Superboy Prime: *exists* Linkara: You are not a clown, you are the entire circus

"Excessive violence is fine, but how DARE we even imply a naughty word!" American censorship in a nutshell.

Here we go again: Linkara going into Serious Mode and bringing us some words of wisdom about a subject he cares about a lot. God, this guy is amazing!

"Nostalgia can be toxic." Does Doug know about that?

I like how Superman 2 sees the Kryptonite ring as a symbol of mistrust. It's pretty trusting to give a guy a poisonous weapon against you saying, "Use this if I ever become evil."

A note on Superboy Prime: Very well worded and well said Linkara. In the beginning, Superboy Prime’s falling from grace could be seen as a cautionary tale and it does illicit sympathy and tragedy. I think another good example of him eliciting actual sympathy was in his tie-in to Blackest Night, where we see that Superboy Prime hates himself for what he’s become just as much as everyone else does. And to make it worse, because he’s a fictional character, he doesn’t get a say in the matter, and all he wants is a happy ending. It can easily be seen as him whining some more, but his sorrow actually does feel valid. As such, I feel that Infinite Crisis and Blackest Night are examples of Superboy Prime, as a character, actually working to create sympathy and show tragedy.

"EVERYTHING WAS BETTER ON *MY* EARTH!"

Actually the reason that Dick was going to be killed was because DC's editor didn't get the point of him. His exact words were "He isn't Batman, and he isn't Robin. So what is the point of him?" I could go on a LONG rant about all the way's that statement is stupid but pissed fans flooded DC with hate mail and Dick was saved. Though considering what happened to him in his solo book after he probably would have been better off dead.

Alexander Luthor: ...Prime, I need some help. Superboy-Prime: Yeah man? Alexander: I've...I've been TRYING to sort through Donna Troy's backstory, but it changes six times since I started reading up. Superboy-Prime: You want me to punch reali--- Alexander: NO. Clark. Do NOT. Please. The last time you did, it mutated three times as much.

Why is it that Linkara's speech about nostalgia seems much more impactful after the events of the last few months?

Well, it can't be THAT tough to figure out how old Batman is. I mean, Dick Grayson is age 12.

It's worth noting that Batman's also dealing with Jason Todd's return during all of this, the destruction of Bludhaven being a minor plot point in that story

The theory about the Anti-Monitor returning from the dead was much cooler than the actual reveal.

24:45 "The kind of evil that doesn't realize that it's evil, is the worst kind of evil there is."

Honestly.... Jay, Wally and Bart trying to push Prime into the Speed Force, only to have Barry, Max and Johnny Quick come and help Bart is one of my favourite Flash Family moments. Even if it was useless.

"Bruce is always right." I dunno. Forming a relationship with Talia al Ghul seemed pretty stupid in the long run. Good lord, it has been FAR too long since I heard the Superboy Prime voice. Thank you, Linkara, I didn't know I needed that. lol "How does it feel to be stupid?" Like I'm in Marville.

The theory about the Anti-Monitor being the big bad makes way more sense than it should. Crap, it's on par with Mr. Oz being Ozymandias or Jonathan Kent with how well it lines up, though in this case, it's not likely that it was changed like in *that* one.

Your old theory on the Anti-Monitor being the the villain of this event sounds so much more interesting! Certainly better then retconing Alexander Luthor, Jr into a bad guy.

“Nostalgia can be toxic.” Say no more, I get it. After learning about whiny purists, I totally get it!

So what you're saying Linkara, is that Pantha got fridged. Neat. On a side note, I'm glad you brought up how toxic nostalgia can be. It's actually still very relevant to today.

"nostalgia can be toxic", well said Linkara...well said. I can't speak for everybody, while I do miss the past (more specifically the 80's), I don't get obsessed over it.

I'm going to have to go with linkara on about the idea that the anti-monitor would or should have been the real villain of the story, the points that he made actually make some kind of sense, the OMAC's do have kind of vibe of being the anti-monitors shadow demons, the darkness that was effecting the DC universe, as did to what the superman from earth 2 and his group saw in their refuge might have been the anti-monitor rebuilding itself, and the tear in the space time Continuum out in space would have been a gateway for the anti-monitors return from his death in crisis on infinite earths, so in a way, it all somehow does make much more sense

Hey now, rejection is hard to take for some. Poor Joker, now the rest of the supervillains are gonna be gossiping behind his back :(

23:48 In fact, Johns suggested the Luthor-clone idea in a fan letter years before he was even writing for Superboy.

Lmao Brother Eye is Batman's Ultron.

The big difference to me between Johns and Quesada is that Johns doesn't seem to out and out hate the fans and he will try to find a way to keep them happy. Granted a lot of the time it will not work and it will make for a confusing story but i get the feeling that if he finds out the fans are not happy with a change he made because he thought it was a good idea he will at least try to get some version of what the fans want back into the universe. It makes things beyond confusing, but at least he tries unlike Quesada who seems to love laughing at the fans while he gives them false hope year after year that Peter and MJ will be getting back together.

Who here got reminded of how DC yanked the main-universe Wayne-Kyle marriage away from the readers, after months of build-up, because "Batman can't be happy?"

I really hated that the given reason Alexander Luthor was evil was because "he's Lex Luthor", which is stupid since 1. he's not Lex Luthor, he's Lex and Lois's son, and 2. that Lex was from Earth 3, where everyone's good/evil axis was reversed.

21:02-26:06 Yeah, I agree with you, Linkara. Nostalgia can be very toxic, but it doesn't have to be. I mean look at the many people who think that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season One) was so perfect, without realizing that it wasn't as great as they thought it was when they first saw is as children. Hell, even people who grew up watching Power Rangers Samurai and Super Samurai are starting to acknowledge that the shows were never that good when they premiered on TV, seven years ago. It's also like that with other classical properties and franchises that so many people were nostalgic for.

I completely agree with your statement about Geoff Johns. This railing against nostalgia and his use of strawman fans is so... hypocritical coming from a man who still can't properly justify bringing back Barry Allen. In the lead-up to DC Rebirth, DC posted a video where he justified his decision to bring back Hal Jordan, saying that Green Lantern just wasn't what it should be without the Corps, Sinestro and the like, and he had a point. But when he mentioned The Flash: Rebirth, he couldn't justify it with anything but "I like Barry Allen". That The Flash: Rebirth displaced Wally West from his role as the Flash didn't matter, so long as Johns got to bring Barry back (and yes, I know there were plans for Wally and his family that never came about). And his railing against the darkening of the DCU is weird given that the only way he could make Barry not boring was to darken the character, and that Johns himself loves violence. Of course, who knows. Maybe he's realised what he was doing, given DC Rebirth. DC Universe: Rebirth #1 has an uncanny resemblance to this story... but felt more honest. Instead of a weird rant against nostalgia and some fans from a writer who wallows in Silver Age nostalgia, it's an apology for editorial decisions that were apparently not Johns' choice, and an embracing of both the past *and* future. I hope Johns has grown past his Silver Age nostalgia, because I think he has a valuable perspective as both a big fan and prominent creator.

Lex being the DNA donor of Superboy was actually a speculation that was brought up way back in Superboys run (back when he still had the silly jacket and earring and was hanging out on Hawaii with Knockout and Dubbilex). Back then, a readers in the letters section said, that Superboy being cloned partly from Luthors DNA would make a lot of sense. The official response was "no, you are off, that's not what happened", but as you can see, the idea stuck around.

Wow. I think the "Nostaglia can be toxic" speech may be some of the best writing you've ever done for the show. Well done! ^_^

"Nostalgia can be toxic" Damn straight, Bart's nightmare, Melvin brother of the joker emo joe, nostalgia is pure poison

I think a better direction for the Superboy Prime character, at least from what I've been able to gather and please bare in mind that I am no expert on the subject, is if he accidentally tears off an arm or some other non-fatal attack, he stops. He is horrified at what he has done, as the clean future symbol of freedom and justice has just used his powers to actively hurt a Hero. He sees one of the Titans or three rushing over to help the injured, he hears the insults of other heroes, asking him what he was thinking and what he's actually trying to accomplish, people he's gotten to know through proxy thanks to observation. He is horrified that he went so far as to hurt another human being like that. So he turns himself in. He realizes then that in his quest for his 'earth', he's doing no better than many of the villains and 'heroes' he wants to 'help' by giving them that earth back. He wants to stop this needless fighting, and try and make right what he had done wrong. Because that's what Superman, HIS idea of Superman and what he wants to be, would do. Or, y'know, just keep punching and needlessly kill off characters while still thinking you're in the right, that works too. As someone who had not read those characters stories, it may not have hit me like it hit others, but it still feels wrong to have someone who wants to be a good person keep murdering after the first time, or even allowing him to do so at all without realizing the horrible, horrible implications.

I'm a bit confused by Geoff Johns. He seems to believe that superhero stories should be hopeful and optimistic but his stories are filled with pointless deaths and darker versions of old school characters.

21:34 Out of all the speeches you've made, this was one of the best ones. Second only to the Holy Terror one. I love nostalgic media as much as anyone else, but I don't keep it from letting me save the new and inventive shows, games, comics etc, that's being made. If I did, I don't think I'd be half the person I am today. And I'm not saying that you should go the other way either and completely decry everything that came before. Learn from the past. Embrace it. Maybe even try to improve things that were flawed at the time, but don't obsess over it. Find that sweet spot. That perfect balance. A fine job with this, Mr. Linkara.

That nostalgia speech is something a lot of gamers 20+ years old need to hear :V

Let's make a version of Infinite Crisis with the reveal of the Anti-Monitor being alive. And keep Pantha alive.

I really liked the Flash moment in story. To me the set up was done pretty well. After seeing how much damage Superboy Prime can do, it gets very tense watching Bart having the face him alone, only to have the surprise of Barry and the others arriving to help.

Thumbs up for a Superdickery reference. I miss that site's glory days. If only I had a time-travelling pope-mobile to go visit the past.

As a young Sith apprentice said, "Let the past die!"

You really hit the nail on the head Linkara about Toxic Nostalgia. I can't tell you how many times I've almost fallen into that trap, as many others have. The time I almost fell into it was when I used to watch videos by Ethan Van Schiver and Richard Meyer. If you don't know who those two are, they are the ones that ended up causing the whole Comicsgate incident. Originally, I watched Meyer just because I liked seeing him review bad comics, but then I started to notice something off as more videos were uploaded. He was starting to reveal that much like Superboy-Prime, he was stuck in the past, talking about how much better comics were when he was growing up, conveniently ignoring the entire reason why you have a show Linkara. I myself even thought that some of the comics he trashed didn't seem that bad, and after sampling some of them at a comic store, came to the conclusion that he was making them look much worse than they really were. EVS on the other hand I watched to see his artwork, which I liked seeing, at least until being exposed to Alex Ross, and seeing Jack Kirby's artwork as an adult as opposed to a kid. Much like Meyer, EVS also became like Superboy-Prime, in this case with The Last Jedi, which happens to be my least favorite Star Wars movie. At first, I was fine with his first video, since at the time, the divisiveness of the movie had not reached tis zenith yet. Then he started to act obsessed with the film, with the drawing videos all but disappearing. Much like Meyer, all he did and does now is complain about how much better things were back in the day, and worst started getting political with his constant mentions of SJW's and Soyboys. I stopped watching them, because I could feel them start to eat away at me, and I realized that I am not them. I did not want to fall in the same trap as they did, and that sometimes change is needed. I like the Kelvin Star Trek films, and am very devastated that the fourth film has been cancelled, I think that the new She-Ra is better than the original, a low bar to clear mind you, I will give Thundercats Ho! a chance, although I doubt I can catch more than three episodes on TV as it is airing on Cartoon Network, and although I may never like Squirrel Girl, at least Marvel decided to try something new with her. That being said, one must as well never forget the past, as he who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it. It is possible to remember and cherish the things you love, and at the same time accept that people may want to try something new with them. A lesson that our two real Superboy-Primes may never learn.

"Bruce is right... He's always right." Even when I read this story the first time with what little knowledge I had of the DCU, that line bugged me. Because Bruce definitely isn't always right, he makes poor choices all the damn time. If he was infallible in his decision making, Jason Todd wouldn't have died. Azrael would never have been Batman. HE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED TED KORD, A TEAMMATE HE WAS SHOWN TO RESPECT AND USED TO TRUST WITH HIS DAMN LIFE IN THE JLI. Even just within this story he's dropped the ball, since the narrative takes every chance it can to make it clear both that Bruce is responsible for the OMACs and that was a huge mistake. Bruce isn't always right. Timmverse Bruce though? You could make a strong case for him... Maybe? 5:10 now I'm just picturing an entire series based around Earth-2 Superman flying around the DCU, showing up during major events with no context or explanatory dialogue to give random heroes gibbering, epileptic fits with mind-shattering visions of the multiverse after giving them a "Boop!" on the nose, soundeffect and all, before flying on his merry way with no follow up explanation, just whistling to himself the whole time. And when it comes to the ultra-violence in that Superboy-Prime/Teen Titans scene - maybe if Johns had spent less time on the gorey and violent stuff in his stories that is epitomized in this scene and instead put more of that effort into giving us more "Fuck Yeah!", You Say Run style moments like the ones the Flashes get at the end of this scene, maybe people would be more fond of his writing...

"Nostalgia can be toxic" Looks at recent Sonic games.

ANd don't forget... Prime was also from the "real" world, so thats an extra baggage to his deeper insanity... cause to him, he is not really killing people, but fictional characters.... And wasn't there a tie-in book where Alex gives Prime a "push" to help his plans... by showing Prime's parents and girlfriend dying in a car-crash and tells him that if they bring back his earth... in a way, it is a like a twisted idea of how far Superman himself would go for the people he loves. We know he would turn back time if he could save Lois...

"Nostalgia can be toxic" I wish this wasn't the case, but you can really tell when it does start proving to be as such. It can rip a fandom in two.

The speech about Nostalgia being toxic is perhaps on par with why he hates Holy Terror.

Well speaking of superboy prime he actually has returned in death metal and finally did the right thing and became a hero again which that made me so happy 😀.

Regarding Linkara's speech on how nostalgia can be toxic, I've found that a LACK of nostalgia, not seeing the good things that came from the past, can be toxic as well. That isn't to say that I'm refuting Linkara's point, but rather that I believe people should look at the good and the bad in equal measure and judge people based on that. One of the biggest examples of what I mean can be found in that of Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. In recent years his legacy as the founder of the nation and arguably its greatest leader has been very much revisited and re-analyzed, with a great deal of attention brought to how unjust policies implemented under his time in office led to Canada's indigenous peoples suffering greatly for almost a hundred and fifty years, the scars of which can be strongly felt among indigenous communities even to this day. On one hand, the reaction to this renewed perspective has been positive: Statues of MacDonald have been replaced, his face was removed from the Canadian $10 bill in favour of civil rights activist Viola Desmond, and his name has been taken off several buildings and schools. On the other hand though, some people have taken this even further, calling him a ghoul and demonizing him as a one-dimensional monster, forgetting that if it weren't for MacDonald and his vision of seeing the Canadian colonies united together as a nation greater than the sum of its parts, Canada would most likely be a part of the United States today, something that I, as a Canadian, am very grateful did not come to pass. In the end, my point is that to look at the past and the events and people in it from only one side, to romanticize them as superior to what we have today or demonize them as progenitors of the evils of the present, is to never fully understand the bigger picture or get the true measure of who they were, how things were, and how they are today. People are complex, multi-faceted creatures, with different motivations for different actions and beliefs and ideas that are always changing, for better or worse. In essence, people are capable of good and bad in equal measure, which is why I believe they should be judged based on that. Whether MacDonald did more harm than good is a verdict I am not qualified to hand out, but I can confidently say that the people who defend or demonize him - or anyone/anything else with a checkered legacy - need to step off their soapboxes, strive to see things from the other side's point of view, and even take a look at how their own legacy will be seen before they pass judgement on anyone else. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Who else wants a story where Superboy Prime gets to do something that isn't destructive. Like, talk about his feelings and have a good cry. Not whine, but truly explore his thoughts and emotions, and have a proper cry, with sobbing and proper catharsis. Maybe see his parents again? Finally let go of his guilt and envy and hate and anger and jealousy and rage and regret and sadness, and just, fade away. Maybe revive Kal-L and his wife and let them go back to the paradise dimension, for good this time.

I'm just happy that bart allen (my favorite comic character ever) gets a big hero moment in this story, proving he's more than just a joke

"Nostalgia can be toxic" ...I would say an obvious statement here...but for now I'll just say Member Berries.

I've met guys that are as entitled as Superboy Prime and oh man are they hard to deal with.

Oh my gosh. I just realized something.............. ...............I remembered that the Lego DC Supervillains credit scene shows the Anti-monitor arriving on Apokolips, making his return as the next big threat.................. WAS THAT CREDIT SCENE A REFERENCE TO INFINITE CRISIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I can understand comics and other media that explore the toxic side of nostalgia (That is, pointing out that it can be taken to extreme & destructive levels and that it can prevent a person from trying new things), but it's irritating when companies seem to attack the very idea of nostalgia (That is, seeming to say, "The new stuff is great and if you prefer the older stuff, you're a stuck-up loser!") since a good part of their income comes from fans buying trade paperbacks of old issues and reprints of old graphic novels because they prefer the old stuff. ~picks up Scourge of the Underworld TPB~

6:12 Brother Eye Vs Granny Goodness. There's an interesting matchup. 8:20 I swear, might have been nice for Connor to point out that Prime's life was good too, but he had actual problems in his life, and he overcame them.

Okay, kooky idea about how to fix this book: Instead of having Prime and Alex just go full muwa-ha-ha in the second half of the story, conveniently having them forget their own morals...why didn't we reintroduce the Anti-Monitor *here?* Alex has already shoved the Anti-Monitor's corpse into the tower, and this story is all about chaos; why not have Alex and Prime start to realize the error of their ways, but because of the events they've already set into motion, the Anti-Monitor is suddenly given a second chance at life by their actions? I know that we needed to have Alex and Prime own their own sins. I know that we needed to have the speech about what it means to be Superman. And I know that having the Anti-Monitor be the puppeteer behind these events by influencing them or the like cheapens that. So why not have the Anti-Monitor make it clear that he *only* began to stir *after* Alex and Prime started this chain? The idea is pretty simple: Alex wants to create a perfect Earth, so he shoves the Anti-Monitor's corpse in the tuning fork and surrounds it with heroes. Then, have *him* fashion the Prime-Monitor armor from that tech, and gives it to Prime to store in a sub-space pocket for when he's in an emergency, activated by a watch or something. Have Prime break out the armor once the fight with the Titans starts to go south for him--throw in a line about "you're making me into a bad guy, just like all of you!" and have him boast about the extra power the armor provides him in a pinch. Then: that's when the Anti-Monitor begins to stir. Have a subtle telegraph of that be a gleam in Prime's eye that artistically resembles the original artwork on the Anti-Monitor's eyes. Then Prime gets shoved into the Speed Force, yadda-yadda. Cut ahead to where Alex is talking to Psycho-Pirate, but have him actually be sorry about Lois, and have him start to finally get cold feet about this whole thing. But then...the Psycho Pirate hears a mysterious call: the voice of his old master. It compels Psycho Pirate to influence influence Alex into fearful obedience, and they both hear the psychic command of the Anti-Monitor, decrepit within the tower, but once again alive. It tells Alex that it was very much dead, but Alex hooking his body back up to a lot of his old tech has unknowingly rebooted him. He's still an absolute wreck, but his being has begun to spread throughout Alex's tech, which is all connected to the tower--the Prime armor included. Alex tries to defy the Anti-Monitor's will, but the Anti-Monitor bids he continue the work he began, but this time, to create an Earth perfect for the Anti-Monitor to rule, the Anti-Monitor controlling his machines now and making all the preparations for him. Alex is now a prisoner to the Psycho-Pirate, and the Psycho-Pirate once again a prisoner of the Anti-Monitor's will. And so he sets about the dastardly work, his nostalgic dream realized as a nightmare. The Anti-Monitor continues spreading the arm of his influence, though he is having to push past his own current limits to do so, indicating the strength of his determination and will. He begins mutating the tech in Prime's armor from even across dimensions, causing the armor to physically graft itself on to his skin, and allows the Anti-Monitor to fully insert its living mind into a much more suitable new body. This will, of course, require some events to be shuffled around, but I don't see why the "this is what it means to be Superman" speech can't go to Conner and not E-1 Clark. But this way, everybody's still responsible for their own mistakes, you can still see the corruption of an attempted return-to-form, and you still get an awesome final boss instead of two half-well-written ones.

The horrible murders committed by Superboy Prime, and in fact all of his actions here, prove that he's not suited to replace Connor as Superboy. Connor may be teenager angry, and impulsive, and moody. But Superboy Prime has no control. Connor, whatever his faults, controls himself better. Superboy Prime tears people to pieces, and then cries that he didn't mean to do it.

22:06 - People that complain about the remake of Secret of Mana or the future gens of Pokémon should seriously take this to heart.

Why didn't they just have the Anti-Monitor return or at least reveal that he's reforming himself and was manipulating events to ensure his victory this time around? It makes perfect sense and would have made an awesome twist. The best surprises are the ones that you have to think about, to put together random pieces that seem out of order.

The Purple Death Ray is clearly called that because it's meant for *PEACEFUL PURPOSES ONLY.*

EVERYTHING WAS BETTER ON MY EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Nostalgia… can be toxic. Now, bear in mind, I didn’t say that it IS toxic, but that it CAN be toxic." Words to live by.

The impression I get of Superman is simple. He will defend anyone he can or at least try his damnest to do so but he will not dictate laws. The most he will do is advise but even then as a unofficial dictator of the world. He believes that he should leave humanity to its own fate but also be there because he believes they can do right whilst also being around for the more icky issues that come with change. In many ways, like Batman and the Joker, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor are polar opposites. Superman believes in rightiousness and might does right whereas Luthor is a corrupt psychopath who believes in might makes right and that, just because he's Luthor, he is superior to all others.

Dick Grayson is the light of the batfamily

1:52 Lex be like “*Vegeta voice* Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine MineMineMine!”

You know, the speech about toxic nostalgia made me understand the appeal of the whole “Make America Great Again” ethos a bit better. Don’t get me wrong I still think it’s vile, but how people get swept up in it makes a bit more sense to me now.

I miss Pantha. Cheetah shouldn't be DC's only full-blooded catgirl. :(

"Nostalgia...can be toxic." *UM* ...that foreshadowing...

I understand, that realistically, putting a cape and spandex on teenagers is a bad idea, so if superheroes were real, yeah, the Titans and Legion would probably have a body count similar to the one they have in the books, but considering “suspension of disbelief” says that people like Superman and Batman are willing to trust a bunch of high schoolers to kick ass and take names on their own, is it really necessary for DC to kill off the Titans and Legion as much as they do? And to do so, so brutally? Jeez, what does DC have against it’s own teen heroes?

18:50 That, I think, can be best explained with something The Question said in the Justice League Unlimited episode 'Question Authority'. And I quote: "Everything that exists has a specific nature. Each entity exists as something in particular and has characteristics that are part of what it is. 'A' is 'A', and no matter what reality he calls home, Luthor is Luthor." :End quote. The idea here is that while Alexander Luthor may have started out as a noble and good-hearted character, he eventually succumbed to the traits inherent to Lex Luthor across the DC Multiverse. The vast majority of alternate universe Lex Luthors are as greedy, narcissistic, petty, and megalomaniacal as the mainstream one (if not more so in some cases), so why would this one be any different?

I love the talky bit around 20:47 and superboy prime. It is a problem occuring in my life right now with a person who I want her to reason with herself, about obsessive impulses and combining that with her stubborness of achieving things to lie. to make life easier for her to continue to lie. not caring shes hurting others she does NOT want others to find out how shes doing it to make the earth evolve around her.

wow, that Nostalgia monologue bit... too real! thank you for making it

"Nostalgia can be toxic" Normally I'd make a joke about the Gen 1nners of pokemon with that quote...I feel like I should be thanking you for saying that Linkara, since without that speech, I doubt I would've seen what I've been doing wrong recently...Thank you

In regards to Geoff Johns. Sad as it is Johns is very similar to Joe Casada. Both want to take comics back to what it was when they were young. To rest comics back to when they enjoyed it because they think that is what kids will identify with. The big difference between the two is as a writer Johns is willing to do the work to get to that point. Green Lantern Rebirth, Flash Rebirth, etcetera. Casada as editor however prefers taking short cuts that instantly reset things.

"Dude's got issues." Yes, that just about sums it up there.

I like superboy prime. I've always liked the idea that if superman ever took the kid gloves off everyone would be ducked. He's always nerfing himself so swing prime show how badly he can wreck things is awesome and a great villain. A child who never grew up properly and has the power to make things the way he wants it. So he goes and does it

2:39 It's funny you mention Phil Jimenez's work here, because while his artwork here is great (like most of his work is, frankly), Infinite Crisis was probably his least favorite project to work on. I met Jimenez at a convention a few years back and I asked him if he had some say in the writing process, especially knowing how Wonder Woman was portrayed in it, but he told me that he didn't have a say in it. In fact, he was opposed to some of the things DC was doing at the time of this story, and it almost got him fired from DC.

If anyone is just here for the speech, here are the time stamps. 21:22 - 26:06

21:34 hit me in a way I wasn't expecting. That's something I really needed to hear at this point in my life. I actually teared up a little bit. Thank you, Linkara. Thank you.

"Dis is de deadly anty-monitor, he is very dangerous, we must deal wit it" *activates hydraulic press* *Wife laughing in the back*

16:40 well now we need a top 15 silliest things we've seen in AT4W

Oh god. That would be the most hilarious and surprising twist ever, if the perfect world is just Marvel.

and seeing you comment on the saints row fandom on twitter, i again am reminded of the toxic nostalgia speech that, well fits the saints row fandom like a glove. one of your finest and frankly, most needed.

Nothing’s better than a giant penny........ except a giant green t-Rex

That whole nostalgia thing fits well with fans of Star Wars.

Your speech at 21:33 is honestly probably the most memorable thing, to me, that you've said or done. It's a really good speech!

You know, it speaks to your abilities as the shows host and an entertainer in general when I, a simple viewer, accidentally watch part 2 before part 1 and am not left in a state of confusion due to your ability to effectively convey all I need to know without me having to go back and watch part 1. T.l.d.r: your mad talented bro

Around the 22 minute mark I realised Lewis wasn't just talking about comics anymore.

Re: Alternate Reality Kryptonians Pre-Crisis, Kryptonians were only affected by kryptonite from THEIR universe. That's one of the things that makes Stupidboy Prime tougher, since HIS Krypton was swallowed by Rao when it expanded, so kryptonite-prime was never created. Plus, he seems to have a higher resistance to magic as well. About the only way to depower him is exposure to red solar radiation.

I hope the next event DC comic this month is -Countdown- 52 now!

You left out the best joke! "Don't you get it? Joker's too wild!" Then joker murders him and growls "That's not funny." It's hilarious. Secret files and origins is absolutely essential to the story. If you only read one tie in book it must be that one. I don't get your aversion to tie ins, as they make up a large portion of almost every event comic. A few are usually most important, but getting all those angles on the same story is the best part. I love when they show the same event from different perspectives and coordinate the action correctly. I love your opinion of retcons at the end here, it's brilliant and very well stated. This is the kind of analysis Final Crisis deserved. It's obvious that you respect his work more, and I'm very pleased by how few comments I made. Excellent work. This is why I am a fan of yours.

"Nostalgia can be toxic." I'm pretty sure I was not the only one who thought of the Member berries?

Am I the only one refreshing the ATFW KZfaq page every 30 seconds hoping to get part 3?? ;) ;)

Superboy Prime... they... really did a number with him 😕

Damn, that anti-monitor theory was awesome!

22:40 Linkara, sometimes you sound like a therapist. An amazing one. I doubt you'll see this, but you're one of the smartest people online.

That's a pretty cool idea you had for the reveal being a revived Anti-Monitor. Hell, going that route probably would've explained how he showed up as part of the Sinestro Corps, because as awesome as that whole event was, him returning was a bit headscratching for me, especially since, to the best of my knowledge, there was never an actual explanation for how he came back to life.

21:35 Basically sums up my relationship with my now ex. Thanks for inadvertently pointing it out to me Linkara. You sure have a way with words.

Solid analysis, man. Also, goddamn, look at me, tearing up at the memory of the Flash family scene.