Star Power IV: Boldly Bolding Where No Man Has Bolded Before!

[Wayson]

And this is why you need helmets.

Well, slowly getting to the point when BHB escapes. I'm sure we'll get there before the issue is over... right?

I'm beginning to worry that the issue will end with the female alien (Grex? Whoever) being the only one clinging to life on the shuttle after Bill murders everyone on the shuttle and gets rescued with space-magic by his ship. Danica is on hand when the shuttle's lone survivor arrives back at Super Saiyan Space Station Sigma Six, exchanges some last words with her before the alien dies, and then does a great Kirk-esque "BILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" while getting her powers back. Cut to black.

[Kato]

And this is why you need helmets.

Yeah, or you don't let go of someone you have in a secure hold. Or you just smack them over the head to begin with if you regain consciousness. Or you do anything not idiotic. Seriously, I feel kind of sorry for the man but incompetence must be punished.

So, probably they are all gonna die and Danica will get "angry", that is she will reasonably seek to hunt Bill down and return him to the authorities. Her actually going after him to kill him and over the course of time think about her plan would be too difficult, right?

[Mr. McGician]

I'm beginning to worry that the issue will end with the female alien (Grex? Whoever) being the only one clinging to life on the shuttle after Bill murders everyone on the shuttle and gets rescued with space-magic by his ship. Danica is on hand when the shuttle's lone survivor arrives back at Super Saiyan Space Station Sigma Six, exchanges some last words with her before the alien dies, and then does a great Kirk-esque "BILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" while getting her powers back. Cut to black.

I'm thinking that's exactly how this is shaping up. Grex is still alive so she gets to tell the tale of Bill's raw brutality so everyone knows it, and then she has to die because she's the only guard Danica knows personally (I think?) which means This Time, It's Personal for Danica.

[Traab]

Him having to manually beat everyone to death increases the odds of grex surviving long enough to talk. As for the big guy, I can cut him some slack, he just got stunned and is the first guard back on his feet. He cant be at his best.

The other possibility is bill taking too long to beat the cyclops (who wasnt covered in our bestiary, meaning we likely have another group of filler in the future) allowing grex to get her hand on a gun and chase him off. She is still too weakened to catch or kill him, but is able to hold him off and make him retreat.

I have a question. I get the ships have their controls frozen, I can even see it being possible their engines are shut down, why havent they drifted free of the field by simple inertia yet?

[Mr. McGician]

I'm willing to cut Mookie a bunch of slack here. Proper escapes are hard enough to write and sticking close to established Tropes stands him in better stead here than elsewhere.

What I'm not going to cut him slack on:

(1) BHB's Magical Mystery Ship -- aside from a complete lack of foreshadowing, this would be the second case of Sentient AI we've seen in the story and the first one was Phlebotinum. Having it being completely unknown (no rumors of BHB's "weird ship" even!) and incredibly competent makes it about as close to a literal Deus Ex Machina as Mookie has used to date.

(2) BHB's Stunning Incompetence -- he's really, really bad at his job. He's worse at carrying out a simple hit than his subordinate ship is at carrying out a complicated extraction. If BHB hadn't gotten knocked over like a bowling pin and instead had failed due to underestimating his opponent (people always shoot Superman before they know what he is) or even cunning subterfuge on someone's part (e.g. Da Chief detected BHB's infiltration and was letting him roam to figure out what he was after) then I'd be fine. He was unlucky once, but surely he's actually a threat. But I just don't care if BHB escapes -- Mookie hasn't convinced me he's a threat to anyone but random civilians that wander into the path of his gun (which is bad, but a job for cops, not superheroes).

And the fact that he's so incompetent also makes his escape that much more unbelievable. If we had just been shown a space message saying "Black Hole Bill's escaped!" we would have been left thinking, "What? That doofus? He couldn't escape from a cardboard box!" We know Batman's rogues gallery is hyper-ultracompetent, so them escaping over and over again isn't so unbelievable. At least showing him escaping gives Mookie the chance to show him succeeding at something for once. But even this was ruined by the magical can-do-anything spaceship.

[Oracle_Hunter]

And the fact that he's so incompetent also makes his escape that much more unbelievable. If we had just been shown a space message saying "Black Hole Bill's escaped!" we would have been left thinking, "What? That doofus? He couldn't escape from a cardboard box!" We know Batman's rogues gallery is hyper-ultracompetent, so them escaping over and over again isn't so unbelievable. At least showing him escaping gives Mookie the chance to show him succeeding at something for once. But even this was ruined by the magical can-do-anything spaceship.

Oh, it's true. Mookie got himself a lose/lose when he decided to make BHB the next Villain

The only way that Mookie could repair this is by having BHB being captured on purpose so that he could grab someone of actual importance. At this point, it seems pretty far-fetched unless his actual mission was to grab the Feddie Bureaucrat.

[Traab]

And the fact that he's so incompetent also makes his escape that much more unbelievable. If we had just been shown a space message saying "Black Hole Bill's escaped!" we would have been left thinking, "What? That doofus? He couldn't escape from a cardboard box!" We know Batman's rogues gallery is hyper-ultracompetent, so them escaping over and over again isn't so unbelievable. At least showing him escaping gives Mookie the chance to show him succeeding at something for once. But even this was ruined by the magical can-do-anything spaceship.

Hmm, I know I made fun of the magic spaceship myself, but it really hasnt dont THAT much. Half this stuff bill could have setup in advance. We know ship sensors are enough to detect all sorts of things, so Bill having a program running where if he say, doesnt type in the password once every day (or whatever) the ship deploys a jammer device and waits to detect his lifesigns. Upon doing so it launches the stunner. The rest is up to bill. All Bill had to do was hide his ship in a spot the feds were likely to go near before he started his insane plan.

For all we know, ALL his plans work with the intent to get captured. Why waste time and ammo and risk your life going for a grand escape plan, when you can surrender, be escorted off the site of your assassination to face trial, and escape by using your ship? Its like, imagine you are going after some world leader. If you shoot him, then instantly drop your gun and surrender, you are far more likely to survive than if you tried to shoot your way back out through all the guards. Then if you had plans in place for some backup to spring you in mid transport, its a hell of a lot likelier you will escape that way alive.

As for, "How did he know where the feds would pass through?" Arent there specific gateways or something that people use to travel between planets? Like hyperspace paths or something? Maybe im getting my sci fi confused but I think you can only do long distance travel through these specific locations. That means a straight line between the station and the gateway is a perfectly good place to setup your breakout plan.

[Durkoala]

Hmm, I know I made fun of the magic spaceship myself, but it really hasnt dont THAT much. Half this stuff bill could have setup in advance. We know ship sensors are enough to detect all sorts of things, so Bill having a program running where if he say, doesnt type in the password once every day (or whatever) the ship deploys a jammer device and waits to detect his lifesigns. Upon doing so it launches the stunner. The rest is up to bill. All Bill had to do was hide his ship in a spot the feds were likely to go near before he started his insane plan.

For all we know, ALL his plans work with the intent to get captured. Why waste time and ammo and risk your life going for a grand escape plan, when you can surrender, be escorted off the site of your assassination to face trial, and escape by using your ship? Its like, imagine you are going after some world leader. If you shoot him, then instantly drop your gun and surrender, you are far more likely to survive than if you tried to shoot your way back out through all the guards. Then if you had plans in place for some backup to spring you in mid transport, its a hell of a lot likelier you will escape that way alive.

As for, "How did he know where the feds would pass through?" Arent there specific gateways or something that people use to travel between planets? Like hyperspace paths or something? Maybe im getting my sci fi confused but I think you can only do long distance travel through these specific locations. That means a straight line between the station and the gateway is a perfectly good place to setup your breakout plan.

That makes too much sense. I can actually see BHB getting his 'most feared in the galaxy' reputation because he smashes everything in the way hunting down his quarry, gets lots of innocents caught in the collateral and always escapes. You've got somebody who turns up every few months or whenever, causes a huge amount of damage and can't be detained. A little exaggeration, and you've got an invincible creature of death who isn't all that when met in person.

[Oracle_Hunter]

You call it... "Black Sunshine?"

So, apparently BHB isn't taking any hostages or nothing. Just running away.

Still doesn't seem like it calls for a superhero. Just tell the next squad of guys who arrest him to Kill Him Already

[Wayson]

You call it... "Black Sunshine?"

So, apparently BHB isn't taking any hostages or nothing. Just running away.

Still doesn't seem like it calls for a superhero. Just tell the next squad of guys who arrest him to Kill Him Already

I'm a little perturbed that this supposedly super fearsome bounty hunter gets so distracted with bludgeoning someone to death that he has to cut short wiping out everyone else on the ship and deleting its sensor data. Sure he gets a single wallop off at Grex, but there were other guards on that shuttle and he apparently leaves the United Earth guy behind as well. Plus he leaves the ship intact along with all the sensor data it collected on his ship, and the entire fighter escort as well.

Maybe I'm cold blooded. But if I were Bill I would have grabbed the United Earth guy as a hostage/ransom target, boarded my ship, and then awarded the shuttle and the four fighters a limpet mine each. Cruise off into the (black) sunset as the five mines detonate simultaneously, wiping out all sensor data that could reveal my ship as well as any vector that might indicate where I'm heading to. Or, if I wasn't interested in hostages or ransoms (which I needn't be, since no one is available to use a hostage against) I'd have left United Earth guy behind too and blown them all up.

Bill's inefficiency hurts my brain. It's too much for the evulz for my tastes.

[AgentPaper]

Bill's inefficiency hurts my brain. It's too much for the evulz for my tastes.

"For the evulz" pretty much sums up all of Mookie's villains' motivations. Even the villains that have specific, stated motivations never seem to remember them for very long.

[Neoriceisgood]

"For the evulz" pretty much sums up all of Mookie's villains' motivations. Even the villains that have specific, stated motivations never seem to remember them for very long.

This always made his anti-heroes, villains in disguise & evolving villains hilarious.

Mookie's desire to throw "for the evulz" & "collateral damage~" tropes onto every single non-good character ever made every single one seem so disturbingly evil.

[Kato]

This always made his anti-heroes, villains in disguise & evolving villains hilarious.

Mookie's desire to throw "for the evulz" & "collateral damage~" tropes onto every single non-good character ever made every single one seem so disturbingly evil.

Having not read DD I can't really make a comment on it... however, I can say quite a few others authors also have a trend to make their anti-heroes or such too evil when they are evil and then suddenly redeem them. Some work, but still...


Also: Bill got priorities. And apparently the AI REALLY is good enough to hold a conversation? What the eff?

[Shogo]

Black Sunshine . . . If you're going to call it that, you might as well go for a theme.

Black Hole Bill and his amazing ship . . . Black Hole Sun, won't you come. And wash away the raaaaaain.

[Mr. McGician]

So, Mookie didn't even bother showing how he got from one ship to another? Eh, whatever, I guess we can assume he got the doors close enough to each other and hopped on.

Still, Black Sunshine is a dumb, awkward name. It doesn't even sound like the kind of name Bill would come up with. I'd expect a name more like "Betty" since he's a cowboy and it's supposed to be his horse.

[Traab]

I'm a little perturbed that this supposedly super fearsome bounty hunter gets so distracted with bludgeoning someone to death that he has to cut short wiping out everyone else on the ship and deleting its sensor data. Sure he gets a single wallop off at Grex, but there were other guards on that shuttle and he apparently leaves the United Earth guy behind as well. Plus he leaves the ship intact along with all the sensor data it collected on his ship, and the entire fighter escort as well.

Maybe I'm cold blooded. But if I were Bill I would have grabbed the United Earth guy as a hostage/ransom target, boarded my ship, and then awarded the shuttle and the four fighters a limpet mine each. Cruise off into the (black) sunset as the five mines detonate simultaneously, wiping out all sensor data that could reveal my ship as well as any vector that might indicate where I'm heading to. Or, if I wasn't interested in hostages or ransoms (which I needn't be, since no one is available to use a hostage against) I'd have left United Earth guy behind too and blown them all up.

Bill's inefficiency hurts my brain. It's too much for the evulz for my tastes.

Eeeh, I can sorta buy him getting too into killing cyclops and losing track of a fairly short window of opportunity. The thing is, he didnt have TIME to grab the hostage, the jammers power was basically out by the time he sat down without lugging a hostage and securing him. And once again, no time to destroy the other craft as well. He only stunned them, and grex was already waking up. Presumably the others were too. Its unlikely he could have avoided a major firefight if he had taken the time to try and finish everyone off. I do agree it would have been better to do it the way you described, and its likely he WOULD have done it that way too, but, he is a psycho killer I guess and psycho killers gotta go psycho and kill from time to time.

And Mr McGician, Bill got off through the ships exit. Black Sunshine docked with the transport ship, you can see it in that one panel.

[Oracle_Hunter]

She's dead, Jim

OK, now It's Personal.

BHB is really no bigger threat than he was before, but now Danica is going to hunt him down because he killed someone she knew. So she's more like The Punisher than Green Lantern? Interesting direction you're going Mookie

[AgentPaper]

She's dead, Jim

Pff. I would be surprised if the big yellow-blood guy died, let alone miss purple-blood MainCharacterFriend over there.

I mean, BHB failed to kill someone by shooting them in the face (no I will not archive trawl to make sure it was actually in the face). Why would bludgeoning someone a few times be any more likely?

[Oracle_Hunter]

Pff. I would be surprised if the big yellow-blood guy died, let alone miss purple-blood MainCharacterFriend over there.

I mean, BHB failed to kill someone by shooting them in the face (no I will not archive trawl to make sure it was actually in the face). Why would bludgeoning someone a few times be any more likely?

Because Danica isn't around to save someone. Like Dominic, she can't fail -- but people can die all the time when The Protagonist isn't around

[Humbug]

Huh, BHB spent a lot of time bludgeoning big guy to death(?) and then says has no time to do the same for purple chick, so we assume he just whacked her at least once, or not as often as the other guy, but their blood pools are the same size. Does not indicate that he was not as vicious with her. Mookie has no idea how to tell with just pictures.

[Mr. McGician]

If Grex does die, I'll give Mookie credit for developing her character enough in the little time we saw her that she's sympathetic and memorable, and thus gives a real reason why her death would hurt Danica.

[Oracle_Hunter]

If Grex does die, I'll give Mookie credit for developing her character enough in the little time we saw her that she's sympathetic and memorable, and thus gives a real reason why her death would hurt Danica.

At least it took him less time than it did for Bumper

[Neoriceisgood]

Having not read DD I can't really make a comment on it... however, I can say quite a few others authors also have a trend to make their anti-heroes or such too evil when they are evil and then suddenly redeem them. Some work, but still...


Also: Bill got priorities. And apparently the AI REALLY is good enough to hold a conversation? What the eff?

Mookie has always been a master of pushing these types of tropes to their obnoxious and logical extreme.

He used to pull lovely cards like "character shows 1-2 kinda grey or questionable traits -> 3 pages later they're suddenly one of the most evil characters in the comic"
quite often.

[Kato]

Well, it seems the feds inability to properly transport a criminal did have consequences... I'll give it to Mookie I actually feel kind of sorry for Grex and even Cyclops guy. But then I find it easy to feel for characters as long as they don't annoy me. Like, really annoy me.

[Kwatsu]

For the new issue: so Bill didn't kill the United Earth bureaucrat OR take him prisoner? What the heck? (Although, why was that guy allowed to be in the same compartment as Bill anyway?)

I guess it's okay to show aliens being brutally murdered, but if it's someone who doesn't bleed grape / orange soda, that's just not sending the right message. >:(

[Kornaki]

For the new issue: so Bill didn't kill the United Earth bureaucrat OR take him prisoner? What the heck? (Although, why was that guy allowed to be in the same compartment as Bill anyway?)

Why would he care about the United Earth bureaucrat?

[Traab]

For the new issue: so Bill didn't kill the United Earth bureaucrat OR take him prisoner? What the heck? (Although, why was that guy allowed to be in the same compartment as Bill anyway?)

I guess it's okay to show aliens being brutally murdered, but if it's someone who doesn't bleed grape / orange soda, that's just not sending the right message. >:(

He couldnt take them prisoner, he barely got away as it was. You ever watch that beverly hills cop movie where the gang of thieves are working on a very specific time limit so they dont get caught? Thats what Bill was doing. He got sidetracked because the big guy ticked him off and it took him too much time to allow him to calm down. As it was, we see in this comic that he didnt get away clean. They got a recording of his ship. Had he slowed himself down enough to grab a hostage, carry a human sized lump of limp weight to his ship, secure his prisoner better than they secured him, and left, he would have been pursued and disabled in short order.

As for him being in the same compartment, I think we have already confirmed these people suck at prisoner transport. They likely didnt have enough seats up front for the inspector guy. Also, grex is alive, head wounds bleed a lot, big dude is likely dead or permanently disabled from the severe bashing he took. I mean, its totally possible mookie would kill grex right after giving her a character, its something he would do, I just dont think he did this time. Im guessing another hospital scene where danica is all angsty and angry will happen, and her and grex have a chat.

[Zaq]

It's worth mentioning that this is the last page in this "issue." So it's kind of the equivalent of his old forced "Friday cliffhangers." I think if Grex were really dead, he'd want to make sure that we knew it. The emotion I think he's aiming for is not "oh no! She's dead!" but rather "OMG, is she dead?!" or something like that.

If Mookie actually meant to kill Grex, it would be a lot more powerful to unambiguously tell us that and have that "gut-punch" (not that we actually care about Grex, but bear with me) on the last page of the issue, rather than leaving us with the cliffhanger and being told that she's dead at the start of the next issue.

Of course, that assumes that Mookie is a good enough writer to think that through. But my money is on her staying alive. It's not like Mookie is good at killing off characters in the first place.

[Mewtarthio]

Grex rhymes with Dex, and Dex survived worse.

[Mr. McGician]

At least it took him less time than it did for Bumper

That might be part of reason for it, actually. Bumper underwent Mookie Development, meaning that the one character trait he had which distinguished him from everyone else was surgically removed. All good guys have the exact same personality in the Mookieverse, and any deviation from that is a character flaw which must be removed through "character development." So nobody cared when Bumper died, because he was just Mookinsertion #9 at that point. Grex, though, hasn't been around long enough to undergo this process.