Category 19: Superhero Powers

Note: Eric did the write-up, I added some Editor's Notes, the picture, and link.

Derrick	Richard	Khurram	Eric
Superman’s Invulnerability	Superman’s X-Ray Vision	Spidey Sense	Hiro Nakamura’s Teleportation
Goku’s Instant Transmission	Wolverine’s Regeneration	Jumper Teleportation	Hancock’s Invulnerability
Professor X’s Telepathy	Gambit’s Supercharge	Highlander Immortality	Superman’s Strength

The all important task of doing the write up of this category was bestowed upon me. As the “guest writer” of this category I will attempt (but probably fail) to uphold the high quality standard of writing that we have all come to expect from Richard (First of many Editor's Notes: But at least we know everything will be grammatically correct).

When Richard told me about his idea of the fantasy draft, and asked if I thought any other categories should be added to the list that he had compiled, I immediately thought a category about super hero powers was a must. Needless to say, this was the category that I had been looking forward to the most when the draft finally came. This was the category that I had put the most thought in to, the category that I was the most prepared for (the women category was a close second). I say this to expose my bias towards my own picks. However, I will try to be as fair as possible and give credit to picks that I believe truly are stronger than my own. I will also be brutally honest when pointing out poor choices. Let us begin:

Round 1

Derrick: Superman’s Invulnerability. Derrick starts off strong with a good and solid pick. You can’t really go wrong with taking the Man of Steel’s ability to withstand explosions, have bullets bounce off of you, or simply break the hand of a thug simply by allowing him to punch you. Derrick assures that he won’t be killed off very easily with this strong first round quality pick.

Richard: Superman’s X-Ray Vision. Richard must have been caught off guard by this category. X-Ray Vision is a neat trick, but taking it as a first round pick in a category about super powers shows a lack of knowledge of comic books and super powers in general. It seems like the kind of power that a hormonally overcharged adolescent boy would choose so that he can look into the girl’s locker room. Stick to your sports realm, Ito (EDITORS NOTE: I agree for the most part. I gave almost no thought to this category coming in. Though I will certainly cop to the perv angle to this whole thing, treating the category for humor, the main reason this popped into my head was for gambling purposes considering we were headed to Vegas and I’m addicted to it. I don’t know that I’d use it for blackjack, as that might take the thrill out of the game. However, cleaning up at Poker tournaments would be awesome).

Khurram: Spidey Sense. Khurram follows Richard’s weak pick with a weak one of his own. At best, this power should have gone in the third round. Don’t get me wrong, being able to sense danger is a great power to have. But why not go with invulnerability so that you don’t really need to worry about the danger? All this allows is a tingling sensation when danger is near. You don’t know what the danger is, where it’s coming from, or when it will hit. Stick to your programming realm.

Eric: Hiro Nakamura’s Teleportation. Being able to teleport anywhere at any time is a good power to have. The benefits are numerous. Just think, being able to get anywhere instantly allows you to rush to the aide of a damsel in distress. It also allows you to escape a dangerous situation. Don’t feel like walking? Just teleport to get to where you want to go. I know that some people may say that Hiro’s power is not always reliable - that it craps out on him when he needs it the most. But I say that I’m taking the badass-future-post-apocalyptic-ninja-sword-wielding version of Hiro’s power. I must admit, I probably wouldn’t have taken this power in the first round if I didn’t have the very next pick in the second round.

Overall impressions of Round 1: I would have to say that Derrick just slightly takes this round over me. Richard and Khurram had poor picks that didn’t even put then in contention.

Round 2

Eric: Hancock’s Invulnerability. In my pre-planning brainstorming sessions for this category, I had originally wanted Superman’s invulnerability, but Derrick beat me to the punch. But upon reflection, I think that was probably a good thing. As I was cursing him for taking my first choice of powers, I thought about other invulnerabilities and decided on Hancock. Hancock’s invulnerability is just as good, if not better, than Superman’s invulnerability – even with weaknesses aside, such as kryptonite and the need for the yellow sun. Hancock’s invulnerability has allowed him to live for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Superman ages, and presumably will eventually die (I saw an episode of Batman Beyond where Superman had aged).

Eric: Superman’s Strength. That’s right, me again, bitches. Remember, Khurram traded his 2^nd round pick to me so that he could have first pick for the vices category. I decide to take the strength of the strongest guy in comic book history. Who else could lift a continent? Alright, it may not have been a fully developed continent, but it was certainly a large land mass. This selection completes my selections and makes me quite the badass. I’m stronger than anyone else, can’t be killed, and can show up anywhere at anytime. (Editor's Note: Quick Trade Analysis- Eric couldn't have said it much better in his Round 3 comments, but I just thought I would say that this is an excellent example of two people knowing exactly what they wanted out of certain categories and creatively achieving their goals. I applaud both Eric and Khurram).

Richard: Wolverine’s Regeneration. Richard starts showing some knowledge of super powers with this pick, and slightly redeems himself from his earlier selection. On the plus side, this power has allowed Wolverine to live a very long time. It also will prevent illnesses. On the negative, when damage is inflicted, pain is still felt. Without the adamantium skeleton, more damage will be inflicted and death is possible. Why subject yourself to the negatives of this power when some form of invulnerability would have given you all the positives and none of the negatives? (Editor’s Note: Another form of invulnerability, you say? To highlight my complete ignorance of this category, I didn’t know another superhero even had invulnerability as a power (Dreaded parentheses inside parentheses comment- I’ve never seen Hancock). And um, you know what they say, “No pain, no gain”. Yeah, I pretty much suck!)

Derrick: Goku’s Instant Transmission. I must admit off the bat that I’m not familiar with this power because I don’t watch Japanese cartoons that send small children into seizures. According to Derrick, this is basically a super sized teleportation power. Wikipedia defines it as teleportation on a planetary scale. They go on to say how it is achieved: “where Goku would focus his index and middle finger together towards his forehead and concentrate on a location he could sense through clairvoyant means through the practice of Qi Gong/Ki that is prevalent in the Anime/Dragonball Z universe. Also known as Shunkan Idō.” (Editor’s Note: Had I gone with anime picks I might have been better off, seeing as how I’ve seen a lot more of that. But I figured, there was no point in going with powers no one has ever heard of. Kudos to Derrick for doing just that)

Overall impressions of Round 2: All selections were solid picks. You had two teleportation powers and 2 powers that allow for a longer life. I will have to give the round to me for Hancock’s invulnerability.

Round 3

Derrick: Professor X’s Telepathy. Derrick demonstrates his knowledge of comic books by finishing this category with his third solid pick – and with a selection that could have been respectable in the first round. Professor X may be one of the strongest telepaths in the comic book world. This ability allows him to read thoughts and even control people’s minds and actions. Truly a great power. With that being said, there are some draw backs. First, this is telepathy, not to be confused with telekinesis. Telepathy does not allow you to move anything with your mind. This is more of a clarification than a draw back. Next, when Professor X is controlling someone else’s mind, he is in a state of concentration that essentially incapacitates him. In other words, he isn’t exactly going about his daily business while controlling someone else. But I suppose the big negative aspect of this power is that it can all be negated if you just wear a metal helmet (which is what Magneto does). Still, a great pick.

Richard: Gambit’s Supercharge. Richard finally shows up to this fight and picks a power that is worthy of my admiration. Certainly not a power that should have gone any sooner than the 3^rd round, but definitely a great pick considering Richard’s prior selections. This power allows Gambit to charge up any item, be it a deck of playing cards, staff, or a handful of whatever can be grabbed and then cause it to explode. Plus, Richard chooses the power from a superhero whose very name captures Richard’s gambling spirit. Too bad it took Richard three rounds to finally catch on (Editor’s note: WOOHOO!).

Khurram: Jumper’s Teleportation. Khurram finally gets another selection after having to sit out the second round due to his lust for women and desire to have first crack at the vice category. Once again, this is a power that I’m not very familiar with. From what I could find, it sounds like the standard teleportation. Wikipedia didn’t have much to say about it, other than it is caused by a genetic abnormality. I really don’t have any criticism of this power, as my first pick was for teleportation. But what I thought was funny when Khurram picked this, was his rationale for pairing it with his Spidey Sense. Correct me if I’m wrong, but he said that once his Spidey Sense started to tingle, he would just teleport somewhere else. What kind of superhero is he trying to be? It sounds like he just wants to be able to run and save his own skin. Oh, that’s right – this is Khurram (Editor’s Note: I’ve never seen the movie, but I though you had to have been to the place at least once in order to teleport there)..

Khurram: Highlander Immortality. This power allows you to basically live forever. A Highlander can only be killed if their head is removed. Even if this weakness was omitted from our draft, this power was a weak choice. Just like Wolverine’s invulnerability, this power does not prevent pain. Wounds do heal, but what about massive ones, like the loss of limbs? (Editor’s Note: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, anyone?- (3 minute mark)) Go up against the wrong opponent, and you could find yourself living a very pathetic existence for all eternity. Why not just go with invulnerability?

Overall impressions of round 3: Even though Derrick gets a great pick in this round, I still have to give the round to Richard. Probably because I was surprised at the unexpected great pick. It was almost like overlooking the kid who gets A grades all the time to give all the attention to the kid who is a failure at everything but brings home one test that they earned a C on (Editor’s Note: Damn Straight! And the teacher in Eric shines through).

Overall impressions of this category: It would be hard to argue who wins this category, so long as you are arguing between me and Derrick. We essentially have the same powers after the first two picks, and only deviated on the third. I suppose you have to consider which would be a greater power – strength or telepathy. You also need to consider the purpose for acquiring these powers. Are we going to have a fight to the death? Will we be in charge of saving humanity? Will we be teaming up or fighting solo? Whatever the answers may be, this was definitely one of the better categories of this draft.

Editor’s Thoughts and Impressions: First off, I would be remiss if I did not thank Eric for filling in for me on this category. After getting pretty hit pretty hard in this review, I think its safe to say that this is the one category that I could not write even semi- intelligently on. Besides Superman’s powers, and a random power from an X-Man I know pretty much nothing. Had someone taken any of the powers I selected, I would’ve been up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Besides, taking a couple of weeks off of writing has recharged my batteries and I’m ready to resume my duties. So again, thanks to Eric for a well written, funny, and at times, scathing write up. It was nice reading someone else’s impressions for a change. I enjoyed it immensely.

Before I get to the category, let me just address the picture up there. Hopefully I didn't blasphemy the category by posting it, but I thought it would be interesting to point out that when I searched for Superman in Google images, that was the first picture that came up. Anyways, as for the category itself, I agree that without setting up parameters for this category (or even the draft as a whole) makes it difficult to determine who “won” this category, though its definitely not me. That being said, I kind of like not having set parameters, just as those blessed with powers must make a choice as to how to best utilize them, we kind of get the same choice in picking our powers for specific reasons.