[B5JMS] Where is JMS? In the past he defended Sins Past

[b5jms at cs.columbia.edu]

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From: "Marc-Oliver Frisch" <Derschwarm at hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 09:30:35 +0200
Lines: 57

Jms at B5 wrote:

: You are using such a broad definition of cheating as to make the term
: meaningless.  You are saying that if one uses a fantasy or SF device, that's a
: cheat.  But that's not a cheat, and that's not what I said.

Oh come the hell on.

Spider-Man's schtick is to be the "everyman" superhero.  Fast-aged children can
certainly work in his world, just like clones, gods, mutants, radioactive
spiders or six-legged spider-insects can-- if they're properly established, that
is.

But inviting the audience to buy them, out of the blue, as the solution to a
mystery story is no less a cheat than any of the other things you listed.

: A cheat is when you tell everybody it's one thing and at the very last second
: change it to something else to escape the consequences of what you've written.

Using far-fetched, pseudo-scientific deus ex machina solutions that have no
immediate connection to the concept (i.e., the reader knows that Spider-Man is
the fast-aged champion of the fast-aged Spider-People) also counts as a cheat,
where I'm concerned.

And, taking your ealier comment...

: >To the broader questions raised here...I don't generally believe in
: >cheats.
: >This isn't a time travel deal, it's not an alternate history story, it's
: >not a
: >hoax, it's not a clone story, it's not, in short, a *cheat*.

...it looks like you'd consider them a cheat as well, if you applied your usual
standards.

: You are trying to say that *ANY* kind of use of SF, comics or fantasy devices
: constitutes a cheat, in which case since the entire Marvel universe is based
on
: that stuff, then ipso facto the whole THING is a cheat...and the term becomes
: meaningless.

No, he's most definitely not saying that.

Do you hear that crackling sound?  That's you, stuffing your straw man, kind
sir.

-- 
Marc-Oliver Frisch
POPP'D! >> http://poppd.blogspot.com/
COMIKADO >> http://comikado.blogspot.com/

Jacques Derrida is dead.  Let's take the hint.

--
[This is a Usenet message, posted to the rec.arts.comics.* groups.]



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Lines: 77
From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 12 Oct 2004 09:10:19 GMT

>Oh come the hell on.
>
>Spider-Man's schtick is to be the "everyman" superhero.  Fast-aged children
>can
>certainly work in his world, just like clones, gods, mutants, radioactive
>spiders or six-legged spider-insects can-- if they're properly established,
>that
>is.
>

1) The kids are Norman's.

2) We know that Norman is the Green Goblin (properly established).

3) We know that the Green Goblin became that way because of the serum (properly
established).

4) We know that the serum affected his biology (properly established)

5) We know that the serum gave him an accellerated healing capacity  (properly
established)

6) We know from the Marvel universe (and some measure of biology) that some
acquired traits can be passed on genetically to the next generation  (properly
established).

7) We know, from real life, that glitches in DNA can cause children to age
prematurely at a frightening rate.  The disorder is called Hutchinson-Gilford
progeria syndrome (HGPS).

I quote from one of many reference sources:

"The disease, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) occurs
once in approximately 8 million births. It affects both sexes and all races."

"Children with HGPS appear to age at a rate that is 5 to 10 times the normal
rate."

"According to researchers, progeria is caused by a single-letter misspelling in
a gene on chromosome 1. They found 18 of 20 children with classic progeria had
the exact same misspelling in the Lamin A gene. Lamin A is a protein that is a
key component of the membrane that surrounds the cell's nucleus."

"The studies showed that almost half of the progeria patients cells had
misshapen nuclear membranes."

So this has been properly established IN THE REAL WORLD.  

8) The healing factor (properly established) which was passed on to the kids
(simple genetics) is the only thing that has allowed them to survive even this
long.

What part of this progression escapes you?

What part of this comes "out of the blue?"  It's ALL either a logical extension
of continuity or of the real world.

Look...you can say you don't like it, that's one thing...but you *cannot* say
that it's not properly established, and you *cannot* say it is therefore by ANY
definition a cheat.

Saying it doesn't make it so.  

Sorry.  I *did* my homework.  

Clearly, you didn't.


 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2004 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
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