“Lynch”

This entry covers the “Lynch” one-shot by Shon Bury, Trevor Scott, John Tighe and Luke Rizzo.

Woohoo! John Lynch versus a bunch of Nazis in South America! For real, that’s the plot of this book! I know! It couldn’t be more awesome unless it had a dog named Ringo in it… wait… it does! Eff yeah! Told you this book was rad!

I mean, that’s pretty much the book. We meet a young John Lynch in the summer of 1968 working with Caroline McArthur to find out why the Brazilian watershed was shrinking. Caroline, of course, brought her son James along and he brought his dog, Ringo. While investigating they hire a local named Quecho to help them scout out the area a bit more. What they don’t know is that Quecho is working with a bunch of Nazi’s to dig up and sell treasures. Quecho is helping get his own people, as well as others, enslaved to dig for the Nazis. Not only that, but the Nazis have hired Helmut to help protect them.

So yeah, Quecho leads the trio into a trap at an old Incan temple thinking that they can ransom the North Americans for a hefty sum. The Nazi’s think that plan will bring too much unneeded attention to them and order Helmut to dispose of them. At this point, Ringo startles some bats, whose screech affects Helmut as he has these hearing problems. All the bad guys leave Lynch, Caroline and James tied up and leave the temple. About this time Ringo comes out and chews through all the ropes tieing everyone down.

Our heroes eventually make it out of the temple just in time to encounter Helmut and the Nazis. Through some quick action, Lynch steals a megaphone from a Nazi and tosses it to Caroline and tells her to remember the bats. Caroline then proceeds to shout into the megaphone right in Helmut’s face which sends him both crazy and off-balance enough to conveniently wind up in a net trap. James snaps a picture of a proud young Lynch with his prize and the rest is history.

Continuity Corner:

• We now know the story behind Lynch’s photo with Helmut in “Gen13” volume two issue 2 now. We also know how he knew what needed to be done to stun Helmut in that issue as well.
• Bit of a wiggle in the continuity with Lynch being here in Peru in 1968, because we see in “Brass” volume one issue 2 that he already has been working with Craven and Team 7 in 1967. My best guess is this: because Team 7 is extremely covert, and because this is before Team 7 gained any powers Craven would let them do whatever on their time off. Young environmentalist John Lynch is plausible. This issue ends is with saying that Lynch went off to join the military shortly after this adventure, but maybe Caroline McArthur just doesn’t know the whole story like we do.
• Speaking of Caroline, this entire book is her writing her memoirs. She also mentions that she hadn’t seen Lynch since this adventure until earlier this year, which firmly places this book in the reading order after “Gen13” volume two issue 3, but I have it after issue 5 so that we can complete the “Coda Island” story arc uninterrupted.

NEXT: “Deathblow” volume one issues 17 – 19 by Brandon Choi, Duncan Rouleau, Shawn McManus, Melvin Rubi, Trevor Scott and Rick Magyar

“Gen13” Vol. 2 issues 3 – 5

This entry covers “Gen13” volume two issues 3 through 5 by J. Scott Campbell, Brandon Choi, Jim Lee, Alex Garner and Scott Williams.

Caitlin doesn’t trust Lynch. He says he’s going to help the Gen13 kids to find their parents, but so far it hasn’t happened. She decides to take matters into her own hands and she starts snooping on Lynch’s computer. She even manages to find info about her father Alex Fairchild that Lynch has not made her privy to. Lynch catches her red-handed and tells her that that lead on Alex is a dead end. Caitlin doesn’t agree and leaves in a huff. She will not be told what to do.

Caitlin takes what little information she knows and convinces the other Gen13 kids to come with her on an investigation. This leads the team to Beverley Hills to meet with Mrs. McArthur, head of the philanthropic McArthur foundation. Turns out she knows Lynch from way back when and is willing to help the kids. Mrs. McArthur lets Caitlin know that the information about her father came from the Isle du Mystere, not only that but she’s recently lost an expedition in that area. An expedition led by her son James. Caitlin promises Mrs. McArthur that the team will follow in the footsteps of that expedition and hopefully find what they’re looking for, as well as find James for her. With that, the team is off to cross the United States, the Atlantic Ocean, and Africa to get to the Mozambique Channel, home of the Isle du Mystere.

Lynch catches up with Mrs. McArthur and she tells them where she sent the kids. Lynch gets hella mad, leaves, making the poor old bird weep. While trying to get to the kids Lynch starts to beat himself up for the way he handled Mrs. McArthur, just then gets captured by Black Hammers. Sucky day for Lynch.

The team is on a boat getting as quickly as they can to the Isle du Mystere, when suddenly, out of the fog they’re hit by a big ass boat! In fact, it’s a pirate ship and sends the kids flying and mostly separated. Caitlin finds find James McArthur alone in a crashed out plane on the Isle du Mystere. Roxy and Bobby manage to get saved by the pirates that knocked them into the drink in the first place. Sarah and Grunge wake up on the island too and discover the “mystere” of Isle du Mystere is that it is Coda Island!

 

You’d think the life of a pirate is fun a one, looting booty, swashling some bucks, sharing torrents online, but it isn’t if your name is Roxanne Spaulding. The pirates have put her to work as the head cook aboard the boat, but she isn’t good at it. All the pirates give her a hard time about it, just making it even worse for her. Not only that, but Bobby is being treated like royalty while she slaves away. It’s really tough for Roxy right now.

You know who else is having a tough time? Sarah. She’s been captured by the Coda and locked up in a dungeon. While locked up she makes friends with a young girl named Daphne. Now, Daphne, she ain’t like the other women ’round these parts. Modest dress (comparatively) and not even a lick of face paint! Meanwhile, Grunge sexes up a lot of Coda ladies. That dirty dog. Little does he know that he’s going to be sacrificed the next day at the Coda blood ceremony.

So, you may be asking yourself, how is this all connected? Well, turns out the head of the pirates, one Capt. Lucius Morgan had a relationship with a Coda warrior from the Isle du Mystere. That union resulted in a pregnancy, and because there was love involved Lucius was kept away from the island, and his love was chained up until the birth of their child, and then she was put to death. That little girl grew up to be, you guessed it, Daphne. The Captain wants to storm the island and get his baby back!

Here’s where it all comes together. Caitlin and James head further into the island to find her friends. Sarah manages to get free of her restraints with the help of Daphne and is going to escape any way she can. The pirates are attacking the island with Roxy and Bobby and Grunge is brought center stage for his impending doom. As Caitlin and James watch the first part of the blood ceremony they see the Coda Majestrix cutting flesh wounds on her self for the other Coda to drink. It’s a freaky scene to be sure, and then the pirates bust in!

As the pirates are cutting down the Coda one manages to get the jump on the Majestrix. Sarah ends up saving the Majestrix’s life and trades in the life debt for Daphne’s freedom from Coda Island. Caitlin frees Grunge from where he’s tied up and Roxy and Bobby get to center stage after the show is nearly over. The team leaves Coda Island and James manages to get them on a plane the heck outta dodge.

Continuity Corner:

• In the Coda blood ceremony, they speak to the fact that Zannah’s blood is what gives them long life. Who knew that a blood transfusion from a Kheran was all you needed to secure a near-immortality?
• While the main Coda base is in Greece on Mt. Themiscrya, they also apparently have this island in the Mozambique Channel. Them Codas is everywheres!
• Lynch will remain in I/O custody and be tortured by LeGauche until the Gen13 kids team up with Alicia Turner and Cray in “Deathblow” volume one issues 20 and 21 to save him.
• Lucius mentions that he knows Alex and he was part of that damn mission on Gamorra back in the day that everyone is talking about!
• Lucius also talks about how he and Alex accidentally ended up on Coda Island and the Coda tolerated and kind enjoyed having them around. This was all up until Lucius and Daphne’s mom fell in love. I believe this is the event mentioned in “Gen12” that results in Alex no longer being able to hide the young Caitlin, Grunge, and Bobby on Coda Island.
• These 3 issues feature back-up stories in the form of “Robot Ruckus” which, while both hilarious and fun, is way too meta and “out-there” to be considered for a real place in the continuity. Do not skip them as you read, there’s some good humor in there.

NEXT: “Lynch” issue 1 by Shon Bury, Trevor Scott, John Tighe and Luke Rizzo