In a groundswell of conservatism and religious morality, a
new era in America has been born. The American government, after centuries of straddling
the fence of responsibility and individual rights, decides that it must make a moral stand
to insure the future of the American people and lead them into a new era of righteousness.
Harkening back to the roots which were the base of the
nation, the people and their representatives turned to the doctrines of morality which the
government felt was their duty to impose for the good of all.
Dangerous substances like drugs were already prohibited.
Tobacco and alcohol were limited to adults and served no good will purposes. They too,
were relegated to the realm of Drugs and banned totally. Firearms, dangerous in the hands
of those who might protest the law, were strictly curtailed and allowed for recreational
use such as target practice and hunting.
It was a hope for a new America, an America returned to the
moral upstanding of its forefathers. An America destined for enlightenment.
But it was also an America drenched in years of an
undercurrent of crime, a cartel that fed the sinners and teased the law-abiding with the
allure of the dangerous.
Organized Crime is revitalized and taken to new heights. The
Mafia breaks out of its lethargic state and flexes long thought lost muscles. The Yakuza
moves in from Japan, sensing a new territory to exploit. The Black Hand is reborn as are
the Westies and the mob for hire, Murder Inc. New gangs form from the immigrants as the
Koreans, Chines, Vietnamese, Arabs, Cubans, and dozens of other nationalities form their
own gangs for safety and of course, profit.
Civic officials are overwhelmed. Crime below them on the
streets joins the graft that goes on above in the boardrooms. They find themselves in a
lonely position of danger and denial. It is a war that can not be won so many decide to do
the safe and secure thing, they join them.
How would life be different today if prohibition had never
ended? Would history have changed? What would have become of Elliott Ness' ongoing battles
with the mob bosses and bootleggers of his time? Well, here's your chance to find out.
Twenty years after the fall of Capone and the rise to fame of
Ness comes a new group of Treasury agents code-named Untouchables. Led by the Ness-like
commanding officer, Joe Tarpley, this rag-time, bunch of misfits and sharpshooters are out
to take their city back. Crime, like prohibition has not gone away. Corruption runs
rampant through the Chicago police force and a new generation of mobsters have taken
control of the city. Prohibition now includes not only liquor, but tobacco and firearms.
In this new puritan era, gambling seems to be the only vice allowed by law, so casinos
have sprouted up around the city-rivaling the neon-glory of Las Vegas. Gun fights, car
chases, informants, gangsters, cops, nightclubs and sexy dames galore can be found
throughout this hard-boiled, alternate take on the days of the mob and the officers who
hunted them.
"I've always been a huge fan of the classic gangster
movies and that era in general. I love the clothes, the tommy guns, the cars, the
atmosphere," writer Joe Pruett went on to say, "when the idea of doing an
'elseworlds' type story with the Untouchables was first discussed I jumped at the chance!
It was a dream writing assignment as far as I was concerned. The chance to work with
Kaluta and John also was a big plus."
