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Rune #7

Apr 1996

Len Kaminski, Gabriel Gecko

::: click cover to ENLARGE it :::

Story Name:

Fire with fire

Synopsis

Rune #7 synopsis by Rob Johnson

Rating:

The shadowy government agency Aladdin sent 3 Bio-Con Rune-based vampires after Gemini. Last issue they caught up with him as a golden Ultrahero in his Noel persona and siphoned off much of his power.

Now they're draining his blood as well when a new order from the AI GENIE that runs Aladdin tells them not to kill him but bring him to the Colorado base. But at the same time the sun sets allowing Erik to take over the Gemini body and its golden skin splits to release his Rune-like form. He reckons his fully Rune DNA will trump the Bio-Cons' partial Rune DNA. And he's proved right as he kills 1 by sucking its energy. And the other 2 are convulsed by its pain.

Meanwhile Adam Warlock has entered the soul of gravely-injured Angelique Zane to help her heal. Inside she is running from her (sort-of naked like Silver Surfer) birdlike golden Ultra-powered id, appearing now giant-sized, which she wishes she'd never 'let out'. (The police officer used it to fight golden Noel in #5 because he'd taken rather extreme measures to deal with hostage-holding terrorists, and she was injured in the process.) She wants him to take the power away but he says it's part of her and she must come to terms with it else it will take control without her humanity to restrain it. So she allows her 2 forms to merge into a human female with wings (and a pet bird and a minimal costume). Adam leaves her soul and she wakes. Then he bids her farewell and sees a TV report of the 3 robots' fight with golden Noel (but not Erik).

We see Erik kill another robot vampire and break the back of the 3rd before sucking its blood-analogue and then tearing off its head as a souvenir. He leaves the bodies as an Aladdin helicopter arrives, and returns to the abandoned church they call home. He tells Noel (and us) that he's got his power back from the 'bots. Then he spins a gooey cocoon out of which golden Noel emerges. But this Noel's lack of human conscience has gotten worse. He says he's tired of being treated like a villain when he tries to do 'good'. He teleports to the centre of Los Angeles and hovers in midair and announces that he's come to pass judgement. Unless they renounce their 'barbarism' he'll destroy a city each day, starting with this 1.

But Warlock joins him in midair saying he can't allow him to do that. And declares that he thinks they are brothers.

To be concluded in Ultraverse Unlimited #1.

Review / Commentaries

Rune #7 Review by Rob Johnson (September 28, 2024)

This issue's colouring team are:- Andrew Covalt & Mike Tuccinard design. Malibu colour.
The cover is by Arnold & Jacob Pander.

The 3 Rune series have been as much about Gemini as they have about Rune himself. Erik Johnson and Noel Robinson were identical twins brought up apart. They were genetically created by the shadowy government agency Aladdin, and designed to harness an ancient alien power called Shu-Ji. But in the 1st Rune series they met before Aladdin was ready and merged into Gemini. In #5 Rune tried to steal the Shu-Ji power from them but wound up giving them some of his own power instead. Then the twins alternated in controlling their shared body. Noel was the good side but Erik was feral and Rune-like.
In the Rune/Silver Surfer 1-shot Rune visited Marvel Earth and got the Soul Gem of the Infinity Gems. In the Curse Of Rune mini-series he returned to Ultra-Earth where he and the Gem battled for control. Rune was losing so he was glad when Gemini took the Gem from him in #2. In #3 Rune tried to make Gemini+Gem his pawn but Noel sent him to another dimension, and then threw the Soul Gem away. (And Loki found it to add to his Infinity Gem collection.) In #4 Rune wound up in the Negative Zone fighting Annihilus. And Aladdin found Adam Warlock's cocoon floating in space with his corpse inside.
The Rune infinity 1-shot continued with Rune fighting Annihilus and the twins fighting for control of the Gemini body. But then Black September hit. The twins made a pact, Noel would have the day and Erik would have the night. But Erik was even more like Rune. And at Aladdin Warlock emerged from his cocoon looking different - different outfit and his hair in 2 long braids.
The current series has had very little Rune apart from #4-5 which were all Rune recalling an episode from his long past. In #1 Annihilus defeated Rune and learned about the Ultraverse (but we've never seen him go there). He imprisoned him in what might be a black hole. At the end of #5 he found a way out his prison which led to Earth-616 again and the Rune Vs Venom 1-shot. He won't be seen back in the Ultraverse until his Hearts Of Darkness mini-series. Meanwhile in this series Noel fully-accessed the Shu-Ji power and became a golden superhero, but without his conscience which Erik inherited. And Warlock wandered the world and met a previously unknown Ultra Angelique Zane.

This is the end of this Rune series. Gemini and Warlock's conflict will continue in Ultraverse Unlimited #1. Aladdin and GENII will be involved but we won't see Angelique Zane again. That issue *will* include Rune, but only in another large episode from his past which also involves Warlock.

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