John Smith Society
Quote: "For Justice and Science!"
Doctor Aeon remains an inspiration for the whole of the planet Earth. Despite his mysterious disappearance, his family and former colleagues carry on his work to benefit humanity through the power of SCIENCE! The John Smith Society is not generally viewed very favorably in the scientific community. They have a habit of getting into adventures and coming up with crackpot inventions that are economically impractical, but no one can deny their enthusiasm or nobility.
The John Smith Society is not technically a group of super heroes. The majority of its members are non-powered individuals who just have an enthusiasm for science and utopianism. It's just that they have a strange tendancy to become involved in plots against interstellar warlords and other dimensional horrors. Their facilities are also routinely sacked by super villains seeking to misuse their devices for evil purposes.
Almost anyone can join the John Smith Society. Their love of science transcends the ability to actually perform feats of science. Many members simply desire to assist the John Smith Society's more "larger than life" members in whatever way they can. Thus, it is a gigantic and eccentric bunch to say the least.
History and Organization: The John Smith Society traces itself directly back to Doctor Aeon and his Fabulous Five. Doctor Aeon made a surprisingly large number of oddball associates during his lengthy career as a Pulp Adventurer. When he disappeared, most of them believed the organization would disband. Instead, Cynthia Van Helsing took the reigns and stated that no single man could take the place of Doctor Aeon, but that many hundreds could carry on his dreams of a utopian scientific future.
Since that time, the John Smith Society has carried on as a network of armchair theorists and two-fisted adventurers. They've been a thorn in the side of the Gene Nation, P.H.A.N.T.O.M, and even the extra-dimensional Djinn. Its members are often called upon to give their lives for Earth's safety but it is highly likely that there would be no human race today if not for their persistent sacrifices.
The most important division of the John Smith Society is the Aeon Knights. A collection of the John Smith Society's most talented and experienced adventurers. The Aeon Knights take an active stance against evil throughout the world and field test the devices cooked up in the Society's labs. Only a few of the Aeon Knights have powers but most make up for it in surreal gadgets and raw determination. Cynthia Van Helsing still technically leads the Aeon Knights despite her retirement from active adventuring. Instead, her children have largely taken over her duties and they may soon pass them on to their children.
Beneath the Aeon Knights is the Tesla Laboratories. A place for scientists who are interested primarily in research rather than profit. Quite a few of the inventions produced are genuinely useless but they patented nonetheless. The John Smith Society has a standing agreement with Alexander Timons to market anything genuinely profitable they do come up with. Ironically, Black Wing II's researchers tend to find more things useful in the science of their inventions than in the actual inventions themselves.
Finally, there are the Hong Kong Irregulars. A collection of all the regular and not so irregular citizens that are committed to assisting the John Smith Society's more adventurous members whenever possible. Despite the name, they are not actually based in Hong Kong. The Aeon Knights just thought it sounded cool.
Headquarters: The heart of the John Smith Society is undoubtedly the Gonzo Institute. Located in the middle of Arizona, the place is largely viewed to be the heart of mad science in America. Experiments into everything from time travel to growing gigantic killer tomatoes are conducted here daily. Most of Heroic Earth's more eccentric geniuses have studied here at one time or another. The Gonzo Institute is chiefly located in the middle of the desert because no town in their right mind would want to be nearby the surreal location. Given the number of times its been attacked by tentacle monsters or transported into the Annihilation Zone, this may be a wise decision.
The Gonzo Institute contains all manner of research facilities, training grounds, and warehouses for their weird trinkets that members pick up on their travels.
