Comments on: On Wings of Eagles

By: dr pepper

dr pepper — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:23:29 +0000

I remember reading a reply to a letter in an issue of Superman about his flight. This would have been hmm, around 1968. The editor said well Superman can super jump and then he has this innate antigravity power that keep him going.

As for limb count, there was a column in Isaac Asimov’s Magazine called Adventures in Unhistory, that tried to rationally analyze classic elements of fantasy. One article explored the physiology of a theoretical six limbed division within the vertebrates, noting the prevelance of such creatures in legend. That included centaurs, harpies, gryphons, and of course flying dragons. I took a cue from that when i created a flying biped of my own for D&D. I told my players not to think of it as a feathered humonoid with wings but as a stretched out bird with arms.

By: DisgruntledFerret

DisgruntledFerret — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:09:45 +0000

One idea I’ve heard is that Angel’s wings are ridiculously strong (like, “they can break metal” strong) and that’s why his wings can provide lift for hundreds of pounds.

It’s really a wonder he doesn’t just thwack people with his wings like an angry swan.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:07:20 +0000

The wiki says Angel weighs 150 pounds… at six feet tall, that’s a bit light, yes. I don’t blame the artists for leaving out the respiratory function of avian skeletal structures, mind you…

By: aprun

aprun — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 04:58:53 +0000

Scott Summer’s eyeblasts don’t rip his eyes because his eyes is his skin. His skin emits a telepathic field which makes himself immune to his own powers, much like his brothers is also immune! Oh right, this isn’t about Scott…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 04:57:03 +0000

While it is true that angel has hollow bones to account for his wings, I think that it means that he has rock solid muscle, which could be gained by flying and accounting for how he can land, fly, and take-off without having a curved breast. I mean, his costume reveals all. His wingspan…well I’ve got nothing about that except aesthetics. Also, to even walk on the ground, Angel would have to walk around with his wings folded or he’d topple over everywhere. I think his wings are a cross between an insects (small and having six apendages), a bird’s “(wings with feathers, duh!) and a bat’s (which have the ability to fold.)

By: Tahtanista

Tahtanista — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:59:57 +0000

I feel like making a little comment. It’s a widely held belief that birds’ bones are “hollow” and therefore “lighter.” This is actually not quite accurate. Birds’ bones are more like suspension bridges wrapped into cylindrical shapes. They have web-like cross-branching trusses and supports that form their bones. This is not to make the bones lighter–in fact, it actually makes them *heavier*. The purpose of the design actually is to prevent the bones from shattering due to the huge forces exerted on them when a bird flaps its wings or even holds its wings steady on a lift-producing air current. Bird skeletons come under huge stresses and pressures. Many bird skeletal modifications occurred to keep a bird from breaking bones when it flies. For example, without their web-like reinforced bones, unicate processes on its ribs and the addition of coracoid bones, when a bird flapped hard enough to fly it would break apart its own rib cage.

I agree that the flying superheroes I have seen do not appear at all biologically accurate, but I try to enjoy them anyway. I have actually tried to design the skeletal system for a winged horse. It is really hard! Some creatures were not meant to fly.

By: Josie

Josie — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 02:23:28 +0000

I am very biased in favor of wings. Very. And unapologetically, too. I even love that flight alone is not a very high-level power. See, sicko that I am, I love underpowered heroes such as Green Arrow, Wildcat, Captain America, Oracle, and Disney’s Gargoyles. They fight/shoot/smash things, and that is easy for my puny human brain to understand. Green Lantern’s powers are so high-level he shouldn’t even get to have adventures longer than 30 seconds tops, and they only take longer because they invariably make him stupid.

I want to marry JLU’s animated Sheyera and have her babies.

I wouldn’t mind seeing more four-limbed wingy-folk, though. At the moment the only one I can think of is Lexington the Gargoyle. And that Nightwing design.

Yes, I will admit it; I totally want my own wings. I rationalize away the wingspan issue by saying we don’t know how much they actually WEIGH, just what they look like, and their bones could be hollow and full of air sacs. Warren might be a svelte 70 lbs.

By: Savannah

Savannah — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 15:16:16 +0000

Well, who said it’s supposed to be realistic. Honestly, lets think about Scott Summers and those optic beams. The ruby quarts is the only thing that can hold them at bay, right? So he closes his eyes very tightly every time he tooks them off but how come they dont disintegrate his eyelids? It’s meant to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously.

By: iJusten

iJusten — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 21:54:27 +0000

Post-Crisis, I think Superman’s ability to fly is partly based on gravitational control, and partly latent telekinetics (remember; he has forcefield that protects his costume). Also, the lack of gravitational control is the reason why Superboy is so much slower than the Man himself.

Yes, I have no life.

By: Sparky

Sparky — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 21:25:09 +0000

You have no problem with Superman flying — despite his lack of any means of suspension or propulsion reconcilable with the laws of physics — yet you have trouble with Hawkman, Dawnstar, etc.?

Maybe I’m a little biased. One of my favorite fantasies is that I’ll go to sleep (possibly in the throes of a mysterious illness involving a fever) and wake up with fully functional wings. Please don’t take that away from me!

P.S. to Carl: “Scott, did you ever notice that punching birds does NOT break their bones?” Apparently not only do you punch birds, you assume others do, too. You’re scaring me, dude! You know what animal abuse can lead to . . .