The Red Raider

I didn't know much about comics, but he did. He was fascinated by all the heroes, villains, magical places. I wasn't. Nevertheless, it was he who awoke the hero in me.

My brother, Jakob, was only six years old when he saved my life. His curiosity so was impeding upon my personal life that I thought I might kill him, as most teenagers feel about younger siblings, I'm sure. He was always asking what I was doing and why I was doing it. He then would proceed to compare me to some superhero or another and I would always just shake my head. "I'm not a hero, kid."

"Ya-huh. All big brothers are heroes." He would always give me such a big smile after saying things like that. I'd just scoff and finish my sandwich. He would follow me to the living room and steal chips off of my plate while forcing me to watch some show with him. A hero show, of course. I'd give in because he was little and I really didn't mind as much as I made out to.

Jakob was always running around with that red cape of his flowing behind him. He just knew he was going to grow up and be a hero, a savior to all. I suggested firefighter or policeman. But, no.

"I will be a super hero! This town needs me! Fffweeeewwww." He would go somewhere pretending to fly on the way, weaving in between chairs and tables. That kid. What an imagination.

One day, he begged me to take him to the local comic shop. I think it was called The Castle or something like that. It had a big roof with a dragon placard attached, breathing fire. It was pretty cool, I guess but my brother loved it. He begged to go at least once a week and I would always buy him one comic. I had a part time job working a some dinky little restaurant taking orders, so I could afford a comic book a week. It wasn't much, but I admit, it was fun.

And he was there. He knew so much about every comic, card game, or tabletop ever invented. Or at least my little brother thought so.

"Hiya, Raddy!" Jakob would run up to the counter where he sat on a bar stool with his hair blowing in the wind from the fan beside him. He was so gorgeous that I dared never talk to him for more than just time enough to say "Thanks" after a purchase.

Raddy was such a strange name until I found out it was short for Radcliffe, his last name. No one really knew his first name.

"Heya, Kiddo! Whatcha gettin' today?" Raddy stood up with a big grin showing his beautiful, perfect teeth and his brilliant blue eyes would sparkle. "You here for the next issue of..." He pulled out a comic covered in plastic, apparently tucked away underneath the counter just for Jakob. Before he could even say the title my brother squealed and did a weird little dance.

"Yas!" He twirled quickly with his cape following his every move then excitedly, but carefully, took the comic. "Look, Jack! It's issue three of Red Raider!" The book was thrust in my face so quickly that I stepped back a little.

"Yeah, little buddy." I glanced up at Raddy. "Looks great!"

"Sure does! It's a special edition, foiled, and protected with this cover!" Pointing at Red Raider, Jakob turned on his heel. "Thanks, Raddy! For keeping it for me!"

Raddy huffed a chuckle. "Sure thing, little Raider!" Both of his thumbs hit the air and Jakob responded the with one thumb, his left hand on the book. I smiled and asked him how much today's visit would cost. "Nothing, man. I got him."

Taken aback I said, "What? Why? You sure?"

"Yeah, man. Kiddo's birthday's tomorrow, ain't it?" Raddy smiled at me. "I don't have any kids in my life, so, I stepped in. Hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it's fine, but why didn't you tell him it was from you." My brow furrowed, afraid that it might be a ruse.

He pointed behind me, "I didn't wanna interfere with your relationship with him." His head tilted to one side to watch Jakob browsing all the other comics. "He loves you, man."

"Thanks, I think. I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, just take care of the kid."

That was it. I don't know why it happened but I completely fell in love with him. For the first time since Jakob was born I felt a connection to someone other than my brother. Our parents were practically non-existent. They were addicts and weren't around much, so my brother's care fell to me. And I loved my brother more than life itself.

I was almost twelve when Jakob was born. Our mother immediately thrust him at me like a piece of trash and she never looked back. I did the best I could with him and at least kept him alive, which was more than I could say about her. I directed the kid to the nearest round table by the front window of the shop. "Why don't you tell me about this book." His eyes lit up like a lantern in the night.

"OH! Yeah!" he grabbed the book and gently took it out of it's protective cover, wiping the table off with his sleeve before putting it down, opened it up and showed me the first pages. It was extremely colorful with very little gore and a young boy dressed in all red, with a matching red cape. "This boy," he pointed at the red kid in the book, "Is the Red Raider."

"Uh-huh. I follow."

Jakob rolled his eyes slightly. "His name isn't mentioned but it don't matter. Anyway, he is looking-- oh, wait." He looked up at me and grinned. He always did have a hard time telling stories. "It's about the end of the world as we know it. A bomb fell. BOOM. And destruction. So, Raider is looking for his older brother. They got separated after leaving shelter. Raider gets by with making stuff to hurt bad guys and take their stuff. Bad people are afraid of him. He's ruthless and leaves no survivors, except for the people he thinks deserves it."

"I see where you get the cape, kid."

"Well, duh. If you read my books, you would know things." He cautiously closes the book and places it back inside its cover.

"If you really want to know things, you should come to my place and check out my collection." It was Raddy. Sneaky bastard scared us both. We jumped and he chuckled. "Sorry 'bout that."

"YOU collect comics?" Jakob was awestruck.

"Of course, man." Raddy gestured to the books on the shelves. "Do you really think I could be around all THIS and not buy a few?"

"Can we, bro? Can we?"

Of course, I said yes. I was nervous but Raddy handed me a piece of paper with his address on it that he already had written before he asked. I liked how he wrote his R. It was curly on the end, kind of cute.

"I close the store down at sunset. Just come by anytime after that."

We ended up staying until Raddy closed shop. It was a lot of fun getting to know each other, laughing and talking. He mentioned he was twenty-four and opened the shop by himself. The man worked hard for what he wanted and he always got it. Jakob and I followed Raddy out the front door and waited for him to lock up.

"You guys can just follow me, if you want. I live, like, just over here."

We goofed a bit walking by the downtown shops alight under the bright moon up above. He wasn't lying; it really wasn't far to his house. His nice, big, beautiful house.

"Wow." Both Jakob and I exclaimed in wonder and I got a little more nervous all of a sudden.

"It's not much, but it'll do." Raddy gestured to the house while opening the small front gate. The pathway led through a quaint garden with a cute little birdbath and right up to the front door. "Come on, guys, and I'll show you my collection."

When we walked through the front door, we were bombarded by the posters professionally placed upon the walls. Limited editions, exclusives, really rare items all in protective covers hanging very properly. It was wonderful. He didn't even acknowledge this, he just kept waving us on. We followed him to a room the size of a library with every comic you could imagine. New, old, rare, common. He really did have everything.

"Take a look."

Jakob just stood in one place with his mouth agape and I slowly stumbled around looking at comic after comic. And then he saw it. Jakob screeched and I jumped and ran to him. "What?! What is it?"

He pointed at the wall. It was The Red Raider, first edition, enlarged to poster size, behind protective glass and signed. Jakob just stared at it. The author was apparently someone named Rex but I couldn't make out the last bit, but that R looked really familiar-- it had the same curl on the end that Raddy's did.

Then I got it. "Oh, my god, you wrote it."

Raddy came strolling around the shelf where I was with his nose in a comic. "Hmm? What?" He looked up from the comic. "Oh, that. Yeah."

"What?" I said again in disbelief. "Wait. What?"

"Yeah. I wrote it."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want everyone to know. I just wanted to be a normal guy." Jakob came up to the comic and stared some more. "Oh, and Jake? The Raider is you."

It's been ten years now and still no one but we three know who Raddy really is.