I don't think it really has to be as Brynes semi meta physical; Tactile Telekinesis idea has all but been abandoned. Since the early Naughties, Supermans powers have been portrayed as purley physiological rather than psionic; For example Heat Vision is now a photonic/plasma energy release, rather than the telekinetic agitation of molecules, etc. Therefore youre going to have to turn to space time maniplation to explain how the guy can fly. I think Warren Ellis came up with the idea of him having an organ than manipulates the unified field allowing him to refract gravitons. Wolverton suggested that it may link to negative energy manipulation (The stuff that pushes galaxies apart, predicted by Einstien), via a super conductive spinning organ of some kind.
There's no denying he's FTL in combat speed aswell, since he has percieved and reacted at things moving at those speeds, aswell as performed actions which require him to move at those levels.
There's no actual shown limit to his strength, and he is generally as strong as the plot needs him to be. He has high-end feats like lifting the book with an infinte amount of pages or supporting Spectre when he was described as weighting as much as eternity. Then there are things like the Maggedon feat, or him containing a black hole in his hand.
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That's something I'd like to know, as well. And when I'm talking about strength, I'm talking about lifting feats, or something similar. Not flying really fast with a harness pulling the Earth and not even using your arms.
I've seen him lift ocean liners with no problem. Pyramids, too. Can't recall anything larger than that, really definable unassisted, though.
How do we know the pages had mass in its traditional sense, infinity as a very complicated meta physical concept that shouldn't really be used to qunatify physical terms like mass and weight. Zeno's paradox anyone ?
Percieving something and reacting to it at the same speed, are not necessary occurences. I.e. If one was to replace a humans Central Nervous system with a fibre optics equivalent, one would be able to percieve bullets moving in slow motion, however the subject wouldn't be able to move out of the way, due the limitations of his physiology. I've yet to see any evidence that shows Superman dynamically reacting to meta-luminal objects. In fact there is enormous counter evidence to suggest other wise. The Starship enterprise maybe able to move faster than light, It doesn't mean it could avoid a photon. Im using this method of traditional logic to illustrate my point, becauseyou have used a simillar line previously, i.e. If Q then P, Q then R, P therefore R.
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Last edited by Cartesian Doubt on Apr 22nd, 2009 at 03:52 PM
Superman: Hold on! The strength and stamina of Hercules and Atlas and the power of Zeus! If anyone can help me lift a book with an infinite number of pages, you can.
Captain Marvel: Gnnnn!
Ultraman, later (those veiny arms surely do not mean he struggles physically):
Another thing you should keep in mind: it’s a comic.
Let me just start by saying that eventough your first example is pretty bad, your second one is catastrophical (in doesn't even make sense in this context). Now, you are somehow trying to make a point by illustrating a hypotetical artifically enhanced human being unable to cope physically with the speed of a bullet eventough his brain capacity allows him to see the bullet in slow motion, and thus suggesting that somehow Superman may be able to percieve FTL speeds as moving at relative normal speeds but he is somehow unable to move, being a statue in his own body. You know, there is something called common sense. -facepalm- Just to illustrate how illogical this really is, I'm just going to post something that according to this theory, should happen to Superman:
*Random FTL person comes charging at Superman full speed*
Superman: Great Krypton, look at him coming twoards me. What can I do, I'm thinking fast enough, but my body is unable to move!
Common sense, logic, pretty much everything dictates that's not the case. I'd understand if I'd only have one random example, where Superman was dodging a lightspeed/ftl attack, and I'd argue that it makes him FTL in everything. But here we have him with his back turned twoards the Flashes while having a conversation with Darkseid who is just a few feet away, when the Flashes zoom by him from behind, and before the Flashes even reach Darkseid, he has time see, recognize and even utter 'Barry Allen?' (which completly nullified the 'his body can't cope with his brain' theory btw). Not only this, but we have him building an entire city in a matter of moments. I guess his brain just sort of telekinetically assembled everything while he was randomly flying around there, unable to move his limbs. Or another one, where he moves around and block kryptonite radiation being shot twoards him with a piece of glass, again, from a short distance.
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Last edited by Philosophía on Apr 22nd, 2009 at 05:02 PM
Yeah. Him plowing through Imperiex probes along Doomsday was pretty insane though, considering what those were capable of. (he's the guy who wrote that IIRC)
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sorry, yeah, it was casey i meant that i liked, not kelly. kelly wrote some nice comics (including the one i posted), but he was also responsible for the abomination that was Trial By Fire...
You haven't said whats wrong with my analogies, you've just presented questionable counter examples ?
To use another analogy demonstrating a comparable argument to your own;
There is enormous amounts of evidence to support natural selection, but I believe in intelligent design because the flagellar motor of a bacterium doesn't look like it could evolve.
First off, your rhetorical sarcastic counter example happens all the time. Ever been hit in the face with a ball that you saw coming towardsyou? Yeah... same principle, you perceivethe ball but you don't physically react quickly enough to counter it. There's nothing illogical about it.
Second, if Superman can perceive and react super-luniminally a punch from the likes of Wonder Woman, The General and the Martian Manhunter (all whom have yet to prove they are any where near F.T.L.) would easily be countered. Don't forget, If your perceiving F.T.L ,anything moving slower looks Frozen in time, for you are traveling a faster than the light that you are perceiving (Don't even get me started on the paradoxes this causes). However Superman could literally not be punched by someone with sub-Luminal speed. It would be as easy as avoiding a sedated snail.
Thirdly, in Grant Morissons run on JLA he makes reference to Superman not being able to go F.T.L. He has to steal Flashes speed to out run a Rann Zeta beam. As you know your first example is taken from a Grant Morisson written text. Fourthly your third counter example could arguably done at sub luminal speeds, when you consider that Light goes round the entire earth several times a second, the distance he would have to cover in "Bizaro City" is hardly comparable.
Fourthly, how do we know that Kryptonite radiation consists of photonic radiation? It could infact be alpha of beta in nature making it avoidable at subluminal speeds.
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Last edited by Cartesian Doubt on Apr 22nd, 2009 at 05:52 PM
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