Previous Post Silver Aegis # 11 (Forest Week Tie-in) “On the Trail of the Ü-Wolf!” “When I asked you for a ride into town,” Josie Hart clarified, “this is not what I had in mind. Oof!” The gig hit another rut in the road, sending its occupants, of whom the young reporter was one, jostling into one another. Scott Scoggins tugged hard at the reins to avoid another furrow, “This was the only transportation available. Would you rather we walked?” The features writer for the Parodiopolis Times-Picayune didn’t bother to answer, “Maybe you should pull over and give me the reins. I did work undercover for two months as a hansom cabbie in Off Central Park for a story on animal abuse.” “In my day it was the gentleman that drove the lady and not the other way around,” the Argent Avenger smiled. “I’d be more inclined to think you were joking if I hadn’t found you in the middle of the woods hanging out with a bunch of extras from Fiddler on the Roof. You’re even dressing like them now,” Josie referenced Scott’s rustic tunic and breeches. “My clothes were torn from last night’s fight.” “Sure, sure,” the lithe brunette waved off the explanation, “I’m just saying if you’re serious about getting acclimated to twenty-first century society, you’re going about it totally the wrong way. Time to stop wallowing in the past, Silver Aegis, and join us in the Information Age.” “I’m making progress. Just last week one of the Scrapper Brigade members set up a FaceSpace account for me.” Josie gave Scott a drawn out side long stare, and then, “OK, let’s just both admit our breadths of experience are more than suitably vast.” “Agreed.” “So then why aren’t you using your SPUD contacts to get to the bottom of what’s really going on here?” the reporter pointedly inquired, “We could be headed to Chaney Shores in a flying Porsche if you were willing to make the right calls.” Scott shook his head, “This is out of the jurisdiction of the Superhuman Principal Undercover Directorate.” “Like that’s ever stopped them before.” “And besides,” the Anthropomorphization of the American Ideal went on, “Being as I’m currently on leave, I’m not an active agent for SPUD.” Josie grinned coyly, “And besides that, it will be much easier for you to impress Little Miss Disney Princess if you can solve her family’s problem all by yourself, without the super duper spy agency to back you up. Though I think you miscalculated; most girls would flip over a guy that drives a flying Porsche.” “Heh. I called you to back me up, Miss Hart,” the Patriotic Powerhouse observed, “what does that say?” “I don’t follow.” “If I were truly attempting to win the admiration of a beautiful young woman like Miss Desmerelda, why would I contact another beautiful young woman for aid?” Josie gulped, then blushed, then changed the subject, “Hey, look out for that tree!” ***** The Captain Torpedo Memorial Museum could be found by going down the flight of stairs behind the Sail Sure Canvas Shop right of the Chaney Shore Boardwalk. Upon opening the brass and oak ships door a guest would see the suit made almost famous by its inventor standing sentry in the museum’s alcove. The armor’s torso was made of riveted plates of overlapping steel. Its arms and legs were a less sturdy, but far more flexible, chain mesh. On the elbows, wrists, shins, and shoulders rested turbine driven propellers. A conical steel and glass diver’s helmet topped the suit, with a pair of black rubber coils stretching from the re-breather to the back where they connected to a set of oxygen tanks. At its feet a plaque read: Donated by Jasper Bellows, Parodiopolis School of Design, Class of 2002 “Impressive, isn’t it?” a voice from the room beyond asked, “It was an art project of some sort, and he captured every detail perfectly,” a thin gentleman with heavy glasses and a corduroy sports coat hurried out to greet the museum’s visitor, “So perfectly, sometimes I wonder if we should move the armor to the end of the tour. Some of the exhibits that come later suffer in comparison, I’m afraid.” Desmerelda Stavrosos spoke softly and deliberately, “I think… that it makes an excellent first impression. And that is very important.” “True, true,” the man, whose nametag identified him as Albert Danning, Curator, smoothed his mustache by reflex, “Welcome to the Captain Torpedo Musuem, miss.” “Thank you,” the Romany girl withdrew a clasp purse from her bodice pocket and emptied it into the donations box, “I am hoping I can learn about the Captain here, in particular his dealings with a monster called the Ü-Wolf.” ***** “Emmett Shaw, that was Captain Torpedo’s real name, faced a slew of infamous villains in his career. Boss Moray, the Primrose Privateer, Doctor Typhoon, but none plagued him longer than Jäger Räuberischer, the Unstoppable Ü-Wolf. To use the superhero vernacular, he was the Captain’s archenemy,” Mr. Danning explained to Desmerelda as he handed her a cup of herbal tea. The two were sitting in Danning’s small office in the back of the museum. “Is that why you have a picture of Räuberischer on your wall?” Desi acknowledged the large portrait of the amphibious lycanthrope standing atop a burning lighthouse, a bikini-clad woman sprawled unconscious in its arms. “That’s a movie poster. Gerber Brothers put out a Captain Torpedo film in 1955. Well, calling it a Captain Torpedo film is a bit of an exaggeration. Interesting story, really: Gerber was trying to develop a line of horror movies in light of Universal Studios’ success with the genre, and they owned the film copyright to Torpedo, including some never used underwater footage from a Captain Torpedo movie serial that was proposed but never released during the war. “So Gerber Studios spliced those shots into this movie, which was a paint-by- numbers “party-going teenagers versus monster” story. Low budget, though the Ü-Wolf effects were fairly competent. They got Jack Kevan, one of the Gill Man’s designers- the Gill Man being the name of the creature from The Creature From the Black Lagoon- and I see I’m boring you.” Desmerelda blinked, “What? No, sir, not at all. It’s only that I’m more interested in the real world exploits of the Ü-Wolf, in particular, how it supposedly died.” “May I ask why?” Desmerelda shifted uncomfortably in her chair, “There is a connection between Räuberischer and my family. One that goes back a long time.” Albert Danning nodded, “Of course. Well, I do have Shaw’s autobiography on microfiche. It devotes a few pages to his encounters with the Ü-Wolf, including the fight where he kills him. But honestly, my cousin’s prose is rather dry, and he spends more time proselytizing than recounting his adventures. He got wrapped up in the Human Potential Movement in the seventies, you see.” “Captain Torpedo is your cousin? Is there any way I could get to speak to him?” “Third cousin, to be precise. And Captain Emmett Shaw died of heart failure in 1993,” Danning picked up the Captain Torpedo aquarium toy that rested on his desk and considered it, “I miss him. There was so much that needed to be said.” “I’m sorry.” “Thank you. But to the matter at hand. Sundown Comics did an excellent Captain Torpedo series in the nineteen eighties. Reprints of the old Titan strips, but also new material. One such story was written by comics legend Alec Dunne. Dunne had an affinity for maritime stories, probably due to his father’s influence. The Dunnes came from a long line of British Royal Navy men. So he collaborated with artist Wil Ehrhert on a six issue prestige format series that chronicled the Torpedo’s career, including a highly accurate depiction of his last battle with Räuberischer. The books are out of print, but we do have some of Ehrhert’s storyboards and an entire copy of Dunne’s script. I could find you the relevant passage and print it for you, if you’re willing to wait.” She was. Mister Danning was good company, and given his enthusiasm for the subject obviously wanted to be helpful, but it was time to learn the fate of the beast that had plagued her family long ago, and now had seemingly returned. Next: Josie and Silver Aegis hobnob with the hoi polloi, but where the Kiwi roosts, must danger follow? And Desmerelda learns how Captain Torpedo slew his Nazi nemesis, at least according to the comics. Out when this story gets six replies.

Just Joshing - fun story.

"Anthropomorphization of the American Ideal" as much as I hate to use the term: 'LOL'!

Best one yet.

And of course packed with historical snippets that make the reader want to find out more about these characters...it's like you're a history teacher or something.