Does this capture my good side?
Steve Austin, astronaut; a man barely alive. “Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. We can make him better than he was before. Better…stronger…faster.” – Oscar Goldman
And with that, the life of Col. Steve Austin was changed forever. Crashing to the ground after a test flight that went horribly wrong, Steve Austin was in a battle for his very life. With extensive injuries and little time left to save his life, an experimental government procedure was performed by Dr. Rudy Wells at the behest of Oscar Goldman. This procedure would replace Steve Austin’s left eye, right arm and both legs with bionic or cybernetic parts. If successful, these changes would give Col. Steve Austin extraordinary abilities.
The TV show The Six Million Dollar Man, featuring Lee Majors, would last 5 seasons, be seen (at times) in syndication, had a few TV movie specials and a short stint in both comic and magazine forms by Charlton Comics. So you’re probably wondering if a TV show made some 35 years ago can possibly make it in comic books today? It wouldn’t be in this column if I didn’t think so.
With companies like Dark Horse, Dynamite and IDW who license properties like Star Wars, Lone Ranger, Zorro, Star Trek, etc. into comic book form, you better believe a Sci-Fi favorite like this can make things exciting for comic fans everywhere. While I know that the bulk of material in comics will always be based on superheroes, we need to see comics continue to stretch these boundaries.
The book should be kept within the 1970’s and 1980’s era. Start at the beginning and show the progress of the character learning to live with the bionic powers. Show us what his limitations are. Being set in Washington, D.C. gives us a look at the politics behind using such technology. With the scientific angle, we see not only what this country was involved with, but also what other countries were doing to keep up. There is also the spy angle. And let’s not forget about…the WOMEN!!!
So by focusing on the early stages of space exploration, science, espionage and the like, a writer has the opportunity to remind us how exciting and dangerous those times were back then. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done to make a series like this work. But the question is – who’s going to pick up the ball and run with this? Anyone?
As always, your comments are appreciated!
Next Week: WANTED!…SUPREME!
Stephen Hatfield
contact@comicattack.net
This looks like a role David Hasselhoff should have on his resume.