This is why Julie is my favorite character in PS238. She’s the one who really questions the choice she’s being forced to make and isn’t willing to get into a pointless fight if there’s really another option.
While Kevin did suggest taking a third option, I get the impression he’s more irritated by being trapped by The Singularity than he is by the implications of being forced to fight to the death for reasons he doesn’t understand. On the previous page Kevin tried to blast his way out of the force field, while Julie asked questions. As Julie’s confidence has grown, she has been the PS238 student most willing to use non-violent options to beat opponents: defeating Beryl in psychic combat, driving off the Cherubs and Imps by threatening to part the curtain on their masquerade, and now asking for a hamburger way to resolve the dispute with the Singularity without fighting. And this is just the start! Wait until next issue!
Well, how long has it been since she ate anything? A hamburger might not be a bad idea. =)
In all seriousness, from a meta-narrative standpoint she’s being used as a counterpoint to Ron. Both had a crisis of identity as their initial character development issue.
Right off the first moment Julie went the route of integrity facing and not running from the challenge when she took 84 as her hero name. Ron has always blamed others and failed to see strength and value in himself, instead seeking it where it can’t be found (currently the Praetorian Academy). 84 has always sought personal value within herself even when she doubted it was there to be found (initially the thought of being a FISS was pretty hard on her).
Because of this core difference, Julie’s crisis of identity was resolved and she has moved on to other personal challenges, while Ron’s has only gotten worse.
I love both of the characters, but it’s pretty clear that only Tyler/Moonshadow has grown as much as Julie over the course of the story. Though the kids as a whole are doing quite a good job of growing up fast.
Tyler: Wait a minute. Does that mean I have to kiss her? Um, …
Julie: I don’t think we have to. I just means we can if we want to.
Tyler: Are you okay if we don’t?
@khamya9: It took Julie a long time to reach the point where she was embracing her F.I.S.S. number as a sign of pride rather than a mark of shame. Unlike her cousin Suzie, Julie’s parents are not superpowered, and her dad does not get along with the heroic part of his family tree. In addition to the stigma attached to being an F.I.S.S., Julie’s parents are not wealthy. The Nuclear Family gets funding from the Federal Government (mostly to not let Mental Nucleus perform experiments), but Julie comes from a decidedly middle class home. Even though she’s smart and creative, her powers did not let her stand out from her peers and her bland costume didn’t help either. Julie wasn’t exactly in the same situation as Tyler (who feared for his life on a daily basis), she just faded into the background.
Then Alejandro and the Rainmaker Class Kids started telling everyone on the playground about Moon Shadow! He was exciting, working as a sidekick to a real superhero! He fought Dr. Irons and the guys in the Gold Armor! He could turn into mist, see into your soul and blow up a helicoptor with his night daggers! And the encouragement that Julie got from Moon Shadow really made her much more assertive. So much so, that when she was afraid that Ms. Kyle would leave PS238 FOREVER, Julie agreed to go with Poly Mer and ask Zodon for help. I don’t think she would have done that before the fight with Charles. She also started to ask other F.I.S.S.’s their number after the fight, perhaps due to lingering insecurity. But the damage to her cape when fighting the Centurion and the fight with Beryl changed all of that and she’s come into her own.
Now her challenge is to prove to others that she is just as valuable as other heroes who have less common powers. After all, being able to fly and being invulnerable, superstrong and superfast is a pretty useful powerset. Kevin’s Emerald Gauntlet is a very powerful weapon, but he lacks the focus and creativity to use it to its full potential.
Ron hasn’t always blamed others for his problems. Until Tyler’s arrival in issue #3, Ron and Suzie were the main characters. Ron was mostly a very shy kid with a few phobias, which Zodon was trying to turn into neuroses. With Ms. Kyle and Coach Rockslide’s encouragement, Ron overcame those problems and became good friends with Tyler. But Ron’s family life wasn’t very stable and the fight with Charles had the opposite effect on Ron that it did on Julie. Right now, as of issue #44, Ron is approaching a turning point. Dax-Ra’s stolen Ron’s powers and he needs to rely on someone he really doesn’t like (Moon Shadow) to help him out.
In terms of character development, there is one other student, besides Ron, Julie and Tyler, who has undergone substantial character development: Zodon. In issue #1 Zodon tried to cause a plane crash; in issue #3 he beat up Tyler; in issue #4 he set up an orbital death ray on the Moon; in issues #8, 13 and 20, Zodon built a time machine using stolen parts from PS238, stranded Tyler in the past and made racially insensitive comments about Native Americans.
But ever since Career Day, Zodon hasn’t really done committed any serious felonies, just a few minor misdemeanors here and there. He performed an actual act of heroism (albeit for mercenary reasons), and there’s a reason he’s displayed so prominently on the cover of PS238 Vol. 9, “Saving Alernate Omaha”. He’d deny it if you asked him, but Zodon has made a Heel Face Turn.
I think she’s asking their numbers as a way of trying to assert to them that they’re valuable, and it’s an important part of her.
1. Explain what the 84 is about, what it means to her.
2. Ask what they have that matches.
It is probably never going to be received quite the way she intends. However, there’s another step.
3. Show the world I am important and I can make a difference.
After the other FISS heroes see that she’s important, her interest in them will matter more, and while it still won’t have all of the effect she wanted, at least for some of them, it will have more of that effect.
As far as Zodon goes, I have one quibble: in issue #1, he wasn’t trying to cause a plane crash. He was just trying to scare Ron with a plane and didn’t care if it crashed. Most of the time, the two goals are probably going to have the same end result, but I feel like it’s important to note that he didn’t start out from the worst place he could have. I’m also unwilling to commit to the idea that he has completed said turn, but even if he hasn’t, it’s probably just a matter of time and Moonshadow before he does.
Ah very good questions there, young ones. Out of the mouths of babes. Let the children lead the way to peace; the adults have already led the way to pieces.
Clearly The Singularity is not familiar with the works of Sun Tzu: “Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
the singularity probably already came up with this viewpoint by its self, but the only two races it has dealt with most definitely do not employ it, even if they thought of it in their past.
If this singularity is stuck here then its at a disadvantage if it can’t add diverse new experiences. All the smarts in the cosmos without more data to feed the thought experiments that reach new conclusions.
I recall Revenant mentioning something to Moon Shadow about keeping the face guard on his outfit if he plans to continue endearing himself to superheroines right after Tyler gets a big hug from Julie (before she started going by 84).
I’m attracted to strong women but even I can recognize that sometimes you have to draw the line when it comes to personal safety. Okay, I have a bad record along that line but we’re talking about the characters here and Tyler is wiser than me and Julie is a lot nicer than most of my ex-girlfriends.
Though, a hamburger would be nice too.
This is why Julie is my favorite character in PS238. She’s the one who really questions the choice she’s being forced to make and isn’t willing to get into a pointless fight if there’s really another option.
While Kevin did suggest taking a third option, I get the impression he’s more irritated by being trapped by The Singularity than he is by the implications of being forced to fight to the death for reasons he doesn’t understand. On the previous page Kevin tried to blast his way out of the force field, while Julie asked questions. As Julie’s confidence has grown, she has been the PS238 student most willing to use non-violent options to beat opponents: defeating Beryl in psychic combat, driving off the Cherubs and Imps by threatening to part the curtain on their masquerade, and now asking for a
hamburgerway to resolve the dispute with the Singularity without fighting. And this is just the start! Wait until next issue!Well, how long has it been since she ate anything? A hamburger might not be a bad idea. =)
In all seriousness, from a meta-narrative standpoint she’s being used as a counterpoint to Ron. Both had a crisis of identity as their initial character development issue.
Right off the first moment Julie went the route of integrity facing and not running from the challenge when she took 84 as her hero name. Ron has always blamed others and failed to see strength and value in himself, instead seeking it where it can’t be found (currently the Praetorian Academy). 84 has always sought personal value within herself even when she doubted it was there to be found (initially the thought of being a FISS was pretty hard on her).
Because of this core difference, Julie’s crisis of identity was resolved and she has moved on to other personal challenges, while Ron’s has only gotten worse.
I love both of the characters, but it’s pretty clear that only Tyler/Moonshadow has grown as much as Julie over the course of the story. Though the kids as a whole are doing quite a good job of growing up fast.
– Personally, I want a scene where Tyler and Julie find out what a ‘Consort’ is.
Tyler: Wait a minute. Does that mean I have to kiss her? Um, …
Julie: I don’t think we have to. I just means we can if we want to.
Tyler: Are you okay if we don’t?
David that is Tyler to a “T”
@khamya9: It took Julie a long time to reach the point where she was embracing her F.I.S.S. number as a sign of pride rather than a mark of shame. Unlike her cousin Suzie, Julie’s parents are not superpowered, and her dad does not get along with the heroic part of his family tree. In addition to the stigma attached to being an F.I.S.S., Julie’s parents are not wealthy. The Nuclear Family gets funding from the Federal Government (mostly to not let Mental Nucleus perform experiments), but Julie comes from a decidedly middle class home. Even though she’s smart and creative, her powers did not let her stand out from her peers and her bland costume didn’t help either. Julie wasn’t exactly in the same situation as Tyler (who feared for his life on a daily basis), she just faded into the background.
Then Alejandro and the Rainmaker Class Kids started telling everyone on the playground about Moon Shadow! He was exciting, working as a sidekick to a real superhero! He fought Dr. Irons and the guys in the Gold Armor! He could turn into mist, see into your soul and blow up a helicoptor with his night daggers! And the encouragement that Julie got from Moon Shadow really made her much more assertive. So much so, that when she was afraid that Ms. Kyle would leave PS238 FOREVER, Julie agreed to go with Poly Mer and ask Zodon for help. I don’t think she would have done that before the fight with Charles. She also started to ask other F.I.S.S.’s their number after the fight, perhaps due to lingering insecurity. But the damage to her cape when fighting the Centurion and the fight with Beryl changed all of that and she’s come into her own.
Now her challenge is to prove to others that she is just as valuable as other heroes who have less common powers. After all, being able to fly and being invulnerable, superstrong and superfast is a pretty useful powerset. Kevin’s Emerald Gauntlet is a very powerful weapon, but he lacks the focus and creativity to use it to its full potential.
Ron hasn’t always blamed others for his problems. Until Tyler’s arrival in issue #3, Ron and Suzie were the main characters. Ron was mostly a very shy kid with a few phobias, which Zodon was trying to turn into neuroses. With Ms. Kyle and Coach Rockslide’s encouragement, Ron overcame those problems and became good friends with Tyler. But Ron’s family life wasn’t very stable and the fight with Charles had the opposite effect on Ron that it did on Julie. Right now, as of issue #44, Ron is approaching a turning point. Dax-Ra’s stolen Ron’s powers and he needs to rely on someone he really doesn’t like (Moon Shadow) to help him out.
In terms of character development, there is one other student, besides Ron, Julie and Tyler, who has undergone substantial character development: Zodon. In issue #1 Zodon tried to cause a plane crash; in issue #3 he beat up Tyler; in issue #4 he set up an orbital death ray on the Moon; in issues #8, 13 and 20, Zodon built a time machine using stolen parts from PS238, stranded Tyler in the past and made racially insensitive comments about Native Americans.
But ever since Career Day, Zodon hasn’t really done committed any serious felonies, just a few minor misdemeanors here and there. He performed an actual act of heroism (albeit for mercenary reasons), and there’s a reason he’s displayed so prominently on the cover of PS238 Vol. 9, “Saving Alernate Omaha”. He’d deny it if you asked him, but Zodon has made a Heel Face Turn.
I think she’s asking their numbers as a way of trying to assert to them that they’re valuable, and it’s an important part of her.
1. Explain what the 84 is about, what it means to her.
2. Ask what they have that matches.
It is probably never going to be received quite the way she intends. However, there’s another step.
3. Show the world I am important and I can make a difference.
After the other FISS heroes see that she’s important, her interest in them will matter more, and while it still won’t have all of the effect she wanted, at least for some of them, it will have more of that effect.
As far as Zodon goes, I have one quibble: in issue #1, he wasn’t trying to cause a plane crash. He was just trying to scare Ron with a plane and didn’t care if it crashed. Most of the time, the two goals are probably going to have the same end result, but I feel like it’s important to note that he didn’t start out from the worst place he could have. I’m also unwilling to commit to the idea that he has completed said turn, but even if he hasn’t, it’s probably just a matter of time and Moonshadow before he does.
Ah very good questions there, young ones. Out of the mouths of babes. Let the children lead the way to peace; the adults have already led the way to pieces.
Wise Wisdom indeed. It’s good to find a peaceful option whenever possible.
Hopefully though, there’s still enough violence to be interesting.
Better to have a hamburger than to be one?
As Wimpy put it in POPEYE: Burgers can’t be Choosers.
Clearly The Singularity is not familiar with the works of Sun Tzu: “Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
the singularity probably already came up with this viewpoint by its self, but the only two races it has dealt with most definitely do not employ it, even if they thought of it in their past.
If this singularity is stuck here then its at a disadvantage if it can’t add diverse new experiences. All the smarts in the cosmos without more data to feed the thought experiments that reach new conclusions.
Aww, clever kids! These two are my favorites, especially Julie.
I recall Revenant mentioning something to Moon Shadow about keeping the face guard on his outfit if he plans to continue endearing himself to superheroines right after Tyler gets a big hug from Julie (before she started going by 84).
I’m attracted to strong women but even I can recognize that sometimes you have to draw the line when it comes to personal safety. Okay, I have a bad record along that line but we’re talking about the characters here and Tyler is wiser than me and Julie is a lot nicer than most of my ex-girlfriends.