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 ImotekhTheStormlord wrote:
Post IC he was a retired spy/soldier who became an actor then a butler.

Post IC?? Mate, I'm predominately a Marvel guy, that looks and sounds like Chinese to me Can you elaborate a bit?

 ImotekhTheStormlord wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Out of curiosity, has DC ever made a comic series, or story arc that fully explains Alfred? I mean, we kind of know he has a bit of a "black ops" back ground from the cartoons, as well as a bit in Gotham and a couple movies.... but I want to know more.

Alfred's backstory has varied pretty heavily over the years. He's been a retired spy, soldier, actor, and just a lifelong butler. Post IC he was a retired spy/soldier who became an actor then a butler.

Hey, don't forget about the time that he died and returned as a weird undead creature with magical powers!



Yeah...Batman comics could be really strange at certain times in their history.

They actually tapped into the old Outsider lore in the New 52...in that case the Outsider was the Earth-3 version of Alfred, who lacked magical powers but had a ghost white appearance thanks to a dose of Joker venom.

When I was a lot younger I didn't even blink an eye when reading all the 'wacky' superhero stuff - mostly in reprints as I'm not that old!

Then I found it annoying.

But now I kind of love it - especially when red posts the truly wild and wacky stuff!

 gorgon wrote:
Alfred, who lacked magical powers but had a ghost white appearance thanks to a dose of Joker venom.

Wait, so at some point someone decided that not only was the chemical that gave Joker his iconic appearance "known", but it was harvested and later used as a "venom"??

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 ImotekhTheStormlord wrote:
Post IC he was a retired spy/soldier who became an actor then a butler.

Post IC?? Mate, I'm predominately a Marvel guy, that looks and sounds like Chinese to me Can you elaborate a bit?

Infinite Crisis(IC) was the first major DCU reboot. It was done to reign in all the madness of the silver age.

 gorgon wrote:


Hey, don't forget about the time that he died and returned as a weird undead creature with magical powers!



Yeah...Batman comics could be really strange at certain times in their history.

They actually tapped into the old Outsider lore in the New 52...in that case the Outsider was the Earth-3 version of Alfred, who lacked magical powers but had a ghost white appearance thanks to a dose of Joker venom.

Case in point.

Other highlights include:
Jimmy Olsen turning into a giant evil turtle:


Questionable Word Choice:


Bizarre power creep:




and all-around weirdness:

I...love all of that!

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 gorgon wrote:
Alfred, who lacked magical powers but had a ghost white appearance thanks to a dose of Joker venom.

Wait, so at some point someone decided that not only was the chemical that gave Joker his iconic appearance "known", but it was harvested and later used as a "venom"??

Not exactly. Remember Smilex gas from the Batman '89 movie? Same basic thing. In some incarnations it makes your skin turn white also. Normally it kills you, but Earth-3 Alfred got the antidote from Owlman...just a little late. Hence his transformed skin and propensity to chuckle at weird times.


That issue where Superman breaks all reality or whatever? I have that one, or at least I did when I was a kid. I'm really old.

 gorgon wrote:


Not exactly. Remember Smilex gas from the Batman '89 movie? Same basic thing. In some incarnations it makes your skin turn white also. Normally it kills you, but Earth-3 Alfred got the antidote from Owlman...just a little late. Hence his transformed skin and propensity to chuckle at weird times.

Ahh, ok... Like I said, I'm a marvel guy (as if my profile pic doesn't give that away).

Though, I am actually quite interested in the Owl series stuff, where does one start/end, and are there any "complete" collections (a la, "Deadpool Classic: Vol. 1-10) ?

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 gorgon wrote:


Not exactly. Remember Smilex gas from the Batman '89 movie? Same basic thing. In some incarnations it makes your skin turn white also. Normally it kills you, but Earth-3 Alfred got the antidote from Owlman...just a little late. Hence his transformed skin and propensity to chuckle at weird times.

Ahh, ok... Like I said, I'm a marvel guy (as if my profile pic doesn't give that away).

Though, I am actually quite interested in the Owl series stuff, where does one start/end, and are there any "complete" collections (a la, "Deadpool Classic: Vol. 1-10) ?

Are you talking about the Parliament of Owls storyline? It's a *great* run, really.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13223349-batman-vol-1
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15752115-batman-vol-2

But note that the "owls" in that series aren't related to the Earth-3 Owlman, who is the evil alternate universe version of Batman. Although there are reasons why one might get a little mixed up.

 gorgon wrote:

Are you talking about the Parliament of Owls storyline? It's a *great* run, really.

Good to know, and yes, I was referring to whatever line the "court of owls" was from, as I've seen it in my local comic shop often, and the mask of the "owl people" intrigued me.

So, wondering if anyone with some knowledge could answer this for me.

What is the difference between Brainiac and Brother Eye?

They both seem to basically be the same character just with different origins. Their powers and abilities seem to be the same. Maybe I am overlooking something and that is why I am asking!

Brainiac was developed by Kryptonians or is an actual alien form Colu. (depending on what version you end up reading.)

While Brother Eye was made here on good ole Earth by Cadmus and probably Batman.

Here is a wiki link:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Brother_Eye_(Prime_Earth)
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Brainiac

 FacelessMage wrote:
Brainiac was developed by Kryptonians or is an actual alien form Colu. (depending on what version you end up reading.)

While Brother Eye was made here on good ole Earth by Cadmus and probably Batman.

Here is a wiki link:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Brother_Eye_(Prime_Earth)
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Brainiac

Right, hm, not quite what I was thinking...maybe my own fault and over thinking this.

I am trying to write them into my DC RPG and when I got to reading about them from comics and the wikis I really saw no difference in them, they are redundant. So, I just got to thinking that there had to be a difference in them I am not seeing that doesn't make them both super powered A.I. robots that try to destroy everyone.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, I remember what I read that brought me to this! DCs Futures End! I have read all three graphic novels and I seriously got confused near the end of the third volume as to who was doing what between Brainiac and Brother Eye. That's when I saw they were really just the same character with a different skin on them!

Well...Brother Eye is an Earth-designed A.I. in the form of an advanced surveillance satellite orbiting the planet, while Brainiac is an alien A.I., usually in humanoid form, who travels the cosmos collecting civilizations and storing them in bottles.

So...not really the same other than being A.I.s. If that's your thinking, then you might want to throw Red Tornado and the Construct on that "exactly the same" pile too...?

 gorgon wrote:
Well...Brother Eye is an Earth-designed A.I. in the form of an advanced surveillance satellite orbiting the planet, while Brainiac is an alien A.I., usually in humanoid form, who travels the cosmos collecting civilizations and storing them in bottles.

So...not really the same other than being A.I.s. If that's your thinking, then you might want to throw Red Tornado and the Construct on that "exactly the same" pile too...?

Yeah, I might be generalizing this too much.

Thanks for the input all.

So question...has the marvel universe finished blowing up yet? So I can go out and get the graphic novels for it.

Yes and no?

Kind of?

Secret Wars has 4 more issues to go, I think?

They just released 7 of 8.

I'd give it another month or 2 for things to settle back down.

I more viewed the whole thing as a big giant 6 month "What If?"

I thought I read that SECRET WARS was going to #9?

I'm very dissapointed in the new Dr Strange

They're basically turning him into a Magical Tony Stark

I actually like it and think it's on target. Maybe it's just me, but I always saw the Doctor as the coolest dude in the room.

That's why I don't like the casting for the movie at all...Cumberbatch will never be that.

 gorgon wrote:
I actually like it and think it's on target. Maybe it's just me, but I always saw the Doctor as the coolest dude in the room.

That's why I don't like the casting for the movie at all...Cumberbatch will never be that.

Really? We'll see. I think Cumberbatch can pull it off.