8FOLD: Daylights # 3, "Monsters in the Dark"

[Tom Russell]

On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 10:23:51 PM UTC-5, Scott Eiler wrote:
> On 2019-01-15 21:19, Tom Russell wrote:
> 
> > Traditional superhero teams can't deal with the number and scope of
> > threats to life on the planet Earth. In their place has risen THE
> > DAYLIGHTERS, a loose and decentralized social network of costumed
> > adventurers and specialists.
> 
> This seems a natural organization of superheroes.  I'm pretty sure the 
> Avengers and the Justice League have both tried it.  For a while, my own 
> stories had "the Combine", which could draw upon a range of characters 
> from Ellipsis to Barack Obama.

Yeah, and a year or two ago I finally watched Justice League Unlimited where it has a similar premise, though more centralized and supported - big expensive satellite HQ and what-not. The original "pitch" for the team that Derek Mason made way back in Jolt City # 23 was that it would be dirt-cheap and decentralized (marking it as an alternative to something super-expensive like the Seven Wonders). They have a little more infrastructure now - the Medusa network provides that, and Ghedi gets a lot of the teams together. But often they're depending on cheap transport (like the van in issue one) or things owned by the individual heroes (Cascade's submersible in issues two and three, and we'll see 'em using an old Seven Wonders teleporter vis-a-vis Julie Ann Justice in issue four).

>From a more meta perspective, this allows me to do all the fun stuff you get with a team book - the soap opera elements, the personalities, the team-up moves - without the restrictions and limitations imposed by a fixed, static, manageable roster. It also lets me contrast different styles of leadership since each squad for a mission might have someone different in charge, and lets me contrast different personalities within a squad that wouldn't be sustainable on a permanent basis (but are interesting when they're thrown together for this one mission or that one). That is, I don't need to worry about the "why is so-and-so even on this team?" question, because they're only on that "team" for that particular adventure, then they're on to something else entirely.

On top of that, it lets me throw in weird character concepts that I either just came up with or that've been kicking around for a while in the old noggin. So I can throw in "bad luck powers guy" or "reluctant baseball guy" or what-have-you without having to worry about integrating them into anything long-term, or "will they join the team" -- because *everyone* is on the team. :-)

> I'll trust you on the pseudo-science.  It sounds nice, anyway.

Thanks. :-)
> 
> Overall, this is a good episode on two fronts.  And kind of scary for 
> The Inch.

I know! I even know what's going to happen and I'm still scared for her.

All six issues were written before the first one was posted - but the final read-through with Mary got delayed due to one darn thing after another. Good darn things, mind you - our December sale especially - but exhausting darn things that didn't leave a lot of room for proofing free fiction I write for USENET. :-)

If we didn't do fifteen-plus new board games a year, I'd have lots more time for RACC. ;-D

But getting through the rest of the proofing now, so four, five, and six should all be coming out a week or so apart I think.

==Tom