EL BOO book 1

part 1: THE ALCHEMIST’S FIRST LAW
Illustrated & Written by: Andre G. Gruber.
I REMEMBER THAT CARD
ROOM PENTHOUSE. WE
HAD OUR USUAL TABLE.
BOURBON?
OVA’HEAH!
TELL ME, DO YOU
THINK WE’RE
GOING TO DO
THIS FOREVER?
I REMEMBER
LUKE TORO...
WHATCHU MEAN?
AND PETER CABALLO.
THEY CONVERSED.
“PART OF ME
THINKS OUR
BEST DAYS
ARE BEHIND
US.”
Published by Rum & Duck LLC, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
NOTHIN’
LAST FOREVA
I S’POSE

PETER SEEMED DIFFERENT THAT NIGHT, I REMEMBER...
INDEED, BUT
CAN YOU SIT
THERE AND
TELL ME YOU
WANNA GET
OLD IN THE
BUSINESS?
I REMEMBER SPEAKING...
“FIRST, I’D LIKE TO EXPRESS
MY ESTEEM FOR ALL OF YOU. I,
ALONE,WOULD FAIL. BUT YOU, MY
MEN, HAVE SUPPLIED ME WITH AN
UNDEFIABLE IRON GRIP. FOR THAT I
THANK YOU!
TONIGHT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF
A NEW CHAPTER. AS SOME OF YOU
KNOW THERE’S SOMETHING OF A
PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE WORKS. WE
CANNOT AFFORD TO BE TOLERANT
AMONGST OUR COMPETITORS, THAT
IS, IF WE WANT TO SURVIVE.”
SERIOUSLY, I
DON’T THINK
THERE’S A PLACE
FOR PEOPLE LIKE
US OUT THERE.
YA’ KNOW, IN THE
“REAL WORLD”.
DEATH WALKED
AMONG US IN
THAT VERY ROOM.
WHO SAID
ANYTHING
‘BOUT GET-
TING OLD?
...I TAPPED MY GLASS,
DO YOU REMEMBER
THE FIRST LAW?
HEY,
LET THE
BOSS
SPEAK!
TALK
LAYTA’
“FOR CENTURIES MEN
LIKE US HAVE BEEN
LABLED “EVIL,” BUT WE
KNOW THE VICTORS
PRINT THE BOOKS.
THEY WANT
TO RESTORE
FAITH IN
LIES! WE
HAVE MORE
RESOURCES
THAN MOST
INDUSTRIES.
WHY SHOULD
OUR POWER
BE LIMITED
TO THE UN-
DERWORLD?
THE TIME
HAS COME TO
CLAIM WHAT
IS OURS!
BUT...
OBLIVIOUS TO MY BETRAYAL.
THEY ALL CHEERED FOR ME.

THEN I DID MY JOB...
YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER
THAN ME?!! YOU ARE A CORRUPT
MAN! JUDGING BY YOUR LITTLE
SPEECH, I’D SAY YOU’D MAKE A
GREAT POLITICIAN!!
FIRST THINGS
FIRST. BRING
HIM OUT!
“SENATOR, FOR WHAT
I UNDERSTAND YOU
FAVOR THE ALLMIGHTY
DOLLAR OVER JUSTICE.
JUST LIKE US! YOU ARE
A COMPETITOR; I WAS
INSTRUCTED TO OBLIT-
ERATE COMPETITION.”
I PRESENT TO YOU CALIFORNIA
SENATOR CLYDE WILLIAMS Jr.
HE IS THE LAST PAWN STAND-
ING IN OUR WAY!
YOU’RE THE MOST DANGEROUS
KIND OF MAN THERE IS. YOUR
TOXIC BRAND OF IDEALISM HAS
CLAIMED SO MANY LIVES!
LET HIM SPEAK!
JUST LIKE YOU.
WE ARE NOT THAT
DIFFERENT! IT’S
NOTHING PER-
SONAL BUT FOR
THINGS TO BE
GAINED THINGS
MUST BE LOST.
hmmm...
I GAVE THE ORDER
NO!
THE OLD GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE.
THEN WATCHED.

AAAAGHHRR!!!
I REMEMBER HIS
EYES ROLLING BACK.
WELL DONE BUD!
YOU ARE ONE SICK
BASTARD. I CAN’T
BELIEVE THE THINGS
YOU SAY!
HE TOOK HIS
LAST BREATH
WE ALL HAVE
OUR TALENTS
AND COLLAPSED.
HEY! WHAT’S
THE PROBLEM?
CLEAN THIS UP. I NEED
TO GET SOME AIR.
I KNOW ONE
DAY IT’S GOING
TO BE ME
DON’T WORRY SO
MUCH. YOU’RE JUST
GETTIN’ STARTED!
YOU’RE RIGHT
MY FRIEND.
I WANT YOU TO DO ME
A FAVOR! GO BACK IN
THERE AND...
THE PARTY CONTINUED.
I HAD GOOD INSTINCS.

SHOOT A LITTLE DOPE,
SNORT SOME BLOW,
GET YOURSELF A NICE GIRL TOO.
AFTER THAT,
FIND A TABLE,
MAYBE YOU CAN OFFER EXTRA
FOR SOME HEAD.
WIN A FEW
HANDS,
AND IF YOU FUCK HER GOOD,
SHE WONT CHARGE YA’ HAHA!
THEN GO HOME.
GO BACK TO
YOUR SUITE.

IT’S HIGH NOON IN THE NEVADA
DESERT,THERE ARE NO CLOUDS. THEY TOOK
ME TO A BARE SECTION OF THE TERRAIN
AS I BEGAN TO REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS
THE SUN BLINDED ME. ALL I COULD SEE
WHERE THE THREE SILHOUETTES OF MY
ABDUCTORS.
GET SOME GOOD
SLEEP AND...
WE HAVE A VERY GENEROUS
OPPORTUNITY .
CALL ME IN THE
MORNING.
DON’T YOU
MOVE! DON’T
EVEN MAKE A
SOUND.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT? JUST SHOOT ME
ALREADY!
YOU’LL FIND OUT SOON
ENOUGH. YOU WON’T HAVE
TIME TO WANDER OFF.
THEY SHOULD
HAVE SHOT ME
FOR THEIR SAKE.
I BEGGED FOR MY DEATH.

I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE
SHOT OR POISONED! DO NOT
LEAVE ME HERE TO BE EATEN
BY VULTURES!
THE WORLD’S ONE
AND ONLY TRUTH.
AS NIGHT FELL IN THE DESERT, I DECIDED TO TAKE
SHELTER NEAR A PLATEAU. I WAS DEHYDRATED,
COLD, AND HUNGRY.
THEY DROVE WESTWARD. I JUST HAVE TO
MAKE IT THROUGH TONIGHT.
FOR THINGS
TO BE GAINED
THINGS MUST
BE LOST.
I WAS NEARLY
ASLEEP BUT THEN...
UNTIE ME! I’LL
DO IT MYSELF!
WHAT IN
THE HELL?
YOU MOTHER
FUCKERS! COME
BACK!!
I SAW A SHARP ROCK.
I CONTEMPLATED
BASHING MY SKULL IN.
I GOT LOOSE
INSTEAD. MY
PRIDE GOT THE
BEST OF ME.
“3 MOONS?!
I MUST BE
HALLUCINATING?”
I’M DREAMING, NO,
I WAS DRUGGED!
I COULN’T HAVE
BEEN MORE WRONG.

THE TRI-BEAM
PULLED ME LIKE A
MOTH TO A BULB.
IN ONLY MINUTES I
ROSE 1000s OF FEET
IN THE AIR.
Illustrated & Written by: Andre G. Gruber.
SOON I HAD
REACHED THE
STRATOSPHARE.
SUDDENLY THE
LIGHT HELD ME
IN PLACE.
THAT’S WHEN THE
LIGHT ABSORBED ME.
I REMEMBER MY NAME. IT WAS
“ EDWARD ABNER LAZARUS.”
THE ALCHEMIST’S FIRST LAW

part 2: METAPHYSICAL MONTE CRISTO
Illustrated & Written by: Andre G. Gruber.
“ELSA, PLEASE
DON’T LEAVE ME,
MY LOVE!”
WAKE UP
EDDIE. IT’S
OK...IT’S OK.
I CAN’T DO THIS
ALONE, I’M SORRY.
WAKE UP .
“IS
THIS A
DREAM?”
I’M AFRAID
NOT.ALTHOUGH,
YOU CANNOT
PERCIEVE ME.
GASP!
YOUR SENSES
AND LANGUGE ARE
RATHER LIMITED. I
WILL TRY TO EASE
YOU INTO THIS.
WHO ARE YOU?!
Published by Rum & Duck LLC, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
I BEGAN TO
GET LUCID.
I AM THE ONE WHO
BARGAINED FOR YOUR
LIFE, WE ARE IN THE
4TH REALM.
ENOUGH WITH
THE GAMES!
SHOW YOURSELF!
PERHAPS A
DRASTIC
UNVEILING
WILL BE BEST.
I WILL NOW
END THIS
SIMULATION.
EVERYTHING
BECAME CLEAR.

I’M AFRAID
YOU BELONG
TO ME NOW.
THAT WAS THE FIRST
TIME I SAW HIM...
HELP!! WHERE AM I?!
I WAS JUST A PAWN, A
WORTHLESS PAWN. JUST
KILL ME NOW, I’M READY.
YOU DO NOT FEAR
DEATH, BUT LIFE IS
FAR MORE TERRIFYING.
BE BRAVE, YOU WILL
UNDERSTAND SOON.
CALM
DOWN.
CALL ME “ZUN-V.”
WAIT!!
NO! RELEASE ME!
DUALITY, EDDIE. IT KEEPS
VIBRATIONS THAT HOLD THE
PHYSICAL WORLD TOGETHER.
YOUR LIFE IS NOT IN
DANGER. HOWEVER,
FOR THE PURPOSE
OF OUR MISSION I
MUST SPLICE YOUR
DNA WITH MINE.
OUT OF A MAN...
AN SO, I WAS BORN...
POWERFUL
MEN YIELD
POWERFUL
ENEMIES,
LAZARUS.
NO! WHAT ARE
YOU DOING
TO ME?!
WHAT MAKES ME
SO SPECIAL? LET
ME GO, I ASSURE
YOU THERE ARE
BETTER SUBJECTS.
OR A MONSTER.

MEANWHILE, IN A COLD DARK POCKET OF OUR GALAXY...
PLANET
NIBIRU.
ONCE WE GAIN CONTROL
OVER THE OUTER AND
INNER RIMS OF THE SO-
LAR SYSTEM EVERYTHING
WILL FALL INTO PLACE.
THE MASTER
RACE COUNCIL.
GATHER MY
ELITES!
MOTHER
ASHERAH
SOMEONE
MUST HAVE
INTERFERED.
THEY HAVE
GROWN MORE
THAN EXPECTED.
LORD ANU;
ARCHITECT
AND CREATOR
OF LIFE.
THE CYCLE IS ALMOST COMPLETE,
WHEN WE ARRIVE WE MUST
HARVEST AND RETREAT. WE
CANNOT AFFORD WAR AGAINST
EXTRAGALACTICS.
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT LORD
ANU, WE HAVE DONE THIS
BEFORE. DO YOU REMEMBER
MARS AND VENUS? WE MAN-
AGED TO DECIMATE TWO
HABITABLE PLANETS, HOW
WILL GAIA BE DIFFERENT?

BUT WE HAD
TO ENSURE
OUR KIND’S
DOMINANCE.
THE PLANET
WAS TOO
YOUNG TO
SPRING LIFE,
I LOOKED AFTER OUR
CHILDREN, AND NOW
THEY’VE COLONIZED
THE ENTIRE SURFACE.
THEY HAVE
NOWHERE TO
RUN.
BESIDES, YOU
FORGET THAT
I SEEDED THE
EARTH.
AND SO THE
FATHER WILL
BECOME THE
SON.
“INDEED.”

9 YEARS LATER. NEAR THE “TRINITY SITE”, NEW MEXICO.
THERE’S ENOUGH
FALL-OUT RADIATION
IN THESE HILLS TO
KEEP ANYONE FROM
FINDING ME.
SSWWWSHH!
PPPFFFF
DEJA-FUCK-
ING-VU!

THE COSMOS HAD BECOME MY LAIR
YET, EARTH
REMAINS
MY BED.
NEXT TIME:
I REMEMBER THE BEAST I
USED TO BE. I WAS UGLY.
MY IGNORANCE MADE ME ARROGANT. I WAS AFRAID TO ADMIT
THAT I WAS JUST AS CONFUSED AS THE REST OF THEM.
I’M NOT
AFRAID
TO LIVE.
BUT NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND WHO WE
REALLY ARE, WHAT WE COULD DO...
TO BE CONTINUED.
Illustrated & Written by: Andre G. Gruber.

Published by Rum & Duck LLC, 2016. All Rights Reserved.