You literally know how that story ends...
Isn't it supposed to be Blue Beetle? Also, when did he show up? I figured Paul would show more interest when he finally did, because N.E.M.O. hasn't been able to capture a beetle from the Reach given how self-destruct happy they are.
Maybe he means Ted Kord? But I read in the TV Tropes that Ted's too busy with the magitech and schizotech revolution Paul's kickstarted to be a superhero.
That should say 'Beetle'. Also, when did Ted Kord become a superhero? Last I checked, Paul's influence made it so that he was fine as an inventor and company owner who could do good work through his inventions and company.
Oh god. Oliver Queen and OL talking? This is almost as bad as Ollie and the iconic Hawkman, Katar Hol, debating politics. At least they're not likely to come to blows. Though I doubt it could reach the coolness level of Hal and Ollie's road-trip.
I don't know what they're talking about yet, and I already get the feeling Ollie's revving up for a big screed about something.
Ah. Of course. And yes, nukes are too messy, with a tendency to flatten everything within their effective radius.
If only it were that easy in real life... Well, besides the sarcasm.
Ollie might be idealistic, but he's not that naive.
To be fair, life on Earth is fairly lucky it still exists at all, after multiple mass extinctions and at least one theorised asteroid hit.
A few tungsten rods flung from orbit could erase most any city from the face of the Earth, after all. A really big firework doesn't really compare.
Certainly be a good idea to have a few pairs of suspicious eyes on him, after all. Guy is sneaky smart.
Yeah, I doubt OL could ever really manage the angelic side of a debate. Too much of a realist.
...You're smart enough to know if someone's pulling something shifty, and blunt enough to confront them about it?
And somehow that's still the most normal person on the team. Says a lot about the League, huh?
Yeah, not exactly a lot of options for 'normal person' logic, are there?
Don't sound so eager, OL. Honestly, you know how super-villain you sound sometimes?
Knowing it happened is one thing, knowing details is quite another.
...I see Batman elected not to share said details, then.
Right on both counts.
Because I can understand Clark being especially worried about messing with Bruce's head. Never mind if it happened to him.
It's be kind of hard to miss, after all. I'd be more worried about him liking the change, which fortunately, he doesn't seem to have.
Got it in one. And when an Orange Lantern wants to punish themselves, it can get quite intense.
Wait, do you mean Ted Kord in tights, or Jaime Reyes in the Khaji-Da scarab suit?
Because either of those things is significant for different reasons....Let's just stuff that idea somewhere well-buried for now, eh?
Oh come on, how bad could it be, Ollie?
Yes, that worked so well in Superman IV...
Even without Lex's meddling, that would probably not have ended well eventually.Sadly, even an idealist has to bend to reality sometimes...
Pfft. I know you heard OL's opinion of them. Like he'd want to keep them?
Ah. I see... He wants to set something up to handle the heroes, eh?
Maybe he decided to step up offscreen due to the Anti-Life crisis?
So what does let actually want to do, because they spent the whole chapter dancing around it.
'regions'
'you think'
Well, depends on whether you want to really wipe out ALL life on Earth.
'do you'
Thank you, corrected.
Not really an option for Superman.
I think that's correct.
No. The idea is that if they implement a change now it's harder to complain about.
Yes.
He hasan't been doing much superheroing, but I don't think I wrote that he didn't do any.
Thank you, corrected.
I can just change it to say 'Ted Kord' if that's better?
Thank you, corrected.
That might be better, unless you would prefer to have it so that he took up the mantle of Blue Beetle because of this crisis.
With the way everyone was exposed to the life entity, I wonder if there's little willingness to kill anyone among the general population? They have a strong personal impetus to preserve life. It doesn't really matter in the comics if only superheroes are exposed, but here the life entity could have an effect on everyone
I think that should say 'make money from it'.
I wonder if Ollie is slightly regretting wanting to act as a conscience for the League now that he's being asked his opinion on complicated matters like this.
Considering how well Ollie and Paul are acting as two sides for an argument, will this become a regular or semi-regular thing?
...Dude, do Kahndaq. That'd be hilarious and The Mighty One would probably tell everyone to be okay with it.
Right, that is a lot bigger a step than what I thought it was. Not that any of the other options would be great either. But dropping such advanced technology on a population still recovering from a global mind-whammy might be a bit extreme, and likely to backfire...
Well, I suppose that would have depended on whether people could reproduce them. 'Give a man a fish', and all that...
Ideally, once the holdouts catch on that said clean technology is A: Cleaner and B: Cheaper, I could see them reconsidering.
Since about two weeks have passed in universe since the start of the episode. And what's the bet their equivalent of 'Big Oil' is trying to cover their beloved profits. Probably with lobbying about 'Unproven mad science' or 'Think of the cost!'
Ah, I see Lex is pulling out the Knight technology, then. About time it saw use, even if it is making Lex richer.
Because now Ollie is going to be laying awake at night sweating about 'Couldn't find it' instead of 'Nothing there.'
And I thought Renegade was a troll.As long as neither technology can run out of control, consuming all Magic or drying up the planet, or something like that.
Which raises the question of why is it suddenly out there now? Did someone have a breakthrough back before the Anti-Life thing and only now manage to get things together?
...And now I'm getting Cyberpunk flashbacks, with their fuel oil replacement, CHOOH2, that's produced by engineered bacteria. Made the companies that produced it extremely wealthy and powerful...
The trick is making something that can do the job, is easy to produce but won't breed out of control. Our world is still working out the first part, never mind the second or even the third...
Because they're obstinate, and being too cautious about the costs involved. It would take billions to switch over, and you have the issue of maintaining power in the process.
And that could make for angry voters.Ah, Lex. Your control freak tendencies biting you in the ass.
It would also force China to work with him to maintain them, since their own engineers would struggle to do so without training.
Not on the same level, though.
And it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. But the message it would send...
Think a little, Ollie. How would the Chinese government react to an American Superhero, an icon of their ideals, interfering in the Party's sovereign affairs? 'Explosive' would be an understatement.
While playing the 'belligerent victim' card. And probably demanding reparations from anyone involved they can think of.
Yes, but again, how would they maintain them? Especially if Lex decides to play keep-away with the training and scientific knowledge need?
By proxy, at least. With the risk of said proxy being decried as a mouthpiece for 'Imperialist, capitalist American interests.'
He's really learning just how much of a headache dealing with OL's unique perspective is, isn't he?
As long as you can prevent it form being weaponised, which someone will eventually try to do, and given the hypercognitive potential of DC humans, might well manage to. Never mind what Lex will do with it, because you know he will get his hands on it no matter how they try to avoid it.
Well, there's another clean energy source for you. Just make sure they can't be turned into solar-powered death rays or something and you're fine.
And that issue brings it back to 'dependant on one source for paradigm-changing tech.'
I bet OL's feeling such a tingle of smugness, seeing how much Kal is struggling with this. He might not be proud of it, but he's feeling it.
Either is a good option, though the former smacks a little of a subtle form of conquest.
'LexCorp's'?
'The way'
'dependent'
