Charles Dickens: The Ultimate World Builder

As a boy, I used to read abridged versions of Charles Dickens' works. I would finish each one in the half hour I got in the school library.

While transitioning into high school, we had to learn an abridged version of A Christmas Carol. Its fantasy elements caught me by surprise.

When I went to college, A Tale of Two Cities was in our syllabus. More than the reading of the book itself, the passionate and compelling lectures of Mr. Oommen Mathew, my English teacher, made me a die-hard Dickens fan.

Even now I remember him pointing out a student's spelling mistake without naming him (or her), "Whoever wrote Dicken's should be shot."

During a sabbatical I had taken from writing, I went on a movie-viewing spree. I spared none of the classics that were aired on television. In the months leading up to the theatrical release of Casino Royale (2006), I went on a Bond marathon. In the same year, I got a rare chance to see a 1968 musical titled Oliver!

This was the fourth time Charles Dickens had an impact on my life. I look forward to a fifth.

This is Dennis Thorne Speaking...

Hi, I'm Dennis Thorne. You can call me Dennis. 

I wish I had the luxury of choosing my path, but if I did, I would have probably ruled the world by now - I don't think you'd like that. To know more about me, you need to hear this story, no matter how unbelievable it may sound. 

Let's get some of the obvious things out of the way, such as I was born in New Eden, the Capital of the United New Eden Commonwealth. If you've been paying attention to your history classes, you would know everything about our country’s history, but let's not get into writing volumes on the two Water Wars and the reason why New Eden was built. But there are things that your teachers or parents don't know, and even if they did, they wouldn't tell you. There were two races of scientists rivaling each other to prove something to the world. One person begged to differ: my father. But before I was born, he was taken away from me. 

While growing up, I had very few friends. I did enjoy popularity very briefly after acting in a play I wrote titled ‘Robin Hood: Tales From Sherwood’. But I never counted on the rash actions of my best friend Patrick which made me walk away from the limelight for good. Despite my efforts to help him beat his transmit addiction, he joined a terrorist syndicate called Terrortech. I even stood up to a transmit smuggler for the guy and nearly died. 

Patrick didn't show the courtesy of visiting me when I had fallen into a coma. But something else happened during the two-week hospital stay. The doctors were giving up. Their prognosis drove my mother and a family friend to use top-secret technology to bring me back on my feet. I got back on my feet, all right. I could even stand in midair. My body was stronger than ever before, so it sounded like a good idea to help Patrick once more. 

I made a mistake, again. 

My fight against Terrortech had more casualties this time. Many civilians died, including poor Patrick. I don't know who was guiltier, Terrortech or me. 

After the tragedy, I knew I had to be more careful during future missions. Joining forces with my mother, a retired General in the Solar Guardians, we learned how to use my abilities wisely. For our private war on transmit smuggling, we traveled a lot, with my mother instructing me the whole time. 

There are also some things I haven’t told you about my past. Yes, everyone knows what happened when I was twelve. At age thirty, I became famous, but not as Dennis Thorne. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. There were eighteen dark years that molded me into the man that I am today. If you have it in you, come follow me as I take you deeper into my life story. 

What's in Storage for You?

Copyright © 1986 by DC Comics 

I've been raiding my room for comic books for the past one month. Ever since my review of The Dark Knight Returns appeared in The New Indian Express, I've been picking my brain on how to analyze artwork, themes, cultural impact and cross-media relationships in other graphic novels. For example, TDKR influenced every cinematic adaptation that has been released since 1989. 
Coming up - an Elseworlds tale titled Superman: The Dark Side.