"American Hero" is a working title for a proposed monthly magazine. "The Renegades" is the name of a comic book series featured within it. Each issue of the magazine provides:
- Adventure Story / Super Hero Comics (void of "adult" content)
- Current Events Articles
- Volunteer and Community Service Promotional Articles
- General Education Articles
This project has been initiated to assemble a team of artists, writers and formatters to create a magazine like no other. But what makes it so unique?
The Super Hero Comic book genre since the Great Depression has grown to be a multi-trillion dollar industry. Not only is it a fast growing industry, but it has also proven to be stable and adaptive to changing times. Now one of the most powerful all-American art forms, comics has led to the creation of TV shows, video games, movies, theme parks, and more.
However, the heroes which generate such success come from art forms soiled with nudity, blood, drug references, gore, excessive violence, crude language, and other adult themed or gruesome components. Super Heroes, like many other sources of mainstream entertainment, have become the source for material unsuitable for the average American, just looking for a good story.
The Renegades Project is a movement to create entertainment which is free from all the sex, gore, language and the excessive violence which has become common place. It would produce entertainment which is enjoyable as well as appropriate for any age group. In addition, informational and educational content would be included to enrich the experience of the reader. The entertainment factor will be most prominent in the story portion, and the educational content will be laced with references from the comic. This way, the entertainment value does not suffer with an overload of educational aspects, and the educational content is made more interesting with the aid of the entertainment.
The proposed magazine would be written as if it were a monthly issue on how to be a better hero, created for the "super hero community." The format would reflect a high-tech and dazzling world of a super hero, and have a familiar but exciting look designed to help the reader feel like they can live lives as exceptional and as helpful as the characters in the story. Although written to appeal to High-School aged readers, the format should have intrinsic appeal to all ages. Care would be taken to not over-simplify the content or pander to a young audience exclusively. Each magazine would have something like the following contents per issue:
- Comic book story - In vivid graphic novel format, unique super heroes would embark on exciting and heroic adventures, always ending with a cliff-hanger. The stories would be science fiction based and promote healthy behavior and strong moral living. The comic book story may incorporate up to 50% of the overall magazine content. (See our page "The Comic Book" for more information on the heroes of this story.)
- Science Faction - In the Comic Book story, fantastic elements are coupled with science fiction. The true science behind the science fiction (weather it involve basic genetics to advance physics) would be showcased and lightly explained. This would be done so that the reader would have an idea of what the scientific community has accomplished in that field of study. Each month, a different frontier of science will be presented. Although completely scientifically sound, the content will be written in an exciting and engaging way. The article will end with what is still unknown in that field, as an intellectual teaser. As with the rest of the magazine, this would be well illustrated and clearly written.
- Heroes of History - A page or spread would be dedicated to a monthly prominent historical figure. This would be a "snap-shot bio" to give a general education on the figure and their role in American history. The reader will also be given a window into the specific time period when the figure was influential. These would be figures deemed "heroic" including inspiring athletes, influential scientists, famous presidents, explorers, and so forth. Examples include Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, Neil Armstrong, etc. Each bio would include an illustrated likeness of the person and artistic design of objects or photos of their life or projects. The article would be written in a way so that the reader may feel inspired to be more of a strong force of good in their world.
- From the Handbook - One purpose of the magazine is to inspire its readers to be more involved as a volunteer in their community. This article gives advice and direction to that purpose. The content would cover topics from "What to do in the case of an earthquake" and "How to establish a 24 hour kit" to "When to call 911." This article would have a "Boy scout handbook" feel, and always be themed in a way so that by doing these things or learning these principals, the reader would feel more enabled to be heroic in the real world.
- Current Debate - Major political topics will be given an overview here. This page would be split into two columns, each listing the opposing viewpoints of a particular issue (usually Democratic and Republican). Each side will be given an equal representation, leaving the reader to form their own opinions of the topic. This is a device to help the average American be more involved in the issues of the day, and become a more informed and participating citizen.
- Generating Genius - This is a math puzzle which doubles as a math lesson, reviewing High-school level mathematics (and lower levels in the process). This could be a story problem involving the characters of the comic book story, or a standard math problem. The instruction (or review) is given as a "hint." The first five readers to solve it with the correct answer are listed in the next issue. Readers send their answers via email or through the website. The problem is given in a way that shows the need to comprehend high level mathematics and also excel in school in order to be a stronger force for good in society.
- Super Strength - Not only will our readers need inspiration and volunteer tips, but good health will also be promoted. This will be common-sense articles covering topics from diet variation to strength training dos and don'ts. The reader will be reminded that he/she must be in good health to perform heroic acts (such as volunteering) in his/her community.
- Fan Art - Diverse images of our own Comic book heroes and other elements of the magazine from readers are showcased here. These are high level and professional looking images, with only a few shown from younger readers which also show a unique style or quality. The feel of this section is to encourage readers to explore their own talents or abilities, as a super hero discovers their "power."
- In Action - This will be a contemporary news article showing volunteers making a difference in their community. Their involvement and action will be praised in a way to show the importance of community involvement. The source of this news can be used with permission from the various volunteer agencies such as the Red Cross, FEMA, The United Way, Church Groups, etc.
- From the Hero Community - Community involvement will be encouraged on many levels, especially in terms of a "fan community." Specific mail, comments and feedback from our readers will be showcased here. These comments will be shown to show the good effect of the magazine in terms of wholesome entertainment as well as good citizenship promotion.
- Word Bank - Throughout the magazine, certain words will be highlighted in red. These would be words which are typically unfamiliar or not commonly used in a world of readers with a 5th grade reading level. The Word Bank (in the back of the magazine) is an educational tool which will list all the words in red from the magazine, with definitions. This way, if a reader is unfamiliar with a word, they can look up its meaning in the back of the magazine. This may also be a helpful tool in listing references and similar items. Another use for the Word Bank will come from the story telling aspect of the Comic book story - explaining past characters and plot points.
This project has many directions it could go, and many options for growth. In its initial stage, one monthly magazine and a companion website are all that's needed to generate further interest. The vision of pure educational entertainment done in a high quality and enjoyable way is one that can inspire and spread. Thank you for going over this overview, and please feel free to add your comments.
Sincerely,
N Ryan Burk
Project Supervisornryanburk@yahoo.com
