It’s kind of poignant, and almost makes me feel sorry for Zodon, but then at some point he’s going to get so upset he breaks out into Rodgers & Hammerstein and I start laughing.
Or I’ll go on an archive crawl and remember a lot of has happened to Zodon is self-induced.
Clearly, there is a whole chain of replacement Mr/Mrs Zodons, cascading throughout the multiverse. Eventually, it had to loop back upon itself, spitting a version of the Zodons out into the prime PS238 ‘verse. My money is on the Powers family.
…Zodons’ folks make inadequate parents in any universe.
I would guess they died in a way totally unrleated to Zodon.
His parents wanted to be some place else. There was a universe with a Zodon who had lost his parents. Win-Win.
This is the last one I own, so I won’t be able to give spoilers much longer. However, I’m not going to bother spoiling it, since the answer to your question is on the next page.
Yeah, this… this is sad. No child wants to hear its parents say they wish the child had been born different. They want to be loved unconditionally. :-\
Zodon is still a little rotter, but this explains a few things.
I wonder whether alt-Zodon will appreciate that ‘our’ Zodon gave him parents who love and cherish him, or that he’ll call him a damned fool for giving up that kind of love.
Zodon, all appearances to the contrary, actually does want to have friends and fit in. As he tells Alt!Zodon in his “origin story” monologue, he was a bored kid, with super-intelligence, and bored kids act out. Unlike Victor von Fogg, who barely deigns to recognize the presence of others, Zodon has actually been “hanging out” with the other students at PS238. For example, in the mini-comic where Zodon accompanies Tyler, Ron, Kevin and Suzie to the convenience store where Positron No. 4 works; after picking Charles Brigman’s pockets, Zodon uses the money to buy everyone candy. When he’s stranded on the moon with Suzie, Kevin, Tyler and Ron, Zodon stays with them.
Even Zodon’s antagonistic attitude towards Tyler can be explained by this scene. Zodon’s parents reject him because he wasn’t born normal, yet Tyler’s parents have enrolled him in PS238. The irony is lost on Zodon that he and Tyler have so much in common! Zodon’s parents rejected him because they couldn’t cope with his superpowered antics, while Tyler’s parents have rejected him for not having powers, and are lavishing all of their love on Toby!
You’re right about Zodon being a jerk, but there’s no reason that he couldn’t be convinced to use his intellect (and snarky attitude) to help save the world, rather than conquer it. As Artax and Yeagar have proven, you don’t have to be the nicest guys in the world to save the world! (But it helps. 🙂 )
Just because Zodon talks like he’s a monster doesn’t mean he is one. For some people, the thing that keeps them from being a monster is the same thing that causes them to feel like they are one. Because they could be. They’re so close to it.
I’d guess the sequence of events went:
– Zodon bought the candy for them because he wanted friends, but he didn’t really think about the act.
– He was asked why he did it.
– Before he could answer the question, he realized what doom he’d potentially bestowed on those he wanted as friends.
– Before he remorsefully (but in a bitter tone, because he was upset with himself) told them it was obviously (to him now) to make them AAtFs, he realized they probably didn’t know the term.
On a non-Zodon related topic (or a tangentially Zodon-related topic), have the heroes arresting Zodon and smashing his Doom-Bot Hover Tank, in panel one, ever been seen in the “PS238” comic before? The man with the visors looks familiar. Has he been seen in crowd shots at either the Nuclear Family’s barbecue or the heroes surrounding the Valiant Lance when Atlas battled Dax-Ra? What about the woman with the cape?
Nope to both. I know because I went through the print version panel by panel to find out after I got Saving Alternate Omaha. Basically, except for a few named adults, they show up for one comic and then never again.
A ‘Spotters Guide’ for the kids in the school would be nice as well. I still have no idea which of them is supposed to be Athena Reyh/The Platinum Shield.
The PS238 RPG is a very poor guide in this regard. It does identify the kid with the Cyclops like eye-piece, the kid dressed like Drifter, the girl dressed like Zatanna, and the kid whose helmet was forged by Zeus, but most of the other minor characters from the school don’t get a visual representation in the sourcebook.
It’s kind of poignant, and almost makes me feel sorry for Zodon, but then at some point he’s going to get so upset he breaks out into Rodgers & Hammerstein and I start laughing.
Or I’ll go on an archive crawl and remember a lot of has happened to Zodon is self-induced.
what happened to the counterparts which they replaced?
There were no counterparts. I’m pretty sure alt-zodon mentioned that he was adopted.
Or maybe our Zodon killed them.
There were alternate universe counterparts. Zodon discusses them on the next page.
I would hope they were transplanted into a new universe with another Zodon, otherwise this is going to get dark very soon.
Clearly, there is a whole chain of replacement Mr/Mrs Zodons, cascading throughout the multiverse. Eventually, it had to loop back upon itself, spitting a version of the Zodons out into the prime PS238 ‘verse. My money is on the Powers family.
…Zodons’ folks make inadequate parents in any universe.
Judging by his remark in this Strip:
http://ps238.nodwick.com/?p=1396
I would guess they died in a way totally unrleated to Zodon.
His parents wanted to be some place else. There was a universe with a Zodon who had lost his parents. Win-Win.
Made into soup?
This is the last one I own, so I won’t be able to give spoilers much longer. However, I’m not going to bother spoiling it, since the answer to your question is on the next page.
Alt!Zodon’s father was killed by the Smoke Monster. Alt!Zodon’s mother was killed by the mercenaries who came to The Island looking for Ben Linus.
Yeah, this… this is sad. No child wants to hear its parents say they wish the child had been born different. They want to be loved unconditionally. :-\
Zodon is still a little rotter, but this explains a few things.
I wonder whether alt-Zodon will appreciate that ‘our’ Zodon gave him parents who love and cherish him, or that he’ll call him a damned fool for giving up that kind of love.
P.S.: I don’t want spoilers as a reply. =_=
Spoiler free discussion of Zodon commences:
Zodon, all appearances to the contrary, actually does want to have friends and fit in. As he tells Alt!Zodon in his “origin story” monologue, he was a bored kid, with super-intelligence, and bored kids act out. Unlike Victor von Fogg, who barely deigns to recognize the presence of others, Zodon has actually been “hanging out” with the other students at PS238. For example, in the mini-comic where Zodon accompanies Tyler, Ron, Kevin and Suzie to the convenience store where Positron No. 4 works; after picking Charles Brigman’s pockets, Zodon uses the money to buy everyone candy. When he’s stranded on the moon with Suzie, Kevin, Tyler and Ron, Zodon stays with them.
Even Zodon’s antagonistic attitude towards Tyler can be explained by this scene. Zodon’s parents reject him because he wasn’t born normal, yet Tyler’s parents have enrolled him in PS238. The irony is lost on Zodon that he and Tyler have so much in common! Zodon’s parents rejected him because they couldn’t cope with his superpowered antics, while Tyler’s parents have rejected him for not having powers, and are lavishing all of their love on Toby!
You’re right about Zodon being a jerk, but there’s no reason that he couldn’t be convinced to use his intellect (and snarky attitude) to help save the world, rather than conquer it. As Artax and Yeagar have proven, you don’t have to be the nicest guys in the world to save the world! (But it helps. 🙂 )
(See? No spoilers!)
“Thanks for the candy, Zodon, but why did you buy it for us?”
“Do you know what Accessory After The Fact means?”
“No.”
“Treasure your innocence.”
Not sure you can count that as part of Zodon’s humanization. Really, that didn’t start until after the time travel thing.
Just because Zodon talks like he’s a monster doesn’t mean he is one. For some people, the thing that keeps them from being a monster is the same thing that causes them to feel like they are one. Because they could be. They’re so close to it.
I’d guess the sequence of events went:
– Zodon bought the candy for them because he wanted friends, but he didn’t really think about the act.
– He was asked why he did it.
– Before he could answer the question, he realized what doom he’d potentially bestowed on those he wanted as friends.
– Before he remorsefully (but in a bitter tone, because he was upset with himself) told them it was obviously (to him now) to make them AAtFs, he realized they probably didn’t know the term.
And thus, the rest of the conversation.
“I have it all laid out in this musical I wrote!”
On a non-Zodon related topic (or a tangentially Zodon-related topic), have the heroes arresting Zodon and smashing his Doom-Bot Hover Tank, in panel one, ever been seen in the “PS238” comic before? The man with the visors looks familiar. Has he been seen in crowd shots at either the Nuclear Family’s barbecue or the heroes surrounding the Valiant Lance when Atlas battled Dax-Ra? What about the woman with the cape?
Nope to both. I know because I went through the print version panel by panel to find out after I got Saving Alternate Omaha. Basically, except for a few named adults, they show up for one comic and then never again.
A ‘Spotters Guide’ for the kids in the school would be nice as well. I still have no idea which of them is supposed to be Athena Reyh/The Platinum Shield.
The PS238 RPG is a very poor guide in this regard. It does identify the kid with the Cyclops like eye-piece, the kid dressed like Drifter, the girl dressed like Zatanna, and the kid whose helmet was forged by Zeus, but most of the other minor characters from the school don’t get a visual representation in the sourcebook.
You can figure out Asgard and Shadow as well, but your point stands.