Cyborg #1: "Unplugged"

[superboyprime]

"As much as I love comic books and superheroes, I think it is dangerous to have them tackle complex problems and then solve these issues, when in real life that simply doesn’t happen. Cyborg can take on an army extraterrestrials and save the day -- as a writer, I can make that work. But can he tackle police brutality and actually fix the problem, which itself is linked to other problems? If there is one issue that we can have Cyborg grapple with -- one that I believe is very important to the black community -- it would have to be self-esteem. This is not to say that Cyborg can fix all the contributing factors that lead to so many young people of color suffering from low self-esteem, but by merely having him present—by having him being front and center, dealing with his own issues of self-worth and belonging—maybe he can help others with their struggles." - David F. Walker

Comments

[tigerkaya]

"We were, but now who's up for Chinese food?"

Seriously though fuck DC citizens.

[tugrul]

Someone didn't treat Cyborg as inhumane as possible. This went better than expected.

[dr_archeville]

I wonder if they'll link whatever tech was used to cure Barbara Gordon's paralysis to Stone's new tech.

Come to think of it: have Babs & Vic every been shown discussing technological aid for the disabled? I know Babs long held the stance of "I know we JLers and other heroes have access to super-tech that could fix my damaged spine, but I won't use it until such tech is available to everyone," but has any writer shown her discussing that philosophy with someone who needs such super-tech to live? Or how to go about distributing such tech to the general public?

I know they can never actually do so, for Status Quo Is God narrative reasons -- they can’t provide such game-changing medical tech to the world without seriously changing the world, and most comic book worlds, especially the Big Two, try to keep a "like the real world but with a small percentage of superpowered beings who don’t really affect the broader world" thing going on. But has any writer ever attempted to at least acknowledge it?

[zapbiffpow]

I think the problem with tackling curative technology in comic books is that it always boils down to a loop of the writers being forced to offer an explanation that has to fit in with the Status Quo; and we, the audience, waiting to shoot down said explanation.

Let's take that Supergirl arc where she tries to cure a little boy's cancer. She finds the Purple Ray, but it turns out cancer's the one thing it can't cure. It comes off as kinda contrived...but, if, on the other hand, the Purple Ray could cure cancer, the question comes up: why isn't it being used 24/7 to help people around the globe? And the explanation for that would also probably be (unintentionally) contrived.

Barring a very, very good scribe, cure-tech is really a no-win, no-close topic. Probably best to leave that discussion to us, the readers.

[sanctaphrax]

Even if the purple ray can't cure cancer, the question still arises and the answer is still contrived.

If you ask me, the best solution is to tell a story with an actual ending and have the cure-tech mass-produced in the epilogue. Say they're still working some kinks out during the story proper.

[zapbiffpow]

I'd like to think WayneTech (or Luthor, or Starr, or Queen) successfully mass-produced Bab's walking technology, and it's so common now that it's become a virtual non-issue, as easy as getting prosthetic limbs.

[sagrada]

It's kind of a wonky 'dilemma'. Oracle didn't need fantastic science to live, and she could already affect the world with the super-technology she already had access to. Why would it matter if somebody else wasn't in her position and thus didn't have that ethical stance? She's not withholding medical advancements, just denying them to herself until they're not a pity token for being part of the super-club.

It's really weird way to go for somebody shown as normally so analytical and looking for any edge, but it's no worse than Iron Man suddenly going evil transhumanist again.

EDIT: Also, it's kind of telling how the default assumption is that in a world of superheroes, the supers will inevitably solve all the problems currently afflicting humanity. It's gotten to the point where unless they're randomly assigned a 'superhuman' intellect, people can't change their world and have to wait for the supers to do it for them. We already saw how silly and creepy that looks back in Squadron Supreme.

[darkknightjrk]

Well, Vic's new tech has alien origins (turns out it wasn't JUST Apocalyptian technology like we first thought), so that kinda rules it out. Plus, from what I understand, Gail researched it and found cutting edge techniques that are being worked on today--that's why she put it in South Africa, because that was where the research she saw was happening.

That said, Vic and Barbara would be a really cool team-up. We sorta got that in Batman & Robin when they were rescuing Damian's body from Apocalyps, but no where near enough.

[liliaeth]

Depends if you count novels.

Marion G.Harmon is writing a series of novels (currently only available digitally) called Wearing the Cape about a young superhero in a world where any person can get superpowers if they are in a deep enough emotional state. (aka usually when they are in a disaster or at strong risk of dying, there's mention of several people who committed suicide trying to get superpowers, but failing to do so)

Anyway, in the books there is a particular class of superhumans who are basically superinventors. These people are basically the Tony Stark's, Reed Richards' and so on of their world, but... their blueprints only work for them.

So a Verne type superhuman could create the most amazing things, even for other people, but they can't be mass produced, because when made by someone else, they wouldn't work.

And as a result you have some Verne types who will build prosthetics, find cures and so on, but they're limited in how far they can help people, since they're only one person, and their inventions only work if they build/assemble/... them themselves.
(it also explains why some of the superscience makes no sense in regards to real world physics, since they're not supposed to*g*)

[icon_uk]

a world where any person can get superpowers if they are in a deep enough emotional state. (aka usually when they are in a disaster or at strong risk of dying, there's mention of several people who committed suicide trying to get superpowers, but failing to do so)

The DCU had/has that with the metagene, since it was usually a deeply traumatic situation with triggere the genes activation (and was then retconned into being the origin of nearly ever single superbeing on the planet)

[liliaeth]

Didn't know that.

In 'Wearing the cape' there was basically some kind of event a decade or two ago, that led to the current superhuman situation. But the book even acknowledges that a lot of the powers make no sense according to scientific rules.

And powers include aside of the regular types of superhumans, people who become vampires, werewolves, witches, and any other kind of magic, or a fictional detective character who became real (and now can't die because he was the protagonist in his books), probably because of something that happened to his creator.

I'd imagine that this 'event' basically gave everyone a degree of reality altering powers, and since comics existed in this world, most people get superpowers along the lines of those in the comics, because that's what they expect to get.

[icon_uk]

It was noted by a few observers that the metagene becoming active tends to result in abilities which are shaped by the person's inner nature and/or the nature actual trigger event (So if someone who is claustrophobic is trapped in a small space underground they might develop telekinetic powers to expand their personal space, or teleporation/intangibility so they can never be trapped again.

Sparx got her electrical powers after she was defibrillated when presumed dead after an alien assault.

The detonation of the Gene Bomb removed the relevance of the trigger event for a bunch of newly empowered characters, so the Doom Patrol's Crazy Jane's disassociative personalities all manifested powers linked to their purpose within the Underground System that was Jane's mind, and so on.

IIRC The White Event in the New Universe led to something editorial called "The Pinocchio effect", so that people got powers which were a variation on their deepest wish, some twisted around in their result though. So an overworked Intern at a hospital manifested shadowy copies of himself so he could be in more than one place at once, a fast food chef developed superspeed, a mother of two developed a sort of "supercharging" aura that healed and revitalised herself and anyone around her... and so on...

The Wild Card books posited that many of the powers of Aces (Those who the triggering Wild Card virus granted positive physical mutations and abilities, as opposed to those who gained disfiguring mutations (Jokers), powers which left them human, but with basically useless powers (Deuces), or ended up being turned into non-viable mutations and outright died (Drawing the Black Queen)) were actually refined forms of the same powers; telekinesis, which covered a lot of fliers, transformational powers and the like.

[laughing_tree]

I've never been fond of that idea, personally. It strikes me as too on the nose.

[zapbiffpow]

I do remember one non-tragic use of the metagene: Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man. His Gingold origin was adjusted so that instead of the drink being the source, it acted as the trigger for his metagene.

[deh_tommy]

I thought Barbara's injuries weren't permanent in The New 52, hence how she was able to recover from paralysis?

In New 52

[chortles81]

She got surgery, but of a short which played a role in her first Batgirl of Burnside arc.

[big_daddy_d]

I been WAITING for this series and frankly enjoyed it. Really got into Cyborg's head and how he's been taking things since his transformation and yet at times he seems a little too forgiving of his old man and at the same time is getting fed up with his shit. Hell I am too, I really hate his father and happily look forward to the day Victor tells him off. Otherwise, thought this issue set up things nicely and even has a little humor in it.

[zapbiffpow]

Vic took a similar journey in Johns' Justice League run: the relationship with Dr. Stone is probably one of the character arcs he's paid most attention to, with developments in Origins, Throne of Atlantis and Forever Evil.

This is the first I've seen Vic's actual caption-boxed thoughts on being Cyborg, though. It's a nice change.