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These are my notes from 2002. I interviewed these now famous defenders of truth, justice, good taste and the American way at the beginning of their careers.
Of course, Purple Corp. is now a household name. Their efforts in internet security have made words like "worms", "viruses" and "malware" as archaic as the buggy whip. Their first battle with the so-called "Mister Malware" is chronicled in this story, including an interview with him from his Terra Haute, Indiana cell.
Their "One Palmtop per Human" campaign combined with their network of high powered servers and access points dotting the globe have brought about the true internet age.
This is the story of their humble beginnings as the Purple Team.
"In that shining moment, that single note rang out which echoed like a trumpet through the corridors of the internet. It played the jazz of justice, heroism, web standards and good taste."
The World Wide Web Side Story, Light Horse Comics (c) 2000
Ludwig Ryan: So, the Purple Team formed in the wake of the year two thousand bug?
Mac Attack: (Looking at the quote above) Yeah man, right after the aborted big double zee-roh plop flop. Each of us four cats were trying to riff solo, but it wasn't working out. None of us had the bread to sustain, you dig? I'd be deleting some of Ad Man's nefarious work in Istanbul, and then I'd have like a nuclear reactor having an epic freak-out in France, and a malware outbreak in Sun City, Arizona.
LR: So it was a lack of resources that brought you together? Tackling big problems that none of you could handle individually, but you could easily solve as a team?
MA: Yeah. I guess, Dad. If you want to be all square about it. Whatever.
LR: So why "Purple?" Why not something like . . . I don't know "The Avengers", "The Justice League" or maybe "The Dynamic Four?"
MA: I don't know if you've noticed, Pops. Those are all taken. Stan Lee would keep us in court till we're old and grey over rights issues. I really dig the name. I wish I could steal credit for it, but I can't being a superhero and all. The first part of the gimmick line is "Truth, justice, etc, etc"
I think it was The Coordinator's idea. I don't remember why he wanted it that way though. But purple. Yeah. Color of royalty. Dig?
Mac Attack stands suddenly, striking a heroic pose, her messenger bag goes crashing to the ground . . .
We're the bull goose loonies of the web superhero business. We stand twelve feet tall in our shorts and socks. We wear the seven league boots of Justice!. When Mister Malware or Ad Man, or whatever that freak is calling himself this week sees us coming they know the gig is done. We're gonna kick butt and take names for web standards and good taste!
I create art which is used by our layout specialist, Ars Gratia Artis, to create all the elements you dig so much on a web page. When we do this, in cooperation with The Coordinator and our editor, Jerri White, Editor-At-Large we can create a heroic web site that stands the test of time.
I do my crazy art jazz in Adobe Photoshop CS3 on my iMac 24. There are some really hep free alternatives though! Anyone can download GIMP - cool Linux cats, hep mac users like me and even those far gone windows using lord and ladies.
Paint.net is only for those hipsters, zipsters and low down jazz men and women using Windows XP or Vista. But it's a complete gas for beginners just starting to learn how to make the pixels dance for 'em.
The important thing about all three programs is that they work in layers. Any art or text that you wild cats create will scale as you resize the art. It also makes it gone easy to modify if you need to. There are a lot of great web sites out there about photoshop, gimp and other graphics tools - don't be square, check 'em out!
Why even a guy like you, might learn to create art . . .
For our readers:
GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program
is a free and open source image editor. Available for Windows XP/Vista,
Mac OS X, and Linux.
Paint.net is a freeware image editor
for Windows XP/Vista users.
CAN. YOU. DIG. IT?!?!?!
Mac Attack pumps her fist in the air, while doing the oddest little dance, as her lilting voice fades and silence once again reigns over the Starclucks patio. The other cafe patrons give us baleful looks as they smoke their clove cigarettes and toy with the rubbery chicken that Starclucks is famous for. She stares at me, her eyes drilling right into my very soul. She tosses her head a little and chuckles.
MA: Yeah. Well, I guess you probably can't. Nothing wrong with being square I guess. I'm just glad that I'm not.
MA looks at her fancy wristwatch which has begun blinking as an alarm like whoop fills the air.
LR: Is that your secret web crimes against good taste signal? Are you going on a call? Can I ride along!?!?!
MA: (Snapping her MacBook closed) No, man. This is my Google Android watch. I have to pay the water bill, or they'll cut me off. Again. Ta.
And I watched as this cape-less crusader flew off into the evening gloom, to take care of her latest emergency. I guess real life isn't a comic book.
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