E-mail me with your questions, comments and critiques. In 1839, an alien starliner malfunctioned and exploded. A jettisoned life pod crashed -- in the middle of a cotton field, in the Deep South. The pod was equipped with a unique survival mechanism, which reconfigured the genetic structure of its passenger to resemble whatever life form it first encountered. And so it happened that Miriam, the slave woman who discovered the pod, found inside a baby boy with her mother's eyes. In the present, the alien is still with us, in the guise of a successful lawyer, Augustus Freeman IV. Still marooned, he waits for Earth's technology to catch up to his life pod's. He may have a long wait. Secretly possessing superpowers that belie his human appearance, he has always performed quiet acts of charity. Recent events in the City of Dakota, though, as well as a certain opinionated young woman, convince him to become more than just a silent friend to his community. He dons a costume to become Icon, the Hero of Dakota. Because Augustus has had so much for so long, he doesn't fully understand the needs of those he protects. The teenage girl who insists on becoming his sidekick, Rocket, is a product of Dakota's worst section, Paris Island. She and Icon have a profound effect on one another. Rocket gets a glimpse of Augustus' affluence, and inspiration from his mighty deeds. Icon, in turn, learns of a world of misery and failed expectations that he didn't believe still existed in this country. Together, Icon and Rocket tackle the world's toughest villains -- and some of our biggest problems.