Come on John, you were wrong. The pictures (Drawn by Kirby) posted by folks other than Gene prove that the definition he gave was correct no matter what the source.

QUOTE: If I recall correctly, Mother Boxes look different because each are tailored to fit the individual personality & psyche of their owner.

Like actual mothers, every one is different, and every one is best in the world.

Unlike some grannies.  Thank goodness.

Desaad little pun in Aaron's post has made me regret my initial joke.

***

Don't fight it, Kurt. Come over to the Darkseid.

QUOTE: Mindreading?"  Sorry, but no -- it's a visual thing, Gene . . . thanks, though, for your own humble attempt at mind-reading.  What I was engaging in, though, is known as "observation," not mind-reading -- the pic posted looks like a cross between a Cosmic Cube and a Borg ship.  "Observation" is a purely visual thing, and it is quite different than "mindreading."  I'm not a New Gods expert by any means, but whenever I think of a "Mother Box" I usually imagine a cassette-shaped red or gray box like the pics posted by Daniel and Gerry.  I don't recall seeing Jack Kirby ever draw a Mother Box that looked like a cube, which is what prompted my comment.

So you just disregard the rest of the quote?

QUOTE: looks like the NuDC artistes have decided that the Mother Box would be kewler if it looked like a cross between a Cosmic Cube and a Borg ship . . .

Specifically the bold part. You can tell me for a fact that the "Artistes" at DC thought it would be "KEWL" to redesign a Mother Box? You can tell their motivations based on the drawing? Or did you decide that you just didn't like it, and take a swipe at them?

"KEWL" is a word that gets thrown around here a lot by various folks, who don't like something that they see or hear, and don't have any way to justify it other than "it's just my opinion, but I want to sound like I know what I'm talking about".  As in "I hate they way comics are now, but I guess I'm not "KEWL", or If a person likes a movie on the forbidden list, it can't be that they just happen to like it, but it's because "They are trying to be 'KEWL'". Or "I'm not a expert on this, but I've always imagined this a different way, therefore this artist drew it differently than I imaged because he was trying to be kewl." It's a slam, and that's how you used it.

If you didn't LIKE the look of that particular Mother Box, then it perfectly valid for you to say so. In fact, it DOES look like a cross between a Cosmic Cube and a Borg ship. But it doesn't mean anything other than that. And certainly not an excuse for you to take a swipe at whoever drew it.

QUOTE: I don't recall seeing Jack Kirby ever draw a Mother Box that looked like a cube, which is what prompted my comment.

Perfectly valid. AND I night add a great way to state that fact. Without making it into a thinly veiled insult. AND now that you've seen the pic posted above, from Forever People, you can say you HAVE seen an odd looking Mother Box. (Truth be told, I didn't know they came in that flavor either. I too learned something about them when I saw that pic.)

QUOTE: Nice quote from Wikipedia, BTW -- thanks for educating me with information from such a reliable source.

Anything apart from your wanting to be a snob behind that quote? I mean it is factual after all, and it has no bearing on what I took issue with in your post. It was merely for informational purposes. However, Professor, here's some more references for you, if that's what you require:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1318432

QUOTE: A device/character that was created by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The Mother Box first appeared in Forever People #1. The Mother Box is device that could best be described as a sentient computer. The devices are always referred to with the female pronoun, never neutral or male pronouns, and are treated as being intelligent. They were created by the New God Himon of New Genesis, who successfully, linked the Mother Boxes to the Source, the benevolent cosmic power that controls the universe. The Mother Box can only be used by those of good moral character. This is possibly the explanation that the inhabitants of Apokolips, used-car salesmen, lawyers, and Martha Stewart are unable to use these devices. The Mother Box can be injured and die, just like other living beings. The person who holds and uses the Mother Box can heal it by thinking loving and nuturing thoughts toward it. The Mother Box can perform a plethora of functions. It can create magnetic fields, force fields, and webs for capturing opponents. It can allow the holder to pass through solid objects. It can rearrange matter, which it does for the New God Orion, transforming his fearsome appearance to a more handsome one. Orion's Mother Box also helped him control his violent nature. It can teleport the holder, or in the case of the Forever People, be used to summon Infinity Man. It is used by Mister Miracle to aid in his death-defying escapes.

http://fastbak.tripod.com/ngfaq.htm

QUOTE: It's called a living computer, but I think it's more like a data terminal to the Source. After all, it's most common act is to deliver knowledge. All kinds of knowledge. Knowledge of the past and present, time and space, matter and energy, and even body and spirit. Orion's can open up Boom Tubes, detect various phenomena, and reshape (heal?) his features. According to some writers, it can also calm his rage. And of course, the Boxes can summon the "elemental furies", whatever they are. According to Himon, it takes a certain mental strength and purity to create a Mother Box, but then we see that Slig of the Deep Six had one. And Orion *kills* it (which makes me wonder what his Mother Box thought about it, especially with issue #4's revelation that Mother Boxes communicate. I guess we could call it an InterBoxNet. :) ) This is what we know... There's more than one way to build a Mother Box. Himon's use the Source as a power supply, but apparently, others on Apokolips create lesser ones. Every Mother Box must be built by it's owner, and becomes attuned to it's mind. (which is why it only pings...the real communication is telepathic). Clearly, the mindset on New Genesis makes reaching the proper mental state to activate a Mother Box (or, in the case of the Forever People, a gestalt box) a relatively simple task. I suspect Metron or Highfather guide the younger gods in this task. On Apokolips, it's harder. Part of me wonders if Slig was an earlier student of Himon, who was seduced by the opportunity to join the "dark side". However, since his Mother Box had already become attuned to him, it remained, even though it probably grieved at his descent into evil. When Slig died, in it's grief, it allowed Orion to destroy it. (I expect Seagrin's Box destroyed itself off camera.) If I'm right, it will only grant it's gifts to those with the proper desire to serve life. The dreamers, the shapers, the fighters, and the teachers. Those who hoard knowledge for it's own sake, or as a means to an end, will find themselves with nothing but a box of inert electronics.

etc etc etc

Also, like the real Kreskin, your guess as to the source of my info was wrong. I got it from here:

http://en.dcdatabaseproject.com/Mother_Box

Granted the Wikipedia entry is the same, This is where I got it from.

QUOTE: can we now return to our regularly-scheduled (and typically civil) forum discussions?

Sure, please, go right ahead.