Beast Gets Statistical Significance Wrong

Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age by Matt Fraction, Whilce Portacio,
Steve Sanders, and Jamie McKelvie, Marvel Comics (2010)

In the wake of the major "Second Coming" event, the return of Hope, thought to be the mutant messiah, has resulted in the appearance of at least five new individuals with the X-gene across the globe. Or at least that's the theory. After all, correlation is not causation.

Why is this important? Well, there hasn't been a single mutant birth since the "M-Day" event, and for the past several years mutantkind has been living in fear at the prospect of its own extinction. As Molly mentions above, the return of Hope (the first mutant technically born after M-Day) and the appearance of these five new mutants could signal a potential resurgence of the species.

In response to this, Beast tells Molly that, as a scientist, he is skeptical. After all, there were only five mutants. Compared to the mutant birth rate before M-Day, a mere five mutants is inconsequential. He refers to this as being "statistically insignificant."

I'm surprised to see such a renowned scientist fumble the concept of statistical significance. When economists, statisticians, scientists, etc. say that something is "statistically significant," they mean that the results they observe are extremely unlikely to have occurred by mere chance. Even if the results are small, they can still be statistically significant.

In this case, what we're testing is whether the appearance of these five new mutants was just pure coincidence, or whether it was actually caused by some event (i.e. the return of Hope). There is really no way to get a firm answer on this. As readers, we pretty much know that Hope was responsible. But it's a bit harder to prove empirically that it wasn't coincidence.

Nevertheless, this is not what Beast was referring to. He was referring to the number of mutants, which is not what statistical significance actually is.

In actuality, Beast made a common mistake, which is to mix up statistical significance with practical importance. Beast was implying that whether or not Hope actually caused the birth of these five new mutants, it didn't have any real implication yet, since five mutants is a relatively small number compared to the current mutant population and the previous birth rate.

The funny thing is that it's even too soon to tell whether it has any practical significance as well. It's been a matter of days since "Second Coming" ended. It is highly likely that given some more time, the X-Men would find some more mutants on the radar. I know scientists are supposed to be skeptics, but I'm truly shocked to see Beast be so dismissive about this. And I'm stunned to see him blame his empirically-trained mind for the phenomenon.

Maybe Hand McCoy should enroll as a continuing ed. student in the local college and re-take statistics.

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Externalities: Week of 07/16/10

Superheroes fight crime and save lives. But by doing so they impose certain costs on people not directly involved. These are superhero externalities.

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#1) Amazing Spider-Man #636-- Breaking the Web of Life.

Amazing Spider-Man #636 by Joe Kelly (w/Zeb Wells), Marco Checchetto,
Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano, Marvel Comics (2010)

The "Grim Hunt" continues as the Kravinoffs intensify their extermination of spiders. Unfortunately, according to Madame Web, these spiders play an important role in a delicate ecosystem (or something). By hunting them, the Kravinoffs have accidentally disturbed the balance of nature, forcing a bunch of angry rats, gorillas, birds, lions, and others to respond by killing more humans.

#2) Irredeemable #15 -- Accidental Earthquakes

Irredeemable #15 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto, Boom! Stuidos (2010)

It's bad enough that the Plutonian destroyed Singapore, along with several other major cities in the world. Now in his fight against him, Cary has impetuously driven the Plutonian into a fault line, causing a 9.8 quake that's spread as far as 221 miles away to Phoenix. Incidentally, in the last issue the Paradigm (former eminent superhero team in this universe) specifically picked the Grand Canyon as the location of the fight to avoid causing damage and externalities such as this. Whoops.

#3) X-Force #28 -- Golden Gate Bridge

X-Force #28 by Craig Kyle, Christ Yost, and Mike Choi, Marvel Comics (2010)

When last we checked in on "Second Coming," the Golden Gate Bridge had been surrounded by a mysterious dome, engulfing the new mutant haven, Utopia, along with a good chunk of San Francisco. We later discovered that the dome was actually a portal, sending "mutant-slaying Nimrod sentinels" back from the future to, well, slaughter mutants. Now it seems the battle is over and the Nimrods are all but destroyed. Except...yeah.

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Feel free to send us your favorite externalities of the week. We'll throw them up on next week's post and credit your name.

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Externalities: Week of 06/07/10

Superheroes fight crime and save lives. But by doing so they impose certain costs on people not directly involved. These are superhero externalities.

#3) Subways

Wolverine: Weapon X #13 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney, Marvel Comics (2010)

Logan has a bad habit of driving people's heads into subway cars. Even if they are terminator-like assassins from the future sent to the present day to wipe out all superhero threats.

Perhaps this isn't an exteranlity at all. It might be completely intentional. Maybe Logan just has a thing against subways.

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#2) The Golden Gate Bridge

X-Force #27 by Craig Kyle, Christ Yost and Mike Choi, Marvel Comics (2010)

With the "Second Coming" story arc/crossover in full swing, the external damage keeps on coming. See that orb in the first panel? That is a spherical portal located at the center of a large, impenetrable dome encapsulating all of San Francisco, including Utopia (the X-Men's new island home). That dome apparently causes lots of damage to the city. Oh yeah, and the Nimrods--super sentinels from the future sent by Bastion to kill the X-Men--are doing their fair share as well.

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#1) The Grand Canyon

Irredeemable #14 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto, BOOM! Studios (2010)

Aha! Somewhere in the corners of the universe (apparently, over at BOOM Studios), superheroes are cognizant of the effects that their weekly battles have on innocent bystanders, private and public property, and the environment. Here, we have former members of the Paradigm, Earth's premier superhero squad, preparing for a battle with the renegade Plutonian, who spent the last few months systemically destroying city after city. To prepare for the battle, the team sets up camp at the Grand Canyon, an area with currently no bystanders, cars, buildings, sidewalks, subways, or mailboxes that they might accidentally blow up with plasma lasers.

Smart move, guys.

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Feel free to send us your favorite externalities of the week. We'll throw them up on next week's post and credit your name.

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Sadness=Profit: Comics and the Grief Industry

When someone dies, it can cause a lot of grief. Everyone who knows the recently deceased individual will likely feel some pang of sadness. But things get more complicated when the person who dies is famous. Rather than family and friends mourning, it's possible that the entire world will grieve.

In American history, the deaths of famous figures like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Princess Diana, and Michael Jackson have all caused national if not worldwide mourning.

But in modern times, it seems that the way people grieve has changed. Grief seems to have taken a more profitable approach. Take Michael Jackson for example. A film biography/concert, "This Is It", released 4 months after the singer's death grossed $71 million according to IMDB. Jackson's death also inspired books and yet another film soon to be released. A lot of people made a lot of money when Michael Jackson died. By catering to a massive audience of grieving fans who appreciated their idol more than ever, keen businessmen were able to make quite a fortune.

It seems that grief is indeed an industry.

And as reality imitates art, we should be seeing the grief industry in comics.

And we do. After the death of Captain America, the comics world showed how the grief industry can act. With Captain America gone, many people tried to capitalize on his absence. Captain America #600 portrayed an individual selling Captain America memorabilia which had quadrupled in value after the hero's death. He profited handsomely from the sale. Movies were made and so were books. Norman Osborn even played off of Cap's death by painting himself red, white and blue and calling himself the Iron Patriot.

Now we comics readers have witnessed another tragic death in X-Force #26.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!

Nightcrawler is DEAD!

Nightcrawler from Giant-Size X-Men #1, art by Dave Cockrum

Kurt Wagner the wonderful German acrobat, priest, demon spawn, X-Man has ceased to be.

Nightcrawler heroically gave his life in X-Force #26 to protect the mutant messiah, Hope, from evil machines bent on destroying all mutantkind. Despite being impaled through the chest, Kurt mustered the strength to teleport Hope across the distance of the U.S. (a feat he has seldom accomplished) and into the hands of his comrades.

In light of the fact that Nightcrawler was much beloved, it seems that its only a matter of time before the industry of grief turns its eye on this departed furry blue mutant. Will we see Nightcrawler commemorative plates? Tickle-Me Nightcrawler? Brimstone scented Nightcrawler cologne?

Or will there we a successful music single, akin to Elton John's reimagining of "Candle in the Wind" for Princess Diana? That song was extremely successful and became one of the most popular singles of all time.

But what tribute songs shall we sing for Nightcrawler?

WARNING, BAD PUNS ENSUE!

How about "You'll be Through My Heart"?

"Save the Last BAMF for Me"?

Cover art to X-Men: Manifest Destiny- Nightcrawler #1, art by Brandon Peterson

Regardless of how we mourn, we'll miss you Kurt. At least for the next five months until someone brings you back to life. Until then, bring on the merchandise!

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Artificial Evolution Achieved, Used to Kill Mutants and Not Cure Cancer

Dark Reign: The List - Wolverine #1, cover by Esaad Ribic

A recent appearance of "The World" in the Dark Reign- The List: Wolverine reminded me of some misgivings I've had since "The World" was introduced in Grant Morrison's New X-Men run.

To explain, "The World" is a dome structure created by the Weapon Plus Program (the original program Weapon X is derived from) to achieve artificial evolution. Within the confines the The World's dome, Weapon Plus scientists are able to move time forward at an extremely accelerated rate. Based on this, the scientists in Weapon X are able to artificially manipulate the course of evolution and directly change the course of how organisms develop. They can selectively breed individuals to create new strains of DNA as they see fit. These are the kind of things that can be achieved when you are a secret evil organization with no concerns about morality.

Now I just think it's interesting that with all this technology at their disposal, Weapon Plus decided to create a mutant-killing superhero team as their goal. This seems somewhat natural since mutant extinction is the entire goal of the program. Weapon Plus wants to create super-soldiers and murder mutants. But this seems somewhat short-sighted since artificial evolution has billions of uses. They could examine disease resistances, the origin of genetic disorders and traits, and cure every ailment that humanity has ever suffered.

But what does Weapon Plus actually use artificial evolution to do? Why, the decide to make an anti-mutant superhero team which will eventually murder mutants live on a reality TV show. Thank you writer Grant Morrison. At least the fine people at Weapon Plus decide they will use their discovery to make money (the action figure rights alone to a real life superhero team would be incredibly lucrative).

Ultimaton, one of the super-soldiers artificially evolved by Weapon Plus, art by Chris Bachalo

Furthermore, The Dark Reign: The List one-shot seems to suggest that since the X-Men last busted up the plans of Weapon Plus, "The World" has been sitting by unutilized by any forces. That's right, not only has mankind achieved artificial evolution, they forgot they achieved it. Apparently an artificial biosphere has been sitting somewhere in the continental United States for the last 5 years and no-one thought to check up on it. Somewhere there is a scientific discovery with boundless possibilities for the future and it is being treated like a broken refridgerator.

Bravo Weapon Plus. Bravo. Someone needs to manage their assets a wee bit better.

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Comics Characters Occasionally Recognize Limited Resources

Cover to Uncanny X-Men #520, art by Terry Dodson

An interesting point comes up in Uncanny X-Men #520. During the "Utopia" crossover, Scott Summers and the X-Men created massive engines to lift Asteroid M out of the ocean. This allowed the X-Men to create a floating haven for all the mutants left in the world. The resulting island refuge was dubbed Utopia. And mutantkind would live happily ever after, isolated from people who would look to hurt them...

Unfortunately, the X-Men were very short sighted in their construction of this new home. No-one thought to mention that when you build giant engines to lift an asteroid, you need to power and repair those same engines. Woops.

This is the point brought up by Dr. Nemesis (a member of the mutant science team put together by Beast) in Uncanny #520. In a briefing with Cyclops, Nemesis reveals that the engines keeping Utopia afloat are failing and that the island is sinking. The only solution he can think of is to tap into the wealth of Warren Worthington (the X-Man, Angel) and continuously build replacement engines. But, as Nemesis points out, the consequence of this would be to bankrupt Worthington.

This is important because, finally, in a comic book, a character acknowledges the fact that even a billionaire still has limited financial resources.

Comics history is filled with characters who have seemingly bottomless pockets. Think about it. For years, the Xavier Institute has been sustained by Professor Xavier and Warren Worthington. Somehow, the nebulous assets held by these two men has paid for housing and feeding hundreds of mutants, building countless supersonic jets and periodically rebuilding a massive mansion when Sentinels blow it up.

Batman is able to create an arsenal of weaponry that could conquer a small European nation. He has literally hundreds of cars, jets, boats, explosives, grappling hooks, and bat-shaped shuriken that he created using his personal wealth. And his assets are so great that Bruce Wayne is able to build all of these things without anyone noticing that he is using his money to build ridiculous contraptions. This means that he can buy a Bat-plane without creating enough of a dent to arouse suspicion. That is a LOT of money.

But in Uncanny X-Men # 520, we see that wealth is, in fact, finite and that someone can't keep buying engines for a mutant asteroid indefinitely. It's nice to see someone in this universe who is in touch with reality. Even if that person is an immortal man in a white suit and surgeon's mask who dual wields hypodermic injection pistols.

Dr. Nemesis from Uncanny X-Men #504, Art by Terry Dodson

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Futures Analysis: Determining Ancient Enemy Resurgence

Predicting patterns is important. Its very useful to known whether a commodity you're interested in will be worth twice its current value in six months. This kind of analysis drives all of commodities trading.

But what's more important than predicting whether an ancient enemy will return? This is a perfect venue for futures analysis since ancient enemies have a lot of data about their appearance. After all, they are ancient. Granted the information used for any futures analysis would be gleaned from cave drawings rather than bar graphs, but the information is still there.

If I was a Native American mutant inventor, I would like some basic predictions about whether an ancient adversary destined to bring about a "Fall of the Mutants" was going to return in the next quarter. That just seems like helpful information.

If I were a hairy canadian mutant, it would be good to have a heads-up about whether some feral jackass who was apparently manipulating my entire life was gonna bust in and start mucking about with things again.

If I were a billionaire playboy who dresses like a rodent and one of my arch-enemies was going to return in mummified form, I would like to be able to plan for it at least a week in advance.

If Mandrakk the dark monitor is coming from the end of time to eat our universe, it's best to have prior notification.

Obviously since heroes don't seem to know about ancient enemies before they return, ancient enemy futures analysis has not been very popular in comic books. Even those who have tried (Destiny and Blindfold in the X-Men comics) have been pretty damn crappy with it. What we need are futures analysis portfolios providing information about ancient enemy resurgence in a logical and easily understood manner.

Like so:

Hmmm, we need to develop some mutant vampire countermeasures posthaste.

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Life Insurance Now a Moot Point

In light of the recent trend in comics events (namely Blackest Night and Necrosha) it seems like no comic book character can stay dead. While this has always been true, now more than ever, the dead are suddenly seeming very lively.

Now, we've talked about insurance a lot in the past. Namely here, here, here, and oh yeah here. We like the topic. Mostly because an industry based on risk assessment in a world where aliens invade every Friday is too ludicrous not to talk about. And if there's one thing we like at Ecocomics, its ludicrous stuff.

But life insurance is another interesting point to deal with. Lets use someone as an example who seems like they're going to live a nice stable life. Let's say we use Jean Grey in the early 80s. So Jean has nice responsible parents who love her deeply. They don't want to think that its possible that their daughter could die, but like responsible adults, they need to plan for contingencies. Especially when their daughter is the kind of person who picks fights with the Living Monolith. So the Greys purchase a plan for their daughter. Then when she gets exposed to solar radiation, possessed by an alien life force, and blasted with a laser on the moon, it's time to collect on their policy.

The Greys then use the money from their daughter's life insurance policy to give their daughter a nice respectable funeral where all of her friends (including the blue elf creature, hairy canadian, and russian metal guy) and her laser blasting fiancee can mourn her properly.

And then the Fantastic Four finds Jean in a cocoon at the bottom of the Hudson River. What happens now? Has fraud been committed? Does the insurance company who paid out for Jean's death get their money back? If so, who pays them?

And this is the confusion that results from only one death. What happens when every mutant in Genosha comes back to life? What happens when every dead person in the universe comes back with a black lantern ring? Granted in both of these cases, people in insurance companies are likely too busy trying to keep the reanimated corpses from devouring their hearts to think about the finer points of this debate. But the debate remains. Theres a lot of folks re-animating and a lot of insurance claims which would seem to now be invalid.

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Sub-Mariner Joining X-Men is Metaphor for Disney/Marvel Merger

Now bear with me for a moment...

An experienced, well-known force of nature joins up with a newer group that's getting all the attention right now. And then Namor joins the X-Men. This can't just be a coincidence.

Let's break it down. Namor the Sub-Mariner is a powerful remnant of a bygone age that began in the 1940s. So is Disney. Namor chooses allies based on circumstance. Over the years he's allied himself with the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the Defenders, Wolverine, and now the X-Men all based on necessity. Namor integrated himself with these groups to improve his effectiveness. Disney is likewise responsible for numerous mergers. In the Disney's time of need, they allied themselves with Pixar to create something greater than either of them could have accomplished alone. That's the very spirit of the Avengers isnt it? Namor and the Avengers joined forces to defeat Attuma and Disney and Pixar teamed up to create Wall-E. Both titanic achievements for sure.

Both Disney and Namor started out in the water and moved out on to land. Namor is an Atlantean and Disney made "Steamboat Willie." Similar aquatic origins at the same time.

Namor and Disney are both characterized by iconic images involving revealing undergarments that expose your junk.

Coincidence? I think not.

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Alternate Future Financial Planning

These are uncertain times. Times when financial models have been exposed as wildly inaccurate and missing crucial elements that can tip the scales of financial stability from solvency to utter ruin. In trying to develop accurate financial models, we are crippled by what we do not know and what we haven't accounted for.

But what if we knew the future? What if we knew world financial trends before they occurred and could adjust our investments accordingly?

In comics, we frequently do. We think. The problem in comic books is not knowing the future. It's knowing too much about the future. In fact so much is known about the future and its possible iterations that investors will likely be more confused about what to do than if they only knew about the present.

Let's take one of the X-Men for example. Warren Worthington has been to the future before. He knows what will happen in the next 20-30 years. Maybe...

You see, Warren and his X-Men have been around the block enough times to know that the futures that they have been to may or may not occur. It's possible that in 20-30 years all the heroes may be dead or underground and the Red Skull may be running the United States. In which case Warren should now start investing in Nazi-themed furniture and vehicles. He should also invest in an admantium bodysuit to protect him from brainwashed colleagues so he could recoup his investments. However, its also possible that the future may be one where all continents except North America have been decimated (thank you very much Bishop). In this case Warren should spend money investing in bunkers and guns that can be easily used by sentient roach soldiers. So with this knowledge Warren should likely try to hedge his bets while avoiding the dozens of futures where he is incinerated by Sentinels.

So while its been established that comic book characters do know the future, it's clear that the future is highly variable. In one incarnation you're dead, in another you're a cyborg leading a rebellion with your daughter Ruby while watching Multiple Man engage in a quasi-pedophilic relationship with a girl who "knows things" (I don't want to think about the implications of that comment). There's no certainty, but at least you know some possible outcomes that you can plan and predict for.

But the level of uncertainly still exists. Bruce Wayne needs to think about whether he will be living in the future where Superman is a tool of the U.S. government or where Superman is farming in radioactive Kansas. These kinds of things really affect a portfolio.

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The Questionable Logic of Scott Summers' Utopia

Recently the X-Men have come up against the Dark Avengers in the Utopia crossover. Norman Osborn flexed his military muscle and tried to replace the X-Men we all know and love with his hand-picked Dark X-Men. This villainous team includes Emma Frost and Namor the Sub-Mariner. As in all things Dark Reign, Norman desired to replace the unpredictable and uncontrollable X-Men with his evil puppets and further cement his control over all things Marvel. Cyclops takes issue with this and makes plans to protect not only the X-Men, but all of mutant kind.

The end result of all this (SPOILERS ENSUE) is that Norman gets betrayed by Emma and Namor, his Dark Avengers (and Dark X-Men) get smacked down and Scott Summers unveils his grand plan for the future of mutantkind. The plan he has been carefully developing for the duration of the crossover and patiently waiting to unleash.

And this plan is... from now on all mutants get to live in the San Francisco Bay on Alcatraz island which is propped up by the remains of what appears to be Asteroid M. Well done Scott. Mutant problems are clearly halted and everything is now candy and jelly beans of joy.

Let's stop and think about this for a second. The purpose of this Utopia was to remove the X-Men and all mutants from the territorial boundaries of the United States as well as the oppressive regime of Norman Osborn. I'm not sure that this Utopia fits the bill.

Granted the mutants are on an island that is not part of the US mainland, but this doesn't mean they're a separate nation. When I go to the New Jersey shore and swim out into the water, I'm not traveling internationally. In fact I haven't even left New Jersey. Those waters belong to the United States. Being 1.2 miles from the San Francisco shore doesn't seem like the most insurmountable of barriers and doesn't make you a separate nation. The X-Men are also living on Alcatraz Island which was formerly a federal penitentiary and then a national park. If you want to explicitly remove yourself from the influence of the United States government there are a few places you could choose that wouldn't be so connected to US influence. You could argue that raising Alcatraz island via Asteroid M makes Alcatraz no longer a US island but I'm not buying that either. I can't put my house on stilts and have gambling and prostitution inside because I'm "no longer on US soil." It doesn't work that way. I've tried. The stilts were too expensive and the police were on to me from the very beginning. But I digress.

Now the X-Men face the daunting task of converting a prison/military base into a mutant mecca that will house, feed, and educate the remaining hundreds of mutants from around the world. That means creating an entirely new infrastructure out of decommissioned military ordinance and space rock. How does Scott Summers intend to feed, clothe, and support the hundreds of individuals who will soon be arriving at his declared paradise? Even Scott himself admits he has no idea, despite the fact he had weeks (while watching Norman Osborn hold San Francisco under martial law) to plan it out. Granted he does have a lot of resources at his disposal in the form of his other X-Men. Iceman and Storm can provide water, Surge can provide electricity, Magma can provide heat, Maddison Jeffries can build machines to keep the island running, and Beast could act as tutor and supervisor (if he weren't going into space to be with Agent Brand). But where will the food come from? Every now and the Namor could lead a giant fish astray and beach it on the island, but who wants to eat gargantuan octopus every night? Of course Utopia is so close to the California mainland that Angel could fly over and pick up take-out every night and wouldn't be gone half an hour. Which only further points out how absurd it is to think of Utopia as a separate nation.

Perhaps I'm being a naysayer, but this doesn't not sound like the most well-thought and brilliant of plans. It's certainly not the kind of masterstroke you wait several weeks (in story) and 6 issues (in reality) to unveil. Moving from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island seems akin to setting up a tent in your parent's backyard and declaring independence from them.

You could argue that Scott only needed to move the X-Men slightly off US soil in order to allow Norman Osborn the ability to say that his Dark Avengers "banished" the X-Men when talking to the press. But if I was living in San Francisco and I could see Emma Frost in the shower from the Golden Gate bridge with any decent telescope, I wouldn't feel very isolated from the X-Men. I might certainly have some other feelings, but isolation would not be one of them.

In short, the new mutant Utopia is one with questionable legality and utility that benefits mutant kind in only the most superficial of ways. And maybe not even superficial benefits may be derived from it. If anyone can find value in this turn of events, I would truly love to know it.

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Proposition X: Restricting Mutant Birth

Controversy is brewing in the Marvel Universe. Specifically, in the new storyline, "Utopia," Simon Trask and his followers of mutaphobes are trying to pass a bill into legislation, known as "Proposition X," which would effectively ban unauthorized mutant breeding. The idea is to prevent further chaos and destruction either by wayward mutants or those not capable of harnessing their powers appropriately. Trask has cleverly tagged the bill under his "people protecting people" slogan, thereby making the implication that you either support the bill or you are somehow a traitor to the human race.

Regarding the morality issue, Prop X does not really surprise me. In the Marvel Universe, mutants have been the subject of scorn, hate crimes, and brutal violence almost since inception. There have been numerous attempts to outlaw certain mutant actions, and as a result, many mutants have had to spend the majority of their lives operating outside the law. All in all, Prop X is not an entirely new phenomenon.

What does surprise, me, however is the economics of restricting mutant birth.

First, there is no real evidence to suggest that the passage of this bill will actually have any effect on mutant breeding. Once again, mutants have operated outside of the law for years. Restricting their ability to go to public hospitals and receive proper obstetrics care hardly seems that it will do much. In fact, has anyone actually ever read a comic book where a human doctor, completely disconnected from the patient, has actually handled the care of a pregnant mutant and delivered a mutant baby? I'm fairly certain that doctors exist within the metahuman community who mutants typically go to for this sort of thing. There's Beast, Jarvis, Hank Pym, Reed Richards, Storm, Nightcrawler, etc. Even Dr. Nemesis, Sinister, and Dark Beast can deliver babies. And these are just the superhumans that are front and center in the comic book world. For all the mutants that exist, I'm sure there exist plenty of individuals with medical training that could set up clinics beneath the radar of the federal government.

Even supposing that Prop X has the effect of significantly diminishing future mutant births (and let's not forget, there has only been one mutant birth anyway since House of M, and afterwards Beast assembled a team of scientists specifically charged with the task of working on mutant births), this would do nearly nothing to reduce existing mutant crime and violence. In fact, it seems odd to me that Trask's plan is to pass legislation that won't see effects until several generations later, likely even after his own time. Restricting mutant births is a long-term endeavor. If anything, we can see that the passage of the bill is having an adverse effect, namely causing more mutant violence in response to the bill's moral implications on the community.

Furthermore, Prop X is costly, especially in the way that it is described in "Utopia." According to Trask, the idea is to "gently and humanely legislate when and how mutants are allowed to breed." This is not as simple as it sounds. It requires technology, databases, and personnel to monitor the mutant population. And we already know that maintaining medical records is expensive, which is why there is such a powerful movement to convert them to electronic records across the country.

Prop X would also require more money to be invested in enforcement of the law, especially if the government is serious about closing all the underground mutant medical clinics. Furthermore, it requires extensive background checks for the mutants who do wish to apply for a government permit to breed. Officials will have to check past criminal records, study the applicant's mutant abilities extensively, and estimate the likely powers that would be transferred to the child. This is not cheap.

It will also be costly in terms of potential labor force that is lost. If Prop X has any significant effect, then future generations will be a great disadvantage having lost all of the potential mutants from contributing towards the economy.

I think it is a bad idea to spend all of these funds on a program that will have dubious effects at best. It is a much better idea to invest this money in education and health care for mutants. Opening more centers like the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning would go a long way towards keeping wayward mutants off crime. Much destruction is caused in the Marvel Universe not by mutants who make a conscious decision to turn evil, but by those who have been incapable of adapting to their powers or new lifestyles. With appropriate guidance, these mutants will learn to control their powers and contribute positively to society.

Of course, this is not what Trask wants. His plan seems to be predicated on sparking mutant violence so that the public will turn against them. Never mind that historically mutants have collaborated the best when society has not ostracized them. But Trask wants them gone. He wants them to be scared of Normal Osborn and the Dark Avengers. And, unfortunately, his plan seems to be working.

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Superhuman Escort Services

Recently, we asked readers the question of how superhumans (or comic book characters in general) might take advantage of the market to achieve financial gain.

Congratulations to our winner, TheOddNumberedMan, who proposed the idea of a superhuman sex industry:

Let's be honest, gentlemen; the first thing people would actually do if they discovered super powers would be to find ways to use them for sex. Imagine the possibilities; Scarlet Witch running a brothel where you can literally live out your fantasies, Dr. Manhattan guaranteeing you an orgy of however many participants you like, and Elastic Man...well, doing his thing, if you catch my drift. The super sex industry would be massive.

Obviously, comic book characters are clever enough to know how to skirt the law with this one. Should some metahumans decide to launch such an agency, they would refer to it as an "escort service" and not a "sex industry." Legally, the business would dispatch employees to entertain customers and to accompany them to social functions. Behind the scenes, however, the agency would focus on allowing its clients to experience their most inner desires and fantasies.

Note that this need not be sexual. I imagine that many clients would seek out the services of this business to live out scenarios that they could not experience for themselves. What if someone dreams of playing the guitar in front of a full crowd of screaming fans at Madison Square Garden? Suppose a disgruntled employee fantasizes of torturing his or her boss. Or how about the Joker and his fantasies of tormenting Batman (like in Emperor Joker)? This business could provide those services and could charge quite a large premium for doing so.

And yes, obviously, there would be a large market for sex. Just to get this out of our systems and move on with the post, I shall say this here: Thor's Magic Hammer, One-Eyed Cyclops, innuendos galore! Oh and Kevin Smith's Kryptonite condom.

Now then let's move on. One of the advantages in running an escort services it that it plays to many of the characters' notable talents. There could also be some potential for supervillain team-ups, which may very well end up preventing more traditional crimes such as bank robberies and murder.

Consider the case of the Gotham City villains. We know that in Frank Miller's interpretation of her, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, was initially a prostitute prior to upgrading to Batman's perpetual femme fatale. In The Dark Knight Returns, she actually runs a high-end escort service, which caters to rich businessmen and politicians! So Selina is certainly capable of attracting clients, networking, and managing the business. The Penguin, who previously ran the successful Iceberg Lounge, could use his business sense to handle the finances and administration. Zatanna Zatara is fluent in magical abilities and dark mystics, able to transport individuals through parallel universes, through space and time, etc. The Riddler had invented a virtual reality machine. Poison Ivy has the ability to seduce and hypnotize any man with her lipstick--a powerful aphrodisiac and means to attract new customers. Clayface can morph into any form and has origins as an actor.

Such use of superhuman talent for sex had actually been done before in comics. There was a mutant brothel in the X-Men franchise known as the X-Ranch. Former X-Man Stacy-X, one of its employees, used her abilities to control pheromones to satisfy clients sexually. Emma Frost had once used her psychic abilities in order to, well, pacify a group of angry reporters outside the X-Mansion.

Indeed, these villains stand to make a fortune by combining these talents. Not only would it make economic sense, but each villain has an incentive to do so. Catwoman would make the money to help save endangered species. The Riddler would supplement his income as a private detective to create new gadgets. And Poison Ivy would likely funnel most of her earnings towards the environment and clean energy.

That's right: Superhuman escort services could lead to a greener planet.

Furthermore, it would actually be quite feasible. I can foresee once concern: Batman. However, with the proper ingenuity and legal counsel, they might even be able to prevent Batman from interfering. Remember that in Batman: The Animated Series, he was never able to shut down the Iceberg Lounge, despite the fact that he knew it to be a nexus of illegal criminal activity. In fact, Batman was guilty of making deals with the Penguin in order to catch more dangerous villains -- a service that the ladies of Gotham would certainly be able to provide with their insider knowledge of clients.

If only these villains knew a lawyer. A former District Attorney might do the trick.

Again, thank you all for your wonderful comments. TheOddNumberedMan, please email us at ecocomics.blog@gmail.com with your mailing address and your top 5 choices of graphic novels/comics under $20.

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Superhero Decadence: Vanity

The world of the superhero is awash in eccentricity and excess. I suppose it's only natural to indulge in a little theatricality if your chosen profession is fighting evil in close-fitting costumes composed of spandex and leather. In spite of this it seems that, on occasion, a superhero can take things a wee bit too far.

This is especially true in the case of superhero vanity. It seems like the moment a superhero decides they will use their unique abilities and resources for the good of mankind, they then select a name and a symbol for themselves. And shortly afterwards, the superhero goes around plastering this name and symbol over everything they own. In some cases, it seems like the superheroes concerned are building a brand and increasing their own marketability by the manner in which they promote their heroic image.

Professor Xavier has "x"s all over his home and his students. Granted, these "x"s also refer to the "x-factor" in the genes of mutants, but I'm sure Xavier gets a certain degree of pleasure when he realizes that his last initial is emblazoned across Emma Frost's chest. Not to mention belts, guns, costumes, communicators, and an entire series of supersonic jets. The Fantastic Four use their special digit to stamp their flying car and (sometimes) even the building they live in.

The worst offender by far is Batman. Bruce Wayne created symbol of a dark knight defender whose mere presence would strike fear into the hearts of criminals. And then he integrated that symbol into every element of his crime-fighting arsenal. The bat-suit with its flowing cape and chest insignia letting you know just who you're dealing with. There's the batarang which can be thrown from long distances and left behind at a crime scene. The batmobile can be seen streaking through the night. Everything he uses is shaped like a bat. He even gave Commissioner Gordon a spot light marked with his symbol to shine in the night sky. The implicit purpose of all of this is to build the Batman mythos and give criminals the impression that he is everywhere. And though I still believe it to be incredibly arrogant to make everything you use shaped like bats, it's possible that doing so will deter criminals from engaging in illegal behavior by leaving behind these calling cards to show the consequences of committing crimes in Gotham City.

But then there's the Bat-plane.

Who even sees this vain aerodynamic monstrosity? Have you tried looking for a plane going Mach 3 while looking in between tall buildings? It's certainly not the most salient object in the night sky. And who exactly is deterred by a bat shaped airplane at 20,000 feet? Villainous 747 pilots and ill-tempered pigeons? No, the Bat-Plane is a sheer exercise in vanity. Any other shaped aircraft work just as well (or better) and would not require the needless expense of matching the design of a 6-million dollar vehicle to the little symbol you drew on your bat-chest. True, as a rich playboy, he's already the picture of excess, but why not buy a more maneuverable Apache helicopter from army surplus and use the leftover money to install more motion detectors and reinforced doors in Arkham Asylum?

So, regarding the Bat-plane, its utility is questionable but its ability to satisfy Bruce Wayne's personal bat fetish is undeniable.

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Mutants and the Economy

The idea of mutation introduces some interesting concepts into the global economy. Marvel's conception of a mutant race introduces an entire populace that has extraordinary abilities. In terms of culture, these individuals are an ethnicity who have their own customs and shared identity. But the mutant race also represents an entirely new venue for economy.

Each mutant possesses a special skill which has its own inherent value. Because of this, a mutant can be viewed as a craftsman or a skilled laborer. Mutants with enhanced strength can work in construction, demolition, or even transportation. Storm could irrigate the crops of all the suffering farmers in the midwest and California when the droughts of summer are destroying their crops. Quicksilver could sort the daily mail output of the United States in 3 hours. And the extraordinary power of these abilities would only make the economic effect of using mutant powers that much more extraordinary itself. Time, labor, and machinery costs would all be cut dramatically.

Tragically, most mutants use their powers to either save the world or terrorize it. At least this is the popular depiction in Marvel Comics. Imagine what Magneto could do if he worked in construction. For one thing, all of those New York City public works project would have their completion dates moved up from 2018 to roughly five minutes from now. But instead, he spends his time sinking Russian submarines and making asteroid bases to live in. For the love of God, the man has the power to build himself a high-tech home in space. He could repair the Hubbell telescope with no trouble whatsoever.

The only time Marvel Comics presented a mass use of mutants for economic purposes, it was in the context of the island nation of Genosha. On this island, mutants were enslaved and forced to work for the government. This turned the troubled economy of Genosha around in the span of a few years, making it a thriving paradise (for those who were not enslaved and constantly tortured, of course). Naturally this brutal treatment of mutants could not stand and the X-Men destabilized the government (resulting in thousands of deaths, but that is the price of freedom and giant, bloody splash pages). Eventually Genosha became a haven for mutants. And with an all mutant population, the island did thrive, but in total isolation from the rest of the world.

But its strange how there haven't been any depictions of how mutant powers could be integrated into the modern economy. It seems like whenever mutants are given employment, it's usually because their powers can be used to murder someone. The government has an endless parade of mutant assassins at their disposal, yet somehow refuse to employ Scalphunter as a computer mainframe manufacturer.

Of course, there is the very logical reason why mutants are not integrated into economy in comic book stories. No-one wants to read 22 pages of Colossus moving girders to build an office building and then going home to watch "24." An ordinary, integrated life for mutants is not interesting. But tearing the head off a Sentinel while falling through the atmosphere. Now there's something special.

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