Can
you imagine a time without computers, the
Internet, or TV? Telephones were connected to walls by wires,
and a "cell" was a place to put bad guys. The
daily news was delivered by a paperboy, not a cable news
station. Laptops were where children sat to tell Santa their
Christmas wish-lists. Magazines were presented on pulp,
not ipads. Mass communication was brought into the home
via vacuum tubes, not microchips.
In the 1930s the radio was the centerpiece of the family
room. Feel the warmth from the unit, more an elegant piece
of furniture than any modern electronic device. As the tubes
heat up, two children, a boy with tousled hair and his younger
brother, sit excitedly in front of the enchanting device,
their eyes gently twinkling in the golden glow of the dial,
the only light in the room. The subdued light feeds their
imagination as they delight in the fantasy unfolding in
the imaginary theatre of the mind, following the thrilling
tales of heroes of yesteryear.
The 1930's spawned a new type of hero. They were the champions
of a halcyon era, a genre unto themselves. They were non-conformists
who couldn't sit back and watch the word fall apart around
them. They endeavored to fix it. They were super detectives
that used tricks, gadget and gimmicks in service of society.
They used their unique resources for the good of mankind.
They were secretive vigilantes that held villain's accountable
for their dastardly deed. They were mysterious costumed
crusaders who hid behind masks and worked outside the bounds
of law. They were self-governing agents of justice helping
the helpless, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves,
and staving off oppression.
They appeared in the early days of comic books, adventure
comic strips, and pulp magazines. Their movies were black
and white serials with cliffhanger endings keeping the crowds
coming back week after week (at 25 cents a pop!). |
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The heroes of these stories risked life and limb
sorting right and wrong in a different time, in some ways a simpler
time. In this fantasy world it was easier to tell the good guys
from the villains. Heroes like The Shadow (1930), The Phantom (1936),
The Green Hornet (1936), Batman (1939), Spy Smasher (1940), and
Captain America (1941), provided a heroic archetype, and brought
order to the chaos wrought by villains. These characters formed
a shield between the bad-guys and the rest of us. We looked to the
heroes of the past for inspiration as they fought for a better future.
One hero of the past stayed hidden in the shadows.
She was unseen and unknown until discovered decades later. Her name
was Pandora Driver. Her's is the tale of a young girl forced to
grow up too fast as a matter of survival.
Pandora became the relentless avenger of the common
man sifting right from wrong in a realm where the villains were
the local gentry and the heroes were outlaws. Pandora was a mistress
of disguise who used sly audacity and an unstoppable future-car
to unleash misery into the halls of wealth and power. She infiltrated
the unscrupulous elite of Citadel City and adopted their unsavory
methods to usurp them. Her fight was the fight of the ages. She
was the fist of the people, battling greed, graft, inequality, and
exploitation. Her time was in the past, but the problems were the
same blights facing society today.
These Heroes intervened when law enforcement or the
justice system failed citizens. Sometimes their methods were unsettling.
Battling sin in the filth where it resides can dirty even the purest
hearts; the good old days we remember in monochrome were lived in
color. In a time when good and evil was simply black and white,
Pandora lived in the gray area.
Pandora Driver The Origin is a retro-hero tale for
adults in the form of an e-pulp.
We hope you enjoy the ride.
Pandora Driver: The Origin,
ePulp
It's the 1930s. The avarice of the elite has plunged the country
into a the Great Depression. In Citadel City, class warfare has
been waged on the less fortunate long enough. Something is about
to snap!
Young Betty McDougal discovers how hard life can be when her family
is evicted from their farm and forced into a shelter in Citadel
City. It's a struggle to survive. It's a time of desperation, sin,
mistakes, bruises and lessons Betty didn't want to learn. Her life
seems hopeless until a mysterious stranger delivers an unstoppable
car of tomorrow. It transforms her.
Pandora Driver is frustration personified. Through
disguise, guile and lies, she brings chaos to a world of wealth
and power. In a time without hope, this masked heroine served justice
with a knuckle-sandwich!
Pandora Driver: The Origin is a retro-hero tale for
mature readers. It ain't Shakespeare. It's pure Pulp!
You
can see more 3d models of Pandora,
including
her mysterious car, on Youtube.
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