Plague names

[Stormer]

So in the mail today I FINALLY got the Steel Brigade/Plague 6-pack, and it reminded me of something I thought of when they first came out...

Does anyone else think maybe the names got switched for the Plague members? It just seems odd to me that we've got 2 names of execution devices (Gallows, Guillotine) and 2 troopers, then the more unique name of Grim Skull and a commander. Okay, there's his machete-thing that you could say he cuts off heads with and so that lends itself to his name, but it's got a skull handle too...

I dunno, I just wonder if Grim Skull and Guillotine's names got switched at some point like Zuckuss & 4-LOM in the original Star Wars line; I may well switch the names "back" in my Joe-verse...

[Sonneilon]

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Just for the fun of it, I'm posting what Drew originally wrote over on the JBL. He and Brandon Jerwa wrote up the filecards. This was awhile ago.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

This past weekend, while attending the WI/Penn State game (Go Badgers! ), I was finally able to pick up the recent comic packs & Steel Brigade/Plague pack. Most of you already have these.. so I apologize for this being a little late. i just wasn't able to grab them until now.

ANYwho, as some of you know, I had the opportunity to write some of the file cards for the SB/Plague pack. I co-wrote a couple and completely wrote the cards for Rook & Gallows (notice Rook's birthplace ). It was fun to do & I thank Hasbro & Brandon Jerwa for the opportunity; I'll never forget the project.

When reading the cards however, I was instantly reminded of how truly important editing is. I believe that it is a craft that not everyone is able to do, and at times, this becomes blatantly evident.

Case in point:

Here's what was originally written for Rook & Gallows.

Code Name: Rook
File Name: Andy Lombardi
Birthplace: La Crosse, WI
Primary: Lie Detection
Secondary: Interpreter

Rook, one of the best rookies the CIA has ever had, specializes in the art of lie detection without the benefit of Polygraph Machines, Computer Voice Stress Analysis, or Truth Serum. Instead, Rook has become an expert in observing the subtle differences in the timing and duration of emotional gestures, expressions, and words. The pace and inflection of the speech of a contact will instantly reveal to Rook if the contact is lying, and to what degree.

Now take this skill and multiply it by the 14 different languages that Rook is proficient in, and add the fact that he does 90% of his work in dark alleys, secret rooms, and rooftops.. and you begin to get a picture of why General Hawk was so interested in recruiting him for the GI Joe team. With Cobra agents originating from all over the world, a guy like Rook is awful handy to have around.

While Rook is easy going and gregarious, Rook's fellow Steel Brigade members know that playing No-limit Texas hold 'em poker against him is pointless. Why? Rook knows you're bluffing before you know it yourself. And while they have yet to meet at the table, the rumor around the Pit is that even Ace is worried about losing his perfect poker record.


PLAGUE TROOPER
Code Name: Gallows
File Name: CLASSIFIED
Primary Specialty: Heavy Weapons
Secondary Specialty: Battlefield Mechanic


The machine gun's primary role in ground combat is to provide suppressing fire on an opposing force's position. This forces the enemy to take cover and either halts an oncoming offensive or allows friendly forces to move onto the field with less danger. To achieve this goal, Destro designed the SAW Viper program for Cobra, and very early on ordered that at least 1 SAW Viper be attached to every Cobra infantry squad.

The SAW Vipers are not expected to be precise. Their objective is to throw as much lead down range as possible, and let the other troops worry about the rest. However, when a particular SAW Viper was noticed to be as accurate in his fire as he was rapid, he was recommended by his squad leaders for transfer to Cobra's elite Delta Force, "The Plague." Early in Plague training, he was quickly recognized as Cobra's best machine gunner and issued the name Gallows by The Plague's leader, Guillotine.

"Gallows doesn't waste time with playing his part in combat so that the entire force can achieve its objective at once; he sees himself as the judge, jury, and hangman. If Gallows comes to a battlefield near you, expect heavy fire with a sniper's accuracy combined with remarkable speed and efficiency."


Now, read the file cards you have on these 2. As you can see, Rook was edited beautifully. Though I loved the original Ace tie-in (and other details, such as the CIA rookie thing, etc), the card ultimately had to have less text, so certain sentences were cut out & other sentences were shortened to convey basically the same idea. I am pretty happy with the final product.

Gallows, on the other hand, was edited poorly. The way the file card reads now is quite a bit different than what was originally created. Some of the basic ideas are still there, but the whole idea of the card was changed when the editor changed a middle sentence to, "Whenever a particular Cobra Saw Viper trooper fired with precision and rapidity,, his squad leaders recommended him for transfer to the elite Plague Troopers force." This now makes it sound like there were other Saw Vipers who have made the Plague force as well (in the past), and speaks nothing about Gallows' own unique/special skill... making it sound like an extremely skilled machine gunner (one so good that he has a sniper's accuracy) is something that's fairly common, when in fact, Gallows is the ONLY one that is this good, and is supposed to be the ONLY Saw Viper that has made the Plague Force. OR.. the message could read that Gallows is the only Saw Viper that is being talked about, but that his squad leaders recommended him multiple times, which was basically whenever he "done good" in the eyes of his leaders. Either way, the sentence is confusing. The editing mistake was even furthered by the 2 commas, which made it clear that the original card was read once, unnecessarily changed, and then the editor's own changes weren't even proof read.

See how a good editing job can be vs a bad one? These 2 cards couldn't illustrate this more poignantly.


Awe well. I just thought this would be an interesting read for you guys. Peace.

[Stormer]

Hmm... So, the Plague Leader was named as Guillotine even in the original filecard draft... That was great, I love the behind the scenes/early draft stuff for Joes. Thanks, Sonneilon, now I know! ;)

And the plot thickens -- did Drew & Brandon come up with the characters, and possibly names, before/during the figure design process or did Hasbro have people who came up with the figures (& names?) and then went to them to flesh out the characters...? If it's the latter, there's still a possibility a name-switch occurred at some point before the bios were done...? I just want to give the leader the coolest name! :)