New efforts!

[Arcana]

Someone needs to tip the gas-station attendant?

Cars don't have thumbs.

[Felderburg]

True, but on occasion I have wondered why, if they're as smart as they are, that they bother having wielders at all.  Surely a smart drone fleet would be more efficient - and more easily subject to a centralized control center.

They did that. The drones went crazy, and killed an entire sector's worth of life forms.

[Sinistar]

True, but on occasion I have wondered why, if they're as smart as they are, that they bother having wielders at all.  Surely a smart drone fleet would be more efficient - and more easily subject to a centralized control center.

They did, they were called the Manhunters.  They malfunctioned and wiped out a sector.

[Arcana]

They did that. The drones went crazy, and killed an entire sector's worth of life forms.

They did, they were called the Manhunters.  They malfunctioned and wiped out a sector.

Sometimes, they are a lot smarter than that: see The Evitable Conflict, by Isaac Asimov.

The rings were smart, but lacked direction.  Basically they lacked will.  Wielders provided the will - and the moral compass - to direct the rings.  The problem is that creating wielders is not an easy task, and ironically the Guardians were probably the worst choice to create them, because by their own admission they were extremely disconnected from the needs of the beings they meant to protect.  The Guardians recruited Lanterns from the populations of the worlds they meant to protect, because only those people could understand how best to protect them in a manner they would perceive as just.  The Lanterns were, in effect, a jury of their peers.

[Vee]

In retrospect the Thing Ring was much more user friendly.

[JanessaVR]

They did that. The drones went crazy, and killed an entire sector's worth of life forms.

One little mistake.  We'll fix that in the next software patch, promise.

[Ohioknight]

The Guardians recruited Lanterns from the populations of the worlds they meant to protect, because only those people could understand how best to protect them in a manner they would perceive as just.  The Lanterns were, in effect, a jury of their peers.

Also, remember, the Green Lantern corps protected the entire UNIVERSE... with only a few thousand Lanterns they were all quite busy (that's HOW many galaxies per Lantern?)

[Arcana]

Also, remember, the Green Lantern corps protected the entire UNIVERSE... with only a few thousand Lanterns they were all quite busy (that's HOW many galaxies per Lantern?)

At a few thousand for the entire galaxy, the writers proved they have no idea how large space is.  At 3600 sectors for the entire universe and two per sector, the writers proved they were insane.  Each pair of Green Lanterns are patrolling a cubic gigalightyear per?  That's even more ridiculous than hiring one lifeguard for all the beaches on Earth.

Think of all of the beings on the millions of inhabited worlds in billions of galaxies in each sector of space.  Of all of the trillions of problems that happen every second in that space, the Green Lanterns get to work on one, maybe two.  The idea that only one is important enough for the Green Lanterns to work on at any one time is statistically impossible.  Random chance says that there have to be thousands of years when nothing important enough happens, and then a million separate cosmic problems happen on the same day.  You can't have one a week happening unless Evil schedules ahead.

[Zombie Hustler]

That's one reason why- much as I enjoy them- cosmic stories/series don't really make a whole lot of sense. The sheer scale of the universe (let alone a single galaxy) means that the likelihood of things like- space battles, recurring characters, a single team of heroes acting as protectors- is really just unfeasible, particularly the way most fiction stories handle the concepts.

Still kind of fun to read, though.

[brothermutant]

In retrospect the Thing Ring was much more user friendly.

Thing Ring...do your thing!

[Arcana]

That's one reason why- much as I enjoy them- cosmic stories/series don't really make a whole lot of sense. The sheer scale of the universe (let alone a single galaxy) means that the likelihood of things like- space battles, recurring characters, a single team of heroes acting as protectors- is really just unfeasible, particularly the way most fiction stories handle the concepts.

Still kind of fun to read, though.

Ironically, the "cosmic" stories like Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Wars, stuff like that were some of my favorite comic stories when I was younger.  They fell apart like wet tissue paper if you looked at them too hard, but before they supersaturated and power creeped themselves silly those were the stories that generated awe.  I enjoying just thinking about them.  But not too hard.

[Tubbius]

Ironically, the "cosmic" stories like Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Wars, stuff like that were some of my favorite comic stories when I was younger.  They fell apart like wet tissue paper if you looked at them too hard, but before they supersaturated and power creeped themselves silly those were the stories that generated awe.  I enjoying just thinking about them.  But not too hard.

Secret Wars. . . like how the Battleworld should have been one really bad ecological mess from being slapped together from so many variant sources, instead of providing a perfect atmosphere for a mohawked Storm to use her powers?

[FloatingFatMan]

They did that. The drones went crazy, and killed an entire sector's worth of life forms.

Drone's don't go crazy, they either malfunction, or get hacked.

[Rejolt]

At a few thousand for the entire galaxy, the writers proved they have no idea how large space is.  At 3600 sectors for the entire universe and two per sector, the writers proved they were insane.  Each pair of Green Lanterns are patrolling a cubic gigalightyear per?  That's even more ridiculous than hiring one lifeguard for all the beaches on Earth.

Think of all of the beings on the millions of inhabited worlds in billions of galaxies in each sector of space.  Of all of the trillions of problems that happen every second in that space, the Green Lanterns get to work on one, maybe two.  The idea that only one is important enough for the Green Lanterns to work on at any one time is statistically impossible.  Random chance says that there have to be thousands of years when nothing important enough happens, and then a million separate cosmic problems happen on the same day.  You can't have one a week happening unless Evil schedules ahead.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kbcoOqGKFi8

No stupider than that?

[Azrael]

My favourite 'Cosmic' stories were the 'classic' Ditko run on Dr. Strange.  Magical.  Moody.  Surreal.  'Cosmic.'  *(Especially the moment Dr. Strange meets Eternity for the first time.)

Even more so if you read them in black and white (which I did with the Marvel UK reprints...)

Recommended reading.

As for 'Secret Wars.'  *shudders.  I remember this like it was yesterday.  A brash, shoddy and cheaply drawn crossover.  Whither subtlety..?  That's what I thought at the time.  Cheap and tacky.  And yes, Beyonder.  He certainly was...  Many, many years later I watched the Power Rangers and after a 'rash' of 'getting hooked' on it...I've had my therapy and now I'm fine.

At least DC had Crisis...oh wait...*

Pre-Crisis.  I do remember one story, vaguely, where Superman tries to pierce the ultimate barrier.  But Spectre is the one he finds just before he gets 'there.'  Naturally, Superman tries to get past the Spectre but is humbled in short order as the Spectre politely reminds him that he is going no further...and that some things are beyond (no pun intended...) even Superman's powers...

I do like the Silver Age Green Lantern stories.  Gil Kane's elegant line work and sound composition with reasonable dose of Cosmic.

Or Kirby's Thor.  A viking longboat that 'flies' through space?  Got to love that...

Or what about the seminal introduction of 'the power cosmic' Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four?  The squaring up of Galactus to noble Watcher?  John Buscema's art chores on the Surfer series that followed later.  Svelte space opera.

Azrael.

At a few thousand for the entire galaxy, the writers proved they have no idea how large space is.  At 3600 sectors for the entire universe and two per sector, the writers proved they were insane.  Each pair of Green Lanterns are patrolling a cubic gigalightyear per?  That's even more ridiculous than hiring one lifeguard for all the beaches on Earth.

Think of all of the beings on the millions of inhabited worlds in billions of galaxies in each sector of space.  Of all of the trillions of problems that happen every second in that space, the Green Lanterns get to work on one, maybe two.  The idea that only one is important enough for the Green Lanterns to work on at any one time is statistically impossible.  Random chance says that there have to be thousands of years when nothing important enough happens, and then a million separate cosmic problems happen on the same day.  You can't have one a week happening unless Evil schedules ahead.

How do the Green Lanterns get out of bed each day, eh?  *Sweeps post into the nitpicking bin.* 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZ0XSf23rs

PPS. Let's hope we never find out.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kbcoOqGKFi8

No stupider than that?

[Vee]

Random chance says that there have to be thousands of years when nothing important enough happens, and then a million separate cosmic problems happen on the same day. 

Which in the pre-crisis dcu would no doubt be the day GL has Justice League monitor duty or is off in Atlantis because Aquaman summons the league every time a porpoise gets a tummy ache.

[kiario]

Had a dream about city of heroes resurected last night.

I was so happy to play again that I was running around in the local village where I live screaming city of heroes is live again.
It was so wonderful running around in the game street sweeping and hearing the sounds

then I woke up and realized its never gonna happen 

[Vee]

I've rethought my post of two posts ago. It would have been called 'Crisis in a Million Galaxies', GL would be off on Earth 2 for the annual JLA/JSA iced cream social and the Guardians would show up on the JLA satellite to find Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Black Canary, both Hawkmen, both Atoms, Huntress, Hourman and Mr. Terrific.

[Goddangit]

I remember Mr Terrific!

"A scientist both wise and bold, set out to cure the common cold.
Instead he found the power pill, which he said most certainly will
Turn a lamb into a lion
Like an eagle, he'll be flyin'
Solid steel will be like putty, it will work on anybody
But then 'twas found this potent pill, made the strongest men quite ill
So the secret search began, to find the one and only man
What they found made them squeamish, for only Stanley Beamish,
A weak and droopy daffodil, could take the special power pill
When he took the pill specific, it made him the most prolific, terrific, Mister Terrific!"

Oh... Not the TV show.  Nevermind.  (Ducks back behind the monitor.)

[Surelle]

Had a dream about city of heroes resurected last night.

I was so happy to play again that I was running around in the local village where I live screaming city of heroes is live again.
It was so wonderful running around in the game street sweeping and hearing the sounds

then I woke up and realized its never gonna happen 

Well...there's always SCoRE, which seems to be careening down the tracks of the crazy train at a good clip these days...     I'm just grateful they never gave up. 

I'm also still appreciative of everything both the TFHM groups attempted to do, though, and I wouldn't even mind contributing to a "payback fund" for any or all of them for their phone calls/attempts, even though none of it worked out.  However, I'm still most grateful to SCoRE for seeing the forest for the trees right along.  NCSoft *is* NCSoft after all.  I'm assuming we can't pay SCoRE, though, because a C&D can of worms could be opened and all that.