Supreme Man adjusted his cape dramatically, pacing the courtroom like he was auditioning for a soap opera. His crimson boots clicked against the tile with every step. The courtroom was packed with reporters, sketch artists, and an unsettling number of cosplayers dressed as both him and his former sidekick, Blaze Kid.
Meanwhile, Blaze Kid sat at the defendant’s table, legs kicked up, lazily flipping through a comic book. His comic book. The same one that had Supreme Man fuming like an overheated generator.
“My reputation,” Supreme Man boomed, gesturing so hard his cape nearly took out a bailiff, “has been damaged beyond repair by the actions of this… this walking betrayal!”
Blaze Kid didn’t even look up. “Blah blah blah. Go get yourself a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter.
The judge, an elderly woman who looked like she was about to give up on life, sighed and banged her gavel. “Order in the court. Mr Superglue, you may continue.”
“It’s Supreme Man, Your Honour.” He puffed out his chest, the gold ‘S’ on his suit gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
“Whatever you call yourself,” she deadpanned. “Get to the point.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The case revolved around Blaze Kid’s best-selling comic series, Sidekick Confidential, a collection of stories chronicling the absurd and often humiliating misadventures of a certain caped hero who bore a striking resemblance to Supreme Man.
Supreme Man snatched up a copy and held it aloft. Issue #7: The Cape That Wouldn’t Stop Flapping?! “You made me look like a malfunctioning ceiling fan!”
Blaze Kid finally looked up, expression neutral. “It was a metaphor for your inability to adapt.”
Supreme Man grabbed another copy. “And this one? The Superhero Who Couldn’t Parallel Park!” He smacked it down on the table. “I’m great at parallel parking!”
Blaze Kid stretched. “Are you? Then why’d LASTMA have to tow your Supreme Mobile last week?”
The courtroom erupted in laughter again. Supreme Man’s face turned crimson, matching his suit.
The judge massaged her temples. “Okay, let’s move this along before I lose my will to live. Defence?”
Blaze Kid’s lawyer, a cool, bespectacled man who looked like he moonlighted as a jazz musician, stood up. “Your Honour, my client’s works are fictional. Any resemblance to real superheroes, living or otherwise, is purely coincidental.”
“Coincidental?!” Supreme Man barked. “He gave the character my exact tribal marks! Nobody else has seven tribal marks on one cheek!”
Blaze Kid smirked. “It’s a cultural symbol of authority, Supreme. Consider it a compliment.”
✦ ✦ ✦
As the trial dragged on, the public’s opinion began to shift. Social media exploded with hashtags like #TeamSupreme and #BlazeTheTrail. Memes of Supreme Man failing to parallel park flooded the internet, while Sidekick Confidential sold out across bookstores. Even the judge seemed to have picked a side. At one point, she was caught reading a copy during recess.
In his closing argument, Supreme Man made an impassioned plea. “This case is about more than character defamation. It’s about respect! Sidekicks don’t try to embarrass their heroes. They learn from them.”
Blaze Kid’s lawyer adjusted his tie. “Respect is earned. Maybe if Supreme Man spent more time mentoring his sidekick and less time doing dramatic photoshoots on rooftops, we wouldn’t be here today.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The jury deliberated for a whole afternoon before delivering the verdict.
“In the matter of Supreme Man versus Blaze Kid,” the foreman announced, “we find the defendant… not guilty.”
Supreme Man slumped in his seat, looking like his favourite football team had just lost a match. Blaze Kid, on the other hand, leaned back, grinning ear to ear.
“I did it for all the underpaid sidekicks out there,” he quipped, winking at the cameras. “Justice is served.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Later that evening, Supreme Man scrolled through social media, groaning at the avalanche of memes. Fans were already begging for the next issue of Sidekick Confidential.
“Maybe I should have gotten a lawyer.” He buried his face in his hands. “Even villains get more respect than this.”
Somewhere in the city, Blaze Kid was already sketching the next instalment:
Issue #15: The Hero Who Couldn’t Take a Joke.