Muscle Mystery Clues For Flex
Mr. R.I.N.G.
Having been obssesed with Flex Mentallo, I figured the least we could do
here at the group is help solve the mysteries in the comic as only
readers can, since Flex is stuck in the comic.
Upon searching, my brotherman CRED and I found some amazing stuff! What
it all means, I am less sure of...
Issue 1
1) On page 5, bottom panel: the bomb, a red shoe & three suitcases form a
pentagram of which Flex is in the middle (more or less). Is Morrison
invoking the Muses, or just amusing them?
2) On page 10, the Waxworkers melting flesh immulates that of Wally Sage
in the rain in issue two, page one, and Flex's hand while he is losing
his identity, issue two, page 6.
3) On page 11, there is a dead goldfish on the counter, which could be
the goldfish in issue two.
4) On page 12, Flex's room is complete with seven doors in the back.
5) On page 14, the quote " You're getting rather old, but your a good
cat" is like a line in Pink Floyd's Bike. As well, Wally Sage feeds his
cat lamb and turkey, which is one of the five heads of the supervillian
from issue two.
6) On page 15, Robot walking with blond woman who looks like Robotman
from Doom Patrol; he even has a C (for Cliff) on his chest. Also, Unknown
Soldier looks like he is looking for love from the crutches lady. Man who
was beaten holds up a badge that is a B in a picture of a bird.
7) On page 20, one of the leaderless sidekicks has the bird badge on his
costume that was torn off by the beat up man on page 15.
Issue 2
8) On page 8, Nannoman is in a box of McFly's Matches. This is
interesting, because background graffitti saying McFly is in many
backgrounds, and Nannoman's sidekick Minimiss is most likely the little
flying person from issue one (her wings are the same).
9) On page 10, the sign that says "Gents" is similar to the sign at
Wally's school that said "Boys" in issue one.
10) On page 22, the the white haired gentleman the golden age Flex who
has been missing in action? I was sure he was a Superman nod at first,
but then CRED pointed out the bottom panel on pg 22 in which the white
haired man and Flex are back-to-back and they look exactly the same.
Maybe he will show up again. As well, the whole bar scene has the amusing
background sight comedy of the two guys arguing and one getting the
family jewels manhandled.
Anybody notice any other intersting connections?
Mr. R.I.N.G.
CEO of the Eastern Westly Comic Fan Club and Snack Bar
MC Grammar
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.96053...@panther.Gsu.EDU>, "Mr.
R.I.N.G." <gs0...@panther.Gsu.EDU> writes:
>Anybody notice any other intersting connections?
>
>Mr. R.I.N.G.
Not a connection per se, but in the same bar scene you mention, there's an
interesting bit of background business. In addition to the white-haired
gentleman, there's a strapping young Aryan type who's also reading a
newspaper. As the white-haired man is leaving, he and the younger man
exchange a rather significant look. They both leave.
A homosexual pickup? Two spies camouflaging themselves behind newspapers?
Just another detail Morrison has thrown in to occupy his obessed fans?
Jill
MC Grammar
Spurlocobb
>10) On page 22, the the white haired gentleman the golden age Flex who
>has been missing in action? I was sure he was a Superman nod at first,
>but then CRED pointed out the bottom panel on pg 22 in which the white
>haired man and Flex are back-to-back and they look exactly the same.
>Maybe he will show up again.
When the "white-haired gentleman"/Superman lookalike is leaving, a blonde
crewcut guy in a red sweater is getting up from his table in the
background. He also has the manly Flex build. This may just be a
stereotypical he-man/superhero build that Quitely is using for the series.
On the other hand, everyone else in the bar looks like he's on the skids,
so I suspect these two mysterious he-men (strangely ignored by Flex) are
really incognito members of Faculty X or the Legion of Legions.--Duane
Stephane Bura
In article <4op80a$1...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, spurl...@aol.com
(Spurlocobb) wrote:
> so I suspect these two mysterious he-men (strangely ignored by Flex) are
> really incognito members of Faculty X or the Legion of Legions.--Duane
That's exactely what I thought when I read it.
It reminded me so much of a Claremont "X-men at rest" scene that I felt
it was obvious.
--
Stephane Bura bu...@laforia.ibp.fr
I could put something in French here if I wanted to.
Adam Lou Stephanides
spurl...@aol.com (Spurlocobb) writes:
>When the "white-haired gentleman"/Superman lookalike is leaving, a blonde
>crewcut guy in a red sweater is getting up from his table in the
>background. He also has the manly Flex build. This may just be a
>stereotypical he-man/superhero build that Quitely is using for the series.
>On the other hand, everyone else in the bar looks like he's on the skids,
>so I suspect these two mysterious he-men (strangely ignored by Flex) are
>really incognito members of Faculty X or the Legion of Legions.--Duane
My guess is that they're Superman and Miracleman.
--Adam
MATTHEW Z. WOOD
To be honest, I thought that these guys were super heroes. While
the astronaut is raving that "they could be watching us this minute!"
they are quietly listening to every word he says. That was my assumption,
for what it's worth.
To move this to a question of substance, why is it that Flex keeps
ignoring the doomsayers- the Cobalt bomb guy, the astronaut. This
intrigues me, since Flex's job (he is a super hero) should be saving the
world, and it's passing him by. I don't have any answers I'm sure of
(surprise, surprise. Ambiguity is this book's trademark) but I'm curious
as to other people's thoughts.
TTFN,
-Matt
Tannhauser
On Sun, 2 Jun 1996, MATTHEW Z. WOOD wrote:
> To move this to a question of substance, why is it that Flex keeps
> ignoring the doomsayers- the Cobalt bomb guy, the astronaut. This
> intrigues me, since Flex's job (he is a super hero) should be saving the
> world, and it's passing him by. I don't have any answers I'm sure of
> (surprise, surprise. Ambiguity is this book's trademark) but I'm curious
> as to other people's thoughts.
>
Well, I rather felt that the point was that Mentallo's brand of
world-saving simply isn't relevant. After all, you can defeat the
Mentallium Man as often as you like, but if there is something much
bigger and nastier overhead, what is the point? There are things going on
which do not really fit into Flex's worldview, and which he therefore
does not deal with. I refer you to his brief conversation with the
prostitute.....
Zen, Philosopher-at-Large
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.96053...@panther.Gsu.EDU>,
Mr. R.I.N.G. <gs0...@panther.Gsu.EDU> wrote:
>1) On page 5, bottom panel: the bomb, a red shoe & three suitcases form a
>pentagram of which Flex is in the middle (more or less). Is Morrison
>invoking the Muses, or just amusing them?
Cool... I did not notice that.
>4) On page 12, Flex's room is complete with seven doors in the back.
What's the reason for that, do you think?
>6) On page 15, Robot walking with blond woman who looks like Robotman
>from Doom Patrol; he even has a C (for Cliff) on his chest. Also, Unknown
>Soldier looks like he is looking for love from the crutches lady. Man who
>was beaten holds up a badge that is a B in a picture of a bird.
Yep. But I don't think he's really a robot, he just looks like Cliff's
robot body... another nod. This book is full of nods...
>Anybody notice any other intersting connections?
Issue 1:
"Mreeeoww!! Give it to me!! That's what cats say!"
Issue 2:
"Mreeeoww!! Give it to me!! Lovely milk for Killer Kitten!"
Also, Lord Limbo, the Spectre-like dude with the cyclops eye, is
recurring throughout the whole book.
Mike
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
|Zen, philosopher-at-large |Listen To Zen Chaos Fridays at Midnight WPIR ch.38|
|mik...@wpi.edu |<A HREF="http://www.wpi.edu/~mikecap/">My Home</A>|
|__________________________|__________________________________________________|
Andrew Boer
My question,
Is the story of the Golden Age creator Ashley Dubois true or
fictional?
I was assuming it was true, but the implausible WWII titles, and names
like Chuck Fiasco and Ashley Dubois (A combination of Gone with the
Wind and Streetcar named Desire for a Southern gentleman) suggested
that this might have been parody.
Is it?
Mr. R.I.N.G.
> >4) On page 12, Flex's room is complete with seven doors in the back.
>
> What's the reason for that, do you think?
>
pentagram of materials in the first issue, so there is the symbology of
evoking forces that are outside his control (faculty X?). There are seven
doors, and I think that is a signifigant and holy number for the
Kabbahlah. My outta sight guess would thus be for Flex having access in
himself due to Muscle Mystery the answers for the questions he seeks.
I would be interested to see what others think it could be!!!
Mr. R.I.N.G.
MATTHEW Z. WOOD
That makes sense to me in general terms. Flex's general
obliviousness has been one of the more perplexing and interesting aspects
of the book thus far. IMHO, of course.
However, the conversation with the prostitute was to me a very
telling scene. Whatever Flex's inadequacies, he is not completely unaware
of the world around him. He picks up on the fact that "she" is man
("...who might not appreciate your alternative style of dress") and that
"she" has just propositioned him. He is neither upset by nor responsive
to either fact. Also, many people seem to recognize that Flex is a hero,
or at least has the potential to be the real thing. Doesn't the world
need a few smiling idealists able to fight the Mentallium Man?
Also, the overdose scene interests me as well. Everyone knows
that Flex should be able to help, to save the day. They move back, as he
cradles the boy in his arms and searches for the magic word that might
save the boy's life... and finds he's lost it. Flex has to make some
fundamental changes if he is going to live up to Wally Sage's expectations
and truly save his world. However, it seems like a choice between the
apocalyptic Legion of Legions, the terrible gangs of Roving Sidekicks,
and... Flex. Of course, this may all change with the next issue. Given
the fundamental strangeness of the book, I would not be at all surprised.
TTFN,
-Matt
Charis Fava
Matthew L Weber
MC Grammar (mcgr...@aol.com) wrote:
: Not a connection per se, but in the same bar scene you mention, there's an
: interesting bit of background business. In addition to the white-haired
: gentleman, there's a strapping young Aryan type who's also reading a
: newspaper. As the white-haired man is leaving, he and the younger man
: exchange a rather significant look. They both leave.
I think the strapping young fellow is Clark Kent...wasn't there some
thinly veiled reference to Superman in the text of the scene?
--
Matthew L. Weber
Library Assistant
University of Michigan Music Library
If triangles made a god, they would give him three sides.
Charles Montesquieu, 1689-1755, _Personal Letters_
MC Grammar
In article <4p6lic$q...@lastactionhero.rs.itd.umich.edu>, mwe...@umich.edu
(Matthew L Weber) writes:
>: Not a connection per se, but in the same bar scene you mention, there's
an
>: interesting bit of background business. In addition to the white-haired
>: gentleman, there's a strapping young Aryan type who's also reading a
>: newspaper. As the white-haired man is leaving, he and the younger man
>: exchange a rather significant look. They both leave.
>
>I think the strapping young fellow is Clark Kent...wasn't there some
>thinly veiled reference to Superman in the text of the scene?
"The supermen are here." Yes, but I'm less concerned with the identities
of the two men than with the glance they exchange on p. 22. Yet another
background detail that will probably have greater significance later on.
(We Invisibles fans have learned to be patient, no?)
Jill
Mr. R.I.N.G.
>
> Not a connection per se, but in the same bar scene you mention, there's an
> interesting bit of background business. In addition to the white-haired
> gentleman, there's a strapping young Aryan type who's also reading a
> newspaper.
think that the sweater the blond guy has gives him a resemblence to
Miracle Man. In the original British incarnation, his name was Marvel
Man, which was changed due to supposed copyright infringement with Marvel
Comics. As well, during the Golden Age, Captain Marvel/Shazam was the
main competion with Superman in terms of the muscled he-man hero of the
classic mold. If the Golden Age Flex is almost the Superman of his
universe, then using him and a Miracle/Marvel Man exchanging a romantic
glance could both encompase the love/hate relationship between the Man of
Steel and the Big Red Cheese, and it could encompase the idea of the
muscled he-man hero from the classic form of Superman to the
deconstruction of Miracle Man as almost a homage.
Mr. R.I.N.G.
Chris Eckert
Mr. R.I.N.G. (gs0...@panther.Gsu.EDU) wrote:
: Having been obssesed with Flex Mentallo, I figured the least we could do
: here at the group is help solve the mysteries in the comic as only
: readers can, since Flex is stuck in the comic.
: Upon searching, my brotherman CRED and I found some amazing stuff! What
: it all means, I am less sure of...
Adding a couple of pretty pointless things I noticed meself...
issue #2
-pg 7: the scaled guy who was taken into police HQ in issue #1 is up in
the satellite.
-pg 8: young Wallace is drawing what looks like a simplified version of
the eighth page of the 1st issue.
-pg 9: the crossword puzzle drops out of Flex's pocket at the Paranoid
Cobalt Guy begins to split off into infinite versions of himself, just
like Wally's cigarette does in issue #1, pg 23...at least, that's my take
on the multi-exposure shots...maybe they're just to show movement, but
Wally comments on it on pg 23...but Wally's on drugs.
-pg 10: there's a caped dog being kicked severely in the bottom panel.
the same dog shows up dead in front of the bar on page 18.
-pg 22: the paper the big grey stranger is reading is the same one that
Flex is reading on page 22 of issue #1...which *might* be the paper that
the "secret word" is in, it's hard to tell from the progression of the
issue...
-also notice that there is, at most, one female in issue #2, superheroes
excepted...is this going to turn into a "only boys read comics" sort of
motif or something?
these were probably glaringly obvious to everyone else, but I thought
they were neat.
Shawn Hill
: Is the story of the Golden Age creator Ashley Dubois true or
: fictional?
: I was assuming it was true, but the implausible WWII titles, and names
: like Chuck Fiasco and Ashley Dubois (A combination of Gone with the
: Wind and Streetcar named Desire for a Southern gentleman) suggested
: that this might have been parody.
: Is it?
:
since Flex is based on the "Hero of the Beach" ad for isometrics that used
to run in comics in the '60s and '70s, I would have to say, uhm, yes, that
text page "background" is, in fact, not strictly true.
Though isn't the idea of a Golden Age Flex fun?
shawn
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I see my long lost home in his eyes/
he sees a nice hotel in mine"
--j. hatfield,
"forever baby"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
sh...@husc.harvard.edu Shawn Hill
Len Schiff
The text pages are hysterical and totally over the top. "Impale me on
your trident like a maggot?" HAHAHAHAHA Too cool.
--
Cheers,
Len Schiff "I never speak in big and complicated
ways,
......lhs...@is.nyu.edu "But this is big and complicated."
-Bed and Sofa
Stephen J. De Young
In article <4vkvdf$2...@decaxp.harvard.edu>, sh...@husc7.harvard.edu (Shawn
Hill) wrote:
> since Flex is based on the "Hero of the Beach" ad for isometrics that used
> to run in comics in the '60s and '70s, I would have to say, uhm, yes, that
> text page "background" is, in fact, not strictly true.
>
It's my all-time favorite comic ad.
--
Steve De Young
sj...@mail.idt.net
"Look upon my works, O mortals, and despair!"
