Preface #2: We are but Monsters...

Now the second story was written by Carey and I think you start to see how complicated yet subtle he can be. Which is why he is the perfect choice for Wetworks.



By this time Mike had had enough time to figure out his timeline for WW's. It was all approved and we were ready to roll. Since this was Mike's first pass at WW's I decided to let him draw first blood. Let him write whatever he wanted so I could see what his plans were and how well his ideas could be integrated into WW's. Other than just pointing out detailed minor difference's in each characters personality, that's about all I had to do with the tweaking of his plot. So now understanding what he wanted to do all of his decisions worked for me. That's where I decided to give him the space to establish his new characters and set-up a new storyline.

Again, let me reiterate and take the responsibility. I had a big problem with the original series going at break neck speed in terms of the story and the introduction of characters. I think you lose some potential impact doing things too quickly. So this time around I told Mike I wanted to do it in a proper pace and to do it as much as possible from Dane's point of view. If people think it's too slow and it takes too long to get to the old familiar characters it is all on my shoulders. Not Mikes, not the editor's...but mine...

Now on to the story...our story starts out with Bueller a Military wannabe. A desk job commander. As he is relaxing in his home and preparing his report and recommendations for whether Dane is reliable enough to get this mission done: finding the vampire responsible for breaking into one of our Air Force bases. It is obvious from his tone that he doesn't like Dane and in fact considers him a "freak" a "monster" because he has super powers. I thought Mike's introduction of this characterization of people like Dane was really needed and started to ground both the humans and the supers in the WW's world. The first page also establishes nicely that the infiltrator is a vampire since all of the base's camera's could not record an image of the infiltrator. Basic vampire lore...



Then we switch scene's and Bueller is seen (with full military escort) finally arriving at Dane's desert location to convince him to come out of retirement and take the mission. We've visually set-up that Dane and his crew are on an archeological dig. When in reality (tho' we don't say it because it's not important...but for the fans who want to know everything) the scientific dig is actually cover for the fact that this is one of the covert entrances to the new Wetworks complex. Notice I don't tell you where this site is exactly. Anyways before Bueller goes down to meet with Dane for the first time he instructs one of his men (a sniper of course) to go to a high location and wait for his signal. Bueller then proceeds down the sand steps to meet Dane seemingly deep in thought discovering something. Oh and the two leather clad people next to Dane are none other that Pilgrim and Jester. Fans of the old series will know that Pilgrim is the Wetworks team sniper and Jester is the #2 assasin, here they are on bodygaurd duty for Dane. Again all of this is not pointed out in the script or the plot. Has nothing to do with the actual story or pace, just added flavor for the background.



Now we have Dane and Bueller meeting for the first time. We've already established that Bueller thinks Dane is a freak, now we show that Dane has no regard for this "paper" officer. Yes Dane does his own research and knows that Bueller has no real military "credits" to his name, so thruout this scene Dane barely looks at Bueller and in fact keeps his back to him most of the time. Page three is also notable for having better shots of Pilgrim and Jester. This is the first ever present day shots of any of the old Wetworks teammates in new costumes.

Another thing very important about this page is the last close-up of Dane as he negotiates with Bueller. We see all up and down his face remnants of one long scar that wraps his face, and we see thin metal rods on various parts of his face. These are medical rods used to hold broken bones in place in order for them to heal. Again this is not talked about within the script or even written in the plot (I added it in) but this is a visual clue (again only for those old fans) as to an event that led to Dane losing then regaining his golden symbiote. It is also the one change I am making in the Death of the Blood Queen in the original series. The death scene as originally done is intact except for one scene insert. This reveal is planned for a future issue of the new Wetworks. And will reveal the only change in the Dane personality and his present day motivations.




Page four has our two military types negotiating terms namely Dane will hunt down this lone vampire (a simple mission for a man who brought a vampire nation to its knees) in exchange for the government using its scientist to revive Mother-One (found dead and mummified in the first Preface). Midway thru Bueller does his hand "signal" motioning his sniper to fire on Dane. Dane turns on his gold symbiote and "catches" the snipers bullet in his hand in mid-flight using his psi-powers he displayed in the first preface story. Bueller does this as his test for Dane, to see if he is all he is suppose to be, according to his files...



Then we "see" the bullet hovering in the air where Dane stopped it, it is shaking with pent up energy...Dane releases it and it continues on a new path redirected to hit one of Buellers Jeeps which in true comic's physics of course explodes. The explosion knocks the human Bueller off his feet but the super human Dane stands immobile against the exploding energy.



On the last page we see a humiliated Bueller on his butt reaching into his jacket for his pistol, Dane (with his back to Bueller) dares him to fire upon him...scene is abruptly cut we are brought back to Bueller in his house writing up his report (the location of the first scene of this story) and he reveals to the camera for the first time his other hand, his gun hand with a fresh new medical dressing covering his entire forearm, answering the question if Bueller had enough balls to "try" to fire upon Dane in the desert...THE END...

This story (of Mike's) handily introduces a whole lot of issues and a new character but does it on the surface simply and underneath carries alot of implications and set-ups. It sets-up the inner tension between Bueller and Dane and why. It set-ups the first seemingly "small" story event (capturing this vampire that infiltrated the Air Base) which will project the first few issues of the new Wetworks series you are reading. For new fans it introduces strange new things and people and powers...just introduces. And for old fans in brings back some old friends with some new iterations that opens up whole new questions about what happened between when we last saw them...cudos for Mike it does alot and does it well...

So there with both preface story's you have all you need to know to start off the new Wetworks series...