July 9th, early evening. The crowded streets of Manhattan were battered by tonnes of water when the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island peninsula rose several metres, completely overwhelming sea defences in the most shocking and unexpected natural disaster ever to hit New York. The tidal wave swept across the city with devastating effect, killing 1135 and injuring many others to an estimate of 1500, along with damage costs in the tens of thousands. Areas affected were Lower Manhattan, Chinatown, Soho, Tribeca, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, East Village and Lower East side, all of which were for several hours under five feet of water. Distraught witnesses managed to give a few coherent statements, several of which reported the water to ‘move as if it had a mind of it’s own’, and that the only forewarning given was a sound many likened to thunder, or a series of distant explosions.

Services were soon swamped by the many stranded victims and panicked calls for help, but managed a remarkable rescue operation, doubtlessly saving hundreds, with outside groups including civilians and the likes of the mutant-run X-Factor offering much needed assistance long into the morning hours.

“We’ve had several analysts conduct a thorough investigation following the events of July 9th,” commented NYC fire chief David Brannon during a press conference. “I’d like to state that there are no clear indications as to exactly what caused the tsunami or that there was anything we could have done to prevent it. Everyone involved with the cleanup did an incredible job given the circumstances, and all of us deeply mourn the loss of those caught up in this catastrophe.”

Seismologists are baffled by the natural disaster- according to the scientists there was absolutely no movement on the Richter magnitude scale that day. Normally tidal waves are caused by the movement of tectonic plates far out in the ocean. The sudden displacement of water creates an air pocket on the oceans surface, which increases in size as it rolls towards land. The last devastating tsunami to be caused by an undersea, or subduction earthquake, was the 2004 Asian tsunami which killed 225,000 people along most of the Indian Ocean coastline.

Some are already claiming that this was yet another mutant powered attack- more vocal members of the public are crying out for the culprit to be brought to justice. This however seems to be a far stretch from mutant terrorism, bringing to question current themes of worldwide paranoia and combining it with the community’s need to blame someone for those that were lost. With the events that transpired earlier in the morning of the 9th, making this a double-headed tragedy, it is understandable that such conclusions are to be drawn by an already aggravated anti-mutant hysteria, (see page 2 for a report on the return of terrorist leader Magneto).

A memorial service was held on July 31st; during a moving eulogy the Mayor stated that a plaque would be placed in the city to commemorate the dead.

985 are still missing or feared dead. A crisis helpline with an advisory and counselling service has been set up for flood victims- call 555-1734 to speak to someone.

JULY 9TH – Rumors of Magneto’s return have become increasingly frequent over the past month, but today on the Van Wyck Expressway, it became a reality. At approximately 8:17 this morning, a massive pile-up resulted in the deaths of 67 people and many more injured or missing. “My wife and I were talking about the movie we saw last night and next thing ya know, the truck in front of us is at a dead stop all messed up and stuff. I ran off the road and almost hit three people in the grass. I didn’t stick around, but I swear I saw some [cars] being tossed off the road. I didn’t know what to think,” said William Stephan, 42. Several eye witnesses claimed seeing several people step off the overpass they had been standing on and slowly descend to the road below just as the wreck happened. Lafaunda Johnson, a 23 year old chemistry major, stated, “My mom and I saw it happen. It was like all these cars just hit some kind of invisible wall and everything behind it just piled up. It all happened and those people were just standing there in front of it.”

Erik Lehnsherr, or Magneto as he is more commonly known, was a well-respected professor of Chemistry and Anthropology at Oxford and an avid supporter of mutant’s rights, speaking out against mutant oppression alongside such people as Charles Xavier and Henry McCoy. Due to a protest in London in 1988 which took a turn for the worst, killing over 200 people, Lehnsherr soon went into hiding and resurfaced some years later as Magneto. His fame is worldwide as the charismatic leader of a group of mutant terrorists called the Brotherhood of Mutants. However several months ago, rumors of Magneto’s death surfaced and were later assumed true when he never reappeared. “It was that helmet guy… that Magnet guy… from a year ago,” said one distraught father mourning the death of his daughter in the attack. “[I] didn’t see his face or anything, but I recognized that helmet from the TV.”

One K-9 officer from the narcotics unite of the NYPD recounted the events as he saw them. “All I could hear over the radio was something about a wreck and then the next thing I know, it’s all chaos and I think I blacked out for a minute. I came to and found I was upside down in my patrol car; my dog was in the back going crazy. I climbed out of my car and was trying to get my dog out when I saw this brown truck fly right over my head, and there he was. Yep… it was Magneto. They were saying something about kids and taking them somewhere. Then some of them started fighting each other, shooting lazers and throwing cars around. That’s about all I saw. Pulled out my stick, busted the window, got my dog out and took off… I’m a keeper of the peace, but there’s nothing I or any other law officer can do when something like that happens. I mean... there was a [expletive deleted] dinosaur guy jumping around on cars. I thought that’s why we had the Sentinels.”

Speaking of Sentinels, moments after the acclaimed fight broke out between the mutants in the middle of the wreck; three appeared in an attempt to arrest and detain them. However, upon arrival, they were quickly dismantled by Magneto. Attempts to contact those in charge of the Sentinel program have been ignored, so it is unknown whether those in charge had anticipated dealing with him.

Rescue and cleanup of the wreckage was postponed until the police could confirm it was safe for workers. The Expressway was quarantined for nearly two miles and detours established for a little over a week as cars were removed and torn pavement repaired. During the relief, three infants and two children were found among their survivors, their parents either dead or missing.

Reverend Reginald Sherman, a pastor of a Methodist church and a known mutant had this to say: “I want everyone to know that we of the mutant community are saddened by the loss of so many, and I ask that the human population please bear in mind that this is the act of one individual and not the mutants as a whole.”

Humans aren’t the only ones that suffered loss in this tragedy. Selene Taylor, 37, lost her mutant daughter to the collision, stating that Magneto is a monster and the sooner he is “put down” the better for everyone.

Many, however, do not share Mrs. Taylor’s view that Magneto is solely to blame for the carnage. “Had these Sentinels been given license to kill these abominations, we would have scared them into hiding months ago instead of losing tons of our own people to these maniacs who can do things they shouldn’t be able to do. Three mutants died in this thing? How the hell does that compare to over 60? Two of them were my best friends,” said another crash survivor who requested to remain anonymous.

There are still three people unaccounted for and one of the five surviving children found in the wreckage have yet to be claimed. If you feel you might know someone who could assist police in locating the child’s family or the missing people, please contact officer Slack on his direct line at 555-0789 ext 751

The peace and quiet of Central Park was shattered in the early afternoon of June 20th when two mutants broke into an all out battle, regardless of the many unaware pedestrians trying to take an afternoon stroll along with children and families. In a shock revelation, none other than Kimberly Parker, the teen pop sensation who was recently exposed to be a member of the mutant population, was the instigator of this incident. It was reported that when verbally goaded by an unknown mutant the pop princess actually attacked him with water from the nearby lake- reports say that it was lifted by an ‘unseen force’ and rotated around the sixteen-year-old musician before turning into shards of ice.

Immediately following this display of water manipulation, which scientists are labelling hydrokinesis, the other matched it with a wall of fire that reached high into the sky.

“It knocked me off my feet!” stated a shocked Rebecca Finch, 34, who had been out in the park walking her dog. “These massive balls of water and fire shooting out everywhere, I thought we were all going to die!”

Similar reports from other witnesses spoke of complete disregard for those close by, and many angry comments were made about registration and lack of responsibility- there have been a flush of recent attacks city and countrywide and, as rumoured sightings of Magneto have been emerging, fears that these could be precursors to more mutant incited terrorism are perhaps not an unfounded concern.

The fire wielder even went so far as to attack one man; the individual preferred to remain anonymous but was willing to give us this statement: “I found myself staring a massive fireball in the face. The next thing I know my shirt was on fire, and the girl, walking on the water like Christ himself, was shouting at me to get out of the way. If it hadn’t been for my son pulling me out of the way I might not have made it.”

A sentinel eventually arrived on the scene to disperse the pair; Nick Fury, director of SHILED, refused to comment- he did state that the sentinel programme is coming under review. However one has to wonder exactly what would have happened had these mechanical giants not been placed on the streets to guard the city. With incidents like this occurring on a regular basis, does the need for such monolithic guardians outweigh the many complaints voiced about a surveillance state? Considering the lives saved, perhaps that question answers itself.

Mutation. It is the most controversial word of the 21st century. The increasing number of mutants, the array of various abilities they have, and the prejudice on both sides of the genetic line have only served to make the atmosphere more unstable. Mutant Town and the surrounding area is a perfect example of rising tension in mutant/human relations.

Like Chinatown or Little Italy, Mutant Town is a small urban section composed entirely of those with what has become known as the X-gene. When walking its streets, one is hard-pressed to not find something seemingly unnatural, whether it’s a woman with purple skin, a man with two heads, or a young adolescent flying through the air. Most of the time, it’s like any other section of New York – home to those that call it so.

Despite their amazing abilities, these mutants are not without the prejudices that other races and lifestyles have faced in the past. Outside the mutant section of Brooklyn, one can see the hostility toward the mutated almost immediately. Paranoia reigns. When things happen that can’t be explained immediately, the crowd no longer sees miracles from God, but genetic mutation.

Every month, scores of people, mutant and human alike, are taken to the emergency room, beaten to death, shot, or worse because those around suspect them to be mutants. “I’ve seen my own neighbor come into the hospital with a broken jaw. Three guys jumped him in a bar because he kept winning a poker game and they accused him of being a mutant. Explain to me why I found several cards up his sleeves then,” said nurse Roberts from New York Presbyterian Hospital. “It’s ridiculous how people keep beign suspicious of each other,” a mother in Queens stated, afraid to let her children out without supervision.

Authorities had to break up a riot in the streets of Chelsea last week. Seven people and three officers were hospitalized as what started out as a peaceful demonstration degraded into a brawl as angry mutants showed up, accusing the picketers of spreading hatred. One of the officers reported, “Chelsea is one of the worst areas for fights in my opinion. I’ve personally been there to break up a dozen or so riots in the past three weeks alone.” Another officer stated, “I know Mutant Town is close by, but that whole area of Brooklyn is the worst in my opinion. Maybe it’s because so many [mutants] live so close. It’s got to be unnerving for those living there. They got to be scared.”

“You’re right, I’m scared,” said George Hanna. “I’d move, but I can’t even get any agents to sell my house for me. I don’t want to sleep next to people who can just walk through my door and take my stuff. I have a kid, you know.”

The presence of Sentinels have cause mixed reactions among the residents of New York, especially with recent reports of Magneto sightings and rumors of a new incarnation of the Brotherhood. Some wish to see more Sentinels in the air and more harsh laws for mutants, while others more sympathetic toward them feel that having a law enforcement program specifically designed to target a minority is wrong. Mayor Bloomberg had this to say: “I can understand the mutant community’s dislike of the Sentinel program, but I assure you… it is only a means to protect the people against attacks from mutant terrorists and should not be perceived as the first step toward the suppression of mutant rights. The mutant community has abilities which surpass the abilities of contemporary law enforcement and we have to take special precautions to make sure that all people, mutant and human alike, will respect and obey the laws of the land.”

“I feel sorry for them,” Luke Cage, a resident of Hell’s Kitchen said. “They got more hate then my people ever did just because some [expletive deleted] on a [expletive deleted] power trip.”

With such amazing abilities at their disposal, the question has to be asked, should special precautions be taken to police the mutant community? Is the reaction of the human populace justified? Where do we draw the line between the safety of our people and the violation of the basic rights afforded to all? If you would like to comment on the mutant phenomenon and how it is affecting the area where you live, please call the Daily Bugle at 555-0010.

Following the reported bombing of Havana state buildings on April 6th, which resulted in the death of dictatorial president Fidel Castro and ending his forty-nine year reign, elections have gotten underway to instate the next leader. Things didn’t quite get off to a smooth start as one of the candidates was quickly accused of conspiring to kill Castro, alongside fears he would attempt the same again. A spokesman insisted that these accusations were completely unfounded, resulting from the political unrest the country was thrown into due to the attack.

It is widely assumed Vice President Raúl Castro, the brother of the late president, will be elected into power. How this will affect the political climate in the country is uncertain, but many are saying that due to his age, it will not be long before another president must be elected. Perhaps this will bring an end to the socialist climate, relinquishing the need to continue the current US economic embargo.

Ben Curry, 54, died on July 4th. He was found dead when his landlord couldn’t reach him and went inside the apartment. Coroner’s office said he been dead for nearly three days, having bled to death from a papercut from the Aquaman comic he had been reading. He is survived by no one.

Jared Bolinsky, 37, died today, accidentally walking off the roof of his house he was repairing and into the wood chipper he had rented and placed beside his house. The death was witnessed by his survivors, a wife, Eiline, and two children – Joseph, 11, and Kaylee, 8.

Richard Cypher, 63, died on June 30th - mauled to death by a bear found locked in his bathroom. He is survived by his wife, Julia.

Actor George Clooney died last week while in New York, shot in the head for being such a pompous and arrogant bastard. As of yet, no one has claimed the body.

Natasha Heron, 45, was found lying dead in her bed on June 12th, a condom lodged in her throat was claimed to be the reason for her demise. She is survived by her husband, Brad – whereabouts unknown.

Nynaeve al’Maera, 21, died in the late hours of July 19th- choking to death on her own braid when she slipped and the hair caught in between some banisters. Friends say she was fond of tugging on the plaited hair and will now forever be remembered for it.

Boris Crane, a civil servant, was boiled to death in a vat of acid when he leapt into the bubbling mass in a desperate attempt to gain super powers. Co-workers reported that Crane was acting increasingly unstable in the week leading up to the incident.

Four unidentified males were found mauled to death in a warehouse in the New York industrial estate on June 20th. Police are asking for witnesses to come forward with any information pertaining to these brutal murders.

Gavin Darklighter, a 17-year-old fight student, was impaled through the chest during a trip to his grandparents where he slipped and fell onto his own replica fantasy sword. He died later in hospital.

Brad Guttman, the 41-year-old father of recently deceased Tiffany Guttman, was murdered on July 25th in the very morgue he worked in. Police have no leads and have issued little information pertaining to his death; an investigation is ongoing.

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