The Legend
Creator: Tom Johnson
Characters
The Legend
Who is the Legend?
There
are men and women of legend that are remembered throughout history for their
great and heroic deeds, leaving a legacy for decent men and women to emulate,
and evildoers to remember in fear. It was thought the day of the legends had
ended in 1953, and the people relaxed their vigilance while criminals plied
their schemes in secret. But when crime reared its ugly head once more in the
great metropolis, the clarion call was again heard by The Legend.
He removed his white shirt and sat
before triple mirrors, momentarily scanning the numerous scars and wounds on
his muscular frame, pausing momentarily on one shaped strangely like an
"X"; then his steel-gray eyes peered upwards at the thick, wavy,
silver-gray hair that still covered his scalp, though slightly receding a bit.
His face, clean-shaven, retained its youthful appearance
despite his obvious advancing age. The jutting chin, high cheekbones, and wide
jowls bespoke a man of action in the reflection of the mirrors. Intelligence
glimmered in the sparkle of those hard-cast eyes, yet at an angle they also
told of humor and gentleness. Women would have found him handsome, while men
might recognize a sort of 'master of men' in that stone-like chiseled image.
Strong hands reached for jars of creams and grease paints
next to brushes on the cabinet in front of him. Taking a mixture of jells from
several fat bottles he rubbed them between his fingers for a minute, and then
spread the substance through his shock of white hair until the waves turned
dark brown. He added a touch of the compound to his eyebrows, followed by
brushing a dark shadow over his chin and jowls, giving the appearance of a
twelve-hour growth of whiskers.
A chest-o'-drawers was his final destination in the hidden
room, and here he rummaged through several items, as if determining which to
choose for this particular occasion. A jewel-encrusted badge caught the light
and sparkled with incredible brilliance for an instant. An F.B.I. shield lay
next to it. Then he examined numerous domino masks ranging in color from
crimson to black. There were a dozen hoods and facemasks, one horribly scarred
and pale as death. Another was a full cowl, black, bat-like and frightening.
Here, too, were fangs and mop-like wigs. Slouch hats, ebony
black as a Stygian tomb, with blood-red neck scarves were neatly displayed
also. Satan's image stared up at him in one corner of the drawer, with a weird
lantern contraption next to a small pitchfork. Curiously, a soft laugh rose to
a high crescendo in the little room for a second, and then seemed to vanish as
if it had merely been a ghostly apparition.
Who is The Legend? They are many, and Legends never die!
There has only been one story so far featuring the mysterious
Legend.
The
Legend TRIPLE DETECTIVE #4
The
Legend DOUBLE DANGER TALES #64 (FADING
SHADOWS paperback and Kindle editions)
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