A Life Of Its Own, Part One

By David Gallaher
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The thesis of column has always been to prove that comic books can be a vehicle for personal expression – that our experience can be mirrored in the four-color pages that comics provide. This week, I’m exposing my own work to the public in an effort to display how comic books can be intelligent, action-packed, and relevant – all with an old pitch for X-Force.

During the spring of 1999, I was working in the Marvel Comic offices developing editorial and creative material for Marvel.Com. Secretly, I was trying to develop some startling new ideas for a comic book. After work every evening, I read everything I could about screenwriting, plotting, and mythology – in an effort to revolutionize the way that people thought about comic books.

I picked up all of the screenwriting books I could find. Starting with Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434, and moving quickly to Richard Krevolin’s Screenwritng From The Soul and from there to Syd Field’s The Screen Writer’s Problem Solver and finally to Telling Lies For Fun And Profit by Lawrence Block. Through these guides, I started to get a much stronger grasp on the intimacy of film. It was always my ambition to tell the Citizen Kane of comic stories, but I never had tools to be successful, until I started looking outside the schema of comic books. Comics are, in a sense paper cinema and yet have never truly been explored in that way before. Despite the classes I had taken in Creative Writing, no professor has ever taught me serious Script-Fu, the way these writers had. I stopped reading comics and focused my energies on other forms of visual narrative.

At the time, there were few comic stories that reflected the intimate importance of being a hero. As I have mentioned before, the importance of a mythic hero is to contrast the mundane with the sublime. Figuring that there was nothing more mundane or relevant than the monotony of the office, I developed a few ideas about a central character that was the epitome of banality. I scribbled a few notes together and tucked the idea (and the notes) away.

I hadn’t thought about the idea for nearly six months … until I was found myself talking to my friend Jay Faerber who had mentioned that Marvel’s X-Force was in the midst of a creative and editorial change. Originally conceived as this para-military freedom fighter organization, X-Force fought to liberate the society’s underdogs. Previously, the team had fought to advance social issues and personal freedoms. As Jay and I kept talking, I wondered how it was possible that a para-military group was able to fund all of its operations – and then it struck me. What if … instead of operating as a military unit the member of X-Force found themselves as pawns in a game of corporate espionage?

Thematically, X-Men. [and its spin-off titles] use “mutation” as a metaphor for racism, homosexuality, and isolation. That being said, if mutation is a reflection of inequality, than why not explore other inequalities in society? For example, could mutation help explore the working condition of immigrants in sweatshops? Or, the recent practice of genetic discrimination in offices across the nation? Or, racial profiling? Maybe I was on to something?

I started to develop the idea … and kept mulling it over in my mind. For some reason, the ideas weren’t quite gelling the way I want them to. I couldn’t get my mind around the plotting of the stories or the structure of the characters. It just wasn’t coming together. And so, instead of submitting the idea to my editor, it just sat there, a few notes cobbled together on various scraps of yellowed paper.

While the ideas had slowly started to blossom in my head, it had turned out that my window of opportunity had closed – and Warren Ellis had been given the X-Force title to shape up as are of the Counter X initiative. Map props to him – and I certainly can’t fault the guy – his ideas for the book were pretty solid stuff. But that didn’t mean that my idea had to stop there …

Maybe if I developed the book into a totally new series, I could make it work …

I searched through the Marvel Universe and found all sorts of characters that would make some brilliant espionage characters. I searched though all sorts of research to uncover the perfect title for the book … and then … in an instant … I remembered my old notes … I wanted a new character that was older than your standard twenty-something superhero type. Since this is a comic, he needed a super-power, how about invisibility? Corporations are always ignoring the “little guy” so why not have this character become invisible, not physically, but mentally. I felt I was one to something. In corporate life, people are always trying to get ahead. They are always trying to increase their comfort, class, and convenience. What if … all you wanted in life was to be recognized, and could not understand that the reason was that you were mentally invisible to everyone! Sure, if you were in the room, actively talking to me, I would talk right back; but, the moment you left the room, your existence would totally fade from my memory. FADE! That was it, I had come up with my main character. Fade, whose real name is Bob Smith, would be trapped in a world of the mundane, where just seeing the sunshine is a miracle to behold. Stuck in monotony, Bob would be reflective of my reader’s struggles though life.

And just then … everything made sense.
The pitch came alive – and nearly wrote itself.

Hate Your Boss?
Overworked?
Underpaid?

Then Try:

WHAT WE OFFER:
Tired of the same old spandex battles? Want something more from your superheroes? DILBERT MEETS THE MATRIX in BRAND X, a mini-series designed to spotlight a new aspect of the heroic allegory: The Workplace! We offer corporate espionage, big business, and evil HMOs. Still not convinced? How about Sentinels, Iron Man, Mister Sinister, and the Marauders? But wait … there is more! Much more!

OUR COMPANY:
THE BRAND CORPORATION - The Brand Corporation is the biggest bio-tech company to hit the scene in years. Using mutants to eliminate the competition, Brand can develop new patents and technologies weeks before their rivals. To that end … they formed BRAND X!

OUR EMPLOYEES:
The employees of BRAND X offer a wide diversity of talents that will appeal to readers both old and new!

FADE - [new character] An overweight, middle-management nobody, Bob Smith spends his life working in a cubicle. Bob is an Internet geek at OSCORP, whose life reads like a DILBERT cartoon. He has a 'forgettable face', in fact, after six years as OSCORP - his boss still cannot remember his name! Unbeknownst to him, Bob is a mutant with the power to 'fade from existence.' When not in the presence of others, the memory of Bob Smith is gone. More than anything else, Bob just wants to be noticed … Brand X gives him the chance to be a hero.

TASKMASTER - Taskmaster is the BATMAN of BRAND X. His 'photographic reflexes' allows him to mimic the fighting styles and behaviors of nearly anyone.

FORGE - The former leader of X-FACTOR has seen the effects of anti-mutant technology first hand. As a master inventor, Forge has the ability to construct anything from microscopic computer viruses to bio-metric laser rifles.

DAZZLER - Once she was an actress, a singer, and an X-Men. Using her power to absorb and convert sound into light, Dazzler has the ability to mask the sound of footsteps, alarms, and weapon fire ... an ability that makes her perfect for espionage.

MORPH - Little is known about the creature known as Morph. His ability to omni-morph into anyone and anything is an invaluable asset to clandestine operations. His antics provide comic relief to the cast and the readers!

KARMA - Raised in the ruins of the post-war Vietnam, Xi'an 'Shan' Coy Manh became a self-sufficient member of the NEW MUTANTS. Shan has not only developed greater control over her mind control, but also developed low-level telepathy ... a natural asset for corporate espionage.

OUR BENEFITS
BRAND X adds a very human element to the mutant allegory. Ideally, readers will see themselves reflected in our character desires and in their angst. How does the workplace affect us? Why do we endure Rush Hour, cubicle life, endless meetings, and low morale? How can we find our identity in a corporate climate devoid of personality? How are mutants treated in the workplace and what can be done to help them? Content and conflict propel the series the series forward, addressing themes of alienation, identity, and responsibility.

OUR WORK
Included below is a sample of potential story ideas that highlight the major themes in BRAND X:

"Life in the Slow Lane"
Meet Bob Smith: The Model of Mediocrity. An employee at OSCORP, Bob's 'work angst' is revealed through a series of vignettes. [The mutant sitting next to him is laid off, his boss forgets his name, and the HMO has started genetic screening for employees to deny coverage, etc…]. Bob is caught in the crossfire of a battle between Brand X and THE MARAUDERS, who each seek the online mutant-tracking/documentation database he is developing. After getting strafed by a bullet, Bob is sent to the Brand Building and introduced to the team. But what does Brand X want with him?

"Control+Alt+Delete"
When a new Internet company sends out free trial software to millions of consumers it unleashes a computer virus with the potential of erasing the world's computer systems! How will Brand X stop an enemy they can't see and how will they react when Forge is revealed to have developed the software?

"Slaughterhouse X"
Brand X discovers that a rival company is manufacturing anti-mutant technology in 'mutant sweatshops' with refuges from GENOSHA. The situation is further complicated when Karma reveals that her family was forced to work in sweatshops after leaving Vietnam.

"Fade Away"
While the rest of the team infiltrates a SENTINEL factory, Fade discovers BRAND X's motives and struggles through self-doubt and alienation with his mutation. Will the struggle push him over the edge?

"Coffee Break"
Over a cup of coffee on the roof of the Brand Building, Dazzler and Taskmaster share the events that lead them to joining the team. When all is said and done, will they become close friends or dire enemies?

"Who is Morph?"
When the body of the CHANGELING is discovered by Brand, questions are raised about the true identity of Morph - and the only one with answers is MISTER SINISTER.

"Power Suits"
Disguised as boardroom members, the team is sent to steal industrial secrets from STARK-FUJIKAWA - only to be discovered by IRON MAN!

IN CONCLUSION…
BRAND X is an opportunity for Marvel to emphasis CONTENT over gimmickry! BRAND X is marketable to readers who or tired of the same old "superhero angst" and want something NEW from Marvel and their mutants. With a new approach to mutant alienation, BRAND X can not only guide readers through the Marvel Universe, but also push the visual narrative of comics to the edge and BEYOND!


Believe the Hype!


After many hours of racking my brain on Brand X, I had developed a format and structure that I was proud of. In addition to a clever tag line, I had managed to impress myself with not only the quality of my prose, but also by the inventiveness of the new plotting. Each of these new stories was self-contained, and could be read in the same manner that one would watch an episode of television.

But would Marvel go for it?


NEXT WEEK: Artwork. Rewrites. And other stuff.

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Has David gotten it right?
Have your say on this column at the Golem's Grotto forum.

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