The End of the Outlaws

Background Check

Pantera / Jackson Blake

Ensnared by Demons, battling for control of his heritage, he carries the hope of mankind on his shoulders. Jackson Blake is the heart and soul of "The Outlaws", the team leader by default. He never intended to lead this "new revolution", just to find his parents' killer, the ninja master Katana, now he finds himself at the forefront of the continuing battle between good and evil, struggling to remain more than just a pawn.

Techwar / Grant Morrison

The man and the machine become one and the same. Grant Morrison is the President and CEO of Techwar Industries, a leading designer and manufacturer of cutting-edge technology and military weaponry. An Army brat, Grant was eventually raised by his Uncle, a "Super-Soldier" called Maverick, who taught him the responsibility of genius. Genius is not a word that comes to mind when you see the cigar-smoking, beer-drinking, foul-mouthed mechanic, but that changes soon after seeing his handiwork in action.

Judge / Christian J. Fletcher

Half human, half alien, Christian J. Fletcher was raised as a ward of the state in Detroit, Michigan. His early escape was a love for automobiles and aircraft. His mechanical aptitude and piloting skills quickly garnered the attention of Techwar Industries, where Judge, nicknamed for the 1971 Judge GTO he drives, gained the respect of Grant Morrison. Grant has since helped Judge in controlling his sporadic shape-changing abilities, introducing him to Jackson Blake, who invited him to join "The Outlaws".

Dane Reilly

Dane Reilly grew up in Montana with a love for bull riding and adventure. He took up martial arts to improve his speed and balance, and in the process became lethal with the escrima sticks. It didn’t take long for Dane to become a champion bull rider. He retired early and bought a ranch in Bitterroot, Montana to live out his dream. Dane’s not much of a people person… he likes open spaces and lots of freedom.

Stinger / Max Green

Settling down from the gypsy life of a biker gang, Max opened up a shop in Bitterroot, Montana to quietly enjoy the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Max’s past returned to haunt him in the form of a huge gambling debt, owed to the Macabre crime family. Hearing of an underground fighting tournament in Japan, Max and his good friend Dane Reilly left to raise the money and settle the score with the Macabre Family. Stinger can generate electricity from his hands and has a high tolerance to electrical fields.

Blue Moon / Michael Hirosawa

Born in Osaka, Japan to the Retsuyama Clan, he is a descendant of a long line of Ninja masters. Young Michael was raised to be a killer, and his ability to blend with and shape shadows made him perfect for the job. Wanting to work abroad, Blue Moon went to work as a Hitman for the Macabre crime family. Michael saw evil daily but didn’t turn his face from it until he was assigned to kill a member of the Outlaws, a renegade group of heroes. Seeing the true honor of their lives and the dedication they showed, Blue Moon turned his back on the Macabre family.

Vengence / Hiro Nakata

Hiro was born into the Clan of the Phoenix during the Shadow War, burdened from birth with the future of the Clan on his shoulders. Following the death of his father, Hiro dedicated his life to revenge. He was gifted at birth with superhuman reflexes and senses, and his regenerative abilities combined with his blind desire for retribution have made him a virtually unstoppable killer. Only his compassion for what is right has kept him a hero.

Snapdragon / Suki Noretsu

Child of Darkness: she battles for the love of a doomed man. Suki Noretsu is the calming force behind the man Jackson Blake, the one person who keeps him sane in the face of hopelessness and keeps the Pantera from devouring him. She has followed him thousands of miles to be by his side, to help him destroy their mutual enemy, the Clan of the Dragon. Her true origin remains a mystery, but surely she is more than she appears.

Old Joe

Somewhere deep in the bayou of Louisiana is where this old hermit calls home, though some have found him in a small shack in the New Orleans’ dock district. Joe is an enigma to most, but those who have met him, have discovered a fount of wisdom and generosity. Old Joe can always steer the most wayward souls to the right path with a hot bowl of gumbo, and a few well-placed words.

History

It was a time when the word ‘hero’ was a bitter memory… 20 years after the destruction of The Overlord and his Evil. But the Evil wasn’t dead… Evil cannot die when there are always so many so eager to take the reigns of power. Heroes aged, and Evil grew in the shadows, subtly, and slithered back into the forefront like a viper. Jackson Blake’s search for the murderer of his parents led him to an underground kumite and some chance meetings that would change his life forever. Max Green and Dane Reilly traveled to Japan to settle an old gambling debt, after each received an invitation to an underground tournament of fighters. While both of them did well in the tournament, Dane eventually backed out of his semi-final match with Stinger, so his friend could go on to the final, and a face-to-face confrontation with the demon, Drakul. Faced first with unarmed combat, then combat with weapons, Stinger overcame the odds only to discover that another enemy was waiting. The Godling Raydin, the champion of the kumite for over 100 years, would be his final opponent, and one that he couldn’t overcome. Stinger was close to death at Raydin’s hand when he was saved by not only his friend Dane but by two strangers as well. Members of the tournament’s sponsor, The Clan of the Dragon, came at them from everywhere for interrupting the sacred kumite. The four fought their way out of the tournament, and through the streets of New Tokyo, until they finally managed to elude their pursuers. Introductions were made and the Outlaws were born as Vengence and Pantera gave their reasons for the rescue. Hiro Nakata had long been struggling with his brethren to keep his Clan alive against the cold, calculating evil of the Clan of the Dragon… and struggling within himself to live up to a Legend. Hiro never knew his father, the Edge, but he knows well the Legend of his life and death. Vengence has sworn his life to the destruction of the Clan of the Dragon, and sworn himself to avenge his Father’s death. That search led him to a secret tournament. When Dane Reilly interrupted the final match to rescue his friend, Hiro knew what the consequences would be for the man’s rash actions. He immediately joined the fight against his enemy and helped the Westerners to escape. What Vengence was looking for was an ally in his cause against the Clan of the Dragon. What Hiro Nakata found were friends. Faced with adversity from the beginning, the group of friends would become branded as outlaws by those in power. The ‘Outlaws’ returned to America, and after being introduced by Jackson Blake, set up a base underneath the Detroit, Michigan mansion of Grant Morrison. The ‘Outlaws’ fought against the face of evil in all its forms, and struggled with the daily parody of the truth told by the media and Federal agents. Following a tragic confrontation with Raydin in the sub-basement of the Lightning Casino, the team almost fell apart with Stinger’s death. The youthful energy of Christian Fletcher helped to bring back their spirits, but the Outlaws would never forget the death of their friend. When Blue Moon came to settle the debt owed to the Macabre crime family by Max, he studied the group and attacked them one by one until he was finally recognized by Vengence. The Outlaws told Michael Hirosawa of Stinger’s death and the connections that the Macabre family has in circles best left to men with no honor. Blue Moon couldn’t allow himself to be deceived and broke from the Macabre family, eliciting brutal retaliation for the betrayal. None of them ever had a choice, whether by honor or fate, they all became reluctant heroes. Driven by the need to right the wrongs nobody thought possible to overcome. Hounded by the law and the media, all who thought of them only as…

The Outlaws

The End of the Outlaws

ISSUE #0

Written by ~ JS Eldridge, Jr.

Page 1 -

1- First panel: Old Joe’s house tree in the middle of the bayou. Old Joe stands in the doorway. The living house lies inside the bowed, and hollowed trunk of an ancient cypress. Created by magic, the tree serves as shelter and protection for the man who is more than he appears.

Caption: “A dark and dreary night deep in the bayou of Louisiana. A solitary light gleams in the darkness, beckoning to the weary traveler.”

2- Second panel: Closer view of Joe in the doorway. Joe stands with his hand up in a waving/welcoming position. Remember, Joe speaks with a heavy Louisiana drawl. Dialogue (Joe): “Welcome, come in, come in. No time to be out on a night like dis. An evil wind blow that makes my ol’ bones feel happier nex’ to a warm fire.” “Come inside to warm yourself wit’ a fire and a story… not a happy story mind you, but a story wit’out an ending.”

3- Third panel: Old Joe leans over a big black cooking pot stirring its contents. The walls are covered with shelves and hanging items. Bones and feathers and bits of string… other more unrecognizable things sit in jars of formaldehyde on the shelves. Places to sit can be found in the form of mammoth and exquisitely designed pillows. The fire that blazes merrily under the pot throws a wicked, dancing light across the room.

Dialogue (Joe): “But first we must eat, a story of this kind is best received on a full stomach!” “You must try a bowl of Old Joe’s gumbo! Some say that there’s magic in my gumbo… I just call it good old-fashioned home cookin’!”

4- Fourth panel: (Camera: Looking down at the bowl.) A large wooden crock sits filled with gumbo. Pieces of vegetables and spicy sausage float alongside bits of rice, shrimp, and crab legs. A shrimp spins around a disembodied claw, swimming in circles, until a vision takes hold.

Dialogue (Joe): “Mind the shrimp, they’re fat and tasty, and they’ll lead you to the beginning… of the end of the Outlaws!”

Page 2 -

[NOTE ~ All borders are done in gumbo artwork.]

1- First panel: (Camera: behind Katana.) The lowest plane of Hell, in the residence of the Devil. Fiery brimstone and sulfurous rock holding pools of blood and magma dominate the landscape. A man kneels before a hideous Demon that sits on a throne made of the skulls of the Righteous. The evil light that permeates the room seems to be unable to reach the archfiend. Sitting in the shadows, he waits to hear from his supplicant.

Dialogue (Joe): “We begin our tale in the lowest regions of Hell… with a being of great Evil, serving a being of greater Evil still.”

2- Second panel: (Camera: side shot.) Katana is speaking to Demonastach. The Devil is still surrounded by shadow. Katana remains kneeling before the Demon.

Dialogue (Katana): “After years of the Clan Wars, we have finally crushed the Clan of the Phoenix. Only a few remain, but they took the 'Demonslayer’ with them when they fled.”

3- Third panel: (Camera: Demon’s view.) Steam, sulfur fumes, and disembodied souls drift toward the unseen ceiling of the cavern, rising over a cliff behind Katana. Katana rises to his feet as he begins to speak.

Dialogue (Katana): “The sword was given over to the care of another enemy, the Retsuyama Clan. The ‘Demonslayer’ is in the possession of the one they call Blue Moon.”

4- Fourth panel: (Camera: Katana’s view.) The Devil is still wrapped in shadow. Blazing red eyes are the only light to be seen within the folds of darkness, which are edged by the magma’s crimson glow.

Dialogue (Demonastach): “Fear not Katana… I have created a weapon to destroy all of your enemies. It is a magic that will seek out those with mutated genes and subvert them, if not destroy them altogether!”

5- Fifth panel: (Camera: Object view.) A katana stands impaled in the skull of a huge Silver Dragon. Its blade is as black as midnight and seems to absorb the unearthly light from the pits of magma and fiery sulfur. The hilt is made from the bones of an angel, carved into wickedness. Talons grasp the blade in an evil grip and thrust out in every direction to serve as the sword’s guard. The end of the hilt is carved into the most hideous of The Devil’s guises and the mouth is set with a bloodstone that seems to glow a deep red from within. The handle is carved into the shape of the screaming faces of trapped souls and painstakingly wrapped in the leathered human skin of the True, to show every detail.

Dialogue (Demonastach): “Within the sword lies a greater magic… the ‘Mutantslayer’ will enhance one of its owner’s abilities. For you, the power of illusion will become the ability to alter reality itself!”

6- Sixth panel: (Camera: Katana’s view.) The Devil grabs the arms of his throne of skulls with massive clawed hands and leans forward slightly. Enough to barely see his face in the shadows.

Dialogue (Demonastach): “The time of the Clan of the Dragon has come… destroy the ‘Demonslayer’… destroy this Blue Moon, and bring his soul to me!”

Page 3-

[NOTE ~ All borders are done in gumbo artwork.]

1- First panel: (Camera: Full view.)

• Pantera vs. Side-Step
• Techwar vs. Flashhand
• Dane Reilly vs. Silent Tiger
• Judge vs. Scorpion
• Blue Moon vs. Brawn
• Vengence vs. Menace

[This panel takes up half the page. The panels on the bottom can be clasps, make this one inset and clasp the lower ones to the bottom of the pic, maybe have it overlap the geography of the crater.]

The Outlaws vs. the Clan of the Dragon.

They are battling in the crater of Mt. Fuji. The Outlaws are in a circle with ninjas approaching in all directions. Beginning battle scene. Pantera faces off with Side-Step in the background. Techwar is raising his gun, firing off blasts as Flashhand comes leaping off of a rock, firing his bow with lightning speed. Silent Tiger ducks down with his two sais out to the side as Dane swings at him with a backhand blow with his left escrima stick. Scorpion lashes at Judge with his segmented metallic razor-whip, tearing into his liquid-metal form. Judge is in the air above the ground, just beginning his rocket power from the lower half of his body. Brawn tosses a huge boulder at Blue Moon. Blue Moon is in a crouch to leap or defend. Menace has his hands crossed just below his face at the wrist, with his hands clenched, except for his slightly crooked index and middle fingers. He is just beginning his Berserker powers given by the Tigers Eye gem embedded in his forehead. He has amber and black energy that extends about 1½ ft. to the side of each eye. Vengence is in a low crouch with his right leg almost underneath him. His left leg is out to the side. His arms are in the Dragon style position with his palms down, and fingers loose. His right arm is pulled back so his hand is closer to his face.

Caption: “A bomb set to release fiery magma upon Fujiyoshida City has lured The Outlaws into a trap. The Clan of the Dragon has come to annihilate the shadow warrior, and capture the ‘Demonslayer’ for destruction.”

2- Second panel: (Camera: Tall panel. Use a close-up of Side-Step to frame a full body shot of Pantera. Maybe his forearm and weapon in his left hand. Your discretion.) Pantera faces off with his Sensei. Side-Step is holding a wakizashi in his right hand and a kama in the left.

3- Third panel: (Camera: Wide panel. Upper body shot.) Pantera and Side-Step coming together with their weapons deadlocked. They are glaring at each other.

4- Fourth panel: (Camera: Pulled back. Wide panel.) They are both looking more haggard and worn from battle. Their clothing is torn in spots and both have some wounds. The two are in different positions. This is pretty much open. Pantera and Side-Step are in the foreground, and some of the others can be seen in the background. [Artists' discretion, but I’d like Vengence fighting Menace to be one of them.]

5- Fifth panel: (Camera: Tall panel. Focus on Side-Step’s upper torso and face. Leave room for dialogue at the top.) Pantera has Side-Step on the ground with his sword at his former Master’s throat.

Dialogue (Pantera): “You’ve been a bastard all of my life Side-Step, but now it’s over!! This is it… your role as my Master is finished!”

Page 4-

[NOTE ~ All borders are done in gumbo artwork.]

1- First panel: (Camera: open.) Blue Moon slicing open Brawn. You can draw this however you like. I see something like a lunge, ducking under a punch from Brawn… slicing open his side. But I’m open to whatever on this. Blue Moon kills Brawn in this fight.

Caption (Joe): “Blue Moon fought with a madman’s fury, coursing with the power of the ‘Demonslayer’."

2- Second panel: (Camera: above and in front of Blue Moon… over the shoulder.) Katana steps from a boulder behind Blue Moon with the ‘Mutantslayer’ held high to strike.

Caption (Joe): “But he never saw it coming...”

3- Third panel: (Camera: right profile of Katana, above looking down.) Katana holds both the ‘Mutantslayer’ and the ‘Demonslayer’. Blue Moon’s body lies prone in front of him, and the shadow warrior’s head can be seen bouncing down the hillside to his left.

4- Fourth panel: (Camera: close up.) Blue Moon’s head is bouncing down the hill. This panel is smaller, the caption below runs underneath both the 3rd & 4th panels.

Caption (Joe): “Taking the ‘Demonslayer’ an’ Blue Moon’s soul, Katana returned to Hell an’ the awaiting Dark Lord. There the Nameless one imprisoned Blue Moon’s soul in the Flameshroud.”

5- Fifth panel: (Camera: wide-view.) The Outlaws have killed the remaining ninjas in their rage, leaving them broken in the crater of Mt. Fuji. Katana and Side Step escape their wrath.

Caption (Joe): “In their rage, the Outlaws committed crimes of their own… finally living up to the name with which they were wrongly branded.”

Page 5-

[NOTE ~ All borders are done in gumbo artwork. please make the art and words switch places as they go down the page. ie: art panel to the left and words on the right for the first character, then art on the right and words on the left for the next character, etc. Alternating down the page.]

1- First panel: Judge sits in a bar with shot glasses piled up and some in disarray. A bottle of Jack Daniels lies on its side with the remaining whiskey pouring out.

Caption (Joe): “Judge hid his remorse inside, and searched for numbness at the bottom of a bottle.”

2- Second panel: Dane is walking up to the gates of his ranch. His girlfriend is walking towards the entrance with two dogs running up to greet him.

Caption (Joe): “Dane Reilly gave up his role as a Hero, and tried to forget it ever happen’.”

3- Third panel: Techwar is elbow-deep in machinery, with a scowl on his face, and nothing in his heart. The active time clock reads 60 hours of non-stop working.

Caption (Joe): “Techwar los’ himself in his work for hours. Building his growing business one amazing invention after another.”

4- Fourth panel: Vengence is battling demons of all shapes and sizes, searching for the Flameshroud that holds Blue Moon’s soul, in the Dark Lord’s own realm.

Caption (Joe): “Vengence travel’ to the pits of Hell to reclaim the soul of his Clan brother. Though successful, he was forever scarred by what he experience’.”

5- Fifth panel: Pantera is soaking wet, walking in the rain. He approaches a beautiful but small house… Suki is standing on the front porch waiting for him.

Caption (Joe): “Pantera was the most troubling to me… he los’ himself, and los’ sight of the role he was destin’ fo’. He was almost los’ to us all… but eventu’lly found a new beginning.”

Final caption (Joe): “Now you know what is history… but dis is only de End of the Outlaws! Let me fill your bowl wit’ some more of my gumbo, and I’ll tell you how they became the greates’ heroes of our time…”

The End