Epilogue.
The Noir universe. The divergence point for this universe was around Issue 21, where the cemetery bomb went off.
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We’re sort of setting up the situation in the Noirverse here (to be continued on the next page), but for me there’s so much fun in how “Summer as torch singer” comes together. In this universe, she’s Autumn, singing at Jason’s club, doing Ethel Waters’ “Am I Blue”, which works on so many levels. Her existence as a hologram had her literally as translucent blue, but the lyrics (“I’m just a woman who’s only human”, “If each plan with your man / Done fell through”, and “There was a time / When I was his only one”) fit her so well, and for an added bonus, Batman (another superhero) covered the song too.
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And here I thought the adventure was almost over with the last set of updates only to find out today that there’s still more come. Very excited to see what the Noir-verse has in store for us.
There’s not going to be a ton of story (at least here - if someone gets a bug for more stories in the Noir-verse, I can do more comics), but just enough to present the concept and say what I want to say for an epilogue for the sleepover. 
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I’m just happy to see where this goes. Even it is a short detour into the Noir-verse, I am excited to see how this fits into the larger overall story.
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Dynamic shots?! I like them, really sets a noir/mystery tone. Really I like everything with with Noir-verse so far.
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No running boards or tommy-guns, but this Otto is modeled on a 1938 Phantom Corsair, the prototype supercar of its day. Like his teammates, Otto had to blend in to avoid detection by Vyortovia, but he still can’t do it without some sense of style.
I’m assuming that the Twilight Glade/Grove is still some kind of central base for the team, and that the portaling that’s being done in this comic is done there, for safety.
Summer did indeed bring snacks for everyone.
I think both Jason and Alycia have demonstrated that on numerous occasions.
Yessss.
If there’s one person trained and inclined to protect a group under oppression from tyrants …
On the other hand, this world’s Alycia may not have been betrayed by her father (yet)…
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Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
'Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won’t let show
You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
'Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
You just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me (call me)
If you need a friend (call me) call me uh huh(call me) if you need a friend (call me)
If you ever need a friend (call me)
Call me (call me) call me (call me) call me
(Call me) call me (call me) if you need a friend
(Call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me)
I skipped over a lot that could have been done. In no particular order…
- Reclaiming the Noir verse is a whole story in and of itself. You could do a whole campaign around this, as a game - where the Spiderweb Masks playset gets forcibly reset to mainline Masks via intervention.
- It’s not stated, but Alistair & Summer can tell Noir Alycia things she’d know couldn’t have been leaked to anyone, but only willingly shared, and thus gain her trust. Anyone who’s interested can speculate on what that would be - or just look through past fiction.
- The Miniverse actually can get Byron (and Achilles Chin) back. Is that a good or a bad thing? I played it mostly for comedy, but I wanted it to be more than just a schtick where the team is 10.
- The Pneumaverse (what you guys still call the Nailverse, but…) has some hope for its future, although it wasn’t a crapsack world like Noir.
This isn’t goodbye to Menagerie fiction and stories, but I feel like I’m at the point where anything else I’d want to do with those characters would require some upending of the status quo we left them in. Things have to move forward. But should they? I’m curious how people feel about that. At this point I’m using this as a light-hearted distraction from our former S&V woes, and our Fellowship onboarding.
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Thank you, Bill. I loved this whole story. The ending was everything I could have wished for.
The end to story and this coda was the first thing I read this morning and I’m still ruminating on it an hour later. Not because I don’t know the answer, but I’m trying to think the best was to express it. And this is probably not a great way, but it is a way.
I love these characters and I probably always will. I have more artwork sitting around about these characters than almost any other project I’ve worked one (sorry, but I have made like eight comics for another project, so that one still wins). I wish I could make more comics and stories, but I’m a horrible writer (not in that my writing is bad I think I’m pretty good when motivated, I just do not have the habits or drive to keep writing and re-writing until something works and is finished).
But you are a good writer. You write and create and think through the meanings of what you’re working on. I know you do, because you share all of that with us every week on this forum. And I could not think of anything I’d rather see that what you decide to set your focus on. If that’s more Menagerie stories, fantastic. If it’s something else, that great too.
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