles into everything and starting small-ish.  Right now, it has a good sway over things in New England, especially New York.

Tomorrow, Issue #4, "Scrum of the Earth"

* Note, I didn't mention anything about Batman and Robin.

Variation of a Theme - Girls as Cars

In a discussion with Steven Savage about the trend of anime to have teenaged (or younger) girls represent odd objects.  Examples include Strike Witches (girls as lolicon fighter planes), Hetalia: Axis Powers (girls as countries), Girls und Panzer (girls as tanks, and the womanly art of tank-do), and Upotte (girls as military weapons, such as rifles and submachine guns).  Naturally, I exercised my Craft (Disturbing Image) skill and suggested girls as cars.  Not military vehicles (covered partially already by Girls und Panzer), but everyday cars.  And, during a bus ride to work, I started filling in details.  I wanted the girls to reflect the cars they represented instead of just being Sarah Ford, Kelly Chrysler, or Lenore "the General" Motors.  No, that just wouldn't do at all.

What I've done is come up with a small cast list for the girls who go to an international school.  Teenaged girls from all countries attend, with an associated boys school nearby.  I've linked the various cars and other references in the cast list below, to keep things easy and clean.

The Girls:

Portia, from Germany.  A strong competitor, loves track events, especially sprints where she can run full out.

Mercedes, from Germany.  A very proper German  girl, but can keep up Portia when she needs to.  Has a rivalry with Martin Astin (see below).  Has a younger sister who she loves dearly but thinks is very nerdy.  Older brother is Baron Benjamin XXIII, the latest in a long line of Bens.

Opal, also from Germany.  A more matronly lass than Portia, above.[link to car selection]  Has a brother, Adam (see below).

"Mustang" Shelby, from the US.  More tomboyish and rowdy than the other girls.  Works out.[link to muscle car]  Loves riding horses, thus her nickname.  Despite her appearance, she can give Portia and Mercedes a challenge, especially in short sprints.  Is seeing Martin Astin.

Arachne, from Canada.  Much prefers the outdoors and cross-country running.

Agnese "the Lamb" Gallardo, from Italy.  Soft spoken and shy.  Capable of out running Mercedes and Portia, but isn't interested in the competition.

Clio, from France.  Tends to fade into the background, but is reliable.  Often joins Adam (below) on his cross-country runs.

Kia, from South Korea.  Enjoys soul music.

Lan, from Japan.  Fan of Initial D.  Engages in illegal parkour in the city.

Kaoru, from Japan.  Also a fan of Initial D.  Also into parkour, often getting into trouble with Lan (above)

Octavia, from the Czech Republic.

Samara, from Russia.  Tries her best but has trouble keeping up with the others, especially Portia and Mercedes.  Injury prone.

Barbara, from the US.  Specifically, from Malibu, California.*  Laid back.

The Boys:

Martin Astin, from England.  A rival to Mercedes, especially in school performance.  Is currently seeing "Mustang" Shelby (above).  Wants to be a secret agent after university.

Adam, from Germany.  Opal’s street smart brother; enjoys cross-country running.

David Harleyson, from the US.  The bad boy of the story.  When he was younger, he was called "Fat Boy", but after bulking up over summer, he's known as "Iron"

Holden, from Australia.  Enjoys long walks in the wilderness.

Other Cast:

Frau Westphalia, from Germany.  A teacher at the school, she dresses like a hippy.  Enjoys brownies, which she never shares with her students.

G.P. Willis, from the US.  The running team coach.  Served in the Army.

Catherina, from Sweden.  Teacher.  Brother Viggo was a Swedish Air Force pilot.

Have an idea for other people at the school, either student or teacher?  Want to submit a pic of one of the characters above?  Let me know, either through my contact email or in the comments!

* This one gets tricky.  Barbara represents the Chevy Malibu.  So, why Barbara?