Revenger (2013)

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Nelson Stepanyan, a Real Superhero

This comics is a contribution to the Artsakh anthology, initiated by Tigran Mangasaryan in 2013. It includes several stories (in Armenian) about heroes who was born in this beautiful country, about its historical past and heroic present.

The hero of the story is Nelson Stepanyan, an Armenian pilot who was born in 1913 and died in 1944 - a short life from the civilian standpoint and a long one for a wartime dive bomber. He is one of the unique pilots of WWII, awarded to the title of Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. We are not going to present his unusual biography; one can find all details in Wikipedia. Rather, we want to investigate, whether real human can meet criteria of a fiction superhero, such as:

volunteerism
Stepanyan was teaching at flight academy when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. He volunteered for combat, but was refused several times by supreme air body, as a valuable cadre more useful as an instructor preparing new military pilots. Nevertheless due to his persistency finally he was sent to the front line and participated in a multitude of aerial battles as a pilot of an Ilyushin -2 fighter bomber.

superpower
Stepanyan took part in defensive battles in Ukraine, Leningrad, Black Sea and Baltic. He flew 259 combat missions (average dive bomber survived around 55 flights), personally sank 13 enemy ships and several in the group. Destroyed 80 tanks, 600 other vehicles, 27 aircraft on the ground and in dogfights. Also, he destroyed more than 100 field and anti-aircraft guns, 130 machine gun points, 40 rail cars, 4 bridges and killed up to 5000 soldiers.

protecting the public
From the very beginning of the war till his last flight Stepanyan had the only goal to free the humanity from the evil of Nazism. All these years his only feeling towards the enemy was a revenge. Only total demolition and destruction of German forces can be called a victory.

nickname
As all superheroes he had a nickname. Press and authorities called him Baltic Storm Petrel. (Also, among themselves young fellow pilots called their commander a Daddy).

equipment
Superheroes have a large arsenal of specialized, high-tech vehicles and gadgets in their war against evil. Stepanyans primary vehicle was Il -2 fighter bomber, legendary flying tank. During his service he has a number of them, one of them with word Revenger on both sides of fuselage.

serving community
It is hard to believe, but almost every evening even after the battle Stepanyan was finding time to check mail and write to the vast number of respondents, being it kindergarten or school students, parents of his fellows in arms or journalists.

secret identity vs. visibility
Unlike many superheroes with secret identity, Nelson Stepanyan was drawing efforts to be recognizable in the air. While other warplanes were camouflaged, his Ilyushin-2 ( Il-2) was covered with white and red paint with picturesque airbrush scenes of attacking planes and sinking ships. Germans new his name and assault plane, when they saw him approaching they were go panic.

This analysis obviously showed that Nelson Stepanyan was a real superhero. And as such he never died. One day he will come back to demolish the evil accumulated during last decades and his punishment will be merciless.

REVENGER by Levon Gyulkhasyan. Dedicated to 100th Anniversary of Twice Hero of Soviet Union Nelson Stepanyan.

1. (Caption) Latvia, 1944, vicinity of Palanga. Airfield of 47th assault air regiment. (Soldiers)-He is sent from headquarters, it's a camouflage instructor. (Instructor)- Spotted painting makes the airplane invisible, it merges with environment and gets vanished from the enemy's sight.

2. (sound of the low flying plane). 5. - (Pilot) Sorry guys, I brought a homework for you. (Technicians) -Don't worry, comrade commander, it's not a first time, we'll make it. 6.( Instructor) -Look at this plane. It's everything but a camouflage, it's rather a martial ornament. Just opposite what I was talking about.

1. - Lieutenant Tomin, from the headquarters of division. - Commander of the assault air regiment Lieutenant Colonel Nelson Stepanyan. 2. - I don't want to get hide in the air, I am assault air force and I should strike. 3. I'm gonna tell you a story. 2. (Caption) Leningrad metro area, 1942. Twenty-eight German Ju-28 bombers were landed in Kotly airfield, in 116 km from Leningrad. The order was clear: To demolish them asap, not letting to take off. 2. - Here they are! 3. - FIRE! 7. -Ok, we are returning! Well done guys, we destroyed 22 out of 28 planes.

1. - Hey, were are you going, Stepanyan? 2. - Unfinished business.. 3. - Here you are again. 5. - Reds are attacking again! -Don't shoot, he's releasing the chassis, he's landing.

1.-1, 2, 3...six bombers - all are here. 2. - Bad idea to hide from me. 3 & 4. (sound of the machine gun) 6. - Mission completed! 7. So the main thing is not to get camoufladged, but to demolish enemy by all means. 8. -Join our guys, I'll be back soon.

1. -What is doing the commander over there? - Doing diary, or writing the letter to someone's parent. We pilots are not good in writing, but our commander does that making our parents happy. 3. (Letter text) Dear parents of Yusup. The author of this lines is his commander Nelson Stepanyan.First of all I'd like to report that your son is safe and healthy, and he is perfectly doing all his duties. 4.- So, tomorrow we're going to demolish enemy's ships. They will try to escape and evacuate their military force. 5. That won't work. The evil should be punished. I am not fighting. Nor struggling. I am not going out to the battle with the enemy. 6. I'm making revenge. I'm paying back.