Secret Origins #16

Issue Details

Synopsis

EXILES The story is narrated by Danny Maddox, a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag Menchkovsky since the middle of 1973. He remembers his youth when he was a child bully shaking kids down for their lunch money until a young Travis Morgan intervenes to protect Charles and Rachel (siblings). Rachel and Travis begin dating and, almost immediately after graduating from high school, they were married though Danny was not invited. It is this moment that he swears revenge against Travis.  Danny next joins the Air Force where he excels at flying but he is kicked out due to "dereliction of duty" and "decking an officer." He then joins the army and is stationed in Cam Rahn Bay during the Vietnam War where he begins selling supplies on the black market and selling military intel to Russians. Then, one day, Lt. Colonel Travis Morgan of the US Air Force, arrives and stumbles upon soldiers selling military supplies. He reports it to Danny not realizing he's involved. Afterwards Danny realizes if he acts as required, the soldiers will rat him out too. If he doesn't, Travis will suspect he's involved. So he hatches a plan.   Danny rats out his Russian friends (specifically a secret bacteriological laboratory in the U.S.S.R.) to Air Force Intelligence knowing they'd send Travis to investigate. He then arranges for the Russians to smuggle him to the laboratory and warns them about Morgan's approach. When the Russians fail to take Travis down, they coerce Danny to get in a plane and take him down himself. Danny does irrevocably damage Travis' plane, but Travis destroys Danny's plane. Danny ejects and is captured/imprisoned. Travis is also forced to eject and ends up landing in Skataris. Danny reiterates his vow to find and kill Travis Morgan. MAZING MAN Siegfried is rummaging through a dumpster in an alley when he discovers a yellow helmet with an "M" on it. He decides immediately to become a superhero whose name begins with M. After sounding out several options, he chooses 'Mazing Man as "'Mazing" is written on a can of tomato paste. THE SECRET ORIGIN OF THE GOLDEN AGE HOURMAN At 10:59 p.m. on December 31, 1939 Hourman (Rex Tyler) pops a Miraclo pill and waits at the Beaux Arts Ball. Before the Miraclo can kick in, the lights go out and four criminals wearing infra-red goggles appear and rob the guests. Hourman intervenes and is knocked down.   The story jumps back one week to Bannermain Chemicals where Rex Tyler is berated by his boss, Mr. Bannermain, over a nerve gas antidote. Beverly Bannermain comes to his defense and they discuss how Rex needs to be more ambitious. After considering this Rex attempts to ask Beverly ask but he's interrupted by Mr. Bannermain who takes Beverly to the circus. Rex returns to his lab where he works on his secret project, a formula that that augments physical attributes. He tests it on a lab rat named Rasputin who, for an hour, gains speed, strength and stamina. After the formula wears off, Rex returns him to his steel cash. Rex leaves the office and buys a newspaper seeing headlines about various mystery men. For the first time, Rex considers using the formula to become one.   Rex goes to the circus to find Beverly and discuss his idea. On the way he takes a Miraclo pill. He is taunted into trying a strength tester and fails. But when he sees Beverly, and the Miraclo kicks in, he tries again breaking the test in the process. Confused, he races for what he thinks is an exit and knocks a few circus performers down by his newfound speed. The circus people chase after him and Rex becomes concerned about being recognized so he dons a costume used by one of the aeralists and bursts through a brick wall and leaps around town for the remainder of his hour. Once it wears off, he experiences headaches and searing pain, but believes he can fix this by perfecting the formula.   Rex returns to the lab where he sees Rasputin has bloodied his claws trying to get to the formula. Rex suspects the formula may have addictive properties but dismisses it. That night he comes up with a superhero name and a plan. The next day he places an ad offering his services to "help the oppressed" and providing his mailing address. Among the letters he gets is a plea by Ms. Kenton who fears her son, Johnny, is turning to crime and, during a meeting with her, provides Rex with enough details to try and stop the theft (the first scene of the story). After following the escaping criminals, Hourman sees them shoot at a police car which crashes as a result. Hourman is now more determined than ever. He catches them in their hideout and scares Johnny Kenton into going straight.