8FOLD/META: About the Author # 1: Tom Russell

[Andrew Perron]

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:36:25 +0000 (UTC), "Jamie Rosen"
<jamie.rosen at sunlife.com> wrote:

> >This, I think, leads to the greatest unexplored aspect of alternate
> >universes.  What happens in everday life when the public discovers
> >that there's a world where you exist... but your life went slightly
> >differently?  Everyone has their own personal "What If"s, after all.
> >And what if you discovered you went down the *wrong* path?
> >
> >I just think that'd be cool. ``v
> 
> There's a story (I think it might be prose, not comics) where this
> discovery prompts a rash of sucides. I'm not sure about the logic of
> that -- if it was because the suicides discovered they'd made the wrong
> choices, or because they simply decided 'Hey, I might as well -- I'll
> still be alive somewhere else.'

I actually read that at one point. o.ov It ended with the cop seeing
the different versions of him, coming closer and closer to the "real"
world where he commits suicide, right?

> There's also a new comics series out there where a poor schmuck
> discovers that there's an alternate universe version of him who's a
> super-hero. Said version comes to his universe, and suddenly said
> schmuch is living in the hero's shadow.

Ironically, the same thing happened to Julius Schwartz!

> And then there's the classic Superman tale where the Els use a machine
> to project what would happen if they sent young Kal to various planets.
> In essence, he becomes a version of his various JLA teammates, but
> every future except for the one where he's sent to Earth ends in
> heartbreak and death. Not quite the same, but an interesting Silver Age
> take on the whole thing.

Makes sense.  Though if they had *that*, why couldn't they see that
their planet was going to explode sooner? >>

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, couldabeen!