Let us rummage a bit through the closet of Dr. Nick's world.
As mentioned previously, scientific development has been significantly altered. A secondary sociological effect of the Church has been to weaken the effect of suppression of new tech by entrenched money. If a private inventor develops something that the current moneyed business doesn't like and they try to keep it off the market or stifle the development, the inventor can just go to the Church and see what kind of help they'll provide against those who stand in the way of following God's command to understand the world. (See yesterday's post)
So, while in our history Westinghouse may have decided is was impractical to meter & bill for broadcast power, the money was easily found to develop it. At least in Europe, and the Persian Empire is considering the advantages of developing such a system.
Did you know that a method for generating electricity from Cosmic Rays (yep - the same stuff that gave us the Fantastic Four) was patented way back in the 1800s in our reality? Think of what might be accomplished by another few decades of development by the time of our current tale. Dr. Nick is perhaps the world's greatest authority on energy & electrical power. The heavy belt he wears is actually a portable cosmic ray energy generation system, coupled with a broadcast power emitter. Thus, any device enabled to receive broadcast power is automatically powered whenever Nick is nearby. And, of course, all of Nick's own gear is built with such a design. That includes vehicles. Fuel is never an issue, though much tech still uses steam, and so requires water. No messy coal, though - heating elements are electrically powered.
Technology at this time is in a state of constant advance and exploration, with very little standardization as yet. And different countries/kingdoms can have vastly different tech levels in general. But one never knows what technology individuals or small groups are developing here and there. This leads to such contrasts as zeppelins with electrical beam weapons.
I should perhaps mention the existence of Luminiferous Aether. WTF, you
might wonder. You see - the current understanding of light is that it
acts as both a particle and a wave, depending upon circumstance. Back at
the turn of the last century, it was noted that light acts as a wave.
Now, while particles can travel through a vacuum, a wave needs a medium
to carry it. So if light is a wave, there must, perforce, be a medium to
carry that wave. Hence, the Luminiferous (or 'light bearing') Aether.
The existance of said medium in the world of Dr. Nick has significant
ramifications in physics, but not much that the reader will consider to
be of note. The one thing that will be significant at some point is that
the Luminiferous Aether is a medium that can be traversed - sailed like
an ocean of water.
And then there's Orgone Energy...
Um... Look it up.
One more thing before we move on. Let's look at that strange killer running loose in the story - The Jazzman. The Jazzman is based on The Axeman.
Up until a few months before our story takes place, New Orleans was held in the grip of the fearful Axeman. For at least the period of 1918-1919, possibly longer, he killed indiscriminately, without stealing from the victims, usually using the victim's own axe or straight razor. Then in March of 1919, he sent his final note to the media, warning that he would strike shortly after midnight on the 19th, but would spare anyone in a place where jazz music played. Came the time, jazz was everywhere - late night clubs were packed and hundreds of private parties raged all across town.
The night passed, and he was never heard from again.
Here's that last note he sent to papers:
Hell, March 13, 1919
Esteemed Mortal:
They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman.
When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of he whom I have sent below to keep me company.
If you wish you may tell the police to be careful not to rile me. Of course, I am a reasonable spirit. I take no offense at the way they have conducted their investigations in the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to not only amuse me, but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. I don‘t think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure the police will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wise and know how to keep away from all harm.
Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens, for I am in close relationship with the Angel of Death.
Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is:
I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.
Well, as I am cold and crave the warmth of my native Tartarus, and it is about time I leave your earthly home, I will cease my discourse. Hoping that thou wilt publish this, that it may go well with thee, I have been, am and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of fancy.
The Axeman
Okay - much plenty wordage. On to story pages, continuing where from where we left off yesterday, Madame Cuja has just brought the hipster cops to Dr. Nick's house via the Dark Passage...
And now, you may throw things and scream at the screen. This is where work stopped, not only on the strip but on cartooning and line art in general. I haven't really touched an ink brush since that i can recall.
experiMental Theatre was just that in many ways. One of the primaries was me playing with cartooning and trying to simplify my artwork. Perhaps because of my vision, i tend to render the world in tones and textures more than lines, so this all forced me to approach things from a new angle.
Major shake-ups following a string of health crises changed things dramatically for me, and i've never gotten back into the mindset for the cartooning. But, the story nags at me; wanting out. I'm frequently drawn to it mentally, but ...
For one thing, could i even get back into the same style 6 or 7 years later? Or would i need to restart from the beginning?
If so, maybe i should try a painted strip...?
And, of course, how long could i keep the ol' broken brain hitched to that wagon?
Still - it beckons...
EDIT: BTW - the Cafe de L'Enfer, like many things in this tale, was a real location and the exterior, interior and advertisement are all based on the actuality.
stuff by -3- (2013)
That's them in red...
The tagline is blatantly stolen from Robert Loren Fleming and the criminally underread Thriller, drawn by Trevor Von Eden. The 12 issue maxi-series used the line "Angie Thriller Has Seven Seconds To Save The World"
If we don't look at that book sometime soon, somebody sharp stick me, eh?
In both cases, the "Seconds" are not units of time, but extensions of self - like a Second for a duel. They are operatives acting at another's behest.
Mad Science with Dr. Nick! was the second story 'experiment' on experiMental Theatre, now with glorious greys. The eyes rejoiced.
Another big difference with Dr. Nick vs. TIM is that while there is a mystery ongoing in the story, the world itself is not a puzzle to be solved. I was actually able to discuss things and answer questions directly.
The world in which Dr. Nick dwells had been around for a while before this tale, and is a world i still use for some things, including The Third Colony - though it takes place centuries later. I believe i started developing it with Frank'n'Cindy - a steampunk tale featuring that star-crossed couple, the Frankenstein Monster (now Frank Victorson) and Cinderella (now simply Cindy).
But that leads us straight into one obvious point about this world - it's populated both by characters from history and fiction. So if Dr. Nick needs to consult, he might pop over to visit Tom Swift as easily as R. Buckminster Fuller.
That makes rather obvious the next item on our Guide To The New World tour - it ain't the history you know. Oh, sure - basically, up to a point. But major divergences begin in the 19th century. When Darwin published his Origin Of The Species and many proclaimed that it was a death sentence for God and religion, the Church got smart about its future. It backed Darwin, saying that the argument was like discovering a hammer and saying there is no Carpenter, the hammer drove the nail. And that, in point of fact, those who were discovering the tools and rules of God's Universe were doing His work, as He had commanded man to go forth and name all the things of the world, and this could not be done without understanding them. This radical shift in attitude led to a steampunk sort of world by the time we get to our story, which takes place about 1919 on this world's calendar.
And politics have run a bit differently. Bohemia is still a kingdom. There is a new Chinese Dynasty, not a Republic of China. Personal decisions may have gone other ways with some of the historical figures, or they may have interacted with the new technological society in ways you might not expect. (See Theo, for example, early in the tale)
Oh, and there's one other significant factor that might be worth noting. I was writing it. So it's a weird world, as one might expect.
BTW - Madame Cuja is actually Cuncha, a delightful little woman who lives down the hill. There was a weekend colour special that featured her character - i'll try to dig it out to run with the next batch. But i'll let you in on this secret while we wait - She's a very old Kumiho. (Or perhaps that should be was?)
stuff by -3- (2013)
