June 16, 2005
Alright, already
Because I have absolutely nothing better to do right now.
"It's funny how that's what's left at the end, isn't it? All the stupid stuff. Not 'War and Peace,' not James Joyce. Just the comics, the super heroes. ... Why do people get so ashamed of things? ... I mean, I really love those comics." -- Flex Mentallo by Grant Morrison
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? (Assume you also get baseline superhero enhancements like moderately increased strength, endurance and agility.)
Most superpowers are -- let's face it -- pretty useless. Firing energy bolts from my eyes would be kinda cool, but not very relevant to my current life as husband, father, and consultant. Though I suppose my three-year-old would get a kick out of it.
The ones that aren't useless... well, Charles Xavier's mental powers would let me make a difference in the world, yes. ("And now, Mr. President, let's talk about Supreme Court nominees.") That would be tempting. But I guess I really am a Burkean conservative at heart: I don't think I could trust anyone with that kind of power, including myself.
Super-intelligence would be pretty interesting. But wouldn't I get bored? And lonely?
Immortality. Been a fantasy of mine since I was a kid. (It's why Vandal Savage was always one of my favorite villains.) I'd get to see history from the right perspective. I'd be able to travel to all the places. I'd have time to read all the books!
But, again, lonely.
Flight is very tempting. I'd love to be able to fly. But I think I'd go with teleportatation... no distance limits, no conservation of potential energy or momentum, and I can take people with me.
No more car trips with the kids. I can see all my friends any time. And when I want good sushi, fresh from the lagoon... I'm there.
Which, if any, 'existing' superhero(es) do you fancy, and why?
Fancy as in like? I haven't really kept up. I was always a big Spider-Man fan. Top Ten is good story. The new Teen Titans cartoon is pretty cool.
Fancy in the British sense? Umm. Well, the question is in the present tense, so I can fairly answer "none". You didn't ask who I fanc_ied_ when I was, say, sixteen.
As often the case, Grant Morrisson has the last word. "How could you love anybody the way you loved Thundergirl?"
Which, if any, 'existing' superhero(es) do you hate?
As Carlos noted, a good writer can make a wretched character good, and vice versa.
I always disliked the Image superheroes and their descendants, though. Bulging muscles, bulging breasts, stupid stories.
OK, here's the tough one. What would your superhero name be? (No prefab porn-name formulas here, you have to make up the name you think you'd be proud to mask under.)
Something clean and simple, like Mister X.
For extra credit: Is there an 'existing' superhero with whom you identify/whom you would like to be?
Identify with: Is there a married superhero with kids whose stories made any emotional sense? There's a gap between "fantasize about" and "identify with", after all.
Like to be: No. They all have horrible problems, almost by definition.
Pass it on. Three people please, and why they're the wind beneath your wings.
Nobody got Charlie Stross yet? Tag. (Did you read comics as a kid, Charlie?)
Dragan Antulov, because I'm always interested in reading his take on things.
Mimi Smartypants, because I really like her stuff, and because there are too many Y chromosomes in this sequence. I doubt she'll take a tag from a complete stranger, mind. Perhaps this amusing little webcomic will serve to persuade her.
Yay! But there's still the book-tagging.
I ain't touching your sixth paragraph.
The initiator of this game of tag, the Bionic Octopus, seems to have XX chromosomes, and apparently likes wearing Christmas lights. (Yes, I noticed she lives in NYC. Jeez.) I would have asked Belle Waring, but decided I would be too frightened by / attracted to her answer.
Posted by: Carlos at June 16, 2005 10:30 PM
I only wore them the once, while I was trying to untangle them to put them on the tree, but it seemed worth documenting at the time.
And yes, so far as I'm aware, my sex-chromosomal complement is limited to the two Xes. What's 'Jeez' about living in NYC, may I ask?
Thanks for the link back.
Posted by: BionOc at June 17, 2005 02:05 AMUm. My co-bloggers sometimes like playing matchmaker. Since I was best man at their wedding, it's their privilege.
I live in Brooklyn, incidentally.
Posted by: Carlos at June 17, 2005 02:47 AMHa, that's adorable (the matchmaking). I lived in Brooklyn for 7 years, in Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. It was lovely.
Posted by: BionOc at June 17, 2005 03:08 AM"Super-intelligence would be pretty interesting. But wouldn't I get bored? And lonely?"
There's a solution to that one: go meta. Instead of having your superpower be superintelligence, have it be the power to *make* someone more intelligent; to raise IQs by anywhere from a discrete 20 - 30 points up to 200 - 300. Then you could use your power on yourself and Claudia and your families and anyone else who could benefit.
When you think about it, that turns out to be an interesting power even at the comic book level. Could a criminal gang fall apart if one of the lower-level members suddenly became smart enough to realize how the others were taking advantage of him? What would happen to a political machine or Evil Conspiracy if one of the cogs started to turn in an unpredictable manner? But you have to be very careful who you choose, or you may simply make your enemy that much more dangerous.
Best,
David Allen
Posted by: David Allen at June 18, 2005 06:59 AMActually, I already tagged Charlie Stross, but he hasn't answered yet.
Posted by: Martin Wisse at June 21, 2005 12:08 AMDoug Muir of island fame? Drop me a line. Froilan business. Sorry for having to use the post for personal communication.
Posted by: Dobby at June 21, 2005 10:08 PM