Salvage
4 Issue Mini-Series
Written by Jeremy Rathbone & Searnold
Pencils by Robert Bruner
Digital Painting by Jeremy Rathbone
Story Synopsis:
“Salvage” is a tale of redemption set against the backdrop of a realistic superhero world. Henry Cray – an engineer responsible for an accident that killed hundreds of people – attempts to atone for his sins and learn to forgive himself by using mysterious technology to become a renegade superhero.
Setting:
San Francisco, a few years from now. In this world – for insurance purposes – anyone with paranormal abilities must get company, government, or individual sponsorship in order to be allowed to operate. Otherwise, use of any paranormal abilities is strictly illegal.
Characters:
Henry Cray – down on his luck engineer who decides to become a superhero. Early thirties. Overly self critical. His best intentions always seem to get him into the worst jams.
Derrick Babbit – talks to machines. Thinks they could run the world better than humans do. Not evil. Just seems that way. Not a big fan of Henry's.
Carter Robinson – successful engineer. Lifelong friend of Henry's. Only trying to help. Thinks this superhero business is a terrible idea.
Locomote – friendly teleporter. Spokesperson for the Super Savers, a corporate superhero team sponsored by The Super Savings Center.
Edward Stevens – owner of the salvage yard where Henry works. Not terribly friendly. Overly high expectations.
Plot Summary:
Henry Cray used to be a great engineer. Now – because he screwed up and accidentally got a few hundred people killed – he works in a salvage yard. One day, he stumbles upon a mysterious technology that can take on the form of any tool he can imagine. Naturally, he decides to use this device and his knowledge of engineering to create a super suit that will allow him to become a superhero. But because he can't find sponsorship, Henry is forbidden from using his newfound abilities. Ignoring this particular law, Henry decides to investigate further when he suspects that an industrial tycoon named Derrick Babbit is somehow consciously manipulating a series of minor seismic disturbances. Being a novice hero, Henry screws up big time – again. He allows Babbit (who can talk to machines) to gain control of part of his miraculous technology. Henry is arrested. And fired. And forced to serve 200 hours of community service. While he's busy with that, Babbit uses his new technology to cause a cataclysmic earthquake that rips through downtown San Francisco. Feeling responsible, Henry once again illegally dons his super suit and confronts Babbit. Babbit defends himself with an army of robots, but this time Henry uses his superior knowledge of the way things work to create a giant robot and save the day.
ISSUE 01:
The first page shows a passenger plane exploding in midair with the simple caption “This is my fault.” Henry Cray goes on to explain to his new bonsai tree that he was once a successful engineer, but an oversight on his part caused an airplane to explode mid-flight. He lost his job, his money, his self confidence, and now finds himself living and working in a salvage yard... and talking to a bonsai tree. Henry's only friend, Carter, invites Henry to dinner – in an attempt to help him move on with his life. But Henry refuses, claiming he's too busy. His boss, Edward Stevens, is going to fire him unless he repairs some machinery that Henry knows is impossible to fix with the resources Stevens provides.
Then everything changes. Henry stumbles upon a strange mechanism that can transform into any tool he can imagine. With this, Henry accomplishes the impossible and keeps his job. To celebrate, Henry agrees to get tacos with Carter – where they find themselves in the middle of a stick-up! Carter warns Henry not to interfere – to wait until the heroes get here. After all, that's what they do. But when the robbers take a hostage, Henry can't help but use his seemingly magical device to save the day. Locomote, a licensed hero who arrives on the scene just a bit too late, is impressed by Henry's initiative, and suggests he looks into getting sponsorship to become a full-time superhero.
ISSUE 02:
Alas, no one wants to sponsor a hero who was responsible for hundreds of deaths. Without sponsorship, Henry is forbidden from using his superhuman capabilities in any manner. But he can't help himself. When he discovers that a series of miniature seismic disturbances all originate from an industrial complex owned by Derrick Babbit, he goes to investigate. Henry sneaks inside and finds strange plans referring to a techocracy – plans that include causing earthquakes as distractions. Henry confronts Babbit, putting him in handcuffs made from his mysterious tech. Babbit, however, can talk to machines. He realizes that he, too, can manipulate this fascinating technology which is comprised of millions of nano-bots. He uses this knowledge to beat Henry at his own game.
ISSUE 03:
The police arrest Henry for trespassing and illegal use of superhuman abilities. Carter bails him out, but Henry is still given a huge fine and sentenced to 200 hours of demeaning community service. Society hates unauthorized use of powers. The media portrays Henry as irresponsible, just as bad as any villain. To make things worse, when Henry returns to the salvage yard, Stevens informs him that the yard has been purchased by someone named Derrick Babbit – and Henry isn't allowed on the premises. He no longer has a job. Or a home. So he sneaks in, steals his bonsai tree, and goes to crash on Carter's couch. Carter takes him in under one condition: that he agrees to find a healthy way of moving on with his life that doesn't involve illegal activities. The next day, Henry begins his community service in downtown San Francisco – when an earthquake of epic proportions begins tearing the entire city apart.
ISSUE 04:
Locomote and a slew of other heroes show up to help contain the damage. Once again, Henry can't help but get involved. He saves many lives, but is still ostracized by the other heroes. No one will listen to him when he claims to know the source of the disaster. So Henry goes off by himself to confront Derrick Babbit, this time with a plan. He tricks Babbit into creating an army of robots then uses his superior knowledge of the way things work to absorb them into one giant robot. Henry defeats Babbit and stops the giant drill that was causing the earthquake. For fear of getting arrested again, he can't take credit for saving the day. But Henry finally accepts that whether or not society recognizes it: he is a hero.
Concept Art
Salvage Super Suit - Mach I
Henry Cray
Mysterious Technology
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