PANEL 1
ANNIHILATOR
DO YOU WISH YOU COULD UNDO IT?
PANEL 2
ANNIHILATOR
I WAS ON THE RUN AFTER THAT.
(cont)
LOST MY FAMILY AND ANY HOPE FOR A… NORMAL LIFE.
PANEL 3
ANNIHILATOR
AGAIN, A BIT LIKE YOU, I SUPPOSE.
PANEL 4
ANNIHILATOR
YES, I WISH I HAD DONE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
(cont)
BUT I WAS JUST A CHILD MYSELF. AND I’M NOT ONE TO CLING TO REGRETS.
PANEL 1
ANNIHILATOR
HEH. LET’S JUST SAY I’M A VERY RICH AND POWERFUL MAN WHO ACTS AS MOST VERY RICH AND POWERFUL MEN DO.
PANEL 2
ANNIHILATOR
I SIMPLY REQUIRE FEWER BODYGUARDS.
PANEL 3
ANNIHILATOR
DISAPPOINTED?
KYLE
NO. I’M GLAD YOU’RE NOT STILL ROBBING BANKS AND STUFF.
PANEL 4
KYLE
SO… ONCE YOU GOT YOUR POWERS, DID YOU, UH, DO IT?
(cont)
MAKE THE BULLIES PAY?
PANEL 5
ANNIHILATOR
YES. I DID.
PANEL 6
ANNIHILATOR
LOOKING BACK NOW, I REALIZE THEY WERE JUST KIDS BEING KIDS AND I — WELL, I HURT THEM VERY, VERY BADLY.
(cont)
IT WAS A DEFINING MOMENT, I SUPPOSE.
PANEL 1
KYLE
NO. NOTHING CONFIRMED, ANYWAY.
(cont)
SO… DOES THAT MEAN YOU STOPPED?
ANNIHILATOR
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
PANEL 2
KYLE
I DON’T THINK YOU GAVE UP ON IT COMPLETELY.
(cont)
BUT MAYBE, ROBBING BANKS AND STUFF, IT WAS TOO, UH, RISKY.
(cont)
AND MAYBE YOU DIDN’T LIKE HURTING INNOCENT PEOPLE.
PANEL 3
KYLE
SO, I THINK YOU’RE MOSTLY DOING SOMETHING ELSE.
ANNIHILATOR
VERY GOOD, KYLE.
(cont)
OF COURSE, IN MY VIEW, “INNOCENT” IS USUALLY JUST A KINDER WORD FOR “IGNORANT.”
(cont)
DANGEROUSLY IGNORANT IN THIS MODERN WORLD…
PANEL 4
ANNIHILATOR
BUT YOU’RE RIGHT. AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE, I TAKE NO PLEASURE IN HURTING PEOPLE.
PANEL 5
ANNIHILATOR
ALSO, YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT ONCE YOU HAVE MONEY, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO AMASS MORE OF IT.
(cont)
VERY FEW REQUIRE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND A VANISHING SMALL NUMBER OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS RECEIVE ANY PRESS COVERAGE AT ALL.
PANEL 6
KYLE
SO, YOU’RE LIKE A… WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL NOW?
PANEL 1
KYLE
YEAH. BACK THEN, IT SEEMED LIKE YOU WERE ON T.V. A LOT.
ANNIHILATOR
YES. I SUPPOSE I FELT I HAD SOMETHING TO PROVE.
PANEL 2
ANNIHILATOR
THE TRUTH WAS, I WAS RECKLESS AND MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOW OFF.
PANEL 3
KYLE
I’VE BEEN, UH, READING UP ON YOU ON THE WEB…
ANNIHILATOR
OH?
PANEL 4
KYLE
YEAH. YOU USED TO ROB A LOT OF BANKS, EVEN FORT KNOX ONCE.
(cont)
BUT THEN, LIKE SIX YEARS AGO, YOU STOPPED.
PANEL 5
KYLE
THERE ARE STILL A BUNCH OF ARTICLES ABOUT YOU FIGHTING HEROES IN OTHER COUNTRIES. YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY’VE TRIED TO CAPTURE YOU.
(cont)
THERE’S EVEN A FEW ARTICLES WITH, LIKE, ROBIN HOOD TYPE STUFF IN SOUTH AMERICA AGAINST DRUG CARTELS.
(cont)
BUT IN TERMS OF ANY NEW REAL CRIMES…
PANEL 6
ANNIHILATOR
DIDN’T FIND ANY RECENT REPORTS OF THAT, DID YOU?
PANEL 1
ANNIHILATOR
LIKE YOU, MY POWERS DIDN’T MANIFEST UNTIL PUBERTY.
(cont)
AND I WAS A… TIMID CHILD, SO I WAS OFTEN BULLIED.
PANEL 2
ANNIHILATOR
I USED TO DREAM THAT SOMEDAY I’D BE AS STRONG AS THE MAN OF STEEL AND THAT I’D MAKE THOSE BULLIES PAY.
PANEL 3
KYLE
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID, WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS NORMAL, I USED TO DREAM OF, LIKE, CATCHING FALLING PLANES AND STOPPING CRIMINALS.
PANEL 4
KYLE
AND RESCUING THE CUTE BOYS IN MY SCHOOL FROM SUPERVILLAINS I SAW ON T.V.
PANEL 5
ANNIHILATOR
VILLAINS LIKE ME?
PANEL 1
ANNIHILATOR
I HAVE A NUMBER OF WAREHOUSES AROUND THE WORLD FOR MY MORE PRIVATE POSSESSIONS. THIS ONE WAS UNUSED — AND WITHIN LEAPING DISTANCE.
(cont)
ANNIHILATOR
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE COULD BURN THE ENTIRE BUILDING TO THE GROUND AND NO ONE WOULD EVER BE AT RISK OF HARM.
KYLE
O.K. COOL.
PANEL 2
KYLE
WOW. SOME VIEW.
ANNIHILATOR
I’D HOPED YOU’D LIKE IT.
PANEL 3
ANNIHILATOR
I USED TO READ THOSE COMIC BOOKS, YOU KNOW.
(cont)
AS A CHILD.
(cont)
CLASSIC SUPER HEROES WRITTEN LONG BEFORE YOU AND I MADE THEM REAL.
PANEL 4
KYLE
YOU LIKED COMIC BOOKS?
ANNIHILATOR
OF COURSE. WE ALL DID.
PANEL 3
ANNIHILATOR
THERE!
(cont)
NONE THE WORSE FOR WEAR, I TRUST?
PANEL 4
KYLE
BEING IN YOUR ARMS LIKE THAT KINDA FEELS A BIT, UH… LOIS LANE, BUT YEAH, I’M GOOD.
PANEL 5
ANNIHILATOR
I BELIEVE I COME OFF RATHER WELL IN THAT METAPHOR.
PANEL 6
KYLE
WHERE ARE WE?
PANEL 1
CAPTION
TWO NIGHTS LATER, AFTER THE RESCUE.
PANEL 2
FLYBOY
HA! GOTCHA!
PANEL 3
FLYBOY
WAIT… WHERE ARE THE GIRLS?
PANEL 4
FLYBOY
OH.
(cont)
OH, WOW…
PANEL 1
SPOOKY JONES
YEAH. I THINK PLAYTIME’S OVER.
(cont)
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?
PANEL 2
COMMANDER
MISSING GIRL. THE RANGERS TOLD ME HER PARENTS LAST SAW HER TWENTY-SEVEN HOURS AGO.
PANEL 3
COMMANDER
SHE’D HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD AND WATER, BUT THERE’S A LARGE WILDFIRE THAT’S MAKING THE SEARCH EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT…
PANEL 1
SPOOKY JONES
SORRY, GUYS.
PANEL 2
TSUNAMI
TRUST ME, MITCH. YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS STUFF.
(cont)
IT’S MESSED UP AND TWISTED. I WISH I HADN’T SEEN IT.
FLYBOY
BUT-!
PANEL 3
TSUNAMI
DUDE, I’M SERIOUS. IT’LL RUIN YOU FOR LIFE.
(cont)
PROMISE ME YOU’LL LEAVE IT ALONE, KAY, LITTLE BUDDY?
FLYBOY
YEAH. ALL RIGHT. I PROMISE…
PANEL 4
COMMANDER
SO… CAN WE ACTUALLY GET TO WORK NOW?