Title Fight

[arbre_rieur]

Four pages from INCORRUPTIBLE 23...







We don't find out what he says, but...

Comments

[outlawpoet]

I bet the newspaper editor creamed his pants when Max brought that shit to him to print.
Seriously that is the most epic headline ever.

[icon_uk]

I should imagine the editors reaction would be more like "Suuuuuure, let's piss of the world-devastating Superman analogue by making our... I dunno, Wonder Man, analogue look good at his expense."

Plus what happens when Coalville is devastated indirectly (Volcanic clouds kicked up by Plutonian lighting a cigar from Etna or the like), or the supplies they will need from outside the town get Plutonianed to dust?

It also means people will be flocking to Coalville from all over as it's a sanctuary, will Plutonian allow that?

[fifthie]

I should imagine the editors reaction would be more like "Suuuuuure, let's piss of the world-devastating Superman analogue by making our... I dunno, Wonder Man, analogue look good at his expense."

It's not like NOT pissing off the Plutonian has any correlation with whether or not he viciously murders you.

[crabby_lioness]

True.

So far the more they've begged, the worse he's behaved.

[q99]

-
I should imagine the editors reaction would be more like "Suuuuuure, let's piss of the world-devastating Superman analogue by making our... I dunno, Wonder Man, analogue look good at his expense."-

But, as far as they can tell, Max *really did win*.

[misterbug]

Funny, I always thought Max was a Metallo analogue, given that they initially put the emphasis on his inability to feel anything.

[icon_uk]

I was just thinking in terms of "Someone vaguely powerful who could probably trade punches with Superman level guy for a while, but really isn't in their league" (Though Max appears to have had a major power upgrade for this story as I don't recall any previous suggestion that he'd be a proper match for Plutonian)

In terms of not being able to feel, do they mean that the same way, as in "no sense of touch" versus "unable to experience emotion"?

[misterbug]

The second one, I believe. Behold:

[silicondream]

You mean the first one, I assume? He's obviously experiencing plenty of emotion there.

[misterbug]

Er. Yes, probably. Woopsie...

[icon_uk]

Hmm, thanks. Though if they're suggesting that he can't feel, smell or taste, one has to wonder why he can hear, since that depends on the various bits and bobs inside the ear being able to be vibrated by soundwaves, which one would assume his wouldn't be since they're invulnerable and superdurable.

Diamond Lil of Omega Flight was the first character I can think of who had the "sensory limitations regarding touch as a result of invulnerability" (Though Byrne would return to the concept with one of his Next Men)

[misterbug]

Though Waid was trumped by Chris Bachalo in "Avengers - The Initiative" in pointing out the romantic repercussions; Butterball/Boulder is unable to take damage from almost any attack, but when one of his comrades drunkenly tries to make out with him her touch doesn't excite him in the least. I admire the mind that decides to take the character marketed as comic relief and then give them the tragic stigma of being a teenager who can never become sexually aroused.

[icon_uk]

Also the fact that he was overweight and out of condition at the time of his power manifesting means that, whilst functionally immortal and will never age, he'll never be able to get in shape, or become more physically proficient, or appear to be an adult.

It's a messed up power, that's for sure.

[misterbug]

You wonder whether his parents just prayed they'd have a kid with a long life and a tough outer shell, and Mephisto happened to be walking his dog outside the church grounds and overheard them.

[darkblade]

As good an explanation as to how someone with no apparent origin could have powers without being a mutant.

[crabby_lioness]

Max has normal senses for approximately the first hour after waking up.

He really hates having his wake-up routine interrupted.

[shadur]

When I first read that, my initial reaction was "... Man, if I got screwed over by the universe that way, I'm not sure I wouldn't wind up wanting to hurt as many people as possible for it..."

[silicondream]

Looking back at the earlier issues, I see that Max did show off his superspeed now and then. And he was always described as "the only known super-being able to survive physical combat with the Plutonian." But yeah, there's a difference between surviving and winning. And Tony comments that Max has gotten tougher. He must have cracked the sleep thing somehow.

[icon_uk]

And also a difference between "Plutonian as heroic Superman type who would not attempt to all out kill a human opponent" and "All-out sociopath Plutonian who would slaughter hundreds without really noticing"

[silicondream]

Maybe he was always able to go pretty much all-out against Max without worrying about that, thanks to Max's invulnerability. I mean, otherwise the FBI description wouldn't make a big deal out of Max being able to survive a fight with him. Presumably lots of other supervillains fought hero-Tony and survived, but only because he was holding back.

We also know that Tony doesn't really become a much better fighter when he stops holding back. He's meaner, but as Survivor pointed out, he lacks skill.

[wizardru]

Well, the more I think about it, I think a lot of it has to do with two things:

Tony previously had a code and Max didn't, which makes Tony more dangerous and Max less so. BUT, Tony is now much more cowardly and paranoid (because he really DOES have everyone against him), so he's much less likely to risk what he once might have.

[q99]

I think it also makes Max more driven.

[arbre_rieur]

It was said pretty early on that Max can reach Plutonian-level strength if he goes for long enough without sleep. He just hasn't had much occasion to do so in the series.

[icon_uk]

Though presumably that would have had the inherent implication that by the time he reached that level, he'd be so out of it through sleep deprivation he'd be more dangerous and less rational than the Plutonian is now, certainly not likely to be able to put together a coherent scheme against him.

[silicondream]

Yep. Alana said that he'd always start making stupid errors in judgment once he got to that point.

[outlawpoet]

More likely it was simply staged in front of witnesses, so they think it's real.
But yeah, the practical issues depend a lot on what Max's secret convincing argument is, and how inclined the Plutonian is to keep well away from Coalville.