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WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?

AL SPARROW has been reading comic books from the moment he picked up his older sister's copies of Teen Titans and Superman Family (starring Supergirl, the comic book character he would develop an unhealthy fixation on for the next thirty plus years). The first comic he ever picked out for himself was an issue of Black Panther, mainly because he remembers how cool the cover looked.

For the next three decades, Al read comic books off and on...never collecting them, but reading them. While he does have quite a few boxes of books that have been faithfully bagged and boarded, most of them are of series nobody cares about and wouldn't pay a dime for on the open market. Seriously, who's looking for DV8 right now? Anyone? He really prefers trades.

When he's not dealing with the many groupies and drug-laden orgies that come from working the independent comic-writer circuit, Al works for the government, and has a cool side gig reviewing comics for the popular IGN.com entertainment site. THUGS! Is his first foray into actually seeing one of his insane ideas make it to the printed page.

STEPHEN REID has a long and storied career in illustration and animation, which makes us all scratch our heads as to how he ended up working with Al. Trained by none other than Wil Eisner, Stephen cut his teeth working for Fox Animation Studios on such projects as Anastasia and Titan A.E. (but we'll forgive him!). After that job, he worked for a local Arizona e-learning company, where he ran into Al for the first time. It wasn't long before the two of them began working on the very comic you're reading now. Recently he got a gig designing some cards for the Marvel Masterworks series. Told you he was good!

Stephen's pastimes include sketching, rooting for Manchester United, and proving to Al that any comic idea, no matter how unique it may seem, was thought up first by John Wagner or Pat Mills at 2000 A.D. The only thing truly scary about that last one is how often he's right.

He has tried several times to convince Al that true football is played with a round ball, not with pads and helmets. He's also quizzed Al on Judge Dredd back issues, which he forces him to read at gunpoint.

WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?

	TED "TWENTY" BERMAN is a professional henchman. He got his nickname from his monumental arrest record. His ability to keep a tight lip and his longstanding ability to "get the job done" have earned him a bit of a reputation among the numerous supervillains who hire him, repeatedly, either posting his bail or simply breaking him out of prison completely. While not the most tech-savvy of henchment, he's really good with a gun, and pretty much knows every hero AND villain currently playing the game. It's this knowledge that will help Twenty and Denton survive...IF they survive!
	DENTON SCHNEIDER is a first-time henchman, paired up with Twenty in the hopes that some of the wisdom the old man has will rub off on the new kid. It hasn't happened yet. Intelligent, but perenially down on his luck, Denton lost everything...a wife, his job, and a pretty good life, and has turned to a life of crime in a last-ditch effort to make up for lost time. Craving adventure, or at the very least a noteworthy if notorious life, he's a bit headstrong at times, but with Twenty around to keep him in line, it looks like things may turn around for the kid.
	DARK COWL (aka Earl Knight) is one of the city's greatest crusaders for justice. He's also a born sadist, who takes a perverse pleasure in beating the hell out of the criminal element, with his young partner, The Finch, always at his side. There have been a number of Finch's over the years, but Dark Cowl has always remained the steadfast protector of the innocent, although in his book "Nobody's innocent". His recent murder at the hands of a couple of thugs has provided the initial action of our little story.
	ULTRAMAIDEN is an envoy to the world from a society of female warriors. She's become almost immediately disgusted by what she's seen, but for a time had a bit of a tryst with Dark Cowl. Most men fear her. Most men want her. Steve and I have come to love the gal. Originally written to be a one-shot ripoff on a certain Amazonian princess, she's grown (notice I didn't say "developed") into a much bigger role in the Thugs storyline. We think you'll like some of the fun things we have planned for her.

	MORE TO COME!

c. 2006-present Stephen Reid & Alan Sparrow. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication, in any media, is a violation of applicable laws. We have lawyers. They're waiting for the opportunity, and frankly, we can use the cash. Don't tempt fate, people. This is a work of satirical fiction. Any resemblence to actual superheroes, real or imagined, is a coincidence, and not intentional. I like to move it, move it. No, really, I do. Like to move it, move it. Ask anyone!