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.