New Warriors by Jay Faerber

[The Cool Thatguy]

Way back when, Jay Faerber did three proposals for his warriors series. Naturally, the worst one was accepted, but does anyone have copies of the other two? They were pretty cool from what I remember

[Star_Jammer]

I "noped" outta that book so hard.

[Nomads1]

No, I didn't know about other proposals, but I kinda liked that version of New Warriors. Was it anywhere near as good as the original run? No, not even close. But, IMHO it was light-years ahead of the two following versions, Reality TV Warriors and Former Mutants Warriors. UGH! I do think it could have benefited from a more stable artistic team (while I liked Steve Scott's art, I hated his designs for the team, and Jamal Igle was still too green to keep it going) and for a little bit more time to get it's legs. Ten issues was too short. The same thing happened to Yost's latest attempt. It had so much potentiaal, but Marvel didn't bet on it.

Peace

[The Cool Thatguy]

Yeah, Jay's run sucked.

But!

It didn't have to be. I actually found his other proposals!

[The Cool Thatguy]

NEW WARRIORS
Proposal for a New Series
Prepared for Tim Touhy & Julio Soto
by Jay Faerber
10-22-98



THE PITCH
NEW WARRIORS is about a group of Marvel’s teenage super-heroes who are out to change the world – no matter whose heads they have to bust to do it!

Comprised of former Warriors and existing, underused teens from every corner of the Marvel Universe, NEW WARRIORS is a super-team comic with an edge, as our characters grapple not only with super-villains, but also with social and political issues, examining how such issues relate to young people today. Tack on super-powers to the already-conflicted state of mind (and emotions) that accompanies such a transition, and you have the New Warriors!


NO RULES ...
NO MENTORS ...
NO PROBLEM!

WHAT MAKES IT COOL?
Like its predecessor, and DC’s current revival of their TITANS series, NEW WARRIORS will appeal to readers because its diversity is its strength. With connections to the X-Men, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Silver Surfer, and the Fantastic Four, NEW WARRIORS has the best of all worlds.

When NEW WARRIORS Volume 1 debuted, no one had any interest in the likes of Marvel Boy, Namorita, Speedball, Firestar, or Nova. Through deft writing and appealing artwork, Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley (and, later, Darick Robertson) made these characters some of the most appealing in comics. The cast that’s been assembled for NEW WARRIORS Volume 2 has just as much break-out potential. Through careful planning (and resolution) of subplots and character-arcs, these characters can live and breathe as three-dimensionally as the original cast.

With Justice and Firestar in prominent roles in AVENGERS, and NOVA about to take off, fans are clamoring for a revival of NEW WARRIORS. This relaunch has enough ties to the old series to satiate die-hard original fans, while bringing in enough new elements to engage new readers and keep the series from being a simple retread.

NEW WARRIORS features engaging characterization, carefully-planned subplots, and larger-than-life action, all played with a strong social conscience.


NEW FACES
NEW FOES
NEW ATTITUDE
NEW WARRIORS!

THE PLAYERS
SPEEDBALL - As a member of every incarnation of the Warriors, Robbie Baldwin embodies the team’s “soul.” And as a hero who had a less-than-stellar solo career, he’s also the one who probably “needs” the team the most. When the original Warriors go their separate ways, it’s Speedball – who, at 16, is still in high school – who feels the greatest sense of loss. As NWV2 beings, we find that Speedball really misses the Warriors, and when he sees news coverage of some of his old teammates fighting the Imperial Guardsman called Gladiator, he takes this to be an omen that the team was meant to be together. Despite the fact that he’s never been the leader-type, Speedball finds himself in the odd role as Senior Team Member with this new batch of heroes, while Free Spirit is the one who ends making most of the decisions. Nevertheless, Speedball quickly grows attached to the new team, while not ever forgetting the old. With such able-bodied teammates as Free Spirit, Ultra Girl, and Vex, you’d think Speedball’s infamous hormones would be in overdrive. But while the flirtatious jokes keep coming, it’s quickly apparent that Speedball is actually still reeling from his first real relationship (with Timeslip), which went south sometime after the close of NWV1.

RAGE - Considering he’s a 15-year-old orphan trapped in the body of an overly-muscled adult, Elvin Halliday is pretty well-adjusted. When the old team broke up, he headed for the West Coast with Chord (his legal guardian) and Thrash, but when he hears about the new team, Rage really wants to be a part of it. He’s enjoying living with Thrash and Chord, but he feels like he’s only along for the ride. He’d much rather be back in New York, with Speedball. After much cajoling, Chord allows Rage to go back to NY for an extended visit. Of course, Rage instantly wants to be a part of the new team – especially when his flirtation with Ultra Girl continues, much to his surprise. Speedball is the only other member of the team who knows Rage’s true age, and Rage will beg him to keep his secret, so he can more successfully romance Ultra Girl. But Rage can’t live in NY indefinitely, much as he wants to, and something must be done about his legal guardianship. He’ll always feel indebted to Chord and Thrash for taking him in and guiding him, but he’s already starting to feel a new sense of family with these new NW. Eventually, Rage finds a new guardian in the form of Marvel Boy’s father, Irving Bank. Chord – and the courts – agree to the change, and Rage moves into the Bank residence.


FREE SPIRIT - Having been transformed into an athletic dynamo by one of Captain America’s enemies (in CAPTAIN AMERICA #431), 19-year-old Cathy Webster is a driven young woman who is the most idealistic – and mature – member of the team. By the time NWV2 starts up, Free Spirit is majoring in Political Science at Columbia University. Even though she’s no longer partnered with Cap (or her fellow protégé, Jack Flag), she still puts in a lot of hours as a super-hero, righting what wrongs she can. She learned to be independent when Cap was thought dead during the Onslaught affair, and even though she feels that she owes her crimefighting career to him, she’s comfortable working on her own. As the new team gets under way, she finds herself in the curious role of unofficial leader, as the other members find themselves looking to her level head and shrewd strategies, both in the field and in private matters. She’s initially put off by the arrogant and crude mannerisms of Legacy, but in time she begins to harbor a rather strong attraction to the rugged young hero. Shortly after the formation of the team, Free Spirit decides to get an off-campus apartment with Ultra Girl, and the two form a fast friendship. What no one knows about Free Spirit, however, is that shortly after the NW reform, she’s recruited by the Commission on Superhuman Activities to act as a spy, making routine reports to them on the NW’s adventures. While a part of her feels traitorous, another part of her feels as if she’s being a good patriot, by doing what her country asks of her.

LEGACY - Powered by his father’s Nega Bands, Genis-Vell comes crashing down to Earth in an attempt to escape Gladiator, who considers him an enemy of the Shi’ar Empire. It’s this event that serves as the catalyst for the origin of the new NW, as our various young heroes rally together to fend off the advances of Legacy’s pursuers. In the aftermath, Legacy feels less like a hero than ever. He was never really sure he had what it takes, but in the wake of his mother’s murder (in the WARLOCK Limited Series), he truly feels like a failure. But meeting these other young heroes, some of whom share both his doubts and aspirations, feels right to him – and he easily makes the decision to join them. Because of his feelings of inadequacy, Legacy relinquishes the “Captain Marvel” title until he feels he’s truly earned it. Having a teammate named Marvel Boy proves to be comically frustrating, however, as people continually think Marvel Boy is Mar-Vell’s son! All the self-doubt in the world can’t wash away Legacy’s machismo, however, and before too long he’s back to his swaggering, headstrong self. This trait is a source of great friction in the team, as Legacy continually butts heads with the other team members over all sorts of issues – chiefly, the meaning of “justice.” As an alien, Legacy doesn’t really have any respect for Earth’s laws, so he tends to view “justice” in a more pure, unhampered way.


ULTRA GIRL - Having grown frustrated with her attempts at modeling in California, Suzy Sherman has moved to Manhattan, to try her hand at breaking in through some of the East Coast agencies. She’s 18, but isn’t currently in school – much to the chagrin of her divorced parents. Her folks also don’t know that (a) she’s Ultra Girl, and (b) that she’s secretly a mutant Kree who’s destined to lead the Kree people into a new era of greatness. In fact, Ultra Girl herself is trying not to think about that side of things, and prefers to concentrate on breaking into modeling, and continuing her super-heroic adventures. She’s shocked, however, to learn that Legacy himself is half-Kree, electing not to let on about her own heritage for quite awhile, as she’s still sorting out her feelings about the issue. When Ultra Girl gets back involved with the NW, she cautiously continues the flirtation with Rage that she enjoyed back in her Limited Series. Of course, what she doesn’t know is that Rage is actually barely 15 years old, and three years makes a lot difference when the ages are 18 and 15. In the early stages of the team, Ultra Girl decides to share an apartment with Free Spirit, and despite the girls’ vast differences (to oversimplify, Ultra Girl is an extrovert and Free Spirit, an introvert), they become close friends. Hailing from California, the land that invented “fake,” Ultra Girl is the Warrior who’s most suspicious of the devious Vex. And as someone who’s preoccupied with fame, Ultra Girl gets the biggest kick out meeting any other Marvel heroes who appear in the book.

[The Cool Thatguy]

MARVEL BOY - As introduced in the last issue of the JUSTICE Limited Series, David Bank is the new Marvel Boy, a mantle that was passed down to him by Vance Astrovik. Since then, Marvel Boy’s parents have gotten a divorce, and he and his Dad have moved from New Orleans to New York ... solely because New York is a better place for a super-hero to live – according to Mr. Bank. Since he missed out on the family plasma-generating powers, Mr. Bank is the ultimate “stage dad,” desperate for his son to be the hero he never was. David, while eager to help people, isn’t as zealous as his old man, and is quite a well-adjusted 15-year-old. Marvel Boy is often the quiet voice of reason amongst some of the more volatile personalities that comprise the NW. In order to be a part of his son’s super-heroics, Marvel Boy’s dad constantly arranges cook-outs and parties – in an effort to get the NW to socialize at his house. This leads to Marvel Boy being embarrassed, and most of the other NW feeling obligated to show up, yet uncomfortable once they get there.


VEX - Cordelia Frost, the 17-year-old telepathic sister of GENERATION X’s Emma Frost, is no different from any other teenage girl: she has aspirations of a life filled with riches, power, and total world domination. Of course, the NW don’t know that .... and that’s just how she likes it. When Vex sees the young heroes that will comprise the NW on TV, attempting to save Legacy, she decides that it might be a good idea to get in on the ground floor with this bunch. Vex has it in her head that the various factions in the MU are someday going to have a showdown; her experience with various mutant factions has helped form this opinion. In order to ready herself for what she perceives as the inevitable squaring-off, she chooses to ally herself with these NW. Why? Simple: they’re young and mallable, and, unlike the other young groups in the MU, they are completely independent – free from any guidance from mentor-figures. Shortly into the NW’s revived career, the team goes up against an all-new Beetle, and Vex finds herself quite attracted to the young man. While Vex has a long history of using men, this time feels different to her. This time might actually be something real.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Issue #1
Legacy is chased to Earth by Gladiator, who holds him responsible for the destruction of a Shi’ar shipping outpost. The battle is noticed by a number of young heroes, including Justice & Firestar (and Marvel Boy, who they are showing around Avengers Mansion), Nova, Speedball, Ultra Girl, and Free Spirit. After the heroes manage to subdue Gladiator, Legacy convinces him he was framed for the crime, and Gladiator apologizes and flies off. Speedball, seeing Justice, Firestar, and Nova all together at once, sees this adventure as a sign that the NW are due for a comeback. But his old teammates burst Speedball’s bubble and inform him that this was just a coincidence, and they have no intention of reforming the team. Before Speedball can get too disappointed, Justice points out that there may be a team in the making in the form of Legacy, Ultra Girl, Free Spirit, and Marvel Boy.

Issue #2
As news of the NW’s return spreads, the Commission on Superhuman Activities decides to take preventative measures, since the old team caused quite a few headaches with their disregard for authority. To that end, the Commission recruits Free Spirit (unbeknownst to the readers) to spy on the team for them. This sequence not only sets up one of our main subplots, but also fills in new readers on some of the NW’s more infamous exploits, as the Commission reviews their career.
The heavies for the issue are the Sons of the Serpent, a heavily-funded white supremacist group that causes a riot by showing up at the anniversary celebration for a Baptist church in Brooklyn. It’ll seem like these guys are throwaway villains, but they’re actually part of a major plotline that will come to a head a few issues from now. And, in order to set up the NW’s antagonistic relationship with the older heroes (namely, the Avengers), Ultra Girl puts her foot in her mouth while being interviewed by the media, and says that the Warriors have returned to fight the fights the Avengers won’t.

Issue #3
The roster is finalized as Rage and Vex join the team. Having heard of the NW’s return, Rage is in town on an extended visit from the West Coast. Vex joins the team when the NW interrupt her fight with the Wrecking Crew. After the obligatory fight scene, the Wrecking Crew manages to escape. But later, they’re shown being paid off by Vex, who certainly doesn’t act like an enemy. By seeing this, readers will, hopefully, peg her as the Commission’s spy.
In our downtime scenes, the Warriors hang out at Marvel Boy’s house (much to his dad’s delight) while trying to decide what to use as an HQ. And Ultra Girl and Free Spirit go in on an apartment together.


Issue #4
Speedball’s father (the DA of Springdale, the town where it’s illegal to be a super-hero!) actually requests the NW’s help in dealing with Springdale’s first official super-team: Psionex! The Warriors are granted “official clearance” by the DA’s office, and they set out to run Psionex out of town. After the skirmish that always ensues when Psionex is around, the NW examine the concept of true heroism, and how it’s far easier to label yourself a hero than to actually be one. Psionex is finally faced with the undeniable fact that they chose to become the “official super-team of Springdale” because they know it’s the one place they’ll never have to act like heroes. Speedball’s dad declines to press any charges, and Psionex leaves, heading off to further examine their role as heroes in an ever-confusing world.
On the homefront, Vex uses the trust fund set up for her by Emma Frost to rent the Crashpad from Thrash, so the team can have an official HQ.

Issue #5
The NW split up in order to handle two separate crisis’s. Free Spirit and Legacy accompany Marvel Boy and his dad back to New Orleans, when they receive news that Marvel Boy’s kid sister, Nancy, has disappeared. While Mr. Bank deals with his wife’s anger and feelings of abandonment because of their divorce, Marvel Boy, Free Spirit, and Legacy begin to suspect that Nancy is in the clutches of someone she met via the internet. They’ve found chat transcripts buried on her computer which reveal that Nancy has been hanging out in chat-rooms, claiming to be a mutant. It doesn’t take long to realize that Nancy wishes she was a mutant, like her brother, since that might make her father notice her.
Meanwhile, in NY, the remaining NW try and stop the all-new Beetle, who’s making a name for himself by ripping off technological breakthroughs from their developers, and then re-selling them on the black market. Their first encounter with the Beetle leaves most of the team bruised ... and Vex smitten.

Issue #6
In New Orleans, Free Spirit uses her detective skills to track Nancy to a local man who practices voodoo, and wants to use his voodoo to control Nancy’s (alleged) mutant powers. Meanwhile, Marvel Boy fights to keep his father and mother from killing each other. During the final confrontation with the voodoo master, Marvel Boy manages to save his little sister. The real challenge, however, comes when his mom asks that she remain in New Orleans with her, and Marvel Boy is faced with the task of choosing one parent over the other. Ultimately, he chooses his father, a decision his mom isn’t likely to soon forget.
In NY, the NW again throw down with the new Beetle, who again defeats them all except Vex. When faced with the opportunity to catch him, she ends up letting him go, for reasons even she can’t fully explain.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Issue #7
A look a what the NW would do if they had absolutely no inhibitions is what ensues when the team goes up against Madcap, that wacky master of mayhem who can cause anyone who looks into his eyes to go “mad.” Acting with reckless abandon, the NW run rampant across Manhattan, and we get surprising insights into the personalities (for instance, Legacy and Free Spirit can’t keep their hands off each other ... Ultra Girl poses and preens for anyone who will watch .... and Speedball acts serious?). After Speedball manages to defeat Madcap, the Avengers (responding to the NW’s destructive “antics”) arrive.

Issue #8
Our first bit of action has Speedball and some of the Avengers (definitely Firestar and Justice) teaming up to subdue the still-whacked-out NW. The older Avengers then give the kids a “stern warning,” about acting responsibly and not repeating some of the mistakes they made last time around (providing some truly awkward moments for Justice and Firestar). And depending on which Avengers are present, we can begin our careful foreshadowing of Legacy’s future as an Avenger.
In the subplot department, we start building up to issue #12, as Ultra Girl gets a mysterious phone call that has her visibly-shaken, yet not willing to talk about it with Free Spirit.
The NW again go up against yet more Sons of the Serpent. This time, they’re causing trouble at an Inner City Community Center, trying to drive a wedge between the white kids, and the other racially-diverse youths.

Issue #9
Sick of cleaning up after the Sons of the Serpents’ messes, the Warriors decide to get more proactive, and manage to trace the group back to their headquarters (a little too easily, Free Spirit notices). As the fighting starts, the NW realize they’re in luck, and the Sons’ leader is on the premises. Rage manages to get hold of him and rip his mask off, revealing ... Night Thrasher!
Ultra Girl gets visitors from California, but she hurries them out of the apartment before Free Spirit can determine who they are or what they want. They act vaguely like family, but they don’t match any of the pictures of Ultra Girl’s family she’s seen.

Issue #10
Night Thrasher vs. the New Warriors! As Thrash fights like a man possessed against his former team, Vex realizes that’s just it: he is possessed. It’s then that the man that’s been pulling Night Trasher’s strings steps forward: the Hate Monger! Having had previous involvement with the Sons of the Serpent (way back in AVENGERS #341-342), he decided to up the ante this time by twisting Trash’s hate around, and directing it towards Thrash’s own ethnic race. While the Warriors have faced the Hate Monger before, they’ve never had their own psychic to counter him, so as the NW clean up the rest of the Sons of the Serpent, Vex goes to work against the Hate Monger, eventually stripping away his empathic shields and revealing a small, ugly old man, powered by a lifetime of hate that he somehow managed to manipulate.

Issue #11
Setting up events for #12, Ultra Girl is abducted by her mysterious visitors, who turn out to be her Kree-brethren, who are looking to her to fulfill her destiny as the “Ultimate Unifier.” Having taken her to rural Montana (where an ancient Kree spaceship is buried), the Kree tell her that she’s finally ready to lead the white Kree into their golden age. They explain further that it’s a sort of prophecy that all the exiled and excommunicated white Kree will soon converge on their old, dead, homeworld, where they will look to the Ultimate Unifier for leadership. The prophecy is almost complete. There’s just one piece missing.
Meanwhile, having seen each other in a different light after Madcap’s “craziness” wore off, Free Spirit and Legacy go out on a date, and end up having a fantastically-romantic time. When Free Spirit returns from her date, she realizes Ultra Girl is missing, and rallies the NW to look for her. They’re able to track her down by using the homing beacon in her NW comm-badge. As the NW approach Ultra Girl and the Kree, the Kree suddenly announce that now the prophecy can be completed -- the other part of the prophecy is that the Ultimate Unifier will marry the son of the white Kree’s greatest hero. And that would be Legacy, son of Captain Marvel.

Issue #12 (double-sized issue)
The NW barely have time to process what they’ve just heard, because the Kree elder convinces Ultra Girl and Legacy to accompany her into the bowels of the unearthed spaceship. While the elder tries to convince the two young heroes that this is their destiny, the American military detects two large Shi’ar spaceships entering Earth’s orbit. Back in Montana, the NW have grown tired of waiting for Ultra Girl and Legacy, but before they can storm the ship, two Kree Sentries appear, and attempt to detain them. During the fight, the Imperial Guard shows up, along with some Shi’ar dignitaries. The fight between the Sentries and the NW then becomes a free-for-all when the Imperial Guard is thrown into the mix. The Sentries are the first to fall, leaving the NW to face the Imperial Guard.
Inside the Kree base, the elder recaps Kree history, and imparts upon Legacy and Ultra Girl the importance of their combined destinies. Here we can use some misdirection, as Legacy can think this is the “greatness” the Avengers said was in store for him. Before their talk can progress, Gladiator comes crashing through the ship’s hull, having been punched by Rage. Legacy is furious – he thought he and Gladiator had settled things. Gladiator states that he’s here to quell the Kree uprising. Legacy, Ultra Girl, and the elder go outside, and the fighting between the NW and Imperial Guard stops, as everyone is interested to hear what the Kree have to say. Vex uses her mental powers to reveal that one of the Kree is a traitor, and is responsible for informing the Shi’ar of the Kree’s plans. The Shi’ar are ready to eradicate all the Kree – including Ultra Girl and Legacy – without a second thought, but Ultra Girl and Legacy smooth things over, which only makes the Kree even more certain that the prophecy has come true. But Legacy and Ultra Girl convince them that even if it is true, it’s not happening now. They’re not ready to get married (not to mention, rule a planet!). Reluctantly, the Kree leave in their ship, and Shi’ar, confident that they don’t presently have anything to fear from Legacy and Ultra Girl, follow suit.
But just when the NW think it’s all over, they’re surrounded by Gyrich and an army of Mandroids. Gyrich informs them that the Commission on Superhuman Activities wants to debrief the NW, in light of recent events.

[The Cool Thatguy]

So yeah, his run didn't have to suck

[Nomads1]

That seems pretty cool. Much harder hitting than what eventually was published (though, admitedly, with lesser ties to the original than what we got, with Nova -then staring his own series-, Speedball, Namorita and Turbo). I wonder why Marvel chose to go with the version they did (other than the chance to cross-promote with Nova), in favor of totally scrapping this one. Was the artist always going to be Steven Scott? Not saying this had a chance to be more sucessful, but it certainly seems more interesting. Do you have the others? Even the one that got picked?

Peace

[kevlon]

Wow, if only that series was published.