Drunks, Hookers, and Panhandlers
An unpublished series proposal for DC Comics by Alan Moore
In my opinion, this is where the bulk of the action is likely to have taken place if Moore actually had written this thing. The rest of the heroes live in a superhero barrio in either Gotham or Metropolis, where “almost every passerby, shopkeeper and incidental background character used to be some sort of super character or other twenty years ago. A lot of them are drunks, some of them are hookers or panhandlers; the majority eke whatever living they can out of dead end jobs.”
John Constantine, happily married, is trying to pull a fast one on someone. He appears to be the only person who knows what’s going on everywhere.
The Phantom Lady runs a bar where she keeps The Doll-Man in a cage because he’s turning into a non-human bird-like creature. Uncle Sam, a wino, babbling jingoistic ramblings in the corner of Sandy’s bar. Blackhawk stops by occasionally, obsessive and sinister after losing all of his teammates in a mission-gone-bad. He’s attempting to recruit new teammates and is renaming them after his lost Blackhawks. Plasticman takes time out from his new job as gigolo to keep Sandy company.
Congorilla runs the barrio’s mafia trade, the brothels, the drugs, the gambling. He twisted out a bit when he decided that he didn’t have to grow old--if he switched into the gorilla’s body and never left. He keeps his human body in a cage.
Green Arrow and Black Canary are the idealists, running their own activist newspaper, “two of the nicest and most normal people in the series, both fiercely committed, both loving each other very much despite the violent rows that they have almost come to enjoy as part of their relationship.”
The Question takes on the part of a nice Rorschach, attempting to solve a murder mystery that holds the key to the unfolding dangers of Twilight.
The Batman and The Shadow have teamed up and are leading a “normal hero” brigade that hopes to rid the world of the oppressive superhero Houses. Their team will include Tarzan and Doc Savage if the licenses are available.
Only a few of The Metal Men survive. Platinum is a robo-hooker, Iron is a rusting construction worker, and Gold is in hiding because, well, he’s gold and people want part of him! Dr. Will Magnus died ages ago, so none of them can be repaired if something goes wrong. Tin and Mercury have already died, and Lead is a living reactor shield in a closed-down nuclear power plant.
Robotman has his metal ear to the whole thing as well. He lives in the barrio, but still keeps time with Vic Stone (in the House of Titans) as well as the ex-Titans in the Justice League.
Adam Strange is still on Earth, but is in contact with the aliens out on Mars. He’s their “mole” on Earth.
