Post by shaxper on May 30, 2021 13:06:01 GMT -5
This is a wonky idea for a thread, but I thought it would be fun to try it.
Let's say the CCF invents a means for travelling backwards in time with the explicit intent of making comics better. You can travel to any point in comic history and make one change. Assume you have the proper credentials to prove you are from the future and to be listened to if you charge into Jim Shooter's office and explain why he mustn't kill Jean Grey, for example.
Here's the twist:
1. You get to choose ONE moment in comic book history you would change, as well as how you would go about changing it (who do you talk to, or what do you do to create the change?).
2. The next person to reply gets to decide one long-term effect this would have on comicdom. It can be positive, it can be negative, but it has to make sense and not seem like too much of a leap. Others can add additional consequences UNTIL the next change in comic book history is made.
3. ALL the changes we make in this thread occur in one timeline, so the longterm effects of someone else's decision may inadvertently also affect the change you try to create.
Example: Person A chooses to convince Martin Goodman not to hire Stan Lee, thinking this will give Jack Kirby more creative control over the Marvel Universe. The next person decides this means Fantastic Four and other superhero titles never end up getting the green light from Goodman; thus Atlas never evolves into Marvel Comics and fails to survive the Silver Age. A third person, far later in the thread, decides to prevent Todd Mcfarlane from leaving Marvel for Image. I then overrule them, pointing out that there is no Marvel Comics in our timeline.
(Once we get a few posts in, I'll start maintaining a timeline of changes in this initial post, so keep checking back here)
4. I can overrule any change or longterm effect if it seems illogical or likely to spoil our fun.
The Timeline of Changes and effects thus far:
1935: Superman is sold to a major newspaper syndicate. The superhero revolution initially occurs on the Newspaper page. DC/National still creates many of its heroes in response to Superman's success, but they also create Superboy, are sued for it, and ultimately replace Superboy with Mon-El, who becomes what Superman is in our timeline, while the Superman of the newspaper page never quite loses his anti-establishment flavor.
1940: Robin, the Boy Wonder debuts with the alter-ego name "Elvis Presley".
1958: Joe Maneely survives, and Lee, Maneely, and Kirby go on to form a slightly different Marvel Universe that is a little more grounded and free of wildly fantastic elements: The Black Knight is a founding member of the Avengers instead of Thor (who Marvel never ends up publishing), there are no Kree nor Skrulls, no Black Panther and Wakanda, no Inhumans, etc.
1970: Jack Kirby leaves comics instead of moving to DC.
1983: Walt Simonson makes his mark on Doctor Strange instead of Thor (which Marvel does not publish). Marvel's outer space stories tend to be more supernatural in nature as opposed to sci-fi. Dormamu becomes a constant threat to Earth.
1985: The major villain in Secret Wars is The Living Tribunal, not The Beyonder.
1991: Jim Shooter remains at Valiant and develops it into a major publisher.
1996: Following Marvel's bankruptcy, instead of turning to image, they turn to Valiant to handle Heroes Reborn. Shooter once again has Avengers, FF, Iron Man, and Captain America under his banner, and personally guides the creative teams on those four books. The effort is a critical and financial success. Rather than reclaim the titles, Marvel chooses instead to leave those books at Valiant and begins farming out more content and titles to Valiant while they focus on movie rights and toy deals.
2000: Valiant is licensing and publishing the entire line of Marvel comics - a much smaller, tighter line of 15-20 titles held together by Shooter's continuity that harkens back to Silver Age Marvel. because of this, there's no need for the Ultimate line, as the Heroes Reborn universe is essentially already that.
Let's say the CCF invents a means for travelling backwards in time with the explicit intent of making comics better. You can travel to any point in comic history and make one change. Assume you have the proper credentials to prove you are from the future and to be listened to if you charge into Jim Shooter's office and explain why he mustn't kill Jean Grey, for example.
Here's the twist:
1. You get to choose ONE moment in comic book history you would change, as well as how you would go about changing it (who do you talk to, or what do you do to create the change?).
2. The next person to reply gets to decide one long-term effect this would have on comicdom. It can be positive, it can be negative, but it has to make sense and not seem like too much of a leap. Others can add additional consequences UNTIL the next change in comic book history is made.
3. ALL the changes we make in this thread occur in one timeline, so the longterm effects of someone else's decision may inadvertently also affect the change you try to create.
Example: Person A chooses to convince Martin Goodman not to hire Stan Lee, thinking this will give Jack Kirby more creative control over the Marvel Universe. The next person decides this means Fantastic Four and other superhero titles never end up getting the green light from Goodman; thus Atlas never evolves into Marvel Comics and fails to survive the Silver Age. A third person, far later in the thread, decides to prevent Todd Mcfarlane from leaving Marvel for Image. I then overrule them, pointing out that there is no Marvel Comics in our timeline.
(Once we get a few posts in, I'll start maintaining a timeline of changes in this initial post, so keep checking back here)
4. I can overrule any change or longterm effect if it seems illogical or likely to spoil our fun.
The Timeline of Changes and effects thus far:
1935: Superman is sold to a major newspaper syndicate. The superhero revolution initially occurs on the Newspaper page. DC/National still creates many of its heroes in response to Superman's success, but they also create Superboy, are sued for it, and ultimately replace Superboy with Mon-El, who becomes what Superman is in our timeline, while the Superman of the newspaper page never quite loses his anti-establishment flavor.
1940: Robin, the Boy Wonder debuts with the alter-ego name "Elvis Presley".
1958: Joe Maneely survives, and Lee, Maneely, and Kirby go on to form a slightly different Marvel Universe that is a little more grounded and free of wildly fantastic elements: The Black Knight is a founding member of the Avengers instead of Thor (who Marvel never ends up publishing), there are no Kree nor Skrulls, no Black Panther and Wakanda, no Inhumans, etc.
1970: Jack Kirby leaves comics instead of moving to DC.
1983: Walt Simonson makes his mark on Doctor Strange instead of Thor (which Marvel does not publish). Marvel's outer space stories tend to be more supernatural in nature as opposed to sci-fi. Dormamu becomes a constant threat to Earth.
1985: The major villain in Secret Wars is The Living Tribunal, not The Beyonder.
1991: Jim Shooter remains at Valiant and develops it into a major publisher.
1996: Following Marvel's bankruptcy, instead of turning to image, they turn to Valiant to handle Heroes Reborn. Shooter once again has Avengers, FF, Iron Man, and Captain America under his banner, and personally guides the creative teams on those four books. The effort is a critical and financial success. Rather than reclaim the titles, Marvel chooses instead to leave those books at Valiant and begins farming out more content and titles to Valiant while they focus on movie rights and toy deals.
2000: Valiant is licensing and publishing the entire line of Marvel comics - a much smaller, tighter line of 15-20 titles held together by Shooter's continuity that harkens back to Silver Age Marvel. because of this, there's no need for the Ultimate line, as the Heroes Reborn universe is essentially already that.