Artists and Models

Every night, Eugene babbles horror-filled dreams aloud about Vincent the Vulture. These nocturnal visions foreshadow a deeper conflict about art, influence, and the dangers lurking in their creative circle.

In Eugene's dreamscape, Vincent soars from a homogenized space station to defend truth and liberty. The creature is described as half-boy, half-man, half-bird with feathers and a jet-propelled tail, while his foe threatens order and justice.

Zuba the Magnificent, Vincent's purple-eyed archenemy, blasts holes with an atomic pivot gun as their battles unfold. The dream duel becomes a surreal theater of power and peril that colors Eugene's storytelling.

Abigail Parker works as an artist for Murdock Publishing and creates the Bat Lady superhero. Bessie Sparrowbush serves as her model, anchoring the team behind the company’s popular yet problematic comics.

Bessie, Abigail's energetic roommate, secretly harbors a crush on Eugene while continuing to embody the Bat Lady. The crush remains unspoken as professional pressures mount around the publication's direction.

Rick, a struggling painter, pitches adventures of Vincent the Vulture to Murdock Publishing and lands a job. His success marks a turning point, though he keeps his new role hidden from Abigail and Eugene.

As Rick grows closer to Abigail, he falls for her but keeps his professional work secret from both Abigail and Eugene. The double life strains friendships and threatens to derail their evolving relationships.

Abigail resigns from Murdock Publishing to become an anti-comics activist, dragging Eugene into the crusade as a demonstration of how trashy comics can warp minds. Their departure signals a broader dispute over art and commerce in their circle.

Unbeknownst to all, Eugene's dreams contain a real top-secret rocket formula: X34 minus 5R1 plus 6-X36. Rick later publishes that exact formula in his Vincent the Vulture stories, turning fantasy into a matter of national security.

Spies surround the group as loyalties and motives blur within the publishing world. The pervasive surveillance heightens tension and pushes everyone to decide where truth and friendship lie.

At the annual Artists and Models Ball, they entertain a wide audience while secrets surface and alliances shift. The event becomes a glamorous backdrop for art, ambition, and danger to intersect.

The enemies are finally cornered during the ball, and the heroes capture them, preserving national security. The moment ties Eugene's dream-world to real-world stakes, closing the loop between imagination and duty.