Marty P
May 26, 2008, 03:04 pm
The Tenth #0
August, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenth0thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #0 American Entertainment Exclusive" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenth0full.jpg)
Story Title: Prelude to Abuse
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Kell-O-Graphics (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45085)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
Editor: Bahareh Harandi (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45084)
Springdale, a city built for one reason only; to be attacked, overrun, transformed…by the Army of Darkness, mobile metamorphous of transfusion. Razor sharp teeth that take out existing blood and replace it with mutation fluid. Lead by their perfect field general, number ten, the Decimator.
From atop a hill overlooking the city, the Army of Darkness stands ready for the order of the Decimator. From the control room inside a building, Bahareh oversees the operation. One of the technicians gets a pattern disruption, but Bahareh let’s the operation continue.
The Decimator orders the Army of Darkness to start the attack on the non-suspecting people of Springdale, but then number ten hesitates charging with his army, and falls behind. In the control room the readings that started as a minor interference are now a full blown third party hack in. That third party is feeding the Decimator data, and even controlling him. The technicians check everything and it all seems fine, so the hacker must be riding an extreme scramble.
The hacker, continues to download data to number ten, so he will remember who he really is. When the download is completed, some blood from the wristarator on Decimation is released, and number ten is starting to remember who he really is. Memories are flooding his mind: infiltrating the complex, fighting the Army of Darkness…the experiments, the transformation process…that he isn’t the only monster…memories or visions that just don’t make sense.
But he quickly comes around, and will use his new monster form to stop Darkk, and he starts with the Army of Darkness in front of him.
In the control room, a technician informs Bahareh that the hacker’s location has been found. Third floor bio lab, room 242, but whoever it was, is gone. And that they’ve lost mental and physical control on number ten. A furious Bahareh orders to abort immediately, and trip the blood release and bring number ten back in.
The Decimator has killed every one of the Army of Darkness, before even one of them has reached Springdale. He swears revenge on Darkk for what he did to him, but then the remaining blood in the wristarator is released into his body, and the Decimator grows weak, and then falls unconscious to the ground. Another monster appears besides him to reel him in.
Somewhere in Springdale, a girl wakes up screaming from a nightmare. Another monster dream. She doesn’t know what it all means, she doesn’t know she saw everything that happened that night through the eyes of number ten…
Characters:
Army of Darkness
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell (cameo)
Esperanza del Toro
Jaena Fine
KillKrow (cameo)
Rhazes Darkk (cameo)
Tenth
Zorina Fine
<hr>
The Tenth #1
August, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini1thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #1" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini1.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 1
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Kevin Conrad (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=13482)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Kell-O-Graphics (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45085)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
First Appearance: Arusa, Bahareh, Blackspell, Esperanza del Toro, KillKrow, Rhazes Darkk, Tenth, Zorina Fine
A drop of blood falls on the ground.
Silently, a hand has severed the stream of blood.
When the blood stops, it triggers a chain reaction. From within a man, a savage beast rises. Savagery that will only be quenched by blood. The beast breaks loose from his chains, and alarms go off. Two guards accompany three technicians to the lab where the beast was being held captive. They go inside the lab, expecting to find the man, but they find the monster instead. The Tenth escapes, and takes the blood from the men.
Springdale, Colorado. A secluded, experimental town that didn’t exist 4 years ago. Rhazes Darkk, founder of the Darkklon Corp, with his breakthroughs in radiation therapy and nuclear energy, has built this town with the help of government officials. Promises of hope for a new cure for the sick, the cancer-ridden and the plagued. There are huge waiting lists for those who hope to one day work for Darkklon or live in Springdale…the chance to be cured. Those who live in Springdale are for the most part afflicted with various cancers and illnesses, others are there for the scientific expertise. A perfect picture of serene and unified living.
Esperanza comes home from school, but just as she knocked on the door, a tomato hits her head, thrown by one of three mean fellow school girls. Angrily she tells them that somebody could get hurt by that, but they laugh it off and leave. Espy again knocks on the door and Zorina rushes from out of the shower to open the door. She freaks out, thinking her best friend is bleeding. Espy tells what happened, and Zorina proposes to just once show those mean girls what she can really do. Espy replies that it wouldn’t be fair because they are normal, but she doesn’t want to go into it further, and just wants to rest.
In her sleep she sees once again, unknowingly, through the eyes of the Tenth. She sees him running through the woods, and looking at the town of Springdale.
Because of the escape, the Springdale Security Force has activated a level-one emergency for the entire city and surrounding perimeter, meaning a seven o‘clock curfew for everyone. To cover up the truth they say that there is a reported breech of interior limits by an unknown outside connection, and that there are indications that the intruders are members of the United Colorado Militia who have stated anti-Darkklon sentiments in the past. When Espy wakes up, she finds Zorina’s beeper in her jacked, buzzing. She didn’t hear it and the message is from three hours ago, and it’s an emergency code to boot. With no answer when Zorina calls, the two best friends decide to break the curfew rules and drive to the spot where the call was made.
Meanwhile, Rhazes Darkk himself is coming to Springdale, to inspect the happenings personally. From his helicopter he orders the control room to activate project three to hunt down number ten. A seemingly innocent looking scarecrow comes alive, and KillKrow sends out his flock of crows to find the Tenth. KillKrow can see through their eyes, and when the birds find the Tenth, who has almost returned to his human form, he orders them to attack. Victor falls from the cliff by the birds’ ferocious attack and lands in the middle of the road and is accidentally hit by the car driven by Esperanza and Zorina. Victor survives the hit, but the birds keep attacking him. When Espy sees the birds attacking the man, she lashes out with her telekinetic powers, somehow more powerful then ever, destroying all crows…and her clothes. Espy and Victor instantly recognize each other from their dreams and memories. Zorina suggests getting the man to a doctor, but Victor doesn’t want to because they did this to him. The two young women decide to take him with them to find Zorina’s mom, who will know what to do. They get in the car and continue to drive towards the Darkklon complex.
Meanwhile Rhazes Darkk has arrived at the main base. He knows that the Tenth will come hunting for him. Bahareh suggests he should not have come here, so the Tenth would have nothing to hunt, and thus not endangering not only Rhazes himself but also the project. She remainds Rhazes that she has been running the Springdale complex very well, and that her people detected that doctor Jaena Fine was the covert saboteur. But Rhazes reminds her that it was her people who let the Tenth escape, and that through his minion Blackspell, Jaena Fine’s capture was possible. Rhazes is confidant he will recapture the Tenth as well.
Esperanza and Zorina have arrived at the spot where the phone is from where Zorina’s mother called her daughter, but she is nowhere to be seen. They hope she made it back home in the time it took them to get there and drive back home. In the backseat, Victor is slowly turning back into the Tenth…
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
KillKrow
Rhazes Darkk
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Mini-Bio’s: Tenth, Esperanza del Toro, Rhazes Darkk, Zorina Fine, KillKrow, Bahareh
Pin-Up Esperanza del Toro, Rhazes Darkk, Tenth
Artist: Tony Daniel
<hr>
The Tenth #2
February, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini2thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #2" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini2.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 2
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Jaena Fine, JiHi, Kirai, Royku
The living dimensional black hole Blackspell is interrogating Dr. Jaena Fine, and he learns that she is a Covert Ops spy, and that she cut off the blood supply to the Tenth what caused the monster to be able to escape. After he learns this information, Blackspell takes Jaena Fine inside his inner vortex, making her a part of him.
At the phone booth, the Twisted Three, JiHi, Kirai and Royku, find the license plate with blood on it from The Tenth, from the car from Zorina and Esperanza which was knocked off when they hit Victor. They decide to pay Rhazes Darkk a visit.
That same car has overheated, and while Esperanza and Zorina argue what to do next, Victor slips out of the car before his transformation into the Tenth is complete. Zorina sees him, and Esperanza shouts to him to not go, but he doesn‘t listen. In the nearby forest he changes into the Tenth. The two best friends decide to just walk home.
In the tower of darkness, Rhazes Darkk is interrupted while playing the piano. He catches the head of one of his guards that is thrown towards him, while the other three guards lie dead on the floor. The Twisted Three criticize his security and then throw the license plate which Rhazes catches with the dead guards head. They tell him the plate belongs to the daughter of the spy Jaena Fine, and that the DNA of the Tenth is on it. Gozza has sent the Twisted Three to protect his maker, but Rhazes finds that Gozza should concentrate more on Asia, and not Rhazes. He has lived hundreds of years without protection of mercenaries like the Twisted Three, and those who betrayed him during that time have already departed this life. Rhazes claims he knows of the treachery of those closest to him. From behind a wall, Bahareh wonders if he really does.
Esperanza and Zorina have arrived home at last, but Zorina’s mother apparently isn’t there. Zorina goes to the kitchen to see if she maybe left a note, and Esperanza and her cat Arusa go upstairs to change clothes. Zorina is knocked out in the kitchen by soldiers of Darkk. Their scanner shows another person upstairs, and while the soldiers leave with an unconscious Zorina, another soldier moves up the stairs and when he sees Arusa he aims for the cat, but Esperanza knocks him in the head with a baseball bat, hard. She hides in the closet but when other soldiers enter the room the cat meows. Ready to fire, the soldiers are suddenly attacked and killed by the Tenth. Unknown to the Tenth, he was followed by KillKrow, and he sends his flock to attack the Tenth once again. The Tenth grabs Espy and leaps out of the house. He then quickly grabs Espy’s car and throws it inside the house, causing an explosion, and stopping KillKrow from following them further.
In the pits of the Darkklon building Zorina is facing Blackspell.
The Tenth has taken Espy to Springdale’s removal site, where agent Fine, Victor and others have hid weapons to fight Darkklon. While Espy checks out the weapons, the Tenth takes out some limbs from Espy’s backpack and drinks up some blood to keep control of the monster. The Tenth explains that the government is in on all this, and that he and agent fine are part of the Pentagon’s Alpha section, others are corrupt.
While Ms. Bahareh explains to the media that even though it’s the second day of the quarantine, everything in Springdale is under control, Espy and the Tenth are moving in, loaded with weapons.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Jaena Fine
JiHi
KillKrow
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Tenth
Artist: Jim Pavelac
<hr>
The Tenth #3
May, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini3thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #3" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini3.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 3
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Full Armor Ruckus, Gozza (voice only)
Death: KillKrow
Deep within Blackspell, Zorina shouts for her mother. The scenery changes immediately and her mother appears. She asks her where Espy and the beast are, and when Zorina wonders why her mother would ask that, her mother turns into a monster herself, and Blackspell appears to absorb her whole once again, but not before Jaena Fine can warn her daughter that Darkk must be stopped or DNA bombs will create Darkk Earth, and that salvation lies within Esperanza and the Tenth.
The Tenth knocks hard on the walls of the Darkklon complex, and makes himself a door. They are greeted by quite a few security monsters, but the Tenth rips through them with little effort, and Esperanza kills them with a gun. Sadly, her cat Arusa is less lucky and is deadly wounded. The Tenth wants to have a look at the cat, but Espy says he won’t get her cats blood. The Tenth does not want her blood, but with a touch he heals Arusa.
KillKrow has returned to his master Rhazes Darkk and delivers a skull, claiming it is the skull of the Tenth. Rhazes asks where the remains of Esperanza are, and KillKrow cliams his crows have eaten everything so that there are no remains. Bahareh enters the room and calls out KillKrow on his lies, and that the Tenth and the girl are on the grounds. She has had enough of KillKrows failures and executes him on the spot.
The Tenth has placed a big bomb in the heart of the Darkklon complex, so that if they don’t stop Rhazes Darkk, the bomb will. The Tenth has once again returned to his human form, and at that moment green skinned creatures appear through teleporting holes, trying to grab him and Espy. Through an electric shock Esperanza is knocked out and teleported away.
The creatures want to make Victor bleed so that he will turn into the Tenth, but before they succeed, Full Armor Ruckus under Gozza’s command appears on the scene and kills many of the green skinned creatures, and the others flee. F.A.R. reports that he has the Tenth, and Gozza commands him to bring him in. F.A.R. drags Victor away, but where he is dragged, vines follow him.
Blackspell has released Zorina, and the Twisted Three start beating her up. Rhazes Darkk enters the room, and orders the Twisted Three to stop. When the three mercenaries don’t obey, Rhazes uses his power to get their attention.
Esperanza wakes up far below what happened far above, and she hears voices talking about coordinates and various places on Earth. She has been brought to the place where the DNA bomb is being prepared for launch.
Rhazes tells Victor that he was right about Victor being the perfect host for the Tenth, the one that would lead the other monster beasts. He also reveals that, unknown to all, Esperanza is the key to his new Darkk Earth. Victor is once again impaled everywhere with tubes giving him more and more blood and devices that will finally make him fall under the control of Rhazes Darkk The Army of Darkness eagerly await below him to greet their leader, the Decimator.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Full Armor Ruckus
Jaena Fine
JiHi
KillKrow
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Esperanza, Arusa, Blackspell
Artist: Francisco Flores
<hr>
The Tenth #4
June, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini4thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #4" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini4.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 4
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Gozza, Stanley Greer
Deep inside the Darkklon Complex, Esperanza has managed to get into contact with general Stanley Greer, who is part of a secret level of the Pentagon, and tells him everything she has learned so far about Springdale and Rhazes Darkks evil plans. Greer wants to tell her exactly where she is. He says that they take Esperanza very serious and that Ms. Bahareh is on her way to the Pentagon right now to sort out the situation. Espy remembers that Bahareh works for Darkklon and thus for Rhazes Darkk, and at that moment Zorina calls in. She tells Espy where she is and Esperanza heads straight for the room. She opens the door with force, using her telekinetic powers, and behind the door she does find Zorina, but under the control of Blackspell and accompanied by Rhazes Darkk and the Twisted Three. Rhazes reveals that he has need of Espy’s God-given powers, but that she got them not from the God she thinks but from him.
Meanwhile, Victor is slowly turning into his monstrous beast-form, but the vines that followed him are cutting him, making him lose blood and turn him into the Tenth making certain that Rhazes will not have control of his tenth super-monster. No way to go around the Army of Darkness below him, so the Tenth just goes through them to get to Esperanza as fast as possible.
Unbeknownst to Rhazes Darkk that the Tenth has once again escaped his control, he reveals to Espy that in just one hour his bombs will launch and that with the Tenth in his possession all the pieces of his global takeover are in place, and that Blackspell will make sure Esperanza will join his Darkk army. Seeing Zorina as a part of Blackspell angers Espy so much that she uses a powerful telekinetic force blast that frees her best friend from Blackspell. Rhazes uses the moment to attack Espy, and weaken her. But espy’s cat Arusa jumps for Rhazes and urinates on his face, which surprisingly is like acid. He orders the Twisted Three to kill the cat, but they refuse, and no longer listen to him. Bahareh was supposed to adjust their attitudes, but apparently to Rhazes she failed in doing so.
From behind, Rhazes is suddenly impaled by the hand of Full Armor Ruckus, but he still lives. Blackspell enters the scene, and manages to grab hold of both Espy and Zorina, but before Blackspell can absorb them the Tenth makes his entrance and starts hitting and tearing at Blackspell. Espy uses her powers to attack as well, and it causes Blackspell’s inner vortex to be disrupted, and he retreats to regenerate.
Full Armor Ruckus then produces a holographic projection of Gozza, who claims that unlike Rhazes he has not lost sight of the immortal legacy of his race, and because of Rhazes he has to shut down the Springdale base and F.A.R. is armed with explosions to make sure Springdale will be wiped off the face of the Earth.
Before the explosion, Blackspell returns and grabs his master Rhazes Darkk, and the treacherous Twisted three as well, and escapes. The Tenth in his current form is unable to ride out with Espy, Zorina and Arusa, but Esperanza offers her blood so he will return to his human form again, and also make their escape in time.
In the Pentagon, general Greer informs his colleagues that the mission has failed, the weapon gone, and that they now have to deal with Gozza instead. It is reported to Greer that there were no survivors, but Bahareh enters the room, and informs them that is wrong, and that three escaped.
On the car radio, Victor, Esperanza and Zorina hear that the explosion that wiped out Springdale has been blamed on a terrorist act, and that they blame it on them. Zorina’s mom is still inside Blackspell, and their first priority is to free her.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Full Armor Ruckus
Gozza
JiHi
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Stanley Greer
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Blackspell
Artist: Thomas Manning
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45114">Story continues in The Tenth (1998) #½.</a>
August, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenth0thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #0 American Entertainment Exclusive" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenth0full.jpg)
Story Title: Prelude to Abuse
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Kell-O-Graphics (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45085)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
Editor: Bahareh Harandi (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45084)
Springdale, a city built for one reason only; to be attacked, overrun, transformed…by the Army of Darkness, mobile metamorphous of transfusion. Razor sharp teeth that take out existing blood and replace it with mutation fluid. Lead by their perfect field general, number ten, the Decimator.
From atop a hill overlooking the city, the Army of Darkness stands ready for the order of the Decimator. From the control room inside a building, Bahareh oversees the operation. One of the technicians gets a pattern disruption, but Bahareh let’s the operation continue.
The Decimator orders the Army of Darkness to start the attack on the non-suspecting people of Springdale, but then number ten hesitates charging with his army, and falls behind. In the control room the readings that started as a minor interference are now a full blown third party hack in. That third party is feeding the Decimator data, and even controlling him. The technicians check everything and it all seems fine, so the hacker must be riding an extreme scramble.
The hacker, continues to download data to number ten, so he will remember who he really is. When the download is completed, some blood from the wristarator on Decimation is released, and number ten is starting to remember who he really is. Memories are flooding his mind: infiltrating the complex, fighting the Army of Darkness…the experiments, the transformation process…that he isn’t the only monster…memories or visions that just don’t make sense.
But he quickly comes around, and will use his new monster form to stop Darkk, and he starts with the Army of Darkness in front of him.
In the control room, a technician informs Bahareh that the hacker’s location has been found. Third floor bio lab, room 242, but whoever it was, is gone. And that they’ve lost mental and physical control on number ten. A furious Bahareh orders to abort immediately, and trip the blood release and bring number ten back in.
The Decimator has killed every one of the Army of Darkness, before even one of them has reached Springdale. He swears revenge on Darkk for what he did to him, but then the remaining blood in the wristarator is released into his body, and the Decimator grows weak, and then falls unconscious to the ground. Another monster appears besides him to reel him in.
Somewhere in Springdale, a girl wakes up screaming from a nightmare. Another monster dream. She doesn’t know what it all means, she doesn’t know she saw everything that happened that night through the eyes of number ten…
Characters:
Army of Darkness
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell (cameo)
Esperanza del Toro
Jaena Fine
KillKrow (cameo)
Rhazes Darkk (cameo)
Tenth
Zorina Fine
<hr>
The Tenth #1
August, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini1thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #1" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini1.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 1
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Kevin Conrad (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=13482)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Kell-O-Graphics (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45085)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
First Appearance: Arusa, Bahareh, Blackspell, Esperanza del Toro, KillKrow, Rhazes Darkk, Tenth, Zorina Fine
A drop of blood falls on the ground.
Silently, a hand has severed the stream of blood.
When the blood stops, it triggers a chain reaction. From within a man, a savage beast rises. Savagery that will only be quenched by blood. The beast breaks loose from his chains, and alarms go off. Two guards accompany three technicians to the lab where the beast was being held captive. They go inside the lab, expecting to find the man, but they find the monster instead. The Tenth escapes, and takes the blood from the men.
Springdale, Colorado. A secluded, experimental town that didn’t exist 4 years ago. Rhazes Darkk, founder of the Darkklon Corp, with his breakthroughs in radiation therapy and nuclear energy, has built this town with the help of government officials. Promises of hope for a new cure for the sick, the cancer-ridden and the plagued. There are huge waiting lists for those who hope to one day work for Darkklon or live in Springdale…the chance to be cured. Those who live in Springdale are for the most part afflicted with various cancers and illnesses, others are there for the scientific expertise. A perfect picture of serene and unified living.
Esperanza comes home from school, but just as she knocked on the door, a tomato hits her head, thrown by one of three mean fellow school girls. Angrily she tells them that somebody could get hurt by that, but they laugh it off and leave. Espy again knocks on the door and Zorina rushes from out of the shower to open the door. She freaks out, thinking her best friend is bleeding. Espy tells what happened, and Zorina proposes to just once show those mean girls what she can really do. Espy replies that it wouldn’t be fair because they are normal, but she doesn’t want to go into it further, and just wants to rest.
In her sleep she sees once again, unknowingly, through the eyes of the Tenth. She sees him running through the woods, and looking at the town of Springdale.
Because of the escape, the Springdale Security Force has activated a level-one emergency for the entire city and surrounding perimeter, meaning a seven o‘clock curfew for everyone. To cover up the truth they say that there is a reported breech of interior limits by an unknown outside connection, and that there are indications that the intruders are members of the United Colorado Militia who have stated anti-Darkklon sentiments in the past. When Espy wakes up, she finds Zorina’s beeper in her jacked, buzzing. She didn’t hear it and the message is from three hours ago, and it’s an emergency code to boot. With no answer when Zorina calls, the two best friends decide to break the curfew rules and drive to the spot where the call was made.
Meanwhile, Rhazes Darkk himself is coming to Springdale, to inspect the happenings personally. From his helicopter he orders the control room to activate project three to hunt down number ten. A seemingly innocent looking scarecrow comes alive, and KillKrow sends out his flock of crows to find the Tenth. KillKrow can see through their eyes, and when the birds find the Tenth, who has almost returned to his human form, he orders them to attack. Victor falls from the cliff by the birds’ ferocious attack and lands in the middle of the road and is accidentally hit by the car driven by Esperanza and Zorina. Victor survives the hit, but the birds keep attacking him. When Espy sees the birds attacking the man, she lashes out with her telekinetic powers, somehow more powerful then ever, destroying all crows…and her clothes. Espy and Victor instantly recognize each other from their dreams and memories. Zorina suggests getting the man to a doctor, but Victor doesn’t want to because they did this to him. The two young women decide to take him with them to find Zorina’s mom, who will know what to do. They get in the car and continue to drive towards the Darkklon complex.
Meanwhile Rhazes Darkk has arrived at the main base. He knows that the Tenth will come hunting for him. Bahareh suggests he should not have come here, so the Tenth would have nothing to hunt, and thus not endangering not only Rhazes himself but also the project. She remainds Rhazes that she has been running the Springdale complex very well, and that her people detected that doctor Jaena Fine was the covert saboteur. But Rhazes reminds her that it was her people who let the Tenth escape, and that through his minion Blackspell, Jaena Fine’s capture was possible. Rhazes is confidant he will recapture the Tenth as well.
Esperanza and Zorina have arrived at the spot where the phone is from where Zorina’s mother called her daughter, but she is nowhere to be seen. They hope she made it back home in the time it took them to get there and drive back home. In the backseat, Victor is slowly turning back into the Tenth…
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
KillKrow
Rhazes Darkk
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Mini-Bio’s: Tenth, Esperanza del Toro, Rhazes Darkk, Zorina Fine, KillKrow, Bahareh
Pin-Up Esperanza del Toro, Rhazes Darkk, Tenth
Artist: Tony Daniel
<hr>
The Tenth #2
February, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini2thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #2" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini2.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 2
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Jaena Fine, JiHi, Kirai, Royku
The living dimensional black hole Blackspell is interrogating Dr. Jaena Fine, and he learns that she is a Covert Ops spy, and that she cut off the blood supply to the Tenth what caused the monster to be able to escape. After he learns this information, Blackspell takes Jaena Fine inside his inner vortex, making her a part of him.
At the phone booth, the Twisted Three, JiHi, Kirai and Royku, find the license plate with blood on it from The Tenth, from the car from Zorina and Esperanza which was knocked off when they hit Victor. They decide to pay Rhazes Darkk a visit.
That same car has overheated, and while Esperanza and Zorina argue what to do next, Victor slips out of the car before his transformation into the Tenth is complete. Zorina sees him, and Esperanza shouts to him to not go, but he doesn‘t listen. In the nearby forest he changes into the Tenth. The two best friends decide to just walk home.
In the tower of darkness, Rhazes Darkk is interrupted while playing the piano. He catches the head of one of his guards that is thrown towards him, while the other three guards lie dead on the floor. The Twisted Three criticize his security and then throw the license plate which Rhazes catches with the dead guards head. They tell him the plate belongs to the daughter of the spy Jaena Fine, and that the DNA of the Tenth is on it. Gozza has sent the Twisted Three to protect his maker, but Rhazes finds that Gozza should concentrate more on Asia, and not Rhazes. He has lived hundreds of years without protection of mercenaries like the Twisted Three, and those who betrayed him during that time have already departed this life. Rhazes claims he knows of the treachery of those closest to him. From behind a wall, Bahareh wonders if he really does.
Esperanza and Zorina have arrived home at last, but Zorina’s mother apparently isn’t there. Zorina goes to the kitchen to see if she maybe left a note, and Esperanza and her cat Arusa go upstairs to change clothes. Zorina is knocked out in the kitchen by soldiers of Darkk. Their scanner shows another person upstairs, and while the soldiers leave with an unconscious Zorina, another soldier moves up the stairs and when he sees Arusa he aims for the cat, but Esperanza knocks him in the head with a baseball bat, hard. She hides in the closet but when other soldiers enter the room the cat meows. Ready to fire, the soldiers are suddenly attacked and killed by the Tenth. Unknown to the Tenth, he was followed by KillKrow, and he sends his flock to attack the Tenth once again. The Tenth grabs Espy and leaps out of the house. He then quickly grabs Espy’s car and throws it inside the house, causing an explosion, and stopping KillKrow from following them further.
In the pits of the Darkklon building Zorina is facing Blackspell.
The Tenth has taken Espy to Springdale’s removal site, where agent Fine, Victor and others have hid weapons to fight Darkklon. While Espy checks out the weapons, the Tenth takes out some limbs from Espy’s backpack and drinks up some blood to keep control of the monster. The Tenth explains that the government is in on all this, and that he and agent fine are part of the Pentagon’s Alpha section, others are corrupt.
While Ms. Bahareh explains to the media that even though it’s the second day of the quarantine, everything in Springdale is under control, Espy and the Tenth are moving in, loaded with weapons.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Jaena Fine
JiHi
KillKrow
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Tenth
Artist: Jim Pavelac
<hr>
The Tenth #3
May, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini3thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #3" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini3.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 3
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Full Armor Ruckus, Gozza (voice only)
Death: KillKrow
Deep within Blackspell, Zorina shouts for her mother. The scenery changes immediately and her mother appears. She asks her where Espy and the beast are, and when Zorina wonders why her mother would ask that, her mother turns into a monster herself, and Blackspell appears to absorb her whole once again, but not before Jaena Fine can warn her daughter that Darkk must be stopped or DNA bombs will create Darkk Earth, and that salvation lies within Esperanza and the Tenth.
The Tenth knocks hard on the walls of the Darkklon complex, and makes himself a door. They are greeted by quite a few security monsters, but the Tenth rips through them with little effort, and Esperanza kills them with a gun. Sadly, her cat Arusa is less lucky and is deadly wounded. The Tenth wants to have a look at the cat, but Espy says he won’t get her cats blood. The Tenth does not want her blood, but with a touch he heals Arusa.
KillKrow has returned to his master Rhazes Darkk and delivers a skull, claiming it is the skull of the Tenth. Rhazes asks where the remains of Esperanza are, and KillKrow cliams his crows have eaten everything so that there are no remains. Bahareh enters the room and calls out KillKrow on his lies, and that the Tenth and the girl are on the grounds. She has had enough of KillKrows failures and executes him on the spot.
The Tenth has placed a big bomb in the heart of the Darkklon complex, so that if they don’t stop Rhazes Darkk, the bomb will. The Tenth has once again returned to his human form, and at that moment green skinned creatures appear through teleporting holes, trying to grab him and Espy. Through an electric shock Esperanza is knocked out and teleported away.
The creatures want to make Victor bleed so that he will turn into the Tenth, but before they succeed, Full Armor Ruckus under Gozza’s command appears on the scene and kills many of the green skinned creatures, and the others flee. F.A.R. reports that he has the Tenth, and Gozza commands him to bring him in. F.A.R. drags Victor away, but where he is dragged, vines follow him.
Blackspell has released Zorina, and the Twisted Three start beating her up. Rhazes Darkk enters the room, and orders the Twisted Three to stop. When the three mercenaries don’t obey, Rhazes uses his power to get their attention.
Esperanza wakes up far below what happened far above, and she hears voices talking about coordinates and various places on Earth. She has been brought to the place where the DNA bomb is being prepared for launch.
Rhazes tells Victor that he was right about Victor being the perfect host for the Tenth, the one that would lead the other monster beasts. He also reveals that, unknown to all, Esperanza is the key to his new Darkk Earth. Victor is once again impaled everywhere with tubes giving him more and more blood and devices that will finally make him fall under the control of Rhazes Darkk The Army of Darkness eagerly await below him to greet their leader, the Decimator.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Full Armor Ruckus
Jaena Fine
JiHi
KillKrow
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Esperanza, Arusa, Blackspell
Artist: Francisco Flores
<hr>
The Tenth #4
June, 1997
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini4thumb.gif" hspace=3 align=top align=left alt="The Tenth #4" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/image/tenthmini4.jpg)
Story Arc: Abuse of Humanity, Chapter 4
Writer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Colorists: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693) & Bongotone (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45086)
Letterer: Steve Dutro (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=14333)
Developer: Beau Smith (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45083)
Cover Penciller: Tony Daniel (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=16015)
Cover Inker: Marlo Alquiza (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=11684)
Cover Colorist: Paul Mounts (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=17693)
First Appearance: Gozza, Stanley Greer
Deep inside the Darkklon Complex, Esperanza has managed to get into contact with general Stanley Greer, who is part of a secret level of the Pentagon, and tells him everything she has learned so far about Springdale and Rhazes Darkks evil plans. Greer wants to tell her exactly where she is. He says that they take Esperanza very serious and that Ms. Bahareh is on her way to the Pentagon right now to sort out the situation. Espy remembers that Bahareh works for Darkklon and thus for Rhazes Darkk, and at that moment Zorina calls in. She tells Espy where she is and Esperanza heads straight for the room. She opens the door with force, using her telekinetic powers, and behind the door she does find Zorina, but under the control of Blackspell and accompanied by Rhazes Darkk and the Twisted Three. Rhazes reveals that he has need of Espy’s God-given powers, but that she got them not from the God she thinks but from him.
Meanwhile, Victor is slowly turning into his monstrous beast-form, but the vines that followed him are cutting him, making him lose blood and turn him into the Tenth making certain that Rhazes will not have control of his tenth super-monster. No way to go around the Army of Darkness below him, so the Tenth just goes through them to get to Esperanza as fast as possible.
Unbeknownst to Rhazes Darkk that the Tenth has once again escaped his control, he reveals to Espy that in just one hour his bombs will launch and that with the Tenth in his possession all the pieces of his global takeover are in place, and that Blackspell will make sure Esperanza will join his Darkk army. Seeing Zorina as a part of Blackspell angers Espy so much that she uses a powerful telekinetic force blast that frees her best friend from Blackspell. Rhazes uses the moment to attack Espy, and weaken her. But espy’s cat Arusa jumps for Rhazes and urinates on his face, which surprisingly is like acid. He orders the Twisted Three to kill the cat, but they refuse, and no longer listen to him. Bahareh was supposed to adjust their attitudes, but apparently to Rhazes she failed in doing so.
From behind, Rhazes is suddenly impaled by the hand of Full Armor Ruckus, but he still lives. Blackspell enters the scene, and manages to grab hold of both Espy and Zorina, but before Blackspell can absorb them the Tenth makes his entrance and starts hitting and tearing at Blackspell. Espy uses her powers to attack as well, and it causes Blackspell’s inner vortex to be disrupted, and he retreats to regenerate.
Full Armor Ruckus then produces a holographic projection of Gozza, who claims that unlike Rhazes he has not lost sight of the immortal legacy of his race, and because of Rhazes he has to shut down the Springdale base and F.A.R. is armed with explosions to make sure Springdale will be wiped off the face of the Earth.
Before the explosion, Blackspell returns and grabs his master Rhazes Darkk, and the treacherous Twisted three as well, and escapes. The Tenth in his current form is unable to ride out with Espy, Zorina and Arusa, but Esperanza offers her blood so he will return to his human form again, and also make their escape in time.
In the Pentagon, general Greer informs his colleagues that the mission has failed, the weapon gone, and that they now have to deal with Gozza instead. It is reported to Greer that there were no survivors, but Bahareh enters the room, and informs them that is wrong, and that three escaped.
On the car radio, Victor, Esperanza and Zorina hear that the explosion that wiped out Springdale has been blamed on a terrorist act, and that they blame it on them. Zorina’s mom is still inside Blackspell, and their first priority is to free her.
Characters:
Arusa
Bahareh
Blackspell
Esperanza del Toro
Full Armor Ruckus
Gozza
JiHi
Kirai
Rhazes Darkk
Royku
Stanley Greer
Tenth
Zorina Fine
Pin-Up Blackspell
Artist: Thomas Manning
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=45114">Story continues in The Tenth (1998) #½.</a>