From: phillies@wpi.WPI.EDU (George D. Phillies)
Subject: Powerpax
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 03:27:13 GMT

Re: Powerpax

In this thread, jng53029@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (The Gad-Man) noted obvious 
gaps in my analysis of Powerpax.  I first draw the readers' attention 
to the dog that did not bark: despite egregious gaps in my arguments, 
GadMan was polite and rational.  A number of r.a.c. contributors 
really ought to consider learning from his wisdom and maturity.  

Mea Culpa: I don't read X-Force, and didn't note obvious clues that 
the Annual is ten years futurewards, though they were clearly spelled 
out.  

So, from available clues, who could Powerpax be, if we believe the 
Annual is 10-12 years futureward? (Comments of GadMan here gratefully 
acknowledged): 
   1) A cousin? A fifth child in the Power Family, not yet born?  (The 
timing works, especially if she's a bit tall for her age).  A half-
brother or half-sister, if the parents divorce and remarry soon? 
(grittily realistic.) These are all simple solutions, not up to Marvel 
standards.  
   2) Child of current Pack member?  (My first, wrong objection was 
that this puts the story 17+ years futurewards.  I think this solution 
is still inartistic, but self-consistent.) 
   3) Julie, as previously proposed.  How do we make this consistent?  
I had proposed that she cuts a deal with (your choice) to cancel her 
own past, so that all traces of her past existence are gone. None of 
the now-reduced-to-three Power children who have ever existed have 
ever had powers.  She has the powers, and pays the real personal price 
of protecting parents and siblings by losing her family.  Now how do 
we get ten years futurewards?  
   Suppose the deal (for a concrete example) is with Doctor Doom.   
"Of course, dear, there is a minor price.  I want ten years of your 
time in my loyal service.  Nothing wicked.  Your sole duty will be to 
protect hapless Latverians --- to rescue little girls' kittens from 
trees, save puppies and small boys from drowning in half-frozen ponds, 
put out fires, if you feel inclined, stop a purse snatcher --- from 
the normal hazards of life.  If my enemies attack Latveria, you are to 
disappear, hide, not set your powers against theirs save in self 
defense, for you are to protect Latveria's weak when I cannot.  
Whether I survive ten years, or not, you will protect my people.  At 
the end, you will leave, no older than you are now, with only hazy 
memories of what you did here---you'll remember but a few days 
service---and make your way in the world." 

   There.  She loses ten years of time, is still the right age (I've 
no idea if Doom can pull this off.) and makes a truly horrendous 
sacrifice for her family's good, all in the best comic tradition.  

    Return to the child of Pack member solution.  The following is 
rational, lets comics deal realistically with an important, 
controversial, problem, and is the *wrong* concept.  (In the sense 
that PP 50-end were IMHO the wrong concept, though well worked out.) 
    Real-world America has a serious problem with teen pregnancy.  No, 
not the 17-year-olds who ought to marry.  I mean the 13-year-olds who 
ought not be bearing children no matter what, and do so anyway.  
Coping with this issue, which Alex (and, soon, Julie) are old enough 
to have focusses on real issues, in a realistic way.  Certainly there 
are a lot of parents who don't prepare for the issue well, or in time.  
Alex and Alison are already quite old enough to have this difficulty  
(though I think they both have more brains and better parenting to get 
into it.)  If someone wanted comics to focus on a real-life problem, 
making Francine the child of either of two current Pack members at 
nearly their current ages would be gritty, emotionally impacting...  

(and totally brain-damaged, lest anyone accuse me of endorsing the 
idea.) 

Aside: this is an na, not world, distribution.  The eu readers, I 
fear, would find solution (2) to be incomprehensible.  In an ideal 
world, American readers would also not understand.

George Phillies
phillies@wpi.wpi.edu