Blue Vulture Issue 1

Appearing in "The Hunter & The Prey"
Featured Characters Supporting Characters: Villains: Other Characters: Locations:
 * Blue Vulture
 * Judy Briggs
 * Jack Frost
 * Franco
 * The Frost Family
 * Benjamin Briggs
 * Edwin Wurst
 * Eddie Palmyra
 * Charlie
 * Austin, Texas

Synopsis
Billionaire playboy Thomas Wurst is discovered on a remote Pacific island, having been shipwrecked for the previous five years. Thomas is welcomed back home to Austin, Texas, by his father Edwin and best friend Michael Giovanni. They can sense that Thomas changed, and try to question him about his time on the island after viewing the numerous scars that have riddled his body.

Judy discovers that Thomas is alive; and the two meet. Thomas attempts to apologize to Judy for hurting her five years ago, as he left her to travel the world. However, Judy is still angry at him and Thomas meets her foster son Benjamin. Lieutenant Eddie Palmyra and Charlie confronts Judy about an incident where a gay couple was murdered.

Thomas recognizes Palmyra as the officer who picked him up when his mother was murdered as a boy. Thomas mother was Fiona Mauser, who was hurdled into a shipping container by drug lord Charlie Smiles and his two henchmen. Smiles wielded the chainsaw to kill Fiona for revenge on leaking information about him to the police department while his two henchmen were standing there to prevent everyone from escaping. Fiona pleaded for Smiles not to do this in front of Thomas. She screamed and cried as they revved the chainsaw, turning then to give a final smile to Thomas. She said to close his eyes, not to look and that she loved him before Smiles finally cut into her, killing Fiona in front of both of her son with no remorse. Smiles and his men fled the area while Thomas sat there, for two entire days sitting in blood that would forever change him. Detective Palmyra arrived, found Thomas, and took him to his father Edwin Wurst, the president of Wurst Laboratories. Mauser was a waitress that had an affair with Wurst years ago and made mention of a son, however, Wurst didn't believe her. When Wurst learned what happened, he went to investigate the matter himself and Palmyra had a DNA test performed proving that Thomas is his biological son. Wurst then decided to take Thomas in out of guilt for having ignored his mother.

In the present, Thomas decides to help in the investigation as the Blue Vulture. Later, Judy demands to know why Nate was late coming home. Nate hides his face from her, and when she presses the issue, he reveals that he has been beaten as part of an initiation gauntlet run by a gang called the Street Knights. He refuses her help, and says that he has no choice but to do whatever he is told by the gang.

Thomas disguises himself as a gay man and he is soon attacked by three young gang members. He overpowers them and discovers that Nate is one of the thugs. Thomas handcuffs the remaining thugs to a tree and questions them angrily.

Elsewhere, Jack Frost, the leader of the Frost Family, performs a surprise inspection on operations in Texas, where his man Franco has been running things for him. Business is booming, with recruitment, drugs, prostitution, protection all doing well. Jack provides his people with marijuana.

Blue Vulture confronts Jack after taking down all of his henchmen. Blue Vulture reveals that Franco has been drawing negative attention to the Frost Family by coordinating the recent attacks against homosexuals. Blue Vulture adds that Franco has a personal vendetta against homosexuals since he was raped once by male. Despite this, Frost states that Blue Vulture won't have earned the right to be heard until he himself runs his initiation gauntlet.

Blue Vulture agrees, taking a heavy beating, and eventually having to drag himself to the end of the line. While successful, he is badly hurt. When asked what he wants, Blue Vulture explains that it's only a matter of time before the police follow the same trail he did to find Franco. With the pressure on, a desperate Franco reveals that he contracted AIDS as a result of his rape, which he felt justified the murder of homosexuals. Franco tries to convince Frost that the police won't care since Frost has the police commissioner in his pocket, however, Blue Vulture notes that a lot of activists are demanding the police commissioner's resignation if the murders don't stop. Realizing that Blue Vulture is right, Frost immediately kills Franco with a cold gun, claiming that he went too far. Frost is about to kill Blue Vulture, however, he disappears without a trace.

Later, Benjamin tells Judy that even with Franco gone, he's still under pressure to stay in the gang. Judy plans to do something about it.