| Yeoman | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
| Real Name | Daniel Brennan |
| Aliases | Yeoman, Ace of Spades Killer, Archer |
| Gender | Male |
| Class | Nat |
| Social Information | |
| Place of Birth | USA |
| Citizenship | Citizen of the United States with a criminal record |
| Occupation | Garden designer. Formerly a soldier and vigilante. |
| Base of Operations | New York |
| Affiliations | US Army |
| Relatives | Jennifer Maloy Brennan (wife) |
| Allies | Chrysalis, Dr. Tachyon, Father Squid, Fortunato, Fadeout, Ishida, Mai Minh |
| Origin | |
| First Appearance | Wild Cards |
| Final Appearance | Death Draws Five |
| Creator | John J. Miller |
Yeoman is Daniel Brennan, a veteran of the Vietnam War who had a life long vendetta with Vietnamese crime lord Kien Phuc. When Brennan was a US Army captain in the war, Kien was a corrupt South Vietnamese general that betrayed his country and his American allies. Kien was responsible for murdering Brennan's squad and also his pregnant Vietnamese wife. After the war, Brennan spent years in a monastery mastering the art of zen archery. Brennan came back to America in the 1980s and started his vengeance against Kien, now leader of the criminal Shadow Fist Society. Brennan became the vigilante Yeoman, also known as the bow-and-arrow killer. In his career he fought aces, aliens, and all manner of exotic enemies, armed only with his bow and his skills.
History[]
Daniel Brennan was a Captain in the US Army during the Vietnam War, leading a reconnaissance team. Brennan and his men uncovered evidence that Kien Phuc, a General in the South Vietnamese Army, was corrupt and in league with North Vietnam. The ruthless and cunning Kien led Brennan's squad into an ambush, killing all of them except for Brennan, and recovering the evidence that would have damned Kien. Brennan told his superiors of Kien's actions, but was unable to make himself believed. Kien sent assassins after Brennan, who again survived, but they murdered Ann-Marie, Brennan's Vietnamese wife, who was pregnant with their child.
After the fall of Saigon, Brennan deserted the army in disgust. He became a mercenary in Asia for a while, but eventually entered a monastery and tried to find inner peace. Brennan studied zen with Ishida, his roshi. He was never the best of students, and certainly never attained enlightenment, but he discovered that he was really good at one thing: zen archery.
Brennan returned to America in 1983, now an outlaw on account of his desertion from the army. In 1986, he was contacted by Minh, and old comrade from the South Vietnamese Army that also knew Kien was dirty. Minh sent a letter warning Brennan that Kien was in New York City. Brennan moved to the city and renewed his vendetta against Kien Phuc, seeking vengeance for the deaths of his loved ones. In America Kien had become a powerful crime lord, while hiding behind a façade of respectability as a legitimate entrepreneur. Kien was the secret boss of the Shadow Fist Society, a criminal group composed of both Asian toughs and wild carders, including several powerful aces.
Wearing a hood to conceal his identity, and armed with a bow, Daniel Brennan became Yeoman, a feared hunter stalking the shadows of New York City, taking down the Shadow Fist Society one criminal at a time. Brennan took to letting an ace of spades card in the sites of his battles with the Shadow Fists. It became his trademark, and soon the press was calling him the "Ace of Spades Killer" and the "Bow-and-Arrow Killer".
As Yeoman, Brennan had many allies among the wild card community. He worked with both Fortunato and Dr. Tachyon on occasion. Father Squid, the joker priest of the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker was an old friend from Brennan's days in Vietnam. But most important was Brennan's relationship with the enigmatic Chrysalis, the mistress of the joker underworld, the woman with transparent skin. Brennan and Chrysalis became lovers, but in the end of the day she had trouble opening up to anyone, and their affair effectively ended in 1987. The woman that truly captured Brennan's love was Jennifer Maloy, a meek librarian by day, daring ace thief by night, capable of turning herself insubstantial. Jennifer's gentle nature had a calming influence in the vindictive rage that lived in Brennan.
In 1987, Daniel left the city to live peacefully with Jennifer in upstate New York. He owns a landscaping business and is happy creating beauty instead of bringing death. Brennan came back to the city a few times, once in 1988 to investigate the murder of his former lover Chrysalis, and once in 1989 when he defeated Kien Phuc once and for all. He later married Jennifer, and had two children, a boy and a girl.
Yeoman found his skills called upon once again when armed men came through his lands in pursuit of Jerry Strauss and John Fortune. After killing two of the pursuers, he turned his attention to tracking the boy who had fled from the violence. He soon found himself in an alliance with Jerry and the government ace Billy Ray against the Allumbrados. Although he proved to be a useful ally in the conflict, he declined requests to accompany them further when they prepared to leave. His place was with his family and his employees.
Skills[]
Brennan has no superhuman powers. He is not infected by the wild card virus. In fact, he is impressive for being a nat with a successful career as a costumed vigilante. His impressive abilities derive from training and natural aptitude.
The greatest of those skills is his archery ability. He is a master of zen archery, possessing almost superhuman precision. He is also preternaturally fast when shooting. After entering a brief zen trance to empty his mind, Yeoman can shoot 4 or 5 enemies in as many seconds, placing arrows just where he wants in each of their bodies. His zen training makes him capable of other amazing feats, such as blanking his conscious mind so completely as to make it impossible for a telepath to read anything from him.
Brennan is also an expert in stealth and infiltration, skills that serve him well both in the jungle and the city. Even though Brennan's favorite weapon is the bow, he is also skilled with guns and hand-to-hand combat.
Appearance[]
Brennan is very unremarkable. He is tall, but not excessively so. His build is lithe and athletic. He has black hair and steely gray eyes, with epicantic folds after plastic surgery done in 1987. Brennan's face is dark and lean. His hands are big and capable, with veins and cords standing out on their backs. His voice is surprisingly soft. As Yeoman, he wears dark, casual clothes, a variety of black hoods to hide his face, and three-fingered leather gloves.
Personality[]
For many years, Brennan was a man driven by vengeance. His hatred of Kien Phuc was intense, and he was unforgiving in the pursuit of his vendetta. Just killing Kien was not enough, Brennan wanted to strip him of everything he had, and then force Kien to live in fear for the rest of his life. The root of Brennan's obsession was the loss of almost all his friends and loved ones. But as much as Brennan tried to avoid making new emotional connections, he inevitably found new friends and loved ones in the course of his mission. These human connections tempered Brennan's thirst for vengeance to the point that he actually abandoned his vendetta for a time, and probably would have let Kien live if Kien hadn't forced the issue by almost killing Jennifer Maloy, Brennan's new love.
Though he lived in a world of violence, Brennan was never a violent man himself, but rather a man that felt himself driven to do what needed doing. Brennan is unquestionably brave, and very loyal to his friends. Left to his own devices, he much prefers the quiet of the country over the bustling city. He desires enlightenment and peace, though many times he felt like they were beyond his reach. He is also a man of few words, sometimes with a dry sense of humor.
Selected Reading[]
- Wild Cards Volume I: Wild Cards - "Comes a Hunter" (Brennan moves to New York City and begins his quest for vengeance)
- Wild Cards Volume II: Aces High - "Half Past Dead" (Brennan helps Fortunato, Tachyon, and Mai Minh defeat the alien Swarm Mother)
- Wild Cards Volume III: Jokers Wild (In September 15 of 1986, Yeoman tries to acquire Kien's journal, meeting the alluring Wraith in the process)
- Wild Cards Volume V: Down and Dirty - "Only the Dead Know Jokertown" (Brennan infiltrates the Shadow Fist Society)
- Wild Cards Volume VII: Dead Man’s Hand (Brennan investigates Chrysalis's murder)
- Wild Cards Volume IX: Jokertown Shuffle "And Hope to Die" (Brennan's last confrontation with Kien Phuc)