Arrowed: Weird War Tales

The new feature inspired by great cosplay and fan art where I imagine various DC properties taken to the small screen and wonder aloud just what their shows would be like. Today's pitch: Weird War Tales
Fan art by: Phil Postma (from his website, Minion Factory)

It's Remembrance Day, and I wanted to do something appropriate for it, but there isn't a whole lot of war comics-related cosplay out there. This beautiful piece featuring G.I. Robot is a rare exception. And while I don't advocate creating a G.I. Robot TV show, I could see him as part of the ensemble cast of a slightly surreal WWII program based on DC's war comics. The Allies and Axis both have decided to step their game up in the final year of the war, and everything is possible. The Nazis are breaking out the War Wheels and Hitler is fiddling with the Spear of Destiny. The Allies are trying a number of off-the-books projects from building robots to reviving dead flesh (the Creature Commandos) to thawing out a Viking Commando.

Obviously, Weird War Tales - or a more television-worthy title might be Weird War Two - would follow several characters, skipping from one's subplot to another's, like say Caprica, Treme or Gotham. Characters with promise include the Unknown Soldier, the Haunted Tank, the Losers and a squad shipwrecked on Dinosaur Island, waging the War That Time Forgot. Sgt. Rock, the Blackhawks and Mlle Marie might cameo, or even be the focus of an arc at some point, but they're not strange enough to be regulars. Gravedigger, the Ghost Patrol, the Boy Commandos and the Suicide Squad (or the similar Hunter's Hellcats) would all be welcome however. And whatever else they can poach from one-off Weird War Tales - strange technology, temporal shenanigans, apes in uniform...

Band of Brothers and The Pacific were great. This is that. Tour of Duty and China Beach were great. This is that too. The stories need to test our characters' humanity and pay respect to our veterans. But it's also Hellboy. And Raiders of the Lost Ark. And Iron Sky. And Inglorious Basterds. I'd watch the heck out of that.

Comments

American Hawkman said…
This'd make a great Twilight Zone/Outer Limits style anthology series for a cable network. Use the Unknown Soldier as host. :)
Jeff R. said…
This looks like a premium cable project to me more than a network one or even a basic cable one. I'd stay away from anything too much like an old-style anthology, although the neo-anthology format of American Horror Story or True Detective, where each season is a self-contained story with its own cast of characters, might work to give each high concept enough time to figure itself out...