MARVEL/DC COMICS PRESENTS #10

Spider-Man/The Legion of Superheroes

31st Century

New York City

“Welcome to Parker Interstellar Spaceport,” a voice announced over the intercom system. “The state of the art spaceport servicing the United Planets and other neighboring systems.”

“Boys,” a voice yelled as identical twin boys ran inside the building.

The dark haired twins ran past the various alien and human guests. A Thanagarian shouted a curse as one the boys pulled a feather from his wings. A Shi’ar woman clutched her baggage as the boys ran around her. The boys didn’t care about the confusion their playful mischief caused.

“You can’t catch me,” one of the twins yelled as he looked around a stone pillar.

“Oh yes I can,” the other twin yelled back as he ran in the direction of the other’s voice. He ducked and dodged the various spaceport travelers. He spied the stone pillar and knew his brother was behind it. He dramatically snuck to the pillar in a comical manner. Then he reached his hand to the other side of it and yelled, “Gotcha!”

His twin brother screamed out and began running away from his brother. He glanced back a few times at him in pursuit. One of those times he glanced away and ran into a pudgy traveler. The force of the collision knocked both onto the floor.

“Ow,” the twin yelled out wincing and rubbing his head. The pain was felt from his head to his butt.

“Gotcha,” the other twin shouted as he touched his brother’s shoulder. “Hey, are you alright,” he asked the pudgy traveler who was also likewise on the floor wincing and rubbing his head.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt pain like that,” the pudgy traveler said as he began to stand up. He groaned as he rose and towered over the twins. “I’ll live another day. How’s your friend?”

“I’m his brother,” the twin in the floor said as he rose to his feet.

“My apologies, my boys,” the pudgy traveler said rubbing his snow white hair. “I’m just now realizing that you look identical. Guess the fall rattled these old eyes as well as these bones. How about I make it up to you with a treat if your parents will allow it? I’m forgetting my manners now, my name is R. J. Brande and you are?”

“I’m Pol,” the twin who ran into Brande said.

“I’m Peter,” the other twin replied. “We’re going to Mars with our parents and we... hey where are our parents?”

Pol looked around worried as well at all the various travelers and didn’t recognized any as their parents. “We’re lost.”

The realization that their parents were no where to be seen hit Peter even harder and he began to cry, “Dad...Mom?”

“Oh dear,” Brande said at the boys’ situation. “Where was the last place you saw them?”

“We don’t know,” the boys said in unison.

“We just got here,” Pol said as he tried to hold and comfort his brother. The tears welled up in his eyes as well as he looked at Brande.

Brande looked around and said, “Ah, why don’t we sit over here,” he said pointing over at long bench not far from wheee they stood. “I’m sure your parents are looking for you as we speak. We’re also not far from one of the check-in desks for passengers. I’m sure they will find you if we sit here for awhile. Come.” He placed his thick chubby hands upon the boys’ shoulders and led them through the growing mass of indifferent travelers to the safety of the bench. Then he pulled out a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket for the boys to dry their tears. “By chance are you Winathians or Carggites?”

“No,” Pol replied. “We get that a lot though.”

“Cause we’re twins,” Peter said with a sniffle.

“Our mom and dad are from Earth.”

“Ah,” Brande sad, “I see.”

“Have you ever seen a Winathian or Carggite before, Mr. Brande” Pol asked.

“Have I? My boy, I have a few that work for me,” Brande said with a laugh. “You’ve heard of the Legion?“

Pol and Peter’s eyes widened at the sound of the Legion’s name.

“Why in this very spaceport the Winathian, Lightning Lad, the Braalian, Cosmic Boy, and the lovely Saturn Girl saved my life and I got them to work for me as The Legion,”

“Wow!”

“You did that,” Pol said in amazement.

“I sure did,” Brande said with a wide smile upon his pudgy mustached face. “Those kids had the right stuff like the heroes from long ago.”

“You mean like Superman? My dad told me stories about him,” Pol said

“Yes,” Brande said proudly. “Superman was an inspiration for my creating The Legion and so was the masked hero Spider-Man.”

“Spider-Man? Who’s that?” Peter asked.

“Funny you should asked that, my boy,” Brande said with a twinkle in his eye. “Let me tell you boys a story about the Amazing Spider-Man.”

The twins leaned in closer as Brande began his story.

“A little over a thousand years ago on Earth was a teenager named Peter Parker.”

“Peter, like me?”

“Hush, let me tell it,” Pol said chiding Peter’s interruption.

“That’s alright,” Brande reassured and continued. “Yes, like you my boy he was named Peter. Peter Parker. Now Peter lost his parents when he was a little boy so he was raised by his aunt and uncle. Now Peter was bright boy and really smart. Unfortunately most people his age didn’t care for him and weren’t his friends.”

“That’s sad,” Peter said.

“Indeed,” Brande agreed. “The lack of friends didn’t hurt much because he had an aunt and uncle that loved him dearly. One day his life changed forever when he went on a school trip where the scientists were working new forms of radiation. Little did anyone know a spider got irradiated there and fell on Peter.”

“What happened,” Pol asked. “Did he hit the spider?”

“I’m scared of spiders,” Peter said making a yucky face. “They’re creepy.”

“Well this little spider fell on Peter and bit him.”

The twins simultaneously gasped.

“The spider bite began to affect Peter in an unexpected way when he got home. He found himself stronger and could stick to and climb walls.”

“Wow, did he tell his aunt and uncle,” Peter asked.

“No,” Brande replied. “The poor boy didn’t want to upset them with what he become. He did however decided to use his new powers to help them out though.”

“How,” Pol asked.

“Peter, bright boy that he was, made a masked costume and crafted wrist shooters that shot off webbing that he created. Then he decided to become a wrestler.”

“A wrestler? I thought he was a superhero,” Pol asked.

“Not at first,” Brande said. “Peter’s aunt and uncle didn’t have a lot of money and the money Peter made as a wrestler helped them out. Things were about to change though. One night , a thief robbed the wrestling promoter Peter worked for. Peter was there when the thief ran past him with the money.”

“Did he punch the guy and get the money back,” Pol asked as he punched in the air.

“No, my lad,” Brande somberly said, “he let him go. The thief got away. It was a mistake that would come back haunt the lad for years to come. You see the next night, Peter learned that his uncle was killed by someone trying to steal from him.”

“No,” Peter cried. “Did he cry?”

“I think he did, my boy,” Brande said. “He didn’t cry for long though. Peter put on his Spider-Man suit and went looking for the thief.”

“Did he find him,” Pol asked with his fist clinched.

“He did,” Brande replied. “He learned that the police had cornered the thief in a building. He went there and began to beat the thief. He took the frightened thief’s mask off and learned that it was the same thief that he let get away.”

“Whoa,” the twins said in unison.

“Yes. The very thief that he could have stopped that night killed his uncle the next night. Peter learned a painful lesson that night: with great power comes great responsibility. From that moment on Spider-Man became a hero and saved many people from going through what he did that night. Spider-Man’s heroism lived long after him. It inspired other heroes and was one of the reasons why I created The Legion. Young heroes like Peter was. In fact this very spaceport is named in his honor.”

“It is,” Peter asked in astonishment.

“Indeed, my boy,” Brande said proudly. “He’s the Parker in the name of the spaceport’s name.”

“Wow,” Peter said with a wide smile. “I’m named after a superhero!”

“Peter? Pol?”

The twins’ ears perked up at the familiar calling of their names.

A worried looking man and woman rushed over to where they were sitting.

“Mom...Dad,” the twins said elated. The pair ran over and each hugged their parents tightly.

“We were looking all over for you two,” the twins father said as he picked up Peter and hugged him.

“We’re sorry for running away and playing,” Peter said.

“Yeah,” Pol added, “we’re sorry.”

“The boys were lucky that they ran into me,” Brande said with a smile as walked over to them. “I regaled them with stories of the heroes of the past. Works every time. I’m...”

“You’re R. J. Brande,” the twins’ mother interrupted upon recognizing his face.

“The richest man in the United Planets,” the twins’ father added with his mouth dropped.

“And he started The Legion, dad,” Pol said excitedly

“We know, son, we know,” the twins’ father said in shock. He turned his attention to Brande and said, “I hope the boys were not a problem for you sir.”

“Nonsense,” Brande said. “We had a nice story and learned a lesson. Haven’t we, boys?”

The twins nodded and said in unison, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Good,” Brande said with a smile, “If you remember anything of this moment, my boys, keep that in your heart and you will be heroes too. Like Spider-Man and The Legion.”