|
Back at the beginning of the Silver Age of comics, DC Comics' best titles were divided between the superhero revival and the quirky 1950s sci-fi titles. As a kid, I was a sci-fi geek even before I was a comic geek. Partly, that was due to growing up during the space race (I started school less than two months after Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon) and I was always fascinated with the idea of space travel. I read some Jules Verne and H.G. Welles in elementary school and started on more modern sci-fi in middle school.
It was about that time that I got into comics in a big way and before I got into super-heroes, it was the smattering of science-fiction comics that I preferred. Whenever I could find them, I would buy Gold Key's "Lost in Space" comic, or "Magnus: Robot Fighter". Marvel was doing it's own version of Classics Illustrated, and I remember a very nice "War of the Worlds" treatment. I was a faithful Space:1999 fan (yes, I know, the premise is lame, but the hardware looked great!) and I happened upon Charlton's adaptation of Space:1999, which made comics acceptable to me at the time. Then I discovered DC Comics' reprints of old Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space sci-fi stories from the 50s and 60s. Much of this sci-fi grew from the aesthetics of the old 30s comic strips like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, but with some new themes. Less of the sword & sorcery which infused Flash Gordon, more of the idea of the unlimited benefits of advancing technology. Still, there was adventure and humor, and there were interesting characters.
I've mentioned before, how much I enjoyed Adam Strange, and that led me into the DC universe, as he was a minor member of the Justice League, way back when. Up to that point, the only super-hero book I was reading was the "Legion of Super-Heroes", because of it's science-fiction basis. But those reprints of the early Silver Age sci-fi stories were fun for a ten year old boy with an insatiable appetite for space adventure.
One of those series that I enjoyed was Space Cabbie, with his interstellar taxi that looked for all the world as if you just added rockets and big fins to a 50s model car. Wonder what the mileage was on that model? Sure, a space ship that looked like a '52 Ford is ridiculous, but the stories were fun.
So, a few weeks ago, I was flipping through my old Who's Whos and came across the entry for Space Cabbie and that got me to thinking what a modern interpretation should look like. Now, of course, I could go all technical and say a "space cab" should be a huge shuttle-size thing, but that'd be more of a space bus, right? So, let's assume that there's a practical reason to have small, fast passenger vehicles in space, at some time in the future.
I was thinking, it's 2154 (according to Who's Who Volume XXI), there's a thriving space economy, space habitats, bustling commerce between the planets and a need for cabs to get from place to place. Say you're a visiting dignitary from Aldebaran IV and you need to get to the starport faster than the rgular shuttle will get you there, or you're a Lunar colonist and your wife goes into labor and you can't find the keys to your moon crawler, you call a cab, a Space Cab.
They never gave the Space Cabbie a name, nor many details about him. Rumors say he was an orphan, raised by the military rulers of Ghengkis VII and that he "excelled in deep space navigation and demonstrated a natural ability to pilot any craft." He is also said to have been a fighter pilot in the "Bored Wars", and when he was released from service, spent a few years wandering the galaxy as a mercenary space-pilot, as a menial laborer at various spaceports, but found this life unsatisfactory. Naturally, he decided to drive a cab.
So, we've got this poor guy in the hideous green cheauffer's uniform, and the archaic peaked cap, and need to give him an upgrade. Well, I happen to like green, and besides, that's his color, so we'll stick with it. First things first, in the future, neckties will be banned as contributing to the discomfort of sentient beings, so we lose the bow tie. The high top boots are also unnecessary, for a cab driver, so let's lose them, as well. For the uniform, I midified the lines of the jacket, adding a few accents and such to give it a "future" style, without going totally wierd. For headgear, it's more of a hardhat, than a cap, with built-in communications link to the cab, it comes when he calls.
The cab, I styled more like a minivan than a car, with ground gear more suitable to an aircraft. I figure it's a modular design, the passenger section can be swapped out with larger models, makinging for a limousine-style vehicle. Drive system and life-support sufficient to get between the inner planets, with booster packs for longer trips. not an interstellar vehicle, but then you wouldn't flag down a cab to get from New York to London, would you?
Inside, the pilot's compartment is a single-seater, with room for a few amenities to get you through those long flights. There's artificial gravity to provide a more comfortable flight and refreshments for most species that can co-exist with humans. And sleep stimulators, to deal with any unruly passengers who might come your way. Of course, there's a full complement of sensors and communications gear, as well as a sophisticated navigation computer and an extensive library of audio-visual entertainment recordings, to help ease the boredom of long flights.
So, as the "Who's Who" says, "If you're ever out around the rings of Saturn and in deep trouble, just hail the next cab that passes -- it's bound to be old #7433, with Space Cabbie at your service."
See you next month!
|
