Here's a superhero rpg campaign idea: What if DC had outsourced their Silver Age revival to Atlas/Marvel? Nevermind that there is not really any reason they would have done this, but imaging what it might have been like has a lot of possibilities.
In general, I think it would mean more commie villains in the early days, more contentiousness relationships with supporting characters, and more angst for the characters themselves. This would mean re-imagining the characters that were revamped in the 50s, so Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow would stay the same (at least at initial concept).
What would this do for you? Well, allow you to recreate a lot of DC characters in a Mighty Marvel manner, and give you both universes to plunder for something both fresh and familiar.
Here's an example:
Hal Hogan is an Air Force pilot, flying an experimental spy plane over Southeast Asia when he is shot down. He is captured by red guerillas and in mortal peril thanks to a piece of shrapnel lodged close to his heart! Imprisoned, he meets a strange old man named Yinsen who reveals to him a green lantern carved from a fallen star and a ring. The light of the Green Flame in the lantern stays the motion of the shrapnel and saves Hogan's life, at least temporarily. Yinsen explains he has been an agent of mysterious beings known as the Guardians of the Universe for hundreds of years, but he is too old to continue, and they directed him to choose a successor as the Green Lantern, the protector of this world. He has chosen Hogan to be that successor. Donning the ring (which must be recharged once a day with the Lantern) Hal Hogan becomes one with the Green Flame of Life. He is the Green Lantern!
Hogan escapes the communist forces and returns to America. His injury gets him discharged from the military, but he gets a job at Ferris Aircraft. The owner, Carl Ferris doesn't fully trust Hogan. He believes he was compromised during his time in communist hands. His daughter Carol, though. is in love with the handsome flyboy. Neither is aware that Hogan is secretly the Green Lantern.
5 comments:
This reminds me a LOT of The Age of the Sentry miniseries from awhile back -- that posited that the Sentry was, effectively, a timelost pre-crisis Superman -- Sentry's powers come from "a million exploding suns", hinted to be caused by Crisis on Infinite Earths. His presence warps and DC-Silver-Age-ifies the MU.
Among other things, it metafictionally explains the 's' logo on Carol Danvers' Ms. Marvel costume.
Interesting! Though that's an "in universe" thing. I'm just positing that DC let Stan Lee et al. develop the Silver Age characters at DC. It's more of an alternate history in our world.
Interesting thought exercise. Wouldn't mind seeing some more of these.
I think there is an actual comic book series "Just Imagine" which has a Stan Lee style take on the silver age DC heroes. Not quite the same thing, but a similar concept.
There is. Though of course, that was Stan Lee of the 1990s doing it.
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