Happy Birthday to me.
Today is my twenty-first (21) birthday. So in honor of that, I thought I'd write a review sort of thing. Only it's a little more than that. I got the combined Countdown to Infinite Crisis/The OMAC Project trade paperback for Christmas. (Yay me!) And lo and behold, I actually formed opinions and made observations and even looked things up. Some of it relates to my ongoing "Mullet-verse" fanfic series, some of it is just mental splew, some of it is me drooling over Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord. Whatever the case, I present it to you now. Info dump, review, and fanfic babble all in one. What more could you ask for?
(Oh yeah, there are SPOILERS under the cut, by the way.)
1. You can have one or the other but not both.
There's some speculation on whether "Ted" is short for "Theodore" or "Edward." Or, in at least one case, "Thedward" (which I believe to be the best of them all). In Countdown he's called "Theodore" by the wizard Shazam, and it's the name listed in his Checkmate entry. (No middle initial listed, though. Which I found odd.) I'd already been using "Theodore," but now I've got canon to support me. (Since I'm mostly accepting Countdown as having happened in my Mullet-verse series.) And that's all I have to say about that.
2. Ted's checkered past.
-(That was a really lame pun, by the way.) According to Countdown, Ted hacked the US Defense Servers when he was thirteen. That, alone, has made me take back anything bad I've said about it. 'Cause seriously. At thirteen? I was trying to figure out what "cyber" was and why all these chatroom weirdos wanted to do it with me. Clearly, Ted is far cooler than me. He was interrogated, threatened, and according to his dad he was lucky he didn't go to prison. I love you delinquent!Ted. [This also means that since Ted is fourteen in this story, in his mind that all happened last year. FYI.]
-In Countdown, Ted mentions a brother. That apparently threw pretty much everyone, because this seems to have been the first mention of this alleged brother. Ever. Anywhere. Me? I actually like it, because it opens up a few more fanfic possibilities. But then I'm weird like that. (So as far as the Mullet-verse is concerned, Ted has a brother.) Also, I want to name this brother either Alvin, Simon, or Dave. Like I said, I'm weird like that.
-In the same panel that we learn of Ted's mysterious brother, there's also reference to the fact that Ted wore glasses when he was younger. You have no idea how cool I find this. ...It's called a fetish, kiddies. Look it up.
3. Why does no one love Ted?
-I'm choosing to believe Ted's "OMG I love Babs but nice guys finish last and she's hot for Nightwing" attitude was the result of a number of factors. One, Ted's lonely. Two, Ted hasn't been dating lately. Three, Ted's self esteem is clearly pretty low and Barbara is hot (you do the math). Four, Booster hasn't been groping him lately.
-I'm also choosing to believe that Barbara's "Grow up and be responsible and now I'm not gonna answer your calls" attitude was because she was very busy with something. And, you know, was kinda cranky about things not going her way.
Or something. Whatever. As you can tell from the epilogue from "Hairy Situations," they're pals again in the Mullet-verse. And Barbara's going to tease him mercilessly about Booster.
-Also, I feel the need to point out a wonderful part of Ted's inner monologue from when he was looking at Checkmate's info on Booster: "I see my name on the screen, part of a list, wedged between an alien from Mars [J'onn] and a sweet dead girl [Tora] who would never hurt a fly. Hot anger kindles in my chest. Whoever compiled this information may know everything....but they understand nothing. Calling me Michael's associate is criminal....calling his murdered sister an associate is obscene."
Can you feel the love? I sure can. ^_^ Beautiful bit of Boostle there. Beautiful.
4. Where's Ted-o?
This bit is pretty much entirely for the benefit of Mullet-verse stuff, and probably also serves to prove that I am a nerd. (I'm okay with this.)
-In Countdown, Ted is shown as living in Highland Park, Illinois. (Which I feel like a dumbass for not noticing sooner.) In his Checkmate information, his location is listed as New York City. I don't know what the crap that's about. It's not even Checkmate being a smartass and saying "gotcha!" because their top secret complex is in the Swiss Alps. I don't know, maybe it's the location of Kord Omniversal Research and Development or something.
-Highland Park is 25.8 miles (31 minutes) from Giordano's Pizza and Seward Park, which are mentioned in the Mullet-verse story Midst Of Rough Earthliness. ...I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything, but I researched so what the hell.
-The Kord Omniversal warehouse that was broken into (over a hundred pounds of Kryptonite were stolen and it was later the home of the Kord Omniversal Prototype Mass EMP Generator which was the thing that stopped the OMACs) was in Northern Chicago. (I'm assuming "Northern Chicago" is the same as "North Chicago," which is what's on the maps I'm using.) Northern Chicago is 42.9 miles (52 minutes) from Giordano's and Seward, and 13.7 miles (26 minutes) from Highland Park.
-I love MapQuest.
5. Eye see you.
Throughout Countdown Ted has very pretty eyes.
...What?! I'm shallow, okay? It's true. Pretty eyes. Even dead his eyes are pretty (which kinda creeps me out, but is true regardless).
6. Grab bag before you go!
-Sometimes I'll read something that just really makes me want to get out my psychology books and analyze. Countdown is one of those. I've seen it suggested that Ted might be bipolar, and if I could remember the exact definition of that I might be inclined to agree. I've seen complaints that Ted came off as kind of wussy, kind of a fanboy, what-have-you in Countdown. I have to wonder, though...are there any other comics where it's entirely narrated by an introspective Ted? Or even just entirely narrated by him, forget how introspective he is. I'll admit that there were a few times when I was thinking something along the lines of "Oh Ted, it's called a backbone," but at the same time I also know I've seen him self-doubting before. I've seen him hero-worshipping (well, actually all I can remember at the moment is his Wonder Woman fanboy-ing, but I'm counting that). Is this actually new, or is it just that it's not usually this noticeable. That we don't usually see all the stuff that's going on in Ted's mind.
I don't know, maybe it is the bipolar thing. There's certainly a case for him being depressed, at least. Makes me wonder if there's ever any canon of him seeing a shrink. Boy's got issues.
-Batman is a dick. ...I just felt like mentioning. And it's almost a requirement, when discussing recent DC canon, to call him a dick. ;D (I do actually like Batman, but I can't deny that there's been some serious Bat-dickery in recent canon.)
-"When your social security number won't exist for five centuries, getting a credit card is kind of tricky." --Countdown to Infinite Crisis. With regards to Mullet-verse, I'm choosing to assume that Barbara fixed up Booster with some "I exist on paper!" stuff like she did with Junior. If you ask me, it's something that should've been taken care of a while ago.
-Ted's IQ is 192, which puts him in the category of intellectually gifted. Specifically, the "Profoundly Gifted" category of intellectual giftedness (175+), which makes him one in three million (99.99997th percentile). And in looking all this lovely stuff up I also came across this little gem: "a number of people have noted a higher incidence of existential depression, which is depression due to highly abstract concerns such as the finality of death, the ultimate unimportance of individual people, and the meaning (or lack thereof) of life." There's also some stuff on underachievement and other such interesting things, which takes us back to the earlier point of just what is the state of Ted's mental health? But I think I'll wait to get into that in depth if I ever dig out my textbooks and decide to actually analyze him.
-"Okay--switch. My turn to hack. [...] Excuse me, but I am from the 25th century. As kids, you cavemen learned to ride bikes....while we highly evolved youth of the future were interfacing with A.I." --Booster in Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Booster can hack. This makes me wonder, as I've done before...how smart is Booster? I know he's usually portrayed as a ditzy, prettyboy himbo, but take into account that he's from five hundred years in the future. In an early comic, he mentions watching TV to learn enough about the (then) current culture to make witty banter. I'm shocked he even knows the language. (Read something that was written in English five hundred years ago and you'll get what I mean.) There had to be some culture shock for him. So how much of his apparent ditziness is real, and how much is confusion over our strange caveman ways? And for that matter, what are the standards of intelligence like where he's from? In Star Trek, for instance, everyone knows a gazillion languages, quantum physics, and can play an instrument. So is the definition of "smart" any different, perhaps more demanding, in the future Booster's from? And if so, is he not especially intelligent by those standards, when by current standards he'd actually be pretty bright, and so got used to thinking of himself as "dumb" and acts accordingly? ...I don't know. Maybe I'll analyze this too at a later date.
-It was never specified whether Ted's supposed brother was younger or older than him. This irks me a bit.
-I have a theory about the Scarab and why it wouldn't work for Ted, but I already wrote it down somewhere and don't feel like doing so again. ...Just can't remember where I wrote it down. Urg.
-Shazam is also a dick. (I just felt like saying that after the way he brushed Ted and his concerns off without really telling him anything. But then pretty much everyone else did, too.)
-Wonder Woman is not a dick. (For some reason, I don't really like her. But she believed Ted and believed in him, and later she helped Booster. That gets her major brownie points in my book.)
-"I always knew it'd be you who figured it out. Well, you or Batman, but my money was actually on you. You've never been stupid. Foolish, sure. But stupid? Never." --Max in Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Max believed in Ted. In a comparison of who would figure something out first, Max was betting on Ted over Batman. It's kind of sad that the bad guy had more faith in Ted and his abilities than just about all the good guys.
-While the end made me sad (Ted! Nooooo!), I did enjoy Countdown. Overall, it was an interesting read and it made me think a little.
-In conclusion, Ted should've taken Max's offer to join up with Checkmate. Ted, you dumbass.
-If you have any interest in my views on The OMAC Project, I babbled about it HERE for a bit, specifically how it related to the Mullet-verse. And one day...one day I will figure out just how long Booster spent in the hospital.
And now..."there's talk of...cake." (Geek Points to anyone who gets the reference!)
(Oh yeah, there are SPOILERS under the cut, by the way.)
1. You can have one or the other but not both.
There's some speculation on whether "Ted" is short for "Theodore" or "Edward." Or, in at least one case, "Thedward" (which I believe to be the best of them all). In Countdown he's called "Theodore" by the wizard Shazam, and it's the name listed in his Checkmate entry. (No middle initial listed, though. Which I found odd.) I'd already been using "Theodore," but now I've got canon to support me. (Since I'm mostly accepting Countdown as having happened in my Mullet-verse series.) And that's all I have to say about that.
2. Ted's checkered past.
-(That was a really lame pun, by the way.) According to Countdown, Ted hacked the US Defense Servers when he was thirteen. That, alone, has made me take back anything bad I've said about it. 'Cause seriously. At thirteen? I was trying to figure out what "cyber" was and why all these chatroom weirdos wanted to do it with me. Clearly, Ted is far cooler than me. He was interrogated, threatened, and according to his dad he was lucky he didn't go to prison. I love you delinquent!Ted. [This also means that since Ted is fourteen in this story, in his mind that all happened last year. FYI.]
-In Countdown, Ted mentions a brother. That apparently threw pretty much everyone, because this seems to have been the first mention of this alleged brother. Ever. Anywhere. Me? I actually like it, because it opens up a few more fanfic possibilities. But then I'm weird like that. (So as far as the Mullet-verse is concerned, Ted has a brother.) Also, I want to name this brother either Alvin, Simon, or Dave. Like I said, I'm weird like that.
-In the same panel that we learn of Ted's mysterious brother, there's also reference to the fact that Ted wore glasses when he was younger. You have no idea how cool I find this. ...It's called a fetish, kiddies. Look it up.
3. Why does no one love Ted?
-I'm choosing to believe Ted's "OMG I love Babs but nice guys finish last and she's hot for Nightwing" attitude was the result of a number of factors. One, Ted's lonely. Two, Ted hasn't been dating lately. Three, Ted's self esteem is clearly pretty low and Barbara is hot (you do the math). Four, Booster hasn't been groping him lately.
-I'm also choosing to believe that Barbara's "Grow up and be responsible and now I'm not gonna answer your calls" attitude was because she was very busy with something. And, you know, was kinda cranky about things not going her way.
Or something. Whatever. As you can tell from the epilogue from "Hairy Situations," they're pals again in the Mullet-verse. And Barbara's going to tease him mercilessly about Booster.
-Also, I feel the need to point out a wonderful part of Ted's inner monologue from when he was looking at Checkmate's info on Booster: "I see my name on the screen, part of a list, wedged between an alien from Mars [J'onn] and a sweet dead girl [Tora] who would never hurt a fly. Hot anger kindles in my chest. Whoever compiled this information may know everything....but they understand nothing. Calling me Michael's associate is criminal....calling his murdered sister an associate is obscene."
Can you feel the love? I sure can. ^_^ Beautiful bit of Boostle there. Beautiful.
4. Where's Ted-o?
This bit is pretty much entirely for the benefit of Mullet-verse stuff, and probably also serves to prove that I am a nerd. (I'm okay with this.)
-In Countdown, Ted is shown as living in Highland Park, Illinois. (Which I feel like a dumbass for not noticing sooner.) In his Checkmate information, his location is listed as New York City. I don't know what the crap that's about. It's not even Checkmate being a smartass and saying "gotcha!" because their top secret complex is in the Swiss Alps. I don't know, maybe it's the location of Kord Omniversal Research and Development or something.
-Highland Park is 25.8 miles (31 minutes) from Giordano's Pizza and Seward Park, which are mentioned in the Mullet-verse story Midst Of Rough Earthliness. ...I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything, but I researched so what the hell.
-The Kord Omniversal warehouse that was broken into (over a hundred pounds of Kryptonite were stolen and it was later the home of the Kord Omniversal Prototype Mass EMP Generator which was the thing that stopped the OMACs) was in Northern Chicago. (I'm assuming "Northern Chicago" is the same as "North Chicago," which is what's on the maps I'm using.) Northern Chicago is 42.9 miles (52 minutes) from Giordano's and Seward, and 13.7 miles (26 minutes) from Highland Park.
-I love MapQuest.
5. Eye see you.
Throughout Countdown Ted has very pretty eyes.
...What?! I'm shallow, okay? It's true. Pretty eyes. Even dead his eyes are pretty (which kinda creeps me out, but is true regardless).
6. Grab bag before you go!
-Sometimes I'll read something that just really makes me want to get out my psychology books and analyze. Countdown is one of those. I've seen it suggested that Ted might be bipolar, and if I could remember the exact definition of that I might be inclined to agree. I've seen complaints that Ted came off as kind of wussy, kind of a fanboy, what-have-you in Countdown. I have to wonder, though...are there any other comics where it's entirely narrated by an introspective Ted? Or even just entirely narrated by him, forget how introspective he is. I'll admit that there were a few times when I was thinking something along the lines of "Oh Ted, it's called a backbone," but at the same time I also know I've seen him self-doubting before. I've seen him hero-worshipping (well, actually all I can remember at the moment is his Wonder Woman fanboy-ing, but I'm counting that). Is this actually new, or is it just that it's not usually this noticeable. That we don't usually see all the stuff that's going on in Ted's mind.
I don't know, maybe it is the bipolar thing. There's certainly a case for him being depressed, at least. Makes me wonder if there's ever any canon of him seeing a shrink. Boy's got issues.
-Batman is a dick. ...I just felt like mentioning. And it's almost a requirement, when discussing recent DC canon, to call him a dick. ;D (I do actually like Batman, but I can't deny that there's been some serious Bat-dickery in recent canon.)
-"When your social security number won't exist for five centuries, getting a credit card is kind of tricky." --Countdown to Infinite Crisis. With regards to Mullet-verse, I'm choosing to assume that Barbara fixed up Booster with some "I exist on paper!" stuff like she did with Junior. If you ask me, it's something that should've been taken care of a while ago.
-Ted's IQ is 192, which puts him in the category of intellectually gifted. Specifically, the "Profoundly Gifted" category of intellectual giftedness (175+), which makes him one in three million (99.99997th percentile). And in looking all this lovely stuff up I also came across this little gem: "a number of people have noted a higher incidence of existential depression, which is depression due to highly abstract concerns such as the finality of death, the ultimate unimportance of individual people, and the meaning (or lack thereof) of life." There's also some stuff on underachievement and other such interesting things, which takes us back to the earlier point of just what is the state of Ted's mental health? But I think I'll wait to get into that in depth if I ever dig out my textbooks and decide to actually analyze him.
-"Okay--switch. My turn to hack. [...] Excuse me, but I am from the 25th century. As kids, you cavemen learned to ride bikes....while we highly evolved youth of the future were interfacing with A.I." --Booster in Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Booster can hack. This makes me wonder, as I've done before...how smart is Booster? I know he's usually portrayed as a ditzy, prettyboy himbo, but take into account that he's from five hundred years in the future. In an early comic, he mentions watching TV to learn enough about the (then) current culture to make witty banter. I'm shocked he even knows the language. (Read something that was written in English five hundred years ago and you'll get what I mean.) There had to be some culture shock for him. So how much of his apparent ditziness is real, and how much is confusion over our strange caveman ways? And for that matter, what are the standards of intelligence like where he's from? In Star Trek, for instance, everyone knows a gazillion languages, quantum physics, and can play an instrument. So is the definition of "smart" any different, perhaps more demanding, in the future Booster's from? And if so, is he not especially intelligent by those standards, when by current standards he'd actually be pretty bright, and so got used to thinking of himself as "dumb" and acts accordingly? ...I don't know. Maybe I'll analyze this too at a later date.
-It was never specified whether Ted's supposed brother was younger or older than him. This irks me a bit.
-I have a theory about the Scarab and why it wouldn't work for Ted, but I already wrote it down somewhere and don't feel like doing so again. ...Just can't remember where I wrote it down. Urg.
-Shazam is also a dick. (I just felt like saying that after the way he brushed Ted and his concerns off without really telling him anything. But then pretty much everyone else did, too.)
-Wonder Woman is not a dick. (For some reason, I don't really like her. But she believed Ted and believed in him, and later she helped Booster. That gets her major brownie points in my book.)
-"I always knew it'd be you who figured it out. Well, you or Batman, but my money was actually on you. You've never been stupid. Foolish, sure. But stupid? Never." --Max in Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Max believed in Ted. In a comparison of who would figure something out first, Max was betting on Ted over Batman. It's kind of sad that the bad guy had more faith in Ted and his abilities than just about all the good guys.
-While the end made me sad (Ted! Nooooo!), I did enjoy Countdown. Overall, it was an interesting read and it made me think a little.
-In conclusion, Ted should've taken Max's offer to join up with Checkmate. Ted, you dumbass.
-If you have any interest in my views on The OMAC Project, I babbled about it HERE for a bit, specifically how it related to the Mullet-verse. And one day...one day I will figure out just how long Booster spent in the hospital.
And now..."there's talk of...cake." (Geek Points to anyone who gets the reference!)