BROADWAY COMICS: FATALE

Fatale first appeared in Broadway's premiere issue, Powers That Be #1, published in November 1995. She also appeared in Shadow State #1 and #2 prior to getting her own self-titled series in January 1996.

The Fatale series lasted 6 issues with the last one being published in October 1996. Fatale was the only ongoing series to finish a storyarc before Broadway closed down. The title character's appearances from Powers That Be, Shadow State and Fatale are all written by Shooter and reprinted in the Inherit the Earth trade paperback.

There is one known Fatale variant. The first issue of the Fatale series was available in a black and white promotional issue. The promo was given free to retailers and was printed on a lower-quality paper. It contains no color on the cover or any of the interior pages. Aside from the lack of color, the promotional issue is the same as the color retail version.

When we are first introduced to Fatale in Powers That Be #1, she is busy shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue. In the middle of a lipstick purchase, she is ambushed by an unknown group wearing gloves and helmets and armed with batons. At this point, we are let in on part of what makes Fatale unique. When she comes into skin-to-skin contact with someone, she is able to temporarily absorb their knowledge and physical abilities.

Upon seeing the ambush, she absorbs the male Saks clerk and immediately removes an attacker's glove to absorb his strength and knowledge of karate. After escaping from Saks she runs for cover into a church and winds up interrupting a wedding ceremony. Turns out the wedding is a setup and filled with dozens of more ambushers.

After Fatale absorbs hundreds of people and escapes the church, we witness two individuals behind the attack conversing on the phone planning their next moves. We're of course left to wonder who this group is, who are they working for and what do they want with Fatale. Her story would continue in Shadow State #1.

After reading Fatale #6, you might be interested in reading the two unpublished scripts and one unpublished outline available. The first is a script entitled "Who is Like Unto the Beast" that was to be published as issue #0. The second is another unpublished script titled "In Defiance of Reality." Lastly, there is the unpublished outline "The Lucy and Desi Story."