Sorry that this is late

SO far im really enjoying the book So Soon i Will be Invincible. Its a little confusing in the sense that it jumps around alot but i like how fatale's and dr impossible storys are running together. Im kinda waiting to see whats going to happen when their paths cross. This book really reminds me of the movie the incredibles which i love. You have the public wanting superheroes and then rejecting them and then wanting them back. But i dont like that the superheroes dont have secret identities, that they are always super, i like more modest superheroes i guess. I wonder is dr impossible created confire as a challenge to himself. If he created him, as this perfect person with limitless power, in order to try and find a way to defeat him in order validify dr I's life. Beat the best superhero and prove that the most popular isnt always what counts.

Sorry this is late

SO far im really enjoying the book So Soon i Will be Invincible. Its a little confusing in the sense that it jumps around alot but i like how fatale's and dr impossible storys are running together. Im kinda waiting to see whats going to happen when their paths cross. This book really reminds me of the movie the incredibles which i love. You have the public wanting superheroes and then rejecting them and then wanting them back. But i dont like that the superheroes dont have secret identities, that they are always super, i like more modest superheroes i guess. I wonder is dr impossible created confire as a challenge to himself. If he created him, as this perfect person with limitless power, in order to try and find a way to defeat him in order validify dr I's life. Beat the best superhero and prove that the most popular isnt always what counts.

So here goes for last week’s post about androids.

I feel that I didn’t exactly have closure with the book. In the beginning, I was a bit lost. At the end, I became even more confused. If this is what the future holds, I’m kind of glad I won’t live that long to face such a bleak world. I had a whole list of questions, but I can’t seem to find it anymore. It’s frustrating how when I don’t need that stupid note paper, it’s always there in my book. But when I really need it now, I can’t find it! UGH! Anywho, I don’t understand why the Rosen Association would want to manufacture smarter and better robots that are hard to distinguish from humans. If the old androids were able to have feelings and question their purpose in life, why bother making them? I thought the purpose of androids were to assist the humans on Mars. Why program them so that they could think for themselves? I see no point of that. I don’t understand why Rachel killed the goat still. In the book, Rick seemed to understand perfectly, yet I had to reread that chapter five times, and I still don’t get it. Also what’s with the whole Mercerism? How was he there in Isidore’s place to assist Rick? Then later Rick became Mercer? GAHH science fiction is so hard to grasp and understand. Is there something I’m missing here? Did I read too fast and overlooked stuff or something? So if androids are metals and pieces, how is Rick able to have sex with Rachel? Sorry, but that whole sex scene baffles me. Another thing. Was it really Rick’s speed that allowed him to retired six androids in twenty four hours, a feat no other has done? That seemed a bit fishy to me. And so basically the lifespan of the plot was only twenty four hours too. That’s a pretty hectic life to live. At the end, I think Rick went a little psychotic. So was everything real? So many questions. So little time.

Now this week’s post about superheroes and such.

We never got to go around the class and find out which superhero character each person identified himself/herself with. It’s hard because I see a bit of myself in Spidey and Sailor Moon. Yes Sailor Moon. I found it odd that only the males participated in the discussion about superheroes and comic books. Would it be the same if we were to talk about fairytales and Disney princesses? Fairytales are older than comic books, yet they have similar moral lessons. While reading “Superheroes and Superreaders,” I noticed that comic books tend to start off innocently for adolescents then “matured” as the years went by. Fairytales started off as grim, “mature” stories for adults, then got watered down by Disney and such to teach young children some lessons. Did you know that the in the original story of Sleeping Beauty, she was impregnated by the Prince in her sleep, and she woke up because her twin babies sucked the thorn out of her finger. Back to my original point, why is there such a difference between genders and the type of stories they like? For instance, my nephew is in love with Spiderman. He cannot go to sleep without wearing his Spiderman shirt or else he claims to get nightmares. On the other hand, my little cousin never took a liking to superheroes. She is in love with pretty Princess dresses. What is it about comic books and superheroes that appeals to males and fairytale stuff appeals to females? And the topic in Theory Toolbox about Ideology is confusing me. So basically, "things are the way they are" ?

-- tran

Origin of Evil?

“It’s called Malign Hypercognition Disorder. He’s an evil genius. It’s a disease.” (56) Malign Hypercognition Disorder? I think it’s interesting that Grossman attributes Dr. Impossible’s supervillain nature to a psychiatric disorder. According to Dr. Impossible’s explanation, the trait of the disorder is an incredibly high intelligence that naturally leads to symptoms of being unreasonably evil. I don’t think it’s necessarily the intelligence itself that leads the smarties of the world to hold a bitter grudge against the world, more like society’s response to super intelligence. Society tends to value beauty, power, and money far above intelligence. The members of the Champions, celebrities in the public eye, are very wealthy, many are noted for their good looks, and all have super strength. Some are cunning, but none known for being geniuses. Impossible, on the other hand, was a social outcast growing up, with no real friends, “just a nerdy camaraderie” (11). Although strong, he has to rely primarily on his smarts to battle the superheroes. It seems only natural that he would want to destroy the society that shunned him and create a new one where he would be idolized. I don’t think that all geniuses will grow up wanting to destroy the world, only those that don’t feel like a part of it. Why should they follow the rules of a society that rejects them anyways? Evil isn’t a natural disposition, but one that society creates.
As a random note, since we’re talking about superheroes, my vote for coolest superhero goes to Stupendous Man. =) Babysitter Girl and Evil Bedtime Lady are worthy adversaries.

SEXY!!

So I guess started off reading this book expecting a somewhat typical storyline: supervillain that has a horrible grudge of some sort against the world (rejection, or just some kind of wrongdoing he/she couldn't get over). However, while reading, it seems like the whole superpower thing is almost secondary; they're just people and though not necessarily physically human, they are in the emotion/personal way. Despite all that fancy schmancy power stuff, they are still very much like those that they protect, vulnerable in a completely nonphysical way. And I wonder if that's not somewhat the whole point of the novel, a "so what" answer: that despite how we may typecast and segregate "beings," there is an underlying similarity between all of us (kind of like the androids too!). Grossman especially seems to delve into this whole contrast with Impossible, who possses ridiculous superhuman abilities but is still somehow a social failure.

But back to the whole reason why I put "SEXY" as my title. I noticed that Grossman liked to describe his superheroes especially as sexy: "They [the heroes] were younger and sexier than their predecessors" (p. 23). This just struck me as completely strange at first: what the heck is with all the sexiness?! Could it be all the skin-tight costumes? At this point, I saw a correlation between Hollywood celebrities of the real world (but what is real? -_- ) and superheroes: they live in the limelight, adored by all, seemingly perfect to the world, and can never seem to do wrong. The whole sexy thing starts to make sense if you think about the superheroes the way they are being portrayed: not as humble individuals seeking just to make the world a better place, but spinning into a nice little entrepreneurial occupation. They are "sexy" because it's part of the image they must uphold to keep the revenue coming in, just as the entertainment industry today is getting sexier (literally); the newer generations must continue to get sexier to maintain interest in them, with flashier costumes, names, gadgets, and enhancements (i.e. Phenom). And so it seems that the idealistic pedestal we hold superheroes on, as those who are selfless and all around do-gooders, has crumbled; in the end, the fame and desire to be praised overwhelms. SEXY.

P.S. What happened to good old-fashioned cartoons? None of them ever seem to make sense anymore, and are pretty superficial in what they convey. I guess it's that sexy appeal that wins out nowadays.

I apologize for posting 10 minutes late! My computer crashed and so I'm currently working on a friend's laptop.

Since I haven’t been interested in superheroes since childhood, I haven’t noticed the role superheroes played within their societies until reading this novel. What strikes me particularly is not only their role as celebrities with press conferences, agents and publicity representatives, but the overall definition of what it means to be a superhero or villain. As Blackwolf describes Doctor Impossible: “if he were a normal person, he’d be Einstein” (56). So then, why isn’t Einstein given the title of a super being, a superior humanoid? Is it merely the social construct of morality and law that defines whether one can be called a superhero or super villain? Does one have to forcefully support the law regardless of its implications to become a super hero or defy it to all ends in order to become a super villain? It’s particularly interesting due to how often the law changes based upon society’s changing views on what should be morally acceptable and what should not. Not only in the case of Blackwolf himself, who has no super powers and is merely a wealthy, brilliant athlete, but Batman as well. If taken in context with our current society’s definition of heroes as those whom help society function, such as firefighters, perhaps even doctors and such, then maybe these superheroes are defined as such by becoming heroes like those, but on a larger scale.

Then again, perhaps superheroes and villains are like celebrities in that they don their gaudy costumes and masks in the same way that celebrities take on roles and personalities as given by their publicity representatives. Regarding Blackwolf, Fatale remarks that “he still patrols in costume, part-time, but it’s mostly publicity for his corporate holdings” (26). The superhero outfit then becomes just that, as a role rather than an identity. In that sense, the superheroes here seem to be merely a large scale imitation of our society’s concept of a hero.

-Kathy

odds and ends

Just a couple comments on Androids first. Why does Rachel guzzle down bourbon like she's capable of getting drunk? And smoke cigarettes? Sorry it just bothered me. And I don't really understand why she killed the goat. Revenge for just sleeping with her and "using" her? ...But I thought androids don't feel emotions, especially something so "human" as jealousy?

Continuing onto Invincible, I was thinking about all the superheroes/villains and it thought, Wow I actually wish I could be Fatale (but Lily sounds equally awesome/mysterious/kick-ass). I mean, superhuman strength, lightning reflexes (proving that I'm NOT a bad driver), indestructible metal skeleton (like Wolverine!), and she even says she doesn't get her period anymore. No cramps. Sweet. And without having to remember to pop sugar pills every night at the same exact time.

Offensively trained, no fingerprints, no EEG signal... possibly a CSI's worst nightmare. So then you can't track her. So then you can't run lie-detector tests. Fatale is so built to be a villain, and I kind of hope she turns out to be one too. Evil is just way more interesting that good-doers, but I can't quite put my finger on it's appeal. But then again, I really enjoy pirates and vampires, so maybe I just have an affinity for anything badass. Ok now I'm just rambling.

The Dao of Batman

"Heroes don't concern themselves with things like libraries and research. Once they've had their origin, they don't try to think anymore, just fly around. Books, inventions, discovery—they leave that to us." (Grossman 126)

When I read this, I realized there's one very popular exception to Doctor Impossible's generalization—Batman. I think this is the first time I've realized the core of his appeal—he combines the most appealing aspects of hero and villain. He's brooding, lonely, and misunderstood—all classic villain traits. Yet he's also rich, movie-star handsome and more interested in helping civilians than hurting or conquering them. Most importantly, he uses sweet gadgets of his own design. That's usually the preserve of villains who, more often than not, are just super-intelligent humans with a bone to pick. Batman is a super-intelligent, super-privileged lost soul with a bone to pick. Genius.

But back to Soon I Will Be Invincible. The story definitely has a brains vs. brawn theme, but it's complicated by the fact that the tempting jocks and nerds analogy isn't perfect. There are sexy evildoers and lame defenders; Blackwolf is smarter than most villains and Doctor Impossible is stronger than most heroes.

Doctor Impossible isn't a tragic or even particularly sympathetic character; he's just a dick. I'm not sure whether it's common for geniuses to be socially abrasive, but if he can enjoy the company of a reporter who isn't—most likely—his intellectual equal, then he has no real excuse for being such a singular social failure. For a genius he seems unable to draw simple and vital conclusions about how to interact with others. His cliché monomania makes him unappealing company, and the resulting (and predictable) rejection makes him even more disgusted with others. I posit that he avoids others so that he can fall into a depressed state that inspires him. He's powered by social rejection. It doesn't seem that he gets much thinking done when happy, but then again, after 126 pages he still has yet to describe a single happy moment he's had. He's like mad-scientist Morrissey but far less cool.

P.S. Has anyone seen The Venture Brothers? Mister Mystic is totally Byron Orpheus. Also, I'm totally a nerd. :'(

I wonder what it's like being a superhero. In some ways, I think life would be easier. If I were like Doctor Impossible, I wouldn't have to worry about studying for Chemistry or Physics. Everything would come to me ever so quickly. However, being Spider-Man and all, I know "with great power comes great responsibility." But, really, I would totally help the world out. What else would I do with my time? Maybe I would be hyperactive, but I consider that a good thing since I can never manage to do what I'm supposed to do. If I accomplished more than the average person, at least I'd have a good chance of also accomplishing something worth while and also goof off. I blame my lack of a social life. I'm not evil, though. Shut-ins are stereotypically clumped with the goths and outcasts of the world. Why can't people just allow shut-ins to be preoccupied with saving the world instead of destroying it? That excerpt from Soon I Will Be Invincible continues to resonate in my mind (Damn resonance structures; I still have chemistry on the brain). The good guys are also smart. As Tony said, Blackwolf is much smarter than Doctor Impossible. It's just ironic since somewhere in the book, Grossman says he's borderline retarded, which reminds me of Anchorman. (Has anyone seen the new season of The Office? Sorry for being so off-topic today.) In any case, humans are complicated creatures and many are contradictions. When did the diabolical masterminds turn from on the good guys? Lots of geniuses are with the good guys. Come on now, Marshall Flinkman does calculus in his head. And he voluntarily works for the CIA. I still have faith in the geniuses of the world. I've come across plenty here at Berkeley.