Skyrocket Appreciation

[Herowatcher]

Power Company #12 – At the end of last issue Witchfire and Striker Z traveled to Louisiana to recover a magical sword for clients from another dimension. A swamp creature had burst from the water and ensnarled Striker Z in its tentacles. Witchfire tried to help but the creature cut off her right arm leaving her dazed. She’s shocked to discover there’s no blood or bone in her severed arm. On top of that Witchfire is unable to call upon some of her magic to help Striker Z. She is able to summon one spell that lets her discover the creature is a magical defense created by the sword. Striker Z becomes aware of her plight and takes steps to free his self.

Help soon arrives and Skyrocket, Sapphire and Bork tend to their injured teammates and find Witchfire’s severed arm. Their clients arrive too and after a short debate Bork gives them the magical sword Striker Z just recovered. Witchfire feels the draw of her detached arm and when it reconnects to her she convulses in pain. The team racer her to the hospital where the doctor tells them she has no bones or internal organs of any kind. The doctor is baffled at Witchfire being alive and breathing as she informs the team Witchfire is solid like a potato.

Unable to do anything more for Witchfire, Skyrocket takes the team back to headquarters. Manhunter stays behind with Witchfire as if he was genuinely concerned for her. Shortly after,Celia attends a video conference with Dr. Glozer of S.T.A.R Labs. With little faith in Power Company now that Josiah is in the hospital, Dr Glozer refuses to believe Skyrocket’s claims of an upcoming attack by Dr. Polaris. When he claims Power Company will next tell him he’s a target for the terrorist group, Shadowspire, Skyrocket says the wrong thing and Dr. Glozer abruptly ends any further dealings with Power Company.

Manhunter returns to headquarters with seemly good news and calls for a team meeting. Due to his speech about Shadowspire at a public press conference the other day; Manhunter secured a long term protection job for a major Hollywood star…kid show animal actor Crocky. Skyrocket can’t believe the absurdity of Manhunter’s decision making. Firestorm interjects that they’re super-heroes and should be saving lives. Manhunter rudely cuts Firestorm off and reminds him of the fat salary he was happy to take for signing on. As an equal partner, Skyrocket has no intention of letting the team go through with Manhunter’s plans. He quickly shuts her up and reveals he stood behind at the hospital to get Witchfire’s voting proxy. Before Skyrocket could finish venting her outrage at Manhunter Silver comes in and directs everyone’s attention to a large video screen. It shows Dr. Polaris attacking S.T.A.R. Labs in the Bay Area just as Skyrocket predicted.

The issue end as Skyrocket takes command and rallies up her teammates to go after Dr. Polaris. Manhunter stands in their way and sternly tells the team they’re going to L.A. to protect Crocky.

[Herowatcher]

Like the Mighty Avengers....

The Mighty Justice League

Green Lantern (John)
Skyrocket (Celia)
Vixen (Mari)
Black Lightning (Jefferson)
Striker Z (Danny)
Martian Manhunter (Jonzz)
Adam Strange

[Herowatcher]

Power Company #13 – At the end of last issue Josiah Powers and Witchfire are down and hospitalized. Dr. Polaris and the Cadre have just attacked S.T.A.R. Labs in San Francisco. Manhunter (Kirk dePaul) stops Skyrocket and the rest of the team from going after Dr. Polaris and insists they have a paid client to meet instead.

In this issue we’re first introduced to Lt. Jen Stuart, the granddaughter of Sgt. Jeb Stuart (The Haunted Tank). Lt. Stuart and her team were in S.T.A.R. Labs when it was attacked and are the first defense against Dr. Polaris and the Cadre. Power Company is in front of S.T.A.R. Labs blocked from entering due to Dr. Polaris’ magnetic force field. As they try to get through the field, Skyrocket talks to her intel people, Wells & Schaum, to get information on Dr. Polaris and an unknown alien traveling with him. We also learn from Sapphire that Manhunter did go to meet their new paying client, Crocky.

Firestorm informs Skyrocket that he’s called for the JLofA, but it’ll take time for them to come. Skyrocket, seeing time is of the essence, has Firestorm help her with the force field. They manage to create a whole in the field and the team quickly follows Skyrocket through it. Skyrocket confronts Dr. Polaris while the rest of the team tackles the Cadre. Dr. Polaris informs Celia that the JLofA are being stopped by concentric magnetic walls across the country. He’s preventing most of her intel from getting to her as well.

At the medical center Witchfire sees TV footage of Power Company breaking through the field and is determined to help in fear of her reputation being damaged. She misses Josiah Powers sputtering his first words since his attack. Also, Manhunter leaves before he could meet Crocky, also seeing TV footage of the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs. He’s furious at the team and himself for going after them.

Believing the intel that Dr. Polaris has multiple personalities, Skyrocket tries to appeal to his Neil Emerson persona. However, Dr. Polaris reveals to Skyrocket that Neil Emerson is in control since his last escape from custody. He proceeds to tell her he sees things clearly and no one has ever shared in his effort to help society. The Earth and its society are warped and he intends to cleanse it all and reshape it. At that point Wells and Schaum manage to make contact with Skyrocket again. They tell her to pull out right away. They’ve identified the being with Dr. Polaris to be one of the aliens called The Controllers. Dr. Polaris was just toying with her and Power Company. As Dr. Polaris is informed by Shatterfist of the Cadre that they’ve obtained the final component they needed, he unleashes his power on Skyrocket and the team. Power Company is down!

Skyrocket96.jpg

[Herowatcher]

Power Company #14 – The issues begins with the Justice League trying to break through one of Dr. Polaris’ barriers. Superman encourages the team as they have 325 more barriers to go.

With Power Company wrapped up in metal cocoons and believed to be mindwiped, Dr. Polaris proceeds to assemble all the components he’s stolen. The components will form a broadcasting satellite, which will cover the Earth with his power. He believes he’ll bring sanity to an ailing planet.

The Controller with Dr. Polaris makes telepathic contact with Skyrocket. He’s uncertain what her intentions are by playing possum and questions how her team escaped the mindwipes. Skyrocket opens her thoughts and reveals she had put out a magnetic pulse just before Dr. Polaris destroyed her power harness. Its effect blunted his magnetic attack. Skyrocket wonders why the alien hasn’t unveiled their secret to Dr. Polaris. The Controller turns out to be a prisoner of his as well. He continues to tell Skyrocket the reason he came to Earth was to search for a hidden alien weapon. As the Controller used his power to tap into the Earth’s magnetic field to locate it he was attacked by Dr. Polaris. He ended up being reduced into a power source for the villain.

Elsewhere, Manhunter gets closer to his teammates with the help from Charlie Lau and a harness that disrupts the magnetic barriers of Dr. Polaris. As Lau tells Manhunter communication is down in the whole area Witchfire contacts him magically. From the rooftop of the hospital she’s being attended to, Witchfire informs Manhunter she’s recovered enough to do low level spells. He has her magically link to the rest of the Power Company team. Seeing how Dr. Polaris can’t sense magic, Skyrocket in turns orders Witchfire to make contact with their intel team Wells & Schaum.

At that point, Dr. Polaris completes the satellite. In a surprise move the Cadre attacks and injures him. They disagree with his derange plans and try to forcible make him do their bidding instead. Skyrocket halts Firestorm from stopping the Cadre’s attack on Dr. Polaris, wanting them to wear him down a bit more. Firestorm questions that decision. However, Dr. Polaris is still strong enough to stop the Cadre and that’s when the Power Company steps in. As Firestorm leads the assault Skyrocket uses new information from their intel to reason with Dr. Polaris. Neither physical nor mental tactics work on Dr. Polaris as he reveals he was conserving most of his power to charge the satellite. Before Polaris can continue Black Mass reappears and drains his powers. Manhunter used intel from Wells & Shcaum to figure out Black Mass was the key to stopping Dr. Polaris.

The Controller now freed from his imprisonment states he’s in debt to Power Company, but repayment will have to wait as he must leave the Earth to recover. His plan to come back in a century from now and also retrieve the weapon he was initially looking for doesn’t sit well with Skyrocket.

In the end the JLA finally arrive and help take Dr. Polaris and the Cadre into Custody. Also, S.T.A.R. Labs decides to accept the contract with Power Company. As his other teammates rejoice, Firestorm questions the morality of recent events.

[Herowatcher]

Power Company #15 – Not much here, but a solo adventure starring The Manhunter. He saves the granddaughter of an exiled African foreign minister and cleverly gets Batman to help him.

Power Company #16 – Lots of flipping between different days in this issue.

Power Company handles the aftermath of the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs by Dr. Polaris and the Cadre.
As time goes by some members were approached by a disheveled assistant of Dr. Cyber, Ariadne, claiming to need Power Company’s help.

Unhappy with the way Power Company operates, Firestorm meets with Skyrocket one on one and resigns from the team. He tells Celia that they both fit in better with the JLof A and offers to help her seek membership. Skyrocket, flattered by the offer, declines for now stating she wants to make Power Company better than it’s been.

We cut to a cul-de-sac in Georgetown, Washington D.C. where Witchfire attends to a personal matter. Looking for answers to what’s been happening to her recently she enters the home of Baron Winters.
The Baron quickly figures out the real Rebecca Carstairs isn’t present and that Witchfire is actually a homunculus, a magical construct. She heads back to Power Company’s headquarters.

Skyrocket asked the C.E.O. of S.T.A.R. Labs, Garrison Slate, for recommendations on finding an interim Administrator while Josiah is still recovering. Being a long time friend of Josiah Power, Garrison takes the job for himself. He’s already fixed some issues with the group’s image, but wants to discuss other problems bringing the Company down. Witchfire, seeing another clash between Skyrocket and Manhunter imminent, interrupts and informs the partners on the team that she’ll be taking a leave of absence immediately. She intends to find answers to her current situation.

A week after, Garrison Slate has investors, consultants and meeting lined up for the team, but not one of them has checked in with him. Their locator chips seemed to be disabled as well. That’s because the day before the team left with Dr. Cyber’s former assistant, Ariadne, to the Marin Bluffs. Skyrocket had sensed something off about the Bluffs, but it was too late as the team was hit by a blinding white light.

Note: This issue sets up Jennifer Stuart to take up the mantle of the Haunted Tank.

[Herowatcher]

The Power Company #17 – The blinding light that hit Power Company from last issue ends up transporting them to another planet/realm. A group of aliens lead by a man named Deren Tsalal quickly greats them and offers them aid. Skyrocket accepts Tsalal’s help and explains they’re stranded and don’t know where they’re at. Deren Tsalal welcomes the team to Ashalanti and lifts up a gem to bless this “chance meeting”. Striker Z is suspicious and despite Skyrocket’s ease about the ritual leaps forward destroying the large gem. Tsalal and his men are angry and attack. However, Power Company counter-attacks causing Tsalal and his group to retreat. An angry Skyrocket questions Striker Z’s actions. Striker Z explains while he was shooting a movie he read that a primitive culture is not quick to trust outsiders. Skyrocket is in disbelief, but Manhunter finds a parchment dropped by one of the aliens. It reveals pictures of the members of Power Company…Tsalal was actually expecting them!

At the headquarters of Power Company interim Administrator, Garrison Slate, informs Silver about how persistent a group called Inter-Sect has been about buying Power Company. She in turn informs him the same thing is happening with S.T.A.R. Labs. Later they would both witness a newscast about a large number of mergers going on involving Inter-Sect.

Meanwhile, Bork, who quit before the new mission, calls Witchfire for help and convinces her to meet him at the hospital where Josiah Power is recovering. Once there, Bork explains that he quit the team because of Dr. Cyber’s assistant Ariadne. She hired Power Company to stop the use of a gem called the Satanstone. Dr. Cyber’s dealings with its owner went amiss. Bork had no intention to work for a crook so stormed off. Garrison Slate offers to help the two, but Bork accuses Slate of working with the bad guys. Josiah Power wakes up from the noise and assures Bork about Slates good intentions. Power immediately sets plans in motion to save the rest of Power Company. Slate takes Power and team to see a new technical advanced tank and its pilot, Jennifer Stuart.

Back on Ashalanti Skyrocket and her team settle down for the night. They are soon approached by a different group of men who warn them to flee before they are captured by the villain Nyi’tarla. We cut back to Power and his group arriving at the island where the others disappeared. Witchfire senses a rift in space and calls on her magic to open it wider. Accompanied by Jennifer Stuart and her advance tank, Power and his team enter the rift. In the final scene it’s revealed Dr. Cyber is actually working with Nyi’tarla via holographic image of him. He sees business as the true power on Earth and plans to use Inter-Sect to conquer the planet.

[Herowatcher]

Power Company #18 – On the world of Ashalanti Skyrocket and her team make their way to the lair of the Satanstone. In that time, one of the helping inhabitants, Torvaar, tells them how the Satanstone came to their planet and how it analyzed and controlled his people. He informs them about a miracle gem that could defy the power of the Satanstone, but its followers cast it from their reality. Skyrocket and her team are soon attacked by the Satanstone’s guards. Skyrocket believes Nyi’tarla inside the Satanstone is the super-weapon that the Controller was looking for and now Nyi’tarla is thinking on its own.

Back on Earth Nyi’tarla has taken control of the minds of those working for the merged companies of Inter-Sect. Chaos erupts in many of those businesses. He also sent creatures and men of Ashalanti to attack numerous cities in the U.S. Heroes like Nightwing and the JSofA are seen defending those cities.

On Ashalanti Skyrocket and her team are almost defeated when Josiah Powers and his team show up and help. Jennifer Stuart, with her technical advanced tank, holds back from the fight on the advice of her astral spirit uncle, Jeb Stuart. Without her the reunited Power Company falls from powerful enemy reinforcements.

On Earth Power Company representatives Silver, Charlie Lau and Garrison Slate have been taken to Inter-Sect. Refusing to become another merged company with Inter-Sect the three pick their moment to attack with the help of gadgets designed by Lau. Nyi’tarla is in the building and Silver spots him using a portal to see the shackled members of Power Company on Ashalanti.

Skyrocket and the others unsuccessfully try to free themselves. Suddenly Jennifer Stuart blast her way into the holding cell and manages to free Power Company. She takes out the gem she’s been holding onto and tells the others she believes it may be important to their predicament. Nyi’tarla realizes it’s the lost miracle gem that could shut him down. Nyi’tarla quickly orders the portal closed, but Silver makes a dashing leap into the portal. She stops it from closing, but not for long. Skyrocket takes the gem to the portal, believing it to be a device that the Controllers used to keep Nyi’tarla in check. Skyrocket flies through the portal grabbing Silver along the way. She taps the Satanstone with the gem and the room explodes.

In the end Nyi’tarla is immobilized and taken away to be studied. Skyrocket cautions Josiah about the safety of studying the Satanstone. He agrees to monitor how things proceed regarding it. As the Power Company arrives back at headquarters their staff floods them with messages. It’s back to work for our favorite team.

Note: This is the last issue of Power Company!

[Herowatcher]

Love this picture of Skyrocket from Villains United Special #1.
Unfortunately that was pretty much her big moment in the book.

[t hedge coke]

The Power Company was such a good book. Looked good, excellent character work, fun action, and it periodically pissed off the most annoying racists, homophobes, and pedants like a champion.

Skyrocket was such a true blue, straight from the heart hero, it's a genuine shame she basically gets in group shots every couple years, any more, but not much else.

[Crazy Diamond]

The Power Company was such a good book. Looked good, excellent character work, fun action, and it periodically pissed off the most annoying racists, homophobes, and pedants like a champion.

Skyrocket was such a true blue, straight from the heart hero, it's a genuine shame she basically gets in group shots every couple years, any more, but not much else.

Power Company was a great book and I remember it being better than JLA at the time. The weird part is I would see people talking up how good this book was to people who hated JLA at the time and then they would see that it didn't have "iconic" characters in it and not even give the book a chance. Then they would go back to whining about how much JLA sucks. It was sad to read.

[j9ac9k]

Kurt Busiek and the DCU is a good combination. It's too bad he's not being a DC book right now.

The field is too crowded for Skyrocket to shine in the comics, but what about showing up on "Supergirl?" I can totally see someone like her, maybe working with the DEO and with the tv show, her power set wouldn't blow the budget out of the water. She could be a great contrast to Kara who's power with little experience vs. Skyrocket who's human but very well-trained.

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket shows up to help in a couple issues of Action Comics.

[Herowatcher]

Yea! chose this thread for my 1000 Post.

Skyrocket offered a chance to work with Oracle in Birds of Prey #100.

Oracle-Invite.jpgSkyrocket110.jpg

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket part of the women battalion in Wonder Woman#600

[The Cool Thatguy]

I think Skyrocket would work pretty well in Suicide Squad, if the writers ever remember that the original team had it's fair share of moral heroes (Flagg, Nemesis and Tiger, among others).

Someone of character occasionally needs to tell Waller to STFU, and Skyrocket would be ideal for that. Hel, even better, they've stopped killing off members lately.