THE PEOPLE'S THOR
Creative Briefing by Bill Jemas 4/7/03

In this story, Thor's missions are a thinly veiled metaphor for American Diplomacy outside of the easy reach of the Authority of the United States of America.

Thor has it all - a living god, handsome, wealthy powerful.

And get this; he's a great guy too. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and James T. Kirk all rolled up into one.

And everywhere he goes, every challenge he faces, no matter how great or small, he LOSES. All that talent and power and MORAL righteousness and this guy is rejected by the locals and drummed out of town, everywhere he goes.

And, he goes like the Eveready bunny; he keeps moving from wild fantasyland to incredible dreamlike realm. He travels the world, hunting bad guys, putting down rebellions, rescuing other diplomats, etc. (he's American Foreign Policy on a road trip).

But he never goes to places that are close to his homeland. So he has to accomplish what he needs to do by winning over the local community. In the places Thor goes, he will be like an American official in a third-world wilderness or underworld, or like an ambassador to Russia or China during the Cold war.

Not that he isn't a god or nothing: this boy is armed to the teeth. That hammer of his wields the kind of power that a modern American Army could reign down on a third-world nation. But that's not the way to win the hearts and minds of the people. He'd rather throw around some money, or capture the local banditos, or beat down the local strongman - all for the good of the people.

Who, by the way, can't freaking stand him.

Wait till you see our golden boy fighting for women's rights in this kingdom where women wear veils and are married to men who are chosen by their parents.

He gets in there, rallies the right-thinking men around the plight of this beautiful, intelligent, wonderful shopkeeper who wants to run for mayor.

And damned if Thor doesnít get the men to agree that this babe can run for mayor . . . and they are even going to let the wives vote.

But now it's Election Day. And some dragon or something (representing old fashioned thinking) attacks the voting place and Thor kicks his dragon ass.

So the election goes ahead, BUT THE BABE LOSES. Turns out she's a real bitch and the women hate her.

And the local women gang up on Thor with like brooms and mops, and smack the $#!# out of him. They want to wear veils and the want arranged marriages. They don't want to live in a world ruled by pretty girls.

"When you know who you want to marry, you just tell your mom and she tells his mom,"
says a young, veiled maiden as she hits him right up side his head with a rolling pin.

Lights out.

In terms of setting, we want to take Thor full-force into the Fantasy/Conan the Barbarian world. The world in which Thor travels is not Earth, or if it is, not like any time on Earth we are familiar with. Thor's adventures should involve dragons, witches, spirits, and other Fantasy world creatures and characters. The places and people should be strange, but the stories should be familiar and resonate with a contemporary audience.

OK, but please don't worry about why he's on the move. Don't make up any rings or gems to collect. Seen grail, searched it. This series not about that.

This Thor is about a god going around to do good stuff. You don't need to explain anything. Readers donít question that gods want to do good stuff. People donít question the presence and roll of American diplomats any where in the world. Think about it, we don't even question why we sent an American diplomat to the freaking MOON.

Honestly, I'm afraid if you start thinking about gathering gemstones, you are going to lose focus on what the book is about. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FAILURE. The failure of Power and Reason and Morality, when the Strong, Intelligent, Moral Hero does not embrace the loves, hates and fears of the people he wants to Rule or Govern or Help.

And we need some sex-appeal: on this journey, a young woman accompanies Thor. They are just partners, nothing romantic, but everything romantic (sarcastic, antagonistic, with an attraction simmering underneath, which is not acted on for a long, long time -- if ever).

Please think about this: Thor is a god. From a human point of view, the godlike qualities of reason and righteousness really do lose to basest human traits of pecking order and politics.

Please think about this: Thor is a god. From a religious point of view, Thor is a missionary, an exported god. From a foreign policy point of view, this book is about the failure of exporting American society.

And, while we're at it think about this: Thor will be an intensely patriotic book, because Thor truly believes that Truth and Justice is the American Way. His mission is not about rings or gemstones. Thor seeks to carry Truth and Justice as far and wide as he can, and suffer whatever slings and arrows he must along the way.