Also, a quick reminder: in case you've contributed to HA, please consider adding to this interview page on the HUniverse wiki. We already have interviews from Genejoke, Hero, irrevevant, sux, ironhand, CDMalcolm, shastab24 and myself!
That issue of Solarcell sounds really interesting - I look forward to it. And I totally agree - that's why I said supers should be *involved in* the policy of policing their own. Natasha is for human oversight of supers. Aria is about supers policing themselves. I'm for the same as you - a mix of both. I also agree that it will be neither easy nor perfect. Diplomacy never is. But it beats the alternatives.
If the Supers were to police their own, We might have a Magneto vs. Xavior vs. the system vs. the independents. I think all of your are right....to a point. In order to do this right, it must be by region. Side by side rules for living in harmony is not an easy thing to do. We tend to forget that our society is at constant war with creating new rules and bills to live by to be safe. Adding supers to the mix would be no different then with people with guns, swords, or other destructive weapons. As with what the Commander was saying would not totally work. supers along with plain humans should both be in power, Not dominating over another. Keeping it mixed would help draw fairness for both sides, just like we draw them out for people that endanger lives. The very issue of Solarcell I'm drawing is about to deal with this topic now. What gives a Hero to right to vanish another Super to another universe? That is what's going to happen to my characters as they enter the HA/HU universe.
To be clearer, I wasn't saying that there shouldn't be action - just that action should be genuinely consultative. Aria and Natasha's positions boil down to "Supers should take unilateral action to fix the world's problems" and "Supers need to be controlled and the status quo upheld." What needs to happen is councils and treaties etc. Supers need to be involved in enforcing and policing their own - not just at a physical level but at a policy level. Someone really needs to write that setting. It would be really interesting...
Perhaps not in the sense that you'd want to establish total control over superhumans, but a mere offer to engage in a productive dialogue probably won't cut it. Also, a criminal justice system for superhumans probably won't do either, because some transgressions may be so severe as to jeopardize the entire system - so punishment can't *follow* the crime, but any serious crime has to be anticipated beforehand.
Thanks guys! The very definition of a dilemma is that there's no clear solution, so both positions are somehow right and somehow wrong. While the dichotomy is somewhat exaggerated or heightened (since neither Aria nor Natasha are people you should want to unconditionally side with), I'm not sure it's false. Imagine taking an average populace and giving them super powers - any semblance of order would dissipate quickly, so they cannot be treated like ordinary people - and in order to establish reasonable dialogue, the participants have to be willing to engage in it, which is not a given when dealing with omnipotent beings. To quote Loki, an ant has no quarrel with a boot ;) At the same time, we should all agree that the world should be a much nicer place than it is now, and it's not all that clear whether reasonable dialogue can bring us from where it is now to where it should be. So, in that sense, the dichotomy seems real enough to me.
In a word: yes. They definitely *could* change the world if they decided to and I think it's that what the commander has issues with. It might just take one person with powers to decide it's time to make a change to the world because s/he "knows best"...and then go and do so without consultation. You said yourself in the previous page that entering a world where a superhero determines who lives/dies with no accountability would be a scary place, so isn't that just what The Commander is arguing here? That an organisation such as HU could help enforce these rules and prevent something like that?
I'm not saying I actually agree with what the Commander is saying here, but it's definitely something to think about. In fact I don't really know where I stand on the argument as both sides have their pros and cons.
It strikes me as a false dichotomy: "Supers must maintain the status quo and be kept under our thumb" vs "Supers should have absolute freedom". The appearance of supers introduces the need for dialogue between the parties. Supers CAN fix things. Special people can change the world. Would they really intend to do so without consulting with the vey people they want to help?
I'm going to speak as Solarcell, as if she is here in the HA universe: "I'm against control over other people period. I mean think about it. How long would it take before super metas start to feel oppressed? Retaliation will be close behind."
Great page as usual, abt! It's really nice to see the Commander again! And so starts another topic to debate in those first two panels. Where do you all stand?
Thing about panels 1 & 2 is that both these ladies make equally valid points. That, I think, is (or, at least SHOULD be) the central driving philosophical force behind most superhero comics.
irrevenant at 3:34PM, Dec. 1, 2014
That issue of Solarcell sounds really interesting - I look forward to it. And I totally agree - that's why I said supers should be *involved in* the policy of policing their own. Natasha is for human oversight of supers. Aria is about supers policing themselves. I'm for the same as you - a mix of both. I also agree that it will be neither easy nor perfect. Diplomacy never is. But it beats the alternatives.
cdmalcolm1 at 5:58AM, Dec. 1, 2014
If the Supers were to police their own, We might have a Magneto vs. Xavior vs. the system vs. the independents. I think all of your are right....to a point. In order to do this right, it must be by region. Side by side rules for living in harmony is not an easy thing to do. We tend to forget that our society is at constant war with creating new rules and bills to live by to be safe. Adding supers to the mix would be no different then with people with guns, swords, or other destructive weapons. As with what the Commander was saying would not totally work. supers along with plain humans should both be in power, Not dominating over another. Keeping it mixed would help draw fairness for both sides, just like we draw them out for people that endanger lives. The very issue of Solarcell I'm drawing is about to deal with this topic now. What gives a Hero to right to vanish another Super to another universe? That is what's going to happen to my characters as they enter the HA/HU universe.
irrevenant at 10:57PM, Nov. 30, 2014
To be clearer, I wasn't saying that there shouldn't be action - just that action should be genuinely consultative. Aria and Natasha's positions boil down to "Supers should take unilateral action to fix the world's problems" and "Supers need to be controlled and the status quo upheld." What needs to happen is councils and treaties etc. Supers need to be involved in enforcing and policing their own - not just at a physical level but at a policy level. Someone really needs to write that setting. It would be really interesting...
Abt_Nihil at 9:46AM, Nov. 29, 2014
Perhaps not in the sense that you'd want to establish total control over superhumans, but a mere offer to engage in a productive dialogue probably won't cut it. Also, a criminal justice system for superhumans probably won't do either, because some transgressions may be so severe as to jeopardize the entire system - so punishment can't *follow* the crime, but any serious crime has to be anticipated beforehand.
Abt_Nihil at 9:43AM, Nov. 29, 2014
Thanks guys! The very definition of a dilemma is that there's no clear solution, so both positions are somehow right and somehow wrong. While the dichotomy is somewhat exaggerated or heightened (since neither Aria nor Natasha are people you should want to unconditionally side with), I'm not sure it's false. Imagine taking an average populace and giving them super powers - any semblance of order would dissipate quickly, so they cannot be treated like ordinary people - and in order to establish reasonable dialogue, the participants have to be willing to engage in it, which is not a given when dealing with omnipotent beings. To quote Loki, an ant has no quarrel with a boot ;) At the same time, we should all agree that the world should be a much nicer place than it is now, and it's not all that clear whether reasonable dialogue can bring us from where it is now to where it should be. So, in that sense, the dichotomy seems real enough to me.
ironhand at 8:40AM, Nov. 29, 2014
In a word: yes. They definitely *could* change the world if they decided to and I think it's that what the commander has issues with. It might just take one person with powers to decide it's time to make a change to the world because s/he "knows best"...and then go and do so without consultation. You said yourself in the previous page that entering a world where a superhero determines who lives/dies with no accountability would be a scary place, so isn't that just what The Commander is arguing here? That an organisation such as HU could help enforce these rules and prevent something like that? I'm not saying I actually agree with what the Commander is saying here, but it's definitely something to think about. In fact I don't really know where I stand on the argument as both sides have their pros and cons.
irrevenant at 3:53PM, Nov. 28, 2014
It strikes me as a false dichotomy: "Supers must maintain the status quo and be kept under our thumb" vs "Supers should have absolute freedom". The appearance of supers introduces the need for dialogue between the parties. Supers CAN fix things. Special people can change the world. Would they really intend to do so without consulting with the vey people they want to help?
cdmalcolm1 at 7:25AM, Nov. 28, 2014
I'm going to speak as Solarcell, as if she is here in the HA universe: "I'm against control over other people period. I mean think about it. How long would it take before super metas start to feel oppressed? Retaliation will be close behind."
ironhand at 12:56AM, Nov. 28, 2014
Great page as usual, abt! It's really nice to see the Commander again! And so starts another topic to debate in those first two panels. Where do you all stand?
irrevenant at 3:42PM, Nov. 27, 2014
Agree with CDMalcolm - this page is pretty much perfect.
cdmalcolm1 at 2:48PM, Nov. 27, 2014
Loving this page. The colors. The lineart. Always love your art, dude.
Egg Comics at 1:50PM, Nov. 27, 2014
Thing about panels 1 & 2 is that both these ladies make equally valid points. That, I think, is (or, at least SHOULD be) the central driving philosophical force behind most superhero comics.