Elseworlds Game #5: Marvertigo!

Zombipanda

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Alright, so, I figured I'd go with something a little different this time. Vertigoize the Marvel Universe. The goal is to construct a flagship title (or even a series of titles) that do for the Marvel U what early Vertigo books (Animal Man, Sandman, Constantine) did for the DC Universe. That is, create a book that features a tangential character from the Marvel U and focuses on mature themes, with a prominent focus on themes of horror, fantasy, and mysticism. Basically, give Marvel the literary comic book work that it desperately needs.

Go!
 
Oh my God. This should be brilliant.
 
All right I'm thinking of doing something involving Brother Voodoo, Hellstorm and Cloak and Dagger. I'm going for the really obscure cool characters.
 
So basically make a new Marvel MAX line?

Except, MAX wasn't every really supposed to be Marvel's Vertigo (and if it was, they did a terrible job). It's aimed for an older audience, but it's mostly been an outlet to tell hard-boiled detective stories and super-violent material. I'm talking about a literary flagship for Marvel.
 
Except, MAX wasn't every really supposed to be Marvel's Vertigo (and if it was, they did a terrible job). It's aimed for an older audience, but it's mostly been an outlet to tell hard-boiled detective stories and super-violent material. I'm talking about a literary flagship for Marvel.
Marvel's MAX is their adult line.
 
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Marvel is already publishing at least one title that qualifies as "literary": the woefully under-appreciated Omega the Unknown, by novelist Jonathan Lethem (Men and Cartoons, Fortress of Solitude, Motherless Brooklyn). It's very weirdly engaging stuff. Precisely a title that feels like a Vertigo book, transplanted into the MU.

Just the same, i'll be trying my hand at this round. But I'm not too keen on the magical, mystical restrictions, partly because the early Vertigo titles I appreciate most were those that were just plain weird (Shade, Animal Man), or functioned as metatextual critiques of superheroics (Invisibles, Doom Patrol), and didn't necessarily feature magic and mysticism, in the Harry Potter sense.

Even Sandman Mystery Theater was as much a crime/noir/mystery period piece.

Plus, the *contemporary* Vertigo titles that I'm still collecting (Young Liars, American Virgin, Vinyl Undergorund), or attempting to follow (Exterminators, DMZ, Y the Last Man, Scalped, 100 Bullets) feature little to no magical elements, other than Fables. And virtually no connection to the mainstream DCU. In fact, some of them feature the same kind of sensibility as Marvel's MAX titles (especially Scalped, and the Losers revival from a few years back).

So expect my entry to be more about erudite, "literary", "mature readers" interpretations of lesser known Marvel genre staples, rather than anything specifically magical.
 
Marvel is already publishing at least one title that qualifies as "literary": the woefully under-appreciated Omega the Unknown, by novelist Jonathan Lethem (Men and Cartoons, Fortress of Solitude, Motherless Brooklyn). It's very weirdly engaging stuff. Precisely a title that feels like a Vertigo book, transplanted into the MU.

Just the same, i'll be trying my hand at this round. But I'm not too keen on the magical, mystical restrictions, partly because the early Vertigo titles I appreciate most were those that were just plain weird (Shade, Animal Man), or functioned as metatextual critiques of superheroics (Invisibles, Doom Patrol), and didn't necessarily feature magic and mysticism, in the Harry Potter sense.

Even Sandman Mystery Theater was as much a crime/noir/mystery period piece.

Plus, the *contemporary* Vertigo titles that I'm still collecting (Young Liars, American Virgin, Vinyl Undergorund), or attempting to follow (Exterminators, DMZ, Y the Last Man, Scalped, 100 Bullets) feature little to no magical elements, other than Fables. And virtually no connection to the mainstream DCU. In fact, some of them feature the same kind of sensibility as Marvel's MAX titles (especially Scalped, and the Losers revival from a few years back).

So expect my entry to be more about erudite, "literary", "mature readers" interpretations of lesser known Marvel genre staples, rather than anything specifically magical.

I'll be jumping on his bandwagon, thank you.
 
Marvel is already publishing at least one title that qualifies as "literary": the woefully under-appreciated Omega the Unknown, by novelist Jonathan Lethem (Men and Cartoons, Fortress of Solitude, Motherless Brooklyn). It's very weirdly engaging stuff. Precisely a title that feels like a Vertigo book, transplanted into the MU.

Y'know, I keep seeing this at the comic shop and almost picking it up. It's good, then?

compound]Just the same, i'll be trying my hand at this round. But I'm not too keen on the magical, mystical restrictions, partly because the early Vertigo titles I appreciate most were those that were just plain weird (Shade, Animal Man), or functioned as metatextual critiques of superheroics (Invisibles, Doom Patrol), and didn't necessarily feature magic and mysticism, in the Harry Potter sense.

Yeah. I probably shouldn't have pushed the mystical angle so much. The key point was creating a literary window into the MU, which all the books you mention really do.

compound said:
Plus, the *contemporary* Vertigo titles that I'm still collecting (Young Liars, American Virgin, Vinyl Undergorund), or attempting to follow (Exterminators, DMZ, Y the Last Man, Scalped, 100 Bullets) feature little to no magical elements, other than Fables. And virtually no connection to the mainstream DCU. In fact, some of them feature the same kind of sensibility as Marvel's MAX titles (especially Scalped, and the Losers revival from a few years back).

Well, Vertigo's changed. I think, in many ways, it's better, having mostly divorced itself from the DC Universe.
 
Cool Idea. But what do you mean by a tangential character?
 
Ah cool thanks. wasn't sure and looked up the word but got give geometry stuff as an answer I was like "huh:?" Do we start them off from the begining like Ultimate but with the guidelines you said?
 
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Ah cool thanks. wasn't sure and looked up the word but got give geometry stuff as an answer I was like "huh:?" Do we start them off from the begining like Ultimate but with the guidelines you said?

What I mean by tangential is characters who are floating on the edge of the Marvel Universe. They maybe had a place in the universe at one point in time but now they're forgotten, floating on the edges, and in desperate need of revitalization.

And do it however you want. The idea is to take a small-name Marvel character and find a way to spin them off into a serious re-interpretation that can stand on its own without relying on the Marvel Universe for support.
 
I finish school tomorrow so hopefully I'll have some time afterwards to think up something for this...
 
Witchfire & The Gamma Flight

Plot : The Canada Government has been pushed too far. They sent their best team of pilots (Alpha Flight) have been killed in the war on iraq. They decide they have no choice but to something that is highly illegal. They are going to have to genetically modify a team of soilders in hopes of creating a new team of superheroes.

Their picks? 5 new recruits that make up Gamma Flight. Their team consists of the following members :


Witchfire : She is rumoured to the daughter of a Supervillain who calls himself Lucifer. She has been given the responsibility of leader to the Gamma flight. She is a practising witch. Originally from Romania she was considered a Gypsy. However she was forced to leave her homeland after been hunted by "The Crucible" a group of witch-hunters.

She fled to America but The Crucible hunted her down in New York. They thought they had killed her but she was able to flee to Canada. There the Canada Government discovered she was a witch and blackmailed her into leading the Gamma flight project. The experiments on her seemed to increase her magic as well as give her power to manipulate fire.

Nemesis : the daughter of one of the Alpha Flight members. The experiments gave her the power to fly. However her biggest arsenal comes from the magical sword she discovers in the desert near iraq as Gamma Flight go in to try and win the war. However her intentions are that of revenge. She wants to find the guy who killed her father and make him pay.


Wild Child : Kyle Gibney was a pretty boy. However the experiments on him made him look more feral. It took away his looks. Which has left him wondering what is left? Was it just his looks that defined him?. It makes him have a psychological breakdown. He has become more violent and animalistic because of it.

He could be the most dangerous member. As well has his new found claws and fangs he gained Superhuman senses and a huge increase in strength, speed, agility, reflexes and coordination. Now more animal than man he get's dubbed Wild Child by Gamma Flight.


Silver
: Jhimon Tang or Silver as she know calls herself if wanted in her home land of China for a terrorist attack on the Hong Kong government. She wanted them to see that the iraq effected them and they needed to get involve because if they didn't get involved more when terrorists attacked them, no one would help.

She fled in fear to Canada when she joined Gamma Flight. She too gets the power to fly from the experiments but also gets the power to shoot beams of intense cold from her own eyes. Unfortunately she does not speak a word of English but understands it.

Auric : Zhao Tang is the brother of Jhimon Tang. He was involved in the same terrorist activities as her and so fled to Canada with her. He also does not speak a word of English. The experiments give him the power to fly along with the ability to shoot beams of intense heat from his own eyes.

When the group goes to iraq they discover a horrible truth. Alpha Flight was shot down over the Iraq dessert. Somehow they are alive or close to it. They appear to have a more Zombie like appearance to it. They are monsters including Deadly Ernes the father of Nemesis.




Premise : The book would combine realistic science , as well as the horror, fantasy, and mysticism requested.

Enemies :

Alpha Flight :
The original squad now living-dead. They are the main focus of the first arc.

Lucifer : A powerful sorcerer responsible for resurrecting the Alpha flight. The father of Witchfire confirmed to be true during second arc.

The Crucible : a secret group of witch hunters who now think The Gamma Flight are witches based on their power.
 

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