Crisei

Trasteando con antiguos discos que creía irrecuperables me encuentro con este antiguo plot que enviamos en su día a Marvel, un par de años antes de que hiciéramos las historias de Fantastic Four. No fue la primera propuesta que hicimos, ni la última. Pero esta en concreto llamó la atención de Tom deFalco, que la utilizó (más o menos, es decir, hizo con ella lo que le dio la gana), la dibujó creo que John Buscema... y nos dieron las gracias en una de la viñetas.

Está en inglés, pero discúlpenme si no me pongo a traducirla.


IN OTHER WORLDS...

A back-up proposal for FANTASTIC FOUR by Rafael Marin and Carlos Pacheco.

Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom are still students at Empire State University. The visit of a famous scientist, a certain Professor Challenger, has provoked a new theme of discussion among the students, as Reed and Doom are preparing a debate about the theme proposed by Challenger: Can parallel or alternate universes really exist?

For the brilliant mind of these future scientists of tomorrow, the idea sparks a myriad of unexplored possibilities. So, Reed Richards gladly embraces the twists and logical pirouettes that could be opened to their minds, while Dooom, colder and more analitical, despises the idea as childish and unworthy of his efforts. During their discussion, young Ben Grimm is upset because his football team lost the game the day before, and his comments act as a counterpoint to the evaluative mood of his campus colleagues (he also happens to be reading a sports magazine).

"Imagine a world where dinousaurs didn´t succumb", explains Richards. "A world where Reed Richards and Victor von Doom do exist, but in the shape of homo saurius", he continues. "Or a world where Julius Caesar never took the power, and Rome remained a Republic for five hundred years... a world exactly similar to ours, where President Lincoln simply didn´t go to the theatre, or where President John Wilkes Booth was killed by a fanatic called Abe Lincoln, a world where Napoleon conquered Moscow and the Russian Revolution didn´t take place because the entire Europe is a French Empire".

"Imagine a world where we didn´t lose yesterday´s match", jokes Ben Grimm, somewhat bitterly.

"Your thinking is childish as always, Richards", despises Doom. "Those wouldn´t be parallel worlds, but simple similarities, coincidences, look-a-likes. You deny the power of history, of destiny. Why should a world so different to ours be considered equal when it is not? This is foolish".

"But they´d different because they were identical at a point", answers Reed. "A divergence took place in that special point, can´t you see? A world where Hitler sells his painted landscapes and never writes "Mein Kampf", a world where Benjamin Franklin is elected the first American President. They´d be our exact world, except for that turning point. The possibilities could be infinite, don´t you see, Victor? Worlds where Atlantis never sank, where Christ was never crucified, were The Armada conquered England..."

"They´d never be parallel worlds, Richards. They´d have in common only one thing, an insignificant detail. You and I are not alike, though we both wear trousers. Alternate worlds? What for? What use do they have? Even in they did exist, they´d be spheres with only one point in common. This point wouldn´t mark the divergence, but the equality, the rest would be mostly different, so you can´t claim it´s similar. What matters then if Napoleon was defetated or not at Waterloo?"

"Hey, then ol´Sammy Malone wouldn´t sell such a nice brandy called Napoleon", says Grimm.

"The possibilities are intriguing, Victor", resumes Richards. "How could this divergence be produced? What is the spark that produces it? Imagine the possibility of travelling back in time and convincing Captain Smith to change the route of his vessel. The Titanic would´t have sunk. A legend wouldn´t exist".

"Yeah", says Ben. "Lemme that machine, Reed. Perhaps I can stop that quarterback guy ´fore he stops me!"

"A travel in time? Back in time?", muses Doom. "Now, that´s an interesting idea, Richards. Can´t you see? No matter if those parallel or alternates worlds you love exist or not. If you can master time travel... you can master past and future! Those points of divergence... you could create them at your will! A man could become master of life and death, emperor of time!

"But the fact of the divergence would continue! The alternate worlds would exist!", cries Richards.

"Maybe. But only because WE create them, because are the CREATORS of those point of divergence. Time-travel is more important than a couple of kings that never were or killers that never killed! The key is there!"

The discussion turns into a more violent confrontation, and the two men has to be separated by Ben Grimm. "Hey, Reed, never thought you´d be a brute!", he comments.

While Victor von Doom retires somewhat angrily to study alone the possibilities of exploring the creation of a time machine of his own, a bored Ben turns on the TV. It announces that a young cinema star called JOHNNY STORM has died in a car crash while driving his new Porsche Spyder at 115 mph. Storm was well known for his brilliant acting in films like "Rebel withouth Case" and "Giant".

None of them accuses especially the fact. But the reader sees that we´ve been witnessing a story set in one of those alternate universes all the time.

Hope you like it!