The Nex Issue: My Life is Super - Issue 4

The crowd cheered as the sign behind the predominantly black wolf with the white crest on his chest flashes with the words 'The Nex Issue'. The host waited patiently for a few moments in the big leather couch as the cheering died down.

"Hello and welcome again to The Nex Issue, the little show where we go behind the scenes of the tales and stories that are presented to you by yours truly, Nex Canis. He spread his arms towards the logo. "The Nex Issue, breaking the fourth wall to break you."

He clapped his paws together. "Now before we go into our show, I would like to clarify one thing. With the appearance of Jacob Reaper in the My Life is Super series, that are no doubt questions of whether another certain entity might appear, particularly one that owns a multi-dimensional corporation with nefarious dealings. The very same corporation that sponsors this show, in fact.

"The answer is no. The Director will not be appearing and to further clarify, I am not the Director. I'm simply capitalising on his assets to bring you this show." Nex clapped his paws. "But that's enough about me. "Let us meet our guests today who come to us from the latest issue of My Life is Super. Let's greet them shall we?"

He gestured towards the large couch which housed three individuals. The closest to him as a titanic hyena dressed in a thick sweater and wearing a pair of glasses. "Here we have first and foremost, Lewis Sanchez, AKA Madman."

A row of guys and girls on the front row cheered alongside the rest of the crowd. These particular fans threw up their shirts to display letters that spelled out 'Madman' on their torsos.

"This issue's conniving villain, Matlock AKA Trojan."

He gestured towards the towering horse who was many times bigger and taller than everyone else on the couch. The crowd gasped in awe at the titanic equine before breaking out into a cheer.

"And of course, being the first of the Alpha Pack to make his appearance on the show, Samson Connors!"

The big, grey-furred wolf stood up and bowed towards the crowd and he was met with cheers and swoons. One woman even screamed to put his puppies in her."

Nex waved the crowd down. "Now here at The Nex Issue, we have three segments. The first is where I ask the cast questions, the next is when the cast asks me and the third is where the audience asks the cast or myself any questions. So let us begin." He sat back down in the big, brown recliner and turned towards Madman.

"So, Lewis, in this issue we've had some excellent character development on your part and perhaps found your rival on the show. Some might say that it's about time and may actually fell in love with your character growth. Thoughts?"

Lewis laughed heartily and rubbed the back of his mane. "Honestly, I was rather surprised by the reaction. I mean I've always been there in the background being a supporting character. I knew that down the ploy you wanted me to be elevated to a bigger role but I never thought I'd be greeted with such fanfare. It's really very flattering!"

He grinned towards the crowd and flexed his muscles for them. "Really, when you signed me up for the job all the way back in Issue 1, I had to do a _lot_of training and bodybuilding to get this big. That serum to make me look human for that one scene was fun and all but it was a little weird. Can't say I didn't love changing back into a hyena!"

"I bet the pay raise doesn't hurt either."

"I'm just glad to get more lines!" Lewis laughed. He turned towards the crowd and winked. "Oh, and spoiler-free hint. Madman does fall in love with a particular someone and it's someone I'm dating in real life!"

Nex rolled his eyes. "I do try to accommodate my character's interests and requests." He glanced towards the next on the seat, Trojan. "Now, Trojan, some of our audience might actually be surprised that you are in fact, much taller than your on screen appearance would have us believe. Care to advise?"

Matlock grinned at them all and shrugged his enormous, mountainous shoulders. "Well, I just come from a race of equines that are naturally eleven feet tall. That was some special effects to make me smaller on screen and the matter transfer powers really helped in restricting and reshaping my size."

"That was fun working that out. Oh and Reggie is your son, isn't he?"

The titanic equine laughed. "Yes! Thanks for hiring him as well!"

"It was a request you had and I was more than happy to accommodate. What did you think about your character's role in the issue?"

"To be honest, I loved how Trojan wasn't just a big brute of a Gene Stealer that used force and his transformative powers to wreak havoc on infrastructure and society. Gnoll, Minos and even Ursa attacked people rather front on, a typical super-versus-super sort of deal but Trojan played on Arsenal on both a political and psychological level. He kept them on their toes, he wore them down and he made them doubt themselves. I like to think that the effects of Trojan's actions will ring through into future issues not only because he's still alive but because he's shown cracks in Arsenal's armour."

"No spoilers now," Nex said, wagging his finger. He turned to Samson next. "Samson Connors, head of the Alpha Pack. Or... will that change in the future."

"Oh you know full well it's going to change, Nexie-dear," laughed the wolf, one leg draped over the other and with a flamboyant swish of his wrist. "Big, tough David Hale is going to muscle his way in to my pack, there's going to be a power struggle and we'll get to see who's top dog. Oooooo-weee! That's gonna be one hot, steaming issue."

"I must commend you on your ability to contain your lisp, my friend."

"That's just the kind of actor I am, baby!" laughed Samson.

"Not only that, but you come up with some of the more fun scenes. Wasn't it your idea to put in the Demon Worshiping Scene at the Connors family dinner."

"Oh baby, that was hi-larious! Honestly, I it just came to me in passing as we discussed the show over dinner with my family."

"And I welcome the contribution." Nex nodded and leaned back in his seat. "Now then, does the cast have any questions for me?"

"Actually, I do!" Samson sniggered. "Why introduce Jacob Reaper of all people now of all times? It sort of came out of left field, don't you think, dearie?"

Nex smiled. "Well, as I've mentioned before the world of the Nexus Conglomerate, the Reaper series and even the world of Tower Thirteen are all interconnected. Jacob actually had a role to play in the ending of My Life is Super and I didn't want him to just appear out of nowhere as a little cameo. He needed to have a bigger role in the story so I introduced him here. While I fully intended him to become Caleb's rival, I realised that he needed a genuine friend. You might be asking about Ben, Lars and Mary but as you'll see in the future issue, the dynamic amongst the group will dramatically change. Thanks, in no small part, to Trojan. Besides, his presence and his hints that the Tower Thirteen series is linked not only to the My Life is Super universe but the Reaper universe as well was a fun addition."

"And since we're on me," boomed the big horse. "The Ring."

Nex held up a paw. "Sorry, I can't and won't answer any questions about the Ring. That will spoil too many things. Suffice to say that their introduction was not just something out of left field. There have been clues and indications about the Ring here and there and they were always central to the plot of My Life is Super."

"Okay then," laughed Madman. "There goes my question but good thing I have another one." He grinned and nodded towards Nex. "So I think the question on I'm sure everyone is asking, what the _hell_is up with GG Guinness? What's his problem? Is he a Gene Stealer?"

Nex laughed and shook his head. "All good question but sadly, I won't spoil any more. Suffice to say that all the future Gene Stealers are already_planned. And here they are. We know about Fenrir but there is also Hellhound, Nemean, Selkie, Kirin, Neptune and Rhakshasa. On top of that, we still have Spider Queen, Wendigo, Dragon Knight, Shark Tamer and, of course, Chimera. And I will say now that _all of these Gene Stealers have already been introduced except for one. But whether or not they're already Gene Stealers or not... well, that's up for debate."

Nex clapped his paws and turned to the audience. "And now for the last segment of our show. Questions from the audience."

A burly, tall wolf from dark-grey brown and cream fur stood up, waving a paw.

"Yes, Singarti Blackwood," greeted Nex.

"First of all, I would like to thank you, Nex, for bringing us yet another issue of this amazing story. I have a couple of questions for the cast. Let's start with Madman. Lewis, we've finally seen some of the long-awaited development of your character's personality in this issue and now know your frustrations about hitting your plateau. Where do you think the next issue will take your character?"

Madman chuckled and glanced towards Nex knowingly. "Well, I do believe we'll finally some development in terms of Madman's abilities but not only that, in his relationships. We know that he was coerced into joining _Arsenal_by Arcturus because of the threat that he would die alone but now, he has the capacity to finally grow and welcome others into his heart."

Singarti nodded and turned next to Matlock. "Mr. Matlock, your character has arguably become a father figure for both Reggie and even Leon at some point in this issue. Care to elaborate on this this matter?"

The towering equine grinned broadly. "Well, much of that fatherly affection came from the fact that Reggie, in real life, is my son so that just translated really well on screen. In truth, the relationship between Reggie and Trojan goes deeper on the show but that's to be explained later. He did pose as a father figure to Leon as well but as we've seen from Leon's chapter, the pup has learned a lot of things. I dare say that had he not spoke to Jacob perhaps his motivations would seem much more... shall we say, clear cut?"

"Thank you, Matlock. Now, Samson... Being a werewolf myself," the lycanthrope flickered one of his ears ever so slightly, "but from a different world with different rules, where we don't have to 'dominate' our pack members the way you guys do, I can't help but closely follow the relationship of your character with David Hale and with the rest of your pack. Can you please share your reaction on David becoming a werewolf at that Christmas dinner when you first read the script and tell us what was it like working with him? Also, now that we know that not everyone in your character's pack agrees with you and might potentially side with Feral Steel, what do you think the future holds for your character?"

Samson laughed softly. "Honey, the werewolves of the series are more nuanced than what you see in the Alpha Pack and even then you saw how they are being divided. My character is honestly_afraid_ because of what the Gene Stealers pose. Remember, there are very few other people out there that can not only grant superpowers but also incredible strength and change shape. Werewolves are amongst those few. The Gene Stealers pose the threat of removing the monopoly and perhaps the individuality of werewolves and grant it to the rest of the world. Thus Samson is very adamant about maintaining that power. That's why he wanted to get David into the pack but David turning the tables on him not only surprised him but also unbalanced his position. Why do you think he's trying to worm his way in to Lillian's good graces?"

Singarti nodded and turned towards Nex.

"Lastly, Nex, recalling the first airing of this show after the second issue of 'My Life is Super', it was mentioned that each Original of a new Gene Stealer strain uses one of the five senses as a transformative vector. So far we have seen sound, sight, touch and now taste. Am I correct to assume that the next issue would feature smell as a way to transform people and, no matter how sad it might sound, that it might be the last issue of this story?"

Nex grinned broadly. "My friend, yes smell will be the integral vector in which the Fenrir Strain will be transmitted. However, as you've seen above, there are many more Gene Stealers to be had. Will it be the last issue? Well, I'll say that it will be the last issue of the 'sense' Gene Stealers but there are still many more. Plus we have the Ring to worry about, after all."

Nex glanced off to the audience. "Next, we have a question from Kris Alexander."

"Will we get to see David Hale exploring his new werewolf side by 'dominating' a few lower werewolves? Maybe even having a super-powered threesome with his son like he's been fantasizing about?"

"That's a question that I've been asked quite a bit actually," laughed the wolf. "David will indeed be exploring his new werewolf self quite a bit and we've seen him doing so in Leon's chapter. This will naturally bring about some conflicts not only with his family life but his identity as a super. The fact that he hasn't told the Elemental Alliance about his condition either will natural bring about some further... complications."

Nex clapped his paws one last time and looked to the audience.

"And of course, if any other members of the audience have any questions, feel free to ask. As of now, you may be wondering what is up next. Well, I will be working on some owed stories and then we shall see!

"For now, thank you all for reading. I'd like to thank my mate, Zeeme, who was always as supportive and encouraging as ever. Remember, this is The Nex Issue. Brought to you by the Nexus Conglomerate! Good night everybody!"