Strange Adventurers

[jack_babalon]

There are purportedly 52 parallel earths in the DC universe. Though being a fan of Warren Ellis' Planetary, I always prefered the snow flake model of the multiverse he used offering somewhere in the neighborhood of 196,833 possibile dimensions kicking around and just waiting to be played with. It doesn't matter how you want to work the math, really. All I need is one.

Call it Earth - 27.

A world where Krypton never exploded, the amazons of Paradise Island remained in seclusion and the prosperous Wayne family of Gotham City decided to splurge on a cab ride home after taking little Brucey to the movies (instead of inexplicably strolling through Crime Alley in the middle of the night). No power rings (Abin Sur never crashed on the 'mostly harmless' planet Earth of Sector 2814). No speed force ("Local police scientist dies in freak lab accident..."). No gaudily dressed meta-criminals commiting elaborately themed felonies (who would've guessed a well placed S.W.A.T. team sniper could handle the Captain Cold's and Joker's as efficently as any masked vigilante?)

A world, in short, that never produced a 'super-hero'.

But Earth - 27 does not want for champions of the fantasic.

At the height of the Atomic Age a new breed of American hero began to appear on the world stage. 'Strange Adventurers' they were called, whose ranks included a small army of scientists, explorers, daredevils and soliders of fortune. All the old silver age 'science heroes' from Mystery in Space and Showcase - The Challengers of the Unknown, Adam Strange, The Sea Devils, Cave Carson, Congorilla, etc - still manifested in this paticular universe. Along side them stand such 'real world' historical characters such as Jack Parsons (Occult Rocket Scientist Supreme) and Wilhelm Reich (along with his fantastic orgone weaponry).

The title would be 'Strange Adventurers' and the pitch would be simple - "It's New Frontier meets The Venture Brothers".

The story would start in '59 and end in '09. Following fifty years of conspiracy theories, alien abduction hysteria, ultraterrestials that appear as gigantic Kirby-esque monsters, Zeta Beams, Orgone 'Cloud Busters', mad scientists, a fleet of vril powered Nazi flying saucers and vast geodesic domed cities. All this plus a one way passport to Gorilla City, Dinosaur Island, the hollow earth, the planet Rann and a 21st century that actually looks like the 21st century.

Mainly though I think it would allow a great staple of seldom used characters to really shine. No matter how much you fluff up the science heroes of a Tom Strong or Johnny Quest - they would seem kinda redundant in a super-verse. Who really needs the The Challengers of the Unknown in a world patroled by demi-gods with supervision. But make them the only heroes and the possibilities are almost endless.

Sadly I've been told that DC (or Marvel for that matter) are not accepting unsolicited pitches unless they are done so by establihed or at least proven bankable author/artists. So alas Earth-27 and 'Strange Adventurers' will not be appearing any time soon... except perhaps as a dream, a hoax, an imaginary story!

Comments

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I'd read that. Hell, I'd write for that.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Yay! Really glad you like it. If I ever convince anyone it's publishable I'll be in touch looking for a co-writer.

[weishaupt.livejournal.com]

There's only on 'l' in vril, at least on this version of earth. Besides that, awesome idea. And I am stealing that image.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I always add an extra 'l' in Vril... but I just do. Thanks man and please help yourself to any image I post (so long as it's not one of my photographs).

[sabrina-pandora.livejournal.com]

But a very interesting concept.

Write it anyway. I, for one, wanna read it.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Sweet, maybe once I get the novel on the market and the play finished up, I'll try it as a sort of fan-fiction thingy.

Thanks for the encouragement:)

[sabrina-pandora.livejournal.com]

Remember, Watchmen grew out of Alan's desire to do a story with the Charlton heroes, and for all of the unique nature of Planetary, just how many fictions did he mine to incorporate and thinly veil so we'd all know with a wink and a nod who he was talking about, yet they cannot be sued. Just like Ignition City.

And in this shitty market Dark Horse is always looking for properties they can stripmine to make movies from. Could be quite a ticket if you played it right. DC doesn't wanna bite, their loss...

[novadrome.livejournal.com]

I love this idea.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Cool, as I mentioned above with any luck I'll give it a shot as a fan fiction piece once I finish up some other projects.

[(Anonymous)]

10^10^16 = number of actual possible alternate universes ;)

Macgyver (who has forgotten his log in)

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

What's that formula from, man? Planetary... or something else? It seems familiar.