Well, it took some serious wrestling with my baser instincts, but ultimately I’ve decided to take the high road and have a proper chapter, rather than declaring it “complete” on the basis that all of the elements from the title have already made an appearance.
So let’s get started with the re-introductions. Biff goes first, this time around, and his design hasn’t actually changed much – I was already pretty happy with the way it was, so I’ve concentrated my creative impulses on Biff’s fellows instead. Unlike Gregory, Biff also doesn’t get a boost to his intelligence – Gregory went from shambling to articulate, Biff remains shambling, for the time being.
One innovation is that the team has an official name now. Scientific Air Service Squad, a combined hommage to the Science Patrol from the Ultraman franchise and the real life Special Air Service (or S.A.S.). And neither the S.A.S. nor the S.A.S.S. are airborne units, in the former’s case that designation was only chosen to mislead German intelligence, and it’s still being used because…uh… I dunno? Probably they still aren’t fully trusting those German intelligence guys..=P (I’m not sure if the “special” in the unit’s name was similarly intended as a decoy – some of their vehicles did somewhat look like short buses, though…>_>)
Introductory narratives in B-movies often aim for a certain pseudo-high-brow-documentary style, that’s why I thought the thing about mens sana in corpore sano was appropriate…to decide if it’s really appropriate for the kind of sports Biff engages in, is left as an exercise for the esteemed reader.
More on Thursday!