Avengers # 10: Canadian Complications
Apr. 25th, 2013 07:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dewlineIt's possible that I should leave this to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
lawmultiverse to deal with in their own time. But Jonathan Hickman wrote this one up to be set in a city I called home for about twelve years before moving to Ottawa.
So. Regina. Capital of the province of Saskatchewan. As it says in the captions, the population's just over 200,000 people. Back when it was around 175,000 to 180,000, I lived there. And the being calling himself(?) "Ex Nihilo" launched what he called a "Creation Bomb" right into the downtown core and it's effectively sealed off the whole city. From Lakewood to Wascana Heights, from Uplands to Albert Park, sealed off by a forcefield that not even a tactical nuclear weapon illegally obtained and used by an operative of "Department H", the special branch of the Department of National Defence set up to handle superheroics-worthy crises on Canadian soil, can breach.
Let that tac-nuke issue pass for the moment. I don't see how I've much choice but to do so myself. Never mind that should our current federal cabinet read this comic book, they might start getting ideas that would be very bad for them to act upon.
Anyway, back to Regina.
As mentioned above, capital of the province of Saskatchewan. The provincial legislature meets there. So if that building's sealed off along with everything else inside the city limits...the legislature can't meet there. If the legislature was in session, then the bulk of the members of the Legislative Assembly are as mutated as anyone else living there. Including the Premier. So...how does Saskatchewan reconstitute its legislature, and where will it now meet until such time as Regina can be restored?
Saskatoon? Moose Jaw? Somewhere else?
(We'll assume for now that restoration is part of Hickman's plan. I have no certainty of this, but will make the assumption for argument's sake.)
The city is a freight rail hub. Both CN and CP have yards there. Lots of supplies that have to get to the surrounding communities throughout the southern third of Saskatchewan. Lots of agricultural goods that have to get from those same communities to markets near and far. Can CN, CP - and the short lines also operative in that neighbourhood! - reroute around Regina in the meantime? How fast can rerouting infrastructure be put into place?
Here's some "topical reference" fun of the sort that George Olshevsky used to warn us about when he was putting together the old Marvel Comics Indexes:
Regina just hosted the Juno Awards. That's the big national music awards show held every year. Depending on when the Creation Bomb fell on Regina, we may or may not have another issue. If it fell before everyone arrived or after they all went home again, then only the local talent is lost to us.
But - assuming for the moment that this year's edition got everyone who was there at the time of Ex Nihilo's little "gift" arriving...well, guess who we lose?
k.d. Lang...who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Adam Cohen. Yes, Leonard Cohen's son. He was there to accept an award on his father's behalf this year.
Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC's cross-platform arts and culture show Q.
Carly Rae Jepsen.
Michael Bublé. He was the Master of Ceremonies.
Metric.
Serena Ryder.
Hannah Georgas.
The list goes on. If there's a complete list of confirmed attendees, I don't yet know of it. Perhaps someone from Prairie Dog Magazine can track a copy down? One of their regular contributors is also tracking the Avengers story as it affects Regina.
As for SHIELD...well, their presence is expected although their relationship with "H" as depicted here seems a bit...off from the POV of a fan who sees SHIELD as the Blue Berets of Marvel Universe espionage and planetary defence. "H" representatives on the scene don't seem all that comfy with either SHIELD or the Avengers around during this particular crisis-in-progress.
More as it occurs to anyone interested and reading this.
lawmultiverse to deal with in their own time. But Jonathan Hickman wrote this one up to be set in a city I called home for about twelve years before moving to Ottawa.So. Regina. Capital of the province of Saskatchewan. As it says in the captions, the population's just over 200,000 people. Back when it was around 175,000 to 180,000, I lived there. And the being calling himself(?) "Ex Nihilo" launched what he called a "Creation Bomb" right into the downtown core and it's effectively sealed off the whole city. From Lakewood to Wascana Heights, from Uplands to Albert Park, sealed off by a forcefield that not even a tactical nuclear weapon illegally obtained and used by an operative of "Department H", the special branch of the Department of National Defence set up to handle superheroics-worthy crises on Canadian soil, can breach.
Let that tac-nuke issue pass for the moment. I don't see how I've much choice but to do so myself. Never mind that should our current federal cabinet read this comic book, they might start getting ideas that would be very bad for them to act upon.
Anyway, back to Regina.
As mentioned above, capital of the province of Saskatchewan. The provincial legislature meets there. So if that building's sealed off along with everything else inside the city limits...the legislature can't meet there. If the legislature was in session, then the bulk of the members of the Legislative Assembly are as mutated as anyone else living there. Including the Premier. So...how does Saskatchewan reconstitute its legislature, and where will it now meet until such time as Regina can be restored?
Saskatoon? Moose Jaw? Somewhere else?
(We'll assume for now that restoration is part of Hickman's plan. I have no certainty of this, but will make the assumption for argument's sake.)
The city is a freight rail hub. Both CN and CP have yards there. Lots of supplies that have to get to the surrounding communities throughout the southern third of Saskatchewan. Lots of agricultural goods that have to get from those same communities to markets near and far. Can CN, CP - and the short lines also operative in that neighbourhood! - reroute around Regina in the meantime? How fast can rerouting infrastructure be put into place?
Here's some "topical reference" fun of the sort that George Olshevsky used to warn us about when he was putting together the old Marvel Comics Indexes:
Regina just hosted the Juno Awards. That's the big national music awards show held every year. Depending on when the Creation Bomb fell on Regina, we may or may not have another issue. If it fell before everyone arrived or after they all went home again, then only the local talent is lost to us.
But - assuming for the moment that this year's edition got everyone who was there at the time of Ex Nihilo's little "gift" arriving...well, guess who we lose?
k.d. Lang...who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Adam Cohen. Yes, Leonard Cohen's son. He was there to accept an award on his father's behalf this year.
Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC's cross-platform arts and culture show Q.
Carly Rae Jepsen.
Michael Bublé. He was the Master of Ceremonies.
Metric.
Serena Ryder.
Hannah Georgas.
The list goes on. If there's a complete list of confirmed attendees, I don't yet know of it. Perhaps someone from Prairie Dog Magazine can track a copy down? One of their regular contributors is also tracking the Avengers story as it affects Regina.
As for SHIELD...well, their presence is expected although their relationship with "H" as depicted here seems a bit...off from the POV of a fan who sees SHIELD as the Blue Berets of Marvel Universe espionage and planetary defence. "H" representatives on the scene don't seem all that comfy with either SHIELD or the Avengers around during this particular crisis-in-progress.
More as it occurs to anyone interested and reading this.
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no subject
Date: 2013-04-25 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 12:17 am (UTC)At all.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 12:52 am (UTC)Besides, this entertains me.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 01:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-15 09:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-15 09:30 pm (UTC)No. Brand-new.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-15 09:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-15 09:35 pm (UTC)