Sell Me on Rogue Trooper

[Greg M.]

Major Magnum was the most under used GI, had potential.

He certainly gets one of the [spoiler]most underwhelming deaths[/spoiler] in the series... he's back, he's kicking ass, he's got Rogue cold... oh wait, [spoiler]the Norts have made him shoot himself[/spoiler]. Bugger.

[Paul faplad Finch]

Rogue Trooper is one of the best examples of the coincidentally appropriate naming of comic characters (in the same way that Dr Doom or Sinestro were never going to grow up to be good guys). Can you guess which bits of equipment the biochips of his dead buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman get placed in? Or whether Rogue would turn out to be an obedient and compliant soldier?

I'd recommend trying the first volume of the Tales of Nu Earth at the very least. Once he actually found the Traitor General, the story lost direction a bit and suffered several reboots of varying success, none of them as good as that original (long) run.

The first episode is a master-class in introducing a new story and engaging the reader in just 5 pages. By episode 2, Rogue already felt familiar and we knew exactly what sort of story it was. And as Greg M says, the visualisation of this future-war is fantastic. from the world, to the chem-suits and equipment, it all has a wonderfully distinct look.

Favourite story? I think it was the one where Bagman goes a bit mental and starts unpacking himself in the middle of action. It features a fabulous splash page showing all Rogue's equipment spread out, handily labelled, including the legendary digi pin-ups. (although we never saw these in action - "Keep watch Gunnar; and Bagman, break out the digi pin-ups, I fancy a quick wank!"

A while back, as an experiment that came to naught, I wanted to see if I could write a workable pilot script based on Rogue. Knowing that the name situation was ever so slightly open to ridicule I came up with the following:

The GIs would be referred to only by serial numbers. A 6 digit number denoting their 4 man 'batch' and then A B C D on the end. (They would address each other by the letters only when talking amongst themselves). This would last until the end of the pilot when 'D', the last GI standing, would give them names. Then one of them would ask about him and he would refer back to a radio broadcast about a 'rogue' and anounce "I am the Rogue Trooper"  (Corny, I know, but it wouldn't be a big arms to the sky yelled proclamation or anything, just a statement)

I figured that the names he chose would show that, despite his lethal sophistication when it came to dealing out death, he was lacking in any knowledge in all other matters, hence the childlike, obvious choices.

I later amended the idea so that Gunnar already had his name, given as reward for being the best shot in a regiment of crack shots. This would serve a dual purpose. Firstly it would make Rogues choices even more childlike, in that he simply emulated the 'named for purpose' method and secondly it would allow for some foreshadowing of Gunnars really po-faced superiority complex . He was the only one worthy of a name wasn't he? Didn't that mean he must be better than the others?


What do people think, would it work as a fudge? Anyone got any other/better ways of making it work?

Oh, and definitely Rogue over Nemesis, but then I'm biased.

[Leigh S]

I always assumed a way to make this work without an retconning would be that they worked as 4 men teams with assigned roles. 

There was one who if killed had knowledge of the helmets features, one with the bag and one with the gun.  Plus a 4th "Wild card", as if 3 are dead, you need soemone who could fit into teh living persons role (so if Helm was the last one alive, he would use Rogue in his place etc)

Helm, Bagman, Gunnar and Rogue? 

Works for me. After all, they probably were never given real names and either defined themselves by those roles, as they ahd nothing else or were named along those lines by the Genies - what easier way to keep track of who was going to do what?

[Judge Olde]

Hm, if it's in the prog, read it. Nothing to be sold. Some turkeys over the years to be sure. RT hung about well past his sell by date & suffered from over cloning BUT there are many good stories to be found from all GI's blue. If you need help with finding the good from the bad, do you also need help turning the pages too? 

[Greg M.]

I later amended the idea so that Gunnar already had his name, given as reward for being the best shot in a regiment of crack shots. This would serve a dual purpose. Firstly it would make Rogues choices even more childlike, in that he simply emulated the 'named for purpose' method and secondly it would allow for some foreshadowing of Gunnars really po-faced superiority complex . He was the only one worthy of a name wasn't he? Didn't that mean he must be better than the others?

I think that actually is the reason Gunnar's called Gunnar. It's in 'Milli-Com Memories'. He gets called Gunnar because he's the best shot.

[Staz Johnson]

Rogue Trooper was I think, an almost perfect concept for an action-comic character. I'd even go as far as to say that the initial concept was more fully rounded out than Dredd's was (or has everyone forgotten that MC1 had police as well as judges originally), the difference was that whereas in the Dredd stories any uncomfortable plot holes were papered over & forgotten about by loyal readers, with Rogue the plot holes almost became the raison d'être of the strip.

Take those first 10 or more episodes of Rogue, they are superb examples of brevity in storytelling. As has been said previously in this thread, the first story is as colse to a perfect introduction as it's possible to get. By the end of those 7 pages, we know EXACTLY what Rogue Trooper is about without having to have it explained with 4 pages of talking heads. In recent years, the whole Nu Earth version of Rogue Trooper got a bit of a bashing, refered to in embarrasing whispers as the *snigger* bio-chip years. But come on.. this is a sci-fi story, & the concept of the bio chips was a stroke of genius, I'm sure someone would tell me that it was ripped off of some william Gibson novel, but if it was, I never read that novel, & it's a superb solution to having a lone character who isn't alone.

I admit that the convientiently named bio-chip buddies is a tad twee, but as has been demonstrated within this thread, any re-boot of the character could quite easily come up with a decent explanation. The idea that originally they were a four man team as suggested by Leigh, works for me. Modern SAS fire teams work in this way, each man being a superb soldier in his own right, but each having a specific speciality. It's easy to see how these specialities could be transfered to the Rogue Trooper characters:-

Rogue - team leader
Gunnar - explosives expert
Helm - communications
Bagman - medic

As I have said elsewhere, the main problem with the strip was that the hunt for the traitor became too protracted & lacked focus. Even at the end, when he is finally dispatched, we never know WHO the traitor was! In the marauders story (which is otherwise a terrific story) he even refers to himself as 'The Traitor General'. I got the impression that editorial were overwhelmed by the success of the strip, & in a bout of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' turned the strip into 'The Fugitive in space'. For my money it would have been better to have Rogue track down the traitor much earlier in the strip.. & while he was at it, find out who the traitor was & why he'd betrayed the GI regiment, & then continue the story (with some explanation as to why the bio chips couldn't get re-gened) on Nu Earth.  No one ever complains that Batman continues to fight crime, even though he caught his parent's killer & avenged their deaths years ago. With Rogue, similar complaints make even less sense. I mean, he was created to fight against the Norts on that planet! That's why he exists, that's what he does!.. Taking him to a different theatre of combat makes no sense whatso ever. Catching the traitor early on free's him up to fullfill his original destiny.

All of that said, as far as I am aware, there are no plans to continue Rogue Trooper as an ongoing character beyond the strip I am drawing right now, so all of this is probably futile anyway.

[ming]

All of that said, as far as I am aware, there are no plans to continue Rogue Trooper as an ongoing character beyond the strip I am drawing right now...

Nooooooooo!


An otherwise great post, Staz.

By the by, didn't biochips appear in Dredd before they cropped up in Rogue?

[The Corinthian]

Dredd and Walter?

Nah, Walter's clearly far too infatuwated with Joe to be getting any. Though clearly there was a love that dared not speak its name in play in the early Dredd domestic setup. Mean and Fink Angel were onto something when they saw through that whole "housekeeper" front.

First Maria, then DeMarco, what is it with Joe and "nominally Italian" chicks?

[James Stacey]

First Maria, then DeMarco, what is it with Joe and "nominally Italian" chicks?

Beeny is Hispanic does she count ?

[SmallBlueThing]

Having read the first dozen or so episodes of rogue fairly recently, im sure the 'group of four' idea is explicitely stated in the flashbacks to the quartz zone massacre. And rogue's name, im sure, comes from his 'early tendency to rebel'. Which suggests that he should very quickly have become known as 'liquidised in the vats trooper'. But i guess that's not as catchy.
I dont think they ever address why helm, bagman and gunnar are so called. Maybe helm wasnt much liked, and was thought a bit of a helmet in the GI canteen, bagman favoured elderly prostitutes and gunnar was an arsenal fan?
SBT

[Paul faplad Finch]

I later amended the idea so that Gunnar already had his name, given as reward for being the best shot in a regiment of crack shots. This would serve a dual purpose. Firstly it would make Rogues choices even more childlike, in that he simply emulated the 'named for purpose' method and secondly it would allow for some foreshadowing of Gunnars really po-faced superiority complex . He was the only one worthy of a name wasn't he? Didn't that mean he must be better than the others?

I think that actually is the reason Gunnar's called Gunnar. It's in 'Milli-Com Memories'. He gets called Gunnar because he's the best shot.

Shit, really?    I mean, I knew that, of course I did. Still think my overall idea is quite good. Although as others have said, there are much simpler explanantions possible and I've totally overthought it.  Me all over realy.

[Dash Decent]

Helm, Bagman, Gunnar and Rogue? 

Works for me. After all, they probably were never given real names and either defined themselves by those roles, as they had nothing else or were named along those lines by the Genies - what easier way to keep track of who was going to do what?

I think Leigh has nailed it.

Though I still have a niggling worry that "Traitor General" was the guy's actual name.

"Excuse me, General Traitor-General, you're not thinking of selling out to the Norts, are you?"
"Why no, Lieutenant Gullible."
"Oh!  Carry on then!"

[Greg M.]

Though I still have a niggling worry that "Traitor General" was the guy's actual name.

"Excuse me, General Traitor-General, you're not thinking of selling out to the Norts, are you?"
"Why no, Lieutenant Gullible."
"Oh!  Carry on then!"

Genius.  I love how Bland & Brass used to call him 'TG' in mock affection. When Bland & Brass are taking the piss out of you, you know you have problems.

[Satnav]

I quite enjoyed the Realpolitik storyline. Made the Norts seem marginally less cartoony.

[Trout]

STAK!