8FOLD/META: Nostalgics Contest Over [SPOILERS]

[Tom Russell]

The contest is over, and, sadly, without a winner... again.

On the one hand, I want the contest to be challenging-- on the other, I
want someone to win it!

Next time will be something decidedly different... something that will
require your talents and a microphone... :-)

The answer to this contest was Sproing, who made his first (and up
until THE NOSTALGICS # 2, only) appearance in JOURNEY INTO... # 2.
Let's examine the clues.

1. IT IS A "HE".

   Sproing is male.

2. THIS CHARACTER HAS HAD DIALOGUE IN THE PAST, AS
OPPOSED TO JUST A PASSING MENTION.

   Even if his dialogue _was_ limited to "Zeppelin!  Fahrenheit Man!
... guys...?", it's still dialogue. :-)

3. THIS CHARACTER HAS MET RETIRED SPEEDSTER DARKHORSE.

Darkhorse was a member of the Seven Wonders until he lost his powers
and retired; his powers were lost in SPEAK! # 7, his retirement was
announced in THE GREEN KNIGHT # 3, and in JOURNEY INTO... # 2, his
membership with the Seven Wonders was mentioned.  Sproing was also a
member, until he was kicked out; since they served with the same time,
it's highly likely that they met.

This is arguably the most tentative/misleading of the clues, as the
meeting is not "onscreen".  On the other hand, two of the three who
have had an onscreen meeting with Darkhorse-- Dr. Metronome and Gregory
Dingham-- are eliminated by other clues.  The third, the Pachyderm, is
presumably still in the hospital from injuries incurred in SPEAK! # 7.

4. THIS CHARACTER CAN BE SELF-ABSORBED AT TIMES.

See: Sproing's behaviour at Max's birthday party.

5. THIS CHARACTER IS not THE "LOYAL FRIEND".

I designated the four members on the team as (1) Disgraced hero, (2)
Reformed villain, (3) Loyal friend and (4) the traitor.  Since Jason
Righteous outs himself as a the traitor with the very first sentence of
THE NOSTALGICS # 1, and the "loyal friend" is eliminated here, it
leaves two options.

6. HE HAS NEVER met GREGORY DINGHAM.

Sproing does not appear in SPEAK!; Dingham does not appear in JOURNEY
INTO... # 2.

7. HE IS RESPONSIBLE, IF ONLY ACCIDENTALLY, FOR THE DEATH OF ANOTHER
PERSON.

Sproing was kicked out of the Seven Wonders because of a fatal
drunk-driving accident.

8. NO, HE IS not TRAVIS BICKLE.

This clue was given in answer to a rather odd guess I recieved via
email.


9. This character has been "trapped in a world he never made".

Sproing was trapped in an anti-matter universe at the beginning of
JOURNEY INTO... # 2.


10. This character has never had his own series.

JOURNEY INTO... is an anthology title, HOUSE OF FICTION about the
Fiction family, SPEAK! was about Gregory Dingham, THE GREEN KNIGHT
about Martin, Ray, and Anders, TEMPLATE is about Billy Kidman and
INCARNATE about Incarnate.  Not a SPROING in the bunch.


11. This character is not the reformed villain.

Which leaves the "disgraced hero": Sproing is disgraced because of the
aforementioned drunk-driving accident.

--Tom