Whitewings

Re: Golden Age Myth?

If you read the original version of the "Comics Code" you will see that it was specifically targeted at the violent horror and crime comics of the era. In particular it was targeted DELIBERATELY at "EC" comics! Apart from Wertham drawing a very loose definition of what was a "crime" comic' date=' there wasn't nearly as much criticism of the "Superhero" comics as there was of the crime and horror comics of that era.[/quote']

True, but the Code made it nearly impossible to tell any story with any kind of depth or significance. Authority had to be good. The villains could never gain from their actions (even temporarily). Violence beyond fisticuffs could not be depicted or even referred to. Drug use could not be referred to, even in a story that showed it to be bad. And on, and on, and on, page after page. I've read the original Code.

Re: Alternate Earth: Superman 2005

That's actually a very hard question to answer, because a world without the modern concept of superheroes would have to be drastically different from our own. However, some elements can be answered. First, the hero will need an origin. If he has genuine super-powers, the explanation will probably be pseudo-scientific because a "magical" or "religious" explanation will get too many people crashing down on you like so many neutron stars. You'll probably get something like "tapping into zero-point energy, the power of the expanding Universe itself," and either a spontaneous mutation or an extraterrestial origin for him. Possibly both; a really clever writer might have an alien race use tailored nanotech to rewrite the parents' DNA so their offspring will have these powers. If they're benevolent, or at least benign, then the couple will have value most of the world calls "good:" Respect for oneself and for others; the judging of situations based on experience and morality, using both reason and compassion; acceptance of personal responsibility for one's actions; the ability to accept that sometimes, there are no good solutions, only degrees of bad (but at the same time refusing to believe that there can never be good solutions, or that one should not at least try to find one). If the aliens are malevolent, then maybe our Superman is raised to be good in spite of them, or grows up to be good despite his parents' example. If he grows up to be amoral or actively evil, he's not a superhero.

Most likely, this version of Superman would be like the early appearance of Superman: Able to "raise tremendous weights! Leap an quarter of a mile! Hurdle the Empire State building! Run faster than a bullet train! And nothing less than the explosion of a cruise missile can harm him!" In simple terms, tremendous magnifications of ordinary human abilities. An ordinary man can throw a baseball ten yard with trivial ease; Superman can throw a wrecking ball ten yards with trivial ease.

If our hypothetical "Superman" does decide to adopt a distinctive costume, it would most likely be based on the outfits used for many extreme sports, meaning a heavy Spandex bodysuit and a helmet, just as the original Superman's was based on a circus strongman's. It will probably be black, with some bright colour for highlighting and a distinctive crest of some sort.

Re: Dr. Doom vs Iron Man

"Fool! Doom can do the Kessel Run in 8 parsecs!"

 

The script for Star Wars reads:

HAN SOLO: "She's the the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs."

BEN: reacts to this blatant attempt at misinformation

So despite what many people think, that line was not an expression of ignorance. It was *supposed* to be meaningless. I won't claim that Lucas has never messed up, but he didn't mess up with that line.

Re: Character question:Savant

The character is a 30 year old man with the intellect of a small boy and a certain degree of Autism. His power is that he is a technical genius, but only in applied science. If you can get him interested in a project, he can build almost any technological device. But ask him a question about how it works, science or engineering in general and he knows nothing. The devices are functional and not powered by his mind or anything. They can be reversed engineered by the sufficiently skilled but are extremely advanced techologically.

 

How would you set up this character?

Buy teh appropriate skills (including professional skills) at high levels (including some 5 point skill levels), but not the usual knowledge skills. PS: Construction, but not KS: Architecture or SS: Materials Science. ANd put a physical limitation in place "Can only use science and engineering skills for direct construction."

Re: why u all sux

But why? Is it faster or just like speaking ubby dubby in frony of your parents?

Check my post on the previous page.

Re: Who would be in this group?

Samurai Jack would be high on my list. Danny Phantom. Maybe the Crimson Chin. Just depends.

CES

Danny Phantom would be a good choice. Others might include Super Samurai, Isis (she was done in animation after her live-action series, so she qualifies), Web Woman, Hadji, and Sinbad Jr.

Re: why u all sux

So what is the purpose of this Leet nonsense? Is it something these guys do instead of being touched by girls?

All languages and jargons serve three basic purposes:

1) Convey information

2) Identify members of a group

3) Exclude people who are not part of a group

Pidgin English, as created in China, is a nearly pure example of purpose 1.

Hacker jargon is a good example of purpose 2.

"Leet" is an almost pure example of 3, as it includes no unique terminology and is extremely poor at conveying information; its primary and nearly sole function is to keep out "lamers," meaning anyone who actually types normally, and considers such things as spelling and grammar to be fundamental rather than optional.

I have a very low opinion of "leet" and its users. You may have noticed this.

Re: Belief in magic by normals.

To quote (approximately) the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" TV series:

"Dad, look at the evidence. Mom's vomiting pins. [lists other not-scientifically-explainable things] Based on the available data, the correct, logical, rational scientific conclusion is that we've been cursed."

If an honest scientist is confronted with enough evidence, he'll concede that yes, magic is real.

Re: Your character's theme song would be?

Liane/Champion Wind: Almost anything cheery will do for Liane, but especially appropriate would be Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Weave Me the Sunshine." As Champion Wind... for my life, I can't think of anything more appropriate than the closing theme from "Battle of the Planets." And I mean "Battle of the Planets," not "Gatchaman."

Ika: She's a timelost cave girl. "Land of the Lost" is too perfect.

Amyrya: The only channeler ever to train in the Tower, get kicked out under permanent shield, free herself of it, be caught by the Seanchan and trained as a damane, then slip her own leash and lead a mass escape. She didn't believe in "impossible" things. "I Am A Pioneer," from Tenchi Muyo is utterly perfect.

Kitahr: "God Save the People" from Godspell. Change "God" to "Sun," and you've got her perfect theme (she's a Zenith)

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen

To "Whitewings" "Agent Paper" Oh Yeah ! What about throwing in "Agent Deep" or the "Three Sisters Detective Agency" (from the "ROD" series) while you are at it ?

Re: WWYCD:Little Girl Lost

Most of my characters would react pretty much the same way in this case: Tell the girl and her parents that in a place far away, she has grandparents and other relatives who would probably like to meet her, and try to persuade her come back with them (assuming that the trip's not likely to be one-way). Don't mention the money, but do mention the opportunity for new experiences, and for education - including education in techniques she can bring back to her tribe if she so chooses. If she's truly determined, so be it, but you can expect them to pull out every argument they can muster.

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen

ummm i dont know any of these people

The sisters (Tam, Alex, and Celia) are from the series "Cat's Eye." Originally Japanese, I know the French version. They're basically theives, searching for clues to the disappearance of their father.

Yomiko is from the anime and manga "Read or Die." She's the ultimate bibliophile, and she has the power to control and manipulate paper. She can create a giant paper airplane (that flies!) from the contents of her paper-filled suitcase, or stop a bullet with a business card.

Angus MacGyver is from the TV series MacGyver. There are probably dozens of web sites for the show.

Tom Swift Jr. and Tom Swift IV are from their respective Tom Swift novel series. Basically, they're scientific and technological geniuses, and extremely wealthy. Among other things, Swift Enterprises controls the biggest, richest iron mine in the world. By the time of Tom Swift IV, they've also built an O'Neill class space colony.

Fred and George Weasley are twin wizards from the Harry Potter novels. They're extremly intelligent, decently educated, highly eccentric, very powerful, and wildly creative.

Re: A Modern League of Extroardinary Gentlemen

I'd like to nominate my "modern League." Taking as my time frame the year 2000, my picks are:

Alex, Tam and Celia, from "Signé Cat's Eye." Alex is social and inflitration, Tam for straight-up burglary, and Celia for tech support.

Angus MacGuyver. Do I really need to spell it out?

Yomiko Readman. She's a living library, and her paper powers are very, very formidable.

Tom Swift Jr. and Tom Swift IV. The Swifts provide monetary backing, gadgets and devices Celia can't manage, and vehicles like the Sky Queen and the atomicars. Plus Tom IV is young enough to take the field, his grandfather isn't really up to field work any more. His father's not particularly useful.

Fred and George Weasley. Those two are disasters looking for someone to happen to; just point them in the right direction.

Re: Superpowers that haven't been thought out...

http://users.rcn.com/kateshort/faqs/racmxFAQ/faq3.html#GENOSHA

Granted, but nonetheless, in my conversations on the subject, this and the subsequent sequences are the most common basis for the belief that the "Carol" persona can shut off Rogue's powers.

Re: Superpowers that haven't been thought out...

What exactly do they use to mine Wakandan Vibranium? Bamboo? Sure isn't any metal implements.

You mean Antarctic Vibranium. And what they use would have to be ceramic mining tools, old fashioned pick-and-shovel mining, with ceramic-reinforced wooden ore cart running on nylon tracks and wheels and light from chemical lightsticks. Heat could be supplied by radiators using non-metallic dry cells to push current through resistive ceramics via conductive plastics (we do have these today).

The processing plant would have to use purely chemical means to refine the ore: Melt it in ceramic crucibles, apply various reagents, etc. And all of this has to be done with only wind power and muscle power, a strictly early 19th century tech level. Even when all this is done, you're still not home free, because you have to haul the stuff overland by dog sled across the most hostile and unlivable terrain on the planet, then transport it to market in fibreglass hulled sail freighters with no metal fittings at all.

The living quarters can use metal, they just have to be far enough from the mine and the processing plant. But you can see why Antartic vibranium is hideously expensive.

Re: Superpowers that haven't been thought out...

I don't recall exactly what you're getting at with Wipeout.. can you elaborate?

In Genosha, Wipeout negated Rogue's powers, and she was immediately gang-raped (it's only one panel, nothing graphic) and Carol takes over. She fights free, and she's in charge of Rogue's body for the rest of the stay in Genosha until Wipeout restores Rogue's powers. There's a bit of caption at this point that describes them as "still uncontrollable." So a lot of fans apparently assumed that the change from Rogue in charge to Carol in charge was Wipeout's doing, and Carol being in charge is why Rogue didn't use her powers. So when Rogue became the dominant personality again, it was assumed this was a direct result of Wipeout's actions, and Rogue's inability to control her power a fault in Rogue's psyche.

Re: Superpowers that haven't been thought out...

(Of course' date=' Rogue's always on limitation is psychosomatic. Back when Carol could control her body, she could touch and be touched without consequences.)[/quote']

I reread those issues recenty, and that's not correct. People think that because when Rogue was stripped of her powers, the events immediately following brought out her Carol Danvers persona, and when Wipeout restored her powers, it was just after Carol's persona had again become dormant.

Re: Superpowers that haven't been thought out...

They were used to restart the Starjammer's engines once.

I have the issue, and they weren't. Binary restarted the engines and it pushed her to her limit (though somehow he did manage to re-ignite the ring around Arkon's world - I don't have that issue so I can't comment on it).

Re: Person of Steel, Significant Other of Tissue paper

no that is not right

 

superboy is a clone of lex luther and suprman and he has both there dnas

Superboy is genetically engineered, which isn't what I call "normal means," meaning your basic sprem-and-egg methods (including IVF and the like).

Re: Person of Steel, Significant Other of Tissue paper

Is this canon lore? I mean' date=' info straight out of the comics? Superman has 12-strand DNA?[/quote']

My source is the "Death of Superman" novel, but that was adapted directly from the comics, so i'm inclined to think yes, this is canon.

Re: Person of Steel, Significant Other of Tissue paper

Actually, it's been established that homo sapiens and homo kryptonis (yes, I just made it up. Sue me) are fundamentally incompatible as far as reproduction is concerned. Homo kryptonis DNA is twelve-stranded, totally impossible to combine with two-stranded homo sapiens DNA by ordinary means.

Re: Masked Vigilantes In Trial

Unfortunately' date=' you are wrong. Policemen and federal agents working undercover, witnesses in the witness relocation program, and some police informants have been allowed in real life to appear in court masked and under a codename identity. A ruling that I do not personally agree with. And that was before the so called Patroit Act.[/quote']

Canada has similar provisions, originally put in place for the benefit of covert operatives back in WWI. In such cases, it is deemed sufficient that an officer of the courts with a sufficient security clearance has confirmed the person's identity. Of course, in a comic book universe this could range from "moderately difficult" to "flatly impossible," depending on the perception of the courts' trustworthiness and the person keeping the ID in question. Can anyone here really imagine Bruce Wayne allowing a member of the government (any branch) to know that he's actually Batman? (On a different note, I still love this line of Green ARow's, from "The Longbow Hunters": "All those years of maintaining a secret identity and the only reason nobody found was that nobody cared?")

Re: Paper Burns!

Yomiko's not blocking a lightsabre, she's blocking an electrically charged sword. Considering taht she can stop a bullet with a business card, or embed one in concrete, I'd say blocking a sword with banknotes is entirely consistent with her abilities.

Re: Why Kill At All?

Yeah' date=' the declining profitability of comics has everything to do with tone, and nothing to do with higher prices and increasing competition from other forms of entertainment.[/quote']Those are factors, I'm sure, but tone and content are also very important components.

Re: How do you feel about Superheroes that kill?

Yeah' date=' NO-ONE messes with a citizen of Latveria. OTOH, iirc don't a lot of them live the lives of medieval serfs? Live like they are at least 100 years behind the current time?[/quote']

Actually, Latveria has one of the highest standards of living on Marvel Earth. Doom has enacted tough laws on urban development, similar to those in parts of Oregon, and he has enacted statutes aimed at preserving and restoring many of the country's historic sites and structures, but that's hardly the same as "[l]iv[ing] like they are.. 100 years behind the times."