Morgalla Inspiration: Oliver Twist & Little Orphan Annie

 

The story of Oliver Twist tell the tale of an orphan in Victorian England who is thrust into events against his control and he has to survive and overcome. He doesn't do it alone and thankfully some adults around him have his best interests at heart. It was Charles Dickens's commentary as to how the most vulnerable in English society were being treated. It opened many eyes and got the ball rolling for positive change. It's a brilliant piece of social fiction.

Another character is Little Orphan Annie. The Broadway stage musical, which inspired the 1982 film, is probably the most popular version of the character. The premise is also clear about a young girl with no family thrust into difficult circumstances during depression-era America.

There have been better adaptations than the 1982 film, though that might be the most well-known. Albert Finney is brilliant. 

Annie, like Oliver, is rolling with the punches of life. They're both following no actual plan but trying to survive in a difficult world. 

I also like the idea of a young character finding parental figures or mentors. That's something that happens in both these stories and this inspired Morgalla's adventures. 

These stories both moved me as a child. The world is a dangerous place, regardless of time, regardless of one's age. 

John McTernan, director of such classics as Die Hard, Predator, and The Hunt For Red October, stated in an interview that a protagonist is actually the "person with a plan." Therefore, Hans Gruber is the protagonist in Die Hard, according to his definition. 

What if your main character doesn't have a plan, per se'? What if they're thrust into extraordinary events and have to find a way out or to adapt? That nails the story of Oliver Twist perfectly, among many others. Oliver and Little Orphan Annie also have adults who take advantage of them and are helpless. Thankfully both have adults on their side. Both stories, it can be argued, are a loss of innocence and a shock of reality to the dangers of the world. Thankfully, another reality of life is that there are good people, too. The point is to find and hold onto those who are good and avoid the ones who are bad. 

Morgalla, when we first meet her, has no plan in life except for one: survive. Lucky for her and unlike Oliver & Annie, Morgalla has fighting skills and super powers to protect her. She also faces much more dangerous people and situations.  

Morgalla, like many of us, are only trying to get along in life. They don't seek out trouble, for it often finds them. That, at its core, is Morgalla's story. Just one person trying to survive and through their struggle, you root for them to succeed. Perhaps along the way they find their purpose or a goal to achieve.

But when hope comes along, one must hold onto it, and that's something to pursue.

Drawn by Jon David, colored by Josh Perez

Morgalla Inspiration: Battle Angel Alita & Other Animes

During the early 90's my brothers and I watched a lot of anime. Bear in mind this is before it was popular and in the mainstream. What most people knew about anime came from Voltron or Robotech.

We preferred subtitles to English dub. Heck, I knew a guy who taught himself Japanese through watching subtitled anime. We watched all we could: Project AKO, Devil Hunter Yohko, Kiki's Delivery Service, Vampire Hunter D, Devilman.

Hmm...I'm sensing a pattern with some animes.

We even saw AKIRA, the crowning jewel of animation, at the Detroit Institute of Art. It was awesome seeing a film like that on the big screen.

Anime was so different than anything shown on American television. Sure, there was Speedracer, G-Force, and Voltron which were all kid-friendly, but Robotech was very mature for the most part and even had characters DIE which was strange to see on American television intended for kids.

Among all these great (and many times weird) stories was one that really caught my attention: Battle Angel. It's the story of Gally, a cyborg girl who is found by Ido, barely alive and functioning. He rebuilds her body and she learns to survive in a savage city filled with killer cyborgs.

There's this huge and dangerous world above and all around her and she has to learn to survive in it. Her innocence and vulnerability draws you in. She's sweet and kind, you end up LIKING her:

But there are times where you don't want to mess with her.

Gally is just a young woman trying to survive in a dangerous world. She's not a violent person, but will be when the lives of herself and loved ones are in danger. Her story has heart and brains and it's a shame that anime never continued her story.

When I heard they were making a film adaptation I was 100% against it. Hollywood doesn't have the best track record with anime. Thankfully I was proven wrong. The Robert Rodriguez-directed adaptation is a great film and really captures the spirit. Let's hope for a sequel.

Alita/Gally, Battle Angel, whatever you name her, is Morgalla's greatest inspiration. She rocks.

Morgalla Inspiration: Anne Lewis

Not inspired directly, but more on a subliminal level, Robocop & Robocop 2's Anne Lewis was a great (though underused) supporting character from these two films.

The goal of the first Robocop film was to tell a story about a bankrupt future Detroit that's a cesspool of crime and in desperate need of change...basically modern-day Detroit.

But still...

Anne Lewis is a regular cop in Detroit, fighting what seems to be a never-ending battle against crime. God knows how many partners she's gone through.

The character has many great qualities. One element that makes her unique is the fact that it could have been played by a man and yet was not. The director, writers, producers, casting director...doesn't matter, they could have all cast a man in the role but chose a woman. Perhaps the reason behind it was the fact that the rest of the film is a sausage-fest and at least one female was needed, but in the end her gender didn't matter.

Lewis is Murphy's tie to the human race and the soul of the audience. I state that she's underused for she basically is a sidekick to Robocop in both films, even though she has some great scenes. She is, first and foremost, a great woman of action in a time where that was non-existent. Heck, it's rare even for today.

Like I said in the beginning, on a subliminal level I suppose Anne was an influence on Morgalla, though not directly. What Paul Verhoeven and the writers of Robocop did was focus on all the elements that made a good character, albeit a supporting one, and the fact that she was a woman is merely a coincidence. THAT is what I feel should be the focus on most any character. No gratuitous shower scene (which is weird when you think about it, being Paul Verhoeven).

How many times have we seen in films the only female character happens to be a love interest, too? Glad they didn't try. That's something that's bugged me with many films where the filmmakers feel they "need" a romantic love interest for their male lead. You see it in all of the recent Marvel films with the exception of Captain America, The Winter Soldier.

Sad that we don't see more characters like this. Oh wait...I can think of one:

Morgalla Inspiration: Mrs. Brisby

In 1982, Don Bluth made one of the greatest animated films of all time:  The Secret of NIMH.

Hailed by many, the film has a fan following that spans now over three decades. Bluth made a movie that was entertaining for children and yet smart enough for adults to enjoy. Sure the movie has talking mice, but at no point to they sing and at times the film can be rather dark. For 1982, an animated film such as this is unheard of. To my knowledge, it didn't do too well at the box office, but thanks to cable TV, it turned into a classic.

Mrs. Brisby is the main protagonist who faces titanic elements against her; whether it be a farmer's plow, her child's illness, an owl who might eat her, the list goes on.

She's often afraid, even terrified, but she'd be a fool if she wasn't. She knows quite often that she's in danger but it's for the love of her family that she moves ahead. That's a sign of true courage: knowing that there is danger but facing it anyway.

Besides her children, she's the smallest character. This only adds to the dread when you think about it. Morgalla also happens to be surrounded by demons that dwarf her in size.

But she never lets it stop her. The biggest difference in the personalities between the mouse and the demon is that Morgalla has to act tough every moment of her life. Show any weakness in Hell...and you're done.

The biggest element they share is the fact that despite overwhelming odds, despite even being afraid, they find a way to get the job done.

Concerning Hobbits, Part Two

Some of Tolkien's work has been an inspiration for my writing, but that's a given to any fantasy literature, I think.  The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are the bibles of fantasy literature and all writers of this brand can trace their roots back to Tolkien.

Directly, hobbits can claim an inspiration with Morgalla with one and only one thing:  Their height.  Morgalla is short, standing only five feet high (and that's not counting the horns).

Life in Hell was rather...interesting at times.  Often she would be underestimated.

Morgalla Inspiration: Klingons

I was a much bigger Star Trek fan in the past, especially growing up.  I was introduced to it by the Wrath of Kahn but I knew of the show and many elements of it.  I knew what the Enterprise looked like, I knew the Vulcan salute but there was something called "Klingons" which I found the name to be rather silly.

I went to a couple of conventions but never wore a costume or anything like that.  I didn't.  I swear, I never did!

Anyway...

As the movies and Next Generation moved on, the Klingons were "fleshed out", so to speak.  We found out more about them and even though they were also an advanced society technologically, many elements about them were still seemingly "primitive" to some, but I prefer the term "traditional".

Enough quotes.

The Klingon look appears rather barbarian-like.  It's like all of them wear metal and leather.  Klingons and demons are both violent and for them it's completely normal.  Demons take it to the next degree.  To them, violence is a normal way of life, the term "murder" is an alien term to them.  Klingons hit each other and to them it's no big deal.  Sure, this might seem normal to someone raised in that environment, but every family has its black sheep. 

Enter Morgalla.

I think Klingons were best during the Search for Spock and the Undiscovered Country.  At best, the Klingons are allies against common enemies like the Borg or the Dominion.  At worst, their conquerors who want to rule because they think they're superior.  That's when they were more interesting. 

 

Gene Roddenberry wanted the Klingons to be our friends when the Next Generation came along.  BIG MISTAKE.  The best I think we could hope for with the Klingons is a live-and-let-live attitude where they respect us for our strength but don't like us.  Humans merely tolerate the fact that they enjoy pain and don't bathe.

 

The demonic race of Hell would be more complex than just a warrior race that wants to kill with their own sort of hierarchy.  But it is their warrior nature, their superior attitude, their traditional look, these elements helped shape what demons in Morgalla's world would be like.  

Morgalla Inspiration: Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat

"Hey, whoa!  He just ripped that guy's head off!"

Mortal Kombat was unique in many ways, number one being its violence.  

One thing that impressed me was the fact that it had a strong story, all be it kinda simplistic:  Bad guy wants to rule the world and good guys have to stop him.  Another cool element was the fact that each character had a story and a reason to be in the tournament.  Where Street Fighter came before, this game took it to new levels with the action and the fact that they were using actors for the characters.

Mortal Kombat II was even cooler.  Not only were the graphics and animation better but the fight went into "outworld".  It took the already cool story and made it even cooler.

When it came to Part III, again there were many great elements.  They took it up a notch where we were back on Earth, but it was invaded by the armies of the evil Shao Kahn.  In all three parts there were mystical and magical elements but in part III they added science fiction hardcore with the cyborg characters.

The movies sucked.  Don't get me started.

Morgalla's story is indeed violent but I tried to downplay any gore and death.  That's where MK and I differ.  I was inspired though about the story of invaders from another dimension.  In some cases they're not human, in fact alien-like beings.  Do they have spaceships?  Do they have high-tech weapons?  Nope.  Don't need em.

Now years before there was a cartoon that had a great deal of potential but ended up being way too campy and childish.  When it came to Masters of the Universe, there were a lot of great characters and a bunch of great concepts that didn't live up to its potential.

 

Both of these stories had both fantasy and sci-fi elements within it.  Interesting to see both magic and science come together in one story but these two made it work.

Star Wars did it a little, too.

But still...

Mortal Kombat was the bigger influence, especially since it took place in modern times.  He-Man had a lot of potential and even though there was a reboot in recent years, I think we still have yet to see it live up to its potential.  MK, too.

Maybe the Rock would e interested in playing He Man.  I mean, who else could do it?

Morgalla Inspiration: Gangs of New York

While watching "Gangs of New York", a couple of things ran through my mind:

1) My GOD I can only imagine how terrible the  place and the people smelled and

2) This is Hell.

The realm of Hell, the place where Morgalla reluctantly called home was rather vague, a place more like Mordor if anything else (which I'll get to at a later post).  Ruled over by the demon lords, the oldest and most powerful of demons.  If you were fortunate enough to survive to old age (centuries old) in demon society, you were strong enough to enslave others and bend them to your will.  The older a demon is, the stronger they become.

In the 1860's, New York was filled with what the screenplay referred to as "tribes".  Normally they fight amongst each other but at times they can be united for a common cause.  If Scorsese's 1860's New York is my version of Hell, then Bill the Butcher is a demon lord.

The Five Points is very much a Darwinian, kill-kill-or-be-killed existence.  Someone dies?  No big deal, it was his/her fault for not being strong enough.  Sure, the Five Points have some good people who want to help their neighbors and family, a trait that is lacking in Morgalla's Hell.

But you have to wonder what happens to people even of moral character in an environment such as this.  Even a person of great character would be forced to kill, to defend themselves.

I explore this...

Morgalla Inspiration: Darkness

Since I mentioned "Legend" in my guilty pleasures, I might as well mention the villain Darkness and how he inspired "The Trilogy of Morgalla".  First of all, the shape of his horns are much like Morgalla and the villainous demon lord Zorach the Unholy.  In fact, Zorach was originally supposed to look more like Darkness at first but now he looks quite different.

I envisioned Hell as looking much like the lair of Darkness, thanks to Ridley Scott and the other makers of the film.  Granted, over the years things have grown into their own identity and my version of Hell looks quite different.

Now when it comes to Darkness, it sounds like Tim Curry is having a great time playing the role even though he must have spent countless hours in the make up chair.  He is to be commended. It's one of the greatest make-up jobs in motion picture history, that and the actor's performance really bring the character to life.

What makes the character interesting and not just a plain old "I-have-an-evil-plan" villain is the way Tim Curry plays the role. At one point he's calm, collected and even gentlemanly with a voice as smooth as velvet.  The next he's a raging machine of fury, yelling "SIT!" or trying to kill Tom Cruise.

Though Zorach is quite different in appearance and in the way he acts, both the movie "Legend" and the character Darkness were both a big influence as to my writing.

Morgalla Inspiration: Carrie Kelly

During the '80's, two books debuted that changed comics and the superhero forever.  One was Watchmen, the other was Batman, the Dark Knight Returns.  The influence of the latter was quite evident, influencing the film Batman just three years later and that's just to name one.

Not only did the bat return but also Robin, this time a girl named Carrie Kelly.

One thing that always interested me about superheroes was their motivation to put on a costume and mask and fight evil.  Carrie's motivations are not out of ego but more out of necessity.  She's a fangirl of Batman who saved her live from some mutants.
She's forced to live in the hell of Gotham at its worst.  She could choose to be a victim, she could choose to do nothing but instead she decided to join Batman as his new sidekick.  Granted, part of her needing to kick butt is out of survival and that's where her influence upon Morgalla comes in.

Carrie seems completely overwhelmed at times, being in this MadMax version of Gotham.  Heck, even BATMAN seems a bit overwhelmed being a mortal man and all.

Carrie might be one of the toughest Robins ever;  she does live in the toughest incarnations of Gotham City, after all.  Though the Robin outfit never really seemed to fit in the Frank Miller world, having used dark colors all over, the red green and yellow is a sharp contrast.

Morgalla Inspiration: Harlene Quinzel

The only thing Dr. Harlene Quinzel inspired with Morgalla was her hair.