8FOLD: Daylighters # 1 (Annotations)

Tom Russell joltcity at gmail.com
Sat Nov 3 21:13:48 PDT 2018


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              |___/     |___/  ANNOTATIONS

      # 1 - PURSUED BY A BEAR


[1] The Gorgon

The Gorgon was a sentient, self-programming computer virus that wanted
to destroy all humanoid life. His general modus operandi was to compel
humans to commit suicide through hypnotic subliminal messages
displayed on infected computers (and eventually phones and tablets).
Most human beings had a natural resistance to this, and instead their
bodies would "freeze" like statues (hence the Gorgon's name).

The Gorgon is probably one of the longest-lived villains in the
Eightfold universe. He began as a villain for the original Darkhorse,
Phil Whaley, though we never actually saw any of those stories. His
first actual in-story appearance was in JOURNEY INTO # 3, where he
fought the soon-to-be second Darkhorse, Brian Clipper.

The Gorgon was the mastermind behind the 2008 "Download of Doom" (JOLT
CITY # 20), in which a complicated series of jailbreaks were used to
gain access to the secret internet, and the "black note", a sonic
weapon that could cause the human brain to explode. The Gorgon very
nearly succeeded in embedding the black note in a series of internet
memes but was thwarted by Blue Boxer (among others).

In August 2014 (MIGHTY MEDLEY # 16), all three Darkhorses implemented
a plan to defeat the Gorgon once and for all by evolving it into an
empathetic artificial intelligence that would, in turn, overwrite the
previous code. The result was Medusa, a key member of the Daylighters.

[2] Vegas

Inspired by the Gorgon's failed attempt to weaponize the internet,
Caracalla and FEVER created and spread a "fear meme", harnessing
latent negative energy that allowed the empathically-vibrating
other-dimensional Dyzen'thari to rip through the fabric of space and
time in late 2008, attacking all points of the time stream
simultaneously. As seen in JOLT CITY # 22-23, Knockout Mouse and
Shimmer (then going by the name Dr. Metronome) saved reality as we
know it. Simultaneously, Vegas was destroyed (MIGHTY MEDLEY # 1),
resulting in a catastrophic loss of life.

This had much wider-ranging effects, however. The Dyzen'thari invasion
weakened the walls of reality sufficiently to allow the breaking of a
cosmic dam in late 2013, unleashing the god-flood into the universe.
The presence of this primordial annihilator is the inciting incident
of the RED HART series, and also the wider Pulse War era of the
Eightfold universe.

[3] Simon and Cal

Shimmer's younger siblings. She has been responsible for them since
their mother died almost ten years before the present story. Simon is
a civilian, perfectly happy to live out his days as a supporting
character, whereas Cal fell into superheroing after being permanently
shrunk in the DARKHORSE series. Note that said series took place in
December 2014, and concluded less than a week after this story.

END OF ISSUE CLIFFHANGER SPOILER EXPLANATION
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[4] Pam Bierce

Pam Bierce was an important part of JOLT CITY's supporting cast, first
appearing in the second issue. A bounty hunter by trade, she became
romantically involved with Martin Rock, the second Green Knight.

When a mob war erupted in Jolt City in late 2008 (JC # 22), Pam took a
much-needed vacation. Unfortunately, that vacation took her to Las
Vegas, and she was presumed to have died there when it was destroyed.
Certainly, a body identified as Pam's was discovered in the ruins -
though we'll get to that apparent contradiction after the current arc.

In her will, Pam left everything to Derek Mason (the Blue Boxer), with
the understanding that it would be used by both himself and Martin
Rock to fund their superheroing; Pam judged Derek to be the more
fiscally responsible of the two, which was probably a hundred percent
correct. Derek ended up having all the money to himself however as
Martin died an infinite number of times in an infinite number of
alternate pasts. Well, sort of; one Martin did return to the present,
but no one alive in 2014 knows that, and the character isn't ever
going to return.

Pam, of course, has returned, and that is something that was planned
from the beginning. One benefit to writing the end of JOLT CITY and
the beginnings of the Pulse War mega-story somewhat simultaneously is
that I could plant seeds in both that will make Pam's resurrection -
or rather, her not dying in the first place - logical, as we'll see in
forthcoming installments.


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