We're VERY grateful for the contributions of William Adams, AKA "Dr. Destruction" of PILLARS OF FAITH, to the conception, brainstorming, and final product.
Check out Abby of GREEN AVENGER's appearance on the Webcomics Beacon where, among other things, she talks about THE CROSSOVERLORD, on this broadcast filled with Fallcon interviews.
Oh, about this appearance. In MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE, Mindmistress develops a device that can---literally--revive the dead. (Of course, so did Wonder Woman. Her "purple ray" brought the Justice Society back to life.) But she's not obligated to release it to the world, in fact, she thought it would do more harm than good. She DID use it to save a innocent child who had been abused and murdered--and in the process, the murderer died also, in a sequence starting here.
And she's okay with that. Mindmistress does NOT go out and beat up bank robbers or save people just for the heck of it. She has her own interests and concerns.
Lightbringer, however, is extremely noble, idealistic, and uncompromising in his principles. Sort of a Captain America or Superman Lite (no pun intended). Of all our group, he is the closest to the super-hero ideal.
Sooner or later, there would be a conflict between the two.
A conflict that the Smiling Man is willing to promote--to exploit.
It's kind of hard to build any drama of being in a prison without them---being in a prison. If they IMMEDIATELY escape, it looks like it was a pretty flimsy prison to begin with. Still, we'll try to keep you entertained.
Yeah, Mindmistress is pretty strong (more Spider-Man level in strength and speed rather than Iron Man or Superman) with her armor, as well as being able to cast illusions and, when she had the Psyche-Staff, being able to control others. Now, she's JUST smart...
Which, considering how smart she is, is still nothing to sneeze at.
Well, Mindmistress and ANT both have power suits, and, without getting too technical, the dampeners are capable of neutralizing the systems within these suits so that they're unusable.
Mindmistress' intelligence doesn't seem to be effected, but we'll see how that goes.
Actually, that's one of the things I've always LIKED about Lightbringer---his old-timey, unyielding ethical stands. It makes him an interesting character, especially considering his pacifistic upbringing that he always feels like he's betraying.
I early determined, though, that MM would have to go a different route, otherwise, logically, she would be spending all her time making cures for cancer and eventually benevolently ruling her world, stopping every possible war, etc. Besides, if you were the sole human on an island full of chimps...would you spend your time solving THEIR problems, or realize their limitations and go and do your own thing? (Even if she has to spend much of her life on their level?)
There's a conflict between her viewpoint and MOST superheroes' viewpoint, but LB would have the greatest problem with it, of all our cast.
Odd that Lightbringer should be so much like Superman ethically, when his costume and character are so much like the female Doctor Light -- who was more than happy to try to rip attackers she thought had harmed her children to pieces, and probably would have, had her powers been working at the time.
Child molester. Sorry, I can't seem to gin up any sympathy.
The Lightbringer finds it appalling,
And engages in yelling and squalling,
But a child molester,
Is a sore that will fester,
Without justice's terminal mauling.
Yeah, we decided the shackles should be subtle. Smiley has access to the best technology, after all. :) I think Al specified that they're supposed to be around their wrists also, but I missed that. You'll see them on his next page.
First step of breaking people's minds is by creating a conflict between them. That divide and conquer strategy and Lightbringer easily tok the baith.
(My English sux)
