# Pick a comic-book city to live in. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752 "2008-05-18T14:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/41 "2008-05-19T20:50:27Z")
Riverdale for sure. Failing that, Smallville. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/42 "2008-05-19T21:04:08Z")
The Silver City looks like it would be very pleasant, except for the Stranger moping around outside. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/43 "2008-05-19T21:13:26Z")
The City, from Transmetropolitan. As already mentioned, there’s a fair bit of weirdness, even violence - but good Lord, there’s mind-bogglement to be had everywhere you look. I’d like that. Also - Eskimo take-out! This is, admittedly, utterly mad - but I’d also sort of like to live in Sin City. It’d be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/44 "2008-05-19T23:11:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] Gotham’s not so bad. I imagine it as sort of like a superhero Seattle, even though I know most of the artists are inspired by Chicago in their vision of it. It’s dark and rainy and stuff, but it only looks that bad because Batman never operates during the day. We only eee the city at _night_, so of course we’re going to get a creepy vibe from it. [/QUOTE] Batman is not the problem - the Joker is. And Bane and Black Mask and Red Hood and Two-Face and… I’m sorry, but I don’t want to die or be permanently disfigured or go insane because some loony-toon is trying to get Mr. Dark and Pointy-Eared’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/45 "2008-05-19T23:53:14Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Batman is not the problem - the Joker is. And Bane and Black Mask and Red Hood and Two-Face and… I’m sorry, but I don’t want to die or be permanently disfigured or go insane because some loony-toon is trying to get Mr. Dark and Pointy-Eared’s attention. [/QUOTE] What STG said. Gotham City was a hellhole evern before Bruce put on the Kevlar. Now it’s just a more colorful hellhole. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/46 "2008-05-20T00:13:41Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] … Specifically, using a stolen Burroughs-Carter continua device, he is shipping out Dopers to the comic-book city of their choice, there to live out their …lives … [/QUOTE] Okay. That settles it. Boondock for me. Population over 1 million, but an idyllic Arcadian feel, libertarian government but with some no-nonsense reasonable policies (and I don’t have a problem with how Ira runs things.) And the convention scene cannot be beat anywhere – by definition! What’s that you say? It needs to be a comic-boiok city? Well, surely somewhere in the Multiverse, someone has rendered what are Heinlein SF stories here in graphic format. And besides, it offers something that no other choice does: the chance to second-guess yourself. If I decide I don’t like it there, the Interuniversal HQ of Carter, Burroughs, and Long is only a long walk or short ride away. And Hilda is, given the proper inducements, going to be a lot easier to bargain with than a nutball planetary-dictator wannabe! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/47 "2008-05-20T00:16:16Z")
Can the concept be stretched far enough to allow the Mutants and Masterminds comic-themed RPG setting [Freedom City?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_City) It seems like a fairly friendly place to live. Plus, if you want, you can buy your own super abilities by spending Power Points. I’m not sure how that works, but it’s got to be better than being bombarded with radiation or doused in toxic waste. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/48 "2008-05-20T00:20:05Z")
My first thought was [Oceansend](http://iboxpublishing.com/The_City.htm), from _Thieves and Kings_, but the problem with technologically primitive societies are things like lack of modern medicine, and modern entertainment, which might drive me a bit doolally. So I choose 2008, but the steampunk version. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/49 "2008-05-20T00:39:30Z")
Alternatively, since this is specifically for Dopers per the OP, we could have a default option: “3. Opal City … **everybody’s** third choice!” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/50 "2008-05-20T02:14:31Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Batman is not the problem - the Joker is. And Bane and Black Mask and Red Hood and Two-Face and… I’m sorry, but I don’t want to die or be permanently disfigured or go insane because some loony-toon is trying to get Mr. Dark and Pointy-Eared’s attention. [/QUOTE] How 'bout one of those alternate versions of Gotham (or any other comic city) where the resident superhero(es) finally snapped, and started massacring the supervillains? Of course, “slippery slopes” being what they are, these worlds almost inevitably become places where daring to kill mass-murdering supervillains means the hero becomes an Orwellian tyrant who executes jaywalkers ( :rolleyes: ), but most of the cities themselves actually seem like pretty decent places to live, as long as you keep out of trouble. Kind of like Singapore, only with more gestapo. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/51 "2008-05-20T03:19:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Are you freakin’ nuts?: > Bludhaven > Springfield (GI Joe) > New Port City Add [Bugtown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugtown) to the “no way” list. But I’m curious about Springfield. I wasn’t of the right age to follow GI Joe comics. What happened there? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752/52 "2008-05-20T03:34:07Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Add [Bugtown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugtown) to the “no way” list. But I’m curious about Springfield. I wasn’t of the right age to follow GI Joe comics. What happened there? [/QUOTE] Cobra territory, baby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-comic-book-city-to-live-in/449752.md?page=2)