His powers do not give him super strength or agility, yet Ethan was going toe to toe with robots and hardened criminals. If he plays his cards right, he’ll not be injured at all while taking on some thugs. Even with his powers I do not think he was intentionally letting them hurt him. A broken arm is still a broken arm, so you better take care of yourself even if you respawn.
He’s chosen to re spawn rather than go through the healing process in the past though, how many times might that have happened without repeatedly illustrating it?
Now that isn’t a safe option, caution is definitely the more appropriate choice.
That seems a slightly optimistic view of Ethans capabilities. It’s true that he fought those foes without having powers to buff his strength, but he also lost and died constantly. His powers were the only reason he could take those fights and walk away afterwards. He died fighting Demolition Duke. Troll, Glove Kid and Spray painter never cared about harming him physically. (And Ethan still blew himself up to catch Glove Kid. ) He’s fought robots, but only cruddy ones with orders not to kill. And he lost and got captured. We’ve seen him fight thugs, and he died several… Read more »
I think Ethan has been a sort of tank in the past. He draws aggro while Dpad does the actual DPS. He does not need to have any other powers than to piss someone off enough to draw their attention away from the damage dealer. And pissing people off is his forte.
“A broken arm is still a broken arm, so you better take care of yourself even if you respawn.”
It’s not still a broken arm, as Ethan has already demonstrated for us. January 2017, he slips on melted snow in Megagame and breaks the very arm you’re talking about. Lucas pointed out he could have sued for tons of money, but instead Ethan takes a free copy of Eternal Darkness to play for Winter-een-mas and then stabs himself in the neck to respawn without a broken arm. Says he’d rather not wait six weeks for it to heal naturally.
You still need to stab yourself, keeping you out of the fight during that time. We even see Lucas killing Ethan to speed up the process. Most times he died was a very unbalanced power dynamic. Guns, power suits or simply a ton of enemies. He’s been shown to take down an opponent or two of the robots before being overwhelmed. These are stronger and faster than humans, resisting any nirmal punch. Their only flaw being that they can’t react to the special circumstances Analog and D-pad provide. A duo of thugs? No guns? Especially after the extra training since… Read more »
DrCoolbeans
3 months ago
I love Ethan’s “adult-splaining” of misnomer… Oh you sweet summer child, you…
What’s with the almost backhanded comment? You “want to” think Tim did it on purpose? The proper misnomer term was used when explaining the bullet resistance to Ethan and it is very much in character for him to mishear, why imply it is likely to be Tim’s mistake when nothing else implies that is the likelihood?
jonathan corbett
3 months ago
Why does Ethan’s line there make me worry that we’re about to bear witness to the return of Demolition Duke?
So, “missed number” is a misnomer of misnomer. That was the joke, right?
Thomas
3 months ago
Yeah, using missed number as a misnomer got a chuckle out of me. Reminded me of high school psychology. Teacher called on me for ‘a subconscious error in speech’- ‘Freudian f#@$-up’ wasn’t quite the correct term but I was able to get away with dropping the f bomb in class just that one time.
Crestlinger
3 months ago
We’ll have a half life hero/Villain now as a callout. Or a Trio of them for maximum snerk.
Steph
3 months ago
Anyone can remind me of this guy’s power again? I don’t have the willpower to go through past issues to find out. I think it’s about freezing time IIRC?
If he paused them, then they wouldn’t be able to move. Like that time he paused Analog’s grappling hook wrapped around someone and they couldn’t break free. My guess is his mom used some sort of mom-knowledge to make it work. She’s a mom, after all. They know everything and can do anything.
Maybe a mild adhesive? Analog *glued* his old mask on, according to one old strip.
Giggity Goo
3 months ago
I feel like this is leading up to Ethan needing to do something to protect Gameboy which will very quickly let us know if he has his powers or not… I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in the comments suggest as a theory, but what if instead of a) removing his powers or b) being a complete bluff and doing nothing, the serum or whatever altered/evolved his powers? Like… what if he still respawns, but now it takes 30 seconds. But during that 30 seconds, he’s in spectate mode for the 30 seconds before his death and can toggle between… Read more »
This is where my thinking led me. Ethan being Ethan, his need to protect the kid will overcome any kind of fear or basic sensibility, and *poof* proof.
The only problem I see here is this. At the end of the day, the audience always expects the good guys to save the day and the bad guys to get their comeuppance. How do you give the bad guys their comeuppance in that scenario?
24
His powers do not give him super strength or agility, yet Ethan was going toe to toe with robots and hardened criminals. If he plays his cards right, he’ll not be injured at all while taking on some thugs. Even with his powers I do not think he was intentionally letting them hurt him. A broken arm is still a broken arm, so you better take care of yourself even if you respawn.
Yeah, but then he totally slit his own throat to skip having to take the stairs up to his apartment..
Wasn’t that 3 from the 4 players to beat another one up to the apartment in a race?
He’s chosen to re spawn rather than go through the healing process in the past though, how many times might that have happened without repeatedly illustrating it?
Now that isn’t a safe option, caution is definitely the more appropriate choice.
That seems a slightly optimistic view of Ethans capabilities. It’s true that he fought those foes without having powers to buff his strength, but he also lost and died constantly. His powers were the only reason he could take those fights and walk away afterwards. He died fighting Demolition Duke. Troll, Glove Kid and Spray painter never cared about harming him physically. (And Ethan still blew himself up to catch Glove Kid. ) He’s fought robots, but only cruddy ones with orders not to kill. And he lost and got captured. We’ve seen him fight thugs, and he died several… Read more »
I think the Glove Kid was actually called ‘The Black Hat,’ based on the intro to issue #3?
I think Ethan has been a sort of tank in the past. He draws aggro while Dpad does the actual DPS. He does not need to have any other powers than to piss someone off enough to draw their attention away from the damage dealer. And pissing people off is his forte.
“A broken arm is still a broken arm, so you better take care of yourself even if you respawn.”
It’s not still a broken arm, as Ethan has already demonstrated for us. January 2017, he slips on melted snow in Megagame and breaks the very arm you’re talking about. Lucas pointed out he could have sued for tons of money, but instead Ethan takes a free copy of Eternal Darkness to play for Winter-een-mas and then stabs himself in the neck to respawn without a broken arm. Says he’d rather not wait six weeks for it to heal naturally.
You still need to stab yourself, keeping you out of the fight during that time. We even see Lucas killing Ethan to speed up the process. Most times he died was a very unbalanced power dynamic. Guns, power suits or simply a ton of enemies. He’s been shown to take down an opponent or two of the robots before being overwhelmed. These are stronger and faster than humans, resisting any nirmal punch. Their only flaw being that they can’t react to the special circumstances Analog and D-pad provide. A duo of thugs? No guns? Especially after the extra training since… Read more »
I love Ethan’s “adult-splaining” of misnomer… Oh you sweet summer child, you…
He’s getting proper grown-up!
What’s with the almost backhanded comment? You “want to” think Tim did it on purpose? The proper misnomer term was used when explaining the bullet resistance to Ethan and it is very much in character for him to mishear, why imply it is likely to be Tim’s mistake when nothing else implies that is the likelihood?
Why does Ethan’s line there make me worry that we’re about to bear witness to the return of Demolition Duke?
No, he’s going to “bare wetness” which of course means “like watching while naked and wet”.
I think it’s foreshadowing for a crowbar-themed hero….. 😀
Red Hood? Is that you?
Half-life 3 confirmed.
So, “missed number” is a misnomer of misnomer. That was the joke, right?
Yeah, using missed number as a misnomer got a chuckle out of me. Reminded me of high school psychology. Teacher called on me for ‘a subconscious error in speech’- ‘Freudian f#@$-up’ wasn’t quite the correct term but I was able to get away with dropping the f bomb in class just that one time.
We’ll have a half life hero/Villain now as a callout. Or a Trio of them for maximum snerk.
Anyone can remind me of this guy’s power again? I don’t have the willpower to go through past issues to find out. I think it’s about freezing time IIRC?
He pauses anything he touches. People can’t move, objects can’t move, gravity doesn’t even apply anymore. They unpause when he touches them again.
Missed numbers aside.
I do have a question:
How is Gameboy’s eyewear staying place?
I have gone back through the last several pages and I cannot find any means of attachment to his head (temples [google it], straps, etc.).
I suppose it’s possible that he paused them with his power and that is holding them in place.
Which when you think about it is . . .
Kinda cool.
If he paused them, then they wouldn’t be able to move. Like that time he paused Analog’s grappling hook wrapped around someone and they couldn’t break free. My guess is his mom used some sort of mom-knowledge to make it work. She’s a mom, after all. They know everything and can do anything.
Maybe a mild adhesive? Analog *glued* his old mask on, according to one old strip.
I feel like this is leading up to Ethan needing to do something to protect Gameboy which will very quickly let us know if he has his powers or not… I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in the comments suggest as a theory, but what if instead of a) removing his powers or b) being a complete bluff and doing nothing, the serum or whatever altered/evolved his powers? Like… what if he still respawns, but now it takes 30 seconds. But during that 30 seconds, he’s in spectate mode for the 30 seconds before his death and can toggle between… Read more »
This is where my thinking led me. Ethan being Ethan, his need to protect the kid will overcome any kind of fear or basic sensibility, and *poof* proof.
Seconding this
My suspicion is that the Troll Army will be assigning Analog another ‘diagnosis’ for “spending his evenings hanging out with a minor.”
And that *eventually* Ben may find himself stuck between Lucas/Ethan and some less ethical/intelligent cape-hating cops who end up believing it.
The only problem I see here is this. At the end of the day, the audience always expects the good guys to save the day and the bad guys to get their comeuppance. How do you give the bad guys their comeuppance in that scenario?
How do you give the troll army one in the *current* scenario?
I’m not sure if the vibe you were going here was “smugly superior language elitist” but it’s definitely the vibe you’re giving off.
All you’ve really proven is how badly you missed the joke
Theory.
Considering Game Boys Power is, that he can pause anything/anyone he touches.
What is if Ethan actually dies while they’re on patrol and doesn’t respawn? So Game Boy will actually have to Pause him until the paramedics arrive?
Too dark?
Ayyyyy, look guys! He found the joke.
Crowbar themed villains? Is this Ethan putting Gameboy at sidekick status with a Jason Todd reference?
Shouldn’t the Wednesday comic be out by now?