Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Have a setting you like or a home brew you want to share? Do it here.
RainOnTheSun
Posts: 1152
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 7:20 am

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Cutie Honey must have been big, huh?
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:21 am Cutie Honey must have been big, huh?
Very much so, and the American Astro Boy movie was much more successful. (Though it would have been hard for it to be less in any world ...)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

* Some quick notes about Siegel and Shuster's Superman. This is what he looked like:

Image

The comic strip started in 1933 and ran until 1947. It was adapted for a single season radio program in 1943. These days, the character is only remembered by a few die-hard fans. Siegel moved on to create the romantic adventure strip Don Juan in 1950, which ran until 1956. Shuster worked as an assistant for a number of artists, as well as drawing paperback novel covers. After Don Juan was cancelled, Shuster and Siegel teamed again to produce a comic book about the comedic adventures of Canadian comics Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster, in imitation of the somewhat successful comics about Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis. It was a surprising success, selling across Canada, and provided well for the two artists, even after it finally ended in 1968.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
User avatar
Voltron64
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:44 am
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Voltron64 »

Davies wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:10 am * There was an adaptation of William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy in '99 and the early 2000s that's regarded as some of the all-time greats in film adaptations.
To further expand on that, it was released as a tetralogy with Neuromancer divided into two parts, the first half released in 1999 and the latter the following year. The film adaptation of Count Zero also had a minor but significant change to the overall story by including Molly Millions (played by Mila Jovovich) as a protagonist as well, here as Turner's partner in the extraction of Angie Mitchell and the investigation the conspiracy surrounding it.

Also, Operation Screaming Fist and the war surrounding it took place in China rather than Russia.
Last edited by Voltron64 on Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

Davies wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:16 am What causes almost as much concern, in some quarters, is the fact that the "aliens are always hostile" memeplex is usually accompanied by a "artificial intelligence is always friendly" memeplex.
* For example: The version of Wall-E that exists in this world is rather different; it's the same up until the robots arrive on the Axiom, but the antagonist of the film is the nameless Captain, patterned on Jack London's Wolf Larsen, who has tyrannically seized control of the system and is determined to ignore the possibility of returning to Earth, in opposition to the benevolent ship's AI voiced by Sigourney Weaver. Ultimately, the robots triumph and return humanity to Earth, where they build it into a paradise under the guidance of their AI ov--er--partners.

(By now I think it should be fairly clear what's going on here.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by MacynSnow »

Davies wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:47 pm
Davies wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:16 am What causes almost as much concern, in some quarters, is the fact that the "aliens are always hostile" memeplex is usually accompanied by a "artificial intelligence is always friendly" memeplex.
* For example: The version of Wall-E that exists in this world is rather different; it's the same up until the robots arrive on the Axiom, but the antagonist of the film is the nameless Captain, patterned on Jack London's Wolf Larsen, who has tyrannically seized control of the system and is determined to ignore the possibility of returning to Earth, in opposition to the benevolent ship's AI voiced by Sigourney Weaver. Ultimately, the robots triumph and return humanity to Earth, where they build it into a paradise under the guidance of their AI ov--er--partners.

(By now I think it should be fairly clear what's going on here.)
It was obvious to me when you first mentioned it Davies ;). There IS that old saying after all;
"They who Control the Children, Control the Future..."
Sidney369
Posts: 328
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:18 am

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Sidney369 »

Davies wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:34 amAfter Don Juan was cancelled, Shuster and Siegel teamed again to produce a comic book about the comedic adventures of Canadian comics Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster, in imitation of the somewhat successful comics about Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis. It was a surprising success, selling across Canada, and provided well for the two artists, even after it finally ended in 1968.
Fun fact for those of you who don't know: Joe and Frank Shuster were cousins, which draws parallels to the original Three Stooges comic too (as the artist of that was Moe's son-in-law). Also, I assume Joe didn't have the vision problems he did in the real world, or at least there weren't as severe.
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

Sidney369 wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:32 pm Also, I assume Joe didn't have the vision problems he did in the real world, or at least there weren't as severe.
A bit less, but only a bit, unfortunately.

I don't do utopias.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Neo-Paladin
Posts: 3349
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:48 am

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Neo-Paladin »

MacynSnow wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:01 pm
Davies wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:47 pm
Davies wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:16 am What causes almost as much concern, in some quarters, is the fact that the "aliens are always hostile" memeplex is usually accompanied by a "artificial intelligence is always friendly" memeplex.
* For example: The version of Wall-E that exists in this world is rather different; it's the same up until the robots arrive on the Axiom, but the antagonist of the film is the nameless Captain, patterned on Jack London's Wolf Larsen, who has tyrannically seized control of the system and is determined to ignore the possibility of returning to Earth, in opposition to the benevolent ship's AI voiced by Sigourney Weaver. Ultimately, the robots triumph and return humanity to Earth, where they build it into a paradise under the guidance of their AI ov--er--partners.

(By now I think it should be fairly clear what's going on here.)
It was obvious to me when you first mentioned it Davies ;). There IS that old saying after all;
"They who Control the Children, Control the Future..."
It does explain why Terminator flopped...though since you mentioned Sigourney Weaver...the android Ash in the Alien movie would have been a good guy in that universe's version, right?
User avatar
Voltron64
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:44 am
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Voltron64 »

Neo-Paladin wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:18 pm
MacynSnow wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:01 pm
Davies wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:47 pm

* For example: The version of Wall-E that exists in this world is rather different; it's the same up until the robots arrive on the Axiom, but the antagonist of the film is the nameless Captain, patterned on Jack London's Wolf Larsen, who has tyrannically seized control of the system and is determined to ignore the possibility of returning to Earth, in opposition to the benevolent ship's AI voiced by Sigourney Weaver. Ultimately, the robots triumph and return humanity to Earth, where they build it into a paradise under the guidance of their AI ov--er--partners.

(By now I think it should be fairly clear what's going on here.)
It was obvious to me when you first mentioned it Davies ;). There IS that old saying after all;
"They who Control the Children, Control the Future..."
It does explain why Terminator flopped...though since you mentioned Sigourney Weaver...the android Ash in the Alien movie would have been a good guy in that universe's version, right?
* There's no Alien series, but there is a movie trilogy about the adventures of crew of the Nostromo. Instead, the 1979 movie is about them doing a daring exploration of alien ruins that ends with all the crew but Ash surviving with the android sacrificing himself to the save the rest of them. A sequel was released 1981 and combined with the movie Outland, where the Nostromo's crew end up in a High Noon in space-style plot at a asteroid space station.

Basically, the Nostromo's stories here are more Traveller/Firefly/The Expanse than pure sci-fi horror.

(I was inspired by this article.)
Last edited by Voltron64 on Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

Neo-Paladin wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:18 pm
MacynSnow wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:01 pm
Davies wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:47 pm

* For example: The version of Wall-E that exists in this world is rather different; it's the same up until the robots arrive on the Axiom, but the antagonist of the film is the nameless Captain, patterned on Jack London's Wolf Larsen, who has tyrannically seized control of the system and is determined to ignore the possibility of returning to Earth, in opposition to the benevolent ship's AI voiced by Sigourney Weaver. Ultimately, the robots triumph and return humanity to Earth, where they build it into a paradise under the guidance of their AI ov--er--partners.

(By now I think it should be fairly clear what's going on here.)
It was obvious to me when you first mentioned it Davies ;). There IS that old saying after all;
"They who Control the Children, Control the Future..."
It does explain why Terminator flopped...though since you mentioned Sigourney Weaver...the android Ash in the Alien movie would have been a good guy in that universe's version, right?
In addition to what Voltron64 said, the ... let's call it a lobby ... was in its early days in 1979.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
User avatar
Voltron64
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:44 am
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: More Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Voltron64 »

Davies wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:32 pm
Neo-Paladin wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:18 pm
MacynSnow wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:01 pm
It was obvious to me when you first mentioned it Davies ;). There IS that old saying after all;
"They who Control the Children, Control the Future..."
It does explain why Terminator flopped...though since you mentioned Sigourney Weaver...the android Ash in the Alien movie would have been a good guy in that universe's version, right?
In addition to what Voltron64 said, the ... let's call it a lobby ... was in its early days in 1979.
But not the fiction that inspired it. ;)

EDIT: Note I read that as hobby, not lobby... :?
User avatar
Voltron64
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:44 am
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Voltron64 »

Some more Trivia of a World Less Magical;

* The Schemer does know Paragon's secret identity as Roger Young, York University Professor. He just finds it completely and utterly irrelevant to their status as (he presumes) frenemies.

* Generally considered to be the Very Greatest Superheroes of their Eras are the following;
- Captain Mystic I, Doctor Freeze, The Futurian, and Basilea (The 1st Age of Heroes)
- Captain Mystic II and Hazard (The Python Wars)
- Paragon, Basilea, and Darkwing (The 2nd Age of Heroes)

* The Powerhouse has a listing of honorary/deputized members they call up when in need of major assistance, consisting of close allies and those who've declined official membership. They include Exelion, Hardhead, Ghost Hunter, Nike, Prydwen (pre-2021), Cadmus, True Believer, The Veil, Dú Láng, Manifest, Jora, Karsa Har-ul and the rest of the Ultra Girls among a few others.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Davies »

Eh. Hazard is not really considered a superhero, and, much like Trouble, he's not all that well-known outside of the community. John Maddox (the inspiration for the Commando series of films), Ken Griffin, and George Hama would probably both be considered more famous "super-heroes" of the Pythonian era.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
User avatar
Voltron64
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:44 am
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: Pop Culture of A World Less Magical

Post by Voltron64 »

Davies wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:46 am Eh. Hazard is not really considered a superhero, and, much like Trouble, he's not all that well-known outside of the community. John Maddox (the inspiration for the Commando series of films), Ken Griffin, and George Hama would probably both be considered more famous "super-heroes" of the Pythonian era.
Well if JSOT operatives are included, what about Jack Dore and Shannon Hazzard too?
Post Reply