LNH: Classic LNH Adventures #76: Birth Of A Villain the Final Part

[Drew Perron]

On 9/9/2018 4:49 PM, Arthur Spitzer wrote:
<snip>
> And Lalo Martins also tries his hand at a Birth of a Villain spinoff
> with Weird Comics #1.  Will any of these spinoffs get to issue two?
> Maybe someone from the far-far future of 2015 knows the answer to
> that.

I mean, Weird Comics *did* get a #2 eventually...

> BIRTH OF A VILLAIN:
> 
> 
> ***     ***           ***     ***     * *
> * *     *             * *     * *     * *
> *** *** *** ***  ***  ***  *  *** *** * * *   *   :   The Mini-Comic
> *   * *   *  *        *   *** **   *  * * ** **
> *   *** ***  *        *   * * * *  *  *** * * *

This is *astoundingly* unreadable. <3

>    "'...the Legion of Costumed Individuals (Pedestrian Girl, Fourth Wall
> Demolisher Lad and Expendable Man) made their way back to their home
> dimension..."
>    "Does it really say that?" Pedestrian Girl asked.
>    "Yep," replied Fourth Wall Demolisher Lad, nodding at the computer
> terminal and the text that only he could see. The other patrons of the
> Net.ropolis Public Library had given him funny looks when he sat down at a
> seemingly blank screen, but he was used to that sort of behaviour by now.
>    "Well, why I aren't we home, then?" the Expendable Man asked, idly
> running his finger along the frayed power cord that connected the computer
> to the wall.

Another retcon! Woo~

>    "And you've seen what happens when the waves meet? The things in the
> middle just sort of bob and go in different directions, willy-nilly. Well,
> I think that's sort of what's happened here. Like we're being pushed and
> pulled in different directions, so we just sort of flounder. What we need
> to do is find some direction."

This is a very Jamie way to put it.

>    Suddenly, the door to the library flew open (much to the librarian's
> chagrin and a good deal of 'shhhh's) and a gun toting man in good shape
> for someone nearing an undefinable middle age strode in.
>    "Not everyone," said Google-13, smiling.

Hey, you're not hardcore and gritty at all, are you? You're adorable!!

> Well, I invite you to find out, as you join me in this tour
> though my personal stock of...
> 
> Weird Comics!

That's a good... catchphrase, I guess?

> "Yeah, whatever. Isn't it the dream of every other Goth hero?
> To sacrifice his life to make the world a micrometer less
> miserable?"

Ow My Edge

> "Well. The period between 1999 and 2001 was quite convoluted,
> timestream-wise. It was a matter of too many authors away from
> the Looniverse (what some called Apathy 2000),

Eheheh. ``;

> "Yes. Well, for example, do you know the story of how Weirdness
> Magnet headed out to the LNH in 2001 to help save Minority Miss
> and New Look Lass, then ended up in 1999 and technically joined
> the Legion almost an year before the girl he intended to save?"

:D <3 Wasn't sure if this particular retcon came in yet, but here we go~ (The 
aforementioned Weird Comics #2 retcons this *further*, IIRC.)

> "Right", said the Ninja, "explain again."
> 
> "Why?", asked Weirdness Magnet in his orange helmet.
> 
> "You probably know", interrupted Fourth Wall Lass, "that the
> real reason is that the story just began, so as far as the
> readers know, this will be your first try. Think about the
> others as rehearsals."

A good perspective~

> "So, I decided to finally give up and let destiny - or my
> 'powers', whatever - turn me into a Net.Hero or something. I
> picked a name and walked out. I knew I would just run into you
> guys sooner or later, because that's the way things happen with
> me, always. No, actually that's not correct - I didn't even
> have time to walk out, I just said 'I'm ready' and the Melissa
> clone crashed trough my door." (see BOAV#31)

I'd be curious to see a Young Weirdness Magnet Adventures where he actually 
learns how this all works.

> "As we stablished in Minority Miss - or will establish,
> whatever", said Doctor Stomper, "it isn't possible to really
> affect the Real Real World from here. Well, in theory
> everything is possible, but let's not go there.

Basically.

> "Some, like me", explained FWLass, "can see the other side, or
> see our world from the other side. But when I *cross* to the
> other side, I'm just crossing to some world that looks enough
> like the other side to pass for it. Possibly not even the same
> as last time, as the fact that I was there already makes it
> different enough..."

I interpreted it as an in-between space. In a comic, FWL would be standing in 
front of the panels, inbetween them and the reader, overlapping with the borders 
and the gutters. (In fact, it's possible that Saxon actually described it like 
that at some point.) So, outside the usual framework, but still within the fiction.


> "Perhaps we could try to make the Authors post less than usual
> in 99 and 2000?", suggested FWLass.
> 
> "But you said we can't affect the other side!", interjected a
> very tired Master Of All Grumpy Martial Artists.
> 
> "We can try. If I remember correctly, Apathy Lad wasn't used by
> anyone in this period... we could try to expand his aura to
> cover the whole universe, so *PERHAPS* the Authors find more
> interesting things to do than post."

I do enjoy this explanation. X3

> "Well. No. Not really. This place is already crowded enough...
> do you even know the names of all members? Not to mention
> people and things that wonder in the HQ without being members,
> like the wikis, ghosts, a living door and IIILass which I guess
> we're supposed to forget about before 2001."

But WikiBoy didn't show up until-- oh the *kiwis*.

> "Oh, never mind that. I will be around anyway. Part of my
> 'power' is to be where weird things happen, and this usually
> means the LNHQ. The fact that this is the first time I'm inside
> it is only due to my previous resistance to meeting you guys."

Makes sense.

> "But I'd rather live somewhere else in the city, and be
> available when you need me. You can write me up as reserve, if
> you wish."

:>

> "May I come in?", asked Irrelevant Kid.
> 
> "Who are you?", Weirdness Magnet asked back.
> 
> "You who?", the Master of Whatever Ninja added to the
> insightful conversation.

Heeheehee

> "No. I'm Irrelevant Kid, and, you see, I have this very stupid
> power, that people just don't notice me. You know, it seems to
> even be contagious, because, since you noticed me somehow and
> started this conversation, UN stopped noticing both of us and
> is back to his paperwork."

NICE. ...how does this interact with IIILass, I wonder.

> "Can't you see? We're still in 99, when BOAV is being posted.
> If his Apathy Effect succeeds, it may be responsible for the
> gap in the posting, and actually *make* the ending wait till
> 2001, which will *create* the cracks in the Wall..."
> 
> "No, I don't think so. The cracks in the wall were created by
> actions on the other side, as, of course, we determined that
> our side can't affect the other one. Probably it was one joke
> too many about the damn Wall, or one story too many of people
> trying to cross it - or succeeding!"

Eminently sensible.

> "Look. I'm from 2001, and I can guarantee that the plan will
> work. The period between mid-99 to mid-2001 *was* really slow.
> If this was the effect of the Apathy Field or not, I can't
> tell, but it worked, will work."

At the very least it won't make things *worse*.

> "So, you plan to use this weak-wall period to push the stories
> trough, and somehow keep our timeline from happening?"

...is this setting up for that later retcon? Ah well, whichever

> Next issue of BOAV? There won't be one, we hope. Of course, we
> all know there will.

There were not actually. That's all, folks!

Drew "a super fun story" Perron