Fave Comic Book Cities?

compound said:
What is Sub Diego, and which titles did was it featured in? What makes it unique?
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In the DC Universe the California city of San Diego was sunk to the bottom of the ocean and the citizens were somehow given the ability to breathe under water. I think Aquaman lives there now. Or at least the old one used to. I don't know if it's even in continuity anymore after Infinite Crisis.
 
Frapalino said:
Fabletown of Fables
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Intriguing choice! But I wonder -- to what extent does Fabletown really qualify as a "city"? I've always thought of it more as a neighborhood within NYC.

And yet, culturally, it's a lot more insular and reflective of the different customs and practices of the Homelands (the terms of the Amnesty notwithstanding).

It doens't seem to be very much influenced by the rest of New York (considering that Fabletown has its own source of funds and finances, its own internal economy, etc.).

Anybody else know how to run with this?
 
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compound said:
Intriguing choice! But I wonder -- to what extent does Fabletown really qualify as a "city"? I've always thought of it more as a neighborhood within NYC.

And yet, culturally, it's a lot more insular and reflective of the different customs and practices of the Homelands (the terms of the Amnesty notwithstanding).

It doens't seem to be very much influenced by the rest of New York (considering that Fabletown has its own source of funds and finances, its own internal economy, etc.).

Anybody else know how to run with this?
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I think the best way of looking at it would be to view Fabletown as its own burrough, albeit a hidden one. Still, it's a location that is a part of the larger NYC area, but insular and self-identifying rather than simply another neighborhood.
 
I liked metropolis on the ps2 game. Sure the game wasn't great but the futuristic city was very cool
 
Lithium said:
Ultimate Marvel's NYC (of course :p)
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Really, now? To me, the Ultimate version of NYC is really not all that distinctive, or even particularly important to the larger scheme of the universe.

I mean, sure, it is/was the geographical headquarters of SHIELD -- the most influential defense organization in the "superpowered arms race" that defines the entire universe, pretty much -- but it feels more like a base than a real place. As a location, NYC doesn't hold much symbolic weight beyond the physical presence of the Triskelion (and if anything, it's provided a convenient target for attacks so frequently that it feels a bit ineffectual, at this point).

Granted, we're constantly reminded that the attacks on NYC -- either 9/11, or Magneto's attack in "The Tomorrow People", depending on your interpretation -- were the impetus for the formation of the Ultimates. But as readers, we are rarely ever shown exactly how the lives of ordinary folks "on the ground" -- everyday citizens -- were shaped or affected by it.

As a result, Ultimate NYC feels like it doesn't have any real character, beyond its use as a convenient plot device.

Case in point: when Magneto attacked the President in "Tomorrow People", it happened on the White House lawn in Washington; when the rogue forces take over the US in "Grand Theft America", they chose the nation's capital as the location for their public executions of the Ultimates. By all indications, it looks like the heroes will be taking the fight to D.C., for the big finale of Ultimates 2. I'd say that in the UU, Washington is given just as much significance as NYC, even if it's not used as a frequent setting for more regular stories.

I think New York is practically a non-issue in the UU; USM and UFF could take place in any other major urban area, and the stories would remain fundamentally the same.

I don't believe the same thing could be said about NYC in 616.
 
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At the top of my head, 616 NY, back in the day when we didn't have every single team have some sorta hq there.
 
Wade_Wilson said:
LA in Desolation Jones. I think.
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Right on!!! That's exactly the kind of fictional space I had in mind, when I began this thread.

See, what I love about L.A. in Desolation Jones is that it's almost like an extra character in the book. The whole place has a personality of its own. Its spacial boundaries and unique culture are central to the overall storyline, and the kinds of characters that are allowed to exist within it -- in this case, L.A.'s "supermodern" culture, its sense of impermanence and transition, and its tolerance for weirdos and freaks, which permits an entire sub-community of emotionally and biologically damaged ex-spies to live amongst its citizenry, mostly unnoticed.

The different neighorhoods each have a unique look, but they feel like part of a larger (more organic?) urban mass, with its own clearly defined social and spatial boundaries.

Obviously, the New York portrayed in DMZ is another city that works in a similar way, but for entirely different reasons.
 
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Joe Kalicki said:
In the DC Universe the California city of San Diego was sunk to the bottom of the ocean and the citizens were somehow given the ability to breathe under water. I think Aquaman lives there now. Or at least the old one used to. I don't know if it's even in continuity anymore after Infinite Crisis.
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It's coming up in a upcoming issue.


This is a odd question.

Fabletown
Gotham City
L.A. (Desolation Jones)
Snowtown (Fell)
London (Hellblazer)
Kandor
 
compound said:
Intriguing choice! But I wonder -- to what extent does Fabletown really qualify as a "city"? I've always thought of it more as a neighborhood within NYC.

And yet, culturally, it's a lot more insular and reflective of the different customs and practices of the Homelands (the terms of the Amnesty notwithstanding).

It doens't seem to be very much influenced by the rest of New York (considering that Fabletown has its own source of funds and finances, its own internal economy, etc.).

Anybody else know how to run with this?
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I'd think of it as the Vatican City of New York, except hidden.

Edit: Also, has no one mentioned Astro City? It's cool in that the **** is so obviously and fundamentally shaped the presence of heroes.
 
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