Ultimate Wonder Twins

[bblackmoor]

They're the fresh-faced purple aliens you love to hate: Zan and Jayna, the Wonder Twins! So here's the situation:

You're a lowly assistant copy editor at DC who has just been promoted to author of her own mini-series, The Ultimate Wonder Twins (name tentative -ed.). Your job is to revamp the "popular" brother and sister from the old SuperFriends cartoon, bring them into the 21st century, and, above all, compete in the market that Marvel and Image are staking a claim to. The sky is the limit: keep them goofy, make then cold-blooded killers, keep their goofy animal-water powers, rewrite the powers entirely -- you have free reign to do whatever you want to do with the title.

There are only two requirements imposed by the suits (who themselves never read comics or watch cartoons, which should be obvious by the movies they produce):

1) "The characters have to be at least recognizable to adults who fondly recall the SuperFriends. The whole point is to rehash old characters so we don't have to make up new ones."

2) "Marketing says it needs to be hip and edgy, but not so edgy that no one buys it. They say we aren't gunning for the 'MAUS' crowd, whatever the hell that is."

So: what do you do?

(Many thanks to Mr. Joshua and CGTalk for the image.)

[nexus]

Jann's powers are expanded to include turning into any inorganic material or energy. Zayna can take the form of any beast she has seen or can imagine Eventually, she may learn to create completely imaginary forms but has an arsenal of alien beasts she can transform into. They're powers are still based on touch but the somewhat corny "incantations" are dropped. Using their power causes them both an extremely pleasurable, all most erotic rush. This has caused some degree of perverse sexual tension to build up between the pair, since they ARE adolescents and the only representatives of their species on the Earth. The twins are nobility from another world, off on what amounts to a forced "walkabout" where they are to learn to use their powers and overcome challenges before returning to rule. Thus they're somewhat spoiled and arrogant, seeming most humans as slightly evolved talking monkeys. They're Superheroes because its fun and exciting, not out of any particular sense of heroism.

G'lek is basically a nanny. Noble children on their world have a robot minder from the day they are born and the twins have G'lek. Its quite sentient and intelligent with paternal, if somewhat beleagured personality. It's also suprisingly tough and armed as its secondary function is to deter kidnapping and assasination attempts. The book would focus on the pairs (mis)adventures dealing with Terran culture and their own jaded and impulsive personalities. Themes might be power and responsibility, maturity and the cost of growing up vs the naiete of childhood.

[bblackmoor]

G'lek is basically a nanny. Noble children on their world have a robot minder from the day they are born and the twins have G'lek. Its quite sentient and intelligent with paternal, if somewhat beleagured personality. It's also suprisingly tough and armed as its secondary function is to deter kidnapping and assasination attempts.

Hey, that's good. I would not have thought of that.

[Theron]

Some years ago, Wizard ran a phony promo piece in an April Fools issue talking about Alex Ross's new deluxe product, "Form Of Water". I seem to recall that Gleek got rabies.

[Hermit]

They're the fresh-faced purple aliens you love to hate: Zan and Jayna, the Wonder Twins! So here's the situation:

You're a lowly assistant copy editor at DC who has just been promoted to author of her own mini-series, The Ultimate Wonder Twins (name tentative -ed.). Your job is to revamp the "popular" brother and sister from the old SuperFriends cartoon, bring them into the 21st century, and, above all, compete in the market that Marvel and Image are staking a claim to. The sky is the limit: keep them goofy, make then cold-blooded killers, keep their goofy animal-water powers, rewrite the powers entirely -- you have free reign to do whatever you want to do with the title.

There are only two requirements imposed by the suits (who themselves never read comics or watch cartoons, which should be obvious by the movies they produce):

1) "The characters have to be at least recognizable to adults who fondly recall the SuperFriends. The whole point is to rehash old characters so we don't have to make up new ones."

2) "Marketing says it needs to be hip and edgy, but not so edgy that no one buys it. They say we aren't gunning for the 'MAUS' crowd, whatever the hell that is."

So: what do you do?

(Many thanks to Mr. Joshua and CGTalk for the image.)

First, I contemplate doing myself in, because I hated the Wonder Twins with a passion even in my youngest years. I wonder for a moment if Marvel is hiring... then I sigh, suck in my misery and despair, and do my darn job.

Premise and intro story: We have two future rulers and champions of Exor, and the royal Wun'Darr bloodline explains to a large degree their great power. One day, the wisdom of the twins shall guide and shelter billions. The problem? They're arrogant, imperiously impulsive, and somewhat selfish. They are not without some good qualities, but they've been so spoiled all their life (and most normal Exorians don't have the power to stop them from doing what they want anyways) that they've learned all the wrong lessons.

The council is unsure what to do with them, but finally one senator (Don't you know all interesteller monarchies have Republican over tones? Don't you watch Star Wars?) has an idea.

Send them to Earth for training.
"Princess Korandoir, Kal El, last of Krypton and many others not born of it have used this planet Earth as a crucible in which to forge themselves like Kimi Blades of old, and come out the better for it. Let us use it as the same for the heirs!" An old bylaw requiring a 'test of worthiness' is found, and used as an excuse.

Zann and Jayna are furious, but if they disregard it, they risk losing their place as future rulers. They are packed into a shuttle, and sent to Earth... the idea is to deliver them to the JL with an official request for tutalage.

Naturally, it won't go that smoothly. The shuttle is attacked by enemies (unnamed at the time) during a starjump, and both twins crash land. Fortunately for them, two human teens pull them free before they perish. Communications are lost, there's no way home, and their only means of translation is a stupid robot servator named Gleek.

Given such desperate situations, and poor upbringing, it's as likely they'll become supervillains as heroes... but maybe the selfless acts of the humans they first meet will put them on the right path.

Powers: Okay, ditch the "Wonder Twin Powers activate" speech. They might call on their family line as sort of a battle cry (which would explain why they get the nutty title "Wonder Twins" from the Earth Media), but it's not required. They do not need to touch to change either. Rather, they can make so many changes (depending on power expended) before they have to recharge by touching.

Jayna's power is shapeshifting into a multitude of alien beasts. Why would she turn into Earth creatures? she doesn't even know what they are? If one wants ot make her VERY Powerful, she can duplicate (essentially) the basic form and power of any living being she has seen before. Why is this powerful? One thought, Kryptonians are technically animals. The more powerful the form though, the shorter the duration of the change.

Zann does not just turn into water, but rather any inorganic material he has seen before, even plasma. His basic form stays the same (assuming solid) and he can control the intesity, power level or strength, but again the change wears off quickly if he takes too powerful a form.

Each of them have an almost subconcious and automatic sense to analyze things about them. Jayna can comprehend any living thing down to a celluar level, and Zann any inorganic.

Gleek is a serator robot with a built in translator that automatically translates everyone's speech around them. I am undecided to how sentient Gleek is. It is posible he's merely a tool with a excellent programming, or perhaps he's just as much a "person" as his masters, in which case, he is a slave who accepts his lot. How exposure to the 'primiitive' ideas in America on Slavery will change him is unknown. Gleek is also strong, and durable, the better to carry the Twin's stuff.

Last note: Of the two human teens who help out? The girl threatens the guy with exposures of his embarrasing middle name..."Marvin"

[Hermit]

Jann's powers are expanded to include turning into any inorganic material or energy. Zayna can take the form of any beast she has seen or can imagine Eventually, she may learn to create completely imaginary forms but has an arsenal of alien beasts she can transform into. They're powers are still based on touch but the somewhat corny "incantations" are dropped. Using their power causes them both an extremely pleasurable, all most erotic rush. This has caused some degree of perverse sexual tension to build up between the pair, since they ARE adolescents and the only representatives of their species on the Earth. The twins are nobility from another world, off on what amounts to a forced "walkabout" where they are to learn to use their powers and overcome challenges before returning to rule. Thus they're somewhat spoiled and arrogant, seeming most humans as slightly evolved talking monkeys. They're Superheroes because its fun and exciting, not out of any particular sense of heroism.

G'lek is basically a nanny. Noble children on their world have a robot minder from the day they are born and the twins have G'lek. Its quite sentient and intelligent with paternal, if somewhat beleagured personality. It's also suprisingly tough and armed as its secondary function is to deter kidnapping and assasination attempts. The book would focus on the pairs (mis)adventures dealing with Terran culture and their own jaded and impulsive personalities. Themes might be power and responsibility, maturity and the cost of growing up vs the naiete of childhood.

Darn it, I hate getting pestered by friends in mid post. Great minds I guess.

[Delthrien]

My two shekels (likely overpriced)...

Keep the powers relatively the same -- without the lame requirement that they first make contact...

Make Zan's shapeshifting "fluid only" (none of that "ice giant" drek) -- not necessarily liquid, but very flexible forms (a little like Mr. Fantastic).

Jayna's could remain the same, but maybe limited to vertebrates or "rigid" forms (no snakes, slugs, jellyfish or buckets of water).

Their personalities could be a reflection of their powers. Zan could be a little more easy-going, go-with-the-flow (or even "morally flexible") and Jayna more of a hard-ass.

Throw in the "cultural ignorance" that two alien teens would naturally possess and I might be willing to read the book... maybe...

[nexus]

Hey, that's good. I would not have thought of that.

Thank you. I'll have to post my Space Ghost revamp sometime if I can find it.

[ChaosDrgn]

Check out a few JL:Extreme issues, plus around 48-52 of Young Justice. Wonder Twins make an appearance in them.

[Witch Doctor]

Put them in an Iron Age world, but make them both decidedly not Iron Age characters. They are, instead, full of noblese oblige and chivalry. Unfortunately, they are also conceited and, unintentionally, rude.
They consider the Iron Age characters around them to be barbaric.
Also, rather than put them somewhere in space, they are actually from another dimension. They are actually energy based beings who can reconstruct material items to 'inhabit'. Jayna is very empathic. Zann is very rational.
The first creatures they meet are a pair of teenages whom they inhabit (sharing their bodies). These are city kids. Jayna and Zann are teenager energy beings sharing the bodies of teenagers from Earth.
An adult guardian came with Jayna and Zann, but chose not to inhabit a person - he inhabited a monkey.

[proditor]

Put them in an Iron Age world, but make them both decidedly not Iron Age characters. They are, instead, full of noblese oblige and chivalry. Unfortunately, they are also conceited and, unintentionally, rude.
They consider the Iron Age characters around them to be barbaric.
Also, rather than put them somewhere in space, they are actually from another dimension. They are actually energy based beings who can reconstruct material items to 'inhabit'. Jayna is very empathic. Zann is very rational.
The first creatures they meet are a pair of teenages whom they inhabit (sharing their bodies). These are city kids. Jayna and Zann are teenager energy beings sharing the bodies of teenagers from Earth.
An adult guardian came with Jayna and Zann, but chose not to inhabit a person - he inhabited a monkey.

He absolutely inhabited a monkey! in their own culture, the degree of control that a being could exert over their extended and somewhat nebulous form indicated how mature/powerful they were. IE: Making yourself into a tight ball of energy is seen as the highest example of control and maturation. Some study years to get down to the size of a human being. G'lep, a master of this art, chose the smallest ambulatory biped that was near by at the time that Zan and Jayna inhabited the two twins who were in the Primate house on a school trip.

[Blue]

At an early age Zann and Jayna display their powers when in proximity to one another. As a result, they are seperated. In fact, one is sent off to a distant planet (Earth) where they know she will be taken care of and where their powers cannot interract. But Zann comes of age and discovers that he had a sister that was sent away for her own good and that of the world at large and he goes to earth to find her.

The monkey? Well, I'm still working on that.

I would make their powers immense! Forget the namby pamby scale of their powers from the Superfriends, assume that they have willpower, but only enough to just barely control their powers, and strong emotion + proximity often causes them to errupt. Add to the mix a villain (probably from their home planet) who wants to use the two prodigal children to re-weave reality.

This gives them big power, little control over it, a desire to be together anyway, and a huge danger that comes from such things.

If there's a moneky, he's probably not part of the origin but rather something they pick up along the way or that surfaces at the end of the film (Kind of the way that Rogue's hair get's that shock of gray as a result of the course of the flick).

[Acroyear]

One of them is gay. Or both of them. Or they have a forbidden love for each other and angst about it often. Or for the monkey...

Or are we trying to NOT be cliche?

[Spectrum]

Some years ago, Wizard ran a phony promo piece in an April Fools issue talking about Alex Ross's new deluxe product, "Form Of Water". I seem to recall that Gleek got rabies.

Here's the image that went with it. The monkey does look like it's gone crazy.

[Enforcer84]

How about this, they aren't twins. They're cousins. The powers keep them together but they hate each other. Gleep is their mediator. They have to learn to accept each other.