Showing posts with label Justice League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justice League. Show all posts
Friday, April 23, 2010
Ecocomics Week in Review 4/23/10
Part of our job at Ecocomics is to inform readers of the latest ecocomics news stories. With that in mind, we present to you, straight from the editor's desk of THE DAILY BOGGLE, the WEEK IN REVIEW, a summary of the week's most important events.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Squad K and Irresponsible Spending
Supergirl #45 by Sterling Gates, Greg Rucka and Jamal Igle (2009)We know that governments (both local and federal) have a history of irresponsible spending habits in comic books, particularly involving concerns of safety from metahumans and aliens. This one, however, is near the top of the list of just complete waste of resources. Though, that does seem to be the point of the book.
Currently, the Superman family is having some troubles. Ever since the creation of New Krypton, a few misguided murders, and some puppeteering from General Lane and the furtive Project 7734, the DC Universe has been so scared of damage or a hostile takeover by the Kryptonians that Earth has agreed to fund an international, anti-Kryptonian unit known as "Squad-K." These guys are equipped with the very best of technology--armor, guns, ammunition, etc.--in order to deal with this looming threat. Kryptonians have been officially declared enemies of Earth and are not allowed to be present within its atmosphere (not even Superman!). When they do breach this code, Squad K shows up to exact punishment.
I don't need to tell you just how expensive this would be. Not only are these guys apparently well-trained and well-equipped, but they are prepared enough to be anywhere that Supergirl, Nightwing, Flamebird, and any other threat presents itself. So, as the case in this comic, when there are Kryptonians in Paris, Squad K has to be in Paris--and fast. That either means that there are some serious transportation expenditures going on, or that there are troops stationed just about everywhere primed for attack.
Let's forget about the absurdity of the xenophobia that justifies this coalition for a second and assume that we agree Earth needs to protect itself. Yet, doesn't Earth already have such a coalition? One that has proved itself effective time and time again for decades? An organization that has demonstrated nothing but selflessness and complete devotion towards the mission of keeping Earth safe from exactly this sort of thing? I'm referring to the Justice League, of course.
Now, New Krypton has been going on for quite a while and frankly I've been out of touch with the happenings of the Justice League ever since Infinite Crisis. For all I know, the League could have been off fighting some space battle for the past several years. But really this should not be the case. After all, the Green Lantern Corp. had even paid a visit to New Krypton in order to allay some international concerns about its intentions. Clearly, at the very least, the Justice League is cognizant of the situation at hand.
Another reason might be that Earth has grown so suspicious of Kryptonians that its paranoia has extended pretty much to all aliens, including those comprising the Justice League. However, this is also pretty silly. First of all, Superman is currently not a part of the League, is he? He's been off at New Krypton for quite some time leading its armies. Any concerns his influence somehow guiding the actions of the League should be long pacified.
I suppose the public could suspect that New Krypton and the League could be colluding, but towards what end? It is one thing for them to suspect that Superman had persuaded his friends to grant New Krypton enough autonomy to try and establish a self-sustaining society. But to suspect that this courtesy goes beyond that is ludicrous. Superman or no, he would never be able to convince the League to stand back while New Krypton planned any more destruction. If this were the case, then why did the League not ally itself with every other race of aliens who invaded? Folks attack Earth all the time and the public, as fickle as they are, hardly suspect the League of involvement. Darkseid just attempted to take over Earth and the people were more than happy to place their trust in a group of aliens to take care of the situation. For some reason, this particular wave of anxiety has destroyed any sensible judgment that the people of Earth might have had. And not just moral judgment--economic judgment!
Again, it seems to be the point of the book that all of this is irresponsible, but this is just too much. Even for Earth. Call the League! That's what they're for.
Currently, the Superman family is having some troubles. Ever since the creation of New Krypton, a few misguided murders, and some puppeteering from General Lane and the furtive Project 7734, the DC Universe has been so scared of damage or a hostile takeover by the Kryptonians that Earth has agreed to fund an international, anti-Kryptonian unit known as "Squad-K." These guys are equipped with the very best of technology--armor, guns, ammunition, etc.--in order to deal with this looming threat. Kryptonians have been officially declared enemies of Earth and are not allowed to be present within its atmosphere (not even Superman!). When they do breach this code, Squad K shows up to exact punishment.
I don't need to tell you just how expensive this would be. Not only are these guys apparently well-trained and well-equipped, but they are prepared enough to be anywhere that Supergirl, Nightwing, Flamebird, and any other threat presents itself. So, as the case in this comic, when there are Kryptonians in Paris, Squad K has to be in Paris--and fast. That either means that there are some serious transportation expenditures going on, or that there are troops stationed just about everywhere primed for attack.
Let's forget about the absurdity of the xenophobia that justifies this coalition for a second and assume that we agree Earth needs to protect itself. Yet, doesn't Earth already have such a coalition? One that has proved itself effective time and time again for decades? An organization that has demonstrated nothing but selflessness and complete devotion towards the mission of keeping Earth safe from exactly this sort of thing? I'm referring to the Justice League, of course.
Now, New Krypton has been going on for quite a while and frankly I've been out of touch with the happenings of the Justice League ever since Infinite Crisis. For all I know, the League could have been off fighting some space battle for the past several years. But really this should not be the case. After all, the Green Lantern Corp. had even paid a visit to New Krypton in order to allay some international concerns about its intentions. Clearly, at the very least, the Justice League is cognizant of the situation at hand.
Another reason might be that Earth has grown so suspicious of Kryptonians that its paranoia has extended pretty much to all aliens, including those comprising the Justice League. However, this is also pretty silly. First of all, Superman is currently not a part of the League, is he? He's been off at New Krypton for quite some time leading its armies. Any concerns his influence somehow guiding the actions of the League should be long pacified.
I suppose the public could suspect that New Krypton and the League could be colluding, but towards what end? It is one thing for them to suspect that Superman had persuaded his friends to grant New Krypton enough autonomy to try and establish a self-sustaining society. But to suspect that this courtesy goes beyond that is ludicrous. Superman or no, he would never be able to convince the League to stand back while New Krypton planned any more destruction. If this were the case, then why did the League not ally itself with every other race of aliens who invaded? Folks attack Earth all the time and the public, as fickle as they are, hardly suspect the League of involvement. Darkseid just attempted to take over Earth and the people were more than happy to place their trust in a group of aliens to take care of the situation. For some reason, this particular wave of anxiety has destroyed any sensible judgment that the people of Earth might have had. And not just moral judgment--economic judgment!
Again, it seems to be the point of the book that all of this is irresponsible, but this is just too much. Even for Earth. Call the League! That's what they're for.
Monday, June 22, 2009
"Fighting Crime Doesn't Pay"
This is a glimpse at what will happen if we do not take the appropriate measures to alleviate economic conditions. No one is safe.
Not from the Ecocomic Recession.
HT: Robot6.
The Justice League and Comparative Advantage
(Guest Post by John Perich from Overthinking It. As mentioned in a previous post, Overthinking It subjects popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. Hence, we are big fans).
When you think about it, Superman doesn't need the rest of the Justice League.
In conventional wisdom, every member of the Justice League has a particular strength. Green Lantern can handle weird and alien threats. Aquaman can talk to fish. The Flash can handle armies of lightly armed minions in a heartbeat. Wonder Woman usually takes point on mystical threats. And Batman is the World's Greatest Detective.
If we consider each of those types of crime-fighting an output, we see that each member of the Justice League is a uniquely skilled producer of that output. Sure, Batman can beat up henchmen almost as well as the Flash can. But Flash can do it better. If Batman specializes in detective work, and Flash specializes in henchman-stomping, the two of them produce more Justice on net than if one tried to do both.
But what if we bring Superman into the equation?
Superman's slower than Flash (only just), but his super-strength and invulnerability make him better at dispatching minions. He's more capable of dealing with aliens than Green Lantern. And with his X-ray vision and super-hearing, you could make the case that he's a better detective than Batman.
So why does Superman need the rest of the Justice League?
For that, we turn the pages back to 1817 and the principle of comparative advantage, as publicized (though not first documented) by economist David Ricardo. Comparative advantage dictates that, even if one agent can produce two types of goods more efficiently than another agent, it benefits both parties for the efficient agent to specialize and trade for the other.
Ricardo gave the mundane example of a trade between England and Portugal in wine and cloth. Portugal could produce both wine and cloth more cheaply than England could. However, Portugal would benefit more from producing wine and trading with England for cloth, rather than trying at autarky.
In fact, both Portugal and England would benefit more – the “global” production of both wine and cloth increase.
Bringing it back to comics, let's say tomorrow, the Justice League wakes up to two threats on their table:
1) A number of spatial anomalies have cropped up in Earth's orbit; and
2) A number of Sun-Eaters are approaching Earth.
And let's say everyone is out on vacation except Superman and Green Lantern.
It takes Green Lantern 8 hours to dispatch a Sun-Eater and 6 hours to close a spatial anomaly. It takes Superman 4 hours to do either.
It's a slim margin, but the Justice League can dispatch one extra Sun-Eater by letting Superman specialize - even though Supes is objectively better than GL at handling both threats. And since letting even a single Sun-Eater through spells trouble for Earth (it does eat the Sun, after all), it’s a profitable decision.
So maybe Superman is better at everything the Justice League does than any given member. But that doesn't mean he can get by without them. He operates best as a floating agent, filling in where any team needs help and letting the specialists do the rest. This maximizes the output that the Justice League specializes in – Justice.
When you think about it, Superman doesn't need the rest of the Justice League.
In conventional wisdom, every member of the Justice League has a particular strength. Green Lantern can handle weird and alien threats. Aquaman can talk to fish. The Flash can handle armies of lightly armed minions in a heartbeat. Wonder Woman usually takes point on mystical threats. And Batman is the World's Greatest Detective.
If we consider each of those types of crime-fighting an output, we see that each member of the Justice League is a uniquely skilled producer of that output. Sure, Batman can beat up henchmen almost as well as the Flash can. But Flash can do it better. If Batman specializes in detective work, and Flash specializes in henchman-stomping, the two of them produce more Justice on net than if one tried to do both.
But what if we bring Superman into the equation?
Superman's slower than Flash (only just), but his super-strength and invulnerability make him better at dispatching minions. He's more capable of dealing with aliens than Green Lantern. And with his X-ray vision and super-hearing, you could make the case that he's a better detective than Batman.
So why does Superman need the rest of the Justice League?
For that, we turn the pages back to 1817 and the principle of comparative advantage, as publicized (though not first documented) by economist David Ricardo. Comparative advantage dictates that, even if one agent can produce two types of goods more efficiently than another agent, it benefits both parties for the efficient agent to specialize and trade for the other.
Ricardo gave the mundane example of a trade between England and Portugal in wine and cloth. Portugal could produce both wine and cloth more cheaply than England could. However, Portugal would benefit more from producing wine and trading with England for cloth, rather than trying at autarky.
| Scenario One: Countries Refuse to Trade | ||
|
| Units of Wine Produced per Year | Units of Cloth Produced per Year |
| England | 80 | 100 |
| Portugal | 140 | 160 |
| Total | 220 | 260 |
| Scenario Two: Portugal Produces Wine, Trades with England for Cloth | ||
|
| Units of Wine Produced per Year | Units of Cloth Produced per Year |
| England | - | 200 |
| Portugal | 300 | 80 |
| Total | 300 | 280 |
In fact, both Portugal and England would benefit more – the “global” production of both wine and cloth increase.
Bringing it back to comics, let's say tomorrow, the Justice League wakes up to two threats on their table:
1) A number of spatial anomalies have cropped up in Earth's orbit; and
2) A number of Sun-Eaters are approaching Earth.
And let's say everyone is out on vacation except Superman and Green Lantern.
It takes Green Lantern 8 hours to dispatch a Sun-Eater and 6 hours to close a spatial anomaly. It takes Superman 4 hours to do either.
| Scenario One: Superheroes Refuse to Trade | ||
|
| Sun-Eaters Dispatched | Spatial Anomalies Closed |
| Green Lantern | 2 | 1 |
| Superman | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 5 | 4 |
| Scenario Two: Green Lantern Closes Spatial Anomalies and Superman Dispatches Sun-Eaters | ||
|
| Sun-Eaters Dispatched | Spatial Anomalies Closed |
| Green Lantern | - | 4 |
| Superman | 6 | - |
| Total | 6 | 4 |
It's a slim margin, but the Justice League can dispatch one extra Sun-Eater by letting Superman specialize - even though Supes is objectively better than GL at handling both threats. And since letting even a single Sun-Eater through spells trouble for Earth (it does eat the Sun, after all), it’s a profitable decision.
So maybe Superman is better at everything the Justice League does than any given member. But that doesn't mean he can get by without them. He operates best as a floating agent, filling in where any team needs help and letting the specialists do the rest. This maximizes the output that the Justice League specializes in – Justice.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Superhero Decadence: The Headquarters
Another glaring example of how superheroes waste money lies in the old superhero tradition of the headquarters. Every hero needs a lair and every team needs a meeting place. From this sanctuary the hero (or group of heroes) can rest and prepare to deal with the next threat.
I take no issue with this concept. Even superheroes need a place to rest and collect all their crime-fighting equipment. And not every hero can make due with the spartan settings used by the likes of Spider-Man (who uses a cramped New York apartment) or Wolverine (who seems perfectly content falling asleep in alleyways). Sometimes fighting crime requires some space to store your stuff. But sometimes superheroes take things too far.
The Teen Titans have a tower shaped like a "T." That just seems wasteful and somewhat architecturally unsound.
S.H.I.E.L.D. operates out of several flying aircraft carriers. I understand their need to be portable and react to emergency situations around the world, but do there also need to be offices and prisons inside of the floating fortress?
The X-Mansion is filled with high tech gadgets and expensive alien technology which is constantly being replaced after being blown up by Sentinels and evil mutants from the dawn of time.
DC's Justice League takes things to a new height of absurdity by having placed their headquarters on the moon. Thats right, the goddamn MOON! This hardly seems like the most effective base of operations for fighting crime unless your sole concern is preventing astronauts from stabbing other astronauts. Rather than taking whatever funds and supplies they have amassed to feed the hungry and house the homeless, the Justice League felt that the most efficient use of their resources would be to create a multi-leveled base of operations on a planetoid other than the one where they actually fight crime. Not only did they build this structure, they also took the time and money to bling it up with a trophy room and nifty teleporters so they can get to the actual planet they police. The money used to provide pressurization and air to the hall of justice alone would likely be able to feed and house a large portion of the homeless in New York City.
And you may argue that the Justice League needs to have a headquarters away from Earth in order to protect themselves. Well, that doesn't exactly work.
In my short duration as a Justice League reader, the JLA watchtower on the moon was blown up twice and attacked directly another time. In fact, the watchtower was even leveled at the beginning of Infinite Crisis. Well done, Justice League. I'm sure investing all that money into what is now a smoking pile of rubble on the moon was a worthy investment. Much better than say, curing cancer.
Superman as an individual however, shows great restraint in his headquarters. Though the "Fortress of Solitude" is a fairly pompous name, Superman was able to build a hero's home that is economical and useful. Built cheaply and easily out of Kryptonian crystal technology, the Fortress of Solitude houses species from Earth and different planets as well as advanced technology Superman uses in his never-ending battle against the forces of evil. Hell, I would bet that the Fortress of Solidtude could even be classified as green. Well done, Man of Steel, well done.
I take no issue with this concept. Even superheroes need a place to rest and collect all their crime-fighting equipment. And not every hero can make due with the spartan settings used by the likes of Spider-Man (who uses a cramped New York apartment) or Wolverine (who seems perfectly content falling asleep in alleyways). Sometimes fighting crime requires some space to store your stuff. But sometimes superheroes take things too far.
The Teen Titans have a tower shaped like a "T." That just seems wasteful and somewhat architecturally unsound.
S.H.I.E.L.D. operates out of several flying aircraft carriers. I understand their need to be portable and react to emergency situations around the world, but do there also need to be offices and prisons inside of the floating fortress?
The X-Mansion is filled with high tech gadgets and expensive alien technology which is constantly being replaced after being blown up by Sentinels and evil mutants from the dawn of time.
DC's Justice League takes things to a new height of absurdity by having placed their headquarters on the moon. Thats right, the goddamn MOON! This hardly seems like the most effective base of operations for fighting crime unless your sole concern is preventing astronauts from stabbing other astronauts. Rather than taking whatever funds and supplies they have amassed to feed the hungry and house the homeless, the Justice League felt that the most efficient use of their resources would be to create a multi-leveled base of operations on a planetoid other than the one where they actually fight crime. Not only did they build this structure, they also took the time and money to bling it up with a trophy room and nifty teleporters so they can get to the actual planet they police. The money used to provide pressurization and air to the hall of justice alone would likely be able to feed and house a large portion of the homeless in New York City.
And you may argue that the Justice League needs to have a headquarters away from Earth in order to protect themselves. Well, that doesn't exactly work.
In my short duration as a Justice League reader, the JLA watchtower on the moon was blown up twice and attacked directly another time. In fact, the watchtower was even leveled at the beginning of Infinite Crisis. Well done, Justice League. I'm sure investing all that money into what is now a smoking pile of rubble on the moon was a worthy investment. Much better than say, curing cancer.
Superman as an individual however, shows great restraint in his headquarters. Though the "Fortress of Solitude" is a fairly pompous name, Superman was able to build a hero's home that is economical and useful. Built cheaply and easily out of Kryptonian crystal technology, the Fortress of Solitude houses species from Earth and different planets as well as advanced technology Superman uses in his never-ending battle against the forces of evil. Hell, I would bet that the Fortress of Solidtude could even be classified as green. Well done, Man of Steel, well done.
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