A Life Of Its Own, Part Two 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. Yet again, I’m exposing my own work to the public in an effort to display how comic books can be intelligent, action-packed, and relevant. Overworked? Underpaid? Then Try:  WHAT WE OFFER: Tired of the same old mutant 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 paranormal allegory: The Workplace! We offer corporate espionage, big business, and evil HMOs. Still not convinced? How about sweatshops, genetic wonders, power lunches, and sex? But wait … there is more! Much more! OUR COMPANY: BRAND INTERNATIONAL - Brand International is the biggest bio-tech company to hit the scene in years. Using paranormals and genetic wonders 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 - An overweight, middle management, nobody, Bob Smith spends his life working in a cubicle. Bob is an Internet geek at MEDCORP, whose life reads like a DILBERT cartoon. He has a 'forgettable face', in fact, after six years as MEDCORP - 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.  LEGEND – A former Navy SEAL and combat instructor, Michael Shepherd was selected as part of an elite super-solider commando unit. Gifted with bulletproof skin, super strength, and enhanced senses through special drug therapy, Shepherd was the model solider until an accident left him addicted to them chemicals that made him a modern-day god. Will the hero be able to beat his addiction or will the addiction beat him?  GLITCH – He is the kid you mother warned you about. He could have been the kid gunning you and your classmates down in high school. Glitch is an egotistical, greedy, self-righteous hacker- par excellence. Beyond he computer skills, Glitch is gifted with the ability to short-circuit machinery … but this ability comes at a terrible cost: Cancer. Every time Glitch uses his ability, the tumor is his brain comes closer to killing him. Will Glitch’s death wish spell the end for Brand X, or will Brand cure him before it’s too late?  GABRIELLE – A former call girl, the woman known as Gabrielle was found beaten, homeless and penniless on the street. While her abilities of flight and light manipulation, may lead you to believe than she is a guardian angel, don’t be fooled – this vixen is no saint. Will Brand X lead her closer to redemption or deeper into damnation?  CHARADE – Once he was a GIANT, A REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, but somewhere EAST OF EDEN, tragedy struck! Now the person known only as Charade remains. Charade honestly believes that he was saved at the last moments of his former life, and given new hope with the help of Brand. But … is he truly who he thinks he is?  RESONANCE - Raised in the ruins of the post-war Vietnam, Giao Lan grew up to become a award-winning member of the International Dance team. Giao became a successful choreographer … until her genetic gifts of sound manipulation manifested, bursting her eardrums and rendering her deaf. Using her power to manipulate sound waves, Resonance has the ability to mask the sound of footsteps, alarms, and weapon fire ... an ability that makes her perfect for espionage.  OUR BENEFITS: BRAND X adds a very human element to the hero 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? 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 MEDCORP, Bob's 'work angst' is revealed through a series of vignettes. Bob is caught in the crossfire of a battle between Brand X and corporate spies. 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+Del" 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 Glitch is revealed to have developed the software? "Slaughterhouse" Brand X discovers that a rival company is manufacturing technology in 'mutant sweatshops' with international refuges. Is Brand X responsible for the lives of mutants cast into slavery? "Fade Away" While the rest of the team infiltrates a weapons factory, Fade discovers Brand X's motives and struggles through self-doubt and alienation with his genetic gifts. Will the struggle push him over the edge? “Glitch in the System” Terror strikes as Glitch takes the Brand Building hostage! Now Brand X must figure out how to save the hostages and how to stop a co-worker capable of short-circuiting their brains. "Coffee Break" Over a cup of coffee on the roof of the Brand Building, Gabrielle and Legend share the events that lead them to joining the team. When all is said and done, will they become close friends or dire enemies? Meanwhile, Resonance has other plans for Brand. "A Game of Charades" When Charade stumbles upon a hidden computer file, how will its contents affect his life and the life of his teammates? What is the truth behind the Charade? “Strange Bedfellows” When a politician calls for the break-up of Brand International, Gabrielle is sent to seduce and assassinate him. Can she bring her self to commit cold-blooded murder? And how will it affect her life and the lives of her teammates? IN CONCLUSION… BRAND X is an opportunity 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 comics and their heroes. With a new approach to genetic alienation, BRAND X can not only guide readers through a new universe, but also push the visual narrative of comics to the edge and BEYOND! I had designed the Brand X to be both dynamic and darkly comedic, a natural reflection of the worst part of the human condition: Loneliness. Bob Smith is exiled from humanity, not only by the soulless corporate structure of our world, but also by his own self-perceived insignificance. Will he be able to achieve any level of self-actualization? And will the art be able to capture the intimacy of his world? The other characters for the series were designed as foils for Bob’s journey. Each character developed as a metaphoric fragment of a larger issue facing the world of Man vs. Big Business. Well, at least that what I trying to go for … but what I had come up with very different than what I had planned. A Navy S.E.A.L? A hooker with the heart of gold? A rebellious Goth? A deaf dancer with sonic abilities? We had seen all of these characters before. As it turns out, the characters were stereotypes, not archetypes. The only characters I really enjoyed from the current pitch were Bob Smith (Fade) and Charade. And since “character” is what sells a story, I knew that something had to change. The characters weren’t dynamic or interesting What did my characters say about Bob Smith? Nothing really. Aside from plot devices, the characters served no logical part in the “Grand Scheme of Things.” What I needed were characters that came to life on the page … characters that were alive. I needed to write another draft. NEXT WEEK: More Artwork. More Rewrites. And other stuff. Sources and links of importance: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=135 http://www.dorwaystudios.com/ http://www.jayfaerber.com http://www.marvelcomics.com http://www.imagecomics.com http://www.davidgallaher.com |
