Welcome to......

Kill This Thread XLIII

The following rules were established by Kent Shakespeare at the start of the first 24-hour version, adapted from the original rules by EDE:

The rules:

1. The Basic Idea: Post to this thread, if no one posts after you for 24 hours, you win!

2. Posts that are not direct responses to one of the five preceding posts are ineligible to win. The topic can drift, but no complete non-sequitors. Posts that are responses to non-sequitors are also ineligible to win. Posts that are responses to responses to non-sequitors, and response nses to those posts, etc., become eligible, however.

3. In the event that this thread is locked, there shall be no winner unless a new thread is started for the contest. Furthermore, any post that results in the banning of the poster shall also be ineligible to win.

4. So, more precisely, one wins if one makes a post, and then no one makes another post that's eligible to win for 24 hours.


Here's a history of our various felons, along with a few missed opportunities.....

I - walkwithcrowds (7-day version)
II - none
III - none
IV - Quislet, Esq
V - Rockhopper Lad (the first 24-hour version)
VI - Rockhopper Lad
VII - cleome
VIII - Rockhopper Lad
IX - Rockhopper Lad
X - none
XI - none
XII - none
XIII - Invisible Brainiac
XIV - Invisible Brainiac
XV - Invisible Brainiac
XVI - Invisible Brainiac
XVII - Invisible Brainiac
XVIII - cleome
XIX - cleome
XX - cleome
XXI - Jfposey
XXII - Invisible Brainiac
XXIII - jfposey
XIV - Invisible Brainiac
XV - PALADIN (eff YEAH!!!)
XVI- Quislet, Esq.
XVII - Invisible Brainiac
XVIII - none
XIX - none
XX - Quislet, Esq.
XXI - thoth lad
XXII - Ann Hebistand
XXIII - Quislet, Esq.
XXIV - Invisible Brainiac
XXV - Invisible Brainiac
XXVI - Quislet, Esq.
XXVII - thoth lad
XXVIII - Quislet, Esq.
XXIX - Eryk Davis Ester
XXX - Invisible Brainiac
XXXI - Invisible Brainiac
XXXII - Ann Hebistand
XXXIII - Invisible Brainiac
XXXIV - Invisible Brainiac
XXXV - none
XXXVI - thoth lad
XXXVII - Ann Hebistand
XXXVIII - Invisible Brainiac
XXXIX - thoth Lad
XL - Invisible Brainiac
XLI - thoth lad
XLII - Ann Hebistand

Uninspired? Maybe the lads from the group Chicago can help!

"You're the Inspiration:"

https://youtu.be/CRfy1yorkec

Or something a little more recent (and a little less cringy - sorry Chicago fans)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_wabd4wEb8

I like it. Thanks, Thoth.

My maternal grandfather was from a rural town outside of Chicago.

Mine was from Xiamen

My family history is shrouded in mystery. Have I received an inheritance, super powers or the keys to an underground crime fighting cave? I have not.

At least that means you'll never be Grant Morrison's Gary Stu.

I was found in a rocketship by my kindly adoptive parents. After waiting years for my powers to kick in, it turned out I'm from one of those planets that are inhabited by human beings that are basically identical to Earth people.

Brrr. The very thought of having your life appropriated because you passed by Morrison once, or were in the same pub or at the same gig. I hear that people this happens to never get those parts of their lives back. Their work, talent or look simply vanishes from their life, and they take different directions. Ah, the memories of old comic conventions where you would hear the sound of jetpacks, gliders, experimental teleporters and Alan Moore's pogoing beard, all desperately taking any creative thoughts from the building, upon the warning Morrison was arriving.

Morrison's an enigma.

Sometimes I like them, sometimes I loathe them.

The above statement applies to both their writing and their public persona.

Enigma was a series written by Peter Milligan



Milligan was a frequent collaborator with Brendan McCarthy. Their series Paradax, in Strange Days, was lifted by Morrison to form the central conceit for Zenith, a strip that McCarthy also provide character designs for to reinforce that background. Morrison would also lift the idea for Danny the Street, and use his superpower to absorb ideas guilt-free around plenty of others.

And so you get lots of good ideas in stories that, at least in the bits those ideas come from are pretty decent reads. Because other people have already used them in comics, books, films and fashion mags. It falls down a bit when he has to do the heavy lifting on plots. But there's no mistaking he knows the mechanics of it, although if again trying to mimic someone else, it can be less than successful.

For example, I really enjoy Zenith. At first that was definitely for Morrison's writing. As the strip progressed, Steve Yeowell's art develops in leaps and bounds, with lovely use of shadows and facial expressions. That still stands out now, partly because teh art is still excellent, and partly because as you get older, you trip across the books and comics Morrison was pilfering from. And while Morrison does a fine job, early on, distilling them in his world, the originals have many strengths of their own.

So, there's lots' to like in the work, and lots to not, partly because of the origins of the ideas and how they are used.

I think Zenith is one of Morrison's absolute worst!

For one thing, the ending with Prime Minister Peter St. John possessed by the Lloliogor. That's outright nihilism.

And the scene with one of the superheroines turning out to be trans. That's a load of hateful shit from a creator who's rarely been better than ambivalent about the T part of LGBT+.

Yeah, the artwork is nice. It can't redeem the story.

Spoilers ahoy! For anyone who was thinking of reading Zenith


Peter St John wasn’t possessed by the Lloigor. That was the rest of the Cloud 9 survivors.

St John (Michael Heseltine in comics) chose not to side with them. Having the equivalent of the Elder Gods as just being posthumans could have been a bit of a big let down. But it does keep that internal logic of the Zenith universe intact (no teleporting squids here to his credit) and explains their motivations (and why one of them isn't that bright). It also makes it plausible that St John outright beat them. He was the strongest of them, when they were all human, and has developed his powers while they were all away making their plans. That he wasn’t a Lloigor doesn’t mean that he didn’t have plans of his own, but they were to be with humanity.

I did have to get half way through boiling the kettle, thinking through the scope of the series and the main cast, before I recalled Meta Maid.

There’s a bit to unpack there. At face value it’s there as a twist that Meta Maid is trans, and not what Morrison was probably expecting the reader to think. Was the audience supposed to be shocked and a little outraged at such a development? Sort of, but bear with me to the end, as I don’t think it turns out that way, although this is despite Morrison.

Meta Maid is the most proactively sexual character in the book. Having any character expressing their sexuality at all was very unusual. This was a comic originally aimed at kids. Although, like Marvel before them, the audience had grown with the book. Unlike Marvel, a lot of political and social values had been seeded all the way through, to flower nicely at the ages when at least some of the audience could learn from them.

Meta Maid was a pioneer of the pre and post cosmic mission quickie, not seen until Morrison’s protégé Millar (who also wrote a text piece for Zenith) would give the traits to Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov in The Ultimates.

So, you’ve got a character that from the above is defined as a plot twist and whose activity is sexualised. Not good at all.

It isn’t just thrown in there though. Morrison’s theme in that part of the book is to change the reader’s expectations. Meta Maid is trans, and not the expected girl next door heroine from decades of previous comics; Zenith is not the hero, saving absolutely no one while others sacrificed their lives; The heroes’ plan is incorrect, and they nearly destroy everything before pulling it back, with most of them dead. It’s a pyrrhic victory as one of them notes. Meta Maid is not thrown in there, in isolation.

But there being craft in there, isn’t some defence. Morrison’s introduction of Meta Maid to change the romantic expectations of the book’s protagonists didn’t give a whit about trans people. It was focused on the impact and the reaction. It was definitely thoughtless and could be absolutely horrible.

And it does get worse. One character, Miracle Man, is “ashamed” at being with Meta Maid. The second, Zenith, ditches the quickie, but gets someone else to go in his place, in a way that the third character, TNT Tom, is supposed to be in some way unknowingly duped by the encounter. I doubt Morrison gave it any more thought than that. It’s a pretty bleak transphobic picture.

However, good things can come out of the worst painted pictures, despite the writer in this case.

The first character, Miracle Man, was one of the horribly repressed ones from an earlier era of British comics. The second, Zenith, is a complete tool. It’s his defining trait in the book. He’s got a superhuman mind, but will easily wallow in self-interest. His own sexuality lurks in the background of the book, the longer it goes on. His earlier reported dalliances with page 3 models are mainly for image. He is interested enough to be a father in Book 2. Later, he asks St John why he never married, and St John notes that Zenith never married either. I think both know full well that they aren’t human at this point.

At the time of Meta Maid though, Zenith is just a conceited, shallow idiot and as likely to have led that third character off to Meta Maid if he didn’t fancy her, regardless of her history. The third character, TNT Tom, really enjoyed the encounter, and I like to think he and Meta Maid exchange romantic messages across Einstein Rosen bridges between universes.

But the massive plus here is exactly because Morrison was thinking of the impact of the reveal, and was clumsy and thoughtless. With a revela in mind, we get to see a lot of her in the story.

Meta Maid is easily one of the stand out characters in the book. She’s confident in herself, selfless, has upper tier super powers, saves her colleagues from eldritch super-horrors, a pioneer in human relationships in comic books, deals with situations where whole worlds have been lost, and is one of a small group to have saved a whole orrery (a word not used enough) of worlds from an even worse fate. Despite the lack of thought (at best) we’ve ended up with an important character who happens to be trans and is one of the more awesome in the book.

So yeah, thoughtless at best and a transphobic gag at worst, in an attempt to switch reader expectations with no thought for the consequences. But out of that, we’ve a trans character who saves universes, which is how I, and I know others, think of Meta Maid. I know who is towards the top of my call list the next time there’s a Secret Infinite Final Crisis going on.

“Hello, is that Meta Maid?... Hi, it’s thoth Lad from Alternative 247 here…”

And yeah, I agree it's the art that's the stand out now. Alan Moore had already done most of the plot in Captain Britain, while Marv Wolfman had done Crisis and a few decades of sc-fi authors and writers on chaos magic filled in the gaps. Nice to have them all in one place, though, as a primer.

That's quite a bit to ruminate on, Thoth. But I do appreciate it.

I'll sleep on it, and hopefully I'll have a clearer and more detailed answer by tomorrow.

Too bad I can't cross-reference, though, because I already sold all my Zenith trades in disgust. LOL.

Looking forward to your thoughts, although considering the nature of the thread, feel free to take a day or so.

Is it the next day already?

Not yet

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Everywhere you go, there you are.

Don't make me turn this car around...

That takes some strength to do.

And coordination! and spatial awareness!

There's a lot more to heroic feats, than people think.

Emotional self-control, planning skills...

Positioning yourself to get the best publicity pics.

Writing heartfelt Tweets and Instagram captions, choosing the best hashtags...

All about your brand these days. Fortunately, we had Booster Gold to read to prepare us for this.

Booster would probably have a Tiktok, a Snapchat, and an OnlyFans by now.

Booster makes me wanna puke.

I always preferred Beetle to Booster

I thought both did well in an earlier thread, written by us.

Beetles are a better source of protien.

Insects: the new steak of the future

I thought mushrooms were the steak of the future?

These alternatives have put a stake through my stake in steaks being the steaks of the future.

That's a meaty comment.

It's far from the wurst comment ever

Frankly, I think it was the comment of a brat not to embrace a stake in non steak steaks.

Perhaps we should be roasting the brat, or grilling it to understand where this attitude came from.

and don't let the brat butter you up.

Butter...yum.

Buttered croissants, yum!

Just what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow.

With chocolate!

Sadly, mine were plain. Once a week, I have almond ones.

We had some very tasty pistachio creme ones in Sicily

Speaking of nuts, I made pancakes this morning from almond flour. Great gluten free alternative!

Always lovely to see you Kappa!

Indeed! enjoy your almond pancakes Kappa! (mmm almonds)

I was up super early this morning, but did all the shopping before breakfast.

I don't usually wake up early enough to do anything before breakfast

I like a lie in at the weekend, to make up at least some of the lost hours during the week.

same, I don't set alarms on weekends (unless we have to catch a train or something). would also never meet up with a friend any earlier than noon!

My Lie in is Saturday. Sunday I feel doesn't get off properly if I'm not on a walk early, having done shopping and breakfast.

Sunday is like the warm-up for the working week

I try not to think about it.

That's the spirit! just go zen and blank out the mind...

I used to own that album.

Our plant is growing very well in our living room.;

Robert Plant loves West Coast American rock music. He did a beautiful cover of Jesse Colin Young's "Darkness Darkness."

I'm glad he didn't sing "Darkness, Darkness, Darkness" because if you sing it three times, it summons.... Gah!... Darkseid!

I don't recall ever seeing that in a comic book.

No
You could gamble a stamp to send off for Comic Book Secrets in a back issue of Jimmy Olsen.

"Gamble a stamp," that's one of Flex Mentallo's favorite phrases.

Maybe it's a very valuable, rare stamp!

From the Charles Atlas ad...



I sent away for it. A thin envelope arrived. Inside was a slip of paper with a phone number. Using the second phone box encountered on the second Tuesday of the month, I made the call.

An ape assistant appeared with a saw. After targeting the first body builder we saw, it was no trouble to switch over the brains! Thanks Mr Atlas and the Brotherhood of Evil! They can make you a hero of the beach too! All within 7 days!

Brotherhood of Evil, feh.

FEH, I say.

Flex Mentallo holds up better than anything Grant Morrison has ever written and will ever write!

Sadly, the guys flexing in front of the mirrors in the gym locker rooms don't "hold up". Tiresome, they are

If they hold their breath for a minute, their abs look better than they actually are.

Don't ask me how I know this, but the Brotherhood of Evil is actually a timeshare sales mutli level marketing organization.

ROTFLMAO

That explains so much!

Well, they were always going to step up from destroying the Titans, and world domination to something truly evil.

I bet they're the ones behind all the guys flexing in the gym locker rooms and holding their breaths to make their abs pop out!

A little known abdominal threat is battle raps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YbjyG6fvv3c

I wonder if he threw up mom's spaghetti

The thing about that spaghetti...

Related to the flying spaghetti monster, by any chance?

Puts colander on head at the mention of the mighty one.

Puts coriander in my spaghetti, and promptly gets attacked by a bunch of Italian chefs

Usually it's Koriander that does the attacking. But then I realised you'd encountered the legendary Chefs of Okarra!

Including Blackpepperfire and Captain Carrot... oh wait.

I recall Captain Carrot appearing in a preview insert in Souperman.

I'm capturing the last day or so of posts to use as a recipe.

A recipe for disaster!

Add 1 tsp of disaster

A pinch of conflict

Don't worry if the cooking goes wrong. A recipe for disaster comes with a crisis involving time travel.

Probably involving a cooking competition to decide who makes the best steamed buns

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%ABka_Ichiban!

Best way to make steamed buns is to sit on a hot bicycle seat.

They might get badly burned though

They knew the job was dangerous when they took it.

High risk high reward

Ah, but will they learn to accept their reward?


https://youtu.be/gyStfUvTwDo

For some, punishment is the reward!

You mean like, being forced to read every Punisher comic ever printed?

Ack!!

A terrible fate

Now, now, there's no need to insult Doctor Fate for that!

Some Doctor Fates are better than others.

and then there was short-lived Fate, created around the time of Zero Hour...

Didn't he get dedded at the start of a JSA series?

It's kind of fascinating just how much traction the "Dr. Fate" concept/legacy has had, considering he had one of the shortest GA runs of any of the JSA members.

and on the flip side, the Spectre was soon elevated to a very powerful spirit of vengeance type, so has had little involvement with the JSA since!

Well, Doctor Fate has such a cool looking helmet...seriously, it might seem like a minor detail, but I think it's major.

Hmm... perhaps he would have lasted longer in the GA if they hadn't switched helmets on him!

I agree, though. He has a pretty memorable look.

The Spectre definitely benefited as well by them going back to his early GA stories for inspiration. By the end of his GA run, his series was very similar to Johnny Thunder, with him serving the "Thunderbolt" role to Percival Popp, the Super-Cop!

yeah, Doc Fate's design is one of my faves for sure!

I didn't read it but I couldn't understand the appeal of changing the helmet out for a knife (sword?) with the post Zero Hour Dr Fate.

It was the edgy period. Kinda like giving Cable and everyone else massive guns

All that steroid abuse, leading to anatomical issues elsewhere, over compensated for with massive guns. Guns so big, that even more steroids were needed to lift them, perpetuating the cycle. Our local community centre has a support group for '90s characters twice a month. It's a real shame for them. It's summer, but it won't be long before we'll be having a donate a jumper campaign, to keep underclothed 90's female characters warmer when the weather cools.

I hope they learn how to walk properly, without overly straining their backs

It turns out that '90s characters don't have the correct structure to walk. They lurch and shamble in a desperate bid to stay upright.

Maybe that's why there were so many telekinetics among them. only way they could hold themselves up

You see that so often on the covers. Everyone thought they were leaping forward screaming their rage, but actually they were falling and calling out "oh no, not again!"

That's why they were gritting their teeth so much! in anticipation of the pain!

Send $20 a month to provide telekinetic support and bandages for poor, forgotten '90s characters. Send your payment to Image Comics...

Now I also understand why they had all that body armor!

All the headbands contained alarms connected to support services.

Probably exoskeletons too to prop them up

They could all train up to become Mandroids. Or Persondroids as are now.

Or they all get those little floating cars like Professor X had in the first X-Men toon

Battles would become like floating Dodgems

Don't let Crash Kallor join the battle...

Crash Kallor. Close pal of Crash Bandicoot.

In the Funny Animal universe, most likely

When I was first reading the Legion, I didn't have any appreciation for the super pets. That would be based on references, and Who's Who. But on actually reading the stories, they are whimsical fun.

Beppo is my personal least favorite, but he's OK too!

Jor-El has a lot to answer for with all his animal testing before Krypton blew up.

Maybe there's a super-rat, super-cockroach and super-termite flying around somewhere...

They should've had a thought-beast join the super-pets.

I wish they had had some sort of rabbit there too

I'm sure we'd all have loved to have read the Adventures of Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny, in the 30th century. But things were different by the time Earth-S was combined with the other Earth's.

Would we have enjoyed a Giffen Legion of Super Sub pets comedy?

Would we have enjoyed Morrison's sad mimic of Alan Moore's Marvelman, in his Dark Hoppy story, ruining the essence of the character?

Following the collapse of the galactic Pet Food industry, would we have stayed to watch Hoppy and the others rebuild the UP (United Petshop)?

Sometimes, our stories are better as our dreams.

Or for sharing in Bits.

Giffen on Super Pets?


EWWWWWWW! I feel sick!

9-panel grid here we come!

Exactly my point. Concepts like Hoppy transcend the petty, trend obsessed medium that they are part of. Not to be handed out to people like Giffen and Morrison, desperately trying to replicate Moore's Watchmen or Superman.

this is an excellent point, thothy

Thanks for clarifying, Thoth. Your point is well-taken, and, as Ibby said, excellent.

Earlier, I was looking through old threads in the Legion forums. There's one Lash started about how the concept of the Legion transcends everything.

Hope, unity, diversity and acceptance

The Fantastic Four!

Oh, hang on a minute...

Nah, that's obliviousness, anger, punching and tokenism... oh wait

Hang on, they aren't a long running German rap group?!

Stan Lee presents Jack Kirby's Die Fantastischen Vier

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uFX_ZQCPerk

The Thing definitely has a lot to rap about

Ein, zwei, polizei
Drei, vier, offizer
Funf, sechs, alte hex
Sieben, acht, gute nacht
Neunh, Zenh, auf wiedersehen

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was a popular UK programme in the '80s about a group of construction workers from the north of England going to Germany for work.

Bye Pet!

Arf (bye)

Meow (bye)

Chirp (bye)

Neigh (bye)

And Proty just telepathically says "Bye"

Moo goes Bat Cow, living in the 31st century after the tragic loss of their goat side kick, Kid Kid.

Howard the Duck once battled a vampire cow.

Do vampire cows suck up milk?

Bat-Cow is the scourge of Gotham drug dealers, eating up all their grass. When Bat-Cow went to the future, poor Timberwolf went all Lotus Fruit after drinking the milk.

And then Bat-cow went out to pasture.

He got a mooooooooooove on

I miss Old Dutch the Super Cow.

Every week or so, I meet up with an Old Dutchie

Ah, the good old days when tipping cows and crop circles were signs of alien invasions....

My maternal grandfather grew up in rural Illinois, and when he was a little kid, he would often leave cow poop on people's doorsteps.

Lit on fire?

I don't know why I thought GL was using modern slang. "This (#@*(*! is lit!"

It's well known that sub light UP craft are powered by flatulent Bismollians.

No, but right after leaving it there, he'd ring the bell and wait in hiding to see someone come out and step in it.

I will make a note to always inspect my doorstep before stepping outside

Don't let them fool you Ibby!
They're getting you to look down for things on your doorstep, so you won't notice the bucket overhead

The Thing on the Doorstep was also a Lovecraft story.

*gasp*!

maybe I need to send a decoy out first...

Or at least a drone.

One of Lu's selves became a villain after always being the one to get sent through doorways first.

Another became a villain after falling in love with Nam'lor!

Another drowned after falling in love with Namor

What a Major Disaster!

Major Disaster had the honour of working alongside Faith, the bestest character on a par with Gold Lantern.

Faith was just so likable, like it was literally her super power!

Although everyone would have loved her awesomeness, even without that. Such an important character, the JLA were blessed to have hog the number of panels she had in her time on the team.

If I had to choose between the lesser of two evils, Faith or Batman, I'd choose Faith.

I did like her powerset

To clarify, I said that I think Batman is MORE EVIL than Faith.

I recently sold almost all my old Batman comics, I've come to hate him so much.

As I said, I did like Faith's powerset and I didn't dislike her personality.

I find Batman a bit overused and over the top sometimes, while I think Faith has hidden depths and potential.

Letting conversation play out naturally, would help put them in their place.

JLA recruitment issue at the Kent's
Ma Kent: Well,I'll just leave you boys to it.
Aquaman: Didn't Batman say he would join us?
Superman:He's already here. He's been waiting in the kitchen for 15 minutes. He thinks I can't hear his heartbeat.
Batman:Yes, that must be it. I forgot.

Ooh. Isn't Batman cool, and always ahead of the others!
Isn't Superman so powerful, yet meeting at his folks!
Isn't Ma Kent so normal around the biggest superheroes!

More normally....

JLA recruitment issue at the Kent's
Ma Kent: Try not to get attacked by Supervillains. Pa's still rebuilding the barn from Brainiac's attack. Then there's the cost, and the neighbours just know we get attacked an awful lot.
Aquaman: We'll be careful, Mrs Kent. Didn't Batman say he would join us?
Superman:He's already here. He's been waiting in the kitchen for 15 minutes.
Aquaman:He broke into your parents house, to hide in a cupboard? Are you feeling well, Bruce?
Batman: I have cramp in both legs, and I should have moved more of the jars, before I sat in here.
Aquaman: If you're quite finished keeping the condiments crime free, you could join us for the meeting.
Superman: I can hear his heartbeat. He's trying to not let on he's wedged in the cupboard.
Aquaman: We'll get you out Bruce. And Clark, we've spoken before about you using your powers to invade privacy. Since you work in a city, without going mad from the input, you know you can turn it off. It's creepy.
Superman: Creepier than Batman?
Aquaman: Well no, nothing's that creepy.
Batman: I think my Batarang has knocked over the ketchup.
Ma Kent: Boys! What did I tell you?!
All: Sorry, Mrs Kent!

Good old Aquaman! he's the most sensible one of that bunch!

To many animation fans, Aquaman's definitive voice actor is Norman Alden (1924-2012.) He played the role in the first two iterations of "Super Friends," from 1973 and 1977 respectively. Among his live action roles, he is well-remembered for playing good-guy scientist Frank Heflin on 1976's "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" segment of "The Krofft Supershow."

As a kid, I remember watching the Aquaman/Super Friends hour. Naturally, Aquaman had half the hour to himself.

Considering overfishing and pollution, it's hard to imagine a protector of the oceans not wagng war on the surface dwellers.

Namor already has a couple of times, I think

Back in the pre Marvel days, he flooded New York.

Tsk, time to learn how to swim

Marvel should have just gone with it.

Hey Look! A Bits Crossover!


Namor: Still a scourge of Humanity. Massive villain.

But also in the early '60s...

The Fantastic Four: Granted strange powers when their Bathysphere, constructed to investigate Namor at the bottom of the ocean, entered a hollow world.

Iron Man: A weapons dealer, injured in civil unrest in one of the flooded countries. He is torn between supporting the dictatorships of such countries, selling weapons to them, and helping the victims of the environmental catastrophes.

Leviathan and Stingray: Marine Biologist Henry Pym unlocks the secrets to Namor's technology that creates giant sea monsters. A technology based on ancient mysticism from sunken lands. Upon rescuing the ship of heiress, Janet Van Dyne, the two became a couple and she the armoured, size changing Stingray.

Aqua Lad: Young reporter, Peter Parker, was bitten by a radioactive fish, with razor like teeth, when investigating the power source of one of Namor's geothermic doomsday devices.

The Avengers: Formed by the US government in response to years of attacks by Namor and Doctor Doom, both of who devastated parts of the USA.

Captain America: Steve Rogers remaining family and friends were wiped out in the NYC flooding. But Gail Richards survived, as did her son. While the son eventually went rogue, Sam Wilson would be the inheritor of the super soldier serum. The secret to the power, was in the will, which is why skinny Steve Rogers had been selected in the first place.

The Doctor A monk known only as Wong, versed in healing the countries and peoples of war torn Asia.

Silver Surfer: Norman Radcliffe was the only survivor of his flooded neighbourhood, back in Namor's 1941 attack. Resuscitated from a metallic cocoon that formed around him, he now flies on a surf board as a constant reminder of escaping the floods.

The Brotherhood Persecution follows mutants, born from the effects of atomic tests, doomsday devices, weird science experiments and more. In a world where super villains continued wars after WWII, they are more shunned than ever in a resource and land sapped world. They begin to join forces for their own protection.

Namor is one character I could never really connect with, even though I was introduced to him at a young age.

When I was young and misguided, I was a big fan of Namor. These days, I find him most readable during his mid-late 80s Avengers stint as a humbled, middle-aged former hell raiser seeking redemption. With traces of the old arrogance remainning, of course.

I think Namor has most recently been imprisoned for his crimes (he turned himself in)

Given what a mess Namor's continuity is, I have no strong opinions about this latest development.

He'll go back to being someone we all love to hate anyway

Yes, given the cyclical nature of existence.

and comic book stories

Comic book stories are more like a dog chasing its own tail.

They weren't always that way, though, so maybe they'll get good again. We can hope.

Well based on his portrayal in Wakanda Forever, they are definitely doing that, I feel.

I feel similarly about Guy Gardner, which is why I'm scratching my head at the Fillion casting for the new Superman movie

Agreed about Filion as Guy. I'm not a Guy hater, but what a waste of an opportunity to finally get Hal Jordan right.

OTOH, they could cast Dirk Benedict as Old Man Hal Jordan...

I wonder what personality they'll use for Guy...

All of them?

He'll probably hit his head a couple of times to trigger those personality shifts

In the Italian Disney Duck stories, Uncle Scrooge would deliberately hit his head against the wall, claiming it triggered good ideas.

I had a classmate who would hit his head whenever he made a mistake... I felt for him

It can be difficult to deal with pressures of a situation. There's often plenty of background factors, resulting it that reaction too. A lot to unpick, in order to help move onto better coping mechanisms.

I hope he got help indeed.

Yeah. On the plus side, such displays are really obvious that something isn't right. Just as damaging to let it eat away inside too. Let's hope for better days for all.

Indeed. Here's to better mental and emotional (and physical too!) health for all!

No argument from me on such a noble sentiment as that.

hear, hear

Did you say "hear" twice, or was it that scamp Echo at work again?

Hear, hear, hear, hear...

Hair, hair, hair, hair...

Spider Girl's time travelling musical nemesis (and who doesn't have one?)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YmQlBfxh4Us

Get out of our hair!

In 12 Monkeys Bradd Pitt's character had a recurring "Get out of my chair!" line.

12 Monkeys was directed by Terry Gilliam, who also did the wonderful Time Bandits.

Bandit was the name of Jonny Quest's dog

Jonny Quest was quite violent for a 1960s American cartoon. In that sense, it was groundbreaking.

There were a few episodes that I recall did not have completely happy endings where everything was tied up neatly in a bow

Yes. Even today, that's quite refreshing for an all-ages cartoon.

The unedited version of Battle of the Planets is much more fun. The material they removed due to violence was replaced with an annoying robot.

Annoying sidekick type characters are the pits

I still have my DVD set of the complete GoLion series with all the original violence intact!

(It's better known as Voltron.)

Voltron! what a nice blast from my past too!

I only know of Voltron from the back of comics. Possibly a toy line?

Voltron started out as an anime series titled GoLion. I don't know whether there were toys for that iteration, but there were definitely toys for the American dub, heavily edited and retitled Voltron.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltron

Fun times, fun times. thanks Fanfie, I enjoyed the walk down memory lane

You're very welcome, Ibby.

If there had been a Legion cartoon in the 80s, I think Princess Allura's voice actress, Betty Jean Ward, would have been good as either Imra or Projectra.

ah yes, both very regal Legionnaires!

Cosmic King must still be bitter that they didn't put a word in for him.

They thought he had magnetic powers, and when they found out he didn't, they realized they had the wrong script prepared

I had this weird thought while in a car ride coming back from an airport that Cosmic King should have been another lost survivor of Trom, but has a different take on the universe from Jan.

Especially in the Preboot version, it's conceivable that there could have been other survivors!

Reboot version, not so much

Not many, but I think you could make the case even in the reboot. It would be a situation where it would be a very unique event, as it should be, but it can work.

well, space travel HAD reached Trom then, maybe someone else had stowed away somewhere... or the Daxamite White Triangle members missed a spot when they scorched the entire surface of Trom!

Yep I figure it would be one of those two options.

The other thing, and this is I think what triggered this as I had been listening to a LOSP podcast ep covering that issue, is wouldnt someone have taken a little time to synthesize some kind of a fireproof bubble to ride out the devastation? That's probably how I'd take it.

they did have those Trommites trying to save themselves with an inertron shield, but we see the combined heat vision piercing through that. guess it was implied that if even inertron couldn't withstand the heat vision...

Perhaps they transmuted their environment to replicate the look of tromites, unable to survive a heat vision attack. All the while escaping through a transmuted tunnel.

They could be in the core for all we know!

Which they would have transmuted into something less deadly.

Read more in, Warlord of Trom!

Except instead of a fur Speedo, he wears an intertron one! (gotta protect those family jewels)

The destruction of a civilisation! The birth of a hollow world!
Yes, you marvelled at The Warlord of Trom...

Now, see the beginning of a new dynasty!
Watch, The Jewels of Trom!

Lookit those nice dangly orbs!

Seems a bit inappropriate to be having discos on From.

And they're all dressed like original brand Tyroc too

Life in a busy Metropolis can be tough.
The noise, the speed, the super villain take overs.
Sometimes, it seems like an endless noise
So, if you have a screaming pain in your head
Try original, safe Tyroc
Buy now, before stocks vanish with Marzal

I had original brand Tyrocs too, until they changed the recipe. Now it just doesn't taste the same.

bring back OG Tyroc!!!!

I'd not be surprised if DC considered gangster as an occupation for him, such was their racial awareness.

Yeah these days? I don't even want to know.

sigh

There does seem to be a bit more diversity, going only by the covers and ads. But it wasn't that long ago their ideas for a Green Lantern of middle Eastern origin, was have him involved with terrorism and crime. And have him carry a gun, alongside a power ring.

Yeah that wasn’t the best idea…

One idiot with an idea is one thing. But for it to go all the way through their plot conferences, editorial and publishing and still make it out the door, says a lot about the values of the entire organisation. In that, they're about the same as they were when they started.

This exactly. It's why most of the last 20 years of DC hasn't really resonated with me. I find DiDio to be very ham handed and self serving when it comes to his ideas, and I think DC has reflected that.

Yeah, the nuance was lacking for sure

Racial stereotyping kept them away from putting more girlfriends in fridges.

Maybe they should put some boyfriends in fridges to balance it out. Hetero boyfriends, not boyfriends of gay men - still thinking about the new Alan Scott and his cute, deceased boyfriend...

I'd be happy without anyone going into a fridge. But supporting casts have long been the cannon fodder of lazy and/or emotionally stunted writers.

It's a shame. I do appreciate and respect those who take time to build up the supporting casts. I think Flash (Wally) had a pretty rich cast back in the day, when Barry was still dead. And Superman had a good one built up in Metropolis before Doomsday killed him.

This is why I never understood why so many people seem to consider "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" as being the perfect ending/tribute to the Silver Age Superman. I mean... Metropolis is destroyed, pretty much every supporting cast member and every villain dies, and Superman depowers himself after breaking his code against killing? Really? That's how people think the "Earth-1" Superman stories *should* end?

That story was a downer in many ways!

Ah character deconstructions. I guess they serve some kind of appeal when you're in your twenties and want to see some thing "edgy".

As a person in their fifties I understand the motivation, but would rather see the things genuine article of a superhero character.

Comic books have always represented an escape from reality for me - I prefer my comic books to have good triumph over evil in the end. Yes, doesn't mean that nobody dies or the heroes don't have a hard time... but I want some good endings at the end.

I just want to be entertained.

And not driven to sadness

Drive to sadness, twin town of melancholy.

Last stop on the road to perdition

Highway to Hell

We're on the... *holds out microphone*

Typical. You pay all that money for a ticket, only for the singer to get the audience to do their job.

HOnestly, if you could get someone else to do your job but still be paid, wouldn't you? At least occasionally?

It's nice to take a break sometimes

Especially if you get paid for it!

It's for well-being!

Today, there were 8 fatalities in the local hospital, when a brain surgeon allowed a passer by to perform operations. "I'll still get paid for it," said Dr Sawbones. None of those operated on could be reached for comment. Due to being dedded.

But they stayed at a Holiday Inn last night....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmKjTC8yDFM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holidae_In#Critical_reception

Whew! I saw rapper, before clicking the link.

Nice save!

Lack of saving is a regular thread on the football forums I frequent.

Lack of savings is a regular problem of many Filipinos I knew back home, including my boss

we used to call the last week before pay day "the week of danger". during that week, two of my colleagues would pool their money and share lunches, to stretch their pay until the next paycheck arrived

Times can be tough.

maybe they would be less tough for some people, if they didn't spend so much of their savings on buying 300 packs of trading cards, or 16 pairs of shoes, or...

Or trading cards of shoes.

Or trading cards of trading cards

Or shoes made of trading cards

Or trading cards for shoes... and I don't mean credit cards

Easy access to credit can have a massive impact if not controlled. Likewise, buying shoes made of cards will result in wet feet.

People in cardboard houses should think carefully about at least buying plastic shoes and raincoats

Although people in cardboard houses can throw stones, as they won't shatter as glass houses would.

As long as they're not wet stones. That cardboard damages easily

Book landing on your home will damage it, regardless of what it's made of.

Especially if it's the big book of whatever!

Silly autocorrect. That was supposed to be Blok.

Especially if it's the big Blok at the end of the Dryad!

I hope the settlers of Dryad didn't quarry some of the locals before they realised they were sentient.

In the Reboot version of Dryad, something like that almost happened! before Dryad blew up...

Imra: This knick Knack on my desk? Oh, it's a memento from a lost world. Like Krypton without the radiation. Now on with the recruitment questions. Where do you come from?
Blok:Dryad.
Imra: Why, that's where the rock comes from!
Blok: Daddy!

5YL Imra: I don't get it. I thought Roxxas was a bad guy. So why did he send us this nice package of paperweights?

5YL Garth: Why, this one even has space to put a pen in! Like a penholder!

Roxxas Publishing presents: 101 things to do with a deceased Blok.

Roxxas Publishing presents: 101 ways to get a deceased Blok

Coming soon from Roxxas Publishing: Create your own Living Mount Rushmore!
You will need
1 hammer
1 chisel
1 Legionnare from Dryad

It must be super-weird to Blok that humans make statues and buildings out of stone.

Blok seemed to find most everything weird and odd, in a childlike way.

Brin was a good character to pair him up with, both sharing some naiveté

and one grumpy, the other not

You can have good characterisation with glacial, nowhere plots, and epic plots with no characterisation. But Levitz managed both well.

Totally. I still get impressed at how Levitz pulled that off, and for so long too

Like Wolfman with Perez, having a collaborator like Giffen, will have made it fun and inspiring.

dream team!

Dream Team: Nura and The Sandman Vs Doctor Destiny

they can both hit pretty hard too!

Nura's new catchphrase of "It's clobberin' time" takes readers by surprise.

I mean... it's quite a change from "Darn it! I broke a nail!"

Maybe she has inertron nails now

Gasp! Remember the scene where Silver Slasher was about to attack Nura? And we didn't see what happened?

Well, having broken yet another nail in combat, Nura replaced them with inertron nails, clobbered Silver Slasher and replaced her! That Nura we saw afterwards, was just the standard Supergirl robot that Brainy insisted be part of all Legion cruiser supplies!

Another Legion mystery solved.

there we go! that AYEEEIII was actually from Sliver Slasher, after Nura clobbered her!

Exactly. And we always wondered why Nura appeared unhurt. It all makes sense now.

And fits in nicely with Nura's history of spontaneously trading places with a villain! See also Mystelor!

that's two villains Nura has stolen identities from! Who's next, the Emerald Empress?

Didn't someone masquerade as the Empress once? Wait, I think it was Cham - maybe?

Wouldn't be surprised!

and of course there's Violet... ok bad joke

And Duplicate Boy didn't do anything about it.

He's lucky Violet only punched him... once

Duplicate Boy was pretty ineffectual after that.

And the Heroes of Lallor had to stage an intervention!

Did they set him up with someone to get his confidence back?

They faked an emergency so Duplicate Boy could save the day!

I'm trying to recall the artist on that back up. I'm thinking it was one of the old school artists on it.

Yeah that was in a Tales story, right?

I think it might have been in a Tales story, but not sure. Life Lass used her powers on a future car to make it look like it was about to crash into an actress they'd hired

Tuska is the artist I have in mind.

I wonder if Tuska ever drew Tusker

My autocorrect changed Tuska to Tusks, and I had that very thought. Then perhaps Tusker was named after the artist.

Spot on Thoth. It was in Tales #317 with Levitz on plot, Mindy Newell on dialogue, and Tuska and Kesel on art.

wow! good memory, stile!

Not that good. I looked it up.

good research skills!!

And who was it that actually recalled it? That's right. Me. Narcissist Lad.

With the big ME insignia on your chest!

I'll have to do something about Matter Eater Lad, so there's no confusion over the initials. Some elaborate scheme resulting in him eating the miracle machine should do it. A brilliant plan, if I say so myself. And I do, for I am Narcissist Lad!

Are you related to Lester Spiffany by any chance?

I thought Lyle was Narcissit Lad with the big I on his shirt.

To be fair, Reboot Lyle has acted a bit stuck-up and smug on occasion

As did Threeboot. Well, at least selfish.

I will fondly remember Threeboot Lyle for playing both sides of the Cos/Brainy schism

And trying to end around Cos with his crush on Kara!

I need to reread, I don't quite remember that but it does sound familiar!

It was like a one panel thing, IIRC

Ah well then, if it’s only one panel I’ll skip!

Actually, I'd recommend reading the Supergirl era of the threeboot. Issues 20-30 is one of the best arcs of a story I've read.

To be fair, the characters are still complete strangers, but its well told.

V5 is such a frustrating series. There are a lot of bits of it I really like, but then overall it didn't really work. I can kind of see its similarities to what Waid is doing now in World's Finest or Teen Titans, but with a lot more success.

yeah, I eagerly read it at the start. the first year was still good, but before the second year ended I lost interest.

Same - when it originally came out, I started losing interest just at the end of the first arc with Lemnos, since I was waiting for Vi to reappear, so when I did that reread last year it was kind of a forcing exercise to get through the late teens of issues.

But that section from 20-30 was just so good.

Then it went off the rails again with Shooter.

I did like the Supergirl issues. Light Lass had some awesome moments.

That whole issue with Brainy's long-winded explanation about why he found Light Lass and Star Boy so frustrating followed up by her figuring out the presence of an unknown and unleashing the huge potential of her power. I don't think she has ever been shown so powerful.

I loved that scene/ just tore everything up

Excellent moments! I just wish we got more backstory on all of them.

Threeboot Light Lass was really cool!

Definitely! As oversexed as Waid (and Shooter) wrote her, I'm surprised she wasn't portrayed as bisexual, especially given the legacy of the character. They clearly weren't avoiding the discussion of sex in the book like they were in the reboot, so it just seems to be an odd choice.

they could certainly easily have done that! would have loved an out and out gay male, and lesbian, and bi character, too bad we didn't get any of em

Which is REALLY weird given the illustrated lettercol where someone writes in about the boys being upset at almost being tricked into an orgy, answered by Ayla no less speaking of the Legion's diverse and open minded nature.

Meanwhile, they only had one AA male, and no (as far as we know) LGBT+ members. And Ayla was the one that would have made complete sense! Think of the soap opera possibilities there!

Complete misfire there. I'd bet serious money it was DiDio who ultimately shut it down.

Was that the Luornu-dates-three-guys-at-once bit?

yeah, imagine the possibilities if one of the three guys had been up for it, another was like "eh sorry, realy not my thing", and the third (most likely fratboy Jo) was more all "hey! I wasn't planning on sharing tonight, my ego!"

Yep that was the one.

yeah, a bit surprised they didn't have Jan react a bit differently!

It probably would've made the scene funnier to have Jan confused by the other guys' reluctance.

I believe Waid is making Aqualad pansexual in his Titans series.

It would have fit in with Jan being all "I'm not used to dating", and his earlier line in the same issue "I like being naked".

What a difference 20 years (and a new EiC) makes!

I confess to having to look up the definition for "pansexual".

I am all for more representation though. yes, it's a new concept, yes I needed a bit of time to understand it (yes, despite being a gay man myself). TBH I often wonder if a lot of homophobia and racism is due to people resisting a new "concept" or idea.

It's a busy, connected world. There's a lot of new information and viewpoints to consider, and no shortage of platforms to complain about it.

I sometimes wonder if people aren't going a bit overboard with some of the distinctions that get made, but I think the important thing is that we try to respect people for who they are.

I do wonder sometimes, if we really need all these distinctions and labels. Of course, I'm not the one being labelled, and if someone wants to create a term that fits them, I support that.

I do think those people, in turn, should be patient with those who are trying to understand it - as long as those trying to understand it, are doing so respectfully and in good faith.

Well said Ibby. While there are extreme views on all sides, that are often the ones used as collateral by opponents, there are so many people that want to simply do the best they can for everyone.

thank you, thothy.

Indeed - I take the view of, well, I'm not the one being labeled. If these labels apply to themselves, and they're not infringing on anyone else's rights, why not?

Yep. Generally speaking I try to meet people at they are at. I mean I don't want someone dictating to me how to live my life, so why do that to someone else? I mean there are always exceptions to the rule in certain cases, but live and let live is a good working philosophy in my book.

And as long as both sides are respectful

the online world today is full of snarky dismissiveness, sadly

Exactly! Respect is such a key element that is lost in most social media.

Some people just seem to forget, that behind the screens and technology are other human beings.

People with feelings and thoughts and views. If only we could all move away from our keyboards to meet and talk openly...only to find out we only had a comic book in common, and couldn't stand each other otherwise.

Comic books can be a great bringer-together-of-people... or a great divider

Thoth and I stay friends even though (or perhaps BECAUSE) we disagree on so much about comics.

Sometimes a sparring partner is needed

Agreed, Ibby. And Thoth is an exceptional sparring partner.

Also very creative at thinking of ways to twist wishes to get people run over by trucks

(referring to the Nasty Genie thread)

"If a ten-ton truck kills the both of us,
To die by your side,
Well, the pleasure and the privilege is mine"

(Referring to the RIP Andy Rourke posts made this past month of May by me and Thoth in the So What Are You Listening To thread.)

There sure is a lot of poetry in that!

No we don't!

Great to see you Fickles!

Don't overdo the drinking, Ibby.

(And thanks, Thoth. Great to see you, too.)

Don't worry, I can control myself, Annfie

Little does Ibby know we control his every thought and movement through his Legion World Walking Ring. Those thoughts? Yeah those too, although we get POV into to handle them.

Why am I slapping myself?

Silly controls... where's that button for making you buy everyone a round of drinks...

Why am I compelled to use thoth's credit card at the bar?

LOL

Turns out Thoth's diabolical device has a glitch in it!

Oh dear, I've maxed out thoth's credit card.

Time to fetch his wallet..

A sad flaw in all my diabolical devices. I've really got to stop buying them off the local cats. They enjoy my misery.

Must… fill… Thoth’s house… with catnip…

I suppose it's no surprise that my own attempts at controlling would be controlled.

Justice was served!

Vance Astro from Marvel's New Warriors has used the code name Justice for many years now. So whenever Vance goes out to eat, Justice is served.

I hear he was pleased with the steak last night!

It's a sad day when Justice send people to the steak.

Yeah. Especially when the server forgets the barbecue sauce.

(I'm so evil, evil, evil.)

Are we gonna stake the steak ?

Do you have a stake in companies that stake steaks?

ROFL. Oh I like that one Ann! Thank you for brightening my day.

Just like the sunrise

Remember: Rocketing fellow posters into space to compare them to a sunrise is considered to be naughty. Unless:-
1) It is to save them from an exploding planet, and is a key part of their origin story.
2) They have a AAA Brande Industries spacesuit. Not the AA ones, they'll try to get you to buy.

And definitely not a McCauley Industries spacesuit, those things have shoddy quality

Not as shoddy as ACME, though. Just ask Wile E. Coyote.



Thanks, guys. Very sweet of both of you to say.

A friend of mine likes to use the term "sunshine spreader". I think it's very apt

Awwww...

Spreading the light of love, that's me. It's nice to be nice instead of bitter and snarky.

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Annfie

Sometimes, I find it hard to be nice, too. But know that I appreciate you being nice!

Thank you. And I agree, it's not easy to be nice, but it's well worth it. It's a tonic for mind, soul, and body.

Being nice is its own reward

The Avenue Q musical has a song about this -

The Money Song. In it, once the characters start donating money, they realise how good it makes them feel. To quote the chorus :

Both:
When you help others,
You can't help helping yourself!
When you help others,
You can't help helping yourself!

Once they donate all their money, they will be relying on the goodness of others.

It's sad what happened to Spend-Happy McGee. He just kept donating and donating to get that high, and now...

Every now and again, there's a scandal here involving names going on charity contact databases, resulting in the poor person being inundated with requests. Like a lot of marketing, they channel people that are most likely to donate. So we have stressed out, poor old people who give everything they have. Lessons are learned by those involved. Yet it still seems to happen.

Since it surfaced years apart, the companies/charities involved have no shame. People who stop donating are often bombarded to get them to restart payments too. It's shaped who and how I give pennies to.

ah yes, I've had one like that. even asked me why I wanted to stop donating. that was during covid, and I said, I have family who do have covid so will be supporting them first... they hadn't a thing to say against that

I prefer donating to things that I know directly where it's going.

It's tough finding reliable organizations.

You need to be organised to find them efficiently.

Yep. We've been donating to the county food bank for the last several years, as we know its a good org.

But now we've changed counties, so we need to figure out where to donate next! I think we're likely to donate to some Hawaiian relief funds, but we need to make sure we pick the right one.

here in the Netherlands there's a sort of official joint donation site/line/organization. It's as safe and efficient as any

That's really cool.

I can donate to charities through work, and we can specify the charity and sometimes the specific program, which seems to work well.

that's better than what we do, which is matching a donation already made

Employer will do that as well. The only problem with noting which program you want a donation to go to is that you don't know for sure that it will get to that effort. So for example, if I donate to the Red Cross for the Maui relief specifically, I will only know for sure that it goes to the Red Cross.

Mostly time given and food to food banks for humans and to help feline overlords in difficulty (but still in charge)

Re friends and family, I prefer to give time instead of money.

have heard of so many relationships destroyed by money matters

And tougher than ever with today's cost of living.

Life ain't getting easier! not for everyone

Most people have probably always had grounds to say that. Perhaps there was a better way to run things all along , like [Redacted by order of The Science Police].

Oh I thought we were back in the Philippines during the Martial Law period

Or Ecuador during the Military Junta period.

So many countries have had a period like this, and some still do today.

One of the underreported aspects of the recent death (probable assassination) of Yevgeny Prighozhin is that the Wagner group has played a major role in supporting various military coups in Africa (such as the recent one in Niger). It's unclear how Prighozhin's death will affect this situation .

Mali and the Central African Republic are other countries with a large Wagner presences. Susan and Libya as well

Susan? There's a country named Susan?

(I know it was a misspelling, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. )

thanks Anffie for your clarification much appreciated

stupid autocorrect. Well, Sudan has transformed now, and now I have to go write a groveling apology letter to the Internet mobs

It did remind me of the Paul Merton sketch, where he's from the planet Susan.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WaTFgvYIvJk

Maybe we should create a planet Susan for the Legion's time

Not to be confused with Planet Claire.

Ah, the B-52s. Love them. Thanks, EDE.

But what's that weird thing attached to Cindy's wig?

A pre-cursor of the Dream Girl barrette?

Yeah, I was going to say an antenna, or maybe just a barrette!

or both! An antennae-barrette! "cute and functional"!, to quote Kinetix

The antennae-barrette was popular on the technologically advanced planet of e-clair. A Bismollian outpost that ironically was eaten by everyone else in the galaxy.

Matter-Eater Lad: Ironically, here on e-clair, everyone has the powers of a Bismollian!

Some will also get additional powers, like converting the energy from eating into super strength like Taryn Loy.

I wonder if anyone will get super-bad-breath

Breath Boy: Hal Itosis, from Bismoll.

Fart Boy: Ex Pel, also from Bismoll

Snot Lad: M-Uk Us from Bismoll

Burp lad: Bel Ching of Bismoll

Prince Perspiration: Swet Loge of Naltor.

The discount duchess: best buy

Instilling buyer's regret is a power to get someone into, if not the Subs, then Tenzil's team on Tartarus alongside Policy Pam.

Team-up! Team-up!

I take it you only said "team-up!" once, and the second was the work of Echo Chamber Chet.

Buyers regret. I.e., days ending in Y

I regret not being able to sleep for longer

We should learn the secrets of Stone Boy, so we get plenty of rest.

And his ancestor, Rip van Winkle

Related to Rip Hunter?

Yeah, he's that goofy cousin whom they left behind cause he kept napping

Do either of the Rips like the classic 80s Dead or Alive remix album, "Rip It Up?"

I hear Rip van Winkle ripped up his jury summons... that's why he went into hiding

I heard he ripped up his winning lottery ticket.

Even the winning ticket that would have gotten him into Willy Wonka's factory

"I've got a golden tiiiiickeeeeet..."

Love that song, love the original Willy Wonka movie.

It was a good one!

It was magical when I saw it as a kid, and it held up fine when I saw it as an adult. Sadly, that doesn't happen often with movies.

I can’t think of many that I’d watch again

Yeah, same here. OTOH, a lot of cartoons from when I was a kid can still make me smile.

I think ill set aside a weekend in December just for some rewatching

That's nice, Ibby.

Am I right in guessing that DuckTales is on your list?

Definitely, Fanfie! The reboot, so rewatchable!

I'm looking out for Gatchaman, from my childhood.

Gatchaman drags people into gambling debt!

When heroes are sponsored by gambling companies...

Tonight, we talk to Booster Gold and his time with Bet 365.

One would think that Booster would be more careful about betting now...

He came back with, Skeets, his costume from the museum theft and a list of sporting event winners over centuries.

lost his sister for a while, though

Song break!

Thompson Twins, "Sister of Mercy"

https://youtu.be/K5RPn3YOKOo?si=5Dzp_-UPOvbm78B8

I recall an anime I watched some time ago, Gensomaden Saiyuki. One character was the Goddess of Mercy, but she didn't seem very merciful to me.

I just did a search for Saiyuki -- it sounds really awesome! I'll see if I can stream it. Thanks, Ibby!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiyuki_(manga)#Anime

glad you find it interesting, Annfie! hope you enjoy it

Journey to the West inspires a lot of really popular books, shows and comics.

it's a classic!

It would make an interesting issue of Classics Illustrated.

I'd read that!

And educational too.

I learned a lot!

Reading comics gives you a head start in a lot of things.

I learned how to swear by reading comics!

#@*% yeah!

That was a surprising thing for Superman to be saying in Action Comics.

He had just been exposed to Red Kryptonite.

Has there really been a pink kryptonite, or am I misremembering?

It was a gag toward the end of PAD's Supergirl, when Linda visited the Silver Age. And, yes, it caused SA Superman to flirt with Jimmy.

thanks! I found that panel.

Lots of scripted, yet still unfunny panel shows on the radio this weekend.

Lots of unfunny TIktok videos out there too, apparently

don't watch any myself, only watch them from the videos of a guy who makes fun of them

I don't have much time for gaming. One football game, in particular, just takes ages. I have watched videos of others, who quickly take my club through s few seasons.

I'm not a gamer, either, though I loved video games way back when they were in arcades rather than living rooms (I feel so old!)

While I did like the feel of arcades, I appreciated playing on personal consoles so I could really get into the games. no waiting turns

Cheaper than all the pennies spent in arcades too. I played an emulated version of an old arcade game recently. I was just as rubbish as I found the controls as annoying as they were all those years ago.

yeah, those attempts at the machines sure add up

The way some of the arcade machines made sure to be cash grabs, as no arcade owner wants one kid hogging up a machine all day, reminded me of later cash grabs through apps. Different generations, same human nature.

Like those old carnival games, hit the target win a prize... and they make the target really hard to hit

Rifle sights that are off, targets that are weighted not to fall over, not offering any of the "top" prizes for what you've won... Lots of ways to take advantage of customers. Prices for even this have gone up and up.

"Great Day for Up" was a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and drawn by Quentin Blake. In it, everybody and everything is relentlessly, annoyingly "UP," except for the narrator, who doesn't want to get out of bed.

I wonder if that was a reference to toxic positivity.

"Well, the sun didn't go nova today." A positive thought we can all have each day. Well, until...

"Well, at least the mosquito that bit me didn't give me malaria..."

Typically, the first two people I tried this new positive approach to, were Nova and Mosquito of the Justice Corps super team.

Infectious Lass didn't much appreciate it, either.

It just occurred to me that Infectious Lass's home planet of Somathur might have had its name derived from the phrase "stomach hurts."

That makes tons of sense!!!

Everything makes tons of sense with Star Boy around.

I've never much liked Star Boy. When Levitz and Giffen killed him off near the end of the Retroboot, I coined the phrase "Bearded Pancake."

He's not one of my favorite Legionnaires. I don't dislike him, I just find him a bit boring in comparison to many others.

I think he would've been more interesting if he'd staryed with the Subs rather than rejoining the Legion.

That's a very good point, EDE.

And you've also just given me an idea for a fan fic.

Thank you.

Star Boy would have given the Subs some... star power.

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish that Thom was not so dumb
And Nura was more secure-a

"Nura, even if nobody says so, you must know that everyone thinks you're fabulous, as usual!"

Should Nura have stayed in the Subs too? We'd have missed her time as leader.

I think she should have stayed in the Subs. Then we would have been spared the Atmos stuff.

Ugh, although I blame that on Atmos.

Nura at least gave us a memorable term as Legion leader

Another nteresting question is whether Mysa would have joined the Legion without Nura.

in the Reboot, would Jazmin have joined the Legion if Thom hadn't egged her on?

Have we ever seen eggs in a Legion comic?

Not that I recall, but wasn't all their food synthetic or some such?

One of the few times I ever liked Lydda was when she's in the Pocket Universe and she delights in eating an honest-to-goodness apple.

Egghead appears in Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Wouldn't be surprised if they came across some alien eggs some time.

Wasn't there a Xudarian pushing an egg in a baby carriage in the first episode of the Legion cartoon?

haha how cute!

I don't think Giffen's regular addition of the eyestalk creature reached the same levels of cuteness.

I wonder if the eyestalk creatures lay eggs.

Eggs that roll about and then have eye stalks peering out seems the way to go.

Man, I'm kind of surprised that Legion World doesn't already have a thread on the reproductive habits of eyestalk creatures

They appeared over a number of years at different locations. So either it's a single, well travelled one or...

...a time traveller, or...

The eyestalk could record all the eras it visits through time.

I believe the only named one is Gruertis Nyebif, Governor of Ventura. Maybe some weird Luck Lord curse sends him traveling through time?

Luck Lords have eyeballs for heads too. Perhaps the eyestalk creature is really one of them.

I was thinking it may be a distinctive feature of Venturan lifeforms.

Gruertis Nyebif's name always makes me think of Gruyere cheese. And I've never even tried Gruyere cheese!

Luck Lords have eyeballs for heads too. Perhaps the eyestalk creature is really one of them.

Hmm... thoth repeating the same comment again confirms my long held theory that he is, in reality, a Luck Lord-cursed time-jumping Gruertis Nyebif!

Or maybe he's Proty.

I'm proty dreadful at double posting.

Double Team was a 90s American action movie, notable only for being directed by the great Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark.

Still sounds better than Double-Header.

Double-header is one character I really can't see becoming a Legionnaire ever

When it comes to channelling the magic from Jimmy Olsen's trunk of hats, Double Header is who you'd turn to.

Bah! I'd be the greatest Legionnaire ever!

No, you blazalsputz! *I'd* be the greatest Legionnaire ever!

here we go again!

I always thought Double-Header should.have his own political commentary show!

Double Header scored 20 headed goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1950/51 season, after a time bubble trip.

He used his head for that one

It's nice to get a head in the world.

Sometimes we have to face reality head-on

In 1942 Bill Finger came up with another concept for Batman. A villain who used a coin to determine his actions. A coin that was rigged. The villain's catchphrase: Heads I win. Tails you lose. The villain's coin: One where both sides were heads. The villain's name: Double Header!

Double Header and Two-Face: the team-up we didn't know we needed!

In 1986 Jeanette Khan took the brave decision to shake up even their most popular book during Crisis. Gar Logan and Vic Stone finally tracked down Steve Dayton, believing him responsible for the creation of The Hybrid. But Dayton was dead, replaced by a more powerful Mento. A Mento wearing two psionic granting helmets. Double Header destroyed most of the Titans, before being brought to his senses. Double Header, Kole and Logan would form the core of a new Titans group.

Kole was spared because Double-Header has a thing for underdogs!

Kole's Promethium origins make her a cert to be part of Double Header's Hybrid.

if there's a double helix involved, Double-Header is all for it!

I wonder if there's a Double-Header of Earth-2?

Or a funny animal one!

In 1986 Earth 2s Double Header became part of the new Earth along with the rest of Helix.

1983 saw Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew battle the argumentative, two headed Chimaera. It's not certain that this was double header in an animal costume with a stuck zipper, but tell tale Time Bubble ripples were noted in two panels.

suspicious!

Yeah, it was right up there with the tiny Legion cameo in Hex.

also suspicious!

Only being too old, having no powers, using devices and dedding countless people stopped Hex joining the Legion.

only a few small hurdles!

Sadly, The Flash failed to get into the JLA after being unable to stop quickly enough during the 110m hurdle event, used as part of the track and field recruitment process.

Double-header managed to do it, though!

The Justice League never felt that Javelin was really as effective as Flash would have been. Not to mention the frequent squabbles with Green Arrow over which was the better Olympic event.

The Sportsmaster would have had a lot to say about that!

A Sportsmaster / Triathlon cross company team up is right up there with Flash Vs Superman races.

Cheerleader Cheryl is a new character created specifically for that team-up!

Alliterative! A Legion tryout beckons!

Alliterative Al is happy about this!

AI continues to be in the news. Fortunately, we at LW have the advantage of having read all the Computo stories.

And we have precogs too... not that they have historically helped us a lot!

Who can tell if the disasters they don't prevent are to save our resources to go up against something worse?

Warn people to evacuate one disaster only for one of them to go onto develop a killer nanobot.

Cue to Nura testily telling her precog trainees... "never ever look for JUST the next event - look two events further!"

The all minimalist issue of rival precogs just sitting around reaching forward to check which actions they can take to counter their opponent's.

It's like chess, but all in their heads!

If it were Chess, the Musical we'd have cold war tensions and music by one of ABBA.

And one of the competitors accused of cheating by putting things in his butt

I wasn't remembering that from the musical.

This isn't anything to do with that ongoing chess cheating dispute is it...checks...yes, it is.

and that's your daily dose of current events!

The Ranzz's keep up on current events.

Mekt's issues were exacerbated by him trying to cheat using the method described in current events.

A shocking development

The news coverage was electrifying

At least someone got a charge out of it.

Some were very negative about it. And some were very positive.

Negative people aren't as plugged in as positive ones, Ask Larry and Valentina.

Valentina Vostok was probably named after Valentina Tereskova, a real-life pioneering cosmonaut.

Lovely!

Of course, there's also Eleanor too, who was part of Rebis.

The Negative Man/Woman merged entity!

Mergers often have a lot of issues.

Mergers and Acquisitions folks tend to be paid well

I wonder how they feel when there's aquisitions and mergers of aquisition and merger companies.

maybe more of them quit right away, cause they know what's going to happen anyway...

I shall contact Ray Palmer. He will be able to travel into microscopic world's where the extent of my sympathy for them lives.

I was going to call them sharks, but sharks deserve more sympathy

One is inhuman with an insatiable need to inflict horrible wounds and suffering. The other is a shark.

They also seem related to online trolls. Many online trolls just revel in making other people angry or upset.

Where's the Three Billy Goats Gruff when you need them?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Billy_Goats_Gruff

Some trolls definitely deserve to be headbutted into decency!

Don't feed the trolls is something you see on most message boards.

One of those I'm on has a pop-up, for when one tries to respond to a flagged message. "This message has already been flagged by other forum users; are you sure you want to reply? Replying tends to encourage more trolling."

Some boards I'm on would be a sea of pop ups as little factions constantly flag each other's posts.

thank heavens for Legion World

Searches to flag Ibby's post... once again disappointed...

and there was thoth's attempt at a daily dose of drama

It's not drama... It's my life! >choke<

I used to create a lot of drama in my day-to-day life, until I realized that it was better to create drama in works of fiction.

I prefer watching/reading comedy and adventure myself. Real life tends to have so much drama, I don't want even more drama heaped upon me in fiction

I get what you're saying, but melodrama can also be fun in its own way.

I agree, if I'm not involved!

People acting out their own dramas, can trigger a lot of people around them, making it unpleasant for everyone.

That's exactly why I stopped doing it.

I'd rather act out a comedy!

Shakespeare?

A comedy of errors

Some say this thread is much ado about nothing. But it's another way of celebrating the works of Shakespeare. Okay, it's Kent Shakespeare...

"nothing" is often "something" for someone

Indeed. To put it a slightly different way, one person's trash is another person's treasure!

Phantom Girl reminded Shadow Lass of that during the start of the Great Darkness Saga!

Did we ever see the hairstyling device Shady used in the tryout issue again? Perhaps it got trashed.

COMPUTO mercy-killed it. ok, ok, COMPUTO helped fake its death and let it escape to Robotica.

Hair Device:: Help me! I've been on Shadow Lass' head for so long, I can still SMELL her conditioner 24 hours after...

COMPUTO: go hide in Tesseract 3859392. I will build a junk replica of you to conceal your departure.

Reads like the opening of a case for... Appliance Lad.

He's the descendant of Inspector Gadget!

GEAR probably prevented Appliance Lad the stardom he deserved.

Just because Gear can shift his own body!

And Appliance Lad did need a power cable.

While Gear was all wireless!!

Marionette was a Micronauts character who, while now free, chose the name because of the puppet status of her prior position.

Something about remembering where one comes from, it seems

As Swamp Thing says, don't forget your roots.

As some ancient oracle no doubt said: If you don't remember where you came from, you... will probably still be able to reach a destination

Remembering why you came, might be more useful to know where you came from.

Or if you're never going back anyway, you can just forget everything about that place.

especially if you really wanted to leave.

You've come a long way, baby was a long running Virginia Slims ad campaign, as well as the name of a Fatboy Slim album.