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 |
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