Dart: The Mini-Series

Gregory Brockman heads a major toy company, and has just signed a deal with a team of superheroes known as Blood Chic (Rosette, Sirene, Shaq Splayed, Death Gaze and Noyade) to create a new toyline based on themselves. Unbeknownst to them he has also signed their arch enemies (Meteorite, Swamp Gas, Walrus, Carpenter and their leader Mistress Brouhaha) for the villain line of toys which will be part of the same package. Having conducted quality assurance tests and test-marketed the products with groups of children, he has identified a hole in the product line. The superheroes are unique, but need a bridging character for the children to relate to them fully. He visits his wife, Leah Brockman, in the bowels of the building where she slaves away as the company's sole designer, and he demands that she comes up with a suitable superhero toy to plug the gap. She argues that their line of Forest Folk (fairies and gnomes) which has been the mainstay of their empire is what makes them unique in the marketplace, and that they should stick to what they're good at. She tells him that this foray into superheroes could be the business's downfall as they have no experience in this area. He tells her to shut up as this deal is his, and that she has no say in the matter, and that she will not be allowed to leave the room (not even to pee) until she has come up with an appropriate design.

That night in another part of the city a woman is being harassed by a gang of thugs, murderers and rapists when an unknown vigilante appears on the scene. Her name is Dart, and she proceeds to kick ass. At one point she receives a backhander from one of the men which sends her memories reeling backwards to a time when she was helpless and too young at five years of age to fight back against her father who tyrannised her mother and herself. She witnessed her mother's death at his hands as well as his subsequent arrest which left her, in effect, an orphan. With this memory comes an added strength and determination to get the better of the assailants which she does with great agility with her gymnastics and martial arts skills as well as the accuracy of her darts.

Several storeys above the alley a young man videotapes the entire proceedings from his kitchen window. He knows he has a sure sale to the nightly news. Kill Cat arrives at the end of the fracas only to see Dart leaving the scene. He is suitably impressed at her prowess in a conflict.

At the toy company Leah Brockman walks around trying to draw a suitable design for the new toy that will capture her husband's attention and get her out of this trapped situation, but she suffers from a creative block. At the same time Gregory Brockman lounges around his office watching the news where amateur video footage of Dart's previous altercation is being shown. A reporter interviews Kill Cat who comments on the mysterious stranger named Dart, and asks her to contact him if she is watching the newscast so that they can join forces and "become the hottest team that Detroit has ever seen".

The next day Gregory goes in to see what progress Leah has made, but discards her designs as too soft, uninteresting etc. He tells her that she is hopeless, and throws a newspaper at her telling her to use this new Dart woman's image for the toy. She tells him he can't do that without permission. He tells her he can do anything he likes as this city is his playground, and if Leah wants to play in it, she has to play by his rules. If he is challenged on anything, then he has the solution to the problem. The villains enter, and hint at their evil by smashing an elf statuette that Leah has just been lovingly looking at.

A week or two later Dart is passing a shop window when she is shocked to see a commercial on TV advertising a new toy product line which includes a prototype of herself. She sets off to investigate what all this is about.

But Blood Chic get to Gregory Brockman first because this Dart character is also news to them. After they confront Gregory who is surrounded with wall to wall lawyers, he tells them that he owns them lock, stock and barrel and that he has exclusive rights over their images and can do anything he wants with them. Death Gaze grabs him and lifts him up off the floor; only to have one of the lawyers start filming the event with a handycam and warning them all if anything happens to his client that this film will be used against them in a court of law. Death Gaze puts Gregory down who promptly tells them to get out as he doesn't need them at all anymore. He brings out some secondary people who are dressed in the Blood Chic costumes. The team say that these are poor imitations for the real thing, but Gregory tells them that anybody is replaceable.

The Super Heroes tell him that the matter is not over, that the contract was fair to both parties, but Gregory tells them that it's not worth the paper it's written on, because his team of lawyers can choose to interpret the contract any way they want to because "in the world of toys, a room full of lawyers will beat a team of Super Heroes any day". If Blood Chic have any future complaints they should make them known to his official representatives. He brings on the Super Villains. These two groups have met before and there is a momentary stand-off as a lawyer hands Blood Chic a restraining order telling them that they are not allowed to come within a mile of the manufacturing plant or the directors of the company.

Not being very experienced in strategic negotiations or confrontations the heroes slink away temporarily silenced. On their way out they bump into Dart, and are immediately suspicious of her reasons for being there. However, Rosette catches a whiff of Dart's scent and interprets it as being sympathetic. In a coffee shop close by, the team congregate to discuss their predicament over a cafe latte or two.

Back at the toy manufacturer's building Dart pushes her way past Gregory's secretary and into his office. She demands to know what right he has to use her name and likeness. He tells her that they have been working on this design for a year, and if anything, she stole the design and name from them. To prove it he takes her downstairs to Leah's cell-like office, and shows her some falsely backdated Dart designs. She asks Leah if this is true, but before Leah can answer, Gregory butts in and answers for her.

Gregory tells Dart that she's worth nothing which links her into another flashback sequence from her teenagehood when she is practicing in the gymnastics training room at a major sports institute. The words "useless", "hopeless", "nothing", "worthless" echo through the air, as the head coach berates a young male student. She gets off the rings to investigate, and sees the man flogging the boy with his belt. She stands there and watches the punishment being dished out, but doesn't intervene on the boy's behalf even though she cries for him.

Before Dart goes out she sees the shame in Leah's face, and tells her that there comes a time when one needs to speak out and fight back. Dart found her time and perhaps Leah is yet to gain control over her own life, and she hopes it will be soon.

Dart tells Gregory that he's not going to get away with it, and she injures one of the lawyers in a scuffle. Gregory realises that she has a dangerous edge to her. After she leaves he sends out the villains to take care of her. They chase her into the distribution plant where all the toys are being packaged in boxes for retailers, and they hunt her down. There is a James Bond like sequence, but she is only one against five, and they throw her onto the production line to be wrapped and suffocated in plastic.

Dart gasps for air, and starts to suffocate, turning blue under the shrink wrap. This sends her into a final flashback of a hand clasping over her mouth in a bar, and being restrained by her date as her friend is being attacked by another man. Dart struggles and gets away only to stumble onto the floor hitting a dartboard on her way down. A hand comes down and grabs her hair as she lies amongst the scattered darts on the floor. The man pulls her head backwards, and it is at this moment that Dart decides never to be a victim again: that she is going to give as good as she gets. She grabs a dart and thrusts it into her attacker's eye. She throws another few darts at the exposed buttocks of the man who is about to rape her friend. She smashes a beer jug over another man's head and with a combination of her athletic skills and strength manages to overcome the situation. Her final act is to lift up her date rapist by the collar and tell him that "she guesses next time he takes an unsuspecting lady out, it really will be a blind date".

Dart is turning blue and nearly dead when the shrink wrap is torn from her face and body and she is given mouth-to-mouth by Shaq. Standing around her is Blood Chic. Dart and the team both realise they have been double-crossed by Gregory. The team want to take revenge but Dart tells them that with a bit of organising, they can expose his true colours to the world at large. And if it's organising of a team that needs to be done, then she is the best person to do it.

It is the day of the launch, and the shopping mall is full of activity. Outside "Toys 4 Me" thousands of families have gathered in the midst of brass bands, clowns etc. in a giant colourful spectacle. Gregory is kissing babies, handing out balloons, signing autographs and presenting a very amiable public face. With him are the human costumed Super Heroes and the actual Super Villains who act as his body-guards. Gregory makes his way to the podium, and starts to make a big speech about how he has developed this new line of super toys, which will outsell any other line. He's about to take the company to its next high point with these new products. He pulls back a curtain only to reveal ... brand new prototypes of the Forest Folk line. Leah Brockman's voice comes over the speakers as she damns her husband publicly and tells everybody that he has stolen the identity of several innocent people including herself. Cameras are flashing everywhere and microphones are being shoved in his face for comments.

Gregory starts to lose his composure and orders the Super Villains to find her and shut her up at which point Dart and Blood Chic appear, and it is the beginning of the end for the shopping mall. A battle of mighty proportions ensues between villains and heroes as families flee and floors fall.

Meteorite rolls himself up into a flaming molten ball and hurls himself towards Blood Chic, but Death Gaze blocks his onslaught. Meteorite is propelled towards a glass elevator, and the force of his hit causes the cables to snap. The elevator which is full of young children plummets towards the ground. Death Gaze manages to stop it while Rosette becomes responsible for calming the panicking crowd. She releases a scent of mother's milk while Swamp Gas tries battle her with his own brand of Eau de Toilet/Sewer No. 5/White Flatulence/Black Skunk/Gaseous Pleasures.

Meanwhile, Sirene climbs up some cables to rescue some unconscious people who have fallen into a large aquarium. Shaq Splayd unleashes the powers from the medallion of dexterity, and chops off Carpenter's saw hand with his sword.

Dart must deal with Mistress Brouhaha, and they battle each other with darts and whips. The only way that Brouhaha can disable her opponent is with her telepathic powers. As Dart falls to the floor powerless, Noyade springs into action. She has the ability to shut down the cognitive part of her brain and to transform herself into a wild feline that attacks on instinct. Gregory Brockman makes a run for it, but Dart stops him.

Above them Siren dives into the aquarium and transforms her legs into a tail. Unbeknownst to her Walrus has followed, and as she rescues a drowning man, Walrus plunges one of his tusks into Sirene's shoulder. It is so abrupt and painful, that Sirene lets out a sonic scream which shatters all the glass in the mall. The aquarium collapses and the mall is filled with water. Mistress Brouhaha realising that her team has been defeated, instructs them to get out of there, and Blood Chic is left with only one person to contend with: Gregory Brockman. But Leah Brockman beats them to the punch, and knocks him out with a hit to the jaw. Death Gaze removes the unconscious man, and the end credits come up.

"What happened to the major characters?" sequence.

Kill-Cat day-dreams of marrying Dart.
Dart moves to Chicago and takes over the Freak Force.
Blood Chic have a comic book created after them which is published by Image, and they become the hottest property.
Vogue Attack live to fight another day, and become the bane of Blood Chic's existence.
Leah Brockman takes over the toy company now that her ex-husband is out of the picture, and turns the whole business around. (We see her surrounded by sexy young men).
Gregory Brockman survives to this day on an desolate island in the South Pacific where he lives off the putrid flesh of the local fowl.

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

"What happened to the major characters?" sequence.

		Dart: The Mini-series
		In 1995, Erik Larsen of Image (Savage Dragon, Freak Force) asked BMP to do a "Year One" story (ie. point of origin plotline) for one of his favourite characters Dart who appeared in several of his comics. BMP took this project on with great delight. The only brief we were given was that Erik wanted a bar room scene and a challenge on the character's name. Outside of that BMP was given free reign. Dart the Miniseries was published by Image in February 1996. The first issue made it into Wizard's Top 100 list for the month. The following is a synopsis of the Dart storyline incorporating the new superhero team, Blood Chic, and the super villain team, Vogue Attack. The characters of Dart, Kill-Cat and Freak Force are © and ™ Erik Larsen.