All Fall Down



""Nothin' bad ever lasts in the comics. Death, doom, disaster? There's nothin' they can't fix.""

- A News Vendor, moments before his newsstand is crushed by a falling superhero.

All Fall Down (2011) is a Graphic Novel created by Casey Jones and Anvit Randeria, along with half a dozen other illustrators. It tells the story of Sophie Mitchell, a teenager who accidentally steals every last superpower on Earth. Several heroes and villains die or are injured as a result of losing their powers while in use. Sophie is acquired by the government and trained to become Siphon, the world's last superhero; while the ex-heroes and villains strive to pick up their lives and move on... not all of them succeed.

The book explores Dr. Kubler-Ross's Stages of Grief, and the effects such a loss would have on superheroes.

This book provides examples of the following tropes:

 * AI Is a Crapshoot: IQ Squared created AIQ Squared as a contingency plan if he ever lost his genius.
 * All Your Powers Combined: The protagonist, Sophie, experiences this with every superpower on Earth. Permanently.
 * An Arm and a Leg: suffers this when he loses both legs in the first chapter.
 * Animal-Themed Superbeing: Phylum *was* this, being able to turn into any animal he wished.
 * Antagonistic Offspring: Subverted. IQ is a retired supervillain, his son, IQ Squared, is a successful software tycoon.
 * Anyone Can Die: A major theme of the book.
 * Archnemesis Dad: IQ to his son, IQ Squared.
 * Artificial Intelligence: AIQ Squared, the result of IQ Squared's contingency plan, in case he ever lost his genius.
 * Attempted Rape: The super-heroine Portia experiences this in the middle of a fight when she loses her powers.
 * Badass Normal: is revealed to be one of these.
 * Baleful Polymorph: Entertaining children in hospital, the shape-shifter Phylum
 * Better to Die Than Be Killed:
 * Beware the Superman: is arrested for involuntary manslaughter, and held in suspicion by a portion of the public throughout her career.
 * Big Brother Is Watching: Being a Digitized Hacker, AIQ Squared is able to monitor all the main characters on a steady basis--to the point of eavesdropping in the Pentagon.
 * Bittersweet Ending:  However, a flash-forward shows that the heroes and villains do eventually move on and find closure.
 * Black Screen of Death: A Black Page of Death is used moments after
 * Blood From the Mouth: has this before the end.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Along with is conditioned to attack his closest friends, and to love the idea.
 * Brought Down to Normal: What happens to every superhero and super villain. Permanently. Many of them are locked in denial for a long time about staying that way.
 * Brought to You by The Letter "S": S is for Siphon and P is for Paradigm.
 * Burning Building Rescue: Siphon performs one of these in the course of her duties...
 * C-List Fodder: Any number of characters killed in their first appearance, mainly the first chapter.
 * Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Siphon learns this applies to her when.
 * The Cape: The superhero veteran, Paradigm. Of all the victims of the Fall, he handles it best.
 * Cape Snag: Subverted. Wearing a cape is what saves Paradigm's life.
 * Central Theme: Bad things happen. You *deal* with them, because they won't magically be reversed.
 * The Chessmaster:  becomes this, hatching an elaborate plot to try and kill Siphon, using   as his less-than-willing pawns.
 * Chest Insignia: Portia, Paradigm and Siphon.
 * Cliff Hanger: Chapters 3, 4 and 5 end this way.
 * In Chapter 3, is placed under arrest for the super-manslaughter of 642 people.
 * In Chapter 4, the last thing we see is stepping off a high-rise roof, followed by a Black Screen of Death.
 * In Chapter 5, we see, Brainwashed and Crazy, about to be unleashed on his unsuspecting friends.
 * Collapsing Lair: Subverted. The Order of Despots' Supervillain Lair on the Moon is still intact and fully operational two years later.
 * Colony Drop: A giant asteroid, Penumbra, threatens to collide with Earth.
 * The Commissioner Gordon: Ex-superhero Plymouth fills this role for Sophie, training her in the use of her powers and coordinating her efforts with the US Government.
 * The Computer Is Your Friend: And it will stop at nothing to kill Siphon and restore the world's powers to their rightful owners.
 * The Corrupter: becomes this to, thanks to a booby-trapped voice-box that gives poisonous advice.
 * The Corruptible: proves to be this. He simply wants his powers back more than anything.
 * Crazy Prepared: IQ Squared proves to be this, for programming in the event that he ever lost his super-level genius.
 * Cut Lex Luthor a Check: The genius supervillain IQ lives in squalor, while his equally-brilliant son (a legitimate businessman) is worth billions.
 * Cyborg: undergoes this treatment to regain his lost powers and attack Siphon on equal footing.
 * Siphon gets one of these before the end.
 * : AIQ Squared learns the hard way that  has this.
 * Death by Origin Story: The 642 casualties inadvertently killed by Sophie's ascendance in The Fall.
 * Death Trap: employs a deadly Power Nullifier on the moon.
 * Denouement: A Flash Forward at a funeral reveals the fates of several main characters:
 * saves lives as a paramedic.
 * fights side-by-side with the Ghoul.
 * seeks counselling and rehabilitation in Prison.
 * forgives and visits him frequently in Prison.
 * happily marries the woman of her dreams.
 * writes a bestselling autobiography.
 * ends up in prison, but with his father's respect.
 * De-Power: This happens to every superhero and villain in the world. Permanently.
 * Didn't See That Coming: plot falls apart when he fails to plan ahead for
 * Sophie's last panel.
 * Digitized Hacker: proves a very capable one--considering it's made of the same data as the software it scours for information on Siphon.
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Portia defiantly bears this for most of the story.
 * Downer Beginning: The story begins with heroes and villains dropping out of the sky to their deaths.
 * The Dreaded: Nearly everyone fears the Ghoul.
 * Driven to Suicide:  experiences this when it becomes painfully clear she is never getting her powers back. She steps off a tall building.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Portia attempts this after the loss of her powers, as do several superhero wannabes after being disarmed by the Ghoul.
 * The Eeyore: Pronto is this after.
 * Electric Torture: endures a form of this while on a deathtrap power-nullifying platform.
 * EMP: The Colony Drop-sized asteroid Penumbra seems to be radiating this, making a missile attack impossible.
 * Ending Memorial Service:  with strong implications that the heroes and villains will eventually find closure and move on.
 * Energy Beings: briefly becomes one of these before the end.
 * Establishing Series Moment: In chapter one, a news vendor comforts a small boy by telling him "Nothin' bad ever lasts in the comics. Death, doom, disaster? There's nothin' they can't fix." Moments later, a superhero plummets out of the sky, destroying the news stand and dying instantly.
 * Everything's Better with Monkeys: The shape-shifter, Phylum, spends the book as a chimpanzee as a result of losing his powers.
 * Evil Costume Switch: gets one of these in his new identity as the Modern Prometheus.
 * Evil Gloating: lays out his entire scheme to the confused and outraged IQ Squared.
 * Evil Old Folks: IQ lives in a squalid retirement home and has not lost an inch of his hate for the good guys.
 * Evil Genius: IQ is VERY bitter about not being one of these anymore.
 * Exact Words: "Nothing *on Earth* is unlawful about what's taking place."
 * Face Death with Dignity: manages to pull this off.
 * Face Heel Turn: undergoes this in exchange for new legs as fast as his old ones.
 * Faceless Goons: The Order of Despots has a small army of them on their moon base.
 * Fake-Out Opening: The story begins with a hero having his powers drained by a Mad Scientist. It's revealed to be a comic book, read by a small boy.
 * Used again in chapter three. What appears to be a flashback to the end of chapter two is actually a holodeck recreation for IQ Squared to work out some frustration with his father.
 * Fallen Hero:  will do *anything* to get his powers back.
 * False Reassurance: "Nothing *on Earth* is unlawful about what's taking place."
 * Fist of Rage: When he hears about Siphon, Pronto has one of these that is so intense he makes his palm bleed.
 * Five-Man Band: The Pantheon was this, consisting of Portia, Paradigm, Pronto, Phylum and Plymouth.
 * Five Stages of Grief: The central theme of the book.
 * Flashback Echo: Chapter Two revolves around heroes (and Sophie) remembering the last time the Pantheon was truly heroic, involving a mission on the moon.
 * Flash Step: The Modern Prometheus uses this to between the 'G' and 'O' of the word "Gotcha". Simultaneously.
 * Flying Brick: What Sophie becomes after absorbing the powers of every other superhero or supervillain in the world.
 * Foreshadowing: On his first trip to the moon, Pronto
 * Framing Device: Chapter Two's funeral service frames a flashback to the heroes and villains' last hour of glory.
 * Gas Mask Mooks: The Order of Despots' minions are all equipped with their stand issue, needlessly creepy gas masks.
 * "Get Out of Jail Free" Card:  gets one of these in the form of a Presidential Pardon.
 * The Glomp: Grace tackles Sophie with one of these after seeing her for the first time in months.
 * Heroic Wannabe: Several spring up after The Fall to fill the void of the ex-superheroes.
 * Hero with Bad Publicity: Siphon suffers from this
 * Hollywood Pudgy: Portia laments having gained nine pounds since she lost her powers (and her superhero metabolism).
 * Hope Springs Eternal: A theme of the book. Even in the face of great tragedy, there's potential for things to improve.
 * How Do I Shot Web?: Sophie suffers from this at first, using several powers by accident until she learns to bring them under control.
 * I Just Want to Be Special: Virtually everyone that lost their powers wants them back.
 * "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Members of the Pantheon try to reach out to this way. They don't quite succeed.
 * Impossible Genius: Both IQ and IQ Squared are these. The former built doomsday weapons, the latter created a software empire worth billions.
 * In Medias Res: The story begins with superheroes already falling out of the sky.
 * Institutional Apparel: wear this after they end up in prison.
 * Insufferable Genius: AIQ Squared is this in spades.
 * Interface with a Familiar Face: AIQ Squared looks and sounds exactly like IQ Squared, when he was still a super genius.
 * Interrupted Suicide: short walk off a skyscraper is successfully averted.
 * It Never Gets Any Easier: In Chapter 1, Dr. Young finds himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of injured superheroes coming in at once.
 * It Runs in The Family: IQ and IQ Squared are both lonely, brilliant, irritable men who find it impossible to talk to each other.
 * It's Always Sunny At Funerals: Both funerals are held on bright, sunny days.
 * Just Between You and Me:  delivers this in the final chapter, explaining how and why Siphon was manipulated into a position where
 * Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Appearances are made by Bruce Banner, Alfred, Tony Stark, the Power Puff Girls and others.
 * Legion of Doom: The Order of Despots is this to the Pantheon.
 * Living Battery: The Order of Despots kidnaps the superhero Isotope to use him for this very purpose.
 * Lured Into a Trap: creates this using a   massive asteroid and a shrink ray on the moon that runs on Living Batteries.
 * Make It Look Like an Accident: plot involves this, Siphon, and a Power Nullifier on the moon.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Using  manipulates   into selling his soul for the chance to get his powers back.
 * Meaningful Funeral: Chapter Two revolves around one of these for all the heroes and villains who died in The Fall.
 * Milking the Giant Cow: IQ, card carrying ham, has one of these moments in church.
 * Misery Poker: The Pantheon get together for a game and this is the result.
 * Mooks: The Order of Despots have a small army of them on their moon base.
 * My Brain Is Big: IQ and IQ Squared had extra-large heads while they were super-geniuses. Their craniums were reduced to normal in The Fall.
 * News Broadcast: Used in-universe a few times.
 * Not Afraid to Die: With her last words, proves she is this.
 * Pieta Plagiarism: The Ghoul holds this way after rescuing her.
 * Power Crystal: Count Von Deadly uses one of these--before he explodes.
 * Power Glows: Siphon exhibits this to a blinding degree
 * Power Nullifier: Sophie is a walking one, and IQ Squared designed a device to do this to super-powered villains in prison... including his father.
 * Powers in the First Episode: This is Sophie, at first. She has stolen every power on Earth, with no idea at first how to use them.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: The Ghoul delivers these, in the form of announcing the sin you're committing before he takes you out.
 * Pride: This blinds Portia for the majority of the story.
 * Prison: end up here at the finish.
 * Projected Man: AIQ Squared generally appears as this.
 * Puberty Superpower: The story begins the day after Sophie Mitchell hits puberty.
 * Revenge Before Reason: This motivates into selling out his friends to get his powers back.
 * Rogues Gallery: Before they lost their powers en masse, the Order of Despots was this to the Pantheon.
 * Rooftop Confrontation: Portia trades blows with the Ghoul after he.
 * Secret Identity: Siphon's identity is not public knowledge, but her role as the world's last superhero leaves her very little time for a double life.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: AIQ Squared suffers this. He can't help it, it's in his programming.
 * Shrink Ray: The Order of Despots has one on the Moon, and threaten to shrink the Earth with it. It comes up again later as a possible solution to a Colony Drop-sized asteroid.
 * Smug Snake: AIQ Squared is this to absolutely everyone.
 * So Proud of You: Played for laughs when visits  in prison.
 * Space Base: The Order of Despots has one of these on the moon. It is seen in first in a flashback, and is later visited in the present.
 * Static Character: . Of everyone who's suffered a loss, he is essentially the same person afterwards as before.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: Count Von Deadly goes out this way, when he loses the ability to control his magic powers.
 * Super-Hero School: How Sophie learned to control her powers: she was coached by Plymouth, an ex-hero, along with a stack of 'How To' books.
 * Super-Hero Speciation: The Pantheon enjoyed having a well-rounded team of heroes before they lost their powers. So did their nemeses, the Order of Despots.
 * Super Intelligence: Both IQ and IQ Squared were world-class inventors in their prime.
 * Supernatural Angst: Heroes and villains experience this after losing their powers and suffering various physical and/or emotional trauma as a result.
 * Superpower Lottery: As Siphon, Sophie Mitchell has this in spades--but at a terrible cost.
 * Super Speed: Pronto had this . Later, so does the Modern Prometheus.
 * Super Team: We have the Pantheon, a group of A-listers named Portia, Paradigm, Pronto, Phylum and Plymouth.
 * Supervillain Lair: The Order of Despots has one, on the moon. It's seen in a flashback in chapter two.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: "Nothing *on Earth* is unlawful about what's taking place."
 * Suspiciously Specific Sermon: Father Hector delivers a sermon on remaining strong in the face of adversity, intercut with a Flash Back to the Pantheon duking it out with the Order of Despots on the moon.
 * Tears of Fear: Portia weeps at the climax--not for her own sake, but for what could do to her friends.
 * Tell Me Again: Pronto requests a recap of the Pantheon's plan in the flashback in chapter two.
 * This Cannot Be!: says something to this effect moments before his downfall.
 * "Three Laws"-Compliant: AIQ Squared, the AI model of his inventor, is designed to be this.
 * Tragic Dream: Any hopes the heroes or villains have about ever getting their powers back.
 * Translator Collar: Phylum receives one in the mail from an anonymous donor, giving him back his voice.
 * Treacherous Advisor: is this to Siphon and the Pantheon. Mildly subverted in that he is legitimately looking out for IQ Squared's best interests.
 * Treacherous Quest-Giver: is this to Siphon and the Pantheon when he sends them on a mission to the moon.
 * Tropaholics Anonymous: Paradigm admits to Portia that since The Fall, he's been attending meetings at 'Remaining Heroes'.
 * Turncoat: becomes this in exchange for a new pair of legs.
 * Two First Names: Our heroine, Sophie Mitchell.
 * Unable to Cry: Portia is this in spades,
 * The Unmasking: Used twice: once to reveal to the reader who  really is, and again when
 * Villains Act, Heroes React: Both with the Order of Despots and the Pantheon, and  and Siphon.
 * Wave Motion Gun: The Reducto-Beam, a colossal shrink ray on the moon that runs on Living Batteries.
 * We Can Rebuild Him:  goes through this, becoming the brainwashed and crazy Modern Prometheus who nearly kills Siphon.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: IQ Squared and his father, IQ.
 * We Used to Be Friends: The Pantheon tries to reason with this way. They don't quite succeed.
 * Writing for the Trade
 * Writing for the Trade