What’s this? A new fanfic from Wilfredo? WITH COMPLETELY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS??? :eek:
No, it isn’t a sign of the apocalypse. I’m back, baby! And this story (let’s call it AASHIJ for short) is something I’ve been working on for a while. In fact, I’m seriously considering on submitting the concept to VIZ comics (they’re currently open to ideas from American writers). However, I was advised by my friends that I should develop it more first; and what better place to get constructive criticism than RPGC’s Media Forum? So, here is- the first draft of my labor of love, that combines my two favorite subjects: American Comic Books and Anime. Will it work out? We’ll see!
(Comments are definitely wanted! Please keep in mind that this is only the first draft, and subject to change. Also, I’m not sending this story to VIZ, only the series proposal. But hey, I can have fun while I develop it, no? 
)
(Insert cool Anime opening sequence here, ala Bleach’s)
AN AMERICAN SUPERHERO IN JAPAN!
by Wilfredo Martinez
Chapter One: ARRIVAL!
(A passenger jet flying over the Pacific Ocean)
The Japanese stewardess walked down the plane’s aisle. They were going to land soon, and she was making sure all the passengers were ready.
Most of the people aboard the plane where tourists, mostly from the United States. She therefore addressed them in correct, if heavily accented English.
As she reached the end of the aisle, she saw a young man, of about 19, traveling by himself, looking out of a window. He had dark hair and eyes. His expression was unrelaxed, almost worried. Concerned, she addressed him:
-“Sir? Is anything wrong?”
-“Hmm?” was his reaction. He hadn’t even noticed her approaching.
-“You look- worried. Can I bring you… something?” she struggled a little with the words.
He looked at her, smiled warmly, then, to her surprise, responded in perfect Japanese: “No, thank you. I was just- meditating. I’m sorry if I worried you.”
-“Oh” she said, “Your Japanese is very good!” And she knew about that, she’d heard plenty of foreigners attempting to speak it to her.
-“Is it?” he asked, almost sheepishly. “I’ve been practicing it for years. Getting ready for this trip”.
-“It is indeed. I think you’ll have an easy time getting around.”
He almost laughed at that. What she didn’t know was that he could speak Japanese but not read it- he never bothered to learn to, the Japanese alphabet was completely unlike the Western one, and it was hard enough to speak it already; besides he figured he wouldn’t need to read anything on his stay. Hopefully he wouldn’t get into the wrong bathrooms, he joked to himself.
-“We’ll be landing on Tokyo soon, Sir. Do you need anything?”
-“No, thank you, I’m OK for now. I’ll let you know if I need something.”
The stewardess then smiled and nodded, then proceeded to the next passenger.
The young man went back to looking at the ocean from his window, and his thoughts soon drifted away again.
He was almost there. The one place he’d wanted to visit since… how old had he been when he first heard of Japan? Was it when he was seven, on a TV special about the Giant Monsters that used to attack the country? He certainly hoped those wouldn’t show up while he was there! Though if they did, he could handle them- he hoped.
After all, wasn’t he a superhero?
Psion, The Mental Marvel! Able to fling armored cars with his mind!
He had always liked that line. Was it The New York Times that had used it?
Too bad it was the only time he’d been mentioned in the news. And part of the reason was that he’d helped The Wallcrawler catch some crooks on that occasion.
He sighed. He had to deal with it: as superheroes go, he was strictly a C-lister.
Not that there was anything wrong with him. His powers were good enough, his costume worked -he hoped- and he’d done his part to keep the Big Apple safe.
Trouble is: New York is crawling with superheroes. You can’t throw a stolen money bag around without hitting one. And when you’ve got truly cool people like The Wallcrawler or Invincible Man around, who was going to notice someone like him?
Not that it was for the glory that he got into superheroing, he quickly reminded himself. He did it because it was the right thing to do, like The Sentinel would say. Too many people who gain superpowers use them for criminal reasons, and only other ‘Supers’ could stop them. We all must do our part!
…Still, he would feel a little better if more people would show some… appreciation for his efforts.
Again he sighed. Things were not turning like he hoped they would.
Not just the hero stuff, either.
He had just graduated from high school. It was a time to look at the future, to plan. But truth was, he hadn’t even decided where he was going to go for his college education. He hadn’t even chosen what to major in! He always assumed that when the moment came, he would know. But he didn’t. His future was almost upon him and he didn’t even know what he wanted to do with his life.
And then there was that girl-
-NO, he reminded himself hard. He was not going to think about her. OR his superhero status, or college. He was on vacation now, a vacation he’d saved and prepared for from before his powers had even manifested. That’s what he had come to Japan for, really: to forget, for now. For the next two weeks, he was going to see the sights and enjoy the experience and he was NOT going to think about how lame his life was, dammit!!
Then he saw lights over the horizon, and smiled. He was there!!
The next hour or so was a blur. Not that it wasn’t happening very fast, but more that he was too excited to pay much attention to details. Walked off the plane, passed through customs, hailed a taxi, reached his hotel, checked into his room,then left most of his baggage there and just headed out into the bright, modern metropolis of Tokyo, Japan!
He just wandered aimlessly for a while, taking in the sights. He had a list of places he wanted to go and things he wanted to do, of course, but right now, he just wanted to “drink in” the sensations of the city. He almost couldn’t believe he was there! He smiled like a kid on Christmas Morning.
The first thing he noticed was the big, red tower in the distance. It looked like the Eiffel Tower, but that couldn’t be right? Probably a replica. He would have to check it out later.
Then he noticed the people. They were so… normal.
There were people of all sizes and all builds and all ages- all going about their business, no one giving him a second look. It felt a lot like New York, in fact.
Well, the taxi drivers weren’t swearing, but otherwise, yeah, pretty much the same.
And why not? It was just another ‘Big City’ in the modern world. Why should it be different? He guessed that like any tourist, he was too influenced by the propaganda; maybe he had expected to see pagodas and kimonos everywhere. Even though he knew that wouldn’t be right, a part of him still expected it. He laughed at himself.
What he DID find weird were the hairstyles. Lots of people with odd-colored hair, and arrangements that seemed to defy gravity. Not just on teenagers, either! Now that wasn’t something he had expected to see; he had the impression of Japan being a conservative place. Live and learn, he guessed.
He also noticed that there were plenty of signs in English. THAT helped a lot! He actually walked into a few stores, though he was mostly window-shopping for now. He was planning on buying souvenirs later, tho.
Suddenly he realized he was hungry. Maybe he should have eaten something in the plane after all. Oh well, maybe he would try a local delicacy, like rice balls.
His train of though was interrupted by an odd sound. Like a buzzing, only louder.
At first he assumed it was some local machinery at work. But then he noticed everyone looking up. So he did as well.
He saw something glinting in the sky. Several somethings, in fact. Flying around rapidly. Some kind of aircraft?
ZAAAAATT!!
A beam of light suddenly struck a nearby building- and broke part of it off!!
People screamed, and started running away.
-WHAT? You have got to be kidding me! I haven’t been in Japan a day and I’ve already run into-
One of the flying things whooshed by over his head, and he saw that it was mechanical, but with a design unlike anything he’d ever seen, sort of insect-like.
-…ALIENS??- he finished his line of though.
BOOM! More explosions were taking place around him. Sirens were now blasting, apparently some kind of air-raid system.
Suddenly he remembered WHO and what he was, and chastised himself for having stood there speechless even if it was for a few seconds. People where in danger! It was HERO time!!
He ducked into an alley, where luckily nobody had taken refuge in. He didn’t think anyone saw him, not that it was really a priority now. He dropped his shoulder bag in a trash can where he hoped he could pick it up later, then pulled out a pair of green, visor-like glasses and put them on, followed by two black gloves. Then he grunted, as he concentrated and allowed his psionic energies to burst from his body.
(Insert cool transformation sequence here!)
Well, it wasn’t so much a transformation as a costume change, and a rather unpractical one: normally he would just take off his clothes, but there was no time for that now. He sighed as he allowed the greenish, arcing energy to RIP his clothes to shreds, exposing the skintight green suit he wore under it.
The same energies extended his folded cape out, giving it that oh-so-suave winglike look he liked. It mussed out his hair, though.
Dammit, he liked that suit. Those aliens were going to PAY!
And then, carried up in a green wave of telekinetic energy, Psion, the Mental Marvel, took off into the besieged Tokyo skies!
NEXT: THE ACTION BEGINS!
