First, I need to address an error in last month's column. I inadvertently
included information I had used for reference about the Red Tornado,
including two URLs included without the permission of the owners. For that,
I apologize, and hope that it didn't cause any problems for them. The
information I found on those sites was very helpful.
This month, I drew inspiration from a Yahoo Group to which I belong. If you
haven't browsed through the lists of Yahoo Groups, I recommend it, there's
something there for everyone. In this case, the group in question is
dedicated to fan fiction based on the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, the
"anti-matter" version of the Justice League of America, from the excellent
graphic novel, JLA: Earth 2, published in 2000.
Way back in the olden days, before the Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped out
the DC Multiverse, there was a universe where history was twisted into a
reverse-parody of the DC Universe. In this universe, Earth had no heroes,
but had analogs of the Justice League of America, calling themselves the
Crime Syndicate of America. Following the naming convention of the day, this
world would later be dubbed Earth-3.
The CSA first discovered the existence of the JLA's Earth when Ultraman,
the evil analog of Superman, gained new sensory powers from an exposure to
kryptonite. With each exposure to kryptonite, Ultraman's powers were
increased. Gaining the power to see across the dimensional barrier, he
returned to his Earth to tell his partners in crime, Super Woman (Wonder
Woman), Power Ring (Green Lantern), Johnny Quick (the Flash) and Owlman
(Batman).
Inevitably, they clashed with the JLA and when the heroes won the battle,
they left the CSA trapped in an interdimensional prison cell, created by
Green Lantern's power ring. There the languished, unable to escape, until
some time later, when various members would be freed, from time to time, by
some Earth-1 villain or other.
Then, in the opening pages of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, they were
wiped out by the advancing wave of anti-matter and, in a twist of irony,
they seemed almost heroic at the end. That was 1985 . . .
2000 . . .
Writer, Grant Morrison and artist, Frank Quitely re-envision the Crime
Syndicate for a post-Crisis/post-Zero Hour DC universe. This time, since the
Multiverse is officially defunct, the Earth of the Crime Syndicate resides
in an anti-matter universe. There, good is evil, though that is clearly an
over-simplification. There, the KKK has it's own airline. There, people feel
free to kick puppies. But, when Ultraman drops dollar bills from the sky,
with pictures of George Washington on them, and "In God We Trust", people in
the streets are angry and one particularly vocal critic is vaporized by
Ultraman's heat vision. "They insult me within earshot, they know what to
expect. Big Brother is watching you."
"Earshot" being, a few thousand feet in altitude, at least.
If you haven't read it, yet, they have the trade paperback out, JLA: Earth
2. Check it out.
So, one day I'm at the Yahoo Group, looking at the interesting new
characters these guys have devised to populate this twisted, mirror-world,
all of them analogous to the regular DC Universe characters, and a few
bouncing over from Marvel, just for fun. They have evil versions of the
Golden Age characters, as well as the modern versions. The one thing no one
has tackled, yet, was he future.
I've said it many times before, I'm a huge Legion fan. To me, the Legion of
Super-Heroes is, conceptually, the perfect comic book. It hasn't always been
executed well, but the concept is great.
So, when someone mentioned the Legion, in the context of the JLA: Earth 2
universe, something clicked in my head and I was off. The first visual that
popped into my head was of Legion founding member, Saturn Girl, in her
bikini costume from the 70s. With a minor alteration . . .
Amazing how readily that costume transforms into dominatrix gear, when it
changes from hot pink to black latex, isn't it? From there, I had to work
through some of the other characters. Why would a "Legion" form, under the
conditions prevalent in the CSA's universe? The three founding members of
the Legion, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad/Livewire, and Cosmic Boy had been
brought together by circumstances and had saved the richest man in the
galaxy, from assassins. In this twisted universe, who could they save, and
why? In this universe, it goes against the general nature to rescue, anyone,
but if you rescue a billionaire, you might expect to be rewarded, in some
way.
This led me to consider the Legion's villains, how different would be their
reflections? The greatest of the Legion's foes was always Mordru the
Merciless. Okay, that's easy. Mordru the Merciful, a powerful mage, who uses
his power to do good, a thankless task, at best.
Then there is Universo, who once tricked the Earthgov into banning the
Legion. His real name is Vidar and he is the father of Brainiac Five's
partner in mischief, Rond Vidar. For my purposes, he uses the name
"Universo" very little. Vidar also has one distinctive feature that has
never been explained, he has pointed ears. He uses chemical and hypnotic
techniques to control minds, but I never liked or trusted hypnotism, much.
For my purposes, Vidar is a hybrid, a half-breed. Normally, I disdain alien
cross-breeding, but it's not unheard-of in the DC universe, so I'm using it.
In this case, his father was a storm-trooper of the Titanian assault forces.
Titan, a moon of Saturn, is the home of a telepathic offshoot of the human
race. Vidar's mother was a Khundian scientist in a small research outpost
which was over-run by the Titanians, during a hot point in the cold war
between the Khundian Commonwealth and the Planetary Combine. From his
mother, he inherited Khundian physical prowess, from the Titanian half, he
gets some limited telepathic abilities. This aids him in his work as a
freelance negotiator.
The reason I spend time discussing Vidar/Universo is that I have him
figuring prominently in the "origin" of the Legion.
The Legion of Super-Heroes' benefactor is R.J. Brande, the richest man in
the galaxy. Returning to Earth from an interplanetary business trip (doesn't
that sound like fun!), Brande was attacked while deboarding his ship. The
attackers were foiled when Imra Ardeen, of Titan, sensed their intentions
and gave warning. This alerted two boys traveling with them, Garth Ranzz of
Winath, and Rokk Krinn of Braal. Ranzz had gained electrical powers in an
accident on Korbal and used his "lightning" powers to stun the attackers,
while Krinn used his native magnetic powers to strip them of their weapons.
Brande was impressed and grateful for their help.
All the basic elements remain the same, we just need to twist things around
a little.
R.J. Brande is a wealthy industrialist and political boss in the Planetary
Combine. In their system, he controls the votes of everyone who works for
him, making him the most powerful man in the Combine. In the tradition of
political bosses since the dawn of time, he is also intimately involved with
organized crime, earning a substantial portion of his wealth by providing
difficult-to-obtain commodities, for a price. He has a vested interest in
maintaining the status quo. Brande, through the politicians he controls,
opposes many technical innovations which would increase industrial
productivity and speed interstellar travel. Brande's combine builds the
cranky, slow warp-drive engines, which are the only legal means of
interstellar propulsion in the Planetary Combine.
Returning from business on Rimbor, he encounters Vidar, who is traveling to
Earth to negotiate a trade agreement with a group of independent businessmen
attempting to break Brande's stranglehold on interstellar travel by
obtaining the Khund hyper-drive and related technologies. Brande attempts to
cajole Vidar, who calls him a corpulent, scheming grifter. This sparks a
reaction in Brande who makes the fatal error of challenging Vidar. Among the
Khunds, dueling is an accepted form of dispute resolution, as it has always
been, among civilized people.
Enter the telepath. It turns out that little Imra Ardeen, a runaway from a
Titanian re-education facility in the Winath system where her telepathic
abilities were being honed to deadly effectiveness, had been secretly adding
fuel to the anger of the two men. A bit clumsy in her technique, she tips
her hand, as Vidar is leaving.
The duel cannot take place on the ship, but is soon set for a landing pit
on Earth, when they touch down. Vidar foils an assassination attempt by
Brande's personal assassin, before they reach Earth.
Also on board the ship are the championship Magno-brawler, Rokk Krinn,
fleeing gambling debts on Rimbor and Garth Ranzz. Ranzz is lately banished
from his home on Winath, after an incident between him and his brother,
Mekt, a captain in the People's Militia, who also possesses electrical
powers. Krinn and Ranzz are both down on their luck and looking for any way
to score a few credits. They've spotted the famous R.J Brande, but his
personal bodyguard, the gild Brande calls simply "Lu", never leaves his
side. Vidar is obviously rich, and unlike Brande, carries Khund gold, not
Planetary Combine credits, with their tracer flecks and radio-print. Vidar
is alone, most of the time, but the ship is no place to stage a robbery.
Confined spaces and nowhere to run. They plot to follow him as he leaves the
ship.
Upon landing, the passengers deboard and head for their various
destinations, Brande and his retinue go to the landing pit specified for the
duel. Vidar and his seconds, two aliens he has done business with in the
past, follow. Brande sends his staff away, keeping only the girl, "Lu", with
him. Imra Ardeen follows behind the two scruffy-looking boys intent on
robbing Vidar.
Vidar and Brande face off. Vidar has chosen swords and has a pair of
elegant dueling rapiers for the purpose. They fight and, of course, Vidar is
winning. It's then that Lu splits into three identical girls and we learn
that Brande's personal assistant/assassin is a Carggite Triad assassin, with
the native ability to triplicate. She kills Vidar's seconds and one of her
selves wades in to face Vidar with her poisoned knives.
As the Triad converges on Vidar, he is hard pressed to hold them off. There
are three of them, after all and they are able to perfectly co-ordinate
their attacks to keep him on the defensive.
From the shadows, Imra has been watching the boys watching the duel.
Vidar is all but beaten, suffering several cuts from the poisoned blades.
Imra is one step ahead of the action, reading Vidar's intent a second
before he act. She screams, "He's going to shoot...!!!" as Vidar draws a
concealed pistol from his boot and gets off a shot at one of the Triad,
wounding her. All three react to the wound, but the two unharmed girls
recover quickly, diving for cover.
Reacting instinctively, Rokk Krinn grabbed Vidar's weapons in a magnetic
field and tears them from his hands. Garth Ranzz looses a bolt of lightning,
stunning Vidar.
This is the incident that will spark the formation of R.J. Brande's Legion
of Ultra-Villains. I plan on doing a few early episodes and I've chosen a
few of the earliest recruits for my illustration. Of course, the first three
members are Imra Ardeen, Garth Ranzz and Rokk Krinn, using the names Psyche,
Deathbolt and Maglev. Add to that, Brande's personal assassin, Luornu Durgo,
the Carggite Triad assassin, calling herself Triple Threat. They are joined
by the Bgtzlian contract thief and industrial spy, Tinya Wazzo, calling
herself Phantasm and the Durlan enforcer, Reep Daggle, using the code-name
Chimera.
There's more to come.
I checked with the owner of the Yahoo group and he says he'd love to see
some new members. You have to join to view the files, but it's simple and
quick and trust me, the pics are worth it. Read the stories, check out the
pics. Who knows, you might find yourself inspired, too.
