#bunglers in crime

[granitoons]

[giggleboxstudios]

2 gay-ass Victor edits because swag.

[fitzfunnymoments]

I'm sick so basically all I've been doing all day is sitting in bed watching various things (starting with Victor and Hugo)

[jellofangy]

Hi Cosgrove Hall fanbase. Bye Cosgrove Hall fanbase.

[chrissignore]

If you grew up watching any of the following animated shows (and others too numerous to mention), you can thank one person for that:

* Danger Mouse

* Count Duckula

* The Wind in the Willows

* Victor and Hugo, Bunglers in Crime

* Cockleshell Bay

* Jamie and the Magic Torch

* Budgie the Little Helicopter

* The Treacle People

Writer, Voice Actor, TV Presenter. A true powerhouse in children's TV. There'll never be another like Brian Trueman 💔⭐

[vikenticomeshome]

Official "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century" Character Bios

"Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century" is a super nostalgic show to me. We didn't have cable when I was growing up, so I watched shows like that one, "The Magic School Bus", "Stargate Infinity", and "Archie's Weird Mysteries" on the Fox Box back in the day.

Now, the archives that I was able to find from the old DIC site don't have very much content for the show. they just have the synopsis and a short clip.

BEGIN SYNOPSIS

The world's greatest detective has returned - and this time, he's fighting crime in the brave new world of the 22nd century! Sherlock Holmes has been brought back from the grave to battle Professor James Moriarty, the only adversary Holmes ever considered an equal. Moriarty, accidentally cloned by an unscrupulous scientist, is determined to dominate the crime-free world of the future. To help Holmes stop him, the personality of Holmes' loyal friend and companion, Dr. Watson is programmed into the brain of an android. Co-produced with Scottish Television, this series is visually highlighted by a striking blend of traditional 2-D and 3-D CGI animation. Each thrilling, action-packed mystery is inspired by one of the actual literary classics of Arthur Conan Doyle

END SYNOPSIS

While we're on the official synopsis, I noticed something that doesn't actually line-up with the story of the show. Perhaps it is a remnant of an earlier draft of the concept that slipped through. It claims that Moriarty was "accidentally" cloned. In the proper series, the unscrupulous scientist, Martin Fenwick, cloned Moriarty deliberately. He traveled to Reichenbach Falls, found Moriarty's preserved corpse, and took DNA from him. It was Fenwick's intention that Moriarty would become his henchman. Naturally, Moriarty made himself boss instead.

Anyway, while DIC didn't provide much information, there was another group that had more.

Kidsnet.org was a group that produced supplementary educational materials for various kids shows and movies from back in the day. Their website is still viewable in the WayBack machine.

They had a combination poster and study guide for "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century".

This is where we get the official character bios, with the blessing of Fox, DIC, and Scottish Television. Before I figured out the original source, I had seen these bios on fan-sites in low-quality cropped forms. I couldn't find any existing postings of the high-quality versions of the bios, so it may have only existed on the WayBack Machine. Well, now I'm posting the high-quality versions here.

Big thanks to suburbanbanshee.net, the fan-site that showed off the cropped versions and provided the link to kidsnet.org.

BEGIN SHERLOCK HOLMES BIO

Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective, is a gentleman with a keen sense of tradition and a wry wit who still wears his trademark cape and deerstalker hat. When Holmes is involved in a case he tunes out everything else around him because he's always thinking, solving mysteries and fighting crime with his brain, not his brawn.

END SHERLOCK HOLMES BIO

To be fair, he does plenty of cane fighting in the show as well. He also appears to have kicked his drug habits for this incarnation.

BEGIN DR. JOHN WATSON BIO

The John Watson of old was a physician, a writer and a bit of a bungler. Now, his personality has been programmed into the brain of an android. He is very logical and precise when it comes to handling details, but at a loss when faced with situations that don't make sense to his brand of logic (precisely the circumstances where Holmes shines).

END DR. JOHN WATSON BIO

I feel like this bio doesn't really give either the 19th century Watson or the 22nd century Watson proper respect. The 19th century Watson was one of the few people that Holmes genuinely cared about, and he was instrumental to solving several cases. The 22nd Century Watson has a magic scanner that allows him to find evidence that Holmes could not gather with only his eyes and brains.

BEGIN INSPECTOR ELIZABETH "BETH" LESTRADE BIO

Lestrade is impetuous and volatile, the exact opposite of Holmes. The two often clash over how to handle cases. Lestrade's ancestor was a Scotland Yard inspector who worked with Holmes on many cases in the 19th century. Lestrade often locks horns with her New Scotland Yard boss, Chief Inspector Grayson, who grows impatient with he impulsive ways. Lestrade is Holmes's and Watson's guide to the manners, mores and the technology of the London of the future.

END INSPECTOR ELIZABETH "BETH" LESTRADE BIO

Some of the wording here is weird to me. I can understand her acting as a guide to Holmes as he adjusts to the 22nd century. However, Watson is a Scottland Yard robot who already has all of that information. Reading the original Watson's journals allowed him to take on the original Watson's personality as his own. However, that didn't wipe out his 22nd century knowledge.

Her special move is a flying kick.

BEGIN PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY BIO

With his extensive knowledge of mathematics and philosophy, Moriarty's brilliance is undeniable. Just as in the 19th century, however, Holmes' evil adversary uses his profound intellect to pursue power and wreak havoc. His mastery of 22nd century computer allows him to control his futuristic crime wave over cyberspace. Professor Moriarty has become a twisted half-man, half-machine bent on world domination.

END PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY BIO

Okay, there are a few things here that aren't reflected in the final show. They must be remnants of an earlier draft of the concept. While Moriarty runs a wide variety of evil schemes, the Internet is never a prominent part of his schemes. I can think of two examples where the Internet was involved. There was "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire Lot", which involved hacking into banking systems. They talk about the systems being drained by the titular vampire, but there's never any mention of money or data being stolen. The systems are just taken offline and are temporarily unable to be brought back up. And then, there was "The Adventure of the Mazarin Chip", where Moriarty created a prefect virtual recreation of the Prime Minister's office and used it to break the economy.

And what are they talking about with him being half-man, half-machine? The final show never suggests that he is anything other than a fully organic clone. I like the idea of Cyborg Moriarty, but the show didn't go for it in the end.

BEGIN BAKER STREET IRREGULARS BIO

This diverse band of street kids is Holmes's secret weapon in his war on crime. Wiggins, the 16 year old leader with boxing training and a photographic memory, 11 year old Tennyson, the match and computer whiz, and 12 year old Deidre, a precocious, reformed scam artist are Holmes's eyes and ears in the streets of New London.

END BAKER STREET IRREGULARS BIO

I don't remember Wiggins being described as having a photographic memory in the show, so maybe this is something that was changed. He does mention training as a boxer though.

Huh. I always figured Deidre was around 14 or 15. But no, the official materials say she is only 12. Either way, she is presented as a reformed con artist. In the episode "The Secret Safe", she tells Holmes about a shop that will act as a fence for expensive stolen goods, which is worrying.

We never see the kids' families, nor do we get much insight into their home lives. We don't get a good view on why they got into pulling cons. We see Deidre's bedroom during "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire Lot". So, we know she has somewhere to live. It looks pretty comfy, and it isn't falling apart. But that's the most insight that the show gives us into her home life. I don't think we ever see inside Wiggin's or Tennyson's homes.

I don't remember many interactions between Holmes and the new Irregulars outside of case-solving. However, plenty of fans reason that Holmes has been helping them get a proper education and move away from pulling cons.

I do wish the kids had gotten individual bios. Because all three were crammed together into one bio, we don't get much information on them.

And there we have it. I should make some posts with my thoughts on various episodes, similar to what I start doing with Cyberchase. Given that this show is finished with 26 episodes, while Cyberchase is on-going with 148 episodes so far, that would be the easier task.

[ask-de-writer]

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to CLASSICAL FANTASIES

THE FISHERMAN'S LEG (Part 4 of 20)

A sequel to Dee 1/2 Demon

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

6373 words (work in progress)

© 2023 by Glen Ten-Eyck

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

TUMBLR EXEMPTION

Blog holding members of Tumblr.com may freely reblog this story provided that the title, author and copyright information remain intact, unaltered, and are displayed at the head of the story.

Fan art, stories, music, cosplay and other fan activity is actively encouraged.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

New to the story? Read from the beginning HERE.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

When their turn was called, Miko arose from her place at Magistrate Lim's left, where she, as his scribe, had been writing the official copies of the Tribunal's work.

Bowing deeply to the Magistrate she stated, “Magistrate Lim san, I cannot properly record this case. I am one of those bearing this complaint against fisherman Minami san.”

Taking up paper and a writing brush he returned her bow with the words, “Please, Miko san, take your proper place, so that we may begin.”

Turning to constable Canra he asked politely, “Why have you brought Minami san here?”

“Good Magistrate Lim san, I am charging him with crimes that I directly observed and heard.

“First: Criminal vandalism of the fence about the Chiasu Estate property, which is administered by Dee san. He used a large fish gutting knife from his Fish Market to make a big hole in the woven bamboo slats of the fence.

“Second: Criminal trespass of the Chiasu Estate property with intent to commit theft or other mischief. Having cut the hole in the fence, he skulked in, trying to stay out of the sight of the young ladies from the Shop of Repairs, who are rebuilding the old Chiasu floating dock.

“Third: Attempted theft of both a striking hammer and a board from the woodpile set aside for the rebuilding of the floating dock. Having taken the items in hand, he fled for his hole in the fence.

“He was stopped by Satsuna san who thrust a bamboo pole between his legs and tripped him.

“Fourth: Another count of slander against the young women of the Shop of Repairs. He stated in my hearing and presence that they were bunglers who had no need of fine boards or good tools.

“According to the records which I consulted before bringing him before you, this is his one hundred and seventy third slander against them that has come to this Tribunal. Further, it is the thirty fifth case of assault or vandalism against them or their properties by him that has been brought before you.”

Bowing to constable Canra, Magistrate Lim, said, “Thank you, good constable. That was most clear and concise.”

Turning now to Fisherman Minami he bowed politely and requested, “Please, Minami san, explain yourself.”

Fisherman Minami hunched in on himself and glowered. “I began by cutting a small hole to see what those bu. . .” he caught himself, “those worthless orphans were up to, attaching useless floating bundles of bamboo to the old Chiasu Estate pilings. I noticed that there was a pile of good boards and some tools laying carelessly about, completely unused. I cut the hole bigger so that I could take what they clearly had no need of.”

Magistrate Lim turned to Miko and asked, “Good Miko san, what have you to say of this?”

Miko looked down at her knees where she knelt and shook her head sadly. “Good Magistrate Lim san, I have conferred with my fellow owners of the Shop of Repairs. As Dee san is one of us, and she administers the Chiasu Estate, we are all in agreement.

“Minami san has this time finally gone too far. His lack of respect for the reputations, goods and property of others and, worse, his lack of respect for the rulings and orders of this Tribunal to mind his own business and leave us and our business alone have left us with no realistic choices.

“We are now and in the future making our charges against him to be criminal ones. He clearly understands what theft is when it happens to him. Not a minnow can be taken from the Fish Market whether he is there or not there to tend to his own shop but he will call it stealing.

“Yet if we have neatly piled boards and tools laid out on our property for future work, suddenly he can take those because HE thinks that we have no need of them.”

Patsu raised a finger and bowed to the Magistrate. “He knew he was stealing. He made a considerable effort to be un noticed on his entry and when he had the board and my hammer, he was running to escape out the hole he made in our fence. Not the way of an innocent man.”

Minami hotly demanded of the girls, “Why are you bothering with all of this foolish rebuilding? You have no boat to use that dock or boat house.”

Patsu snorted in amusement. “Funny that. I had thought that you could work out the next few characters of that statement. Apparently the word YET is not one that you can figure out.”

“You have no need of a boat! You can buy your seafood from my Fish Market!”

Miko glanced over to Magistrate Lim who nodded slightly. She interposed, “We can not do that. You have formally blacklisted us and our mothers from your market. That is why we have men setting up the walls and roof for our fish market.”

Sourly he growled, “I will cancel the blacklist and resume my exclusive sales agreement.”

Magistrate Lim's voice chilled him like a bucket of ice water. “While you can cancel the blacklist, you cannot resume your exclusive sales agreement. It requires a person of good character who has no criminal record. For the last two years you have been systematically destroying your reputation and you now have criminal convictions as well.”

To be Continued

<==PREVIOUS ~~ NEXT==>

Return to the Master Story Index

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[denimbex1986]

'Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), a poser, a small-time forger and scammer living humbly in New York is sent to Europe by shipping tycoon Herbert Greenleaf (Kenneth Lonergan) to persuade his son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to leave his self-indulgent life in Italy and come home to America.

But when Tom arrives at Dickie’s villa in Atrani, the tables turn.

Mesmerised by Dickie and all he stands for, Tom is immediately ready for his next step.

An obsession to be Dickie and take on Dickie’s lifestyle takes him over.

Dickie’s girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning) sees through Tom, distrusts him, and may even fear him, while Dickie at first enjoys Tom’s company but soon tires of him.

Out in a hired dinghy, Dickie tells Tom he’s fed up with him, for being ordinary and beneath him.

Tom can’t stand his rejection but at the same time, recognises that here in front of him is his greatest opportunity ever.

If he can kill Dickie, he can steal his identity. He’s on his way.

It’s an extremely clever story, devised in 1955 by Patricia Highsmith as the novel The Talented Mr Ripley.

In some previous screen adaptations, Tom gets caught, in others he gets away with impersonation and murders. Plural.

Poor interfering snobbish Freddie Miles (Eliot Sumner) becomes another of Tom’s victims.

In Zaillian’s mini-series, Tom’s murder of Dickie comes out of the blue, even to Tom.

Marginally out of control, he botches things, and manages to cover up just in time.

When he tries to dispose of Dickie’s body and then the dinghy, it’s almost as if he expects to be exposed.

Also streaming on Netflix is the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley, directed by Anthony Minghella, in which Jude Law is Dickie, opposite Matt Damon as Tom and Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge.

Unlike Andrew Scott’s Tom, who’s a bit of a bungler, Matt Damon’s Tom commits crimes that are all premeditated.

Jude Law’s Dickie is metrosexual, fitting for the nineties, comfortable in his skin, while Johnny Flynn’s Dickie is a privileged malcontent, like a contemporary trust fund kid, turning his back on his upbringing by escaping to Italy where he plays jazz badly and tries to be an artist.

Minghella’s film has azure skies and tanned bodies while Zaillian’s mini-series is in film noir style, with a suitably creepy atmosphere.

Robert Elswit’s exquisite black-and-white cinematography makes every scene worth watching. Shots of Atrani, Rome and Venice belong in an art gallery.

Andrew Scott portrays Ripley as enigmatic, fallible, disliking himself, compelled to take on the identity of another man, but unable to stop his own tendencies from coming with him.

It’s complex stuff, intriguing. Is he gay? Is he capable of forming any kind of relationship with a person, or is it all about things for him?

He’s drawn to a malevolent painting by Caravaggio, to opera, and to Dickie’s pen, watch, ring and his Picasso, but not to people.

Cynicism, pessimism and menace pervade the mini-series, as they did Highsmith’s classic novel. Ripley is in every way a work of art.

★★★★★'

[lilliths-not-just-httyd-blog]

I don't think he would've truly started healing until In Cedric We Trust tbh. Certainly Through the Looking Back Glass would've contributed massively to that healing, that I cannot and will not deny, but we still see how messed up he is at the start of In Cedric We Trust, how Roland is still being an ass to him and still sees him as a bungler, as pathetic and unskilled (even after knowing the truth about The Incident, mind) and how Cedric is still hurting. I mean, look at the framing of this scene, something is obviously wrong here - side note but this is one of my favourite shots in the show.

In Day of the Sorcerers, Roland suggests that everyone turn over a new leaf and start treating Cedric with more kindness and respect. But then the very next time we see the pair interact (in Through the Looking Back Glass), what's the first thing Roland does? "Whenever things go wrong, King Roland simply stands and claims... 'It must be Cedric that's to blame!'" Asshole shit right there, you said you'd stop doing that, cunt. Fucking stop, then!

Then Cedric is betrayed by Wormy in In Cedric We Trust too, which, while good for him in the long run, would've hurt massively considering just how long they'd been partners in sorcery for. That's the kind of shit that leaves scars on the heart.

Then there's what happened in Day of the Sorcerers which, yes, would've been rather freeing in some respects. But it also has that element of devastation - he's spent literal years actively chasing all those differing means to take over the kingdom, and now he's just... giving up. How much time has he wasted? How much suffering has he endured, all for nought? Yes, he has new values now, but still. It's gotta hurt realising that you've spent at least 2-3 years of your life doing nothing but obsessing over a goal you'll never achieve, and now you're significantly worse off because people know all the horrible shit you've done, all your crimes have been exposed and now people think even more horribly of you than they already did before.

And now he's walking on eggshells. I wouldn't blame him (especially if it excuses his absence in the season) for hiding away for a while. Let the dust settle between himself and Roland before he tries to regain the King's forgiveness and favour. Work out what his new goals are whilst dealing with the grief that comes with realizing that he's wasted all this time for nothing. Try to ignore the raven in his ear chastising him for his change of heart. Succumb to the mental fallout of everything that's happened for a while before finally pulling himself out of it enough to start to fix his situation (as of In Cedric We Trust).

I think In Cedric We Trust is really when he begins his healing journey. All the cogs are in place, where they weren't before. As of this episode, Roland is finally actually showing Cedric some respect, Wormwood's influence is now gone, Cedric has had the time to be reassured that Sofia still trusts him, and Cedric is no longer out for revenge. And beyond the conclusion, it's all uphill for him from here.

I haven't seen much discussion about this at present but Cedric is probably horribly depressed. Especially by season four. Maybe that's why he had so little screentime in that season? Because he was dealing with a severe mental health spiral, finding himself unable to complete basic tasks let alone function actively as a person? That would explain why he didn't make a single appearance at his adoptive daughter's birthday.

[thevideogameshutterbug]

Two of my favorite witnesses in this game. Their comic routine was a delight. Did anyone else - say, someone from the 80′s or 90′s, who might’ve watched the occasional British cartoon - immediately get reminded of Victor and Hugo (or their original versions from Duckula)? Their entire aesthetic and bit reminded me so heavily of those characters that I’m seriously wondering whether the translator picked up on the similarity and skewed their dialogued in that direction somewhat. Either way, that direction is intensely fun, and they make even better “comically inept crooks” characters than the Skulkins did in the previous game. I suppose I should do some photo explorations of The Great Ace Attorney. Even given that it’s a compilation (and that it was evidently designed as a single game before being split up), Great Ace Attorney 2 is panning out to be significantly better than GAA 1. Not that the first one is bad, exactly, but its not paced well and its cases aren’t as engaging to play as a result, whereas the second game has more of a handle on how the mysteries and stories will progress. Both games, however, have some of the best characters in the series imo - either because they’re so endearing, so heartwarming, or just so fun as these two are.

[granitoons]

Finktober day 15 - Victor & Hugo, Bunglers in Crime (and Interpoll)

[topperhay]

And so, Victor & Hugo R34 was invented. Based on a spoonerism my mother made whilst she was at the cinema.

[fitzfunnymoments]

the volume is probably weird in certain places but whatever this vb turned out way better than I expected and I figured I’d test it out with one of my fave songs :]

(song is Cat Ear Archive by  Kusoinaka-P)

[jellofangy]

Another year gone another art summary! (Why is time going by so fast this is so fucked help-) Happy new year 2023 everyone!

ORIGINAL TEMPLATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!: https://www.deviantart.com/arieldrawsdragons/art/F2U-2023-Summary-of-Art-Template-1006564218

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #301

Sun Feb 6 2022 [09:05 PM] Wack'd: I see the Four's child neglect is reaching comical, Rugrats-esque levels

[09:06 PM] Bocaj: I think he's just saying Z [09:06 PM] Wack'd: A dialogue bubble reading "Z", reminding one of the letter "Z" [09:06 PM] Bocaj: Ha [09:07 PM] Umbramatic: zed [09:07 PM] Wack'd: We open on a Franklin dream sequence, which the narrator explains to us is actually events that are happening elsewhere [09:07 PM] Wack'd: In this case, the Four having tracked down the Mad Thinker to his lair [09:09 PM] Wack'd: I feel like apart from Doom and Galactus, Bryne's run was actually fairly light on returning baddies, or at least when they did come back it was in ways that were kinda bonkers (i.e. Psycho-Man turning Sue into a racist cenobite) [09:09 PM] Wack'd: So it's weird to get two consecutive issues that remember Mad Thinker and Wizard exist [09:11 PM] Bocaj: The Wizard and the Mad Thinker? Wow. That's a real. Uh. That's a real package deal. [09:12 PM] maxwellelvis: I wonder if we'll see Andy again. [09:12 PM] maxwellelvis: Or if he'll just be forgotten until Dan Slott revives She-Hulk in the Aughts [09:12 PM] Wack'd: So the Four clear out the Mad Thinker's lair and lead in a SWAT team. They're here because Reed discovered evidence of the wedding of the shit that went down with the both of them and also Philip at the ceremony. Which. [09:12 PM] Wack'd: They're busting up this guy's lair for shit he didn't even get to do [09:12 PM] Wack'd: Thinker and Wizard planned to disrupt the ceremony and then got their asses kicked [09:12 PM] Umbramatic: oh nooooooooooooo [09:13 PM] Umbramatic: well. oh no for them [09:13 PM] Wack'd: Seems maybe kinda petty to get the cops involved I dunno [09:13 PM] Umbramatic: yeah [09:14 PM] Wack'd: Also Ben decides that Philip saving the wedding is evidence he approves of Johnny. I am very excited for Ben to reach a point with the Johnny/Alicia stuff where he's no longer completely insufferable about it [09:14 PM] Bocaj: Its gotta peter out eventually [09:15 PM] Umbramatic: when peter parker gets involved [09:15 PM] maxwellelvis: I'm sure by the time Ben gets a monster girlfriend [09:15 PM] Wack'd: A SWAT guy hits a control panel and triggers a whole mess of generic silver humanoid robots because all cops are just absolute bunglers and dinguses [09:15 PM] Wack'd: Fight fight fight [09:15 PM] maxwellelvis: Must have been Reynolds, the clumsy fuck [09:15 PM] maxwellelvis: Always getting in the Commander's way. [09:16 PM] Wack'd: While all this is happening Franklin is no longer just dreaming these events but astral projecting himself onto the scene and trying to avoid being spotted because he thinks it'd wig Reed and Sue out if they knew he could do this [09:17 PM] Bocaj: I still prefer it to god baby Franklin [09:17 PM] Umbramatic: well [09:18 PM] Wack'd: And speaking of astral projection, Mad Thinker has actually still been in jail this whole time! He just has an endless series of Thinkbots he can project his brain into, I guess. Kind of assumed that'd be a one-time trick last issue or at least he'd have to build another one after it got immolated [09:18 PM] Wack'd: He's very smug about the fact that since he's doing all this with the power of his mind there's no evidence in his cell that can pin crimes on him [09:19 PM] Wack'd: I'd argue if you want to not be caught doing crimes maybe don't make your proxy crime robot look exactly like you but whatever [09:20 PM] Wack'd: Thinker and the Wizard watch on a viewscreen as the Four do a fight scene, I guess from the Wizard's hideout, wherever that is [09:20 PM] maxwellelvis: Diablo's apartment [09:20 PM] Wack'd: Sure [09:21 PM] Bocaj: Supervillain roommates sounds like a good concept [09:21 PM] Umbramatic: It DOES [09:21 PM] Wack'd: Wizard spots Franklin on the viewscreen and is like "oooh, what if we kidnapped him" and Thinker is like, "uh, I'm not kidnapping a kid, fuck off, you weirdo" and remotely detonates the robot so I guess this is gonna be a Wizard solo mission [09:22 PM] Bocaj: Was it necessary to remotely detonate the robot? [09:22 PM] Wack'd: Probably not! [09:23 PM] Wack'd: So it turns out while Reed, Sue, Ben, and a buncha SWAT goons were busting up the Thinker's house, Johnny and Alicia are enjoying their honeymoon [09:24 PM] Bocaj: They're spending their time a lot more productively [09:24 PM] Wack'd: They're hiking, and Johnny needs to save Alicia from a rockslide [09:24 PM] Wack'd: Prompting Franklin--who's dream-spying on them now--to get jealous that everyone else gets to use their powers without it being a whole ordeal [09:24 PM] Bocaj: Jesus Franklin [09:25 PM] Bocaj: I guess he's always been a bit weird about his powers [09:25 PM] Wack'd: I think this is a fair perspective from a nebulously-prepubescent child who has no way of knowing how Children of the Corn he is from the perspective of everyone else [09:27 PM] Umbramatic: yeah fair [09:27 PM] maxwellelvis: Delayed realization: Could Xavier calling Franklin a pretender who made himself a Mutant because he wanted to think of himself as special be Slott doing his idea of a burn at Byrne? [09:28 PM] Wack'd: That's a fairly normal level of comics writer pettiness, yeah [09:28 PM] Wack'd: Wouldn't put it past him [09:28 PM] maxwellelvis: And like most such shots, it is fired decades after anyone else has cared about the issue. [09:28 PM] Wack'd: Maybe I'm fixating on the wrong thing but...what's Wyatt doing here without Jen? Does he just live here now? He's certainly making himself very much at home, putting his feet up on the furniture

[09:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Maybe he's looking after Johnny's stuff. [09:29 PM] Wack'd: Like I wouldn't object to Wyatt joining the Fantastic Four flatshare but it's making me realize that ever since his grandpa died and he moved to New York we've had basically no bead on what his whole deal is besides "dating Jen" [09:29 PM] Umbramatic: hm [09:32 PM] Wack'd: Franklin and Ben have a heart to heart

[09:32 PM] maxwellelvis: Oh hey, Ben's wearing the singlet! [09:33 PM] Bocaj: He just wanted to be a wrestler [09:33 PM] Wack'd: He had a full-body suit a couple of issues ago as part of his "I want to be covered up all the way because I'm so hideous" bit and the arms and legs got ripped off almost immediately [09:33 PM] Wack'd: So I guess he's just rolling with it [09:33 PM] maxwellelvis: And ditched the helmet [09:33 PM] Wack'd: What prompts this convo is he's contemplating bringing said helmet back [09:34 PM] maxwellelvis: Also, someone save the Franklin in panel 4, he'll drown! [09:34 PM] Wack'd: So the reason astral projecting Franklin went poof is that real Franklin woke up. In an experimental chamber in his dad's lab [09:35 PM] Bocaj: It be like that [09:35 PM] Umbramatic: f [09:35 PM] Wack'd: Reed was trying to turn his psychic powers back off. Ben storms in, gets pissed off, and immediately begins wrecking shop [09:35 PM] maxwellelvis: If we could isolate panel 4 of that page and blank out the text... [09:36 PM] Wack'd: AND IT ONLY TOOK TWENTY YEARS

[09:36 PM] Bocaj: Reed also be like that [09:37 PM] Wack'd: Franklin is much more panicked about everyone yelling and fighting than he is about all the gizmos his dad put on his head [09:38 PM] Wack'd: He wants to go see his friend Jarvis. Which. Jesus. He's been spending so much time being babysat by the Avengers and has so little other socialization that that’s his only friend [09:39 PM] Wack'd: Unfortunately a recent Avengers storyline has put Jarvis in the hospital but Ben volunteers to take him to go see him anyway [09:39 PM] maxwellelvis: No wonder he's so depressed as a teenager. [09:40 PM] Bocaj: I'm sure he hangs around the Power Pack too [09:40 PM] Bocaj: But they may have been cancelled by now [09:40 PM] maxwellelvis: @Bocaj That doesn't help [09:40 PM] Wack'd: "I'VE GOT IT! I'll wait for a member of the Fantastic Four, a team that famously owns a flying car and several jets, to hail a cab! I'm a genius!"

[09:41 PM] Umbramatic: brilliant [09:41 PM] maxwellelvis: It's ingenious when you consider there's only one member of the team who prefers cabs to flying. [09:41 PM] Wack'd: Yeah, the pilot [09:41 PM] Bocaj: Sometimes I feel like there's a sort of villain plot that only works because they read the script [09:42 PM] Wack'd: Yeah I'm thinking about what the Wizard would've done if Franklin hadn't needed to hail a cab that very night. Does he just spend months circling their block? [09:42 PM] maxwellelvis: He would [09:42 PM] maxwellelvis: and you know he would. [09:42 PM] Wack'd: Y'know what fair [09:42 PM] maxwellelvis: The Wizard is a sad, strange little man. [09:43 PM] Bocaj: I feel less bad for the time the Avengers bust into his house and kicked his ass now [09:43 PM] Bocaj: In fairness, it was after he broke out of jail [09:43 PM] Wack'd: "I've kidnapped the perfect member of the Fantastic Four to explain complicated scientific concepts to me"

[09:44 PM] Bocaj: "Explain everything you know about your mutant abilities" "Uh. They're abilities and mutant. I dream stuff sometimes. And I can go really fast without bringing myself along" "This is useless" [09:45 PM] Umbramatic: mmmmmm, serum [09:46 PM] maxwellelvis: "What secrets lie on the Fantastic Four's supercomputer?" "I don't know much about computers other than the one we got at my house, my moms put a couple games on there and--" [09:46 PM] Wack'd: So unfortunately the knockout gas and the truth serum are too much for Franklin and he can't wake up all the way, so Thinker turns his attention to brainwashing Ben with a fancy science helmet that narrative captions inform me are also a Lee/Kirby callback [09:47 PM] Wack'd: But as we've established just because Franklin's asleep doesn't mean he's useless [09:47 PM] Wack'd: Just, y'know, mostly

[09:47 PM] Wack'd: C'mon, this is the Marvel universe and you're a cop in NYC, you've seen weirder [09:47 PM] Umbramatic: slug child... [09:48 PM] Bocaj: That’s how Jack Powerpack used to look when he turned to gas [09:48 PM] maxwellelvis: Creepy [09:49 PM] Wack'd: *queer metaphor intensifies*

[09:50 PM] Bocaj: The one time Reed tries to hug his child, don't it figure [09:50 PM] Wack'd: Pfft [09:51 PM] Wack'd: So brainwashing Ben doesn't take. It's the same ol’ thing where seeing a loved one in danger immediately grinds mind control to a halt [09:51 PM] Wack'd: Wizard has a bad time [09:52 PM] Wack'd: scary sue

[09:54 PM] Bocaj: I like Reed just hauling him like a sack of potatoes [09:55 PM] Wack'd: And so Franklin is retrieved and Reed and Sue apologize for making him feel like he has to be scared of who he is, and say that from now on they'll figure out his powers together as a family [09:55 PM] Wack'd: So I give it, hm, maybe five issues before he gets forgotten again [09:55 PM] Umbramatic: aw

[chrissignore]

Any time is a good time to shower obscure shows with endless fan art ;-)