The Avenger of Olympus

Another Charles Lee Jackson II Swashbuckling Super heroine is Born! "High adventure mixing every cool paperback, comic, late night TV treasure, 1960s and ‘70s spy adventure, and the breakneck pace and scale of the great Republic serials." —Steve Latshaw, screenwriter, Stan Lee's Lightspeed. When archaeologist Elizabeth Owen discovers an ancient artifact that imbues her with the abilities of the Olympian gods, she finds that with awesome power comes an awesome responsibility. For now she must be the protector of Mankind, the inheritor of mighty powers, Nemesis, the Avenger of Olympus. (And you can bet it won’t be long before she is invited to join The Emperor’s inner circle.) Don't miss this wild and wooly feminist revision of the classic Captain Marvel origin story. In the first adventure, trapped in a lost Greek temple, Betty receives “A Gift from the Gods”, an artifact and scroll that confer great powers—powers she’ll need to save not just herself, but the other members of her archaeological expedition who have been taken prisoner by an enraged mob. She is forced to become Nemesis a second time when her attempt to clear two innocent members of the expedition, who have been accused of passing counterfeit currency, leads her into a deadly encounter with Continent-Eight and the Diabolical Dr. Double X, as she tries to “Follow the Money”. Then back in the US on a lecture tour, Betty discovers she is not the only super heroine in town, after Nemesis encounters Shooting Star during an investigation of brutal monsters who are attacking her students, unearthing the secret of “Barton’s Bruisers”. Angling for a new job, Betty tries to come to the rescue after the evil Jade Dragon and Doctor Yalta strike again, but becomes locked in a three-way battle that includes yet another super heroine, and the fight card is Nemesis versus “Solara Versus Captain Yalta”. Another terrific adventure from The Emperor's Secret Files, as told to Charles Lee Jackson II.

The Avenger of Olympus (Super Heroine)

“The Emperor’s Secret Files”

By Charles Lee Jackson II

Futures Past Editions

ISBN #978-1500634629

Price $8.00

172 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Comic Book Heroine Comes To Life.”

This is another creation of Charles Lee Jackson II, and we get a female Captain Marvel of sorts. Well, okay, I was visualizing Mary Marvel, instead of the good Captain, but she is my favorite comic book heroine after all. There are four stories in this volume: Book #1: “A Gift From The Gods”. In this first adventure a special team of archaeologists have unearthed an ancient Greek cave near Yatafushi in eastern Turkey close to the Georgian border. While Elizabeth “Betty” Owen is inside the chamber Kurds attack outside. Then an explosion seals the cave entrance, trapping Betty inside. Here she discovers secrets to the Olympus Gods, and with the utterance of “vengeance” in the old language, “Hekdekessus”, a clap of thunder and streak of lightning flashes, and she becomes Nemesis, The Avenger of Olympus. Crashing out of the cave Nemesis flies to the town to rescue her team. Nemesis orders them to leave her temple, and while they are departing, she becomes Betty again, and is taken with them. As an origin story, this is definitely, a fun adventure.

Book #2: “Follow The Money”. In Ankara, Turkey, the archaeological team runs into problem when two of the members are arrested with counterfeit US twenty-dollar bills.  In the meantime Gayla Knight, an enforcer for Continent-Eight has brought Double Double Xavier Xavier, a super scientist criminal, to Ankara to infiltrate the counterfeit gang; they have their own evil purpose for this. Nemesis wrecks the counterfeiting gang’s machinery, bringing the police in to find the operation, and the man behind it. Meanwhile, Gayla Knight and Double Double X have disappeared. This was another fun adventure.

Book #3: “Barton’s Bruisers”. Dr. Betty Owen is touring universities on a speaking engagement talking about the archaeological discovers her team made in Turkey. While visiting the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, she is interviewed by Alison Carlsonn, who happens to be super heroine Shooting Star, the daughter of swashbuckler Meteor. There is also a visiting football team on campus to play an exhibition game with UNM. When giant human “hulks” attack people on and off campus, Betty Owen becomes Nemesis to find out what’s going on, unaware she’s being helped by Shooting Star. This was another fun adventure.

Book #4: “Solara Versus Captain Yalta”. The Jade Dragon slips Doctor August Yalta a potion that turns him into a rampaging Hulk who obeys her commands. Looting a museum of natural history where Betty Owen is visiting, she becomes Nemesis, but The Jade Dragon sprays the potion in her face, and she comes under the Asian mastermind’s power. The mighty Solara shows up, and the heroes and bad guys battle it out in a fun romp.

These were all fun stories, and I liked the character of Nemesis. Highly recommended for comic book super hero fans.

Tom Johnson

Author of CRIMES LAST STAND