True Believers #1
"Payback Is a Bitch" kicks off True Believers #1 with a gritty, high-stakes thriller as the underground fight club known as Payback exposes a brutal operation involving kidnapped women, experimental enhancements, and masked spectators who hide behind superhero identities. Written by Cary Bates and brought to life with sharp, dynamic art by Paul Gulacy—both inks and cover—this issue sets a tense, morally charged tone, as the True Believers’ blog ignites a chain reaction that draws SHIELD’s attention and forces the Fantastic Four into a race against time. The cover by Paul Gulacy captures the raw intensity of the story’s underground world.
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Payback uncovers an underground fight club that captures prostitutes from off the street, pumps them up with mutant growth hormone and forces them to battle. When the True Believers' blog outs the spectators as powerful men who dress up as superheroes, SHIELD takes notice and begins to investigate the team. Agent Mavis Trent gives Director Stark a profile of the team members (but omits the fact that she is Payback). The Believers interrupt a broadcast to inform the Fantastic Four that they are about to reveal a scandal involving Mr. Fantastic and he has 24 hours to prove them wrong.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).