S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect

## S.M.S.B.: Part 2: The Return of the Verasect

### **Rating**

Rated PG-13 for action violence, disturbing behavior, thematic elements, crude language, and brief sexual imagery.

### **Setting**

New York
Venus

### **Followed by**

*Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae*

*"This great country, it shall endure."*
―Red Mist**[src]**
***S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect*** is a 2017 D.I.T. book, the second and final installment of a two-part sequel spinoff, and the eleventh book in The Super Babies Saga. It is a sequel to *The Super Babies: Final Clash of Brethren* and *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?*, the twenty-third installment of the D.I.T. Literary Universe and the second installment of Part Four: Truth Eternal. *The Return of the Verasect* was released on December 22, 2017, and would have been followed by a cancelled threequel, *S.M.S.B.: Mistress of the Blade*, respectively. Production of both books occurred concurrently, and treated as if it were one book. The idea to split the books had been around since late 2014, but only really came into serious consideration after Thomas remembered his ambition to make it a sequel trilogy.

Thomas also noted this was a sit-down book. He has also noted that some of the events of this book had an effect on the way *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Latest Threat* was to be made in 2018.

The novel received average-to-universal acclaim reviews, generally considered as a chillingly plausible story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its evolving cast, new and old, and a dark evolution for the superhero genre.

The book features Lindsay Kellerman as protagonist, Red X as deuteragonist, Titanium Girl and Master Intelligence as tritagonists, Stan and Captain Strength as supporting protagonists; and Red Mist as overarching antagonist, the Umbralord as main antagonist, Nurse Rose as secondary antagonist, President Robbie Evans as tertiary antagonist, and Lamoni, Troy Zonko, and the Apostles as supporting villains.

## Summary

Long ago, the NoHeads waged two horrible wars against the free people of the Eight Worlds. Twelve years ago, Master Intelligence, once an iconic baby superhero, thought he had destroyed Hell Burnbottom, but alas, so long as the Tower of Reincarnation stands, Burnbottom and his followers can wage a third war. In the meantime, the mysterious and almighty Verasect will be discovered by one Sebiscuits Cardarphen, who has wielded the Darkness before, and becomes its host, signaling a revolutionizing event unheard of for the last five centuries — the return of the Verasect.

## Plot

Young superhero Lindsay Kellerman lives in the MBH with her fellow superheroes led by Master Intelligence. She suffers from a neurological disorder, requiring medication, for which she depends on social services. Becoming increasingly distant and running with a brand-new crowd of unique friends that includes the literate Felix, she confronts Master Intelligence, calling him childish but unable to think of what is irritating her; it is at this point that Captain Strength is horrified to learn that Nurse Rose had betrayed his crush Tori Newell for the favor of Lincoln Strafford and that was why the non-binary is undergoing torturous and cruel so-called therapy. Ruthless crime lord Red Mist destroys a crucial government airship. The government, who is currently oblivious to the Return of Hell Burnbottom, blames Kellerman and Master Intelligence, having no idea Rose has hired a civilian named Karl to slander the S.M.S.B.. When Sebiscuits Cardarphen defends his friends at a subsequent trial, President Robbie Evans is forced to admit that Burnbottom has returned and resigns in disgrace. They proceed to take their beautiful and perky friend Crystal in until she is ready to face the world on her own. Budget cuts shut down the social service program, leaving Kellerman without her medication.

Hence, with the summer coming to an end, Kellerman is reunited with her supposed best friend Red X yet begins treating her coldly, and her supposed friendly working ally Telekinibabe has a crush on her. She also begins having frequent visions about Crystal and her friends. Force Baby gives her the cold shoulder when she injures him in a simple game of dodgeball. Master Intelligence arranges Field Trip at the South Pole to take place in October. At their camp resort, they see a 400-foot bear mutate compromising it, which Cardarphen spectacularly incapacitates. Two weeks later, Red X decides to undertake a perilous mission to Greece on her own, where she meets some old contacts of the late Professor Anthony Ruth and defeats Creeper, thwarting his plan to traffick women to bolst the Neptunian population. They meet together in the Kuiper Belt, where they have crucial work to do.

Red Mist traps America's police in the sewers and destroys several barriers surrounding the country. After Messina announces that everything is about to change, Red Mist soon manifests before the crowd and reads a speech, revealing the truth about the Band of Justice. Shortly after he releases the prisoners of Beta Prison, he instates martial law in the city and exiles and kills America's elite in kangaroo courts presided over by Claude. Four months later, the S.M.S.B. ally with Stanley Vasquez, revealed to be part of the Order of the Mystic Specters, and they march upon the Tower of Reincarnation. Felix intervenes and reveals himself as the Umbralord, the demonic lord of the Apostles, benefactor of the dreaded Ring of Negation, and sworn nemesis of the increasingly weakened Lumiking, and he kills Rose, thwarting the dreams of revenge Captain Strength and Titanium Girl have shared for months. However, he is routed when Stan unleashes the Phial of the Lumiking, destroying the tower. In its fresh ruins, Hell Burnbottom confers with the spirit of Annabeth Black and renounces his family's evil legacy. None of this prevents the S.M.S.B. from being trapped, all minus Captain Strength, who goes with Stan to see the Order for himself. Strafford is named an official member, called Ironside.

On May 1, Force Baby revives the others and they figure out how to reprogram the codex to escape and return to New York. The liberation front begins as Kellerman and Master Intelligence give a grandiose speech about how society abandons the downtrodden and mentally ill, enabling the police to make a final stand against the evil Red Mist. Shifting their priorities toward Bast Castle, they land inside the fortress to face the Satanic divinity. Meanwhile, Cardarphen, who is being slowly infested by the Verasect, goes to Bast Castle to stop the Umbralord himself. He kills his snake Nagatha, but the demon easily defeats him and proceeds to pull the Verasect out of the cyborg. But Cardarphen's soul is tethered to the Verasect and he promptly returns to his body. The castle is engulfed in a mighty battle in which Red X transmutes the Lunch Money Bandit and Telekinibabe destroys Whammo Fireball, but none of them can prevent the murder of Ironside. The demon manifests before Kellerman and tells her that although he has subtly given man ideas and inspirations, it is ultimately their decision to resort to violence, as they are inherently corrupt. Kellerman refuses to join him, and Master Intelligence and Burnbottom arrive right before he can destroy her. Enraged, the Umbralord possesses Kellerman to tempt Master Intelligence but Kellerman narrowly manages to block the Umbralord from her body when she realizes what has transpired proves humans are still righteous. Red X arrives in the nick of time and, calling upon the full power of the Verasect, blasting the demon away through space.

The S.M.S.B. returns to New York, where everything is slowly coming back together as Mars sends much-needed aid. With Kellerman meeting her new therapist and Troy on the run with undue custody of Kalixtus, Stan swears to get him back and he befriends Captain Strength as the former becomes Mystical Magoguru and the latter sets his sights on completing his education at Superhero School.

## Development

Believing it was an unorthodox choice for anyone of his current age, D. Isaac Thomas was going to write a novel about political and social action, as a form of political activism.

## Themes and analysis

*"In a society thick with decay, any truthful art must intercept it in its reflection. And it must show the world is changeable — lest it use its social function to destroy faith — and help to change it."*
―D. Isaac Thomas[src]
*The Return of the Verasect* has been interpreted as a critique of left and right wing politics alike and as advocating reparation with politics annd their impact on human nature. It notably contradicts the idea that white privilege exists and opposes the activist group Black Lives Matter. The novel also criticizes censorship for being biased and mental health issues for often being underlooked. D. Isaac Thomas himself has described the novel as one rich with themes of trauma and transformation that emphasizes the cracks of society in blunt yet controversial ways, and show the conflicts that some would try to wedge open for their own ends. The revolution scene can be seen as the true defeat of both Red Mist and Legion, demonstrating both of them are wrong about how every human will turn on each other in an extreme scenario. This demonstrates, individually, that while people cannot responsibly handle power, they can accomplish hope for a compssionate outcome by sharing the responsibility.

## Reception

*"Isaac wanted to give us a book all about the emptiness of our culture... but he just wound up offering a prime example of it. The plot is nonexistent and it's dark only in a stupidly juvenile way. And it can't help that it's hopelessly stuffed with phony philosophy."*
―Melissa Vaine[src]
The novel was generally well-received. Readers found it a powerful and unsettling allegory of contemporary greed, propaganda, and violence, and deeply liked several of the characters. A FANDOM user with the ID "annabeth is queen" called it "gloriously daring and explosive" and appreciated how D. Isaac Thomas used elements from DC Comics films to create an original story. Chris cited that the novel was a sellout waiting to happen as it introduced unforgettable characters, had a unique tone, and expressed what is going in the real world. Another user named "MaleficentFan2017" called it an unforgettable read that kept them up all night and needed to be read to be believed.

Most of the characters were widely acclaimed, especially Nurse Rose and Crystal. Rose was described as nearly stealing the show, with Crystal being considered an unexpected breakthrough among the women of the D.I.T. Literary Universe. Red X, Ironside, and Captain Strength also received a lot of praise. Despite this, the novel unexpectedly received negative criticism for its villain; the Umbralord. Many claimed the unusually sophisticated demon was extremely cliched and even drew criticism for his robes.

Thomas' friend from school, Tyson Petersen, was more mixed, feeling that while it was the boldest and most exciting superhero novel since "Soon I Will Be Invicible," it was also incendiary, confused, and potentially toxic. He thought the novel would make Thomas' readers happy, but criticized the tone and the alleged lack of originality. A few other friends from an educational facility called Vista, while none having read *Verasect* cover to cover, agreed they found the novel too derivative and greatly cliché-ridden — turning into a way they, apparently unpopularly, disapproved of on how the world treats the lower class.

In an outright negative review, Melissa Vaine, who ranked the book as 40 out of 44 among the entire franchise, cited that the book tried to give readers a book all about the emptiness of our culture, and in doing so merely providing a prime example of it. She argued the plot was nonexistent, dark only in a childish way, and had a lot of "phony" philosophy. Meanwhile, a friend from junior high, named Joshua, praised Lindsay's arc and the first act, yet he criticized the novel's political plot developments and overall found it too derivative of various DC Comics films — none of which Thomas had seen as of that era.

## Gallery

SMSB2.jpgTylerdoor326.jpgTyler Grant Jnr. standing outside of a doorway.Umbralord-Cleave.jpgLegion's face briefly phasing over Felix.Sebiscuits return of the verasect.jpgSebiscuits dueling the Umbralord.Teleportation.jpgA dark mutant teleports.Tumblr lp43olPD7z1qa1zu9o3 r1 250.jpgA normal mutant teleports.Sebiscuits' eyes flaring.jpgSebiscuits' eyes flaring in a dreamscape.Telekinibabeposition.jpgTelekinibabe dueling Whammo Fireball.Tumblr l57rmkQ1Rn1qbhtrto1 500.jpgLindsay and Felix struggle around his demonic wings.Possession.jpgLindsay's eye manifests to resemble the eye of Legion.FelixEnd-SMSB2.jpgThe Umbralord is blasted back by the Verasect.Umbralord-0.jpgThe Umbralord firing electrical energy.Kalixtus.jpgBaby Kalixtus NewellLincoln-SMSB2-Profile.jpgIronsideOrts.jpgThe OrtsSMSB2 Crystal 2.jpgCrystalSMSB2-Titanium-Girl-12.jpgTitanium GirlTori Newell Profile (1).jpgTroy ZonkoTori-Brown.jpgTroy Zonko (brown hair)
## Appearances

### Locations

* Earth
	+ Manhattan Island
	+ New York City, New York
		- Central Park East High School
		- MBH
	+ Canada
		- Tower of Reincarnation
* Venus
	+ Sicily
		- Bast Castle

### Events

* Hell Burnbottom's campaign
* Fall of the Tower of Reincarnation
* Anarchy in New York
* Liberation of New York

### Objects

* Arts
* Phial of the Lumiking
* Sword
* Verasect

### Species

* Demons
* Dogs
* Humans
* Ghosts

### Organizations

* S.M.S.B.
* Apostles
* Order of the Mystic Specters
* Red Mist's Criminal Empire
* Ring of Negation

### Mentioned

* Lumiking
* Mr. Stupid NoHead
* NoHeads
* Sheriff Bladepoint

### New Characters

* Brad Ort
* Cassie Ort
* Chris Ort
* Doris Crockford

## Music

 Fake Woke | Tom MacDonald | * End credits.

## References

Template:D.I.T. Literary Universe
Template:Truth Eternal