Tag: action force

Black Sails and Red Skies

An examination of the fractured reality within the Action Force storyline

Introduction

If you read my previous blog entitled , Divide and Conquer, I discussed the practicality of the events as described within the Action Force mythos.

Tonight I want to continue that by delving into the upcoming Series that Valaverse plans to release called The Black.

It’s a new series of figures from an all new faction that are comprised of former Naval Special Warfare operators. In short, they have taken over the U.S. Navy‘s fleet of warships, and now patrol our waters as modern day maritime mercenaries or pirates.

That’s all well and good for pretend, but it lacks the depth of what would really be occurring if the United States had dissolved to begin with.

Let’s be honest: this is a line of military action figures and comics marketed primarily for adult collectors, and within that fanbase are those who are and have served their country.

Anyone who has served looks at toys like Action Force, or G.I.Joe, and immediately begins critiquing the figures based on their appearance. They are looking for accuracy and realism, not what they played with in their childhood.

So it’s only fair to expect that same level of critique within a brand’s back story. What you’re looking for is consistency and continuity; a parallel to real world events with the appeal of action and adventure.

That’s why companies like Hasbro and Valaverse constantly release new comics and new figures; they are trying to sustain their brands through innovative and unique marketing strategies.

So what could that potentially look like with the new series from Valvaverse? Let’s find out.

The Black: What we know

Thus far, all we have been told is that The Black are a group of former Naval Special Operations operators who have somehow commandeered parts of or the entirety of the former United States Naval fleet of warships.

They use these ships to patrol the coastal waters of the former United States, offering safety and security, for a price. They also have their own agenda, that puts them at odds with both Action Force and New Colonia.

It sounds interesting, but from a writer’s perspective there are a lot of questions that immediately come to mind, with the first being the status of the U.S. Navy fleet itself.

Logic and logistics

To provide some context to this subject you have to understand that when you have an idea for a story, there is a tremendous amount of research that must be done.

For companies like Hasbro and Valaverse, they use technical consultants like myself who are experienced subject matter experts in a specific field like the military.

Talking to people like me gives the creative team a grounded reality check in how things work, which in turn allows them to flesh out their ideas, while making necessary adaptations or changes.

This is especially important in something like a military themed comic and toy line, particularly one being marketed primarily to adult collectors and fans.

Without that working knowledge of the real world model, the creative team will likely add elements that are inaccurate and unrealistic. G.I.Joe is one brand that has continued to do this time and time again in many areas.

Minute details may not stand out to younger fans, however adult collectors with experience and training will most likely notice these details, and be irked by them.

So when I think of a bunch of frogs commandeering the fleet, my mind immediately raises a flag of its own. This is particularly true when you consider how many personnel it takes to operate just one surface vessel.

Take for example, an Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyer. They are arguably the backbone of the United States Navy surface combatant fleet, with a total of seventy four ships in service as I write this.

Each of these guided missile destroyers has a crew complement of three hundred sailors! Compare that to roughly ten thousand sailors that comprise Naval Special Warfare Command.

Of that, roughly three thousand sailors make up the Seal teams. The remainder comprise SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen), command, intelligence, and support personnel.

One carrier battle group comprises ten warships, manned by ten thousand sailors and marines, and there are eleven active carriers in the fleet. You do the math, and it becomes apparent that the frogs aren’t going to keep the entire fleet afloat.

Creating Compromise

Now that you know some facts and figures, it becomes apparent that The Black would be reliant upon former sailors to hop on board their recruitment program.

Greed speaks to the heart of many Americans, who have made material wealth and money their god. It would be reasonable to presume that The Black would seek to capitalize on the desire for money from those sailors still reeling from The Divide.

With no sense or purpose or direction, it would be natural for them to be attracted to the adventure of serving at sea as they once did for America, while being promised bounty beyond their imagination.

( A note here: Since we don’t know what type of currency is at play in the Action Force mythos, I would have to presume some form of cryptocurrency).

Just because the United States has dissolved, does not mean every country in the world has. On the contrary, there are nations who would be harmed financially, but who would recover in the long run.

Others however, would pounce on the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. With that, the seas are the primary trade lanes for commerce, which would make them a constant and lucrative source of income for would be pirates.

Companies looking to recover from financial loss would naturally seek out guaranteed security for their shipments going across insecure and uncertain waters.

Story-telling potential

It’s obvious that this new faction has the potential to expand the Action Force mythos by adding depth to an ever expanding story. What isn’t clear is how each of the existing factions will fit into this new narrative.

Obviously, all aspects of The Black cannot take place on the high seas. More than anything, I see their role being limited to coastal and littoral waters around the former United States.

From a writer’s perspective, you have to have an end planned from the beginning. In other words, there has to be an end goal established for each of these story lines to build up to.

That implies that with the creation of a new faction like The Black, that there exists an end goal for them, if in no other form than a sticky note on somebody’s desk.

For now, there are many more questions than answers, and I am anxious to see The Black make their first appearance in the pages of a comic.

Divide and Conquer

An in-depth discussion of the Action Force narrative

Introduction

I am a huge fan of the Action Force comics and figures produced by Valaverse, so naturally I am fascinated by the story behind it.

Bobby Vala has created a very interesting mythos for these characters, that in many ways has an eerily familiar parallel to modern day events.

The catalyst for the narrative is an event called “the Divide”, in which the United States of America is dissolved, with each state becoming its own sovereign republic.

In spite of reading the comics from the series, I find myself left with more questions than answers. How exactly did the United States cease to be? What caused it? What happens to the U.S. military, its assets, and infrastructure?

These are just a few of the immediate questions that one would be faced with in such a crisis of this magnitude. So, in this post I am endeavoring to fill in some of the unanswered aspects of the Action Force narrative, that may help casual readers as well as hard core fans to better understand the mythos.

I will preface this by stating that I am not endorsed nor have I received permission from Valaverse to write this post; I’m simply a fan having fun by delving into this exciting universe from my own experience and research.

Catalyst for crisis

In the Action Force mythos, a series of events leads to the dissolution of the United States of America. In its place are fifty independent states. Sovereign and fractured by the Divide, they now stand alone to pick up the pieces. The first question is, could this really occur, and if so, how?

In theory yes, the United States could be dissolved as a Republic, but it would not occur overnight. One possibility would be a series of catastrophic events that occur in succession.

An example would look like this: Economic collapse occurs, followed by riots, violence, natural disasters (like the earthquake of 2028 in the Action Force mythos), and even domestic conflict.

Whatever the events that begin the chain reaction, they must all lead to the same outcome: multiple states become fed up with the state of affairs in the federal government.

From there, two-thirds of the state legislatures could then call for a constitutional convention under Article V.

The only way that the republic could be dissolved then, is that two-thirds vote determines that the dissolution of the union is in the best interests of the American people.

At this point an amendment to dissolve the Union is drafted, and sent to each state for ratification under Article V. If three fourths majority sign it, then it would become accepted as a legally binding document and become law.

At that point on that day, the United States of America would cease to exist as a unified republic of fifty states. This would then require and begin the process of disposition in each state of federal assets and liabilities.

This would include any and all United States military assets and infrastructure within each state. The process would be daunting, as each state would most likely activate their National Guard and use it as a temporary command to carry out this process in a controlled and safe manner.

At the top of this list would be the United States nuclear arsenal. Based on International law, The U.S. could theoretically request international assistance from NATO partners prior to the dissolution, in order to provide time for these weapons to be secured, dismantled, and taken into the custody of allied partners.

They may even assign NATO forces to oversee this at current decommissioning sites stateside. This process would take months, if not years to complete, and would be the most high-risk aspect of the dissolution of the union.

The second and third tiers of responsibility for the states would be Air and naval assets, respectively. By all accounts, the bulk of these would cease to be utilized due to the fact that their operation requires tens of thousands of certified personnel across the country to do so.

Of greatest concern would be the security risk they pose to foreign enemies seeking to take advantage of the fallen union. Internally, there would be an unprecedented amount of chaos and lawlessness in most states.

Disease, hunger, and violent crime would skyrocket. There would food shortages, power outages, uncontrollable reactions from the worst in society. These events would most likely result in localized armed conflicts of themselves.

Local first responders and the national guard would be outnumbered and overwhlemed by the sheer number of incidents. Medical emergencies would overwhelm local emergency rooms, and the death toll would rise.

The world would watch America tear itself apart, while it too felt the effects across the oceans. Without the commanding presence of the United States and its leadership to guide the free world, other nations would also suffer.

There would be untold economic repercussions, while the wild cards like China and Russia would seize the moment for their own agendas.

Wars would ensue that would require the entire free world to band together in a way that they never thought possible. It would be a trying time for everyone.

In the midst of the chaos, some states in the union may seek safety in numbers and propose regional alliances with each other. State governors would undoubtedly seek to maintain stable economic ties, while ensuring continuity of commerce across borders.

Laws would be amended, or at least temporarily so, in order to reflect the state of the fallen Republic.While there may be a conservative effort to restore the Republic, there would most likely be resistance from liberal states and their leaders.

They may enjoy their newfound independence, and begin making laws which benefit the ultra-elite, rather than the common good of everyday citizens. It is from these crevices in society that the greatest threat may emerge.

Leaders from every sector of society banding together in what would formerly be criminal enterprise, sowing discord within, while forming allegiances with external enemies of the former United States of America.

Evil people who would do anything to capitalize on open access to the land of the free, with unrestrained ambition driving their every move. The only way to counter such a threat would be a clandestine and unified military organization on land, derived from former military personnel who could be vetted.

They would have to have a single objective, with unequivocal support. Their missions would be clandestine by necessity and would require unparallel cooperation across state lines.

It would be a daunting task, but not an impossible one. The key to success would be unity and the use of surgical operations aimed at exploiting intelligence.

Months if not years would be required, but there would come a point in the near future where if enough states unified under a single banner, they could reclaim what was lost.

This then, is an extremely hypothetical yet realistic scenario for what we have been made privy to in the Action Force mythos.

Through the use of multiple factions playing different angles, we are being given a glimpse into corruption fully conceived in this nation.

The answer then, is a response as unconventional and unanticipated as the evil that demands we respond to it.

Conclusion

What we see in the Action Force mythos is if anything, an eerie parallel to current global events. This isn’t our favorite action cartoon of yesteryear; it is rather a wake-up call to the reality around us.

If anything, playing with these action figures or reading the comics should motivate us to live lives that are above reproach, abiding by an ethical, legal, and moral code no matter the conditions around us.

It’s time for Action!