This week’s challenge comes from Classick Materia over at the
Cold Slither Podcast, and it’s a good one…
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In the spirit of Young Indiana Jones, Young Frankenstein, or Young Einstein, come up with a “Young ___” prequel or series.
It took me a bit to think of a young angle that wasn't already done or would sound ridiculous...
I mean how could you depict the "Young Muppet Babies"...we've already got teenage versions of Batman, Peter Parker was a high school kid, we saw Anakin in his horrible awkward years (all of them) so what could I pick?
Keep in mind, I wanted to choose something that really could use some re-energizing so I looked no further than a Young Dick Tracy! I just think it could be the shot in the arm that totally underutilized franchise needs. The comic always had that "old man" feel too it in the PM Times-Tribune next to Mary Worth and Judge Parker...a real "funny papers" comic strip even though it did have some deep story lines and well written interwoven character stories that endured for decades. I loved the Disney movie and the toy line that followed...(not so much the video game) but I tell you, I was a die-hard Tracy fan as a kid. I even had the plush Dick and Breathless dolls. (The only true Dolls I ever owned)
But think about it, I'm not talking Dick Tracy in High School or the Lil' Coppers and Crooks but more Dick Tracy in the academy, seeing him learning the ropes seeing the back-stories of Pat Patton and other fellow partners and officers, seeing the beginnings of his romance with Tess. There would be a lot going on all while you have a great setting and set of antagonists that really steal the show.
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| One question: how much? |
And who's to say it would even have to be Tracy-centric. We could completely focus on his rogues gallery which, in my opinion, gives Batman's a run for the money. There could see the rise of the numerous gang-land kingpins and henchmen from them being bad seeds to paying their dues to their initiations. Flat-top Jones was such a major character that fans went into mourning after his character was finally murdered. To command that kind of respect could only be properly paid tribute to through a full telling of the back story...not including Big Boy Caprice, Numbers, Shoulders, Little Face, Nifty, Shaky, 88-Keys, Blowtop Jones, Prune Face, Influence, the Brow, Mumbles, Lips Manlice, Itchy, Measles...man are you writing this down? It would be like Goodfellas if the movie never ended!
Check out these Extraordinary Bloggers...fellow writers, sorry it's been a month btw, got a new job and a baby whose due date is rapidly approaching so I've been very busy if you can imagine!
Shezcrafti dabbles in tweenage turtles.
Flying Monkeys and Ewoks is going with a young Mz. Croft, interesting.
Random Nerdness goes full out with a series I really can't understand the reason why hasn't been released, I like the cut of your jib, my friend.
Infinite Hollywoodtime goes with some young Toxie...anything Tromaville works for me!
