Nomad (vol. 2) #11
Criss Cross
Note: This story deals with people with transgendered people however it is a product of its time. For more insight on this see below and the comments on how I chose to transcribe my summary. Thanks.
Its taken days of hitchhiking for Nomad to get from Phoenix to Albuquerque. Now walking through a small town he wonders where it is he’s going and what he is trying to do. He decides to stop at a local bar for a drink and try to figure out his future. He comes upon a place called Lillian’s which is having a monthly event where they “welcome all”, unsure what this means, Jack walks inside and what he finds catches him off guard.
The bar is full of transgender women. The bar tender explains that once a month he welcomes in the local trans population, which the locals call the Flatsies. It’s the one time a month where the group can feel safe going out and having fun in a way that feels natural to them. There he meets a woman who tells Jack she comes out on behalf of her spouse, a member of the Flatsies.
Jack settles in and has a good time with the Flatsies all night but he also overhears rumbling about a series of murders committed against this group. Rumors are swirling that newer members have been killed and everyone suspects Colt Varney, one of the oldest members who also happens to be a former Special Forces member who was dishonorably discharged. When Jack gets a good look at Colt he can see that he has the look of a man who has killed before and wonders if he’s started killing again.
Deciding to investigate this himself, Jack keeps a close eye on the latest new comer to Flastsies night and follows him out of the bar when he leaves. As he tails the rookie he then notices that Colt Varney is following them as well. Fearing he might get spotted, Nomad decides to slow his pursuit. He quickly comes to regret it when he hears a gun go off. Jack races into the alley and finds Colt standing over the dead body of the young trans person they were following. Jack assumes Colt is the killer and the two scuffle for a bit until Colt proves that they weren’t the shooter by showing that his gun still has all its bullets and the barrel is cool. As it turns out Varney is trying to catch the real killer as well. The two stick around until the police arrive and give their statements and are released. As Nomad leaves he is stopped by another Flatsie named Herbert Segal who hands Jack their business card and asks that they meet at his office in the morning.
The following day, Nomad shows up at the Albuquerque Savings and Loan where he meets with Segal. Herbert wants to hire Jack to eliminate the person killing the Flatsies. When Jack explains that he doesn’t do wetwork, Herbert says he is satisfied with the kill being driven out of town instead.[1] Jack agrees to take the job and asks for a list of Flatsies members so he can start interviewing them and narrowing down a suspect. As Jack goes about town to learn more about the killing he discovers that the Flatsies come from all walks of life. They are doctors, economists, sex workers, mechanics and everything in-between. Some are wealthy, some are poor, some are nice, whole other are total dicks, and some struggle with addiction. The common denominator that they all have is a need for privacy surrounding their lifestyle due to social stigma, as well as a fear of whoever is out there preying on them. Unfortunately, the only person everyone suspects is Colt Varney.
Jack decides to confront Varney once and for all and get the truth. When Colt refuses to let Jack into his apartment, he kicks the door down. The reason why he wasn’t letting him in is because they have a date over. Annoyed at having his privacy invaded, Colt tries to attack Jack but their date tells him to stop when she notices that Monroe has Bucky strapped to his back. The fight also knocks over a bunch of material that Colt has been collecting about the killings. Once again, Colt insists that they are not the killer but are trying to catch the person responsible. As it turns out, the first victim was Randy Ellison, who was with Colt in the military. Sharing the same lifestyle the pair dated until Colt was kicked out of the army. Two years ago, when Colt started attending Flatsies events they was delighted to see that Randy was also a member. However, Ellison wasn’t happy to see Colt and was murdered before the two could reconcile their differences.
With no leads on who the killer might be, Jack decides that the only way do draw them out is to use himself as bait. When the next Flatsies night rolls around, Jack dresses up in women’s clothing and attends the event. Being the newest rookie of the group, Jack gains a lot of attention and while the others are fawning over him he starts becoming comfortable and admits that this isn’t half bad. He is also, however, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be up to no good. Monroe gets his first red flag when Herbert begins hitting on him and his spouse starts warning Jack that he shouldn’t have come. No wanting to be hit on by someone who is married, Jack “cools” Herbert off by dumping his beer on their head.
As the night winds down, Jack heads back to his hotel room alone. He has Colt following him on a nearby rooftop with a sniper rifle, ready to take out the killer if they show up. Colt does find them, across the street on another rooftop with a sniper rifle of their own. Colt shoots the killer in the hand, forcing them to drop their rifle. As they flee, Jack ditches his high heel shoes so he can run after the killer. Catching up to them and pulling off their mask, Jack is shocked to discover that it’s Herbert’s wife. He asks her why she is doing this but gets no answer. When she pulls a hand gun instead, Colt arrives and shoots her dead. Varney asks Jack what her motivation is, but Monroe says he never got it. However, he figures that she was doing it because she realized that no one should be forced to dress a certain way because society expects them to.
Recurring Characters
Nomad, Bucky
Continuity Notes
Nomad has been against killing whenever possible since Nomad #4 after the revolting feeling he had after mowing down a room full of people with a cybernetic gun.
Topical References
The primary focus of this story is on the plight of transgendered and gender-fluid people in contemporary America. That said it uses terms like transvestite and cross-dresser, two dated terms that have fallen out of use to describe these individuals and many consider those terms to be offensive. See below for more
The story also presents the trans characters as living secret lives where they hide who they are from the general public and in their day-to-day lives, such as on the job. As society has become more accepting of trans people and they have gained increased human rights, the need to hide who they are has become less prominent in society. As such a lot of the concepts and activities of the individuals in this story are dated because they are rooted in the attitudes towards trans people and how trans people conducted themselves in the 1990s. Some of these concepts would be considered anachronisms by today’s standard. I am not too familiar with how things were for them then and now in America since I am a cis male that lives in Canada, but one could reasonably understand that some of these concepts are topical.
Herbert’s wife quips that it is the “nineties” when trying to explain his alternative lifestyle. References to this story taking place in the 1990s should be considered topical.
A central characterization of Colt Varney is that he was discharged from the military when it was found out he was gay. At the time of this story, the US military had a long standing practice of discriminating against services members that were not straight. After decades of legal battles these discriminatory practices were put to an end in 2011. As such, this reference should be considered topical. Modern readers could assume that Varney was dishonorably discharged for some conduct other than being gay.
Trying to Frame This Story in a Modern Context — or How I Might Have Gotten Some Things Wrong, But Am Trying My Best.
This story is a very interesting one in that it is more or less a positive story about transgendered people. Something that was totally unheard of when it was first published in 1993. However, despite its best intentions it is still a product of the era in which it is written. As well meaning as it might be it uses a lot of dated terminology and doesn’t use any of the nuances of trans culture. Things like using the proper pronouns and gendering individuals. As well intended as it was, it got some things wrong or the ideas in the story have aged poorly.
In writing the summary above, I have tried my best to strike a balance with the proper terminologies used today yet explaining the story as it was told in the best way possible. Keeping in mind, as much of an ally as I am of the LGTBQ+ community, I’m still also a cis male. This isn’t my experience so I am trying my best but I’ll admit that I’m not the best person to try and write about this sort of thing.
The story uses the term transvestite or crossdresser to describe the trans people in this story. Two very dated terms. The characters are all depicted as men dressed up in women’s clothing. They all give male names and refer themselves as he/him and are gendered as such by other people. These men are also drawn very manly. With beards and very masculine features drawn in a way to intentionally clash with the feminine clothing they are wearing.
Given what I have to work with, I decided to use they/them pronouns for the members of the Flatsies. The characters are always referred to as male, but this story came from the time when using proper pronouns wasn’t really a thing. While the characters appear male and dress in women’s clothing they never really state what their preferred pronouns are. Everyone just assumes their men. In this case, it was my thinking that using they/them was probably the most neutral way of addressing their identities.
That said, I left their names as is. They are male names, but that’s what they are identified by and called throughout the story. Same thing with the group being called the Flatsies. Probably not the most flattering name, but that’s what they are called in the story.
Anyway, that’s my explanation and reasoning behind presenting the story above. If you feel that there was something wrong by all means drop me an e-mail and let me know. I’m still figuring this stuff out and if there is something I’m missing I am all for being properly educated. Thanks!
