Maul : Thinking Big

this entry covers the short story “Maul : Thinking Big” from “WildStorm Rarities”

This is the only original story that was in “WildStorm Rarities.” It’s like when a band puts a new single on a greatest hits album. Fine, the completest in me will buy it… but I’m not happy about it! Actually, that’s not entirely true, until “WildStorm Rarities” came out I had never seen the prolog to “the Kindred.” Other than that though, I had all the other shorts tracked down, but I can see how difficult that could be and why others wouldn’t.

Anyway, we see Jeremy, about ready to go on vacation with his ladyfriend Brooke. They’re at an airport, which I can only assume is in New York, and it is snowing quite heavily.  While Brooke is grilling Jeremy on what exactly his job is at Halo, we see a plane start to get out of control on the runway. It’s headed for the tower.

Jeremy manages to shake Brooke, go all Maul and try to save the plane. To save the lives of the passengers Maul is going to need to be both smart and strong, two things he can’t do at the same time. So he keeps switching from too big to think but and then shrinking down to see his mistakes and growing again to fix them, but once again find that he was too big/dumb to consider how things could get botched. After a few tries, he gets it right, but the plane is a loss, even if the passengers are fine. Also, he assumes, his relationship to Brooke is a total loss.

Lucky for Dr. Stone, Brooke saw the whole thing and it doesn’t make a bit of difference to her that he’s some kind of super-hero. She seriously says that she’s dated weirder. Their flight gets canceled due to weather, and to giant green and purple guys on the tarmac, so they decide to spend Jeremy’s weekend off doing… other things…

Point of Clarity :

• I once thought this issue came shortly after issue 8 or 9 of “WildC.A.T.s” Vol. 1. I was wrong. In the spirit of honesty, I’ve left several of my previous notes unedited but struck through and corrected where wrong.

Continuity Corner: 

• The last first time we saw Brooke was in “WildC.A.T.s” Vol. 1 issue 8 when Reno and Jeremy ran into her and her friend Ashley at an art show. I’m sure it’s just an artist reference mistake, but Brooke is drawn like Ashley. That or Brooke went full on “Single White Female” and assumed Ashley’s look.
• The last time we actually saw Brooke (with her original look from “WildC.A.T.s” Vol. issue 8) is in “WildC.A.T.s” Vol. 1 issue 37 where Jeremy was drug away from a fancy dinner date with her by the Puritans.
• In reality, this short story could also go after this next lot of “WildC.A.T.s” issues, but having it here it shows what Jeremy was up to before being summoned by Void in “WildC.A.T.s” Vol. 1 issue 10. Well, I was wrong, the only really place for it is near the end of the run. In issue 37 Jeremy is taken by the Puritans and Brooke has no idea why he’s being summoned away. At the end of this story Brooke very well knows Jermey’s alter ego and obviously doesn’t here. Also, Jeremy doesn’t make it back to New York City or is off duty until after issue 49 to meet back up with Brooke. Ultimately the story reads anywhere after issue 50, and before “Wildcats” Vol. 2 issue 1. It can slot in between Vol. 1 issue and “WildC.A.T.s Annual” or between that and “WildC.A.T.s / Aliens” or after that as long as it is before the first issue of Vol. 2.
• Another good reason to have it before issue 10 and not after issue 13 is seeing how hung up Jeremy gets about seeing his ex Margo in issue 14. I know, it’s possible to be in a new relationship and still care about an ex, but also the way he also turns down Ann is that he includes every excuse except for “and I already have a girlfriend” so I assume they’d broken up by then. Jeremy’s a good guy and cares for former loves, I shouldn’t be such a jerk.
• Another blogger brought this up, and it’s something I’ve been thinking over for a bit myself, but does anyone else think H. K. Proger a pseudonym? Little is known about them and they are usually credited as writer for short stories, usually containing a lot of continuity connective tissue, until a short run on StormWatch. In this story, H. K. has a credit of “dialogue” which is a hell of an odd credit for a story like this. The mystery of H. K. Proger will always haunt me…

NEXT: “DV8” Preview and issues 14 through 18 by Mike Heisler, Tom Raney, Jason Johnson and Randy Elliot