Ten years ago today, it was a pleasant late summer/early autumn morning when news spread that the U.S. had suffered a coordinated terrorist attack. More than 3,000 people of all races, creeds, and nationalities died, and those of us watching the tragic scene unfold on television were awash in shock and grief.
I left work early that day to check on family and friends in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Although I didn’t know any of the victims personally, I later learned that some friends were close to some of the slain. My heart goes out to all of them, as well as to the U.S. troops and their families who have also sacrificed so much for our country. A new generation has learned the value of patriotism.
Since then, we have endured persistent economic turmoil, wars in the Middle East, and political divisiveness, as well as other natural and manmade disasters. The U.S. military has eliminated Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, but it is still engaged in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and regimes in Iran and North Korea are still dangerous. The outcomes of civil unrest in much of the developing world are uncertain, and the march of progress seems less inevitable.
I’ve visited Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon, and I hope that everyone can set aside time to remember the fallen and again look past our differences to our common, frail, and precious humanity. Robust debate over consequences, policy goals, and the means of attaining them is important, but so is finding consensus.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban haven’t proved to be the existential threat or some clash of civilizations between the uniquely democratic West and monolithically despotic East that some have feared. They’re still around, though, and they’re still oppressive, especially to women and non-Islamists. In Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and Basra, the U.S. and its allies learned that no one is immune to the dehumanizing effects of war and that a few undisciplined people can hurt our morale at home and international moral standing.
During the Cold War and beyond, the U.S. successfully pursued policies of containment and engagement with Russia and China rather than direct and potentially unwinnable conflict. I think that religious fundamentalism and tribal or ideological extremism are bad no matter where they occur, whether it’s in the so-called Holy Land or here. Many thousands of people have died in the Middle East, perpetuating hatreds.
I agree with observers who have noted that during the Great Depression, World War II, and even the Vietnam War, many Americans felt a connection between their sacrifices and the effort to turn things around that we don’t today. Just as most people couldn’t predict the Internet boom of the turn of the century, so is it hard now to see a brighter future.
In the ongoing recession that followed 9/11, the U.S., Europe, and Japan have struggled, and domestic discourse has again become polarized. Janice and I have been laid off a few times between us. Despite the best (and worst) efforts of two administrations, Congress, and Wall Street, I think that we have yet to find a way back to prosperity for all. The boom-bust cycle and postindustrial economy may be beyond their control.
Are we safer than a decade ago? I think we’re at least more aware of the dangers. Can we return to greatness? I believe that the U.S. still has many strengths, including a diverse population, increasing tolerance, and underestimated resilience and ingenuity. Can the world find peace? I still hope so, if we keep striving for economic fairness, social justice, and free and respectful discourse among all peoples.
Friends, I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend. On Friday, 2 September 2011, Janice and I drove to Upstate New York for the wedding of niece Rebecca A.W. to Tristan M.Z. We met Janice’s immediate family at her middle sister Shelly’s house for a barbecue (sloppy Joe) lunch before checking into the Best Western Gateway Adirondack Inn in Utica.
On Saturday, Sept. 3, we had breakfast at Denny’s, and Melinda’s husband Gary T.L. joined us. The diner chain was a mainstay in my undergraduate years at SUNY at Binghamton. We then went to a public park to help prepare for the wedding and reception, the same park where Shelly and Melvin were married. While the weather was hot and humid, we were lucky to avoid thundershowers.
After changing to more casual clothes and helping to clear up, we were glad to return to the air-conditioned hotel. The next morning, Janice’s family and the bride and groom met for breakfast at Denny’s before Becky & Tristan began their long drive back to Oklahoma, where they’re both still in school.
Mieville helps attune our senses to a city reminiscent of Dickensian London, with fantastic, horror, and steampunk elements. New Crobuzon is squalid and crowded, with bits of glitter and glory surrounded by strange ruins, nonhuman ghettos, ornate industry, and quasi-organic growths. It is dangerous, maddening, and impressive in scope and scale.
If you don’t mind gothic prose, occasional sex and gore, and truly horrific monsters, you’ll enjoy Mieville’s descriptions of peoples suffering from crime and oppression and a scientist whose discoveries threaten to unhinge reality. Mieville takes fantasy tropes — the band of adventurers, the magical aid, the obstacles to enlightenment — and he adds enough suspense and sacrifice for a rewarding page-turner.
~30 years ago: Bruce Wayne is born to Thomas and Martha Wayne, wealthy physicians in Gotham City. The family fortune is a combination of old real estate (including Wayne Manor), savvy early biotech investments, and occasional shady dealings. The Waynes are also noted philanthropists, eventually running afoul of some of the megalopolis’ underworld.
~22 years ago: After attending a screening of the classic Zorro, Thomas and Martha are gunned down in a random mugging by Joe Chill in front of their son. Bruce is raised by family butler and head of security Alfred Pennyworth — a former street urchin, British intelligence officer, and thespian. Dr. Leslie Tomkins, another friend of the family, offers condolences. Bruce swears vengeance against all criminals (not merely Chill, who he’ll encounter later but comes to a bad end on his own). He also vows never to use guns or take a life.
~10 years ago: A prodigy, Bruce Wayne graduates from university with degrees in business, engineering, and criminology. He travels the world, honing his skills for his private war on crime, which continues to fester and grow in Gotham. He has a revelation that “criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot” and takes on a bat totem (whether it’s a utilitarian disguise; inspired by Zorro, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Die Fledermaus; or from a bat crashing through a study window can be left open to individual interpretations). Bruce also meets Zatanna, daughter of a famous stage magician who was friends with his father.
~9 years ago: The urban myth known as the Batman has begun stalking Gotham’s streets, working his way up the food chain from street thugs, drug dealers, and pimps to various gang leaders. Even as other costumed vigilantes are inspired by Superman, garish villains begin to arise in Gotham and elsewhere. A few thrill seekers, like Selina Kyle/Catwoman, toe the line between altruistic hero and selfish villain. Even as Bruce dons the guise of a billionaire playboy, he supports worthy causes, such as a clinic run by Tomkins in what’s become known as “Crime Alley.” Lucius Fox, head of Wayne Enterprises, learns of Bruce’s dual life and initially helps him acquire or develop his many “toys.”
~8 years ago: Partly inspired by the Justice Society, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman form the Justice League to handle global crises and provide a community for superheroes. (DC’s new official continuity puts this only five years ago or less, rather than eight — or 50 — years ago.) Meanwhile, 12-year-old Dick Grayson loses his parents, the Flying Graysons, when mobster Tony Zucco makes good on extortion threats to Haley’s Circus. With wary approval from Lt. James Gordon, whose daughter Barbara is about the same age, Bruce adopts Dick (and soon begins training him as Robin I). Barbara soon joins them as Batgirl I. While dealing with Middle Eastern intrigue, Bruce unknowingly fathers a child, Damian, with Talia al-Ghul.
~5 years ago: After co-founding the Teen Titans, Robin I eventually becomes Nightwing. Fourteen-year-old Jason Todd, who tried to steal the wheels from the Batmobile, becomes Robin II. Batman trains the Outsiders for covert missions that the Justice League can’t or won’t handle. Villains become more vicious, and Todd is apparently murdered by the Joker. Soon after, Gotham suffers from plagues, cultists, and an earthquake, and Bruce’s back is broken by Bane.
~4 years ago: Bruce works hard to recover and takes back the cape and cowl from religious zealot Azrael. Gotham City rebuilds, but corruption quickly returns as well. Thirteen-year-old Tim Drake, who has figured out Bruce and Dick’s secret identities on his own, is taken in as Robin III and joins Young Justice, which includes understudies to the (now-young adult) Titans, the revived Justice Society, and the Justice League. Like their mentor, the various Robins are able to hold their own, even when surrounded by metahumans, by virtue of training and wits.
~2 years ago: Dick and Barbara graduate from college, and Barbara becomes Oracle after being shot by the Joker in psychological torture against Commissioner Gordon. Oracle leads the Birds of Prey, including Huntress, Black Canary, and successive Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown (who was also Spoiler and briefly Robin IV).
~1 year ago: Tim becomes Red Robin, and Damian becomes Robin V. During a lengthy absence by Bruce (out of time, technically, but offworld or abroad is also fine), Dick fills in again as Batman. Jason returns, but now as Red Hood, eschewing Bruce’s vow of nonlethal measures. Kate Kane, a 25-year-old relative of Bruce and former U.S. Marine, puts on a new uniform as Batwoman.
~Present day: Bruce Wayne/Batman is about 30 years old, at the peak of his abilities. He is obsessive but not obsessed, clinical but compassionate, and indomitable. He is the scourge of supervillains and an inspiration to numerous street-level masked crimefighters. Dick Grayson/Nightwing is about 20 and a talented acrobat and team leader. Barbara Gordon/Oracle is a master hacker, strategist, and support for the Justice League, “Batfamily,” and Birds of Prey.
Detective Tim Drake/Red Robin is 17 and leads Young Justice. The bratty Damian is 8 (going on 18) and trying to live up to his father’s legacy while avoiding his grandfather and mother’s preferred destiny as an assassin. Martial artist Cassandra Cain is Batman’s covert agent on the West Coast and in Asia, and Stephanie Brown is still debating whether to be Spoiler or Batgirl.
Yes, most of this somewhat simplified and rearranged Batfamily timeline follows the recently ended continuity more closely than “pre-Crisis” history or the current “DCnU.” It compresses events from the past 70 years without setting Gotham in any specific period. I tried to fit each character into a consistent setting.
In fact, this is the background I’d use for my “Societe de Justice Internationale” superhero scenarios with DC Adventures/Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Ed. From it, I can extrapolate the ages, rosters, and relationships of the rest of the DC universe. What do you think?
As for individual titles, I’d have Batman focus on Bruce Wayne’s dual life in Gotham City and with the Justice League (the first DCnU issuethat’s out), Tales of the Dark Knight on out-of-continuity stories (horror/sci-fi Elseworlds, alternate futures such as Batman Beyond, etc.), and Batman and Robin on Bruce and his protégés.
Detective should focus on solving mysteries rather than punching supervillains. Related DCnU Batfamily titles include Batgirl, Batman Beyond, Batwing, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Huntress, Justice League, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans/Young Justice, and Zatanna. I expect DC Comics to take a different direction, but I look forward to checking at least the first issues of each of these titles. Batman lives!
>>”8 to 10 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” Sometime after delivering the Dawn’s Retreat to the United Earth Authority, the crew of the Appomattox arrived at Saturn’s moon Titan. At the Eclipse Station infirmary, Mr. Richmond Garrett had posed as a faith healer with help from ARTHERR, who had tapped a medical database. They and Jasmine then conducted an impromptu rally at the local chapel.
Still in beta, ARTHERR scans the crowd for marks, such as people with mild or terminal illnesses not treatable by the infirmary. Jasmine, who had asked Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator Erta Garza to join her crew, tries to suppress her disapproval of Richmond’s latest scam.
Despite his ignorance of theology, Mr. Garrett eagerly lays hands on Marcus Schlager, a hunched miner unable to receive lung transplants. The space snake-oil salesman also convinces Camille Dubois, a well-preserved madam from the orbital casino, that her bad luck in needing organ replacements can be reversed if she gets boyfriend Howard to commit to holy matrimony.
Meanwhile, Capt. Gabriel Adams talks with gynoids Tanya and Galia in an attempt to get them to join the Appomattox crew and plan a heist of the Lucky Garden Casino. Hector Chavez monitors communications from the yacht and reminds his companions of their appointment at the United Ecumenical Movement (U.E.M.) offices in New Quebec.
Gabriel and Hector still don’t trust the cargo that Richmond accepted from fixer Ramon Sanchez [Josh H./Greg/Non-Player Character]. The Appomattox is supposed to take items from the Vatican Museums to an unknown recipient in the Epsilon Eridani system. (Several parsecs from there, the Blackbirdescapes an ambush at Cetus Eridani.)
Mr. Garrett — not to be confused any longer with Dr. Garrett — uses the placebo effect to “cure” hypochondriac Halil Torralua, who promptly disrobes before the crowd in a new bid for attention. The spiritual revival meeting begins to break up as the sheriff and people in dark suits arrive.
One of the newcomers angrily quotes scripture and says that the false prophets will be punished. A canine Synth (genetically engineered humanoid) readily agrees, even as Jasmine tries to engage the angry man in conversation. Richmond slips into the crowd to get away from the constabulary and protesters.
ARTHERR finds some construction debris and shoots out a light fixture, but mighty Jasmine saves the zealot by shoving him out of the way. Capt. Garzan Cisneros and Lt. Yasmin Al-Ghuj order the crowd to disperse, as Rev. Winston Jones arrives from the casino and closes the chapel doors.
Hugh Doyle thanks Jasmine for saving him from possible electrocution, and he invites her to join a Brotherhood of Illumination protest against the U.E.M. presence in New Quebec. Richmond and company later regroup at their ship.
Hector pilots the Appomattox from Eclipse Station to Titan‘s methane-shrouded surface. ARTHERR does some research on Archbishop Javier Fuentes and learns that the Roman Catholic chaplain served alongside U.E.A. troops during the Second Interplanetary War. The robot explains to Jasmine that it occurred about 30 (Terran) years ago between megacorporations and Martian colonists, including Synths.
Richmond dons the captain’s coat with brass buttons, gold braid, and epaulets that he took from the Dawn’s Retreat and orders crewmen Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko to clean his cabin.
Still unsure why the U.E.M. has reassigned so many personnel to the Sol system’s outer colonies, ARTHERR, Jasmine, and Richmond find its outpost in domed New Quebec. Acolytes explain that monks will conduct a thorough brain probe, and Mr. Garrett balks.
As an alternative, Sister Indrani Bhai introduces the visitors to Mother Superior Magdelena de la Cruz. The matronly cleric offers Richmond a rare mint julep, which he later realizes was poisoned with some relaxant. ARTHERR, sensing that something is amiss, vacuums and emits a high-pitched sound as distractions.
The Southern gentleman parries most of the nun’s questions about his stint as surgeon general of the Venusian colonies during a plague and the disaster at Kardikea Stadium. With help from his droid and Tiger-woman friends, Richmond manages to convince Mother Superior de la Cruz of his improving morals with circumstantial evidence.
The trio then goes to the wood-paneled office of Archbishop Fuentes. The Jesuit-trained eminence remains skeptical of Richmond’s newfound piety, but he asks the Appomattox crew to volunteer to aid the outer colonies anyway.
Jasmine asks about the U.E.M.’s stance on Synths, and the priest replies that after the Second Interplanetary War and First Contact with aliens, the church has accepted that nonhumans may have souls and are free to worship as they see fit. He also apologizes for Shifu Nurdin Subaja’s previous insensitivity.
ARTHERR notices items in the room, such as silver crucifixes, a marble baptismal font full of holy water, worn space armor, a jar of salt from the Sea of Galilee, linen shrouds, and a leather-bound copy of the Malleus Maleficarum. He compares them against the ship’s manifest but finds no matches.
Richmond expresses interest in the artifacts, and Archbishop Fuentes explains that some people find foci of worship helpful, while others meditate in different ways. The soldier of God explains that, after the destruction of holy sites on Earth, religious leaders agreed to focus on their commonalities (and humanity’s nascent psionic abilities, notes Gabriel remotely). However, as Rev. Jones and Mr. Doyle demonstrate, not everyone wants to be under “the big tent,” he says.
ARTHERR is confused because his theory that the U.E.M. wants the cargo planted far from Earth to convert more Terrans and aliens isn’t supported by the archbishop’s statements. Jasmine records images for Hector, and Richmond recalls some of the horrorsencounterednear Karachi.
Sister Indrani interrupts with news from Eclipse Station: Hugh Doyle has been found murdered, his intestines splayed out in a pentagram. The archbishop expresses regret, because even though the preacher was no friend to the U.E.M., anyone who would harm him or try to create a martyr doesn’t serve the divine will. Fuentes asks the Appomattox away team to return to the station to investigate…
Paul and Beruk, we missed you at this week’s game! Please let me know when either of you will be available for upcoming sessions of “Vortex” or the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy group. In the meantime, “Vortex” Team 1 is scheduled to meet next on Monday, 12 September 2011, followed by Team 2 on Sept. 19. Have a good Labor Day weekend! -Gene
Gene's Worlds 