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The Curse of the Hellfire Crown |
The Early History of the Flying FoxFreddy Foster was born to a prominent San Francisco family, and grew up in the lap of luxury. He was pampered, protected, and encouraged to develop his mind and body to the utmost degree. As he grew older, Freddy began to realize that he wasn't quite like other people. He was faster, stronger, and smarter than most. When he hit his early teens, he began to get into comic books, and began to wonder if maybe he was really a super-powered mutant. Or possibly an super-powered alien who had been adopted by kindly "foster" (hmmm) parents. Although his father and mother assured him that he was simply a fine specimen of young manhood, that he was neither mutant nor alien, Freddy continued for many years to imagine that he might one day don a colorful costume and gain the admiration of society by becoming a superhero. After his parents died, Freddy had other matters to concern him, and for a time put his plans for superheroic activities on the shelf. It wasn't until Icestar made his debut as a costumed hero that Freddy Foster's thoughts again turned to his secret ambition. Making good use of the fortune he had inherited, he began to construct crime-fighting equipment, put together multi-purpose vehicles, and build a few hidden bases. When he was almost ready, even though he hadn't yet decided on his crime-fighting motif, Freddy invited Icestar to attend the grand opening of his "Billion-Dollar Pleasure Palace"—a glorious showcase built on a prominent peak overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Freddy's intent was to adopt the traditional Zorro-style secret identity, and pose as a wastrel spendthrift so that no one would suspect his true identity. He had hoped to be able to pump Icestar for information and advice that would help him launch his crime-fighting career. The unfortunate story of what happened at that party was told in Champions #8. While Icestar was there, the evil Madame Synn took advantage of the opportunity afforded by the presence of her frosty foe and tested a new design for one of her "invulnerable" battle tanks. During the battle, Freddy's new mansion was completely obliterated. Freddy was furious with Icestar for not having the good sense to disengage and avoid a prolonged fight. Then, when his insurance company refused to pay off, saying that his policy didn't cover unnatural disasters, Freddy's mind snapped. Believing himself to be financially ruined—he'd put virtually of his inheritance into his superhero preparations—and having convinced himself that it was all Icestar's fault, Freddy vowed to exact his vengeance. Instead of becoming a costumed hero, he became a costumed villain. He adopted a bat motif, took the code-name "Flying Fox," and attempted to regain his fortune by working outside the law. Ironically, it was Madame Synn herself who helped Freddy put the finishing touches on his costumed identity. She helped him design his costume, built his soon-to-be-dreaded "Popgun" for him, and made sure his designs for his various vehicles were functional. As she explained when asked about it by one of her henchmen, Madame Synn thought it would be amusing to see how a nutcase like Freddy Foster would fare against her arch-enemy. As it turned out, Freddy did a lot better than Madame Synn had expected. Over the course of several early encounters with Icestar, Freddy actually managed to pull off some thefts, and somehow evaded capture every time. As seen in flashback in Flare vol 2 #3, one of the Flying Fox's earliest successes involved the theft of an experimental suit of mechanized exo-skeleton armor, which he turned over to his favorite henchman, LeRoy McGowan. This gesture earned the Fox LeRoy's complete and undivided loyalty. Before he got the armor, LeRoy had been a nobody--a failed agent of the criminal drug organization known as Venom. After he got the armor, LeRoy became the awesome Cybernotron! Soon after the League of Champions was formed, the Flying Fox learned that the beautiful heroine, the White Dove, had taken up with one of Icestar's new partners, the Huntsman. This infuriated him! The White Dove was not only a married woman, she was married to none other than one of Freddy Foster's boyhood heroes, Fletcher the Bowman, the legendary ace archer of World War II. To the Fox's mind, the Huntsman wasn't worthy of Dove. Although the details of this story have never been told, the Flying Fox kidnaped Dove and forced the Huntsman into an elaborate series of challenges designed to test his skills and ingenuity. When the Huntsman passed the tests, the Fox grudgingly released his captive and made good his escape. Another untold story involved the Flying Fox's first encouter with the psychic detective, Rose. This happened soon after Rose affiliated herself with the League of Champions. Upon learning that Rose had the ability to "teleport," the Fox assumed she used some sort of gadget to do it, and decided to try to acquire it from her. He visited Rose's penthouse apartment, explained to her that he needed her teleportation gizmo in order to facilitate his plan to teleport the entire population of Earth into outer space and hold them for ransom, and offered to cut her in for a significant share of the profit. The story struck Rose as being so silly that she couldn't take the Fox seriously. She didn't even bother to try to capture him. After he learned that Rose's power to vanish from one place and reappear somewhere else was natural, not the result of advanced technology, the Fox stole a kiss and took his leave. It wasn't until several months later that Rose and the League of Champions learned the real reason the Flying Fox had wanted to get his hands on a teleportation device. By this time, the Flying Fox had decided he was the unofficial "tester" of new Champions. When Flare appeared on the scene, the Fox made a special point of arranging for an encounter with her. As told in Champions #8, Flare was completely unprepared to face the Fox, and ended up being victimized by him. He drugged her and carted off to one of his headquarters. When Flare woke up, she was so light-headed and giggly that she might well have done something she would later have regretted. Fortunately, the Huntsman had anticipated the possibility that Flare's youth and inexperience would get her into trouble. A tracking device inserted into the fabric of Flare's neckband led the Champions to her in time to stage a rescue. The Fox finally got the teleportation gadget he'd wanted by making an alliance with the Ellipsis, a scientific genius who had ambitions of his own. Unfortunately, the League of Champions interfered, and the Fox's plan to strike terror into the hearts of other costumed criminals by making them think he had a "disintegration ray" blew up in his face. After that, figuring that the Champions probably thought he was dead, and knowing there were a bunch of dangerous people out there who were mad at him, the Fox decided it was time to take a well-earned vacation. He gathered up the money he'd stashed away, and went off to Rio intending to spend several months resting, recuperating, and (with any luck) enjoying the company of some of the most beautiful women in the world. NEXT: The Curse of the Hellfire Crown
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The Flying Fox, Tabitha Fox, Freddy Foster, related characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Heroic Publishing, Inc. For information regarding the availability of these and other Heroic characters for media licensing, contact The Daniel Ostroff Agency, 9200 Sunset Blvd, Suite 402, Los Angeles CA 90069. For other inquiries direct E-mail to dmallonee@heroicpub.com |