Bit of an Idea

[Windy]

If there was anyone who could dispute the old saying that you can’t escape your past, it would be Cleo Blaire. Erasing pasts, and reshaping futures, had been her career. As the super villain Tabula Rasa, her infamy had quickly spread and her name sent a chill up the spine of heroines across the city. Many knew fellow heroes who had been made to forget, had seen them serve at Tabula Rasa’s side with not a look of recognition in their eyes, and nothing that was tried ever seemed to be able to bring them back.

But in the middle of her rise, something changed. One day, her loyal minions suddenly remembered their lives. They returned as heroes, fully restored except for one detail. None of them could recall anything about Tabula Rasa, not so much as her face or why she had released them. Her lair was abandoned and there were no leads. It seemed the final past she erased was her own.

Years passed, and other threats reared their heads, and her notoriety faded. Tablua Rasa became simply Cleo, staying off the radar and running a small psychiatry practice. But even she couldn’t hide from her past forever. One day there was a small smooth clay tablet on her kitchen counter with a note, listing instructions and threats. Someone had discovered who she was and unless she donned the mask one more time, her past would be made to come back to haunt her. But she had no clue who had found out, who was blackmailing her or why. And there was no way the anonymous blackmailer would be satisfied with the tasks on this first list. But the demands themselves were the only leads she could follow to unveiling their identity.

[Hector2]

Hi Windy

I'm Hector, and I'm very interested in this tale. You have wrote only an introduction and even yet I'm intrigued, I will love to see the rest of the tale.

Just a comment, I have envisoned a villain with the same "modus operandi", called "Memory Master" (yes, a lame name, it's part of his mistique), so please when I post something about him please be kind enough to see it not as a cheap rip off, but only as a cheap intent to make an original villain.

Thanks!

Hector2

[Tecknophyle]

I can pretty much guarantee it's nothing like you were envisioning: basically I took the name and a bit of a premise and ran.

WARNING! The following link contains mature themes (as opposed to adolescent content often seen hereabouts: you'll know what I mean).

Here (http://guests.hipcomix.com/gallery2/mai ... emId=34976) is an introductory issue for the character and a few references to the universe background. I have a whole story fleshed out (that isn't as dark as this bit is), and it's a bit...epic. Planetary level threats, vast conspiracies, and a rather significant plot twist.

[Windy]

Ah, glad there was some interest ^_^

I hadn't realized how slowly the forum could move and have been a bit hectic the past few months and didn't see there had been some replies.

Not the same direction as I'd though but a good story Tecknophyle.

My ideas involved Tabular Rasa having to slowly work on distasteful jobs while spending as much time as she can figuring out who is behind the blackmail, through word on the street and taking the jobs given and trying to puzzle them together. Things are never so simple of course and superheroines are always a bit overeager to stop the slightest signs of illegal activity. None of them recognize her without her uniform of course, and Tabula Rasa already has sleeper agents throughout the hero corps, but she is loath to reactivate people she released so long ago, unless it became absolutely necessary.

[Tecknophyle]

I was thinking along the same lines...well, somewhat. This bit was just an intro to the character and some of her psychology, and an experiment into what kind of rendering style I would be using.

The basic storyline I sketched out was the blackmail forcing her into doing not very nice jobs as you described, but she could at least somewhat justify morally: getting a hooker off drugs, the not-nice bit being her pimp/madame knows she can bring in more cash when cleaned up; ruining the life of a cop getting too close in an investigation, but at least he's already a dirty cop, so she's really doing the city a favour; that sort of thing.

After that, it gets sort of epic and world-shaking.