Robotic Abs

I have a secret obsession recently and that is board games. The list of games in my house grows weekly and for every one that I take off the list, three seem to its place. Among my most sought after games is the expansion of the DC Comics Deck Building game. The game is based on controlling one main super hero, and using that to build a deck. In the first game the superheroes are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Cyborg (with a promotional card for Martian Manhunter as well.). The newer version is going to have heroes Booster Gold, Nightwing, Batgirl, Black Canary, Shazam, Hawkman and Red Tornado. My local game store has told me that the best way to keep up to date on when it will be released (it is already several months delayed) is to check the website. I did this yesterday, and while doing so I checked out some pictures of the hero cards, one of which is Red Tornado

Something occurred to me though when I looked at it yesterday and that is the ridiculousness of the abs on a character that is a robot. In the history of science-fiction one of the main themes has been that of artificial intelligence whether that be in Blade Runner, 2001 or Data from Star Trek. The yearning of most forms of artificial intelligence is to want to strive to be human, but in this case the desire is a little convoluted in the case of having "washboard abs." This would mean that one of the first things that the artificial minds reached out for was a form of human vanity, in that abs serve no purpose beyond being something to show off, for something that is otherwise a machine. This reminds me a little bit about going to art galleries and seeing pictures of Jesus from the Middle Ages where he is depicted as being in somewhat amazing shape. The addition of this aspect to the character speaks more to our own vanity, how we make our gods or artificial men into perfect versions of ourselves, despite beginnings suggesting otherwise.

Funny blog. I tend to think its because for some artists irregular shapely muscles can be easier to draw than consistent symmetrical lines, at least as far as consistency goes. Some of Iron Man's earlier suits are funny in this respect, sometimes artists would almost draw metal as acting like flesh. Don't even get me started on metal noses and belly buttons…

@sc: Oh yeah noses and belly buttons, though I guess if someone wanted to make a robot and let them feel human, that they would give them basic attributes.

@razzatazz: Oh those ones I can understand, if I ever created a robot I would want… actually I was going to say I would give it a nose and belly button to feel more human, but I think now upon further consideration, I wouldn't. Not unless I have the resources to make it appear identical to humans and so it could adapt - just to avoid the whole uncanny valley effect. I'd go the Robot and Frank route.

So its more the ones where a character robot or otherwise one day randomly decides that they should have a metal nose or mental belly button (or metal eyebrows).. just in case. Then again we also live in the age of people spray painting muscles on to their bodies and so…

Actually when I was younger I use to worry about people who didn't have eyebrows, because I worried that if it rained their eyes would flooded without eyebrows - and given how eyebrows can convey a persons emotional or physical state I think realistically, they are more important than metal muscles, noses or bellybuttons. Except since all robots only want fleshy soft animal creatures to die they naturally don't have emotional states so metal eyebrows may just make them a more lethal predator in which we should not give them any extra advantages.

@sc: That is interesting about the eyebrows, though if a creature had a body made of steel and consciousness, it would be interesting, as they could evolve however they wanted.