By Tara TealStaff Writer
In the first part of my interview with fashionista Pyra Banks, she revealed to us that her crime fighting past had roots in human trafficking.
Pyra: The monks who found me, nursed me back to health. I lived with them for several years within the village. There was a Dob-Dob who taught me everything he knew, even though it was forbidden for women to learn his ways.
APJ: A Dob-Dob? Uh, spelling?
Pyra: It's hard to explain, think of them as deacons, peacemakers and laborers. However, Tsun Lung, that was his name, was of a special order of monks. Just spell it phonetically.
APJ: Is that where you learned martial arts?
Pyra: Yes, Lama Pai and Tibetan White Crane Kung Fu. After Tsun Lung died, I left the village and tracked down my sister. I was able to rescue her, but she was scarred, physically and emotionally.
APJ: I am so sorry.
Pyra; Thank You, so after that. I decided to use my skills to help others, especially women.
APJ: That's was a very courageous choice. How did you get into modeling?
Pyra: Heh, I was terrified most of time. Now modeling, that was something different. I think I did that to regan and maintain some sense of normalcy. I wanted my sister and myself to feel beautiful, respected, desired.
APJ: Did your sister model with you?
Pyra: I tried to convince her, but they cut her face up too bad. Make-up wasn't as advanced back then.
APJ: We have you to thank for that shift don't we?
Pyra: Well, I definitely got into make-up with a mind to help my sister. I like to think she appreciated it, but we had a, falling out. She went off to become a pretty snazzy scientist. I'm sorry, here I am reminiscing and I totally neglected your question.
APJ: No, no, it's quite alright. We were talking about modeling.
Pyra: Yes, well of course it wasn't easy breaking into modeling being a young Latina.I had to work just about any gig that came my way. I couldn't afford to be very choosy, and even then, work was sparse.
APJ: But you were a survivor.
Pyra: Yes, and no. I definitely had to reinvent myself after The Five dissolved.
APJ: Let's talk about them.
Pyra: It was crazy back then. I was a young crime fighter. There was this drug den, I had gotten in over my head. I probably would've died if Larry hadn't shown up.
APJ: Larry? That's the vigilante known as Dead to Rights yes?
Pyra: Yes, sorry. He had been in the costumed crime fighter game for a bit longer than me. It just so happened I was lucky enough to be tracking the same drug runners as him.
APJ: Was he the first hero you encountered?
Pyra: No, World was, we teamed up together to break up a prostitution ring. We crossed paths because [World B. Free] was tracking down some child pornographers.
APJ: I didn't realize how gritty things were.
Pyra: Yeah, most of that didn't make the papers. We didn't get into the "glamorous" crimes like bank robbers and costumed crooks until The Five was formed.
APJ: Were you instrumental in its foundation?
Pyra: Hardly, I was by far the youngest, and the only "broad". No, it was World's idea. He and Dirty Ice came up with the idea, but it was Larry who recruited me. It's funny, in many ways, Larry was by far the most anti-social among us, but he was the glue.
APJ: Are you able to talk about the Duke of Dark at all?
Pyra: (pauses) Yes, I suppose it's been long enough. Well, maybe not, but there's no time like the present.
APJ: I'm sorry I..
Pyra: No, it's ok. It's just when we lost the Duke, it seems like that was the beginning of the end.
Be sure to pick up tomorrow's edition for the third and final installment of my interview with retired super heroine Pyra Banks.
