Powderkeg

The city of Los Angeles has been afflicted by an explosion of gang violence. However, this time the gangs are targeting wealthier neighborhoods stoking fears. This is all being orchestrated by Lotus Newmark so she can stoke public support for her new private security force called Armed Response. She outlines her scheme during a pool-side date with one of her investors a movie exec, Sol Sterling, who approves of every detail. However, he is concerned that the police will not accept Armed Response. Lotus assures him that once she is done she’ll have everyone in her back pocket.

Meanwhile, on the streets, the gangs are becoming increasingly violent. Even going so far as to murder innocent children in cold blood. The police are woefully unprepared for the gang bangers either since they have been armed with military grade weapons and high tech jetpacks so they can find off the cops and make their escape.

The latest rash of violence is watched on the TV news by Gloria Angel, Simon William’s landlord. She is disturbed by what she has seen and is shocked by how violent Los Angeles has become since she first came to the city. Back in those days she was a beauty pageant winner who had come to Hollywood to chase her dream of becoming an actress. Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears someone out in the hallway. When she goes out to check she is relieved to see that Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, is finally back home.[1] She notices something different about him and Williams admits that there is. He also tells her that he will be moving out. When she asks him what he is going to do about the violence in the street he grimly tells her that the city hasn’t seen real violence yet.

Upset by Simon’s strange behavior, Gloria wishes that her favorite celebrity news show was on so she could enjoy the celebrity escapism it brings her. Suddenly, there is a flash of light and Gloria suddenly hears one of the hosts of the show she watches on the TV. Something that is impossible since he show isn’t on until the evening. When Gloria goes into her living room she is shocked to see herself sitting on the couch watching TV![2]

Meanwhile, the gang members who were responsible for the recent incident of gun violence are also watching the news coverage and reveling in their publicity. They are severed drinks by Lotus Newmark who congratulates them for a job well done. Unaware that Lotus is using them, they accept her heaping praise as well as her assurances that she will make them the most powerful gang in the city.[3] When she explains to them how she has learned how to use violence to gain what she wants, Lotus briefly pauses as she has a flashback from when her parents were murdered and she was forced into a life of crime.[4] She pushes this painful memory aside and warns them to be wary of Wonder Man, who may interfere with their goals. However the thugs find this laughable since they think Wonder Man is a joke and look forward to having to deal with him.

Meanwhile, Jamie Flores — in light of discovering she has special dream powers — tries to come up with a superhero name for herself. This idea is quashed by her mother, Alex, who doesn’t believe that being a superhero is the right thing, as they aren’t entirely sure what happened to them. As she leaves the house, she runs into Wonder Man who has come to say that he is leaving. This deeply upsets Alex, who thought they had something special, and tells him that his friends have all been experiencing strange side effects from their exposure to his ionic energy. Hearing that he did this to them reminds Simon that Angkor was created by his powers as well. This reinforces the idea that he is a force of destruction and he leaps away.

At that same time, Lotus Newmark is observing the people she has been manipulating and is pleased that everything is going according to plan. He assistant, Andrew, fears that she might be pushing things too far. He thinks it was a bad idea telling Sol Sterling her true plans, but Lotus insists that it was the right move since the movie producer is shrewd enough to have figured it out on his own. It was better to make him think he was part of the plan so he’d go along with it. When expresses concerns that Sterlin might turn on them, Lotus assures him that she already has everything under control. This is because at that very moment she is having the gangs attack Sterlin’s mansion. This is so she can deploy Armed Response in order to score support for her new private security venture.

As this is happening, Alex Flores is trying to call the others and figure out what to do about Wonder Man. She tried calling the Avengers West Coast, but they were at a loss about how to deal with Simon. Jamie is sleeping next to her and the young girl discovers that when she enters a dream state she can leave her body and fly.

Elsewhere, Wonder Man arrives at the scene of the gang violence and intervenes before Armed Response can stop the gangster. Unsure what to do about this new development, the leader of the team decides to radio headquarters for further instructions. Simon, meanwhile, pummels the gangsters and easily shrugs off their bullets. When one of them fires a bazooka at him, he shrugs off the explosion. Fueled by his rage, Simon decides to turn his full fury on the shooter and beats him to death. That’s when the Avengers West Coast — Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, US Agent, Living Lightning, and Spider-Woman — arrive on the scene and tell Simon that they need to talk.

Recurring Characters

Wonder Man, Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, US Agent, Spider-Woman, Living Lightning), Lotus Newmark, Armed Response, Gloria Angel, Alex Flores, Jamie Flores

Continuity Notes

1. Wonder Man had been away fighting in the Infinity War. See Infinity War #1-6 and Wonder Man (vol. 2) #13-15.

2. Gloria got her powers when Wonder Man’s ionic powers flared out of control and she was bombarded by its energies, as seen in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #11-12. She will retain these powers until issue #25.

3. Lotus mentions other attacks on the city that will boost their profile namely Goliath (Wonder Man (vol. 2) #1), Gamma-Burn (#3), Rampage (#5-6), and Angkor (issues #10-12).

4. The death of Lotus’ parents and her conscription into a life of crime was first told in Avengers Spotlight #36. Her backstory is expanded upon in Marvels (vol. 2) #6.

Topical References

• Gloria Angel is depicted as having a CRT television in her living room. This should be considered topical as this is an obsolete technology.

• The photograph that Gloria has of herself as a younger woman is depicted as being a black and white photo. It is implied that she came to Hollywood during the “Golden Age of Cinema” such references should be considered topical. Modern readers should interpret her as coming to Hollywood some 50 years prior to this story, but not ascribe a particular era.

• When Gloria time jumps for the first time it is because she wishes Entertainment Tonight was on. ET is a celebrity news program that has been on the air since 1981. Gloria identifies one of the hosts as Leeza Gibbons. She was the co-host of ET from 1984 to 2000. Both references to ET and Gibbons should be considered topical.

• One of the gang members is drinking Banko Beer. While there is no such brand, Banko Beverages does brew beer. They’re responsible for the piss water they call Miller Lite. This should be considered topical since Banko is a real world business.

• When considering the name “Fly Girl”, Jamie says “Yeah right. Like they’ll believe I’m a Fly Girl!” The Fly Girls were a dance troupe that were featured on the variety comedy show In Living Color which ran from 1990 to 1994.

• Jamie Flores’ radio is depicted as having two tape decks. This should be considered topical as this is yet another example of an obsolete technology.