“Striking Sparks” — Page Eleven
You just never know what’s going to show up on security camera footage.
More below!
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Bobservations
A Sudden Jump
The character of Madison in the 3 Minute Max comic is partially — the Marvel/DC geek part — based on an assistant I used to have. I was working as a “Supervising Producer” on an animated CGI show — a position which sounds far more exalted than it actually was. And for some reason my boss assigned me an assistant; probably to keep an eye on me. I’d never had an assistant before, and I must say it was kind of nice.
My assistant’s name was Craig Kyle, and he was a young man who was totally on the ball, all the time. Anything I wanted, he could get or make happen, and on his own time he ran a thriving side business selling comic book memorabilia on eBay. His knowledge of Marvel and DC lore was beyond vast. And he was funny and witty. I freely admit I stole many of his casual quips to put into scripts.
So it was no surprise that after the show was over and we all moved on, that he ended up at Marvel. And they, recognizing a good thing when they saw it, made him an executive. A die-hard Wolverine freak, he pitched and was allowed to create the character X-23, along with serving as a consultant of all things Marvel in the live-action movies.
And then one day I heard he’d quit. I was a bit concerned, but it’s okay. Apparently he couldn’t stay in his current position and be allowed to write the next Thor movie.
Talk about somebody perfect for the job. I am, of course, pleased for him.
Totally thrilled. Nobody more deserving. I’m betting it’ll be awesome.
Ahem. Here’s a word you should know if you are ever in the entertainment business: Gluckschmerz. Learn it. Accept it. Because it happens. A lot. You have to learn to deal.
God dammit, Craig. Weasels of jealousy gnaw at my gut, but I couldn’t be happier for you.
Fetching my own coffee now, but I’ll be there opening day!
— Bob out
I would like to say I called it, but I don’t really know if I could truly be considered correct in the call.
That’s the problem with trying to be a superhero in this modern age; surveillance is everywhere. Max has an advantage by teleporting in and out, and they’re still starting to get onto him right from the start.
Now think of the typical superhero who has to change in and out of costume. Even if they find a hidden corner to change, the police could use footage from traffic cams, along with all the store and ATM cameras, to track who all goes into a certain area, and who leaves that area later. It wouldn’t take very many instances narrow it down to one person. And besides the police, anyone who could get ahold of the footage, like media and organized crime types, could do the same thing.
That’s one place where comic books seriously stretch my suspension of disbelief. There was one Spiderman comic where Peter Parker was on a small plane – with not even a dozen passengers – that crashed in the Nevada desert. Suddenly Spiderman, a NYC hero, is there on the scene. At the same time, one of the passengers – who just happens to be the author of a book of exclusive Spidey photos – is missing, and nobody figures it out. Oh come on!
Is this page out of sequence? We’ve already seen scenes with Max in action footage, now they see the scene where he shows up? Most police will view the footage in order I think.
@Paul
I remember only two heroes who wouldn’t have a problem with that. The first was so long ago I forget who it was but he couldn’t be recorded, which was strange since his team were a media creation for publicity purposes. The other one is Guardian Angel from PS238, the school for metaprodigy children, made by the creator of Nodwick.
The first scenes were from the sweatshop, where cameras recorded Max in action but not showing up or leaving. These are from the armored car.
Ah, that makes more sense. Thank you.
Didn’t the truck go up in flames? I guess the recorder was armored better than the car. Which makes sense, I suppose.
Or in this day and age, armoured vehicles are Twitch-equipped; livestream security footage! Or at least remotely upload it to somewhere else.
uh, I live in Texas (which is not exactly hesitant about the death penalty. Even Texas doesn’t have any crime as an ‘automatic death penalty’.
Of course, our cute and sassy detective may not be speaking in purely legal terms, but in ‘effective’ terms. The film she’s watching would basically make the the conviction and the sentence ‘automatic’.
Yes, she’s just abbreviating; the whole thing would probably be more like: “Automatic eligibility for the death penalty if convicted.”