Inversions Imperil Ewing's "Captain America & the Mighty Avengers"

[Trident]

That's right, he got his powers by accident like Spider-Man or the FF.

However, if you're going to say the powers and related backstory of Iron Fist (or Stick and his group the Chaste, or a lot of what Elektra and the Hand can do) aren't essentially mystical in nature... or that there's a huge difference between the concepts of chi and magic fueled by ambient life energies (or the Force in Star Wars, for that matter, but that's another discussion) such as Dr. Strange and Kaluu and so on have been known to use, then we're going to have to disagree. It's very much a mystical concept that there's a disembodied vital essence or life force in the first place, let alone that it can be used in such varied ways by properly trained or talented practitioners.

I sorta think the only thing we are disagreeing on here is the idea that if it Chi is being used then it must be magical in nature. Guys like Strange harness/tap into multiple forms of energy through practice known as magic. Making them in esscence energy manipulator's but that does not always mean that the energy being used deprives strictly from magic.

I have to disagree with you there. At best, he's vaguely tied to mysticism at this point. I think it would be pushing it to classify him as a supernatural character. How he got his powers may be considered supernatural as its yet to be properly defined, but the way he uses it doesn't directly tie him to mysticism at all. He redirects chi energy through absorbing it from his surroundings. It wasn't something he taught himself, which is what is associated behind the mysticism of chi manipulation. It's just an ability he manifested out of nowhere. Considering his previous minis, he seems to be very much a street level character with unexplored depth. I don't think it's fair to relate him to Magik, as she's very much involved with the origins and studies regarding the supernatural side of her powers while he is not.

Again we agree. But we do know that the visor that his dad(?) has something to do with how he gained his powers. Outside of that the whole thing was a weird hapen stance

[Of Atlantis]

Again we agree. But we do know that the visor that his dad(?) has something to do with how he gained his powers. Outside of that the whole thing was a weird hapen stance

I don't recall. The origin of his powers were never really explained I don't think. Unless I missed something, he essentially just kind of gained this ability out of nowhere like you said.

[Trident]

I don't recall. The origin of his powers were never really explained I don't think. Unless I missed something, he essentially just kind of gained this ability out of nowhere like you said.

I want to say it was in the Powerman and Iron Fist mini. I'll have to look through it again but I'm fairly certain that the visor played into his gaining his abilities, unless it was retcon.

[Of Atlantis]

I want to say it was in the Powerman and Iron Fist mini. I'll have to look through it again but I'm fairly certain that the visor played into his gaining his abilities, unless it was retcon.

Read that so long ago that I forgot completely. I did remember him learning a special kick from a dead kid that Danny taught though. Seemed like when he absorbed chi, he could absorb some knowledge too. Unsure as to whether he can keep that knowledge or not after that chi is spent though.

[JudicatorPrime]

Wow. i've gotta say, nothing that's coming up in this book sounds very appealing to me.

I second that, but I'm going to stick it out until all of these tie-ins wrap up.

On the one hand we do want the MA fully immersed in continuity, but at the same time I would not have minded if Ewing had opted to pick a better event for the team's involvement. I get the sense from the majority of the MA reader posts here that most want to see the team have its moment in the sun. Ewing could have sidestepped inversion/Axis and taken the team off world or to a parallel pocket dimension for a spell until the event was over, but he thought better of it. Axis is probably just lock-step for the next series of events. If other writers deign to feature all of the MA characters now for such events, I can only imagine what that will be like during the next world order threatening debacle.

[Vic Vega]

I don't recall. The origin of his powers were never really explained I don't think. Unless I missed something, he essentially just kind of gained this ability out of nowhere like you said.

As I remember it, Victor was caught in an explosion. One of the people killed in the explosion was a student of Iron Fist who was manifesting similar abiliites.
However that guy wasn't able to save himself.

Victor as the sole survior of the exposion gained/absorbed the chi of all the people who died as a side effect of whatever
Iron Fist's student was trying to do.

[vitruvian]

I sorta think the only thing we are disagreeing on here is the idea that if it Chi is being used then it must be magical in nature. Guys like Strange harness/tap into multiple forms of energy through practice known as magic. Making them in esscence energy manipulator's but that does not always mean that the energy being used deprives strictly from magic.



Again we agree. But we do know that the visor that his dad(?) has something to do with how he gained his powers. Outside of that the whole thing was a weird hapen stance

Eh. Guess it's just a difference in terminology. To me, if there's no real scientific explanation, even a semi-coherent pseudoscience one, it's a form of magic, or put another way, you might as well call it magic as anything else. So, Iron Man's armor, Extremis and nanotech swarms, most alien technology including blasters and warp or other FTL drives and shields and so on, even stuff like Pym particles, tech or science even if the details are never really going to be borne out in reality - they're at least conceivable as more advanced stuff. But chi manipulation, the Force in Star Wars, the Infinity gems/stones, even most psi powers like telepathy and telekinesis - even when these things run on fairly consistent rules, there's no real scientific justification for them (even with midichlorians or the X-gene, there's no explanation of how the buggies or special genes let you break the laws of physics), or if they stretch and start misusing quantum physics or string theory or whatever to explain them, that sort of handwavium would work just as well for honest to goodness magic like Dr. Strange's spells.

[Of Atlantis]

As I remember it, Victor was caught in an explosion. One of the people killed in the explosion was a student of Iron Fist who was manifesting similar abiliites.
However that guy wasn't able to save himself.

Victor as the sole survior of the exposion gained/absorbed the chi of all the people who died as a side effect of whatever
Iron Fist's student was trying to do.

I remember he gained his powers through an explosion, but I don't recall him getting them from Iron Fist's student, only absorbing some fighting knowledge when he absorbed his chi. My memory is drawing a complete blank on all this so I'll take your word for it. Thanks.

[Trident]

I remember he gained his powers through an explosion, but I don't recall him getting them from Iron Fist's student, only absorbing some fighting knowledge when he absorbed his chi. My memory is drawing a complete blank on all this so I'll take your word for it. Thanks.

You were on the right track. Orginally Powerman could only access the memories of everyone who died in that building do to their chi/life force being absorbed by him. Ewing gave him an upgrade that he could access any person he had knowleged about. I'm assuming dead or alive but again it's not very clear.

[Of Atlantis]

You were on the right track. Orginally Powerman could only access the memories of everyone who died in that building do to their chi/life force being absorbed by him. Ewing gave him an upgrade that he could access any person he had knowleged about. I'm assuming dead or alive but again it's not very clear.

He's definitely a character at risk of becoming convoluted as far as his powers are concerned, but I'm willing to give Ewing the benefit of the doubt.

[Trident]

He's definitely a character at risk of becoming convoluted as far as his powers are concerned, but I'm willing to give Ewing the benefit of the doubt.

Very true.

As to Ewing....he at least makes the kid likeable and so far I like what he has done with him. As long as writers keep him balanced power wise he really could become one of the greats that Ewing keeps saying.

[Of Atlantis]

Very true.

As to Ewing....he at least makes the kid likeable and so far I like what he has done with him. As long as writers keep him balanced power wise he really could become one of the greats that Ewing keeps saying.

Yeahhh, I couldn't stand him in the minis. He was such a brat. He seems to have matured though. It's too bad he couldn't have kept training under Iron Fist. Wonder what Ewing's reason was for not including him in the roster. Seemed like an obvious choice. I mean, Mighty Avengers is essentially Heroes for Hire.

[XPac]

I second that, but I'm going to stick it out until all of these tie-ins wrap up.

On the one hand we do want the MA fully immersed in continuity, but at the same time I would not have minded if Ewing had opted to pick a better event for the team's involvement. I get the sense from the majority of the MA reader posts here that most want to see the team have its moment in the sun. Ewing could have sidestepped inversion/Axis and taken the team off world or to a parallel pocket dimension for a spell until the event was over, but he thought better of it. Axis is probably just lock-step for the next series of events. If other writers deign to feature all of the MA characters now for such events, I can only imagine what that will be like during the next world order threatening debacle.

Given the role of both Sam and Luke in the initial part of the second act of Axis, it was understandable that MA tied into this event.

Plus, I think a fight between the Mighty Avengers and the other Avengers might actually be a lot of fun.

[Trident]

Yeahhh, I couldn't stand him in the minis. He was such a brat. He seems to have matured though. It's too bad he couldn't have kept training under Iron Fist. Wonder what Ewing's reason was for not including him in the roster. Seemed like an obvious choice. I mean, Mighty Avengers is essentially Heroes for Hire.

Well.... Danny is a little "busy" to say the least. But for all intents and purposes Powerman is sorta both Iron a Fist and Cage's sidekick so I could see him being "shared" between both of them for most of his career as a teen.

[CliffHanger2]

I just read the second issue not sure why there's no review. It was a pretty good read I only have one complaint.WTF is up with BM's face? He looks like Reed Richards in about 3 panels did the artist and colorist forget what he looks like? Hopefully they don't make that mistake again.