- Sep 22, 2013
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The American comic book stylized paramilitary fantasy-adventure franchise G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Hasbro), which includes an iconic toyline, cartoons, and full-length films (animated and live-action), presents stories about patriotic crusaders called G.I. Joes vying with a diabolical terrorist organization called Cobra for dominion on Earth.
G.I. Joe (Hasbro) represents an American investment in social dialogue regarding democracy-related terrorism fears.
After 9/11, Americans became ultra-sensitive about global terrorism, and now that ISIS has emerged as a new face of terrorism, we can ask questions such as, "How does the world feel about Hollywood (USA) making G.I. Joe (Hasbro) adapted films for mass audiences?"
That's why I wrote this anachronistic story about the Dickens character Fagin traveling through time with a handful of his London pickpocket-orphans and witnessing a future battle between G.I. Joe and Cobra.
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Fagin led his 'troop' (which included his child 'army' of London pickpockets including the smart Artful Dodger and the precocious Danny Exetar) into the time-travel portal. It was Fagin's warlock 'associate' Ben Huggins who was working on the time portal, a way to open a 'ripple or wrinkle' in space that allowed a traveler to 'skip' over folds in the passage of time. Fagin was now going through the portal with 5 of his pickpocket squad and ended up in Los Angeles in the year 2015.
Fagin and 'his' kids set up a base camp in a desert stretch of road outside L.A. and started talking about their impressions of the future. Dodger suggested that L.A. seemed to be a vast spider-like labyrinth of fast-moving people and metal vehicles, while Exetar suggested that L.A. (and America) was a new kind of London based on traffic management and money-based mentalism. Fagin suggested that his kids steal some cameras and start taking pictures to take back to London to sell on the streets.
After their first two weeks, Dodger explained to Fagin that a strange and covert paramilitary American group called 'G.I. Joes' were about to tackle their enemies, a diabolical terrorism-oriented group called 'Cobra' in the deserts of California. Fagin explained to Dodger that they must track the progress of this 'war' and take enough news-worthy pictures (with their stolen instant-cameras) to take back to London. Fagin intended to make Ben Huggins a 'celebrity.'
As the battle raged in the California desert, Dodger and Exetar snapped away with their cameras, recording the fight for their guardian Fagin. Dodger explained to Exetar that the G.I. Joes were secretly engaging with Cobra, since the secrecy would ensure that the American people would not go hysterical with panic and frenzy. Exetar asked Dodger how he found out about this battle, and Dodger told his young friend that he heard 'street-rumors' while talking to a prostitute in L.A.
When Fagin took the photos back to his own era in London with his kids, Ben Huggins was delighted to see the artifacts of time-travel. Fagin suggested to his 'friend' that the pictures would make the two rich and famous and qualify them for an entry or booth at the World's Fair. Huggins asked Fagin if he was sure that no policemen or government agency followed them back to London or were aware of Fagin's kids taking pictures of the anti-terrorism initiative by G.I. Joe which was most likely 'covert,' and Fagin reassured him.
Fagin and Huggins' pictures were becoming a rave among the peddlers and passerby of the London streets who wondered if they were some kind of light-exposure imprint on strange high-quality shiny card-paper. Fagin would giggled and say, "Oh no! These 'pictures' were taken in 2015 with Artful Dodger's 'instant-camera'!" As Fagin and Huggins were embarking on a commercial crusade to become rich, Duke (commander of the G.I. Joes back in 2015 Los Angeles) wrote in his diary, "I have reason to suspect that someone recorded our anti-terrorism battle with Cobra in the desert, in which case, we will have to assure the American people that military engagement with terrorists is simply gossip!"
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G.I. Joe (Hasbro) represents an American investment in social dialogue regarding democracy-related terrorism fears.
After 9/11, Americans became ultra-sensitive about global terrorism, and now that ISIS has emerged as a new face of terrorism, we can ask questions such as, "How does the world feel about Hollywood (USA) making G.I. Joe (Hasbro) adapted films for mass audiences?"
That's why I wrote this anachronistic story about the Dickens character Fagin traveling through time with a handful of his London pickpocket-orphans and witnessing a future battle between G.I. Joe and Cobra.
====
Fagin led his 'troop' (which included his child 'army' of London pickpockets including the smart Artful Dodger and the precocious Danny Exetar) into the time-travel portal. It was Fagin's warlock 'associate' Ben Huggins who was working on the time portal, a way to open a 'ripple or wrinkle' in space that allowed a traveler to 'skip' over folds in the passage of time. Fagin was now going through the portal with 5 of his pickpocket squad and ended up in Los Angeles in the year 2015.
Fagin and 'his' kids set up a base camp in a desert stretch of road outside L.A. and started talking about their impressions of the future. Dodger suggested that L.A. seemed to be a vast spider-like labyrinth of fast-moving people and metal vehicles, while Exetar suggested that L.A. (and America) was a new kind of London based on traffic management and money-based mentalism. Fagin suggested that his kids steal some cameras and start taking pictures to take back to London to sell on the streets.
After their first two weeks, Dodger explained to Fagin that a strange and covert paramilitary American group called 'G.I. Joes' were about to tackle their enemies, a diabolical terrorism-oriented group called 'Cobra' in the deserts of California. Fagin explained to Dodger that they must track the progress of this 'war' and take enough news-worthy pictures (with their stolen instant-cameras) to take back to London. Fagin intended to make Ben Huggins a 'celebrity.'
As the battle raged in the California desert, Dodger and Exetar snapped away with their cameras, recording the fight for their guardian Fagin. Dodger explained to Exetar that the G.I. Joes were secretly engaging with Cobra, since the secrecy would ensure that the American people would not go hysterical with panic and frenzy. Exetar asked Dodger how he found out about this battle, and Dodger told his young friend that he heard 'street-rumors' while talking to a prostitute in L.A.
When Fagin took the photos back to his own era in London with his kids, Ben Huggins was delighted to see the artifacts of time-travel. Fagin suggested to his 'friend' that the pictures would make the two rich and famous and qualify them for an entry or booth at the World's Fair. Huggins asked Fagin if he was sure that no policemen or government agency followed them back to London or were aware of Fagin's kids taking pictures of the anti-terrorism initiative by G.I. Joe which was most likely 'covert,' and Fagin reassured him.
Fagin and Huggins' pictures were becoming a rave among the peddlers and passerby of the London streets who wondered if they were some kind of light-exposure imprint on strange high-quality shiny card-paper. Fagin would giggled and say, "Oh no! These 'pictures' were taken in 2015 with Artful Dodger's 'instant-camera'!" As Fagin and Huggins were embarking on a commercial crusade to become rich, Duke (commander of the G.I. Joes back in 2015 Los Angeles) wrote in his diary, "I have reason to suspect that someone recorded our anti-terrorism battle with Cobra in the desert, in which case, we will have to assure the American people that military engagement with terrorists is simply gossip!"
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