compound
Well-Known Member
A while back, I was reading a feature article about CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, and I suddenly thought to myself, "What if a guy like that had superpowers?"
So I ran with that concept, and threw in a few other ideas I had while reading Bendis' run on Daredevil, as well as BKV's Ex Machina, and the book Dateline Earth: Journalism As If The Planet Mattered, by Kunda Dixit.
The end result is an idea for a self-contained 12-issue maxi-series I like to call...
correspondence
It poses the question, "What if the world's only super-powered man decided he could make a greater difference as a mild-mannered reporter?"
Here's how the basic premise unfolds...
In 1987, after straying from an outdoor party, Jarett Colby, a dorky, epileptic fourteen-year-old, gets lost in the woods outside of his hometown, Normal, West Virginia. In a clearing, he discovers a mortally wounded alien, without any visible mode of transport. The creature reaches out to Jarett, and touches his face with its tentacle, before disappearing in a flash of lights. Jarett has a seizure and passes out. After recovering, he slowly discovers that he has a range of extraterrestrial powers, including: flight, the ability to shape impermeable force fields, an "early warning system" to guard him against immediate danger, enhanced reflexes, and instinctual understanding of how complex machanical and biological systems function.
In 1988, he used these abilities in public, for the first time, to save his home-town from destruction, when a disgruntled engineer threatens to blow up the nuclear reactor he was fired from. As a result, Jarett gained national fame. Immediately, the Government assigned him a handler: Reynard Skelton, a veteran spook involved in alleged U.S. projects related to ESP, mind control, and other forms of 'paranormal' warfare.
In 1990, as a sophomore in college, Jarett Colby told the U.S. Government that he didn't intend to pursue a career an operative of the State. Instead, he would save the world in a way he found more appropriate: as a broadcast journalist.
In 1999, Jarett joined the staff of the Global Satellite News Network (GlobalSatt). As a field reporter and eventual anchorman, he used his various talents to assist ordinary citizens in the situations that he also reported on: 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the aftermath of Katrina, etc.
In 2007, a series of events begin, challenging Jarett's decision to save the world through news media, including a shocking truth about the nature of his powers.
(The physical appearance of the adult Jarett Colby is shamelessly based on Anderson Cooper, other than a few minor details.)
correspondence follows the ongoing experiences of Jarett and his diverse production crew, in a multi-arc story examining the role of journalists, the blurring of lines between the private and public spheres, and the definition of heroism in a hyper-globalized world.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Jarett Colby is joined by colorful supporting cast that includes...
Bill Prefer - Co-anchor. Old School journalist in the vein of Dan Rather or Tom Brokaw. Subtly righteous and self-aggrandizing. Believes Jarett Colby's acclaimed status is undeserved.
Avi Schwartz - Colby's Producer. Family man (though he constantly makes snide remarks about his home life, as if he misses the dating scene). Sticks up for Colby's demands to run more "hard-hitting" or risky stories, when delaing with the network execs, because he is naturally combatative and aggressive; however, Avi does not personally understand Jarett's altruistic motives. Visually based on Jason Alexander in Seinfeld.
Madonna 'Maddy' Chan - Research Assistant. Named after the most popular singer, at the time of her birth (May 1985). Graduated top of her class from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism. Cloyingly over-eager, but sincere and well-intentioned. Speaks in non-stop news-speak, much to the annoyance of Jarett, whom she genuinely looks up to. Likes to be on the bleeding edge of the lastest development in communications technology. Her look is modelled on CSS singer Lovefoxxx (yes, that's really her name!).
Eddie Ortiz - Cameraman. "Everyman". No-bull**** salt-of-the-earth type. Acts as Ben Grimm to Jarett's Reed Richards, a comparison they joke about in the story. He looks similar to actor Freddy Rodriguez in the TV series, Six Feet Under.
Jayne Horowitz - Editor/Researcher/self-described "Multi-Purpose Go-To Beyotch". Cynical. Chain-smoker. Indeterminate sexuality. Banters frequently with Jarett. Her style evokes Janeane Garofalo circa Reality Bites.
Barry Wolf - One of the main series antagonists; self-serving, but falls short of being characterized as an outright "bad guy". Head of the rival WOLF News network. He resembles actor Gabriel Byrne.
Jacob Colby - Jarett's elder ne'er-do-well elder brother. Consummate moocher -- admits it, even, but refuses to change. Jarett has been finding polite ways to ignore him, as the series begins.
TITLE
"correspondence" refers to Jarett's occupation -- as on-the-scene reporter and news correspondant. But it also hints at the "correspondence principle" in quantum mechanics (which explains how Jarett's powers work), as well as the so-called "correspondence theory of truth" in Western philosophy, which states that something (for example, a proposition or statement or sentence) is rendered true by the existence of a fact with corresponding elements and a similar structure.
SERIES STRUCTURE
The main story (in the present day) is told in five multi-part arcs, spanning 12 issues. It should have art similar to Michael Gaydos or Alex Maleev, with muted coloring, so that the moments when Jarett uses his powers really stand out.
In contrast, the back-story, set between 1987 and 1997, appears a shorter back-up feature, at the end of each issue, with an art style appropriate to the year it is set -- so the 1987 origin story has art befitting the Marv Wolfman/George Perez era of New Teen Titans; the 1990 story resembles Todd McFarlane circa Spider-Man: Torment, and so on.
correspondence #1 SUMMARY
Jarett Colby's news team from GlobalSatt is covering a UN humanitarian relief mission in Liberia, assisting refugees from the civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. The camp where they are stationed is attacked by local rebels, and Jarett goes into action, generating a force field around the displaced civilians. The UN Peacekeepers ward off the brigands, although they ultimately escape. The leader of the Blue Helmets expected the weakened Jarett to chase after the enemy; Jarett sternly points out that it is not his place to bring the rebels to justice -- he came here for a story, and that remains priority #1.
After some rest, Jarett and his crew file the report, several hours later than planned. This scene emphasizes the team's inter-perosnal dynamics, and how the maintain a balance between professionalism, ethics, and a sense of humor, given the adverse circumstances they are documenting.
Meanwhile, political analyst and professional talking-head Beth Moulder criticizes Jarett, on her program, broadcast on the right-wing-friendly cable network WOLF News. She dismisses his reportage as self-serving publicity stunts, aimed at relieving bleeding heart guilt. She argues that Jarett ought to take a more proactive role in the fight against injustice, by dedicating his life to being a full-time superhero. Otherwise, he's just a reporter stepping over the line. She challenges Jarett to a public debate on the 'neutral' infotainment news show, Unconstitutional.
Back in Atlanta, several days later, Jarett has lunch with his producer, Avi, who tells him that his hands-on approach is making the execs upstairs jittery; it is only the public acclaim that he brings, which is keeping them from disciplining him.
Later, in his apartment, Jarett asks his Filipina house-keeper, Marisol, whether she thinks he is doing the right thing, intending to get the view of an "ordinary working class person". She tells him, friendly but dispassionately, that she appreciates his personal generosity and committment to his ethics, but freedom of speech never fed any of her children.
The story jumps forward to *after* the televised debate, in which a glowering Beth Moulder tells Jarett patronizingly that she hopes he has a good P.R. team. The host of Unconstitutional tells him, in private, the he's sorry that he blew it.
As Moulder is about to leave the studio, Jarett's "early warning system" alterts him to a pair of would-be 'culture jammers' outside, disguised as security guards, hoping to douse Mulder with a very potent red dye. Jarett knocks her out of the way, just in time, sending the pranksters running. (An eye-witness takes footage of this with a camera phone, which ends up being posted on YouTube. This will become a plot point, in the next issue.)
We then see the version of the debate, as it was broadcast on TV. The segment opens with a reel of Jarett's past efforts (the Asian tsunami disaster relief, survival in the Gaza Strip, rebuilding NYC after 9/11, etc.) We then see Jarett gradually losing his confidence -- and then his patience -- in the wake of Moulder's scathing verbal assaults. He looks vulnerable. The sequence ends with a panel of Jarett's look of uncertainty.
The perspective then zooms out, and we are shown an individual, in shadows, observing the frozen image, on a large-screen monitor, surrounded on either side by many smaller screens (think Adrian Veidt), displaying a variety of other programming (classic movies, music videos, televangelism, etc.) On top of the array of screens is the logo of the WOLF Network. The obscured man tells somebody on a cellphone that he has an "very interesting offer" to make to Jarett Colby. End of main story.
-------------------------------------------
The back-up story takes place in 1987. Fourteen-year-old bookworm Jarett Colby is forced to join his elder brother, Jacob, at a "party" -- more accurately, a drinking session with a bunch of Jacob's stoner friends -- because their parents worry that Jarett may suffer another epileptic fit, if he is left alone with the television at home.
The "party" is held on a bluff that overlooks their home-town of Normal, West Virginia. Most of Jacob's buddies are preoccupied with making out, or discussing who rocks harder: Motley Crue or Metallica. Jarett sits off to one side, reading a copy of Stephen King's The Tommyknockers. He is approached by Jacob's friend Dolf, who tells him King's ideas are "okay", but they're "kid's stuff". He begins telling Jarett about writer/psychologist Timothy Leary's "8-Circuit Model of Consciousness". Dolf's lesson is interrupted by Jacob, who playfully tells his brother to ignore Dolf, because he regularly talks out of his ***. Dolf is too mellow to protest, and is carried off by Jacob, who says that Dolf is the only one who can properly roach the joints.
From the corner of his eye, Jarett thinks he notices a streak of light descend into the woods nearby. However, none of the burnouts appear to have seen it, so the boy just rubs his eyes, and dismisses it as nothing. Feeling the call of nature in his crotch, Jarett walks over to relieve himself, in the ominous forest. To be continued... End of back-up story.
The remaining story arcs are still in the planning stages. But let me know what you all think of the idea.
So I ran with that concept, and threw in a few other ideas I had while reading Bendis' run on Daredevil, as well as BKV's Ex Machina, and the book Dateline Earth: Journalism As If The Planet Mattered, by Kunda Dixit.
The end result is an idea for a self-contained 12-issue maxi-series I like to call...
correspondence
It poses the question, "What if the world's only super-powered man decided he could make a greater difference as a mild-mannered reporter?"
Here's how the basic premise unfolds...
In 1987, after straying from an outdoor party, Jarett Colby, a dorky, epileptic fourteen-year-old, gets lost in the woods outside of his hometown, Normal, West Virginia. In a clearing, he discovers a mortally wounded alien, without any visible mode of transport. The creature reaches out to Jarett, and touches his face with its tentacle, before disappearing in a flash of lights. Jarett has a seizure and passes out. After recovering, he slowly discovers that he has a range of extraterrestrial powers, including: flight, the ability to shape impermeable force fields, an "early warning system" to guard him against immediate danger, enhanced reflexes, and instinctual understanding of how complex machanical and biological systems function.
In 1988, he used these abilities in public, for the first time, to save his home-town from destruction, when a disgruntled engineer threatens to blow up the nuclear reactor he was fired from. As a result, Jarett gained national fame. Immediately, the Government assigned him a handler: Reynard Skelton, a veteran spook involved in alleged U.S. projects related to ESP, mind control, and other forms of 'paranormal' warfare.
In 1990, as a sophomore in college, Jarett Colby told the U.S. Government that he didn't intend to pursue a career an operative of the State. Instead, he would save the world in a way he found more appropriate: as a broadcast journalist.
In 1999, Jarett joined the staff of the Global Satellite News Network (GlobalSatt). As a field reporter and eventual anchorman, he used his various talents to assist ordinary citizens in the situations that he also reported on: 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the aftermath of Katrina, etc.
In 2007, a series of events begin, challenging Jarett's decision to save the world through news media, including a shocking truth about the nature of his powers.
(The physical appearance of the adult Jarett Colby is shamelessly based on Anderson Cooper, other than a few minor details.)
correspondence follows the ongoing experiences of Jarett and his diverse production crew, in a multi-arc story examining the role of journalists, the blurring of lines between the private and public spheres, and the definition of heroism in a hyper-globalized world.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Jarett Colby is joined by colorful supporting cast that includes...
Bill Prefer - Co-anchor. Old School journalist in the vein of Dan Rather or Tom Brokaw. Subtly righteous and self-aggrandizing. Believes Jarett Colby's acclaimed status is undeserved.
Avi Schwartz - Colby's Producer. Family man (though he constantly makes snide remarks about his home life, as if he misses the dating scene). Sticks up for Colby's demands to run more "hard-hitting" or risky stories, when delaing with the network execs, because he is naturally combatative and aggressive; however, Avi does not personally understand Jarett's altruistic motives. Visually based on Jason Alexander in Seinfeld.
Madonna 'Maddy' Chan - Research Assistant. Named after the most popular singer, at the time of her birth (May 1985). Graduated top of her class from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism. Cloyingly over-eager, but sincere and well-intentioned. Speaks in non-stop news-speak, much to the annoyance of Jarett, whom she genuinely looks up to. Likes to be on the bleeding edge of the lastest development in communications technology. Her look is modelled on CSS singer Lovefoxxx (yes, that's really her name!).
Eddie Ortiz - Cameraman. "Everyman". No-bull**** salt-of-the-earth type. Acts as Ben Grimm to Jarett's Reed Richards, a comparison they joke about in the story. He looks similar to actor Freddy Rodriguez in the TV series, Six Feet Under.
Jayne Horowitz - Editor/Researcher/self-described "Multi-Purpose Go-To Beyotch". Cynical. Chain-smoker. Indeterminate sexuality. Banters frequently with Jarett. Her style evokes Janeane Garofalo circa Reality Bites.
Barry Wolf - One of the main series antagonists; self-serving, but falls short of being characterized as an outright "bad guy". Head of the rival WOLF News network. He resembles actor Gabriel Byrne.
Jacob Colby - Jarett's elder ne'er-do-well elder brother. Consummate moocher -- admits it, even, but refuses to change. Jarett has been finding polite ways to ignore him, as the series begins.
TITLE
"correspondence" refers to Jarett's occupation -- as on-the-scene reporter and news correspondant. But it also hints at the "correspondence principle" in quantum mechanics (which explains how Jarett's powers work), as well as the so-called "correspondence theory of truth" in Western philosophy, which states that something (for example, a proposition or statement or sentence) is rendered true by the existence of a fact with corresponding elements and a similar structure.
SERIES STRUCTURE
The main story (in the present day) is told in five multi-part arcs, spanning 12 issues. It should have art similar to Michael Gaydos or Alex Maleev, with muted coloring, so that the moments when Jarett uses his powers really stand out.
In contrast, the back-story, set between 1987 and 1997, appears a shorter back-up feature, at the end of each issue, with an art style appropriate to the year it is set -- so the 1987 origin story has art befitting the Marv Wolfman/George Perez era of New Teen Titans; the 1990 story resembles Todd McFarlane circa Spider-Man: Torment, and so on.
correspondence #1 SUMMARY
Jarett Colby's news team from GlobalSatt is covering a UN humanitarian relief mission in Liberia, assisting refugees from the civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. The camp where they are stationed is attacked by local rebels, and Jarett goes into action, generating a force field around the displaced civilians. The UN Peacekeepers ward off the brigands, although they ultimately escape. The leader of the Blue Helmets expected the weakened Jarett to chase after the enemy; Jarett sternly points out that it is not his place to bring the rebels to justice -- he came here for a story, and that remains priority #1.
After some rest, Jarett and his crew file the report, several hours later than planned. This scene emphasizes the team's inter-perosnal dynamics, and how the maintain a balance between professionalism, ethics, and a sense of humor, given the adverse circumstances they are documenting.
Meanwhile, political analyst and professional talking-head Beth Moulder criticizes Jarett, on her program, broadcast on the right-wing-friendly cable network WOLF News. She dismisses his reportage as self-serving publicity stunts, aimed at relieving bleeding heart guilt. She argues that Jarett ought to take a more proactive role in the fight against injustice, by dedicating his life to being a full-time superhero. Otherwise, he's just a reporter stepping over the line. She challenges Jarett to a public debate on the 'neutral' infotainment news show, Unconstitutional.
Back in Atlanta, several days later, Jarett has lunch with his producer, Avi, who tells him that his hands-on approach is making the execs upstairs jittery; it is only the public acclaim that he brings, which is keeping them from disciplining him.
Later, in his apartment, Jarett asks his Filipina house-keeper, Marisol, whether she thinks he is doing the right thing, intending to get the view of an "ordinary working class person". She tells him, friendly but dispassionately, that she appreciates his personal generosity and committment to his ethics, but freedom of speech never fed any of her children.
The story jumps forward to *after* the televised debate, in which a glowering Beth Moulder tells Jarett patronizingly that she hopes he has a good P.R. team. The host of Unconstitutional tells him, in private, the he's sorry that he blew it.
As Moulder is about to leave the studio, Jarett's "early warning system" alterts him to a pair of would-be 'culture jammers' outside, disguised as security guards, hoping to douse Mulder with a very potent red dye. Jarett knocks her out of the way, just in time, sending the pranksters running. (An eye-witness takes footage of this with a camera phone, which ends up being posted on YouTube. This will become a plot point, in the next issue.)
We then see the version of the debate, as it was broadcast on TV. The segment opens with a reel of Jarett's past efforts (the Asian tsunami disaster relief, survival in the Gaza Strip, rebuilding NYC after 9/11, etc.) We then see Jarett gradually losing his confidence -- and then his patience -- in the wake of Moulder's scathing verbal assaults. He looks vulnerable. The sequence ends with a panel of Jarett's look of uncertainty.
The perspective then zooms out, and we are shown an individual, in shadows, observing the frozen image, on a large-screen monitor, surrounded on either side by many smaller screens (think Adrian Veidt), displaying a variety of other programming (classic movies, music videos, televangelism, etc.) On top of the array of screens is the logo of the WOLF Network. The obscured man tells somebody on a cellphone that he has an "very interesting offer" to make to Jarett Colby. End of main story.
-------------------------------------------
The back-up story takes place in 1987. Fourteen-year-old bookworm Jarett Colby is forced to join his elder brother, Jacob, at a "party" -- more accurately, a drinking session with a bunch of Jacob's stoner friends -- because their parents worry that Jarett may suffer another epileptic fit, if he is left alone with the television at home.
The "party" is held on a bluff that overlooks their home-town of Normal, West Virginia. Most of Jacob's buddies are preoccupied with making out, or discussing who rocks harder: Motley Crue or Metallica. Jarett sits off to one side, reading a copy of Stephen King's The Tommyknockers. He is approached by Jacob's friend Dolf, who tells him King's ideas are "okay", but they're "kid's stuff". He begins telling Jarett about writer/psychologist Timothy Leary's "8-Circuit Model of Consciousness". Dolf's lesson is interrupted by Jacob, who playfully tells his brother to ignore Dolf, because he regularly talks out of his ***. Dolf is too mellow to protest, and is carried off by Jacob, who says that Dolf is the only one who can properly roach the joints.
From the corner of his eye, Jarett thinks he notices a streak of light descend into the woods nearby. However, none of the burnouts appear to have seen it, so the boy just rubs his eyes, and dismisses it as nothing. Feeling the call of nature in his crotch, Jarett walks over to relieve himself, in the ominous forest. To be continued... End of back-up story.
The remaining story arcs are still in the planning stages. But let me know what you all think of the idea.
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