PANEL 1

FLUKE

DEFINITELY. MAYBE HE’S GOT HIS BIG, EVIL PLANS, BUT HE CAN’T BE ALL THAT SMART TO COUNT YOU OUT, MY FRIEND!

PANEL 2

FLUKE

WHICH, BY THE WAY, LEADS TO MY NEXT QUESTION: WHO MAKES A DEAL TO LET DEMONS FROM HELL TAKE OVER THE WORLD?!

I’M SURE RULING OVER NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA WOULD BE SWELL AND ALL THAT — EXCEPT FOR ALL THE HELLBEASTS FLYING AROUND AND EATING EVERY SINGLE PERSON!

PANEL 3

SPOOKY JONES

THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. THERE MUST BE SOME LONG GAME. SOMETHING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT…

PANEL 4

KYLE

HE SAID THERE WERE BIGGER THINGS AT STAKE. SOMETHING WORSE THAN THE CRISIS OF COLLIDING TRANS-WORLD IDENTITIES.

HAVE ANY GUESSES WHAT THAT IS?

SPOOKY JONES

NO. I DON’T.

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT DEMONS ARE ARROGANT. KINGS OF HELL EVEN MORE SO. PEOPLE ALWAYS THINK THEY CAN OUTSMART THEM IN THE END.

FLUKE

ANY CHANCE OF THEM BEING ABLE TO PULL THIS OFF? FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY WIND UP GETTING OVER ON THIS DEMON KING?

PANEL 6

SPOOKY JONES

MAYBE. BUT THERE’S NO CHANCE ANY OF US WILL LIKE WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR THEM TO GET THERE.

PANEL 1

SPOOKY JONES

YEAH. LOOKS LIKE IT’S JUST US.

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY, PAUL? YOU IN THE MOOD FOR A FIGHT?

PANEL 3

FLUKE

YOU BET YOUR ASS I AM.

PANEL 4

SPOOKY JONES

THEN I’D SAY IT’S TIME TO GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER!

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU STILL WANT TO KEEP THIS WHOLE THING A SECRET, KYLE…

PANEL 6

KYLE

I WANT TO STOP THEM.

(cont)

I WANT HIM TO REALIZE HIS BIGGEST MISTAKE… WAS LETTING ME LIVE.

PANEL 1

SPOOKY JONES

THIS ISN’T OVER. NOT BY A LONG SHOT. BRINGING A KING OF HELL INTO OUR WORLD WOULD REQUIRE A COMPLICATED RITUAL.

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

WHICH MEANS WE HAVE SOME TIME.

KYLE

HOW MUCH TIME?

PANEL 3

SPOOKY JONES

SEVERAL HOURS AT LEAST. MAYBE MORE IF THEY NEED SOME KIND OF STELLAR ALIGNMENT OR SOMETHING.

PANEL 4

KYLE

SO IF WE CAN FIND THEM…

SPOOKY JONES

THIS IS BIG MAGIC. HARD TO KEEP UNDER WRAPS. I DEFINITELY SHOULD BE ABLE TO NARROW IT DOWN TO JUST A FEW LOCATIONS.

PANEL 5

FLUKE

YOU REALIZE THIS IS THE ANNIHILATOR AND THE PLATINUM PRIESTESS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. THE MOST POWERFUL CRIMINAL META-HUMANS IN THE WORLD.

AND ALL THE BIG HEROES ARE OFF-PLANET FOR THE CRISIS. THE HIGH-POWERED INTERNS TOO.

THEY COULDN’T HAVE TIMED IT BETTER.

PANEL 2

KYLE

I’D STOP THEM. I’D STOP THE ANNIHILATOR AND THE PLATINUM PRIESTESS.

PANEL 3

SPOOKY JONES

AND WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?

KYLE

I’D DO ANYTHING, SPOOKS. I MEAN IT.

PANEL 4

SPOOKY JONES

WELL, THAT DOESN’T SOUND VERY HELL-SPAWNY TO ME. AND LIKE YOU SAID, I’M THE EXPERT.

PANEL 5

FLUKE

CAN THEY BE STOPPED?

PANEL 1

KYLE

I JUST BETRAYED THE WHOLE TEAM. I’M PART OF THE APOCALYPSE. I HAVE SEX AND IT OPENS A FREAKING GATEWAY TO HELL!

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

WELL, I’D MAYBE LEAVE THAT LAST ONE OFF YOUR PERSONALS PROFILE…

PANEL 3

PANEL 4

SPOOKY JONES

ALL RIGHT, LOOK, I GET THAT YOU’RE WANTING ME TO JUDGE YOU.

SO… YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW EVIL YOU ARE? THEN ANSWER THIS QUESTION FOR ME:

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW?

PANEL 6

KYLE

BESIDES CRAWL IN A HOLE AND DIE?

PANEL 7

SPOOKY JONES

IF YOU HAD WANTED TO DO THAT, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE CALLED FLUKE.

PANEL 8

SPOOKY JONES

KYLE, IF YOU COULD DO ANYTHING, RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

PANEL 1

SPOOKY JONES

THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO GET PEOPLE TO DO THINGS, INCLUDING SAYING “YES.”

PANEL 2

KYLE

FOR GOD’S SAKE, SPOOKY, DON’T YOU GET IT? I’M HELL SPAWN! I AM LITERALLY HELL SPAWN. YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE WHAT THAT MEANS.

PANEL 3

FLUKE

WE DON’T KNOW THAT’S TRUE. THAT THING WAS A DEMON. HE WAS PROBABLY LYING.

PANEL 4

FLUKE

RIGHT?

SPOOKY JONES

OH, NO, I’M SURE IT’S TRUE. LAAMPROS IS A KING OF HELL. HE’D NEVER LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

IT’D BE A PRIDE THING.

PANEL 6

FLUKE

THANK YOU, SPOOKY.

PANEL 7

SPOOKY JONES

BUT LIKE I SAID, WE’RE STILL BUDS.

PANEL 8

KYLE

HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? YOUR WHOLE LIFE IS FIGHTING DEMONS!

PANEL 1

KYLE

LET’S FACE IT, I’M NOT WHO YOU THOUGHT I WAS. NOT BY A LONG SHOT.

PANEL 2

FLUKE

I SAID WE WERE BEST FRIENDS BECAUSE I MEANT IT.

KYLE

I KNOW. I’M JUST SAYING…

PANEL 3

FLUKE

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING. AND IT’S EVEN STUPIDER THAN YOU THINKING A GUY CALLED THE ANNIHILATOR WOULD BE A FUN DATE!

PANEL 4

FLUKE

SURE, I’M PISSED AT YOU FOR DOING THIS DUMB THING. I’M EVEN MORE PISSED YOU DIDN’T TALK TO US ABOUT IT FIRST.

BUT MOSTLY I’M PISSED OFF THAT SOMEONE WOULD DO THIS TO YOU!

I CAN’T EVEN WRAP MY MIND AROUND IT, I’M SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW. I WANT TO RIP HIS GOD DAMNED HEAD OFF!

PANEL 5

KYLE

I’M THE ONE WHO SAID YES TO IT. HE DIDN’T FORCE ME. I DID THIS.

PANEL 1

FLUKE

HE’S, LIKE, THE MOST DANGEROUS CRIMINAL IN THE WORLD. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.

KYLE

I KNOW. AND WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM I DID FIGHT HIM.

BUT THEN… HE JUST SEEMED SO NORMAL.

PANEL 2

KYLE

SOME PART OF ME KNEW IT WAS CRAZY BUT WHAT HE SAID, THE WAY HE TALKED… I THOUGHT MAYBE IT’D BE OK. LIKE MAYBE SOMETHING YOU SEE IN THE MOVIES.

PANEL 3

KYLE

WHICH I KNOW JUST MAKES ME SOUND EVEN STUPIDER.

PANEL 4

KYLE

LOOK, I KNOW YOU JUST SAID WE WERE FRIENDS AND STUFF. BUT I KNOW WHAT I’VE DONE…

PANEL 5

KYLE

I’M JUST SAYING, YOU DON’T HAVE TO… I MEAN, I’LL UNDERSTAND…

PANEL 6

FLUKE

WE DON’T HAVE TO WHAT?

PANEL 2

FLUKE

LOOK, YOU KNOW WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS. YOUR BEST FRIENDS, RIGHT?

KYLE

I KNOW.

PANEL 3

FLUKE

THEN I’M SORRY, BUT WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

I GET BEING LONELY AND MAYBE EVEN NOT TELLING US ABOUT BEING GAY, BUT THE ANNIHILATOR? HE’S KILLED PEOPLE!

PANEL 4

KYLE

NEVER ON PURPOSE! AND HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING REALLY BAD FOR A LONG TIME. AND HE SEEMED LIKE HE WAS REFORMING.

PANEL 5

KYLE

AND YEAH, I KNOW HOW INCREDIBLY STUPID I’M SOUNDING RIGHT NOW.

PANEL 6

FLUKE

IT’S JUST… HE’S LIKE, A MILLION YEARS OLD. OUT OF EVERYONE YOU COULD HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITH…

PANEL 7

SPOOKY JONES

YOU’RE GOOD. NO LASTING EFFECTS. YOU CAN PUT YOUR SUIT ON NOW.

PANEL 1

KYLE

GOD DAMN IT! DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH, SPOOKY!

I JUST ENDED THE WORLD!

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

LAST I CHECKED, THE WORLD WAS STILL OUT THERE.

PANEL 3

KYLE

NOT FOR LONG! THANKS TO ME, IT’S GOING TO BE HANDED OVER ON A PLATTER TO SOME HUGE, EVIL DEMON!

PANEL 4

KYLE

EXCEPT THE AMERICAS WHICH WILL BE RULED OVER BY THE ANNIHILATOR AND THE PLATINUM PRIESTESS, OF COURSE…

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

HOLD UP. BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR SUIT ON, I WANT TO CHECK YOU OVER TO MAKE SURE THERE AREN’T ANY LASTING EFFECTS OR INJURIES FROM THE SPELL.

THAT OK?

PANEL 6

KYLE

SURE. OK.