The gauntlet on the table looks vaguely familiar, and I think…nah I can’t really identify anything within view, but half the helmets give me that Dr. Fate, transforming vibe…
He’s likely thinking the evil artifact gauntlet from Nodwick, since PS238 is the future of Nodwick anything seen there that could somehow survive to the current era could conceivably show up in PS238.
The Gauntlet of Supremacy also had three jewels on the back instead of just one, so this almost certainly isn’t it. Caution is still warranted, though – a Gauntlet of Sorta High in the Pecking Order might still be moderately nasty.
Considering the mask on the lower right shelf and the large pointy staff ARE from Nodwick, it’s pretty safe to assume the guantlet is at least “related” to the GoS
TheGalator – Maybe Thunderfoot can mention which issues they’re from. I assume the mask referred to is the one with the curved horns, kinda yellowish in color, and that the staff is the two-pointed yellow one sticking up from the center table, but though both of them look familiar I can’t figure out what they might be from Nodwick, even after scanning a few back issues. But the grayish hood/mask on the left (second shelf up) does look like a less tattered version of Baphuma’al’s hood. wouldn’t surprise me if a number of the things shown are very similar to items seen in Nodwick.
Permanently or temporarily? Several people were temporarily drained during the Rainmaker arc. Kevin got zapped when he lost his Gauntlet for a couple minutes. And of course there’s Ron/Captain Clarinet/Argonaut/Prince Mo-Ron.
Well, now that we have a pretty good confirmation that Power and Glory are magic users, anyone else think that they may actually be the disguised agents of Order and Chaos that are still on the loose?
Granted, they are supposed to be on opposing sides, but they did work together to strand Vasti Imperia in the past.
In addition to working towards a common goal, it’s possible that it’s really just one side that’s up to something and the other is simply there to balance things out. They’ve shown themselves to be pretty subtle, so instead of direct opposition, directly being there and working alongside their foe is how they’re doing it.
Alternatively, they could be acting completely independently of their allegiances for whatever reason. Malphast’s parents have shown they can operate and cooperate on their own, although it was for the love of their son.
One more thing: it’s possible that Glory and Power are not agents of Order and Chaos themselves but empowered by them and serving them.
I could buy them being agents. Non-nefarious ones, at that. They’ve already passed up two opportunities to take undue advantage of the customer’s faintly frantic urge to buy.
Now, if there is some actual significance to their American history-referencing garb, rather than thinking of USA Patriot Act (and the Republicans) and American Eagle (and the Democrats), perhaps we should be thinking along the lines of the Union and the Confederates instead. That seems far likelier.
1. I wonder why Power distinguishes between “magic” and “weapon”. It sort of implies that the weapons they sell are not magical. Although, he could be differentiating between spells and gear.
2. On a related note, while it’s very likely that Glory & Power are magic-users, their emporium could include science-based super items as well.
3. So the customer used to have power. Besides a depowered super, we could be looking at a fallen god or similar. Reminds me of one of the “letters” Positron answered (it’s in the collected volumes) about how magic supers work. He mentions that the power of one super there is “a thousand wishes”. Could this person be her having run out but wanting it back? Then again, unlikely; she stated that once her wishes have been depleted, they’re gone for good.
I’d actually say that it implies that some of the magic items are not weapons, and not all of the weapons are magical in nature.
In other words, a weapon doesn’t need to run on magic to make its wielder a super, and a magic item doesn’t need to be a weapon to make its user a super.
Ie, if you look at the DC TV-verse, Vixen, Ryder, and Dark all used magic items that were not weapons that empower them, whereas Captain Cold, Heatwave, and the sister (Golden something) all have technology weapons.
Not only would “Ron” here be even older than Angelica and Wilson (whom we’ve guessed are adolescents or young teens), he’d also have had a sex change (the customer seems like a woman to me).
Um… Why would anyone here NOT think Murphy is (or supposed to be) Morpheus? It’s explicitly stated in the comic. His holographic disguise even makes him look like a child version of Neil Gaiman.
I get more of a “John Henry” vibe from it, since it’s a sledge hammer. I may be biased; I played a Scion of John Henry once in a Scion game, and he had a big sledge hammer (non-Relic) that he made himself once he found out about his parentage. (He was alternately amused and annoyed when people thought it marked him as a Scion of Thor.)
The helmet display case, it gives me a scooby-doo relic vibe (original series) as there is a diving helmet and what appears to be the red-eyed robot. The tall staff at the back reminds me of a cartoon character’s staff, but the memory is fleeting. The hammer and gauntlet could from anything.
Is it possible that “power and glory” (things desired by the meek & mild) find and collect items from old battlefields? Sort of Valkyries, but not collecting the souls of the fallen warriors but rather their stuff ?
I like the theory posted above that Power and Glory are related to our order and chaos friends, but it seems that P&G’s operation will lend itself to sow chaos. I can imagine no faster way to get to widespread chaos, than to grant incredible power to those with a great desire for it.
Then again, there’s no better way to ensure Order, than to give power to those who wish to uphold the Status Quo (as most SuperHeroes are wont to do).
I think the Order and Chaos idea is great- after all, neither of them are hard-selling anything in particular- just guiding, which seems like just the sort of ‘loophole’ that would allow for them to consider the ‘contest’ fair.
A little off topic thought. Think how well paid FISS could be if they entered the construction business, unless Hershel has already put them out of business. Unless of course the crane operators Union teamed with some super villains to kill them off if they tried.
Not a fortune, but probably well, since they’d be replacing a lot of heavy equipment but aren’t omnipotent or can do everything or replace an entire construction crew. I’m sure some of them in the PS238 world do work in construction given elitist bias against FISS.
Alternatively, consider the possibility of FISS who don’t want to be superheroes but want a normal life but like having their superpowers give them extra pay. Outside of the PS238-verse, the Astro City comic series features “Sideliners”- metahumans who are neither heroes nor villains and instead use their powers in more mundane jobs. One of them is a guy with super strength who indeed works in construction. There’s also a telekinetic who works in showbiz special effects, a heat manipulator who’s a glassblower, a telepath who works with law enforcement and private companies during interviews, etc.
So, she’s gotten some attention, but I wonder if we have seen the customer before. Do we know any adult(ish) metahumans who have been depowered on screen, or at least in canon? Or are we still in “never before seen character” territory with all three?
To narrow it down, she’s pretty obviously female, unless Aaron has started drawing lips like that on guys (he usually doesn’t emphasize them quite so much). Unfortunately, only Ron seems obviously to have been depowered in canon, and he’s neither old enough nor the right sex. That said, we know Cecil indicated he has “something.” But that, actually, makes me think he won’t be getting power from here, since they seem to sell items and not metaphysical personal traits. Guardian Angel would love this shop, though. Moonshadow would benefit.
But I’ve got no idea who this customer might be. So it’ll be interesting if we’ve met her before.
Well if the client is indeed female, then she’s probably Aurora (Herschel Clay’s wife) or someone possessed by her.
Aurora escaped containment during the alien invasion, which was the last we seen of her.
This would account for several of the criteria we’ve seen so far:
– Aurora is only able to possess females.
– According to the old flier of the Union of Justice Tyler picked up, Aurora had a physical body, hence the client’s wish to be what she used to be.
– Aurora was desperate enough to attack four kids to steal Ambriel’s body; the client is desperate enough to make a Faustian bargain with Power and Glory (whoever or whatever they may be).
Actually there’s no reason to think the nanotech ‘ghost’ of Aurora actually escaped containment, if that was meant to be her during the invasion it would have been her actual ghost (hence why only those with the Gift or other ghosts could see her) whereas what’s contained in the old satellite is just a cloud of nanotech that thinks it’s her and wants a body because in thinking it’s her wants that physical presence again (which triggers some fridge logic since the tech exists to easily clone someone so why not clone a living body for it to inhabit?).
What Nightmask said. To put it more simply, there are TWO “ghosts”- one nanite ghost trapped in the Union of Justice’s now-underground space station, and one actual ghost who led Satori Deacon and her family to move to where PS238 is located.
As further indication of this distinction, the two are different in personality. The former is aggressive and hostile, seeking to simply inhabit a flesh-and-blood body. The latter seemed quite kind and pleasant. The latter in fact didn’t try to force herself on Satori- given Satori’s medium powers- but was said to have talked to her and convinced her to get her family to move.
Speaking of which- off-topic but I gotta get this off my chest- I really, really, really wish we get to see Satori and Alec Kent one day, even as just a cameo or part of the background. I keep imagining both in Vashti Imperia’s magic class, learning and growing in their powers. 🙂
This is past the point you scream at the customer to GTFO before he regrets it. Now I am just shaking my head. He is some combination of genre blind, desperate, or an idiot.
Not likely to be Capt. Clarinet. Unless this story takes place in the future, Ron would suddenly have had to grow taller and have a sex change (client appears to be a woman).
Besides, while he misses his FISS powers, Ron knows he’s likely to be super again. Getting depowered by Argonite only took away his FISS powers, but Cecil detects him as still metahuman and revealed he’s likely to get powers again, this time from his mom.
Ok, table seems to have Superman’s cape, Wonder Woman’s bracelets, Aquaman’s trident in two pieces, Green Lantern ring under glass, and one of Cyborg’s hands.
Super creators?
IBOTI toolbox, IBOTI sales room — okay, we’ve got *him* pegged. Now what about *her*?
What’s IBOTI stand for?
It’s Bigger On The Inside.
Just figured it out now. I was thinking along the lines of “Infinite Bag of Things” (or Bag of Holding), then I got to thinking of Doctor Who.
I take it neither of you are reading Use Sword On Monster. You should, and not just for the IBOTI bags.
Actually, I do, I just glossed over the use of the term IBOTI since I know the ability/effect/spell by the name/term of “Bag of Holding”. I apologize.
I do, but it wasn’t an acronym that had been registered in my head for some reason. It happens.
The gauntlet on the table looks vaguely familiar, and I think…nah I can’t really identify anything within view, but half the helmets give me that Dr. Fate, transforming vibe…
If it’s what I think it is, then avoid the gauntlet.
What is it? I apologize for my ignorance.
He’s likely thinking the evil artifact gauntlet from Nodwick, since PS238 is the future of Nodwick anything seen there that could somehow survive to the current era could conceivably show up in PS238.
It sure looks like the Gauntlet of Supremacy, but one wonders if it would have retained any powers following Baphuma’al’s destruction.
Probably better not to take any chances with it, though.
If memory serves, the Gauntlet of Supremacy was a Righty, and this is a Lefty. Still, something to avoid.
The Gauntlet of Supremacy also had three jewels on the back instead of just one, so this almost certainly isn’t it. Caution is still warranted, though – a Gauntlet of Sorta High in the Pecking Order might still be moderately nasty.
Considering the mask on the lower right shelf and the large pointy staff ARE from Nodwick, it’s pretty safe to assume the guantlet is at least “related” to the GoS
No offense but I don’t see the mask or the staff that are from nodwick.
@ Prairie Son Considering what wearing one of them could do, imagine then what the other one both together could do.
TheGalator – Maybe Thunderfoot can mention which issues they’re from. I assume the mask referred to is the one with the curved horns, kinda yellowish in color, and that the staff is the two-pointed yellow one sticking up from the center table, but though both of them look familiar I can’t figure out what they might be from Nodwick, even after scanning a few back issues. But the grayish hood/mask on the left (second shelf up) does look like a less tattered version of Baphuma’al’s hood. wouldn’t surprise me if a number of the things shown are very similar to items seen in Nodwick.
I’m getting a serious “Needful Things” vibe from these two, and their shop …
I was more thinking of a super hero version of “Wong’s Lost and Found Emporium“.
Who do we know who has had their powers lost or taken away in the comic?
Permanently or temporarily? Several people were temporarily drained during the Rainmaker arc. Kevin got zapped when he lost his Gauntlet for a couple minutes. And of course there’s Ron/Captain Clarinet/Argonaut/Prince Mo-Ron.
Might that be Ron as the customer, given what he’s saying?
Then Ron suddenly grew older (taller than Glory & Power) and maybe even had a sex change (client seems to be a woman).
Well, now that we have a pretty good confirmation that Power and Glory are magic users, anyone else think that they may actually be the disguised agents of Order and Chaos that are still on the loose?
Granted, they are supposed to be on opposing sides, but they did work together to strand Vasti Imperia in the past.
Quite possible.
In addition to working towards a common goal, it’s possible that it’s really just one side that’s up to something and the other is simply there to balance things out. They’ve shown themselves to be pretty subtle, so instead of direct opposition, directly being there and working alongside their foe is how they’re doing it.
Alternatively, they could be acting completely independently of their allegiances for whatever reason. Malphast’s parents have shown they can operate and cooperate on their own, although it was for the love of their son.
One more thing: it’s possible that Glory and Power are not agents of Order and Chaos themselves but empowered by them and serving them.
Good theory, Adahn.
I could buy them being agents. Non-nefarious ones, at that. They’ve already passed up two opportunities to take undue advantage of the customer’s faintly frantic urge to buy.
I thought they all got sucked back through the portal thing at the end of that arc. Or were “recalled by their superiors”, that kind of thing.
So Power isn’t Dillon, and Glory isn’t Jenny.. but I can’t help thinking there’s a connection that goes beyond the patches on Will’s jacket.
How unlikely is it that both Candidates acquired such abilities so in sync with their political ideologies.. unless they’re happy customers?
“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
Now, if there is some actual significance to their American history-referencing garb, rather than thinking of USA Patriot Act (and the Republicans) and American Eagle (and the Democrats), perhaps we should be thinking along the lines of the Union and the Confederates instead. That seems far likelier.
Coat of grey. Coat of brown. Oh, wait that’s the Song of the Lannisters, isn’t it?
North. South. Right. Left. Clearly Power and Glory are bipartisan.
Won’t this be fun?
It’s your theory. I’m content with the idea that they just like to dress that way rather than having some extra significance.
1. I wonder why Power distinguishes between “magic” and “weapon”. It sort of implies that the weapons they sell are not magical. Although, he could be differentiating between spells and gear.
2. On a related note, while it’s very likely that Glory & Power are magic-users, their emporium could include science-based super items as well.
3. So the customer used to have power. Besides a depowered super, we could be looking at a fallen god or similar. Reminds me of one of the “letters” Positron answered (it’s in the collected volumes) about how magic supers work. He mentions that the power of one super there is “a thousand wishes”. Could this person be her having run out but wanting it back? Then again, unlikely; she stated that once her wishes have been depleted, they’re gone for good.
I’d actually say that it implies that some of the magic items are not weapons, and not all of the weapons are magical in nature.
In other words, a weapon doesn’t need to run on magic to make its wielder a super, and a magic item doesn’t need to be a weapon to make its user a super.
Ie, if you look at the DC TV-verse, Vixen, Ryder, and Dark all used magic items that were not weapons that empower them, whereas Captain Cold, Heatwave, and the sister (Golden something) all have technology weapons.
Or perhaps she DID get a superpower that somehow changed her and now she wants to go back to ‘normal’…
Aka, she wants a cure for a meta-ability that popped up… I can imagine that some people would not like getting say scales with their powers.
My first guess would have been Morpheus, prince of daydreams.
But he never was that secretive or desperate to get his pieces back.
Maybe it is Ron that wants his powers back?
Not only would “Ron” here be even older than Angelica and Wilson (whom we’ve guessed are adolescents or young teens), he’d also have had a sex change (the customer seems like a woman to me).
Good, I’m not the only one who thinks “Murphy” is Morphius.
Um… Why would anyone here NOT think Murphy is (or supposed to be) Morpheus? It’s explicitly stated in the comic. His holographic disguise even makes him look like a child version of Neil Gaiman.
I see a “Thor”-type hammer on the top right.
I get more of a “John Henry” vibe from it, since it’s a sledge hammer. I may be biased; I played a Scion of John Henry once in a Scion game, and he had a big sledge hammer (non-Relic) that he made himself once he found out about his parentage. (He was alternately amused and annoyed when people thought it marked him as a Scion of Thor.)
Actually, it looks a lot like the Super Sledgehammer’s appearance in Fallout and Fallout 2
The helmet display case, it gives me a scooby-doo relic vibe (original series) as there is a diving helmet and what appears to be the red-eyed robot. The tall staff at the back reminds me of a cartoon character’s staff, but the memory is fleeting. The hammer and gauntlet could from anything.
Is it possible that “power and glory” (things desired by the meek & mild) find and collect items from old battlefields? Sort of Valkyries, but not collecting the souls of the fallen warriors but rather their stuff ?
I like the theory posted above that Power and Glory are related to our order and chaos friends, but it seems that P&G’s operation will lend itself to sow chaos. I can imagine no faster way to get to widespread chaos, than to grant incredible power to those with a great desire for it.
Then again, there’s no better way to ensure Order, than to give power to those who wish to uphold the Status Quo (as most SuperHeroes are wont to do).
I think the Order and Chaos idea is great- after all, neither of them are hard-selling anything in particular- just guiding, which seems like just the sort of ‘loophole’ that would allow for them to consider the ‘contest’ fair.
Also, I really, really wanted to see the helmet/mask belonging to the Conjurer on a shelf. Man, I didn’t like that guy.
I have one thing to say: Oh, nooo…
A little off topic thought. Think how well paid FISS could be if they entered the construction business, unless Hershel has already put them out of business. Unless of course the crane operators Union teamed with some super villains to kill them off if they tried.
Not a fortune, but probably well, since they’d be replacing a lot of heavy equipment but aren’t omnipotent or can do everything or replace an entire construction crew. I’m sure some of them in the PS238 world do work in construction given elitist bias against FISS.
Alternatively, consider the possibility of FISS who don’t want to be superheroes but want a normal life but like having their superpowers give them extra pay. Outside of the PS238-verse, the Astro City comic series features “Sideliners”- metahumans who are neither heroes nor villains and instead use their powers in more mundane jobs. One of them is a guy with super strength who indeed works in construction. There’s also a telekinetic who works in showbiz special effects, a heat manipulator who’s a glassblower, a telepath who works with law enforcement and private companies during interviews, etc.
The helmet on the upper left reminds me vaguely of “The Tick”
So, she’s gotten some attention, but I wonder if we have seen the customer before. Do we know any adult(ish) metahumans who have been depowered on screen, or at least in canon? Or are we still in “never before seen character” territory with all three?
To narrow it down, she’s pretty obviously female, unless Aaron has started drawing lips like that on guys (he usually doesn’t emphasize them quite so much). Unfortunately, only Ron seems obviously to have been depowered in canon, and he’s neither old enough nor the right sex. That said, we know Cecil indicated he has “something.” But that, actually, makes me think he won’t be getting power from here, since they seem to sell items and not metaphysical personal traits. Guardian Angel would love this shop, though. Moonshadow would benefit.
But I’ve got no idea who this customer might be. So it’ll be interesting if we’ve met her before.
Well if the client is indeed female, then she’s probably Aurora (Herschel Clay’s wife) or someone possessed by her.
Aurora escaped containment during the alien invasion, which was the last we seen of her.
This would account for several of the criteria we’ve seen so far:
– Aurora is only able to possess females.
– According to the old flier of the Union of Justice Tyler picked up, Aurora had a physical body, hence the client’s wish to be what she used to be.
– Aurora was desperate enough to attack four kids to steal Ambriel’s body; the client is desperate enough to make a Faustian bargain with Power and Glory (whoever or whatever they may be).
Actually there’s no reason to think the nanotech ‘ghost’ of Aurora actually escaped containment, if that was meant to be her during the invasion it would have been her actual ghost (hence why only those with the Gift or other ghosts could see her) whereas what’s contained in the old satellite is just a cloud of nanotech that thinks it’s her and wants a body because in thinking it’s her wants that physical presence again (which triggers some fridge logic since the tech exists to easily clone someone so why not clone a living body for it to inhabit?).
What Nightmask said. To put it more simply, there are TWO “ghosts”- one nanite ghost trapped in the Union of Justice’s now-underground space station, and one actual ghost who led Satori Deacon and her family to move to where PS238 is located.
As further indication of this distinction, the two are different in personality. The former is aggressive and hostile, seeking to simply inhabit a flesh-and-blood body. The latter seemed quite kind and pleasant. The latter in fact didn’t try to force herself on Satori- given Satori’s medium powers- but was said to have talked to her and convinced her to get her family to move.
Speaking of which- off-topic but I gotta get this off my chest- I really, really, really wish we get to see Satori and Alec Kent one day, even as just a cameo or part of the background. I keep imagining both in Vashti Imperia’s magic class, learning and growing in their powers. 🙂
Getting a Warehouse 13 feel from these two.
Power dealers helping folks be ‘super’ again?
This is past the point you scream at the customer to GTFO before he regrets it. Now I am just shaking my head. He is some combination of genre blind, desperate, or an idiot.
I don’t know, it is quite OK to walk in the Weapon Shops of Isher.
It looks like the library on the wonderful show The Librarians. If so, sign me up to work with Power and Glory!
Librarians? Sure. Or maybe Warehouse 13.
Sorry captain clarinet, nothing will make you like you were
Not likely to be Capt. Clarinet. Unless this story takes place in the future, Ron would suddenly have had to grow taller and have a sex change (client appears to be a woman).
Besides, while he misses his FISS powers, Ron knows he’s likely to be super again. Getting depowered by Argonite only took away his FISS powers, but Cecil detects him as still metahuman and revealed he’s likely to get powers again, this time from his mom.
Yes! The power of being a reporter! His mom wasn’t a meta.
Literally jumping out, mentioned after “catching eyes”.
That… is kinda creepy.
The eye catching thing.
Sounds painful.
Ok, table seems to have Superman’s cape, Wonder Woman’s bracelets, Aquaman’s trident in two pieces, Green Lantern ring under glass, and one of Cyborg’s hands.