Superboy #7

[superfangirl1]

Comments

[icon_uk]

It's so sad that Kon and John Henry Irons don't know any agents of some sort of intergalactic police force who they might be able to ask to help with that kind of enquiry about star spanning smuggling operations... oh, wait...

Not sure I'm keen on the notion of the "Red Mercy", the Black Mercy worked fine because it's the perfect approach for a predatory species, it entrances it's prey, it keeps them placid by making them content. Opening up all your fears hardly seems like a wise move.

And does it look to anyone else like Iron Works in that one panel is probably breaking quite a lot of air pollution statutes?

[blackruzsa]

Well if you've got something that makes you happy, might as well go the other way too. I guess it's more for torture than control.

[icon_uk]

A plant surviving by torturing it's prey, as opposed to keeping them blissed out and passive, doesn't work for me as concept I'm afraid.

I'm almost worried we'll end up with the " Spectrum of Mercy" with the red on keeping you afraid, the black one keeping you passive, the blue one keeping you on tenterhooks, the orange one keeping you aroused and so on...

[elita_5]

Isn't it possible that the Red Mercy was genetically engineered by someone?

[icon_uk]

Fair point! :)

[blackruzsa]

You forgot the pink one changing your sexuality.

[misterbug]

"Tim, were you in the lab with a dead Red Mercy and that sample I took of Poison Ivy's DNA?"

"...Plausible deniability."

"I'm Batman."

"Good point."

"Mind explaining to me what interest you have in a sexuality-altering plant?"

"If you explain to me where you got that DNA sample from."

"...Touche."

[blackruzsa]

*snort*

[misterbug]

Besides, Moore had the much better explanation in "For The Man Who Has Everything" for why the Black Mercy wouldn't work on Superman - the implication in that story being that Superman is intelligent enough to not accept a hollow fantasy world, to accept that even if Krypton hadn't blown up, it would still have problems, and to ultimately face reality.

What kind of symbiotic life-form tries to entice its host by torturing them with their fears? Idiotic idea, this is. Beautifully illustrated, though.

[icon_uk]

The art IS nice, but there's something about the colouring in this series that I'm not really a fan of, I've noticed it before. In the sort of Jill Thompson-esque panels in the first scan it's lovely, but the "real world" panels look somewhat washed out on the fleshtones.

[lieut_kettch]

What kind of symbiotic life-form tries to entice its host by torturing them with their fears?

Maybe it feeds off emotions?

[fifthie]

What kind of symbiotic life-form tries to entice its host by torturing them with their fears?

Honestly it's actually kind of brilliant.

If you give people what they want the most, LOTS of people will stop and say wait what the fuck this can't be right where's the catch.

If you go after people with what they fear most, they aren't going to ask questions because they are going to be too busy screaming in terror and running for their lives.

[fifthie]

I mean if you need an example of fear causing people to utterly forsake rationality and go blindly along with the dumbest most implausible shit imaginable I direct you to the entire history of politics since the dawn of civilization

[wizardru]

Yeah, but a parasite/symbiote isn't going to want to create unpredictable, irrational behavior. That's why it doesn't work. The most dangerous kind of animal is one that is afraid and cornered. Creating a mental state where your host is liable to do anything is not conductive to continued survival of the parasite/symbiote.

The Black Mercy works because it is intended to make the host so happy that he'll continue to submit to the parasite. He's getting a fantasy of bliss and the Mercy gets to feed of of him. The Red Mercy is likely to agitate the host or even cause them to harm themselves. It's also not much of a 'mercy', making it's name kind of odd.

[misterbug]

Welllll...from a narrative viewpoint it's kind of ingenious, but Evolutionarily it makes no sense because plants always adapt themselves to attract they prey and/or symbiotic partners.

Although on second thoughts it still makes no sense as a narrative, because the standard plot trope is that a person confronted with their worst fears will attempt to confront them an thereby break free (as I presume Superboy does).

A far better trick would be the one presented in last year's Doctor Who episode, "Amy's Choice" - where there were multiple dreamers, and the initial dilemma is that both the dream-world AND the real-world seemed normal to one or more of them. If you're tricked into living a life that is merely different - no better, no worse, just an alternative - you could live that one for decades without realising.

[jlbarnett]

Green Lantern Corps actually already did a Black Mercy modified for fears. It also explained their original purpose, easing the suffering of the hurt and dying

[kd_the_movie]

In my personal canon, thats steam the Iron Works is giving off (steam is safe for the air, right?).

[mrstatham]

Didn't we have that story a little while back in GLC, though, where the 'Mother' of the Black Mercy plants states that they were forced to become more predatory creatures because of what Mongol and his son did to them?

Given the GLC was able to make the Mother Mercy plant turn on Mongol, it might be necessary to bring a new species in. And besides, it kind of makes sense to bring in a new species of Mercy plant somehow - A more negative version. Whether or not this is the right kind of approach is another matter.

[feyandstrange]

Especially since I think that's a GL right there?

Paralyzed with fear = sort of like placid? Or else somebody else bred them up for wacky reasons. Cause chaos within the foe, then move in and exploit said chaos?

I'm gonna hope and pretend that Iron Works is pumping out a lot of nice clean steam clouds there. (There's actually a steam-generating power plant not far from me that does so.)

[schala_kid]

Simon and Conner was so not fucking subtle in this issue, the whole "You're a Luthor! I'm a Valentine! Let's rule the world!" and earlier on when Conner told Psionic Lad that he didn't tell Simon where he was going because he was going to get jealous.

Oh Conner, you chase girls but it's the boys who really want you!

[silverzeo]

So wait, future boy gets to meet Steal but not Simon? Man, Conner either became a douche, or he is genuinely concern about Simon's safety since he has no power nor Batman level of training, plus the last time the Titans had a kid genius on their side... he was eaten alive by a demon dog...

[eightleggedbeast]

Who is the kid in green? :o