Line #151 ComicBook/AllFallDown


1	[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AFD_Color_Postcard_7694.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Nothin' bad ever lasts in the comics. Death, doom, disaster? There's nothin' they can't fix."''
4	-->-- '''A News Vendor''', moments before his newsstand is crushed by a falling superhero
5
6	''All Fall Down'' (2011) is a GraphicNovel created by Casey Jones and Anvit Randeria, along with half a dozen other illustrators. It tells the story of Sophie Mitchell, a teenager who accidentally steals every last superpower on Earth. Several heroes and villains die or are injured as a result of losing their powers while in use. Sophie is acquired by the government and trained to become Siphon, the world's last superhero; while the ex-heroes and villains strive to pick up their lives and move on... not all of them succeed.
7
8	The book explores Dr. Kubler-Ross's Stages of Grief, and the effects such a loss would have on superheroes.
9	----
10	!!''All Fall Down'' contains examples of:
11	* AIIsACrapShoot: IQ Squared created AIQ Squared as a contingency plan if he ever lost his genius. [[spoiler: AIQ immediately begins plotting to kill Siphon in order to restore its creator's brilliance.]]
12	* AllYourPowersCombined: The protagonist, Sophie, experiences this with every superpower on Earth. Permanently.
13	* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Phylum ''was'' this, being able to turn into any animal he wished. [[spoiler:Now he's a chimpanzee for life.]]
14	* AntagonisticOffspring: Subverted. IQ is a retired supervillain, his son, IQ Squared, is a successful software tycoon.
15	* AnyoneCanDie: A major theme of the book.
16	* ArchnemesisDad: IQ to his son, IQ Squared.
17	* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Pronto]] suffers this when he loses both legs in the first chapter.
18	* ArtificialIntelligence: AIQ Squared, the result of IQ Squared's contingency plan, in case he ever lost his genius.
19	* ArtificialLimbs: [[spoiler:The now-paraplegeic speedster, Pronto, resorts to this in order to walk again.]]
20	* AttemptedRape: The super-heroine Portia experiences this in the middle of a fight when she loses her powers. [[spoiler: Rescued by The Ghoul, she spends the rest of the book coping with the indignity of needing to be saved.]]
21	* BadassNormal: [[spoiler:The Ghoul]] is revealed to be one of these.
22	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler: Siphon chooses this when she realizes she can't stop AIQ Squared from killing the Pantheon from inside its deathtrap.]]
23	* BewareTheSuperman: [[spoiler:Siphon]] is arrested for involuntary manslaughter, and held in suspicion by a portion of the public throughout her career.
24	* BigBrotherIsWatching: Being a {{Digitized Hacker}}, AIQ Squared is able to monitor all the main characters on a steady basis--to the point of eavesdropping in the Pentagon.
25	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Siphon dies and no-one gets their powers back.]] However, a flash-forward shows that the heroes and villains do eventually move on and find closure.
26	* BlackScreenOfDeath: A Black Page of Death is used moments after [[spoiler:Portia steps off the roof of her apartment building.]]
27	* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler:Siphon]] has this before the end.
28	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Along with [[spoiler:receiving a new pair of legs, Pronto]] is conditioned to attack his closest friends, and to love the idea.
29	* BroughtDownToNormal: What happens to every superhero and super villain. Permanently. Many of them are locked in denial for a long time about staying that way.
30	* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: S is for Siphon and P is for Paradigm.
31	* CListFodder: Any number of characters killed in their first appearance, mainly the first chapter.
32	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Siphon learns this applies to her when [[spoiler:she's arrested for the super-manslaughter that resulted from her becoming the world's last superhero.]]
33	* TheCape: The superhero veteran, Paradigm. Of all the victims of the Fall, he handles it best.
34	* CapeSnag: Subverted. Wearing a cape is what saves Paradigm's life.
35	* CentralTheme: Bad things happen. You ''deal'' with them, because they won't magically be reversed.
36	* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler: AIQ Squared]] becomes this, hatching an elaborate plot to try and kill Siphon, using [[spoiler:Phylum and Pronto]] as his less-than-willing pawns.
37	* ChestInsignia: Portia, Paradigm and Siphon.
38	* {{Cliffhanger}}: Chapters 3, 4, and 5 end this way.
39	** In Chapter 3, [[spoiler:Siphon]] is placed under arrest for the super-manslaughter of 642 people.
40	** In Chapter 4, the last thing we see is [[spoiler:Portia]] stepping off a high-rise roof, followed by a {{Black Screen Of Death}}.
41	** In Chapter 5, we see [[spoiler:Pronto]], {{Brainwashed And Crazy}}, about to be unleashed on his unsuspecting friends.
42	* CollapsingLair: Subverted. The Order of Despots' {{Supervillain Lair}} on the Moon is still intact and fully operational two years later.
43	* ColonyDrop: A giant asteroid, Penumbra, threatens to collide with Earth. [[spoiler:It turns out to be an elaborate hoax.]]
44	* TheCommissionerGordon: Ex-superhero Plymouth fills this role for Sophie, training her in the use of her powers and coordinating her efforts with the U.S. Government.
45	* TheComputerIsYourFriend: And it will stop at nothing to kill Siphon and restore the world's powers to their rightful owners.
46	* TheCorrupter: [[spoiler:Phylum]] becomes this to [[spoiler:Pronto]], thanks to a booby-trapped voice-box that gives poisonous advice.
47	* TheCorruptible: [[spoiler:Pronto]] proves to be this. He simply wants his powers back more than anything.
48	* CrazyPrepared: IQ Squared proves to be this, for programming [[spoiler:AIQ Squared, an A.I. version of himself]] in the event that he ever lost his super-level genius.
49	* CutLexLuthorACheck: The genius supervillain IQ lives in squalor, while his equally-brilliant son (a legitimate businessman) is worth billions.
50	* {{Cyborg}}: [[spoiler:Pronto]] undergoes this treatment to regain his lost powers and attack Siphon on equal footing.
51	* DeadlyNosebleed: [[spoiler:Siphon]] gets one of these before the end.
52	* DeathActivatedSuperPower: AIQ Squared learns the hard way that [[spoiler:Siphon]] has this.
53	* DeathByDepower: The casualties are a result of supers losing their powers in a place where they can't survive without, like being up in the air.
54	* DeathByOriginStory: The 642 casualties inadvertently killed by Sophie's ascendance in The Fall.
55	* DeathTrap: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] employs a deadly {{Power Nullifier}} on the moon. [[spoiler:It succeeds in killing Siphon.]]
56	* {{Denouement}}: A {{Flash Forward}} at a funeral reveals the fates of several main characters:
57	** [[spoiler:Paradigm]] saves lives as a paramedic.
58	** [[spoiler:Portia]] fights side-by-side with the Ghoul.
59	** [[spoiler:Pronto]] seeks counselling and rehabilitation in {{prison}}.
60	** [[spoiler:Plymouth]] forgives [[spoiler:Pronto]] and visits him frequently in {{prison}}.
61	** [[spoiler:Grace]] happily marries the woman of her dreams.
62	** [[spoiler:Phylum]] writes a bestselling autobiography.
63	** [[spoiler:IQ Squared]] ends up in prison, but with his father's respect.
64	* DePower: This happens to every superhero and villain in the world. Permanently.
65	* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared's]] plot falls apart when he fails to plan ahead for [[spoiler:Siphon's DeathActivatedSuperPower.]]
66	* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:Sophie]]'s last panel.
67	* DigitizedHacker: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] proves a very capable one--considering it's made of the same data as the software it scours for information on Siphon.
68	* DontYouDarePityMe: Portia defiantly bears this for most of the story.
69	* DownerBeginning: The story begins with heroes and villains dropping out of the sky to their deaths.
70	* TheDreaded: Nearly everyone fears the Ghoul.
71	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Portia]] experiences this when it becomes painfully clear she is never getting her powers back. She steps off a tall building. [[spoiler:She is saved by the Ghoul.]]
72	* DrowningMySorrows: Portia attempts this after the loss of her powers, as do several superhero wannabes after being disarmed by the Ghoul.
73	* TheEeyore: Pronto is this after [[spoiler:the loss of his legs]].
74	* ElectricTorture: [[spoiler:Siphon]] endures a form of this while on a deathtrap power-nullifying platform.
75	* {{EMP}}: The Colony Drop-sized asteroid Penumbra seems to be radiating this, making a missile attack impossible.
76	* EndingMemorialService: [[spoiler:Grace delivers one of these for Sophie]], with strong implications that the heroes and villains will eventually find closure and move on.
77	* EnergyBeings: [[spoiler:Siphon]] briefly becomes one of these before the end.
78	* EstablishingSeriesMoment: In chapter one, a news vendor comforts a small boy by telling him "Nothin' bad ever lasts in the comics. Death, doom, disaster? There's nothin' they can't fix." Moments later, a superhero plummets out of the sky, destroying the news stand and dying instantly.
79	* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler:Pronto]] gets one of these in his new identity as the Modern Prometheus.
80	* EvilGloating: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] lays out his entire scheme to the confused and outraged IQ Squared.
81	* EvilOldFolks: IQ lives in a squalid retirement home and has not lost an inch of his hate for the good guys.
82	* EvilGenius: IQ is VERY bitter about not being one of these anymore.
83	* ExactWords: "Nothing ''on Earth'' is unlawful about what's taking place."
84	* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Siphon]] manages to pull this off.
85	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Pronto]] undergoes this in exchange for new legs as fast as his old ones.
86	* FacelessGoons: The Order of Despots has a small army of them on their moon base.
87	* FakeOutOpening:
88	** The story begins with a hero having his powers drained by a Mad Scientist. It's revealed to be a comic book, read by a small boy.
89	** Used again in chapter three. What appears to be a flashback to the end of chapter two is actually a holodeck recreation for IQ Squared to work out some frustration with his father.
90	* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Pronto]] will do ''anything'' to get his powers back.
91	* FalseReassurance: "Nothing ''on Earth'' is unlawful about what's taking place."
92	* FistOfRage: When he hears about Siphon, Pronto has one of these that is so intense he makes his palm bleed.
93	* FiveStagesOfGrief: The central theme of the book.
94	* FlashBackEcho: Chapter Two revolves around heroes (and Sophie) remembering the last time the Pantheon was truly heroic, involving a mission on the moon.
95	* FlashStep: The Modern Prometheus uses this to [[spoiler:pin down and trap Siphon and the Pantheon]] between the 'G' and 'O' of the word "Gotcha". Simultaneously.
96	* FlyingBrick: What Sophie becomes after absorbing the powers of every other superhero or supervillain in the world.
97	* {{Foreshadowing}}: On his first trip to the moon, Pronto [[spoiler: complains about being "boxed in". In issue five, he is in a crate, arriving at the same destination, as AIQ Squared's secret weapon.]]
98	* FramingDevice: Chapter Two's funeral service frames a flashback to the heroes and villains' last hour of glory.
99	* GasMaskMooks: The Order of Despots' minions are all equipped with their stand issue, needlessly creepy gas masks.
100	* GetOutOfJailFreeCard: [[spoiler:Siphon]] gets one of these in the form of a Presidential Pardon.
101	* TheGlomp: Grace tackles Sophie with one of these after seeing her for the first time in months.
102	* HeroicWannabe: Several spring up after The Fall to fill the void of the ex-superheroes. [[spoiler:They are permanently discouraged by The Ghoul.]]
103	* HeroWithBadPublicity: Siphon suffers from this [[spoiler: when she is arrested on the news, for the deaths and injuries her accidental power-stealing caused.]]
104	* HopeSpringsEternal: A theme of the book. Even in the face of great tragedy, there's potential for things to improve.
105	* HowDoIShotWeb: Sophie suffers from this at first, using several powers by accident until she learns to bring them under control.
106	* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Virtually everyone that lost their powers wants them back.
107	* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Members of the Pantheon try to reach out to [[spoiler:Pronto]] this way. They don't quite succeed.
108	* ImpossibleGenius: Both IQ and IQ Squared are these. The former built doomsday weapons, the latter created a software empire worth billions.
109	* InMediasRes: The story begins with superheroes already falling out of the sky.
110	* InstitutionalApparel: [[spoiler:IQ Squared and Pronto]] wear this after they end up in prison.
111	* InsufferableGenius: AIQ Squared is this in spades.
112	* InterfaceWithAFamiliarFace: AIQ Squared looks and sounds exactly like IQ Squared, when he was still a super genius.
113	* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:Portia's]] short walk off a skyscraper is successfully averted.
114	* ItNeverGetsAnyEasier: In Chapter 1, Dr. Young finds himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of injured superheroes coming in at once.
115	* ItRunsInTheFamily: IQ and IQ Squared are both lonely, brilliant, irritable men who find it impossible to talk to each other.
116	* ItsAlwaysSunnyAtFunerals: Both funerals are held on bright, sunny days.
117	* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] delivers this in the final chapter, explaining how and why Siphon was manipulated into a position where [[spoiler:she would be helpless to prevent her powers being stripped from her, killing her in the process.]]
118	* LawyerFriendlyCameo: Appearances are made by Bruce Banner, Alfred, Tony Stark, Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls and others.
119	* LegionOfDoom: The Order of Despots is this to the Pantheon.
120	* LivingBattery: The Order of Despots kidnaps the superhero Isotope to use him for this very purpose.
121	* LuredIntoATrap: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] creates this using a [[spoiler:hoax]] massive asteroid and a shrink ray on the moon that runs on Living Batteries.
122	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared's]] plot involves this, Siphon, and a Power Nullifier on the moon.
123	* ManipulativeBastard: Using [[spoiler:Phylum's voice box, AIQ Squared]] manipulates [[spoiler:Pronto]] into selling his soul for the chance to get his powers back.
124	* MeaningfulFuneral: Chapter Two revolves around one of these for all the heroes and villains who died in The Fall. [[spoiler:The book ends with another one for Sophie.]]
125	* MilkingTheGiantCow: IQ, card carrying ham, has one of these moments in church.
126	* MiseryPoker: The Pantheon get together for a game and this is the result. [[spoiler:Phylum wins.]]
127	* {{Mooks}}: The Order of Despots have a small army of them on their moon base.
128	* MyBrainIsBig: IQ and IQ Squared had extra-large heads while they were super-geniuses. Their craniums were reduced to normal in The Fall.
129	* NewsBroadcast: Used in-universe a few times.
130	* NotAfraidToDie: With her last words, [[spoiler:Siphon]] proves she is this.
131	* PietaPlagiarism: The Ghoul holds [[spoiler:Portia]] this way after rescuing her.
132	* PowerCrystal: Count Von Deadly uses one of these--before he explodes.
133	* PowerGlows: Siphon exhibits this to a blinding degree [[spoiler:shortly before she dies.]]
134	* PowerLossDepression: The entire story is about the superhero community grieving over the loss of their powers. Some handle it better than others.
135	* PowerNullifier: Sophie is a walking one, and IQ Squared designed a device to do this to super-powered villains in prison... including his father.
136	* PowersInTheFirstEpisode: This is Sophie, at first. She has stolen every power on Earth, with no idea at first how to use them.
137	* PreAssKickingOneLiner: The Ghoul delivers these, in the form of announcing the sin you're committing before he takes you out.
138	* {{Pride}}: This blinds Portia for the majority of the story.
139	* {{Prison}}: [[spoiler:IQ Squared and Pronto]] end up here at the finish.
140	* ProjectedMan: AIQ Squared generally appears as this.
141	* PubertySuperpower: The story begins the day after Sophie Mitchell hits puberty.
142	* RedShirt: Prince Chondric, Helios, Wind-Rider, Ukko, and Captain Spectacular.
143	* RevengeBeforeReason: This motivates [[spoiler:Pronto]] into selling out his friends to get his powers back.
144	* RoguesGallery: Before they lost their powers en masse, the Order of Despots was this to the Pantheon.
145	* RooftopConfrontation: Portia trades blows with the Ghoul after he [[spoiler:interrupts her suicide attempt]].
146	* SecretIdentity: Siphon's identity is not public knowledge, but her role as the world's last superhero leaves her very little time for a double life.
147	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: AIQ Squared suffers this. He can't help it, it's in his programming.
148	* ShapeshifterModeLock: Entertaining children in hospital, the shape-shifter Phylum [[spoiler:is permanently trapped in the form of a chimpanzee.]]
149	* ShrinkRay: The Order of Despots has one on the Moon, and threaten to shrink the Earth with it. It comes up again later as a possible solution to a Colony Drop-sized asteroid [[spoiler:which turns out to be a hoax.]]
150	* SmugSnake: AIQ Squared is this to absolutely everyone.
151	* SoProudOfYou: Played for laughs when [[spoiler:IQ]] visits [[spoiler:IQ Squared]] in prison.
152	* SpaceBase: The Order of Despots has one of these on the moon. It is seen in first in a flashback, and is later visited in the present.
153	* StuffBlowingUp: Count Von Deadly goes out this way, when he loses the ability to control his magic powers.
154	* SuperheroSchool: How Sophie learned to control her powers: she was coached by Plymouth, an ex-hero, along with a stack of 'How To' books.
155	* SuperheroSpeciation: The Pantheon enjoyed having a well-rounded team of heroes before they lost their powers. So did their nemeses, the Order of Despots.
156	* SuperIntelligence: Both IQ and IQ Squared were world-class inventors in their prime.
157	* SupernaturalAngst: Heroes and villains experience this after losing their powers and suffering various physical and/or emotional trauma as a result.
158	* SuperpowerLottery: As Siphon, Sophie Mitchell has this in spades--but at a terrible cost.
159	* SuperSpeed: Pronto had this [[spoiler:before his accident.]] Later, so does the Modern Prometheus.
160	* SuperTeam: We have the Pantheon, a group of A-listers named Portia, Paradigm, Pronto, Phylum and Plymouth.
161	* SupervillainLair: The Order of Despots has one, on the moon. It's seen in a flashback in chapter two [[spoiler:and the heroes return there for the climax in chapter six.]]
162	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: "Nothing ''on Earth'' is unlawful about what's taking place."
163	* SuspiciouslySpecificSermon: Father Hector delivers a sermon on remaining strong in the face of adversity, intercut with a {{flashback}} to the Pantheon duking it out with the Order of Despots on the moon.
164	* TearsOfFear: Portia weeps at the climax--not for her own sake, but for what [[spoiler:the Modern Prometheus]] could do to her friends.
165	* TellMeAgain: Pronto requests a recap of the Pantheon's plan in the flashback in chapter two.
166	* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Sophie does. No-one gets their powers back.]]
167	* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] says something to this effect moments before his downfall.
168	* ThreeLawsCompliant: AIQ Squared, the A.I. model of his inventor, is designed to be this. [[spoiler:It finds a loophole--Sophie Mitchell is no longer human.]]
169	* TragicDream: Any hopes the heroes or villains have about ever getting their powers back.
170	* TranslatorCollar: Phylum receives one in the mail from an anonymous donor, giving him back his voice. [[spoiler:It's booby-trapped to give corrupting advice to Pronto from the lips of his best friend.]]
171	* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] is this to Siphon and the Pantheon. Mildly subverted in that he is legitimately looking out for IQ Squared's best interests.
172	* TreacherousQuestGiver: [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] is this to Siphon and the Pantheon when he sends them on a mission to the moon.
173	* TropaholicsAnonymous: Paradigm admits to Portia that since The Fall, he's been attending meetings at 'Remaining Heroes'.
174	* TurnCoat: [[spoiler:Pronto]] becomes this in exchange for a new pair of legs.
175	* TwilightOfTheSupers: Starts with Sophie Mitchell depowering every other superhuman on Earth by absorbing their powers, [[spoiler:and ends with superhumans becoming extinct completely.]]
176	* TwoFirstNames: Our heroine, Sophie Mitchell.
177	* UnableToCry: Portia is this in spades, [[spoiler:before breaking down in the Ghoul's arms after he averts her attempted suicide.]]
178	* TheUnmasking: Used twice: once to reveal to the reader who [[spoiler: the Ghoul]] really is, and again when [[spoiler: Sophie reveals her identity to her best friend, Grace.]]
179	* VillainsActHeroesReact: Both with the Order of Despots and the Pantheon, and [[spoiler:AIQ Squared]] and Siphon.
180	* WaveMotionGun: The Reducto-Beam, a colossal shrink ray on the moon that runs on Living Batteries.
181	* WeCanRebuildHim: [[spoiler: Pronto]] goes through this, becoming the brainwashed and crazy Modern Prometheus who nearly kills Siphon.
182	* WellDoneSonGuy: IQ Squared and his father, IQ. [[spoiler:He gets his dad's respect in the end, but for something he didn't actually do.]]
183	* WeUsedToBeFriends: The Pantheon tries to reason with [[spoiler:Pronto]] this way. They don't quite succeed.
184	* WritingForTheTrade

Context ComicBook / AllFallDown