Whether you've picked up an actual comic or graphic novel, or enjoyed the big-screen adaptations that make billions of dollars at the international box office, it's hard to deny that these brightly-colored costumed heroes, from Superman to Dick Tracey, are compelling and immersive.
Each character is not one, but two people, trying desperately to find the balance between the two worlds they inhabit. Peter Parker is a wise-cracking teenager, just trying to find his footing in life, while Spider-Man is a web-slinging masked vigilante for justice, protecting the good citizens of his fair city great and small. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy with serious mommy and daddy issues, while Batman is masked detective sworn to bring down criminal masterminds who would see his beloved Gotham City burn.
But what happens behind the scenes? What happens when you strip them of the costumes and put them in the shadows of society, where the world at large doesn't know they exist?
Welcome to the world of Mild Mannered, a four-part novel series written by new author Will Cohen.
Originally envisioned as an hour-length comedy/drama, described as "Chuck meets Heroes", Mild Mannered looks to give audiences a chance to see the world of superheroes through the eyes of a man hired to assist costumed vigilantes on different missions. What would it be like if the world of Batman was seen exclusively through the eyes of Alfred? The world of Superman through the eyes of Jimmy Olsen? After years of evolution, the scope became grander, the tone became darker and less satirical, and the story a bit richer.
Our protagonist is Paul Pritchard, a recent college graduate recruited into the Wyndham-Hart Group, an undercover government-funded company that protects "persons with powers" while utilizing their talents to protect the country from criminal masterminds and those hellbent on murder and chaos. Hired as a "liaison", Paul offers his keen observation skills and deductive reasoning to help the operatives he's put under to restore order to the world, while keeping the world abroad in the dark about the existence of superheroes and villains.
Giving additional perspective is Thaddeus Bell, a man constantly on the run from Wyndham-Hart, whose survival instincts often lead to lives being lost violently. Bell wrestles with his conscience, trying to convince himself he's not a monster while he does his best to stop the world from crashing down around him at the whims of madmen -- many of whom he has histories with -- and pursuing the elusive and mysterious Chapter Zero.
Unlike the typical comic book or superhero film, Mild Mannered is more grounded in reality, taking a modern noir approach to storytelling than what would be expected of this genre. The tone is more adult -- brutal violence, sexual content and strong language are all included included -- and meant for mature audiences. Much like Alan Moore's brilliant graphic novel Watchmen, which saw costumed superheroes faced global war and reality rejecting them, Mild Mannered will show these type of heroes getting raw and real.
Despite the fact the tone has become darker than the original intentions, Mild Mannered still has its humorous moments. Paul is much like Peter Parker -- smart, sardonic, quick-witted, and has the propensity for weave pop culture references into the most common of scenarios.
This four-part series is currently in the workings, and will be shopped around to publishers soon. Updates on publication will be announced as more information comes.
Unlike the typical comic book or superhero film, Mild Mannered is more grounded in reality, taking a modern noir approach to storytelling than what would be expected of this genre. The tone is more adult -- brutal violence, sexual content and strong language are all included included -- and meant for mature audiences. Much like Alan Moore's brilliant graphic novel Watchmen, which saw costumed superheroes faced global war and reality rejecting them, Mild Mannered will show these type of heroes getting raw and real.
Despite the fact the tone has become darker than the original intentions, Mild Mannered still has its humorous moments. Paul is much like Peter Parker -- smart, sardonic, quick-witted, and has the propensity for weave pop culture references into the most common of scenarios.
This four-part series is currently in the workings, and will be shopped around to publishers soon. Updates on publication will be announced as more information comes.
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