posted
There's a pretty good book about the periodic table called The Disappearing Spoon. I remember one passage about some element, I forget which, that mysteriously gains and losses mass when iteracts with other elements. I remember thinking of Cham when I read it, wondering if Durlan life might be based on that element rather than carbon. I'll have to see if I can find the relevant passage again.
As for Durlan's standard forms, I too recall that each tribe was supposed to have its own standard form, and that Chameleon Boy's usual appearance was a UP mandated standard form, designed to be humanoid enough so as not to incite panic but distinct enough to mark a person as Durlan as a warning to others, much like the reboot Saturn badge worn by Titans.
From: Sumner, ME | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Candlelight: In Tepper's books on kids with various superpowers, the shapeshifters had to add to their mass by ingesting things, depending on what they shifted to, or release mass, which they tried to do out of sight. Ugh.
Is that Sheri Tepper? Which of her books were about kids with superpowers? I haven't read anything of hers in quite awhile.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Portfolio Boy: There's a pretty good book about the periodic table called The Disappearing Spoon. I remember one passage about some element, I forget which, that mysteriously gains and losses mass when iteracts with other elements. I remember thinking of Cham when I read it, wondering if Durlan life might be based on that element rather than carbon. I'll have to see if I can find the relevant passage again....
Oh, I wanna' read this! Is it accessible to those of us who haven't seen a periodic table since, oh, about 1983?
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
Well, I enjoyed the issue, more for the character interaction than the plot, although the plot is becomeing more intriguing. It's not the first time Paul has worked with on the question of Durla, and how and if can or should be "saved." I like that Durla is an odd man out among the UP, that those differences are exacerbated by the Durlans being cold blooded, egg-laying shapeshifters. I like the mistrust and prejudice and between the Durlans and the Legionnaires. I like that Brande, in his well-meaning hubris, was trying to "fix" Durla, and so far all it's achieved is the murder of UP delegates. And I do look forward to seeing how and if the story resolves. Having said all that, I'd take the plot as vehicle to throw interesting people together, and seeing Brainy and Cham and Tyroc and T Wolf chew the fat was the highlight for me.
-------------------- ...but you don't have a moment where you're sitting there staring at a table full of twenty-five characters with little name signs that say, "Hi, my superpower is confusing you!"
From: Chicago, IL | Registered: Jul 2004
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Set
There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met.
posted
quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: Wasn't there something about the form being 'assigned' them by the UP? Maybe in SECRETS OF THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES?
That would make perfect sense to me. Most 'fixed-form sentients' would find it disturbing that a Durlan could appear to be anyone or anything, and, I could see it being illegal to commit fraud or to misrepresent oneself as being a member of another species.
For that reason alone, there might be a few 'approved' Durlan forms, for travel off-world, which other UP citizens would never mistake for a member of another species. (Like orange antennae-headed humanoid or green tentacle-monster in purple robes, for instance).
The Durlan ambassador could be arguing before the council to approve a few new forms, saying that it's as unreasonable for the UP to restrict natural shapeshifters to only a couple of approved forms as it would be for a race with a limited visual spectrum to forbid others to see any color other than red in their presence.
The arguments could get heated, with delegates insisting that adding too many approved forms would create an unrealistic burden on other citizens to be able to remember them all, with the Durlan countering that they shouldn't have to remember them all, since there's no reason they should specifically know they are talking to a Durlan, unless it's because they want to be prejudiced against them. It's not like the average UP citizen can visually tell if they are talking to a Titanian, or a Braalian, or a Carggite, for instance, so why should the Durlans be required to wear a scarlet letter?
Politics! Racial profiling! Fraud! Fifth Column paranoia! Oh, the drama!
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
So far in the retroboot, most of the Durlan's can only become winged, exaggerated forms of the orange form, that I can remember.
The two, other than Brande and Cham (and Chameleon Lord?) has been the one who copied Zendak and the one who copied Brande.
The planetary Durlans kept the winged/orange form only blue.
Anyway, what I'm getting at is that maybe most of the Durlans can only change minimully. In which case, why not just limit them to their original, wormy form?
Easier even is people like Brainy insult that form.
-------------------- 'In the twinkling of an eye' I'll be dancing in the sky!
Come, join me!
From: Salem, Oregon USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
They turned into birds in the same issue they replaced Zendak. I doubt that they are limited to minimal changes. And, if they are, it is just another retcon for the sake of a current story being more important than established history.
posted
Every month I'm enjoying the Legion books more and more, but every time I get to the end of an issue it feels like there were too many ideas jammed in. I don't know if it's just me, but I kinda wish that (a.) there was more book each month to spread those ideas out (I know larger books are not going to happen), or (b.) simplify it a bit more. Some pages and conversations feel rushed and hurried. Hang, maybe it's because I'm not used to Pauls writing.
From: Durban, South Africa & Auckland, New Zealand. | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Iam Legion: They turned into birds in the same issue they replaced Zendak. I doubt that they are limited to minimal changes. And, if they are, it is just another retcon for the sake of a current story being more important than established history.
The birds is a good point. But we knew that these Durlans, the assassins, were going to be able to change some, perhaps more than the rest of the species.
Is it history that ALL of the Durlans could shapeshift into any complex shape that they wanted to?
In this boot, we've been shown by Brande's version of how he progressed in his shapeshifting efforts. He seemed to be very out of the ordinary with his abilities and drive. Cham's changing into a similar shape when he was threatened to confirm that Brande was his eggfather seemed to confirm that the ability to reach that form was genetically related.
We also found out in the Robinson stories that the original Durlans of Supes time were basically in the orange/Cham form. I don't recall them shapeshifting at that time but that may have been because they didn't need to.
Levitz has shown that in the retroboot, Durla is somewhat different than before.
LOTS of things are different from before, I guess.
-------------------- 'In the twinkling of an eye' I'll be dancing in the sky!
Come, join me!
From: Salem, Oregon USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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His strength, whatever it is, has never been his real power, IMO, it's his agility. He's the DC version of Spider-Man or Nightcrawler, fast and mobile, but not Flash-fast, just uncanny reaction speed fast and inhumanly acrobatic.
You probably already know this, but for those who don't, super-agility was originally Timber Wolf's ONLY power. He was the first character "fixed" during the silly-powers purge of the early '70s.
Are you sure about that? In his first appearance, Lone Wolf picks up a giant spotlight with one hand while swinging on a rope with the other to stop the out-of-control circus beast. Someone even comments that "He must have terrific strength to lift that spotlight so easily."
So I'm pretty sure he always had super-strength, just not at the Superboy/Mon El/Ultra Boy level. And strength alone would not have gained him entry, because it duplicated others' power. It was the agility that gave him a "unique" power for the purpose of joining.
Registered: Oct 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
You're right about him having strength as well as agility going back to his first appearance. However, there was no "duplication of powers" rule when he joined, so the "uniqueness" of agility really wouldn't have mattered.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Candlelight: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Iam Legion: [qb]
We also found out in the Robinson stories that the original Durlans of Supes time were basically in the orange/Cham form. I don't recall them shapeshifting at that time but that may have been because they didn't need to.
Levitz has shown that in the retroboot, Durla is somewhat different than before.
LOTS of things are different from before, I guess.
First of all, Paul is actively ignoring a few things from Johns' and Robinson's spin with the characters so I wouldn't place too much credence on the last issue of the New Krypton stuff (which Robinson couldn't even be bothered to write).
I'd also point out that in all boots Durlans have only been shown to be able to copy what they personally know, and given the hellhole that Durla still is, I don't think bio-diversity is one of their strong suits. That's why Cham was able to win the challenge back in #301, because he could take unfamilar shapes (like the hummingbird) and outdo even the best Durla-bound shifters.
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
In the past, that was true, but Brande turned into shapes he IMAGINED. He did that for several panels, I think. That was how he came up with the shape that he could fly off/escape Durla with.
And Paul hasn't really ignored what Robinson and Johns wrote, he's just worked around/with those issues if he wanted to, like the Lotharian telepaths being settled on Titan dying off.
Paul's changed things just to change them, as well. He's said so, like no jet packs, etc..
-------------------- 'In the twinkling of an eye' I'll be dancing in the sky!
Come, join me!
From: Salem, Oregon USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Set
There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met.
posted
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: You're right about him having strength as well as agility going back to his first appearance. However, there was no "duplication of powers" rule when he joined, so the "uniqueness" of agility really wouldn't have mattered.
Brin was always 'strong,' but I always saw him as strong like Spider-Man or the Beast (from Marvel who could lift 10 tons or so), not anywhere near Superboy or Mon-El's level. His super-agility / super-acrobatics would make him a far more spectaular / visually impressive hand to hand fighter than Superboy or Mon-El, since they don't generally use their super-speed, unless the plot calls for it.
IIRC, 'super-agility' or 'super-acrobatics' was his official 'power' when he joined the Legion, but, like many Legionnaires, it was hardly all he could do (Blok's power was listed as super-density or something, clumsily giving him an excuse to be admitted, even though his powers were basically invulnerability and super-strength, the same as a half dozen other people).
Registered: Aug 2006
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Yeah, I definitely think the "almost-as-strong-as-Superboy" thing really began with the Cockrum portrayal. Beast is a pretty good comparison, imo.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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