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Darren Draino's criminal exploits, both on his own and as a member of the nefarious Furious Four, have earned him a global reputation as a dangerous criminal. Convicted for multiple counts of assault and burglary, he has nonetheless avoided the charges of murder that have been pinned on his colleagues of the original Furious Four, all presumed deceased, and Nemesis Boy, his cohort in the second, shorter-lived incarnation of the team.

Draino is currently serving a term of ten years for attempted bank robbery, with further charges pending from his last escape. He has been moved to the Billy Carter State Correctional Facility in Macon. Vigilante interviewed him on August 18, 1987.

Vigilante: Would you care to detail the accident that gave you your death touch?

Draino: Not really. I don't want a lot of kids trying to duplicate it.

V: This accident also warped your lungs, forcing you to breathe ammonia. How are you breathing now? All we see are bandages.

D: Underneath the bandages is a small filter mask, which is why my voice sounds distorted. The bandages are also soaked with ammonia and hide my face, which is covered in scars.

V: And that device attached to both of your hands?

D: Oh, I got the ACLU onto this crap. It's a preventive measure. If I use my death touch at all, the energy is contained in these shackles and blows both my hands off. Cute, huh? They're violating my civil rights here.

V: Now, you've violated your share of civil rights since you first emerged as a contract killer in 1981…

D: I did not. Bank and jewelry jobs, that was it.

V: I beg your pardon. Now, within weeks, you were working with the Green Queen and first crossed paths with the Peculiar Patrol.

D: I miss those guys. Those were real crimefighters. They had style and panache. Not like these punks here in Georgia.

V: Well then, the obvious question is why you, and your criminal peers continue your activities in this state, since this is where most of the crimefighters are.

D: It's been mentioned before. Sure, if I wanted it simple, I could knock over a museum in Chicago and deal with the cops. But that's simple. I can handle cops. If I wanted life easy, I'd work a desk job. Superheroes are a challenge. I don't like 'em personally, but there's an understanding. I don't kill them and they don't kill me. And I'll tell you another thing. You won't get that understanding from the cops. If you do screw up, they shoot to kill. Thunder Lad won't.

V: Now you say that, but many of your colleagues are dead…

D: Palidus wasn't alive. He was some Frankenstein thing. Dictator's death was an accident, it was an explosion. And we only have the GMS Legion's word that Cassandra's dead. And if she is, she brought it on herself teaming with aliens. We should've learned during the war with Gargalax the Destroyer that aliens are bad news.

V: But how do you reconcile this code against killings with your own actions?

D: I have never killed. They've not proved a thing. Nemesis Boy, yes. He's a cocky, crazy kid, but that shooting at Scandal a few months back was an accident. He's a friend, and I trust him.

V: That raises questions about the camaraderie between you costumed criminals…

D: There are rivalries, yes. But I also know that should some wall fall down and I get outta here, I can look up Jack Hammer and he'll get me out of these cuffs. I can lay low with Mack Knife and Surabaya Johnny. There really is a criminal fraternity. V

MALICE AND VIOLENCE: