Hyperion Icarus by Lewis Smith (2012)

Hyperion Icarus by Lewis Smith (2012)
Hyperion Icarus is a combination of four of the Jetfighters that make up Jet Icarus, plus the standalone mech Victory Icarus. They weren't meant to combine, but I decided to see if I could make it work.--Lewis Smith

Artwork © Lewis Smith. Originally posted December 15, 2012.

New ROJ Episode 6 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Beyond The Universe"
(Episode 6)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2009-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 6 - "Beyond The Universe" wrapped principal writing on February 6, 2009. The title is based not on the Beatles song "Across The Universe," but rather one of the final lines of the original 1960s English dub of THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (Shochiku, 1967). Who says we don't know quality?

This is probably the single most ambitious ROJ story, and one of the keys to beginning the new series in the first place. It was born out of the various crossover projects proposed in 2002 and 2003. None of those (including the previously discussed GMB/ROJ) came to fruition, but elements of all of them found their way into New ROJ. This sixth episode is the culmination of the desire to do a crossover with other "universes."

The choices for Episode 6's crossovers were Lewis Smith's GUNMETAL BLACK (an obvious one, given the origins of New ROJ), Paul "Igadevil" Sullivan's KAMEN RIDER SIGMA, and Kabuki Katze's "Star Anise," an integral character in her shared universe. All of the individual creators greenlit this project, and each was involved in the participation of their characters. Every segment using outside characters was submitted to their creator for input and approval. As a result, there is a fair amount of material in this story that was ghost-written by other hands, or at least altered from its original draft.

This was the longest ROJ tale in some time, and also (to me) the most satisfying since the first series. I found the collaborative nature of this one to be inspiring, and it led me into interesting directions I hadn't conceived at the outset. Whether it is the best ROJ story is debatable, but it is definitely a memorable piece of work.

This story includes a special thanks to Sara Denny, who offered a considerable amount of help by reading the work-in-progress manuscript and making suggestions. Sara often didn't have the foggiest idea why certain things were going on in this story, but she came through with assistance like a champ. Thanks Sara!

• It is worth mentioning that all of the "parallel world" sequences tend to hit the ground running, with details filled in as we go. I preferred this method as opposed to weighing down the story with even more exposition.
  
  
  
• Kabuki says Star Anise Kaninchen was born from a pair of stockings she saw one day, as she felt the need to create a character that could wear them. Ms. Katze's favorite lagomorph is, in her words, "a vice cop with, er, a checkered past." I hint at this checkered past here and there in the story, but Star Anise presented a very different challenge than the other two crossovers - most of her universe still only exists in the concept stage. It was my job, if I chose to accept it, to flesh out these concepts for the first time in a full-fledged story. As you probably gathered, I did accept this task.
  
  
  
• Mosi Kolenya, the cat girl who is Star's school friend and owner of the Maneki Neko ("Lucky Cat") sushi bar, wasn't originally created as part of Star's universe. She was based on the selfsame Sara mentioned a few paragraphs ago, and I chose to co-opt this character to give Star someone close to her for a conversation. Calleigh Cohen, the named but unseen cohort of Star and Mosi, is another cat girl, this time based on Kabuki herself.
  
  
  
• The conceit of having Black Condor and White Swan getting arrested when they appeared in Star's universe was one attempt to add distinct elements to each individual crossover. All of the crossovers have certain parallels (some intentional, some not), so anything that made them stand out was a plus.
  
  
  
• Igadevil's Kamen Rider Sigma (a.k.a. Maya Ryusaki) debuted in Spring 2001. She has her roots in a lot of different influences, not all of them Kamen Rider, but that's a story for Iga to share on his own site...if he so chooses.
  
  
  
• Geier is the evil organization that is a constant thorn in the side of Sigma in her own series. They are roughly equivalent to the likes of Shocker, Gel-Shocker, Destron, et al.
  
  
  
• "Ginga Jo-O" ("Galaxy Queen") and "Shedondas" are a pair of characters created by Igadevil himself that he felt might not "fit" into the KAMEN RIDER SIGMA series, so he offered them to me for use. They are female versions of "Ginga O" and "Sadondas" from the 1980 film KAMEN RIDER: 8NIN RIDER TAI GINGA O ("Masked Rider: 8 Riders vs. the Galaxy King"), cast in the improbable but highly amusing roles as mates to the male villains. Well, as male as a very tall robot and a rubbery space dragon can be perceived as being.
  
  
  
• Many of the more oblique references made by Ginga Jo-O are, in fact, references to the 8 RIDERS movie. Ginga O's goal was to secure "Sigma Energy", which has ended up playing a role in the development of Sigma; Sky Rider was the chief Rider of the movie, thus ultimately responsible for Ginga O's defeat & demise; and "Izumi" was the female lead and the recipient of Ginga O's unwanted attention. Sigma's line about "...the plot to a movie I've never seen!" is a little meta-commentary on these references.
  
  
  
• Hellvira's usage of Pegasus as a steed is the first time she has used her ability to summon mythological beasts to do her bidding since NROJ Ep. 3. That aspect of her character was intended to play a more sizable part in this episode, but it wound up being downplayed during the writing process.
  
  
  
• It is revealed that Hellvira and Ginga Jo-O had an earlier encounter, though how long Hellvira has been in Sigma's universe is unknown.
  
  
  
• Ogouchi Dam is a reasonably significant landmark in Kamen Rider lore, as it was used as a setting in the very first episode of the original KAMEN RIDER. It also appears in the first episode of JINZO NINGEN KIKAIDER and other Japanese superhero shows. It was suggested by Iga when I asked for an important place in Rider history to use as a backdrop.
  
  
  
• Lewis Smith created Kienan Ademetria, the star of the GUNMETAL BLACK series, in 2000, and the character has so far appeared in 6 novels and a bunch of short stories. Kienan and his futuristic world have a long and colorful history that is way beyond the scope of these notes. You can read more about it at www.gunmetalblack.com.
  
  
  
• Captain Von Ondine owes his name to the Blue Öyster Cult song "M.E. 262," hence the reference to his being a "ME-262 space cruiser captain." That ME-262 space cruiser in question, the Black Telescope, derives its name from the BÖC song "Workshop of the Telescopes."
  
  
  
• By design, the precise reasons for Captain Von Ondine taking out a contract on Syrone are left undescribed. The details of Syrone's deed, and how he got his bag of "gems," are not important for this story's purposes. It's the sort of thing the reader can color in for themselves if they choose.
  
  
  
• For the eagle-eyed among you, Green Wyvern's arrival on the desert moon rather obviously picks up directly where we left her in the previous episode.
  
  
  
• The ship Silhouette, the fighter Nighthawk, and Kienan's support crew the Marionettes are essential elements of the GMB series. The Marionettes, Vain and Mirage, are artificial lifeforms that Kienan "liberated." They subsequently became his proteges.
  
  
  
• An earlier version of this second sequence with Shinsei & Mr. Hoshi was completed and later scrapped, with me essentially starting from scratch. Why? The first draft took place entirely on Jet Carrier, ending with our heroes preparing to land and enter Future City. The pacing just wasn't there, so I cut out the Jet Carrier stuff entirely and began with them already inside Future City. This meant I had to restructure some things, but I think this scene works far better as a result.
  

  Michiru Oshima was originally intended to accompany the heroes into Nemesis' stronghold, which is why the last line of this sequence exists in the first place. In fact, Mr. Hoshi coming along with Shinsei & Michiru was a bit of a late addition. In the end, Michiru got left at Skywatch because it seemed way too illogical to drag her into that much danger.
  
  
  

• "Are you sure one of those other names of yours isn't 'Aya'?" - Another callback to Supreme Commander Odagiri, who talked Shinsei into doing several things he didn't want to do in the first ROJ series.
  
  
  
• Mr. Hoshi laying out the overall plot of this story, and the mechanics of the other sequences, turned out to be a crucial bit of exposition. After the stage was set in earlier scenes, he finally explains what has happened and what needs to happen for the benefit of Shinsei and the readers.
  
  
  
• Mr. Hoshi's long-awaited explanation of his origin gets cut off at the last possible moment, of course, so the wait can be prolonged until the final episode. He also reveals that he was the mystery meteorite spotted in Episode 1, which brought Funkyman into conflict with the Discotech Empire in the first place.
  
  
  
• "Welcome, my friend," Nemesis greeted. - Foreshadowing? Nah, it couldn't be!
  
  
  
• The Grinam and Garo, which I think are explained adequately in the story itself, were shoehorned into the episode to give a plausible point to break from the action. As I mentioned earlier, this sequence was originally intended to climax with our heroes about to enter Future City, so it needed it to go out with something punchier.
  
  
  
• Kabuki's concept of "Mixes" (human/animal hybrids bred for specific purposes) in her world was what led directly to the Silver Raven/kidnapping ring/genetic engineering plot. This plotline indicates that Silver Raven has been on Star's world for a fair amount of time prior to Ken and Etsuko's arrival, which is corroborated by the surprise appearance of the Prism. I decided to play fast and loose with the passage of time from world to world, as I didn't feel like I needed to hew to any set of rules when bending the laws of time and space.
  
  
  
• The term "gestalt clone" finally finds its way into a story, spoken by Etsuko. This leads to the phrase "egghead words," which is something that probably suits that character trait of hers quite well.
  
  
  
• "...since the raven symbolology is verboten nowadays." - In Kabuki's world, there has been a certain degree of unpleasantness involving human/raven Mixes. That's something I'll leave for her to explain when and if the time comes.
  
  
  
• The Soda Corporation Tower is a subtle tribute to Hirohisa Soda, the main writer for the vast majority of the 1980s sentai series, and possibly one of the key people in defining the sub-genre. If you don't know that "Soda" is a Japanese name, it sounds like a manufacturer of soft drinks. Either way works for me!
  
  
  
• "...any illegal kidnapping rings that were based there." - As opposed to the legal kind? This was an error which was left in the story because it sounded like the kind of thing Ken would say.
  
  
  
• I'd always intended that Star Anise have possession of the Omniversal Prism shard in her world, but the idea of it unknowingly being in her necklace simplified how she got it a great deal. As a bonus, it led to more fun innuendo between Star and Etsuko.
  
  
  
• "I mean, I don't think you're really speaking Japanese, anyway." - I tacked this onto Etsuko's reasoning on my time twisting as a reminder of one of the properties of the Prism established in Ep. 2, just so everyone realized that I wasn't intentionally glossing over the language barriers here or in the GMB scenes. It's the presence of the Prism that makes all the difference for everyone.
  
  
  
• Yes, Maya's hair is dyed magenta, and she lives in the back of a coffee shop. These are the kind of things you learn when you read www.igadevil.com!
  
  
  
• The "Kôhimame Café" ("Coffee Bean Café") is a key setting in the Sigma universe. Its owner, Junko Tama, is better known as the heroine of the series KAMEN RIDER V3 (1973-74).
  
  
  
• Mikoto Taki, Maya's friend and roomie, is the daughter of Kazuya Taki, an ally of the Double Riders in the original KAMEN RIDER series (1971-73). She has a mad crush on Kazuo Kanagawa, a police detective who is not seen in this tale and yet still manages to play an important part in it. She is aware that Maya is Sigma, as demonstrated later in this segment.
  
  
  
• Kohei Kurobe is, as explained within the story, a police detective and Maya's friend...and possibly more. They have a sometimes adversarial relationship, and the bit with him getting her name wrong (intentionally or not) is a recurring one at least in the early installments of the Sigma series. By this point in Sigma series continuity, he is also aware that Maya is Sigma, which figures into these scenes later.
  
  
  
• The "Shojo Rider" pendants are part of a scheme of Junko's to start a new junior Rider club. By the way, Junko's awareness (or lack thereof) of Maya's other identity is unknown as of this writing. However, the other characters assume she doesn't know.
  
  
  
• Pai Pai is a restaurant in Sigma's universe, named for the Shotaro Ishinomori-created TV series MAHO SHOJO CHUKANA PAI PAI.
  
  
  
• Reiko's simmering unrest with Gohan finally explodes in this sequence. I've been building to this moment since Ep. 2, so I hope it delivers with the force I intended.
  
  
  
• "...drinking sake inside the pyramid you had built on top of our house." - As ridiculous as this sounds, it is based on an anecdote quoted from Shotaro Ishinomori in Frederik L. Schodt's 1983 tome MANGA! MANGA! THE WORLD OF JAPANESE COMICS!
  
  
  
• "Wow, I think she might be colder than your sister," Kohei opined. - This line will make more sense when folks get better acquainted with Setsuko Ryusaki.
  
  
  
• "You know, like those 'super sentai' on TV?"/"Or Goranger and JAKQ?" - This exchange deserves a fuller explanation. It is based on the idea that, in Sigma's world, the original two sentai (the ones created by Ishinomori) might be "real," while the "super sentai" (the ones with the giant robots) are just for TV. As hard as it may be to believe, Toei actually attempted to make a distinction between "sentai" and "super sentai" for years, for reasons of their own.
  

  I hedged my bets with the phrasing of this, to give Igadevil some wiggle room if he decides his world is, in fact, a "Rider only" world. Also of note - this is the first time authentic Toei sentai besides Jetman have been namechecked in ROJ. There are a number of allusions to them, but I've always left it at that. In fact, this episode is also the first time that the phrase "Kamen Rider" has been used!
  
  
  

• Dirk's "Radio Helmet" is a piece of gimmickry I've been dying to include in a story. At last, its time has come!
  
  
  
• "Killer Kienan" is a name based on the character of Killer Kane from BUCK ROGERS. For perhaps obvious reasons, the idea of Kienan recast as a stereotypical movie serial type villain tickles me. It's something that probably wouldn't fly in a story, but as a gag, it's unbeatable.
  
  
  
• Kienan has encountered Nemesis twice before, in "Crossover" stories written by their creator Lewis Smith. The first was discussed in New ROJ Ep. 1's notes. The second, begun in 2006 and completed in 2008, has not yet been released to the best of my knowledge - at least as of this writing. Since both stories involve plenty of time travel, I am playing fast and loose with the order in which they might occur in Kienan's life.
  
  
  
• "What's your name? Ronin 3? Roninette?" - Ronin is another of Lewis' characters, and he was involved in both Crossover stories. In fact, his father (also named Ronin) was involved in the second one as well.
  
  
  
• "Great," the assassin replied as he pulled out a second gun. "Let's find out if he's bulletproof." - I just want to mention how proud I am of this line, as it is probably the best Kienan line I devised on my own.
  
  
  
• Dirk Dixon getting the chunk of Prism long enough to "wish" Nemesis into the GMB world (thus explaining his disappearance from Future City) solved the problem of explaining why Nemesis went from the main ROJ reality to this one a lot more neatly than I would have expected.
  
  
  
• "I know who you are!" he exclaimed to the unflappable Mr. Hoshi. "But...I thought you were dead!" - Well, Shinsei has deduced Mr. Hoshi's true identity, or so it seems. Have you? The last line is a hoary one, true, but it was fun to include it.
  
  
  
• The name "Jetman Revenge Squad" is derived from the Superman Revenge Squad which bedeviled Superman in the 1960s. The premise is that of "reconstructed kaijin", which has found frequent usage in Japanese superhero movies and special videos. They're usually bigger pushovers than they were the first go-round, no matter how much lip service is paid to their being stronger. I'll be playing around with this idea as I go.
  
  
  
• Nine of the members of the Jetman Revenge Squad are from the JETMAN TV series. Noodle Jigen, Jihanki (Vending Machine) Jigen, Camera Jigen, and Sojiki (Vacuum Cleaner) Jigen are all Jigen Ju ("Dimension Beasts"). Light Armadillo, Ari (Ant) Bazooka , Yoroi (Armor) Snake, and Sniper Cat, on the other hand, are Bio Jigen Ju ("Bio Dimension Beasts"). Tomato Dai O ("Great Tomato King") is a bit of an oddball in that he doesn't fit into either category! He's his own monster, if you will.
  
  
  
• Zaigan, Bango, and Damaru are all villains who appeared in the 3-D short SUPER SENTAI WORLD, which united the teams of Fiveman, Jetman, Zyuranger, Dairanger, and Kakuranger. There are questions in some circles about how SUPER SENTAI WORLD "fits," but I rarely let pesky little matters like stuff making sense affect how I deal with my take on continuity.
  
  
  
• Kumoden, Saikong, Shishigone, and Kotetsumori are all Chaos Beasts, from the first half of ROJ. Saikong and Shishigone were mentioned in Ep. 6, and the former debuted in Ep. 7 alongside Kumoden. Shishigone's fate was discussed in Ep. 8, but he was never actually seen in action. Kotetsumori (kotetsu - "steel" + komori - "bat") is a brand new monster created specifically for New ROJ, though we can assume he fought Jetman during the interim between Episodes 7 and 8.
  
  
  
• Chaos Chimera, Chaos Fenris, Chaos Talos, and Chaos Cyclops are Chaos Myth Beasts, from the second half of ROJ. Interestingly, only Chaos Chimera appeared in an earlier story (Ep. 11, to be exact). The others are all new, and presumably fit into the gap between Episodes 12 and 13. Chaos Fenris is based on the Fenris wolf of Norse mythology, Chaos Talos comes from the bronze giant Talos of Greek mythology, and Chaos Cyclops originates from the one-eyed giants dubbed "Cyclops" in Greek myths.
  
  
  
• My original idea for the scenes with Ken and Etsuko in action was that they would have to be sans costumes because of the taboo against them on Star Anise's world. This was fantastic in concept, but lousy to attempt to maintain throughout the rest of the story. In the end, I gave up on it. I did weave the "out of costume" bit into the narrative, and I'm happy about that.
  
  
  
• Star Anise's codename "Usagi" is the Japanese word for "rabbit." In a happy coincidence that I am sure delighted Kabuki, Usagi is also the civilian name of SAILOR MOON. Etsuko's codename "Cygnus" is from the genus name for swans (from the Latin for swan).
  
  
  
• The wishing thing for the Prism rears its head again in Star Anise's mad dash. The accidental usage of the Prism in this manner by her and Dirk Dixon is meant to emphasize how potentially dangerous it could be. Her teleportation scene might owe a debt to the Toho movie ESPY (what, again?), but this was not my conscious intent.
  
  
  
• "This thing between us has been going on for awhile, and...well, I've never had anything good happen to me on a parallel world." - There was a feeling on my part that, even though I had been building Reiko's heartache since Episode 2, she might come across too harshly in this story. I'm still not sure that she doesn't, but I deliberately made an effort to soften her a little in the scene with Maya. Her reference to parallel worlds is a callback to a particular sequence in ROJ Ep. 5.
  
  
  
• The "problems" between Maya and Kohei refers to some Kamen Rider Sigma plot points still in the future as of this writing.
  
  
  
• The Ginga Jo-O/Hellvira duel was, obviously, not always going to be so one-sided. I decided to take this approach because it was unexpected, and I found that I had accomplished most of what I wanted with Hellvira. Ginga Jo-O presented a new and different threat, and I wanted to get as much mileage as I could out of her.
  
  
  
• Hellvira's threat to call forth Cerberus (the three-headed dog guardian of Hades in Greek mythology) was a touch I added because that was part of my original plan back in 2005, when she was envisioned as the only villain in the ROJ/Sigma crossover sequences.
  
  
  
• Nemesis' revelation to Dirk Dixon was a bit of a surprise even to me, but it made sense given the context. It allows for a bit of a rehabilitation of Dirk's character without violating the inherent nonsense of him.
  
  
  
• The flying sled was something Lewis added to the GMB/ROJ picture he did, and it seemed only right to incorporate it into this story. Lewis also coined the name "Chronolancer" for Nemesis's javelin in the second of his Crossover tales. When set to erase someone from history, it is the "Chronodeleter." Remember that name.
  
  
  
• Nemesis telling Kienan that he has "mistaken [him] for someone else" and the subsequent explanation he offers is one of the keys of the entire series. A conceit I held, which I did not reveal to anyone, was that the Nemesis who appeared in the opening scene was the "real" one, and the one who was running around through the rest of the series (including all subsequent scenes in Ep. 1) was an usurper. And that usurper turns out to be...
  

  Toranza! When last seen, Green Wyvern had severely injured him and reduced him to a vegetative state again in ROJ Ep. 14. The phrase "my superior intellect is unbeatable once stimulated" implies that the "real" Nemesis restored him, but quickly found himself in over his head in dealing with Toranza. As to whether Nemesis really intended him to be an "underling" or wanted to test his mettle in preparing for Green Wyvern is an open question that only Nemesis himself could answer.
  

  Green Wyvern's importance to the multiverse is another of Nemesis' ideas that will possibly never be answered in full, but it will be a factor in the next episode. As for the "true" Nemesis (or his alternate doubles), Toranza's statement that "that fool is off deleting himself from reality" is another reference to Lewis' second Crossover story. He will not be back, in ROJ or anywhere else.
  
  
  

• I'll be honest - Zaigan, Bango, and Damaru go down fast and easy because there is so little to draw on for them. Their only appearance is from a "movie" that runs less than 10 minutes! While it was fun to put them in the story, I figured they'd also be the first to fall given how little stamina they had in their on-screen debut. I suppose I could have expanded their roles, but I'd rather do that with either well-established monsters or original creations.
  
  
  
• Sniper Cat and Ari Bazooka's unusual speech patterns were a lot of fun, and born from a desire to give distinctive "voices" to some of the monsters. Sniper Cat stretching his m's was inspired by KAMEN RIDER V3's enemy Doctor G, who always referred to his opponent as "Kamen Riiiiiiiiider V3"! Ari Bazooka's *tik*, on the other hand, was pulled from the character of Bug from Marvel Comics' old comic series based on THE MICRONAUTS.
  
  
  
• Mr. Hoshi carrying the Cross Changer was a role he inherited from Michiru when she was written out of the latter parts of the story. In many respects, it works better, as he could conceivably smuggle it into the lair undetected. At least, based on his actions, it's not out of the realm of possibility. And the Cross Changer leads us to...
  

  Jet Phoenix! C'mon, how could I write this series without finding a way for Shinsei to resume his old identity? The explanation for how this is possible (yes, there is an explanation) will wait until the next episode, but I felt his reappearance was a fine note on which to send out the travails of Shinsei Hinotori and Mr. Hoshi for this story.
  
  
  

• Ken's rage at the plight of the children being exploited was difficult to get just so, since the sequence needed to be properly horrifying without violating the overall tone of the NROJ series. I'll let others judge my results. The death of Mika Katsuragi in Episode 1 continues to resonate with Ken, and that added a certain poignancy to his reaction.
  
  
  
• The possible return of a Ken/Etsuko romance was first hinted in Episode 4.
  
  
  
• I wonder if perhaps I was too subtle in my implication that Silver Raven's motive for fleeing the Soda Tower was primarily cowardice. I felt that it would be quite deflating for someone like him to finally get beaten (as he was in the previous episode) and that might make him lose his nerve a little. It does justify the nature of his scheme beyond just villainy, doesn't it? That kind of thing was a low risk proposition for someone with badly- shaken confidence. He can still talk a good game, but his true effectiveness has been compromised.
  
  
  
• In a related vein to the prior point, Star Anise's triumph was planned almost from the initial conception of this crossover. I wasn't sure what the precise nature of their conflict would be, nor the exact outcome, but I wanted it to be her that won out over Silver Raven.
  
  
  
• "But you two can take this. Too much temptation. If I did keep it, I'd probably be eating free pizzas every night." - It was a given that Star wouldn't keep her special necklace, but the business about "free pizza" was a quip Kabuki made in an e-mail that I decided to shamelessly incorporate into the narrative.
  
  
  
• Reiko and Gohan's poor showing due to their minds being on other things was an artistic choice, and maybe not the right one. They do ultimately get overshadowed in their own team-up as a result! My feeling was that they still have the final episode to redeem themselves in the eyes of readers, whereas this is the climax for the SIGMA cast in ROJ.
  
  
  
• Ginga Jo-O's "PARALYZING LIGHTNING STORM ATTACK!" is due to the power of the Prism, if I didn't clarify that adequately. It was not part of any early plans, but became a writing session spur-of-the-moment inclusion.
  
  
  
• Kohei's significant role, and involvement in this crossover's climax, is due to the fact that Igadevil said I "wrote a good Kohei!" Wow, thanks Iga! His tricking of Mikoto by invoking Kanagawa's name was one of those beautiful throwaway bits that only grew out of the story's development, and it ended up being one of my favorite moments in the tale.
  

  One thing I tried to make abundantly clear about Kohei was that, despite appearances as a bumbler, he knows what he's doing. His shooting the Prism out of Ginga Jo-O's hand wasn't an accident or luck. It was his plan.
  
  
  

• When he offered Ginga Jo-O to me, Igadevil's primary request was that if I killed her, that she at least meet "an ironic end." I think Shedondas landing on her head qualifies!
  
  
  
• Maya's reaction to Gohan and Reiko's departure is interesting, in that she seems to be in denial over the fact that they need to leave. This was an outgrowth of a conversation Igadevil and I had one night regarding her character. It certainly adds a different spin in comparison to Star Anise, who advised Ken and Etsuko that they should make tracks.
  
  
  
• The subtle show of affection between Maya and Kohei was something both Igadevil and I wanted to get right in this tale. As you may have noticed, they tend to bicker a lot, so it needed to be significant and it needed to be obvious to the reader that they do really care about each other. The nature of it was inspired by, of all things, the final episode of the sentai series TURBORANGER.
  
  
  
• "It encourages the child within me." - This line, courtesy of Lewis, is a callback to Toranza's origins as the child "Toran" in the original JETMAN series.
  
  
  
• "Others left me broken but alive, and they all learned to regret that choice." - True! Besides Green Wyvern, both Radeige (in the TV series) and Lord Xenotos (in ROJ) left Toranza alive when they could have let him die. Neither of those villains fared very well afterward.
  
  
  
• The robot Veronika (loosely based on its namesake from the JETMAN series) previously appeared in a dream sequence in ROJ Ep. 9. It was implied, though never explicitly stated, that this robot was part of Toranza's secret scheme that was foiled in ROJ Ep. 8. As for how it can reappear if it was only ever completed in a dream sequence, well, I'll get to that in a moment.
  
  
  
• "Already I took your father from you, and that simpering boyfriend as well!" - Toranza revealed in ROJ Ep. 4 that he (as Toran) murdered Green Wyvern's father during the attack on the original Earthship. His claim of responsibility for Gai Tendo's death in ROJ Ep. 8 is accurate, but it didn't go quite so well for Toranza either.
  
  
  
• "Once again...it's time for the super thing!" - Another great line from Lewis, which refers back to ROJ Ep. 9's dream sequence. I leave it unstated in the story itself, but this would seem to indicate that Toranza is either using his newfound powers to tap into Green Wyvern's psyche OR he was somehow partially responsible for the original nightmare. I'll let you decide which explanation you prefer!
  
  
  
• During the editing process, I dropped a line for Kienan that I still think is pretty good. After the appearance of Veronika, he said, "I'm starting to miss the other guy."
  
  
  
• The "Old" God Wyvern is unquestionably a wacky idea. I first developed it when I was toying with the (since abandoned) concept that GMB and ROJ occupied the same "universe." I thought Old God Wyvern no longer fit after this conceit was left on the cutting room floor, but Lewis felt really strongly that it should be included for its incredible novelty value. So, thanks to his cajoling and some agile justification, I found a spot for it.
  
  
  
• Kienan's insane leap was part of this story all the way back to its GMB/ROJ roots, but Old God Wyvern suddenly made it (slightly) more logical. The Midare-Giri knife, won by Kienan in an underground fighting tournament of the same name, is an ancient unbreakable weapon forged by a now-dead alien race. It is Kienan's most prized possession.
  
  
  
• According to www.gunmetalblack.com, Nagra bullets are bullets "with gravity-well tips. An impact from one of these bullets has been known to blow basketball-sized holes in men and machinery."
  
  
  
• The interesting thing about the climax of this story is that it originally didn't exist! It was only as I was blocking out the entirety of this tale that I realized the GMB portion would need some extra room. However, the episode still needed a suitable cliffhanger. This led to the creation of the ending as it currently exists. For something that is actually a bit makeshift, I think it works pretty well, and leads you naturally into the concluding installment of this long-running series.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.

10 Years of Return of Jetman Online

On this date in 2002, I posted this story on the very first "Return of Jetman" website. Therefore, despite the fact that the index page had already been active for a couple of months, I usually think of November 18 as the "official" launch of the web presence of Return of Jetman. That means today marks the 10th anniversary of this milestone.

My reaction to this is, "Where did the time go?" Frankly, it seems like just yesterday that I was trying to figure out how to upload these things to my ISP webspace. ROJ was one of my first opportunities to carve out my own Internet identity, rather just contributing to things maintained by others. I like to think it holds up reasonably well, even if it sometimes (many times) wears my growing pains as a creator on its sleeve.

Though the ROJ stories concluded in 2010, the site will continue. I still have bits and pieces that I would like to finish, even if the actual demand for them is minimal. Beyond that, I want to preserve the contributions made by everyone to this modest little enterprise. I am proud to not only showcase my own work, but work by many other folks I respect a great deal.

No acknowledgment of ROJ's legacy would be complete without the name of Lewis Smith. Lewis was the guy who created ROJ and formed the basis for everything I subsequently did with the project. He graciously gave his blessing for me to not only continue where he left off, but steer things in my own direction. In a very real sense, I owe pretty much every piece of fiction I've written since then to his generosity. Thank you, Lewis.

And thank you all, both contributors and readers. I don't think ROJ would still exist as a destination in 2012 if it weren't for the enthusiasm you folks have shown. It has at times outstripped even my own, and that blows my mind. It is not a part of my daily thought process like it was back in its heyday, but ROJ laid the foundation for a lot of things I do. If that's not a valuable learning experience, I'm not sure what would be.

New ROJ Episode 5 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Five Against Infinity"
(Episode 5)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2008-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 5 - "Five Against Infinity" wrapped principal writing on June 6, 2008. By this point, the delays in getting episodes completed and posted reached a near-comical level, so I won't even mention precisely how long this one took. Long enough, that's for sure.

This particular episode was one that worried me for a long time as possibly not being up to par. While it still has its weaknesses, I tend to feel I managed to whip it into reasonable shape. It contains a couple of sequences that are among my favorites in the entire ROJ canon.

• The appearance of Okayama is a nod to the Toho film FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (1965), in which that area was one of the locations mentioned by name.
  
  
  
• The gathering of the original Jetman members (minus Shinsei Hinotori/"Gai Yuki") in a significant dialogue scene is something that had been a long time in coming. In fact, neither Raita Oishi nor Kaori Tendo had spoken a line of dialogue since ROJ Ep. 2! That story was also where the characters lost their powers, as is mentioned later.
  
  
  
• "We've been terribly worried, especially after what happened to you, Ako." - This line, and several subsequent lines in this sequence, are callbacks to New ROJ Ep. 4's plot point of Jeff Kensaki/Jetman Killer kidnapping Ako.
  
  
  
• The removal of shoes and donning of slippers before entering a house is a Japanese custom that I (surprisingly) hadn't really acknowledged previously.
  
  
  
• Ryu's ominous statements tie in with what he has apparently learned from Mr. Hoshi, whom he met at the conclusion of New ROJ Ep. 3. No more details will be forthcoming in this installment, but I will say cryptically that there are hints sprinkled throughout regarding both the full nature of Nemesis' plan and the mystery of Mr. Hoshi.
  
  
  
• The "Jetman poker game," complete with idiosyncratic twists (cocktail swords?), was one of the very first new concepts I developed for New Return of Jetman back in 2005.
  
  
  
• "Think long, think wrong" was an admonition I first learned from my father regarding playing pool.
  
  
  
• The very first time we meet Gai Yuki in JETMAN Ep. 2 (discounting his cameo in the first episode, natch), he's playing cards - and cheating to boot!
  
  
  
• The sequence with Gohan, Reiko, and Reiko's double was another scene born early in the development process, but the emotions behind it evolved from that initial germ of an idea. I credit the influence of a good friend in shaping how it plays out. The concept is a logical outgrowth of the simmering tension and Reiko's power, but it's still not something that I think a lot of people would expect.
  
  
  
• As originally conceived, the Gohan/Reiko interlude would have included a flashback of the new Jetman interacting as young children. This was a fascinating idea, but it proved unworkable in execution for several reasons and was scrapped.
  
  
  
• One of the interesting things in the development of the Paradox Army was no real consideration was given as to how they might get along with one another. As has been mentioned before, both Dirk and Hellvira were created as essentially ciphers for the original GMB/ROJ project, while Silver Raven was a latecomer who replaced Grey Shrike in the lineup. Because of the nature of the stories, the nuances of each of their personalities came about independently. This was why it was so pleasantly surprising that having them in the same room was the source of much scene-stealing joy. It wasn't something I could have predicted, but it makes for an exciting dynamic among the minions.
  
  
  
• The Jet Copters are my homage to Batman's Whirly Bat vehicle. I have no idea why I found this so appealing.
  
  
  
• Nemesis' magnificent complex is named Future City because Lewis informed me that this was the name of one of the character's bases back when he was an armored super guy. I liked the name so much that I figured I could get some mileage out of it. Something like my version of Future City probably couldn't exist in the real Jigoku-dani, but between the Omniversal Prism and literary license, I think I'm allowed to go stray from reality.
  
  
  
• "A suspension bridge?" - Yes, a suspension bridge. Another reason for the Prism remodeling the area. Suspension bridges as the setting for Japanese superhero battles are almost disturbingly common. A good example would be the BIOMAN film which I have referenced in the past.
  
  
  
• During the editing process, there was one truly unfortunate continuity error that cropped up because of the lengthy writing time for this story. Namely, the heroes never transformed on-screen! They went from being in their civilian identities to Jetman without explanation. One hasty rewrite to a portion of a scene later, this somewhat glaring gaffe was fixed.
  
  
  
• Good ol' 6-Yark-6. His presence adds nothing to the story except an incidental weird element. But then, isn't that enough? He was a villainous counterpart to 7-Zark-7 that I created for my BATTLE OF THE PLANETS fan stories when I was 12 years old. Those of you who've been reading for awhile may recall that that same BOTP material also featured the character who inspired the creation of Green Wyvern.
  
  
  
• It is worth noting mainly because of the way it points out how random things get incorporated into the narrative for no good reason, but the monorail came about because I had been reading about Micronauts toys at the same time I was writing that portion of the story. And you see, the Micronauts line had a monorail and...
  
  
  
• "I dirtied Seven Force's pristine finish for nothing!" - As I do not believe it has been covered already, this line seems to be a good opportunity to mention that Silver Raven's "neat freak" tendencies were derived from an offhand suggestion by the peerless Igadevil. Too bad the poor guy doesn't even remember that anymore.
  
  
  
• Jetman's helmet cams were an element from the TV series that would pop up every now and then. One of the more fascinating aspects was that there were individual screens for each member, and they would also occasionally display their real faces during battle. It was a nice method of giving the lead actors face time while their stunt doubles did the dirty work.
  
  
  
• Michiru's arrival and the resurfacing of Shinsei's self-doubts gave me the chance to explore their relationship just a little. I'm honestly not completely happy with the result, but I think it's at least a solid OK.
  
  
  
• "It's teleportation," Raven deadpanned. "It's nothing new." - This particular line is an homage to the English dubbing of Toho's 1974 film ESPY, a movie that I dearly love for reasons I cannot quite explain.
  
  
  
• After the opening sequence, I would imagine most readers have gathered there is more to the original Jetman's "death" than is made explicit in the story. Still, it does add some tension and (hopefully) mystery. The revelation also gave me the chance to incorporate an off-screen cameo by Aya Odagiri.
  
  
  
• The term "car hire" is not used as often in the United States, but that is precisely why I chose it.
  
  
  
• The inclusion of a robot battle in this story was very much up in the air for quite some time. I ended up feeling the tale needed the extra "oomph" such a sequence might provide. Plus, it did allow us to revisit Seven Force's Robo Mode, for what may be the last time. But I am getting slightly ahead of myself.
  
  
  
• "Septua Shock", formed from the Latin septua ("seven") was one of my more creative attempts at incorporating "seven" terms into the arsenal of Silver Raven's mecha.
  
  
  
• The "flux capacitor" business was a bit of whimsy where I decided to tweak myself for the rampant pseudo-scientific jargon that overflows these stories. I make no apologies, because I love that nonsense. The crazy part is that it's NOT an intentional reference to BACK TO THE FUTURE. Honest!
  
  
  
• The brief return of the Succubus Girls was a last minute addition to the climactic skirmish.
  
  
  
• As originally plotted, Black Condor intentionally shattered the Omniversal Prism. I wasn't happy with this when it came time to commit the story to record, because it implied (quite rightly!) that Ken was more than just a little reckless in his handling of the situation. As written, he's still perhaps a shade unwise, but it's a lot more understandable under the circumstances.
  
  
  
• "What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." - This parting shot from Green Wyvern is rather juvenile, yes, but also perfectly in character.
  
  
  
• The closing with Nemesis is meant mainly to give a true sense of the gravity of the situation. If the mastermind of everything (as implied in the opening) has been caught off-guard, well, what can we expect?
  

  Only perhaps the strangest ROJ story of all, that's all.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.

New ROJ Episode 4 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Parallel"
(Episode 4)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2007-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 4 - "Parallel" was begun in September 2006, and wrapped principal writing on May 15, 2007. And what took so long this time? Well, I had a fire in my home and ended up being displaced for several weeks. Add in the clean-up, repairs, etc., and there was very little time to devote to ROJ for a couple of months.

I'm actually ridiculously proud of how this story came out. It delves a bit more deeply into both the Jetman mythos and the idea of the multiverse. Plus, we see the early culmination of a subtle subplot that has been running through the New ROJ narrative. Throw in some of my more effective action sequences, and this story was extremely satisfying for me.

This story is dedicated to the young woman who uses "Kabuki Katze" as her nom de Internet. I do know her real name, but I choose not to reveal it here. She has been a big supporter of ROJ since we first crossed paths, and her advice and inspiration played a major role in the development of this story. Thanks, Kabuki!

• Jeff Kensaki is an actual JETMAN character - sorta. He was created for the Jetman manga series that was originally serialized in B-CLUB. In the manga, he was a popular rock star who gained Birdonic powers and fought side-by-side with the original Jetman as the new fifth member "Green Eagle". He also kindled a very weird romance with Ako Hayasaka/Blue Swallow along the way. He is not considered part of the official JETMAN canon, no matter what some online sources claim.
  

  There was actually no way to tie the manga Jetman stories in with ROJ directly, even if we'd wanted to do such a thing. The two stories were created completely independently of each other, and contradict each other on several key points. Plus, just about every aspect of Jeff in that story reeks of "Mary Sue" Syndrome. Still, there was an urge to acknowledge the manga's version of the future.
  

  The answer came when my pal "Igadevil" suggested that Silver Raven (more on him in a bit) needed at least a sidekick, if he wasn't going to have henchmen. I jokingly tossed out "Silver Raven & Jeff", a reference to the short-lived variety series PINK LADY AND JEFF. When I realized that "Jeff" was the name of Green Eagle, well, that set the wheels in motion. I re-imagined Jeff Kensaki as he might be in a world where all the breaks didn't go his way - until he gained powers belatedly and learned of his much better other life. And lo, Jetman Killer (a name he gives himself later in the story, directly inspired by Ace Killer from ULTRAMAN ACE) was born. The Jetman Killer character includes many incidental details, allusions, and even bits of dialogue drawn from his manga inspiration.
  
  
  

• The Ken/Etsuko relationship takes another turn down a strange road. I actually didn't know this scene was going to play out quite this way until I sat down to write it. Yes, it's true - sometimes the characters really do write things themselves.
  

  I should also point out that the references to poor li'l Mika (New ROJ Ep.1) and Kei's insomnia (a recurring point in ROJ, first mentioned blatantly in Ep. 6) were also not part of the original plan for this scene, but were added in to flesh it out further and give a little more motivation to the various goings-on.
  
  
  

• Ako Hayasaka is, of course, the original Blue Swallow from JETMAN, and the mother of Reiko. One of my greatest regrets from ROJ was that I never found a good way to bring the original team more into the proceedings. The plot of her being kidnapped was first proposed as part of a team-up story that never got past the talking stage. It has been altered a great deal since that time - in fact, the character that was supposed to kidnap her in that version was the guy who evolved into "Duke Disco"! As we saw in New ROJ Ep. 1, he's not able to fill that role now even if I wanted him for it.
  
  
  
• "Saburo Iketani" was the name of an actual Japanese newscaster who made numerous cameo appearances in Japanese science-fiction films, beginning with the original Godzilla film in 1954
  
  
  
• "D. Jigen" is not a real Japanese name, as you may or may not notice. It is actually short for "Dryer Jigen", a Byram monster from JETMAN episode 28 who was not especially good at being evil and ended up reforming. When last seen at the end of that episode, he was working as an apprentice in a barber shop. Because, you see, he's a hair dryer monster.
  
  
  
• The Tokyo Dome and Korakuen Amusement Park are, in fact, relatively near one another. This point is driven home by the commercials for Korakuen's superhero stage shows that are filmed by the "Egg Dome". I went to great pains to research the placement of various landmarks in the park and even the names of some of them. It doesn't add anything to your enjoyment of the story, but it makes me happy if I'm reasonably accurate with little details like that.
  
  
  
• The (approximate) translation to Jeff's song is as follows :
  
  When the past becomes the future
  Claws of evil draw near
  We are the warriors of the great sky
  Five brave young people
  OUR TIME IS NOW!
  

  Not even good by sentai song standards, is it?
  
  
  

• The term "rainbow heads" was an insult tossed about on the comedy English dub of DYNAMAN that aired on NIGHT FLIGHT.
  
  
  
• "Hayasaka Mama-sama" is a very unusual honorific for a very unusual situation. What would a Japanese man call his mother-in-law if he had previously idolized her? There's no real easy answer for that question. It's a strange sort of compromise, and exactly the sort of thing you might expect from Gohan (who still lacks some of the social graces).
  
  
  
• "Cosmic Beartrap" is a rather obvious piece of pseudo-scientific technobabble, and a complete throwaway bit. I only put it in there because it makes me smile every time I read it.
  
  
  
• Silver Raven was not originally the third member of the Paradox Army. That honor was first conceived as going to Grey Shrike. Yes, Grey Shrike - the "evil" Etsuko (though not really) from ROJ Ep. 12. This Grey Shrike, however, would have really been Etsuko Oishi - from a parallel universe where she had turned rogue and murdered her teammates. Her image at the end of New ROJ Ep. 1 coupled with the real Etsuko's disappearance would have created some interesting conflicts.
  

  Upon further consideration, I felt the evil Etsuko angle was just too much melodrama for what I wanted to do. It upped the emotional stakes to an almost unbearable level, and that torpedoed the chance for any fun at all afterward. So, Silver Raven was created and given a somewhat different (though similar) origin. Honestly, I think this worked out for the best, because Silver Raven developed his own distinctive personality, and turned out to be quite sinister in his own right.
  

  The idea of Silver Raven being a "gestalt clone" (as I phrased it everywhere but the story - next time) was possibly born from the RED DWARF episode "Legion". It's certainly one of the few times that something like this has been made an actual part of a character, at least in the sentai genre.
  
  
  

• "I was supposed to be the green member!" - As noted above, technically true! In the manga, Kensaki becomes "Green Eagle", who was the new fifth member of the original Jetman team
  
  
  
• The mystery of Mr. Hoshi deepens, as he plays Captain Exposition for Ken and pretty blatantly demonstrates that there is more to him than meets the eye. There can be little doubt now that Mr. Hoshi is not just some random stranger, but someone involved in this matter far more deeply than he is telling.
  
  
  
• OK, the thing with the merry-go-round horse? That is one of my favorite fight scene bits ever. I don't know if anyone has ever done that in a real program, but I would love them forever if they did.
  
  
  
• The reference to a "Chinese Jetman" called Fighter Man that is based in Taiwan is a double-sided inside joke. On the one hand, it is a homage to the "Super Riders" movies - Kamen Rider films that were produced in Taiwan with a mixture of stock footage and new scenes. On the other hand, "Fighter Man" was the name of bootleg Jetman action figures that surfaced during the initial Power Rangers toy craze in the 1990s. Anybody out there have any of these rarities?
  
  
  
• The Wyvern Power Drain is not a power that lends itself to a lot of uses in the narrative, for obvious reasons. It actually came in handy here as a way to set up Jetman Killer's final fall.
  
  
  
• "Seven Force" was a mecha concept conceived by series creator Lewis Smith circa 2003-2004, originally intended for Grey Shrike. And that, my friends, is how Silver Raven ended up with it. Lewis' idea was a bit different, but the core was identical - a machine with seven distinctive modes all by itself. Though they aren't all utilized in this story, those modes are : Ichidai - Armor Mode (tank), Nidai - Miner Mode (drill vehicle), Sandai - Aqua Mode (submarine), Yondai - Gyro Mode (gyroscope), Godai - Jet Mode (jet), Rokudai - Rocket Mode (rocket), and Nanadai - Robo Mode (robot). Please note that those seven modes are in numerical order, only in Japanese (because it sounded cooler to me). The -dai in each mode name is a Japanese counter word used for counting vehicles or machines.
  
  
  
• Super God Icarus was the big secret mecha combination from the climax of ROJ Ep. 14. Not having it work due to the Jet Fighters being new models (which I established in passing in New ROJ Ep. 1) is just an example of me being difficult for the sake of dramatic tension.
  
  
  
• The climax to this battle includes a very deliberate callback to ROJ episode 2's finale between Green Wyvern and the members of Jetman, with Wyvern's musing that it led to nothing but more trouble.
  
  
  
• I think anyone with a passing idea of who "Itto Ogami" is probably will laugh at the assertion that it's an "old legend". He's the protagonist of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's manga series KOZURE OKAMI, better known in the West as LONE WOLF AND CUB. Now, whether the story is really a legend in the world of Jetman is open to interpretation. Gohan could certainly be stretching the truth just a mite.
  

  As far as the bit about Jigoku-dani ("The Valley of Hell"), that is absolutely a real location in Japan. The idea to tie the two things together came from the amazing narration to the trailer for LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, the English dub of one of the KOZURE OKAMI films. I don't know if it takes place in the actual Jigoku-dani, but it's pretty vivid all the same.
  
  
  

• Kazuo Fujita is named for "Kazuo Fuji", Akira Takarada's astronaut character in GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO (1965). The "JADC" is the Japan Astro Development Center (named for a similar facility in the 1967 film THE X FROM OUTER SPACE) and was previously mentioned in ROJ Ep. 13.
  
  
  
• "Ken-bo" is a nickname that actor Akira Kubo coined for fellow actor Kenji Sahara when he felt he had reached his level, as noted in the interview at http://www.historyvortex.org/InterviewAkiraKubo.html. It is translated as "boy Ken", so you might understand why Ken Tendo wouldn't necessarily be happy about it!
  
  
  
• The relationship between Etsuko and Kei is an interesting matter, and one I did not approach lightly. It was an idea that I first developed in passing way back in 2003, but I chose not to pursue it (beyond a comedy bit in ROJ Ep. 13 where I more or less dismissed it) because I did not feel I could do it justice at that time. Basically, I thought it would probably be tacky if I tried it.
  

  So, why the obvious change of heart? Well, times change, people change, and after a lot of consideration, I felt I could do something positive with the idea and not have it look like a horrific misstep. Plus, Etsuko had to have disappeared for some reason, and it proved to be the perfect, somewhat shadowy catalyst without throwing even more darkness into the series than needed.
  

  I suppose you could still look upon the way I've executed things as a bit...odd. My defense is that I don't look upon it as a girl/girl thing, but rather a person/person thing. Kei and Etsuko were two adults who made a decision and are dealing with the repercussions to their relationship. I'm quite proud of how it turned out, and personally have no regrets about including it as part of the series. Others may disagree, but I hope they can respect my reasoning.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.

New ROJ Episode 3 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Some Say In Ice"
(Episode 3)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2007-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 3 - "Some Say In Ice" was begun in October 2005, and wrapped principal writing on August 25, 2006. Quite a long stretch, no? All I can say is that I was suffering from a lot of personal issues for several of those months, and had a severe case of writer's block, too. But, it all eventually came together and I got the story finished before too much time had passed.

Unfortunately, the significant amount of time it took to finish this story made it somewhat unsatisfying to me. Oh, there are plenty of things about it that I really like. It just sort of disappointed me that it took so long and I couldn't come up with something truly impressive (to me). But then, this story's plot didn't really lend itself to opening up the action too much.

The idea of doing what amounted to a "locked room" type of story (i.e., one where the heroes are trapped in a building and must fight in a confined space) was one I had while writing the original ROJ series. In fact, it was the projected plot for "Caught In The Web", one of the stories which never happened. My main reason for not pursuing it then was that I had no idea if I could do it the way I wanted it. So dusting off the idea for this tale was a bit of a challenge. I didn't quite meet it, in my opinion, but it was exciting to give it a try.

• The title "Some Say In Ice" was derived from the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost. You should totally look it up if you've never read it.
  
  
  
• The opening sequence (and a portion of the next scene) were the only elements of this story actually written in 2005. All the rest was crafted in 2006, when I found the ability to resume working on it.
  
  
  
• The Antarctic base "Tazawa Station" was named after the character of Dr. Tazawa (played by Ryo Ikebe) from Toho's 1962 film GORATH. That film also featured a base at the South Pole.
  
  
  
• "Professor Sadao Maeda" is named after action film star Shinichi Chiba/Sonny Chiba. "Sadao Maeda" is, as it turns out, Chiba's real name.
  
  
  
• The fact that Ryu Tendo refers to Shinsei as "Gai" almost out of habit is a trait to reinforce the fact that it is hard for people who knew both of them to necessarily be able to separate them. Shinsei, on the other hand, is confident in his distinct identity.
  
  
  
• The exposition bit about the forcefield afforded me one last opportunity to drag out really terrible music jokes in relation to Funkyman. Their robot mentor "DJ Microbo" gets his name from the mash-up of "micro" + "robo", plus the (completely insane) idea that he is a disc jockey. The planet "Rokku" is a phonetic Japanese rendering of "Rock" and was inspired by Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 hit "Planet Rock". And the headquarters called "Funkytown"? This was a really obvious joke which eluded me when I wrote Episode 1, and you can thank Lewis Smith for calling that to my attention. You have probably heard the 1980 hit from Lipps Inc. entitled "Funkytown" or the 1987 cover of it by Pseudo Echo. If you haven't, you clearly have been hiding somewhere.
  
  
  
• I actually did a fair amount of research on Antarctica and included some facts to give authenticity to the setting.
  
  
  
• Hellvira Spitfire was another character originally conceived as "cannon fodder" for the ill-fated GMB/ROJ crossover. What's more, her name is a bit of a parody of the character names in Lewis' other big story project, SEVEN SPHERES LEGEND (It's worth noting that "Hellvira" is also the name of a character in the mid-1980s series SPIELBAN). Well, as it turned out, the character herself drifted away from that point of inspiration, and ended up incorporating elements from several different sources. That includes the "Deviarchy" backstory, which was largely made up as I went along.
  
  
  
• The Succubus Girls (and I really adore that name) were an attempt to give Hellvira some henchwomen. I'm not sure if the explanation for them makes sense or not, but that's something I try not to think about very much.
  
  
  
• Ying, with her black belt in hapkido, is an homage to 1970s female action star Mao Ying/Angela Mao. At one point, I had wanted all of the staff of Tazawa Station to be named after action film stars. This would have included a Dr. Ho Chung Dao (named for Bruce Li's real name). Ultimately, I abandoned the idea after Professor Maeda and Ying, because the rest of my attempts were not moving me. So instead...
  
  
  
• The other staff members of Tazawa Station - Narikawa, Ohira, Watanabe, Arai, and Ozaki - are named after the primary male actors of the show SPECTREMAN. Why? I have no idea. It just sounded good and felt right. Additonally, some of the stuff done with each character is due to the actor who is their namesake. Confused? I'll (try to) explain. Narikawa is named for Tetsuo Narikawa, who played Spectreman's human alter ego. This is why he is the first crewmember possessed. Watanabe is named for Takamitsu Watanabe, and he was apparently a skilled fighter. That is why Watanabe's martial arts skills are emphasized. Ohira the radio man is based on Toru Ohira, who played Chief Kurata. Toru Ohira is also known for his voicework (including, as it turns out, narrating a number of sentai series) and that is why the in-story Ohira never physically appears - he is only mentioned and we only hear his voice.
  

  I'm not sure any of that makes any sense either, but that just shows you my thought process. Oh, and the other two actors were Kazuo Arai and Koji Ozaki. I didn't know anything useful about them, so they sort of got the short end of the stick.
  
  
  

• "Jet Cruiser" becomes "Jet Carrier", primarily because Lewis misremembered the name for a picture he was doing (more on that in a bit). Both were equally fine names so I changed things for this new series.
  
  
  
• Now, just to be clear, I mentioned New Zealand because it is on the way from Japan to Antarctica and I just liked the way the name looked in print. By sheer chance, a lot of Power Rangers stuff is/was filmed -- in New Zealand. I wasn't thinking of that at the time, honest.
  
  
  
• Poseidon Base was first mentioned in ROJ Ep. 12. It is, of course, a reference to "Center Neptune" in the BATTLE OF THE PLANETS series.
  
  
  
• a fifth grade class that solved crimes with a submarine - Ah, this. This is a direct reference to the 1980s series "Jaaman Tanteidan Marin gumi". It was created by Shotaro Ishinomori, and is by and large exactly the way I described Gohan's idea.
  
  
  
• The appearance of the pack of cigarettes is a callback to a minor subplot in the first ROJ series, in which Reiko's smoking habit was a point of discussion between her and Gohan. Reiko ended up quitting for good during the events of ROJ Ep. 12.
  
  
  
• Ken and Kei have always had something of an adversarial relationship. It had softened a little by the end of ROJ Ep. 14, but they will probably never be best buddies.
  
  
  
• Professor Maeda being a "shootfighting champion" (i.e., something like mixed martial arts) was a gag that only came to me because his name was based on that of Sonny Chiba. The fight sequence is a bit of a cheat, but I hope that it's funny enough that I can be excused.
  
  
  
• Ymir, the Frost Giant, is indeed a character from Norse mythology. He has a long and proud history of turning up in pop culture, most notably in Marvel Comics' THOR series.
  
  
  
• I don't know where I first encountered the word "simulacrum", but I am happy that I can say that I got to use it in a story and even the characters were confused by it.
  
  
  
• Guardian Icarus was a mecha picture that Lewis created on a lark, without any thought of me incorporating it into a story at all. I really liked it, enough that I decided that I would MAKE a spot for it. The "Double Vulcan" attack was my name, but the attack formation seemed obvious based on the design of the robot.
  
  
  
• Rie Aoi was Ryu Tendo's girlfriend in the first episode of JETMAN, but she didn't survive the end of the series. Her grave appeared fairly early in the run, though she was never buried there (it's complicated). Even her ghost turned up in the last two episodes of the show, though it was not made clear if it was real or just a hallucination Ryu was having. That is sort of the path I have followed with her appearance here. Though, of course, Mr. Hoshi turns up, too. That just makes things a bit more mysterious.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.

New ROJ Episode 2 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Future Shock"
(Episode 2)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2006-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 2 - "Future Shock" wrapped principal writing on September 8, 2005. Its debut was originally slated to be September 30, 2005, but it was delayed due to Hurricane Rita.

This particular episode was designed to ease the tension created by the end of the first installment, while still following through on the threads it started. It's not quite as over-the-top whimsical as some parts of Episode 1, but it is much more consistent overall. I count certain elements of this story to be some of my favorite writing ever, fiction or non-fiction.

If I made a miscalculation with this episode, it was in the realm of obscure references. There are lines and in-jokes that are deliberately obscure, but the point of this was that they were obscure and off-putting even to the characters in the story itself. This exercise was meant as something of a commentary on the concept of fandom as a whole, but it ended up just confusing some people. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

• Whether by accident or design (I'll never tell!), this opening sequence somewhat parallels a sequence with Supreme Commander Odagiri in ROJ Episode 1.
  
  
  
• "Hot milk" is Ryu Tendo's beverage of choice in the Jetman series. Yes, a very odd detail indeed.
  
  
  
• Captain Annie is Annie from the 1984-85 TV series UCHU KEIJI SHAIDER ("Space Sheriff Shaider"). Incidental details in her exchange with Ryu like "Ginga Patrol" and "space sheriffs" are also from the series and its predecessors GAVAN and SHARIVAN. My decision to use Annie originally stemmed from my unabashed admiration for Naomi Morinaga, the actress who played her. Of course, I didn't want to overdo it for the exact same reason. Annie as a captain in the Ginga Patrol was an idea I devised while planning a crossover story that never panned out.
  
  
  
• Setting part of the story in Hawaii was chiefly due to my desire to open the series up a bit globally. I chose Hawaii specifically because its devoted Japanese superhero fanbase made it seem like a natural.
  
  
  
• The Hawaii Convention Center is a real building in Honolulu, and its location relative to both Honolulu International Airport and Waikiki Beach is (as near as I can tell) as I described it. I did take some liberties with how the building itself is laid out, but I'm chalking that up to "artistic license".
  
  
  
• As we learned at the end of ROJ Episode 14, Gohan's "Tiger Burai" project became a successful manga and was on its way to becoming a hit TV series. The Tiger Burai Convention is a play off the assorted events in Hawaii devoted to the TV show JINZO NINGEN KIKAIDA.
  
  
  
• Turbo Burai, Cobra Burai, and Burai Eclipse are the names of three other "Burai" characters created by actual Tiger Burai creator Lewis Smith.
  
  
  
• Mike Minami and his sidekick Butch are very broad parodies of certain attitudes of American fans of Japanese superheroes. They're both composite characters, and not based on any one person.
  
  
  
• "The only downside is that people see my name tag and they want me to autograph Godzilla CDs..." - Michiru Oshima is the name of a Japanese composer, and among her credits are the Godzilla films GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS (2000), GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002), and GODZILLA : TOKYO SOS (2003). When I was making up a full name for JETMAN's Michiru, I arbitrarily dubbed her "Michiru Oshima" without even remembering the composer of the same name. This reference is one of those very obscure ones that were meant to be funny whether you got the joke or not, but wound up just confusing a lot of people.
  
  
  
• Reiko Hayasaka was established at the end of ROJ Episode 14 as being first choice as singer for the theme to the TIGER BURAI TV series .
  
  
  
• "When I hear it, it makes me think of justice!" - a paraphrased quote from the mighty RZM of the late lamented HOH Forum.
  
  
  
• The cosplay ("costume play") and stage show action are both staples of the Japanese fantasy convention, both in Japan and abroad.
  
  
  
• "Dr. Komyoji had told me how much he'd enjoyed Hawaii..." - Again with a reference to KIKAIDA's popularity in Hawaii.
  
  
  
• Ah, Dirk Dixon and the multitude of retro futuristic details that inform his character. He was originally conceived as cannon fodder for the GUNMETAL BLACK/RETURN OF JETMAN story, but I decided I could salvage him when that project bit the dust. Conceptually, he is a Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon 1930s space hero type. However, I thought it would be interesting to use someone with that peculiar world view as an antagonist. His attitudes come across as extremely thickheaded and backwards by today's standards, but the exaggeration is not as great as it might seem. Times, as they say, change.
  
  
  
• The Clunk-O-Trons were a detail that was practically demanded by Paul "Igadevil" Sullivan (who even ended up naming them!), and I was more than happy to oblige. They owe their specific design traits of being silver, boxy, and wearing hats to the robots of the 1935 Gene Autry movie serial THE PHANTOM EMPIRE.
  
  
  
• "Uranus doesn't answer, sir." - This line was, I promise, uttered absolutely straight on the 1950s FLASH GORDON TV series that starred Steve Holland. My usage of it and the "Allied Solar System" name prove that, sometimes, I am still 12.
  
  
  
• "The Mongol Empire" - In the old Buck Rogers comics, his enemies were generic and wildly stereotypical Asians referred to as "Mongols". It made sense for Dirk to think of Jetman (and indeed, all Asian groups) in a similar way. It is slightly less than blatant racism on his part, and something that I felt was a bit risky to do. Still, Dirk is presented as a buffoon rather than someone who should be considered respectable in this context, so I think the inclusion works as commentary on the prejudices that were found quite casually in pop culture in the first half of the 20th Century.
  
  
  
• "There we can take on these Mongol dogs and make the world safe for Mom, apple pie, and the 48 states!" - This one of my favorite lines ever, and it also includes the subtle in-joke that Dirk is from a "future" where there are only 48 states in the United States. Obviously, Alaska and Hawaii didn't become states until the 1950s, which is beyond the reality of Dirk's character.
  
  
  
• According to Igadevil, a flowered Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals are the required outfit for all Japanese superheroes when they travel to Hawaii.
  
  
  
• "Mr. Hoshi" is not just a random passerby, but a character whose mystery will be a thread throughout this series. Just in case you were, y'know, wondering about that.
  
  
  
• "Ah," he thought, "a jetpack on my back, a raygun in my hand, and the Mongols on the run. All I need now is a willowy brunette and an eccentric European scientist and this day will be perfect!" - Not only do I love this line too, but it's also somewhat accurate. Consider: if Buck Rogers = Flash Gordon, then Wilma Deering = Dale Arden and Dr. Huer = Dr. Zarkov. (Though I don't know if Huer was European, but you get the idea...)
  
  
  
• "Cho-Gin-Sin-Tie Jet Men" is a somewhat warped way to render the name phonetically, but might be your choice if you have no knowledge of Japanese.
  
  
  
• "I've never even been to Mongolia!" - It needed to be said.
  
  
  
• The rather skimpy explanation of how characters that shouldn't be able to understand each other somehow do is going to be the last word on the subject throughout the series. If pressed, I'd probably go into some convoluted pseudo-science involving the Omniversal Prism.
  
  
  
• "That would explain why he sounds just like Goro Naya!" - Oh man, this is another one that puzzled most people. That was the intention, actually, but several readers found it a bit distracting. Anyway, Naya is well-known voice actor in Japan. This particular gag refers specifically to the fact that he dubbed American actor Nick Adams in the Japanese versions of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD and MONSTER ZERO (both 1965). Gohan being Gohan, it made sense to me that someone like Dirk would have the voice of a familiar voice actor to him.
  
  
  
• The "Dynamite Tension Training Method" is a parody of "Dynamic Tension", the training method expounded by Charles Atlas in numerous magazine and comic book ads. The statement "Here's something I owe you!" is from those same ads.
  
  
  
• Dirk Dixon's giant robot rusting out was a bit of a cop-out as far as climaxes go, but I hope it's funny enough that I'll be forgiven.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.

New ROJ Episode 1 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Yesterday's Heroes"
(Episode 1)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2006-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 1 - "Yesterday's Heroes" was begun in May 2005 and wrapped principal writing on July 11, 2005. Some material in this story was cannibalized from a GUNMETAL BLACK/RETURN OF JETMAN crossover story that had been in the planning stages since late 2003.

After swearing I would never write another ROJ story, I changed my mind and created "New Return of Jetman." What can I say? I was inspired. New ROJ gave me a chance to use a lot of ideas that didn't otherwise have a home and also to return to the characters I love so much.

...Uh, except for the fact that most of them aren't in this episode. This was a deliberate move on my part, to establish that our heroes and the world have moved on from the Jetman era. Now, they have to reunite and do it all over again. Nah, no symbolism there. As the series progresses, there will be more insight into the main characters and where they are relative to when we last saw them at the end of ROJ. For this episode, though, most of them are on the sidelines as we establish the setting and the enemy.

• The main enemy of the series is Nemesis, a character first seen in Lewis Smith's story "Crossover" from 2000. In that tale, the villain brought together Lewis' characters Kienan Ademetria, Darken Blackangel, and Ronin for the express purpose of killing them. He failed, but that story established a lot of the groundwork for Nemesis as he will be portrayed in New ROJ (such as his origin and method of operation). "Crossover" was originally posted on the now-defunct House of Hardcore Forum, and is currently available online at http://www.fictionpress.com/s/334915/1/Crossover.
  
  
  
• The sequence with Nemesis is a reworked version of one of the few scenes completed for the Gunmetal Black/Return of Jetman crossover before the project was abandoned. It is heavily influenced by the 1970s output of comic book writer/artist Jim Starlin.
  
  
  
• Jet Phoenix is still living under the "Shinsei Hinotori" alias established at the end of ROJ Episode 14 (the "5 years later" epilogue).
  
  
  
• While Ken Tendo is still the commander of Skywatch (ROJ Episode 14), he has let his hair grow long again. This is meant to hint at his discontent, but it's also because he works better as a character with the long hair. Look, he just does.
  
  
  
• "Still cracking the security codes, I see!"..."The least I can do,"... - This is a callback to ROJ Episode 3, in which Ken cracks the security codes to break into Jet Phoenix's room.
  
  
  
• Michiru is with Gohan and Reiko in Hawaii... - Unsurprisingly, Hinotori and Michiru are still a couple. This bit establishes the whereabouts of some of the important characters who will be absent from the story.
  
  
  
• The Skyforce Supreme Council had been implied to be the former members of Goranger in ROJ Ep. 10, and it seemed illogical for them to be cutting Skyforce's budget. This is why I included the statement that all of them had left the council since the time of ROJ.
  
  
  
• The "Neo-Jetman exo-skeleton" refers to Neo-Jetman, the short-lived replacements of Jetman in episodes 40 & 41 of the TV series.
  
  
  
• All of the new super teams that have risen up have made them complacent. They're willing to let them do the work and leave Skyforce for mop-up operations." - When you think about it, this kind of thinking probably would happen if super teams popped up like weeds as they do in the sentai version of the universe.
  
  
  
• "Ryu's the Supreme Commander..." - Ryu Tendo, Red Hawk from the JETMAN TV series, and Ken's father. We learned he was up for the Supreme Commander post in ROJ Episode 13.
  
  
  
• I will speak more about Mika Katsuragi and her creation further down. Let me just say here that the fact that she has the same name as an actress from KAETTEKITA ULTRAMAN ("Return of Ultraman", 1971-72) was a surprise to me, as I thought I had coined an original name. The same goes for the fact that her name is a combination of the names of the original female members of CHODENSHI BIOMAN (1984-85), Mika Koizumi (Yuki Yajima) and Hikaru Katsuragi (Michiko Makino).
  
  
  
• "I never would've guessed she was only 15." - A sly reference to the fact that actresses in Japanese sci-fi programs often are much younger than the roles they are playing.
  
  
  
• Can you believe I didn't so much as mention Tokyo Tower in ROJ? Neither can I. I have rectified this oversight in this story.
  
  
  
• Akihabara is a district in Tokyo noted for a large number of electronics shops.
  
  
  
• Kei Mizuno was established as having a successful company called "Akaitaka Technologies" in ROJ Episode 14.
  
  
  
• "The Razor" is named after a character in the video BRAIN 17, a condensed English-dubbed version of the series DAI TETSUJIN 17 (1977). Think of him as looking like Japanese sci-fi stalwart Akihiko Hirata (Dr. Serizawa in GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS), because that's what I do.
  
  
  
• ...the original Jetman's allies from the world of Dimensia... - Rei, Kanna, and Dan were three heroes from another dimension which had been devastated by the Byram. They all lost their lives in battle, and Jetman inherited their Bird Garuda/Jet Garuda mecha. See JETMAN episodes 23 & 24 for more details.
  
  
  
• It's worth mentioning that the general public would not know the full details of Jet Phoenix's fate, nor the fact that he is an android based on Gai Yuki.
  
  
  
• "But still..." - One of the commonly-used phrases in movies dubbed into English in Hong Kong. File this one under "reference you'd never know is a reference."
  
  
  
• The sound effect "wikki wikki" is from the rap song "Jam On It" by Newcleus. An early hint of things to come.
  
  
  
• Mika not knowing her teammates' names is an idea I got from watching HYAKUJU SENTAI GAORANGER (2001-2002), in which the members referred to each other by their sentai colors almost exclusively. This also saved me the trouble of making up names for them and succinctly communicated their lack of respect for her.
  
  
  
• Duke Disco was originally a character proposed for another story. He started out as Duke Diskotos, brother of Lord Xenotos(!), and he was merely saddled with an unfortunate name. For the purposes of this story, his connection with Xenotos was dropped entirely, and the disco angle was played to the hilt.
  
  
  
• "Bubble Hell" - this phrase became a favorite of mine after it was used in the subtitles of the Taiwan bootleg of the BIOMAN movie.
  
  
  
• The Discotech Empire consists of sentai villain stereotypes with a disco twist. Le Freak is named after the hit by the band Chic. Autobahn is named not after the German highway, but rather the Kraftwerk song based on it. Kay C and Bee G owe their names to K.C. and the Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees, respectively.
  
  
  
• Yumei Sentai Funkyman was conceived as a somewhat silly theme for a team, though a hip hop sentai is probably a lot less unlikely than I'd like to think. The little details are perhaps what sell it best. The "bitch" at the end of their announcement is my small acknowledgment of Dave Chappelle's comedy series.
  
  
  
• Etsuko being "M.I.A." (as it were) also serves to give an update on one of the characters not in the story. Of course, it's more of a tease than anything else.
  
  
  
• "Indeed. Someone should tell them that 'dance action' fighting went out of fashion in 1979 though." - a very specific tribute to BATTLE FEVER J (1979-1980), which did indeed have "dance action" fighting.
  
  
  
• "Seven Spectrum Sphere" is a nod to Lewis Smith's SEVEN SPHERES LEGEND story.
  
  
  
• He looked for all the world like Mayor McCheese crossed with the Avenging Disco Godfather. - This sentence, with its references to both a McDonald's advertising character and a Rudy Ray Moore movie role, was how I described Boogie Burger to people. I liked it so much that I decided it had to be in the story. It's also worth noting that hamburger-headed villains are not unknown in tokusatsu (Japanese spfx productions).
  
  
  
• "Have it my way!" - a reference to the Burger King slogan "Have It Your Way!"
  
  
  
• Funkyman's cannon "F Bomber" and their robot "Boom Boxer" are incredibly juvenile, I know, but they still makes me laugh. Particularly the "Super Pimp Hand!" attack.
  
  
  
• Inazumajin X is a bit of a homage to Go Nagai's giant robot Mazinger Z, by way of the later Mazinkaiser. The name Inazumajin is a synthesis of the Japanese words inazuma ("lightning") and majin ("demon" or "demon god").
  
  
  
• Funkyman was created to die. I know that sounds harsh, but the reason they were brought into the story was to be killed off at the hands of Nemesis, thereby making him a credible threat. The only problem was that they were both goofy and borderline unlikeable. How could I make the reader care about what happened? Thus, Mika became a full-fledged character and, in many ways, the focal point of the story. Her death is jarring and tragic, and (hopefully) pulls you into Ken's emotions at the end.
  
  
  
• Nemesis disappears, but not before taunting our hero and introducing (via holograms) his henchpeople. We'll learn more about the various members of the Paradox Army as we go along, but I felt it important to establish their existence right from the start.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.