Mr. Minus

Mr. Minus

Creator: Ginger Johnson

Characters

Allan Lee

Dr. Bob Roberts

Ed Cave

Kelly Door

He had been treated with radiation and various kinds of ray machines. He never did find out exactly what all they shot him with, or fed him, or put into his system. Nor what the experiments were supposed to prevent or cure. The doctor in charge, Dr. Bob Roberts, had been killed before completion of the research, and had not lived long enough to find out what caused this strange malady.

The first time it happened was fourteen years ago: Allan tried to calm himself, but that turned out to be impossible as long as he sat in front of the mirror! But he just couldn't move away! He had to watch! He had to know exactly what was happening to him. He had been sitting at the dresser writing a letter to a friend, when he had looked up and noticed that his reflection was looking a bit paler than before. He thought it was the lighting in the room. But no … he could still see the pen and paper and all other objects in the room. He looked down to his hands, and was shocked further! He could see his bones showing through his transparent skin!' He then looked up at his head and was amazed even more! He could actually see his brain! His skin was disappearing!

"Oh God! Even my bones are looking translucent! What is happening? I can't believe what I am seeing! I must be having a nightmare! But, when will I wake up? I'm turning invisible! This has to be a nightmare!  Sure hope that this isn't true!"

Allan moaned and closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again only to see - or not see - the same thing! "There has to be an answer! I know. I'll go to bed and dream that I'm sleeping, and when I wake up, I'll know that this was a dream. I hope to God it's a dream!" he said to himself, as he got up out of the chair and moved over to his bed. He could still see his pajamas moving across the room in the mirror, and he could look down at his legs (or where his legs would be) and could see the legs of the pajamas move as he walked. But, he could not see his bare feet sticking out of the bottom. He checked out his hands again, and could not see them either. Not even the bones! He could feel them, but the actual 'seeing' didn't apply.

He panicked!! He tore off his pajama bottoms, and he could not see his shorts, which were all natural material! He then tore off his shorts! All he could see was his pajama top floating above the floor! He removed that and he could see nothing but his glasses floating about in the mirror!

He could still feel things. He could feel his feet with his hands, but could 'see' neither. He could still feel his feet on the floor! He went to touch things to prove to that he was actually still in the room! He touched the sofa, the chair, the bed, and finally the phone. He decided that he would call Dr. Roberts to see if he could still be heard! He could hear himself as he moved, and he had heard his voice as he talked to himself, but he had to be sure that others could hear him! He was so upset that he didn't even think of the time! He rose and went to his closet to dress. Even if no one could see him, at least he would know that he had clothes on his body! He picked out a pair of wool slacks and a synthetic shirt. He put his arm in the shirtsleeve and pulled it across his shoulders and buttoned it. Then pulled his slacks up his legs. He didn't tuck in the shirt, though. As he watched himself in the mirror, he snapped the waist. Then he did a double take! His pants disappeared! The shirt was still visible, but the pants weren't! He felt the pants with his fingers, but could no longer see them! He removed the pants, went to the closet and chose a pair of synthetic pants and put them on. They stayed visible! He looked at the pair of wool slacks that hung on a hanger and saw that they were again visible. There must be an explanation. He tried to remember what his underwear was made of. He knew that they had disappeared. He couldn't remember, but he checked out his other shorts. It turned out that he had several different styles in the drawer. He picked up a pair of woolen shorts and held them against his arm. They vanished where they touched his skin. He then got a synthetic blend and repeated the process. It stayed visible! He wondered what this meant. Maybe it had something to do with whatever the object was made of. He had the same reaction to all his clothing except woolen or natural products. And shoes. He found that none of his shoes would disappear! They were all made from synthetic materials. Or, at least, the additives made them synthetic. He really didn't know much about that sort of thing but he would check it out later. No leather shoes. All synthetic.

Thus, he became MR. MINUS!

Allan Lee answered an advertisement in the newspaper to participate in a research project in a small country in the southern hemisphere. He was supplied room and board and a wage, and told the research would be beneficial to mankind. He had taken the 'job' because his eyesight would not allow him to join the military. He was legally blind in both eyes.

Ed Cave was the red headed Chief of Police in the town of Pennton. He and Allan were friends and had no secrets from one other. At least none that counted. Now … they did have a secret between them, but neither one of them wanted this secret out. The fact that Allan was MR. MINUS was something they had both sworn to secrecy years ago. Even Kelli Door didn't know. And she was the romantic interest of both men. They often had friendly rivalry arguments over her.

Kelli Door was slender, but well built; tall at five feet, eight inches; shapely at 135 pounds, and was very athletic. She is an ace Crime reporter for the Pennton World Daily Newspaper, where Allan also worked. She enjoyed the rivalry between Ed and Allan.

Patterned Mr. Minus after Captain Zero, there have been numerous  stories so far.

The Night of Invisible Danger CLASSIC PULP FFICTION STORIES #2

The Origin of Mr. Minus CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #8

Justice Comes First  CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #11

Mr. Minus Speaks WEIRD STORIES #1

The Day Mr. Minus Disappeared WEIRD STORIES #4

The Vanishing Weapon CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #21

Mr. Minus Takes A Vacation DOUBLE DANGER TALES #40

The Beginning* TALES OF MASK & MAYHEM #2

Mr. Minus Takes A Vacation TALES OF MASK & MAYHEM #3

(*Re-title of The Origin Of Mr. Minus.) 

Night Star

Night Star

Creator: Steve Mitchell

Characters

Liana, Countess Silenti

Walter Aue

Tom DeLuca

Wilhelmina ‘Billie’ Dearing

Lyman Warker

Melvin Olsen

Detective Lt. Paul Ray

Detective Neal Quinn

Lt. Thurman Wakelee Smith

Rick Everhart

John Hampton

Odessa Armstrong

Morris Lyon

            The Night Star: A gray shape moved in the shadows. A figure clothed in gray cape and hood, the face hidden by shadows. Seen more clearly, she wore a long, loose-skirted gray dress beneath the cloak, a holster was sewn into the left side of the cloak and an automatic pistol rested smoothly within. A domino mask completed the ensemble. A weird mocking laugh penetrated the room, sending men of evil into abject fear. “A misty gray cloud seemed to settle over her form and she disappeared from sight – she had become invisible. An icy trill of laughter was all that revealed her presence. This was the power of Genurah, one of the many powers she had conquered.

            Liana, Countess Silenti is a beautiful woman of medium height and slender build with long blonde hair that fell below her shoulders. Blue-gray eyes sparkled above a wide mouth with a firm, straight line. She was perhaps thirty, maybe less. Her maiden name was Masters before she married the Italian Count, and when he was murdered she returned to America, a Countess, and very rich.

            Walter Aue works in a hidden room, monitoring the phone, receiving messages from agents, and passing orders to them as well. He is always on duty. He is Night Star’s communications network.

            Wilhelmina ‘Billie’ Dearing has brown hair and hazel eyes, and is a reporter. She is also an agent of Night Star.

            Melvin Olsen is rugged, tall and solidly built. Two automatic pistols were concealed beneath his jacket. He drives the Night Star on her missions against the underworld and spies.

            Tom DeLuca is middle height, sturdy built, with a dark complexion. A retired cop now runs a private detective agency. He is also an agent of Night Star.

            Lieutenant of detectives Paul Ray is a dedicated cop,

            Detective Neal Quinn works for Paul Ray.

            Lt. Thurman Wakelee Smith works in another division.

John Hampton served during the war, and is now a chemical engineer. His partner and many friends are killed in an act of sabotage at his plant, and he becomes involved in tracking down the killers and crosses path with the Night Star and her agents. At the end of the story he becomes an agent.

Rick Everhart is Night Star’s pilot and agent. He is tall, lanky, with swept back straw-blonde hair.

Odessa Armstrong is Countess Silenti’s house servant. He is 60 years old.

Morris Lyon is the chauffeur of the Countess.

            This is the best Shadow clone I think I’ve ever read, and a female plays the role. There has only been one story featuring this fantastic character. A novel serialized in three parts.

The Flesh Destroyer DOUBLE DANGER TALES #33, 34 & 35

The Masked Avenger

The Masked Avenger

Creator: Tom Johnson

Characters

Benson Roberts

Claude Burks

Kirk Stanley

Curtis Van Leif

Richards

Wilson

Jackson

Benson Roberts has dark hair and steel-gray eyes; he is tall and bronzed from a life of safaris. He was a wealthy young man-about-town, with no goal in life but traveling the world in search of pleasures. Then Claude Burks suggested he do something adventurous with his life. After his parents were killed in a plane crash, his father’s dear friend, Claude Burks had seen to young Benson’s education, raising him as his own son. Danger and excitement, and the thrill of the hunt took over as he reached maturity. With crime running amok, at Claude Burks’ suggestion, he decided to adopt the guise of a masked avenger to fight the evil festering in the streets.

The Masked Avenger wears a domino mask with a dark hat pulled low on his forehead. Fiery eyes flashed as he whispered an eerie challenge in the form of a mocking laugh. Over his shoulders was a black cape. Matching the black of the clothes he wore. The cape covered two .45 automatics in shoulder holsters.

The ring: Reaching into a pocket, he removed a shiny object from within. It was a small ring with an emerald setting of blue-green, and the letter “A” emblazoned within the gem. This he gave to the children he helped.

Police Commissioner Kirk Stanley is the police official. He is a large man with military bearing. He was a retired three-star general. With dark, flashing eyes, a handlebar mustache, and a pointed chin and wide jowls, his family ties reached back to the founding fathers of the great city. Although not particularly rich, he was an accepted member of the exclusive Explorer’s Club.

Curtis Van Leif is tall, lean, and powerfully built. Plus, he is the splitting image of Benson Roberts. He drives a Daimler

Richards is Van Leif’s elderly butler.

Wilson is Van Leif’s chauffeur.

Jackson is Van Leif’s personal doctor.

Explorer’s Club: A private club for the rich, and named for their world-trotting safaris and explorations.

There have been four stories so far. And each story reprinted numerous times.

The Case of The Missing Children WEIRD STORIES #1

Crime’s Last Stand DOUBLE DANGER TALES #24

The Death Plague DOUBLE DANGER TALES #39

Perils of The Prophet TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM #4*

(*The only story not by Tom, this one written by Eric Turowski.)

The Imposter

The Impostor

(The image above is the work of artist Jamie Stubkjaer.)

Creator: Richard Lee Byers

Characters

Matt Brown

Sally Hollingsworth

Solomon

Gwen Porter

The WMBs:

Death Metal

Freakmaker

Svergr

Zhang Sanfeng

Sweet Lady Q

Matt Brown lived in a world of superheroes and supervillains, of monsters and sentient computers, but none of that had anything to do with him...until the wasp-like aliens called the Shenn invaded Earth, killed the heroes, and set about colonizing the planet.

By chance, Matt fell heir to the devices that gave two of the fallen heroes their amazing abilities. The costume of the ghostly vigilante known as Dr. Umbra allows the wearer to become invisible and intangible and fire blasts of dark energy. The magical armbands of the towering Red Bear grant superhuman strength.

Though plagued by the feeling he’s woefully out of his depth, Matt impersonates each of the heroes as necessary to protect the surviving citizens of Jackson City. He conceals the fact that the originals are dead for fear of depriving the survivors of their last remaining hope.

Fortunately, Matt has found allies to help him in his ongoing war against the invaders. Solomon is an artificial intelligence based in the computers of the Castle, the original heroes’ underground headquarters. Gwen Porter is a former journalism major who gathers vital information and disseminates it to the scattered groups of survivors hiding in the ruins of the city. Sally Hollingsworth, a nurse, is the leader of one of those groups and provides medical care to those who need it.

But Matt’s most important allies are arguably the supervillian gang the WMD’s, which he joined in the guise of Dr. Umbra. The gang’s leader is Death Metal, a Neo-Nazi who can control metal telekinetically and encase his body in armor. His lieutenants are Freakmaker, whose power deforms his targets’ bodies in crippling and sometimes fatal ways, Svergr, a maker of high-tech weaponry, Zhang Sanfeng, a teenage kung fu master, and Sweet Lady Q, who hurls lightning from her fingers.

Matt made common cause with the WMD’s on the assumption that all human beings, especially those with superpowers, should stand together against the Shenn. Still, it’s an uneasy alliance. Death Metal and Freakmaker still hate Dr. Umbra for jailing them in the years before the invasion, while Matt is often dismayed at how the WMD’s exploit ordinary, non-powered survivors. In fact, in the guise of Red Bear, he sometimes fights to halt the worst abuse.

Thus, Matt’s partnership with the supercriminals seems destined to end in betrayal and violence...but only if the invaders don’t slaughter them all first. And with alien soldiers and gunships hunting them through the devastated city, and the Shenn’s hive-like fortress of a mother ship floating in the sky, the latter is all too likely.

The Impostor series is the creation of Richard Lee Byers, a veteran fantasy and horror writer and lifelong pulp and comics enthusiast. There are two volumes to date, with more to come. Interested parties can find them here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Richard+Lee+Byers+The+Impostor