Episode 65: Converse
Takes place 13-15 September 2011.
Short version
Paul and Superboy visit Krypton and find Kara Zor-El's pod in deep space. Paul later intervenes when Xalitan Xor arrives on Earth, and recruits him as a Lantern.
Longer version
Paul takes Superboy on a visit to the Rao system, where they find a neural imprint of Har-Zod and learn that Kara Zor-El was launched in a second escape pod at the same time as Superman. Working together, they are able to rescue Kara, who has spent decades in stasis after her pod was damaged.
Paul then continues with his arrangements to recruit Blaze, tracking her down with Ambrose Bierce's help and offering to let her integrate Gabriel's wings to become an angel, but is interrupted by news of an attack by Xalitan Xor, aka Konvikt; recognising him from the Trinity comics, Paul intervenes and calms down the situation, presenting the League with some evidence that he never intended to start a fight and that the police shot first after being unable to communicate. Paul then presents him with an orange ring, which he uses to heal injured civilians.
The Renegade hires Vandal Savage's daughter and heir, then hands over the patents on cosmic converter technology (which Savage owned) to Lex Luthor, for clean electricity generation and building a space fleet.
The meaning of the title is unclear.
- Artifact Domination: Averted. Paul and Superboy come across a lump of black kryptonite, which based on the comics is supposed to make Kryptonians evil. Paul has no idea how that can work, but he doesn't want to take any chances, and quickly encases it in thick shielding.
- Artificial Intelligence: Kryptonian neural imprints don't consider themselves fully sentient, but they could pass a Turing test.
- Ascended Extra: Konvikt was a pretty minor character in the Trinity comics, but Paul sees a lot of potential in him. He interrupts Konvikt's initial fight with the Justice League, gets him legal advice, and recruits him as a Lantern, thus preventing his whole villainy arc and gaining a very loyal Super-Soldier.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Inverted quite literally; Vandal Savage bought the Cosmic Converter technology and sat on it just to spite Starman, but now that he's been assimilated, Grayven hands it over to Lex Luthor, to generate electricity and build a planetary defence fleet.
- Didn't Think This Through: Paul and Superboy find Kara Zor-El alive, but unconscious, and dig her pod out of a kryptonite asteroid. And thanks to Helios' blessing, Superboy is glowing with yellow sunlight. Cue delirious Kryptonian with heat vision surrounded by kryptonite, which explodes in a burst of radiation when heated. At least it wasn't a populated area...
- Lawful Stupid: Paul and Superboy meet an Eradicator robot that is still trying to enforce Kryptonian immigration law, with the glowing radioactive chunks of ex-Krypton as a backdrop.
- Major Injury Underreaction: After Blaze's wards retaliate against Ambrose's scrying attempts, he assures Paul that it's merely a "struck blind" curse and should wear off in a day or two. Paul, however, can clearly see that Ambrose's eyes are ruined holes.Paul: Right. Let's.. see if I can't take a little off that.
- The Power of Love: Zatanna is still using the Star Sapphire for power, and her text is increasingly violet, especially when she sees Paul.
- The Power of the Sun: Helios has given Superboy heat vision. Except that Helios is not a Kryptonian, he's the Titan of the sun, so his version of heat vision is kind of a Nuclear Option.
- The Speechless: Averted. Konvikt was sentenced to this, but Paul had no intention of following that, and power rings can translate even the intent to speak.
- Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Konvikt has no compunctions about fighting and even killing those who attack him, but when Paul suddenly whisks him away from combat to an isolated location and is sitting quietly behind him, Konvikt pulls his punch in midair. And then, after being given an orange ring, heals as many injured noncombatants as possible.
