Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Walking with Superman: Day 300

They were built by the greatest criminal minds on the planet, using technology and power from the darkest heart of Apokolips. The Four Horsemen: Yuurd the Unknown, harbinger of the Age of Hunger; Rogga of the Seven Atrocities, harbinger of the Age of War; Zorrm the Desolate, harbinger of the Age of Fevers; and Azraeuz, Fetid King of the Age of Death. The last time they appeared, it took the combined might of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Doom Patrol, and one of their creators to stop them. And they were thought defeated forever.

The child came from a ghetto. Even she isn't sure which one anymore, whether on this Earth or some other world. After seeing as many of them as she has, they all begin to look the same. If she ever had a name, it was lost long before she met Granny. Granny made her strong. Granny made her safe. And Granny taught her that there was power in words, in letters and numbers, that the right word could crumble worlds, the right equation could bring the universe to its knees. The girl wanted nothing more than to be one of Granny's favorites, one of the Furies. But Granny left, like they all leave eventually.

But Granny left her one gift: the word. That amazing word that opened the pit of fire beneath her feet and transformed her into something better. Something strong and new, something hungry and godlike. She spoke the word and she gained their strength, their spirit, their power. She became Yarz the Unspeakable, the World's Mightiest Monster, Harbinger of the New Age.

And ever since she first caught scent of Superman, she has been tracking his travels around this continent, waiting in the shadows, conserving her power, until the perfect time to strike. And now, with her power augmented by an infernal artifact, she waits like a coiled snake in Wyoming's Red Desert for the Man of Steel. Here, Superman is alone and vulnerable. Here, Superman will face the combined might of the Horsemen who once nearly consumed him and his allies. Here, Superman will fall and the monster will slake its thirst on his blood. And with his still-beating indestructible heart raised to the sky, she will usher in the new age.

The Age of the Apocalypse.

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