Episode 130: Pete Tong
Takes place 29-31 December 2012.
Paul takes the time to visit the new teleporters set up by the Alliance of the Just, and encounters a man named "Father Bruno" — then realises afterward that he cannot clearly remember Bruno's face. Further investigation reveals that using the teleportation system has embedded a particle of Anti-Life in Paul, which Doctor Mist is able to remove. At Batman's direction, they investigate the system further, and are able to heal Scott Free from more serious exposure, although his wife Barda has been abducted.
Tracing the Anti-Life back to its source, they find a machine connected to several members of the Alliance of the Just with related powers, such as Anita Fite. "Father Bruno" turns out to be Bruno Mannheim of Intergang, who reveals that as a reward for capturing the Forever Children and corrupting Infinity Man, Darkseid gave Bruno a portion of his own soul, granting Bruno access to the Omega Force and a large amount of the Anti-Life Equation. Bruno uses the machine to broadcast the Anti-Life's influence over the entire world, bringing depression and despair to everyone.
Due to having to face all the heroes controlled by the Anti-Life Equation, Paul is forced to recruit the villains in Belle Reve into the newly made Task Force X.
The title is named after an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. His name is used in the phrase "It's all gone Pete Tong", where the name is used as rhyming slang for "a bit wrong"
- Alternate Universe: We see Paol of Warhammer Fantasy working to solve some problems while acting as the ruler of his village.
- Deal with the Devil: Paul assimilates Colin Thornton aka Satanus in his cell, turning him into a Construct-Lantern, and has him write up a demonic contract that the other prisoners can sign to join Task Force X. They get an immediate pardon by joining, but if they break the contract, their souls are immediately forfeit.Paul: It's an unpleasant way to die, and then you're in Hell.
- Heroic Willpower: Batman reveals to Paul that he's being influenced by the worldwide Anti-Life, but he is working through it.
- Oh, Crap!: Downplayed. OL has a rather subdued reaction to learning that they're dealing with the Anti-Life, specifically a more subtle version that may have been operating for a while now.
- Seen It All: Lois has been around Superman and other oddities for over a decade, so she is able to tell when her mind is being affected by something, in this case the Anti-Life Equation, and does her best to resist it.
- Shout-Out: When using his New God abilities, Scott Free says Freedom Is The Right Of All Sentient Beings in Godspeech.
- Spotting the Thread: OL, thanks to a little assistance from Artemis, realizes that "Father Bruno" is highly suspicious due to the fact that he can't remember the latter clearly despite his Photographic Memory.
- Switching P.O.V.: We briefly see the POVs of various characters after the Anti-Life Equation starts spreading across the world.
- Wham Line: Paul's ring wallops him after Mannheim's device is activated.Ring active. Alert! Major mental alterations detected.
What? Considering, I feel f-.
Worldwide.
