Line #9 ComicBook/NthManTheUltimateNinja


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nth-Man_8151.jpg]]
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3	''Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja'' was a ComicBook series created by Creator/LarryHama and published in 1989 by Creator/MarvelComics. Though it only ran for sixteen issues (the series was planned to last 24, but it was cancelled), it is remembered as a quixotic blend of gritty realistic military action, fantastic ninja combat, and wide-eyed science-fiction.
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5	The story begins six months after a powerful telekinetic named Alfie O'Meagan neutralized all of the world's nuclear weapons. With the balance of power abruptly upended, the world's superpowers immediately start waging WorldWarIII with conventional weapons. Among the chaos, the United States declares Alfie the most dangerous person on Earth, and retrieves the one person capable of killing him -- John Doe, the Nth Man, the CIA's top assassin, the world's deadliest {{Ninja}}... and Alfie's childhood friend.
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7	What follows is a whirlwind romp from war-torn UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} to the streets of UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, while simultaneously strolling across time, space, and alternate dimensions. As Alfie's power grows, his sanity slips even further, with everyone else trying to make sense of it all. Ultimately, the complex storyline leaves both John and Alfie finding out more about themselves than they ever wanted to know, with an ending as twisted as the beginning.
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9	Not to be confused with TheNthDoctor.
10	----
11	!! This comic provides examples of the following tropes:
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13	* ActionGirl: Colonel Vavara Novikova, head of the KGB's Spetsburo (Assassination Bureau) and the second-deadliest assassin on Earth.
14	* ActionHero: John Doe, naturaly.
15	* TheAdjectivalMan
16	* AGodAmI: Alfie, of course.
17	-->"I'm Alfie O'Meagan, the beginning and the end! The only limit to my power is the limit imposed by my boundless compassion for all mankind!"
18	* AlwaysABiggerFish: Occurs when Alfie O'Meagan is waiting for a cosmic being called M'Gubgub. He barely avoids being stepped on by a massive alien who dwarfs the planet and proceeds to praise M'Gubgub... only for the alien to flee in panic as the ''galaxy-dwarfing'' M'Gubgub arrives.
19	* AmazonBrigade: The KGB Swallows.
20	* AnimateDead: When he leaves Earth, Alfie leaves behind two fragments of his power to run things in his absence. Those fragments re-animate the corpses of Mr. Biggot and Miss Gooch from the Merrivale Corners orphanage, who proceed to recruit mutated humans into an army to take over the world.
21	* TheBaroness: Colonel Vavara Novikova. Despite being the head of the Spetsburo, she spends much of the series running around in a low-cut evening dress, stockings, and high heels... none of which reduces her lethality one iota.
22	* BewareTheSillyOnes: Alfie likes cookies and milk, plays video games, collects comic books, and has sandbox battles stomping on toy soldiers. Problem is, he's also a PsychopathicManchild RealityWarper...
23	* BloodlessCarnage: Both played straight and averted. As a [[MediaNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]]-approved title, ''Nth Man'' avoided graphic depictions of blood or gore. Even so, it never hesitated to show the brutality of combat or the senseless deaths of war, including the aftermath of a mass execution.
24	-->'''Sgt. Levin:''' "What's that noise? An air-raid siren?"
25	-->'''John Doe:''' "No, Debra. That's the combined screaming of hundreds of tank crewmen fried to a crisp in burning T-80's."
26	* CainAndAbel: Though it's never established if they're blood siblings or not, John and Alfie otherwise qualify because of other personal connections and antagonism.
27	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: John Doe, who can perform various superhuman feats simply through a lifetime of ninja training.
28	* ColonelKilgore: Colonel Darling, an officer from psy-ops who encourages slaughtering unarmed civilians in order to enrage the Russians into a trap.
29	* CrapsackWorld: Things are already bad at the start of the series, being in the middle of World War III, but gets worse after [[spoiler:Alfie fails to neutralize a biological weapon exchange and turned them into a mutagenic virus instead.]]
30	* {{Crossover}}: In ''Excalibur'' #27 (August 1990), members of the titular team from the mainstream Marvel Universe end up in the universe of Nth Man.
31	* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:It is ultimately revealed that Alfie accidentally killed John Doe at the age of sixteen; he then created an imperfect copy out of guilt and repressed his memory of the event. This is why present!John is willing to kill people despite being an incorruptible pacifist in his youth. present!John later uses Alfie's power to recreate his original self.]]
32	* DeepCoverAgent: Usually played as deep-cover Soviets impersonating American citizens and soldiers.
33	-->"Listen to those traces of palatalized consonants and glottal stops! That boy grew up speaking Russian!"
34	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:John Doe defeats M'Gubgub -- an EldritchAbomination that dwarfs galaxies -- by using the KujiIn to turn it inside-out. Justified in that he was augmented with Alfie's powers at the time.]]
35	* DirtyBusiness: Despite his lethal training, John takes no pleasure in killing anyone, and views his assignments as this. At the start of the series, he's even decided to stop being an assassin, and his friends have to talk him back into duty.
36	* DirtyCommunists: Subverted; the Soviets are highly skilled and competent adversaries throughout.
37	* DodgeTheBullet: In the first issue, John Doe dodges a bullet fired at him from point-blank range. Later he dodges a sniper's bullets while running uphill towards his position.
38	* EldritchAbomination: M'Gubgub is a galaxy-devouring abomination with a million forms that has to spread his mass out over hundreds of light-years just to prevent his gravitational field from collapsing on itself. It wants to destroy the Earth in order to eliminate the temporal anomaly there.
39	-->"This is but the merest pseudopod of my being! A single follicle protruding from a minor pore! I exist simultaneously in countless forms, stretching out beyond your planetary system into the cold barren emptiness between the stars."
40	* EmbarrassingNickname: Dr. Yagyu calls John "Peachy", after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momotar%C5%8D Momotaro the Peach Boy]]. John himself teases Colonel Novikova by calling her "Novi-cakes."
41	* EmptyBedroomGrieving: Dr. Yagyu kept his son's room locked and intact after he died from pneumonia. He eventually opens the room and passes on his son's possessions after adopting John.
42	* FailedFutureForecast: While the story's present-day period is never established, it's suggested to be on or near 1989, when the comic's first issue was published. Reading it in hindsight can feel rather anachronistic, given how much of the story relies on UsefulNotes/ColdWar tensions and the RedScare (particularly an exchange of warheads between the US and the USSR).
43	* FoeRomanceSubtext: A flirtatious relationship gradually develops between John Doe and Colonel Novikova... to the consternation of Sergeant Levin and Captain Soloviev.
44	* FriendlySniper: Captain Alexander Soloviev's warmhearted nature shows through in less guarded moments, most notably when he calmly ignores Colonel Novikova's orders to shoot a fleeing child.
45	** Also Sgt. Marvin Sargent on the American's side. Very friendly and laid-back, but he won't hesitate to draw on anyone who tries to shoot his prize student.
46	* GloriousMotherRussia: Often invoked in the dialog between the Soviets.
47	-->'''Novikova:''' "If you keep acquiring bourgeois American slang, Lolo, our Unit Political Officer will sign you up for rigorous self-criticism."
48	-->'''Lolo:''' "I ''am'' the Political Officer, comrade Colonel."
49	-->'''Novikova:''' "...oh."
50	* GoodColorsEvilColors: John has white-hair, Alfie has black. Possibly a reference to the ''taijitu'' from {{Usefulnotes/Taoism}}.
51	%%%* HeroicBSOD
52	* HopelessSuitor: Captain Soloviev, whose unabashed love for Colonel Vavara Novikova is forever unrequited.
53	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: John Doe. This is most apparent in the flashbacks to the Merrivale Corners orphanage, where John repeatedly protects Alfie, even covering up his most atrocious behavior. His willingness to kill is because [[spoiler:the present-day John Doe is a flawed copy created by Alfie after the original was killed in a prank.]]
54	-->'''Mr. Biggot:''' "You never lose your temper! You never lie! You never exhibit jealousy, envy, or sloth! How can you be so good? How can you be so... ''saintly?''"
55	* InsertGrenadeHere: John Doe manages to insert a grenade into a sealed-up Soviet tank by throwing it down the barrel as it is about to shoot him, timing it exactly to match the tank's gunner opening the breach. He manages this feat by a combination of good hearing, good timing, and channeling his memories of zen concentration from playing baseball with his adopted father.
56	* InsideAComputerSystem: Alfie drops John and Novikova inside a video game complete with [[{{Chiptune}} horrible 8-bit music]], {{Goomba Stomp}}ing, and secret {{Warp Zone}}s.
57	* KujiIn: John can use this chant to disorient everyone nearby, by making them feel the world has turned upside down.
58	%%%* LightningBruiser: John.
59	* LeonineContract: When Sgt. Levin was dying of a chest wound, she is instantly healed by Alfie after she agrees to perform a favor for him in the future. [[spoiler:Subverted when Alfie tells her to shoot John in the back, and she simply refuses.]]
60	%%%* MasterSwordsman
61	* MeaningfulName: Alfie O'Meagan is a simplification of "Alpha" and "Omega".
62	* McNinja: Irving Yagyu, the ninja dentist is probably Japanese, but John Doe, his blond-haired all-American protege is definitely not.
63	* NotThatKindOfDoctor: John Doe's adopted father is Irving Yagyu, DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery).
64	* OldMaster: Dr. Yagyu, of course. He's the one who trained the "ultimate ninja". His satchel includes ninja throwing stars and an Ingram MAC-10 in .45 ACP machine pistol.
65	-->"I may be a senior citizen but I'm not senile!"
66	%%%* OneManArmy
67	* OnlyOneMeAllowedRightNow: In the ''Nth Man'' universe, it is impossible for a person to be in two places at once. [[spoiler:This causes Colonel Novikova to [[SpontaneousHumanCombustion spontaneously combust]] when she returns to the past, as she arrives at the Merrivale orphanage at the same time she's being born in Russia.]]
68	* OrphanageOfFear: Aside from the kind-hearted cook, Mrs. Parrish, the Merrivale orphanage is a textbook example. The Headmaster Mr. Biggot is a lazy drunkard who whips the children, skims the county payments, and spends his free time pawing at his girlfriend, Nurse Gooch. It's also implied that a child was killed at the orphanage in the past, with arson used to cover up the incident.
69	* ThePlague: When the Soviets and the United States launch biological warheads at each other, Alfie tries to neutralize them, but turned the pathogen into a mutagenic virus instead. Infected humans eventually turn into disfigured "moots" with a taste for unaffected human flesh.
70	* PortalToThePast: In the final issue, [[spoiler:John (using Alfie's powers) closes the StableTimeLoop of the series by opening a portal so he and Alfie can return to the orphanage as infants and get rescued as wards.]]
71	* PowerFloats: Alfie floats off his bed the first time he truly activates his power, after having a conversation with his subconscious in the form of a giant animated face coming out his ceiling.
72	* PsychopathicManchild: Alfie, who often twists reality to emulate his favorite comic book, television, or video game situations.
73	-->'''Alfie:''' "What? No tanks? I wanted to stomp some tanks!"
74	* RealityWarper: Alfie can alter reality any way he likes.
75	* ShoutOut: The galaxy-sized creature known as M'Gubgub is a reference to the being Muad'dib from ''Literature/{{Dune}}''.
76	* ShownTheirWork: Creator/LarryHama's expertise with military hardware, tactics, and strategy is clearly evident in his use of jargon, names, and details. Many issues include a glossary to help readers understand the numerous terms used.
77	* ShrineToTheFallen: Dr. Yagyu kept his son's room locked and intact after he died from pneumonia. He eventually opens the room and passes on his son's possessions after adopting John.
78	* SmugSuper: Alfie constantly alternates between casting himself as a selfless savior of humanity and gloating about being the most powerful person on Earth.
79	-->"There is a purpose behind my ability to increase my own powers! My potential is limitless! You can't possible conceive of the wonders I have in store for the world! Lucky that I am a pool of endless compassion!"
80	* TheSociopath: Alfie is a textbook example: he tortures small animals, shamelessly lies and shifts the blame to others, has sudden outbursts of anger and arrogance, manipulates the gullible, and lacks any form of sympathy or empathy.
81	* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: In the final issue, [[spoiler:Novikova starts to combust soon after she arrives in the past with John and Alfie, because [[OnlyOneMeAllowedRightNow she's being born at the same moment and cannot exist in two places simultaneously.]]]]
82	* TheSquadette: Sgt. Debra Levin, 19-year-old Green Beret, complete with crew cut and freckles.
83	* StableTimeLoop: The entire series is entirely encircled by a time loop. [[spoiler:Throughout the series, it is revealed that John and Alfie were left as infants at an orphanage by a screaming, burning woman. In the final issue, they realize they're part of a never-ending time loop, and must go back in time to avoid a temporal paradox. As the two step through the time portal (reverting to infants in the process), they're followed by Vavara Novikova. However, because she was being born at the same moment, she begins to [[SpontaneousHumanCombustion self-immolate]] on arrival. Mr. Biggot opens the door just in time to receive two infants from a screaming, burning woman...]]
84	* SuicideMission: The rescue of Joe Doe in issue #1 is treated as such by the US government, sacrificing an entire brigade in a direct assault on Moscow just to retrieve him.
85	* SuperEmpowering: Alfie is able to give some or all of his power to other people[[spoiler:, including corpses.]]
86	* SuperSenses: Part of John and Dr. Yagyu's ninja repertoire.
87	-->'''Dr. Yagyu:''' "You're getting mighty sloppy, boy! I could hear you breathing and walking through a solid steel door! I taught you better than that!"
88	* SupernaturalMartialArts: John routinely uses a form of AsianRuneChant to affect his surroundings and screw with his enemies plans.
89	* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Alfie believes this justifies everything he does.
90	* WarIsHell: This is a recurring theme in the early issues -- the brutality and horrors of war are shown in full force (or as much as possible despite the Comics Code), without any glamorization or jingoism to take the edge off.
91	* WarriorPoet: John Doe, who refuses to kill without good reason and won't hesitate to ignore an order he disagrees with.
92	-->"If belonging to a 'side' means doing wrong stuff simple because everyone else is... count me out."
93	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: It's unclear what Alfie's mental state was before he discovered his powers, but his current behavior is certainly over the line.

Context ComicBook / NthManTheUltimateNinja