The Superpower Project

With the help of a wisecracking, steampunk robot, two accidental superheroes discover that they have inherited some amazing, if unusual, abilities. Computer whiz Megan can fly (mostly sleep-flying, but she's working on it) while her best friend Cameron can (in theory) transform into any animal, but mostly ends up as a were-hamster. 

Together they must protect the source of their ancestral powers from a wannabe evil mastermind and his gang of industrial transformer robots who've disguised themselves as modern art installations on their Greenock estate.

It isn't easy to balance school and epic super-battles, not to mention finding time to search for other super-talents and train with their Mr Miyagi-esque were-tiger coach. Can Megan and Cam beat the bad guy, defeat his robot transformers and become the superheroes they were born to be? Kelpies Prize shortlisted author Paul Bristow creates a hilarious tongue-in-cheek superhero mash up with a dangerous twist!


My first children's book, The Superpower Project, published by the wonderful Floris Books, is now available from the Discover Kelpies website and Amazon.

The book was originally written in early 2014 and was shortlisted for the 2014 Kelpies Prize. In fact, Kelpies are running their 2016 prize now, so if you have an idea for a childrens book, have a look.

The Superpower Project is a treasure hunt mystery for 8-12s, set in and around Inverclyde and featuring popular places and forgotten spaces which will be familiar to local readers; the Sugar Sheds, the cemetery, the McLean Museum, Fergusons, King George V parkland…all sorts of nooks and crannies.

A few places were tweaked slightly to help the story along - so Ravenscraig Hospital becomes Crowfell Hospital and relocates to the East End of Greenock, and the abandoned Glebe Sugar Warehouse becomes the much less abandoned Tobacco Warehouse...but it should still be an Inverclyde local readers will recognise. And I'm really pleased that it's set here, because at it's heart, the book is trying to say something about change, and how we should appreciate the importance of where we come from - although obviously it's saying that with robots, explosions and fights in graveyards and abandoned hospitals...
You can read the first three chapters for free right here.

Time and Place - Celebration Ode

Our Restorations film featured a version of the poem Celebration Ode, by Jock Scott and British Sea Power.

Here are some more versions of this 'Greenock anthem' by local musicians...

Steam! Sugar! Superpowers!

A slightly off topic post from me today, not directly Magic Torch related, but (maybe) of interest to fans of local heritage, folklore and stories.

The Superpower Project is the name of a children's book I have written. It's set in and around Inverclyde, using a backdrop of the sorts of folklore and legends of the area that are frequently found on this blog and featuring lots of local spaces and places, such as the Tobacco Warehouse, Glebe and the Sugar Sheds.

The book was shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2014, and was also shortlisted for the Montegrappa / Scholastic Prize for New Children's Writing 2014 under it's original title of Tin Jimmy.

I'm delighted to be able to say that the book will be published by Kelpies in Spring 2016. Kelpies are an imprint of Edinburgh based Floris Books and they publish some amazing, award winning Scottish children's fiction. Check out their wonderful new winter publications catalogue.

If you are interested, you can read some of the early draft chapters over on my personal blog.

The Superpower Project
Megan has a secret, a big secret that only her recently exploded Grandmother knows. To uncover the truth behind her secret, she and her best friend Cam must follow an old town map down forgotten roads and disappeared places, through abandoned bomb shelters and railway tunnels, to graveyards and secret passages beneath the river. And all the while, the sinister men from the Waterworx company are watching, with their strangely menacing Public Art sculptures...

Tin Jimmy : James Watt's Robot

James Watt's workshop from SCRAN

The following was excised from the notebooks of James Watt on grounds of National Security.

I could think of nothing but that machine.

By day I was working on more plans and sketches for Dalmarnock, but each evening was spent imagining this marvellous steam powered man.

As our world moved further and further towards full automation, I envisaged a future where even the greatest of our weaknesses - war - could become automatic, both creating new industry and saving lives. My automaton soldier would take the place of flesh and bone, never wearying, always obeying. Stronger, more determined and relentless - a metal man.

I busied myself with the plans, taking care to have the parts created in several different foundries, fearing some would think me mad for such an endeavor. I had no wish to play God, only to serve man.

I began to see the other applications; if successful in war, perhaps the automatons could be put to work in mines or in the more hazardous factory professions. I was creating us a workforce, which would leave mankind more time to indulge in the pursuit of science and social reform, surely the only ways forward for our society.

By the winter of 1811, he was built, already capable of several movements, determined by the notations upon a cylinder, much like a barrel organ. Differing actions could be achieved using different cylinders. I quickly realised however, that powering my metal man was t be more challenging than I thought. The energy consumption was intensive, even allowing for reuse of water through steam condensing. Either I would have to make more space to store water, or accept that the automaton would only be able to work in short bursts, requiring assistance to continue. I feel sure I would have achieved this, for the basic principles were all in place, and the most challenging problems - the movements of joints etc, had been all but solved. This is when I was visited by the gentleman from the government. I had dealt with his sort once before, during the unfortunate business with the Saint Nazairre experiments.  Having somehow heard about my experiments with the steam powered soldier, they were interested in deploying my automaton in the Russian and French campaigns. This was not presented to me as a matter open to discussion. My metal man was taken.

I heard but brief reports of his exploits, enough to know he survived destruction on the peninsula. Despite several requests for his return, he remained with the military, and my missives to parliament, went unanswered. I tired of trying and moved on to further works.

I do not think of him often, he was simply another experiment, a tool. However, if maintained correctly, I see absolutely no reason that my automatic man will not outlive us all.

Tin Jimmy

Megan has a secret, a big secret that only her recently exploded Grandmother knows. To uncover the truth behind her secret, she and her best friend Cam must follow an old town map down forgotten roads and disappeared places, through abandoned bomb shelters and railway tunnels, to graveyards and secret passages beneath the river. And all the while, the sinister men from the Waterworx company are watching, with their strangely menacing Public Art sculptures...

Tin Jimmy is a character in a childrens book I'm re/writing called The Superpower Project. It's unashamedly based in Inverclyde, using a backdrop of the sorts of folklore and legends of the area that appear on here, and featuring characters that appear in Identity : The Archivist's Treasure, our childrens book Wee Nasties, the Tales of the Oak comic and at The Dutch Gable House.

I've been sharing bits of it on my Stramashed blog over the last few months.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

This is kind of how I imagine he looks...

The Big Duluth on deviant art

Here are a few related stories from this blog...

Captain Nemo : Propulsion

The Cabin Boy

And here's a wee unrelated steampunk love poem from my other blog. Awwww.

The Steampunk community, as you would imagine, do like a bit of the old James Watt...

James Watt, perhaps outraged that in future he will be dishonoured by the
very rude renaming of his college, creates a giant robot to destroy us all.
(by Andy Lee, as seen in our Tales of the Oak comic)

Watt's This? Giant Robot Attack!

Few work in progress snippets from Andy Lee, wonder watt this thing could be?

And on a totally unrelated note, here's the first in an irregular series of strips by Andy n myself highlighting some of the social niceties of living in the West of Scotland.

Pirate Ships and Drowning Horses

Today, on the 310th anniversary of Kidd's execution and with the compass pointing south, we set sail for merry London where from this week you can enjoy "Pirates : The Captain Kidd Story" an interactive exhibition at the Museum of London at the Docklands. Looks great.





As part of the promo for the exhibition, you can follow Kidd on Twitter, to get excerpts from his not at all incriminating logbooks and snare yourself some pirate related money off vouchers.

As a double whammy...if you are down in London enjoying the Kidd exhibition, you might want to pop over to The Science Museum to the new James Watt and Our World exhibition.

Captain Kidd and James Watt...two of Greenock's most famous sons, hitting the big time down in the big smoke. Y'know...heres a thought...HOW ABOUT CELEBRATING SOME OF OUR HOMEGROWN HEROES BACK HERE IN GREENOCK SOMETIMES!!! Dedicated exhibition, maybe even a sculpture? No...I know...lets build a statue of a dead horse instead.

I know what you're thinking...hang on…why would we want a statue of a murderer and a rogue?

Well…maybe he was unfairly tried…maybe he wasn’t guilty at all…maybe he is symbolic of a misunderstood town like Greenock. And maybe it has just slightly more glamour and history to it than say…a statue of a horse that fell off a dock and drowned, which symbolises…ehm…better health and safety practices for horses?  “Greenock – Flogging A Dead Horse for over 500 years”?

"Ah" you say "But there's now doubt over whether or not Kidd actually came from Greenock, most folk now think he came from Dundee." Yep. And? Folklore and local tradition tell us he came from here...no one is a 100% sure that there's a big Plesiousaur swimming about Loch Ness but that doesn't plenty of people talking about it and going up to have a wee look. Have a bit of fun. Just go with it.

 

Besides, it’s not a statue of the historical character people would want to see…have you seen the real life Kidd? That’s him at the top of the post….not much of a looker. No…better to have a full on swashbuckling, swinging from the rigging pirate…the fictional Kidd, the folk hero Kidd…Kidd the legend.

There are plenty of examples of statues of fictional characters all over the UK, each a miniature tourist draw in their own right. There's the Captain Mainwaring statue in Thetford, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Robin Hood in Nottingham, or my personal favourite HG Wells Martian Fighting Machine from War of the Worlds in Woking. And frankly, your life is incomplete unless you have been to The Dracula Experience in Whitby.

Yes, you’re right…there’s better things to campaign for, there’s more important things to spend money on…but in future…when we consider public artworks, when we consider keeping American tourists in the town for even a half hour longer than they might stay right now, when we want to celebrate something about our heritage which is unique and..get this…internationally recognised…how about we get behind a local hero…Captain Kidd.

Sorry. Rant over, let's all calm down by listening to this spooky pirate lullaby from The Cure's Robert Smith.