Polite Dissent

Robin #164 “Making the Band”
Adam Beecher, writer
Freddie E. Williams II, penciler

Robin (Tim Drake) wants to join the high school tennis team, but Batman is opposed.

Batman: To join an sports team, you’ll have to take a physical.
Robin: It’s not like I won’t pass.
Batman: It’s not that. You’ve had broken bones, Tim. Lots of them. All of that will show up. Excuses won’t cover them. It’ll raise too many red flags.

Batman is right that most states require a Preparticipation Physical Exam prior to joining a school sports team, but other than that, his reasoning is strained. The preparticipation physical is good head-to-toe physical exam, but nothing excessive. Unless something turns up on the exam, doctors do not order labs*, x-rays and other studies. If Robin’s broken bones were set correctly and healed normally, there’s no way they’d show up on exam.

There has been some talk about expanding the sports physical to include a closer look at the heart (including an EKG or echocardiogram), but there is not much good evidence in support of this. At no point have general screening x-rays (the only thing that would show Robin’s old fractures) ever been considered as part of the physical. The cost/benefit ratio would be horrible, and we let’s not forget that x-rays involve radiation exposure and — though it’s only a small amount — they should be avoided unless truly necessary.

(Plus — Tim would have needed a physical to start high school, or when transferring to his new school. By Batman’s logic, any broken bones should have showed up then as well)

As I said, it’s a nit-pick, but since it’s that time of year where I’m performing dozens of preparticipation physicals per week, it seemed timely.

*In Illinois, it’s “suggested” that we screen for diabetes in children with a body mass index above the 85th percentile. On one hand, given the recognition that obesity is becoming a childhood disease, this makes sense. But on the other hand, the research doesn’t support this. I could only find one small study supporting screening for diabetes, and that was in a selected population more prone to diabetes. I don’t want my patients to be diabetic, but nor do I want unnecessary blood tests performed on them.

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Switching topics to Batman Confidential #6. This line towards the end of the book caught my eye.

Batman has just confronted Lex Luthor in his lair and defeated all his military-style robots:

Batman: You underestimated yourself. I used your own virus against you — with a few minor adjustments. You programmed my machines to kill. I programmed yours to kill themselves.

Since Batman’s talking about WayneTech products as “my machines”, hasn’t he just admitted to Luthor that he is Bruce Wayne?

Scene from New X-Men #40. Script by Kyle and Yost. Art by Young.

In a hospital in Germany, Amanda Sefton (sorceress and Nightcrawler’s former girlfriend) has flatlined and is being defibrillated by X-Men wannabe Surge. I can spot two significant errors in this scene (plus a nit-pick or two), how many can you spot?

Need a hint? Just check out this helpful post from last summer.

(I guess we can add Surge to the list of super-heroes using their powers to defibrillate, a list that — so far — also contains Black Lightning and Iron Man.)

Previous picture quizzes

Tags: comics medicine new x-men picture quiz

Here’s a scene from inside the mysterious icosahedron (“Have In”) from The All New Atom #13 that features a parade of deceased heroes (with jet packs!). In the lower left corner you’ll notice Hawk flying along*.

But is it Hawk, or a mis-colored Dove? The costume has some features of both of their outfits, but doesn’t quite match either — although it seems closer to Dove’s to me. Plus I can see at least two other coloring errors on the page. Since Hawk died as Extant, you’d think he’d come back as a villain or in a different costume, but then there’s already been one appearance of dead Hank in Hawk’s costume in Teen Titans. Just a little food for thought from an unrepentant Hawk and Dove fanboy…

SPOILER TEXT: Of course, they’re all ultimately exposed as artificial constructs, so it’s a moot point.

*As far as I can tell, the parade consists of — from roughly right to left — a Flash, a Rocket Red, Frankenstein’s Monster Frankenstein Jr., Isis, Crimson Dynamo Crimson Avenger, Vigilante, Skyman, Red Bee, Hawkwoman, Phantom Lady, some distant female figure (I’m guessing Terra, but that doesn’t seem quite right), Hawk, Judo Master, and Starman (another guess as the costume doesn’t quite match). On the ground watching are Donna Troy, the Atom, Jason Todd, a Monitor, and Ted Kord.

Another example of the psychic nosebleed courtesy of Nate Gray, the eponymous “X-Man.” In this scene from X-Man #18, Nate is having a psychic battle with Mr. Sinister, and losing. The script is by Terry Kavanagh with pencils by Steve Skroce. This issue marks the beginning of the Onslaught storyline, at least in this title. To drive the point home, there is a feature in the back about Jim Lee’s redesign of the Fantastic Four (which was probably the least offensive of the Heroes Reborn comics, though I surprisingly enjoyed Iron Man as well — it’s the only time that I can remember liking Whilce Portacio’s art) All previous Psychic Nosebleed Zen posts Tags: comics medicine nosebleed nate grey

Thanks to a classic World War II ad, we recently learned that Tootsie Rolls are “enriched with Dextrose for quick food energy.”

It turns out that they weren’t the only ones enriched with that miraculous sugar: here’s another classic ad from WWII focusing on Baby Ruth and promising “Speedy Energy” that “helps to speed up activity” and “perk-up spirits.”

Click on the image above (or click here ) for the full ad.
“If you cannot find Baby Ruth on the candy counter, remember Uncle Sam’s needs come first with us as with you.”

This ad is from the back cover of Military Comics #40 (Quality Comics, June 1945) and was once again brought to my attention by Bob.

Tags: comics uncle sam baby ruth world war II advertisement

“How well do you know your American Heritage?” asks this PSA quiz from Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #105 (October 1970). There are some easy questions on the quiz, but a couple of hard ones as well — I only scored a 4/5, and I consider American History one of my better subjects. Click on the image to the right for the full ad. Once again, this PSA was written by Jack Schiff with pencils by Bernard Baily. Tags: comics psa history jack schiff bernard baily

Detective Comics #833, 834 “Trust”
Paul Dini, writer
Don Kramer, penciler

By request of David, a look at the drowning scene in this recent storyline from Detective Comics.

The pathophysiology of drowning is actually fairly complex, but here’s a quick look at the basics: intake of fluid into the lungs disrupts the air/lung interface, preventing the diffusion of oxygen (in) and carbon dioxide (out). This leads to hypoxemia (low oxygen levels) and respiratory acidosis. These in turn lead to other significant problems including asphyxiation, cardiac arrest, and brain damage which in turn lead to death.

In an attempt to stave off drowning, an individual can hold their breath, but eventually the urge to breathe will overcome their resolve and they’ll end up taking a breath of water — or whatever medium they happen to be in at the time.

The exact anatomical mechanism behind breath holding is not clear. The glottis snaps shut, sealing off the airways. There is also thought to be involvement of some of the respiratory muscles, including the diaphragm, preventing breathing.

In the story, Zatanna has been shot in the neck1 — apparently disrupting her trachea/vocal cords so she can’t speak — making casting spells difficult2. She is then dumped tank of water which is subsequently locked shut. After some repartee with the villain and an escape from a classic electrical trap, Batman frees Zatanna from the trap. He finds she has managed to heal herself of her neck injury, but has fallen unconscious in the tank.

Because of Zatanna’s injury, it’s unlikely her glottis can close tightly enough to keep water out of her lungs even when she holds her breath. The average adult drowning victim has just 4 ml of water in their lungs — Zatanna will have much more than that. This means she’ll have an extremely difficult time taking a breath and will likely drown even if she manages to escape the water. The water leaking into her lungs should not affect her ability to hold her breath; it will only affect her when she has to take a breath.

How long can Zatanna hold her breath? The world record for humans³ is a little over 9 minutes (9 minutes and 8 seconds, to be precise). Of course, that is someone who has been specially trained and has had time to prepare beforehand. By contrast, Zatanna has been caught by surprise, shot, and dumped in a tank of water — that definitely puts her at a disadvantage. Still, I think she would be able to hold her breath for at least 30- 60 seconds, maybe even longer, which should be enough time to write “EM LEAH” on the ceiling of the tank⁴. It looks like it takes Batman another minute or two to rescue her. She’s unconscious and hypoxemic, but not dead. If Batman can restore her breathing in time, she should not suffer any permanent problems.

To me, that’s the real issue: can Batman restore her breathing in time? Medically, Zatanna is going need hospital evaluation after her near-drowning because of the amount of water she inhaled. Some Bat-CPR and a watchful eye at Wayne Manor probably isn’t going to be sufficient. She needs 100% oxygen and will most likely require intubation and admission to the intensive care unit. I don’t think she’ll be ready for round two for at best a few days, probably longer.

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Notes:
1. That’s an incredibly skilled shot to take off the cuff like that. I can believe Deadshot could pull it off, but the Joker?
2. Has an actual vocal component always been required by Zatanna to cast her spells? She can’t just mouth the words?
3. And remember that Zatanna is only half human.
4. The tank is full of sloshing water, yet her letters written in blood don’t get washed away? I find this more unbelievable than Zatanna being able to hold her breath as long as she did.

Grab your day’s stash of comics and see how long it takes you to score a Bingo. Or better yet, compete against a friend (or co-worker) and whoever gets Bingo first wins a beer (or two or three).

Note: The same comic — even the same panel — can count for multiple squares. For example, if it’s a panel featuring Soranik Natu showing both breasts and butt while flighting a zombie, that’s worth four squares (”anatomically impossible position”, “gratuitous cleavage”, “Green Lantern’s butt”, and “facial tattoos”).

A larger version of the bingo board suitable for printing can be found here.

Allow me to introduce the newest member of the Polite Family:

Aidan
Born 5:28 pm, weight 6 lbs 2 oz.

Posting will likely be spotty over the weekend and resume on Monday.

This week’s example of a super power-related nose bleed actually has a logical basis in anatomy and physiology. (I know; I’m shocked too.) The scene in question comes from the recent Outsiders Annual #1 (Judd Winick and Scott McDaniels), where the team attempts to bust Black Lightning out of Iron Heights prison. They accidentally start a prison riot, which Warden Gregory Wolfe uses his super-powers to quell.

You’ll notice that several of Warden Wolfe’s victims are bleeding from the mouth. The warden has the super power to make muscles tense up and spasm. A sudden contraction of the jaw muscle could cause a severely bitten tongue and bleeding from the mouth. This doesn’t explain the nosebleed, though as there are no nasal muscles to spasm and cause a nosebleed. On the other hand, if most of the muscles throughout the body were contracted at once, this would lead to an increase in vascular resistance, and a subsequent rise in blood pressure. (If the warden’s powers can affect vascular smooth muscle, the rise in blood pressure would be even worse.) This high blood pressure could be enough to cause the nosebleeds. You would also expect to see an increase in the number of heart attacks and strokes as the blood pressure increased. This may explain the scene at the end of the fight when the warden totally unleashes his powers, killing dozens. Those deaths were probably caused by heart attacks from the incredibly high blood pressure (or the deaths could have been due to a severe spasm of the heart muscle, if the warden’s powers can affect the heart directly).

Final Thought: Shift tries to counter the muscle spasms by creating “a massive gas wave of high-octane muscle relaxant — calcium and magnesium.” While it’s true that certain magnesium compounds have muscle relaxant properties, and calcium ions are involved in muscle contraction and relaxation, I wouldn’t consider them particularly potent muscle relaxants. There’s also the chemistry to consider. Magnesium doesn’t readily become a gas at anything close to room temperature — its boiling point is nearly 2000d F (just over 1000d C). It’s also highly flammable — not a good idea in a firefight.

All previous Psychic and Super-Power Nosebleed Zen posts

Tags: comics medicine nosebleed outsiders

Another great DC comics PSA, this one comes from various August 1958 titles, including Adventure Comics #251, Batman #117, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #30, Wonder Woman #100, and of course, Sugar and Spike #17. I think it’s safe to say that this PSA is just dripping with subtext… Click on the image to the right for the full ad. As with most DC PSAs, this one was written by Jack Schiff. Pencils were provided by Lou Cameron. Tags: comics psa subtext jack schiff lou cameron

It’s time again for Flashback Week, where I take a look back at some of the classic medical comics from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. This year’s topics will include the final issue of M.D. as well as the first issue of Night Nurse, plus other classic Dell and Charlton comics. Stay tuned!

Previous episodes of Flashback Week.

Comics publisher EC took a substantial PR hit in the 1950s thanks in large part to psychiatrist Frederic Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent and anti-comic book congressional hearings. They gave up publishing their crime and horror comics, and instead switched to a “New Direction,” publishing comics designed to be more informative and inspirational. This concept never met with much success, and within a few years, the “New Direction” had failed and Mad Magazine was all that was left of a once successful comic book publisher.

M.D. was one of the “New Direction” comics. According to the preface of the first issue, M.D. was written to “contain stories of people…people who are helped by their Family Doctor and his associates in the Medical Profession. It will deal frankly and honestly with the diseases and misfortunes that beset people. It will deal graphically and candidly with the treatment they receive. At times, the stories will be poignant…at times they will be sad…at times they will be grim. But at all times, they will be true to life!”

Every issue of M.D. featured several realistic medical stories, each focused on a particular disease or condition. Issue #5 was the final issue of M.D. and frankly, it shows. The art is as intricate as always — if a little sensationalistic at times (particular when focusing on the grieving mother in the forefront of the panel, her fingers thrust worriedly at her lips) — but the stories are not nearly as compelling as in earlier issues, rather humdrum actually, which is unusual for any EC comic.

“Complete Cure” is the first story and tells of Philip Stuart, who had both of his legs amputated after an automobile accident. He takes the loss of his legs hard and decides to give up on his education and job, much to the concern of his wife and family doctor. In the end, Philip is introduced to another man who lost both of his legs (on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, which pretty much trumps every other reason), but went on to become a successful surgeon. This inspires Philip who agrees to return to college.

The second story is “Child’s Play” and concerns Jimmy, a young child. He has gone deaf due to audiosclerosis (known as otosclerosis now) and needs an operation and a hearing aid to regain his hearing. His mother refuses, fearing that the other kids will make fun of Jimmy. Eventually, her husband steps in and sends Jimmy for the surgery. It’s a success and Jimmy’s hearing is returned. His mother still won’t let him play with his friends because she is convinced that they’ll reject him. One day she returns home from shopping and finds Jimmy missing. Fearfully, she runs down the street calling out his name, only to find him in the neighborhood clubhouse happily playing with the other kids, his hearing aid an object of interest, not scorn.

The third story, “Emergency” shows what happens in a hospital when a bad storm hits, knocking out both the power and emergency generators. By working tirelessly, the doctors are able to save everyone and even manage to perform an emergency surgery by flashlight. They end the story lamenting the fact that medicine has become so dependent on technology. Bear in mind that this was written over 50 years ago, and their medical technology consisted mostly of lights, x-ray machines, and iron lungs. The doctors of this story would be devastated to learn that modern medicine’s dependence on technology has increased a thousandfold since those halcyon days of not so long ago.

The fourth and final story deals with George Gordon. He is convinced that he has appendicitis, but his family doctor suspects otherwise. He believes that George has somatization disorder, and his depression is the root cause of George’s abdominal pain. George leaves in a huff and visits another doctor and hospital, but is told the same thing. Despondent, he threatens suicide but his family doctor is able to talk him down off the ledge and get him the help he needs. Based on my experience, somatization is never quite this easy to diagnose or treat, plus George seems to have as much a diagnosis of Munchausen’s Syndrome as somatization.

Previous posts on M.D.: Issue #1, Issue #2, Issue #3, and Issue #4.
Previous episodes of Flashback Week.

Tags: comics medicine m.d. amputation technology depression

The same time that Dell Comics was seeing success with licensed medical properties such as Ben Casey and Dr. Kildare, Charlton Comics started publishing its own medical titles. The Young Doctors was one of these series. It starred Drs. Landon and Burke, residents in surgery and psychiatry (respectively), at Metro Hospital. There is no love lost between the two residents and they often come to blows, but when a crisis occurs they always pull together and help each other. Apparently they are the only two residents in the entire hospital because they are the only two we ever see (there was an intern, Tom Brent, but he graduated to his own series and was rarely seen in The Young Doctors after that).

Because these weren’t licensed properties, the writers faced fewer restrictions and could be more imaginative with the characters and stories. The art was generally better as well (but then the art on Ben Casey was pretty bad). The medicine wasn’t as accurate as Dell’s comics, but the stories were more engaging.

The first story finds Dr. Landon helping a tropical disease specialist doing research at Metro Hospital. When the specialist becomes feverish and collapses, Dr. Carlson is quick to recognize the symptoms of smallpox and the hospital is locked down under quarantine. A mini-epidemic breaks out in the community, but the hospital (and by the hospital, I mean Drs. Landon and Burke) are able to rein it in and restore order. This hospital quarantine is a common medical drama theme — just off the top my head, I remember seeing it in first season episodes of St. Elsewhere and Chicago Hope and a second season episode of House — but it is pulled off well here (and considering when this story was published, the idea had yet to become the cliché it is now).

The second story features Tom Brent. It’s another common medical storyline: When the famous surgeon Tom is assisting suddenly falls ill, it is up to Tom to finish the complex operation. This story is just mediocre because it lacks any real drama — there’s no way Tom’s patient is going to die.

The final story concerns a patient with a case of complete amnesia. Dr. Landon and Dr. Burke have to work together to solve the mystery of the patient’s identity. The story is well done and the clues are there for the reader to solve the mystery along with the doctors. Of course, the cover gives much of the answer away, though there is a red herring or two thrown in as well.

If you’re looking for authentic medical stories, The Young Doctors is not for you. But if you enjoy surprisingly engaging medical dramas, albeit medically inaccurate ones, then take a look at this series.

Previous episodes of Flashback Week.

Tags: comics medicine the young doctors charltondr landon dr burke tom brent

All the glamour — the heartache — the throbbing excitement — of a big-city hospital!

Fresh out of high school, small town girl Linda Carter¹ has been accepted into the prestigious nursing school Metro General². She meets her two roommates: Christine, a rich girl trying to make it without her family’s money; and Georgia, an inner-city girl trying for a fresh start. They don’t get along at first, but soon become fast friends and help each other through the tough classes of nursing school³.

They each have problems outside of school as well. Linda falls in love with one of her patients; luckily he’s young, handsome, and very rich. He wants to marry Linda, but he wants her to give up nursing first. She asks for a few days to consider his offer. Meanwhile, Christine’s father pressures her to give up nursing. She promises to think about it. Georgia returns home to find the same sense of hopelessness as ever in the slums, made worse by the searing heat of the summer. In addition, no one has heard from her older brother for weeks.

The heat causes a brown out and soon most of the city loses power. Luckily, the hospital has emergency generators so it maintains electrical power. This doesn’t sit well with some of the inner city residents who are convinced that the hospital is part of plot to steal their power. Two of them sneak into the hospital to plant a bomb on the emergency generator. Linda and her roommates catch the criminals in the act and a standoff ensues. One of the thugs turns out to be Georgia’s older brother, and he leaps on his partner when he pulls a gun on the student nurses. The hospital is saved, the girls are safe, Gloria has found her brother, and now Linda must give her boyfriend the answer to his marriage proposal…⁴

Notes:
¹Sadly, this is not the Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame.
²Could this be the same “Metro Hospital” where Dr. Burke and Dr. Landon work?
³There seems to be little actual nursing taught in the classes shown. There’s basic science, and some fairly advanced medicine, but no nursing. And there’s fashion: “Now we will discuss the proper assembling of the nurse’s uniform.”
⁴Her answer? Here’s a little hint: the comic is Night Nurse not Housewives at Play.

Previous episodes of Flashback Week.

Tags: comics medicine nurse night nurse

I apologize for the lack of updates this weekend, but so many friends and family have stopped by to see Aidan (who is doing very well) that I’ve barely had a chance to read a comic, let alone post about one. Flashback Week will finish up tomorrow.

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In the meantime, here’s an ad for Tummy-Slim, something unlikely to show up in a comic book today. It comes from the pages of The Young Doctors #4. (Looking at the before and after pictures, it apparently not only slims your tummy, but also corrects your posture).

Another of EC’s “New Direction” comic books, Psychoanalysis is just that: a comic book about psychoanalysis. In each issue, a pipe-smoking Freudian psychiatrist has sessions with several patients and helps them work through their problems, primarily by confrontation, dream interpretation, and free association. Miraculously, each session ends with a new revelation and deeper insight into the patient’s mind. In Psychoanalysis #3, we watch as the psychiatrist follows up with the same three patients he has treated since issue #1:

Freddy Carter is the first patient. He is a 15 year-old who was caught stealing a watch from his best friend. The psychiatrist notices Freddy reading the sports page, but Freddy denies it vociferously. It turns out that while Freddy likes sports and is actually quite good at them, he pretends to dislike them and acts clumsy to anger his father, a devoted sportsman. Disliking sports also makes his mother happy as she prefers him to focus on the finer things in life such as music, art, and poetry — endeavors his father considers only for sissies. Delving deeper, the psychiatrist discovers that Freddy is purposefully trying to drive a wedge between his parents so that his mother will give all her love to him, and their definitely seems to be some oedipal aspects to their relationship. Just like last issue, the doctor tells Freddy in no uncertain terms that it is time for him to grow up and stop acting like a child.

The second patient, Ellen Lyman, believes that she is ugly and unlikable despite the fact that she is quite beautiful and friendly. By interpreting her dream of standing before a hallway of full length mirrors in a prom dress, the psychiatrist is able to deduce that the only person who considers Ellen ugly is herself. The reason Ellen is unable to have a meaningful relationship is that she does not like or love herself. This revelation strikes Ellen like a thunderbolt and thanks to the doctor’s insight, Ellen announce that she is ready to love herself and start dating. The doctor pronounces her cured.

The final patient is Mark Stone, a successful television writer. Mark left his wallet in the doctor’s office last session and the doctor tells Mark that it struck him as strange that he has no pictures of anyone in his wallet — no family, no girlfriend. Mark tells the doctor that he hates and dislikes women, though he has no trouble attracting them.

There are four ways to charm a woman! Handsomeness…fame…money…intelligence! I’ve got three of them! The last three! That’s all I need…

Mark always breaks up with a woman as the relationship starts becoming serious. Once more using dream interpretation, the psychiatrist tells Mark that his nightmare of being chased down an alley by a cat-like car that turns into a beat-up jalopy relates to his problems with women. He sees all women as his mother, who used him as a child to get back at his father. It’s not that Mark hates women, he just hates his mother and projects those feeling onto all women. Feeling better, Mark tells the doctor that he does have a picture hidden in his wallet of a certain someone, and he thinks he’ll ask her out that night.

That’s it for issue #3. One patient cured and two more remaining. The title gets canceled after the next issue, so we have to hope the doctor is able to cure Freddy and Mark with one last appointment.

Psychoanalysis #1
Psychoanalysis #2
Previous episodes of Flashback Week.

Tags: comics medicine psychoanalysis psychiatrist flashback week

Ever wonder the real reason suave and sophisticated florist Dinah Drake married the down- and-out detective Larry Lance?
There’s a simple answer: Repeated Head Trauma.

Just take a look at the following images, all culled from Black Canary’s first appearances, courtesy of the Black Canary Archives, Volume 1. I think she gives Hal Jordan a run for his money as the most often cranially-injured super-hero.

from Flash Comics #87	from Flash Comics #91	from Flash Comics #92
from Comic Cavalcade #25	from Flash Comics #93	from Flash Comics #94
from Flash Comics #95	from Flash Comics #96	from Flash Comics #97
from Flash Comics #98	from Flash Comics #99	from Flash Comics #101
from Flash Comics #102	from Flash Comics #103	from Flash Comics #104

Tags: comics medicine black canary head injury

scene from Birds of Prey #109 (Script by Bedard, art by Scott)
I’m sure I can’t be the first one to mention this, but Shado is not Connor’s mother (or that would have added a whole ‘nother layer of Oedipal creepiness to the recent Connor Hawke mini-series).

I noticed that this issue started with a caption stating that “This story takes place before the events of the Black Canary mini-series.” It has been my experience that no good comic books start with one of these “takes place before” captions. Consider that one of Scott’s Laws of Comic Books.

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Scene from Gamma Corps #2 (Script by Tieri, art by Ferreira).

You can’t put the patient’s name on the door like that; it’s a privacy act violation. Basically, you wouldn’t want some some third-party strolling down the hall and being able to tell who is in the hospital. It’s the same reason why hospitals got rid of those big dry erase boards behind the nurses’ station listing all the patients on a floor (sure, some hospitals still have them, but they use initials or codes instead of the full name, or have them in very out-of-the-way places).

Also, that’s a strange configuration for an ICU room — down a hallway from the nurses’ station and behind a closed door. ICU rooms are designed to give quick and easy access to an unstable patient, and a narrow hallway and door would make it difficult.

Tags: comics medicine birds of prey shado connor hawke gamma coprs icu

Nova #5 “Together”
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, writers
Sean Chen, penciler (and maybe Brian Denham too)

What exactly is a “fifth-degree burn”?

Traditionally, burns were divided into first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree. First-degree burns are superficial and only affect the first layer of skin (the epidermis). There is redness, but no blistering (think of a typical sunburn). Second-degree burns involve the epidermis, but also involve some of the deeper skin layers as well. Blistering is common and they are quite painful. Third-degree burns involve the entire epidermis, dermis, and fat-layer of the skin. They usually show charring and have a firm, rubbery texture. Third degree burns are often painless because of destruction of the nerve endings.

I have seen some mention — mostly online — of “fourth-degree”, “fifth-degree”, and even”sixth-degree” burns. Fourth-degree burns are burns that are deep enough to destroy the tissues underlying the skin Some people are more specific and describe fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-degree burns. If the skin is completely destroyed, then it’s a fourth-degree burn. If muscle is destroyed as well, it’s a fifth-degree burn, and if bones are involved, then it is a sixth-degree burn. These aren’t very common terms, especially fifth- and sixth-degree burns. A MEDLINE search only shows a handful of results for fourth-degree burn, a single one for fifth-degree, and none for sixth-degree. Similarly, a Google Scholar search results in a fair number of results for fourth-degree, but none for fifth and just one for sixth. I suspect these terms are used mostly by academics, specialists, and people trying to look smarter than they are. For everyone else, the first-, second-, and third-degree classification you learned in elementary school should be sufficient.

A more recent way of classifying burns does away with “degrees” entirely and concentrates on the thickness of the damage. Burns are now described as superficial thickness, partial thickness (superficial or deep), or full thickness. Many doctors prefer these newer descriptions because they relate more closely to the prognosis and treatment of the burn than the previous method did.

On the other hand, we are talking about aliens here. Their definition of fifth degree burn could be entirely different from ours. Plus these are Kree, one of the most xenophobic and jingoistic races around. I suspect they “add 2″ to the degree of any non-Kree when assessing the wound, purely out of spite. (“Looks like a third-degree burn — but he appears to be human — so let’s cal it a fifth-degree burn”)

Tags: comics medicine nova burns kree

Keith sends his own interpretation of what the psychiatrist from Psychoanalysis #3 is saying (and it makes a great deal more sense than the nonsense he is spouting off in the comic):

Keith had a good idea and now it’s your turn to play along at home. With this blank template, let me know what the psychiatrist is really saying…

In a panel sure to appeal to both Chris and Dorian, Wildcat floors a polar bear with his patented right left hook:

from Brave and the Bold #62, story by Gardner Fox, art by Murphy Anderson

Now don’t think that Wildcat just goes around and beats up defenseless bears…he also attacks kangaroos:

Tags: comics wildcat polar bear kangaroo

This dark and moody anti-dope PSA comes from the late-1951 and early-1952 editions of some Lev Gleason comics. It sports art by a young Frank Frazetta. Click on the image to the right for the full ad. You’ll notice that they’re not too clear on what dope is, just that it’s really bad — as are dope peddlers and dope fiends (who are apparently contagious). Thankfully the comic book industry took steps like this to protect America’s youth! Tags: comics psa dope frank frazetta

Funeral scene from Ms. Marvel #17 (Brian Reed, script, and Aaron Lopresti, pencils)

When did Carol Danvers get demoted to Senior Airman?

Note to artists and editors: Those wings on the uniform sleeves aren’t just decoration, they’re rank insignia — and it seems that Carol has been busted from an O-4 (Major) to an E-4 (Senior Airman). At least they got the branch of service right.

Tags: comics military rank major senior airman carol danvers

Detective Comics #835
John Rozum, writer
Tom Mandrake, artist

Jim C. asks about Detective Comics #835, and was kind enough to provide scans of the scenes in question:

The Scarecrow has escaped incarceration, but not before causing tremendous fear in the other inmates, particularly the ones who were picking on him:

Guard: In attempting to block out Crane’s words, he pushed his fingers all the way through his ear drums into his brain…which is only moderately less horrifying than his friend gagging down his own intestines.

While the ear canal does eventually reach the inside of the skull, it’s not a straight shot. It’s a convoluted passage that passes through the middle ear and inner ear and eventually narrows so that only the VIIth and VIIIth cranial nerves (and a small blood vessel) can fit through.

You can’t just ram your fingers deep in your ears and expect to hit brain (thankfully, or we’d see a lot of kids with Q-tip induced brain injuries). Assuming your fingers are long enough, you’d rupture the ear drum (pain, dizziness, loss of hearing) and disrupt the bones of the middle ear that you learned about in elementary school. With extra-long and narrow fingers, you might be able to reach far enough to disrupt the semicircular canals and cochlea of the inner ear (severe vertigo, balance problems, and hearing loss). Even then, there are lots of turns and a little thing called the skull in the way of reaching the brain.

The inmate who tried to hang himself with his intestines, but then resorted to just choking himself on them, presents other logistical problems. How’s he going to open up his abdomen to reach his intestines using just his bare hands? If he is able to get into his abdominal cavity, remember that the intestines aren’t just hanging loosely — they’re attached to their nerves, blood vessels, and various support tissues. It would take a great deal of work and brute strength to pull out and free up enough intestines to choke oneself, let alone hang oneself. I simply don’t think that a person would have the strength left to swallow anything (especially intestines) after having eviscerated themselves. And did I mention it would be excruciatingly painful and very messy?

Of course, bear in mind that these comments apply to ordinary people. If one were super strong — and insane enough — then one could theoretically push their way into their skull and brain through the ears, or rip out their own intestines and choke themselves (but remember these inmates are explicitly described as gen-pop, and not possessing super powers).

Tags: comics medicine batman scarecrow fear ears brain intestine

Could someone please explain to me what the big deal about Harbinger is? I picked up the first handful of issues cheaply — including the #0 issue — about a year ago and finally sat down to read them a few days ago. I’d always heard it was a good and groundbreaking series, but to say that I was underwhelmed would be putting it mildly. At best, it’s merely a mediocre comic, eminently forgettable. It’s not horrible, but that’s not really a good selling point (feel free to use that as a pull quote on the upcoming reissue though: Doctor and comic book blogger Scott says “It’s not horrible.”). The characters are almost entirely two-dimensional stereotypes and the plot is meandering and poorly explained. For example, by the third issue, they’re fighting aliens on the Moon. Let me repeat that: aliens on the Moon — it’s like a bad Silver Age comic. To me, that’s not the mark of an awe-inspiring and groundbreaking comic.

The way I figure, this Harbinger discrepancy can be explained in one of four ways:

1. Harbinger is a great comic, and I am merely too unsophisticated to appreciate it. (Certainly possible; I do have low brow mainstream super-hero tastes).
2. Harbinger is not a great comic, but it was better than most other comics from the ’90s, hence its reputation as a quality comic.
3. People are looking back on the series with rose-colored glasses, but haven’t actually read it in years. When they actually sit down and reread the issues, they will realize it’s not nearly as good as they remember.
4. People are confusing perceived monetary value with quality (this is certainly the impression you get reading the Wikipedia entry on Harbinger). The two are not interchangeable, especially in terms of ’90s comics.

Anyway, on to the picture quiz. Tell me what’s wrong with this scene from Harbinger #1:

Previous picture quizzes

Tags: comics harbinger valiant comics picture quiz

For everyone who asked when we going to give the Polite Son super-powers, your question reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from Phil Foglio’s old cartoon strip What’s New…with Phil and Dixie:

This scene was excerpted from the strip found in Dragon Magazine #75. It was one of the better strips as it also gave us Gazebo Boy, Deus Ex Machina Man, and of course, Captain Greedle and Booga

Tags: comics phil foglio what’s new dragon phil foglio.