Jab’s Builds! (Whomp 'Em! Plumbers Don't Wear Ties! ToeJam & Earl!)

[Woodclaw]

Reminds me of this:

Despite my love for Burton's Batman, that is a very concise analysis.

[Jabroniville]

HAHAHAAHAHAHAAH THAT F*CKING LAST ONE!

BADROCK (Thomas John McCall, aka Bedrock)
Created By: Rob Liefeld
First Appearance: Youngblood #1 (April 1992)
Role: Anti-Hero, Thing Knock-Off, Strong Guy
Marvel Character Most Ripped Off: The Thing (I mean... he's The Thing)
'90s Ratio: 4/10 (Team "Strong Guy")
Group Affiliations: Youngblood, Brigade
PL 9 (100)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 12 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Government Agent) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+8 Size)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Huge Size" Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [5]
Impervious Toughness 9 [9]
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
Regeneration 1 (Feats: Regrows Limbs) [2]
Power-Lifting 2 (400 tons) [2]

"Rob Liefeld Character" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+8) (Flaws: Limited to Feet) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +12, Fortitude +12, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Being Extreme and Looking Cool)
Responsibility (Impulsive)- Badrock tends to act big and pick fights with powerful opponents, including heroes like Mighty Man and the Savage Dragon.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 12 (100)

-I gotta admit, Badrock is one hell of a design. Easily the best overall Youngblood character in terms of look. Of course, that's because Rob literally just took Ben Grimm, traced him, and then left out all the rock details so he was easier to draw. BUT HE STILL COUNTS AS THE BEST.

-But seriously, holy cow, what an obvious rip- he even has the same "rounded lower jaw". Of all of Youngblood, he's also the most normal- he was an average 16-year old until he swallowed a vial of top-secret genetic material in his father's lab, suddenly turning him into what would happen if someone who didn't like to do fine details traced over The Thing. Despite his power, the new "Bedrock" was generally nice, but was still immature and over-eager, leading him to pick fights with other super-heroes. Naturally, the name got changed pretty quickly to "Badrock", and they probably didn't keep his "YABBA-DABBA-DOOM!" catchphrase (humorously, Rob jokes via the characters that a lawsuit will be inevitable). The character apparently matured a bit over time, and took some time off after Riptide's murder, then joined the fourth incarnation of Brigade.

-Badrock is pretty easily one of the top members of Youngblood, being much stronger than the others and able to tangle with some of the Image setting's bigger powerhouses in Erik Larsen's book. One book says that he lives to at least the year 3000, returning to our time to prevent a dark future from happening, so he's immortal as well.

[Jabroniville]

I'm still trying to figure out the green fluff of chest hair.

It's supposed to be fire, but looks weird.

[Jabroniville]

The head looks like the way they started drawing Nova (Frankie Raye) after a while and also Equinox.

Hm, yeah, I can see Equinox a bit. When did they start drawing Nova that way?

[Goldar]

The head looks like the way they started drawing Nova (Frankie Raye) after a while and also Equinox.

Hm, yeah, I can see Equinox a bit. When did they start drawing Nova that way?

Back in the '90's on Silver Surfer's book.

[Ken]

... that's because Rob literally just took Ben Grimm, traced him, and then left out all the rock details so he was easier to draw.

You mean:
"Rob literally just took Ben Grimm, traced him, SHRUNK THE HEAD and then left out all the rock details"

[Goldar]

... that's because Rob literally just took Ben Grimm, traced him, and then left out all the rock details so he was easier to draw.

You mean:
"Rob literally just took Ben Grimm, traced him, SHRUNK THE HEAD and then left out all the rock details"

hehe, sort of like a DC Blok and Marvel Thing....Blok Thing?

[catsi563]

may have underestimated his strength a bit. in the crossover where he and grifter team up to save Badrocks mom tommy lifts a tank overhead and then promptly hardballs it over a mountain range into the ocean a distance of quite a few miiles to throw something as heavy as a tank

Also a hillarious story at the end where its discovered that Grifter and His mom had a fling at one time. EWWWWW MOM!!

[Jabroniville]

Okay, he has a shield in some pictures, for some reason.

DIEHARD (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Rob Liefeld
First Appearance: Youngblood #1 (April 1992)
Role: Anti-Hero, Cyborg
Marvel Character Most Ripped Off: Deadpool (feature-covering mask with circles/lines on it), Captain America (WWII hero who later gets a discus shield)
'90s Ratio: 9/10 (cyborg; metal-coiled limbs; unknown identity; has "die" in his name)
Group Affiliations: Youngblood
PL 8 (135)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Expertise (Government Agent) 6 (+8)
Expertise (History) 5 (+7)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Cybernetics"
Power-Lifting 1 (12 tons) [1]
"Scanners" Senses 5 (Infravision, Extended Vision & Hearing, Detect Electronics- Ranged) [5]
Immunity 1 (Aging, Poison) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]

"Sonic Cannon" Blast 8 (16) -- [17]
AE: "Sonic Constructs- Sword & Shield" Strength-Damage +1 & Enhanced Defenses 1 (4)

Flight 6 (120 mph) (12) -- [13]

• AE: Speed 5 (60 mph) (5)

"Rob Liefeld Character" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+8) (Flaws: Limited to Feet) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Sword +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Sonic Cannon +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Parry +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Toughness +7, Fortitude +8, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Being Extreme and Looking Cool)
Relationship (Vogue)- The two are married.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 38 / Defenses: 10 (135)

-Diehard has the most '90s name of the early Youngblood characters, and one of the most distinctively "Rob" appearances- his feature-covering mask and the circles on it, plus the random pouches and bandoliers, evokes a strong sense of "Deadpool", at that point a popular occasionall villain in X-Force. Here, Diehard is a superhero on Youngblood, and fights in one of the most bizarre, iconic "Wait, Rob doesn't actually get how anatomy works, does he?" panels, in which he appears to be using his crotch to slam into a guy. It's SUPPOSED to be either a double-punch or a kick, but Rob's got him so bent up, and shot oddly from above, that you can't tell WHAT'S going on. That it happened in an issue full of other artistic mistakes, alongside meaningless characters, really painted ill of Rob.

-Diehard was made a cyborg in the 1940s- the first American experiment into merging "man and machine"- he was a hero during World War II, alongside Glory & Superpatriot, and joined an earlier incarnation of Youngblood, booting out old leader Battlestone for killing a fellow soldier. He kept on the team under Shaft's leadership, and formed a relationship with Vogue. He was temporarily replaced by a "Diehard" robot when he was leading another mission, and teamed up with his WWII buddies on "The Allies" during Alan Moore's Youngblood run. Apparently at some point he became President of the United States! And he's so '90s that we STILL DON'T KNOW HIS REAL NAME.

-Unlike much of Youngblood, Diehard is actually fairly well-balanced, being a PL 8 melee/ranged fighter with either Energy Weapons or a Sonic Cannon mounted in his chest. The optional shield boosts his Defenses as well, but only if he's not Blasting.

[KorokoMystia]

The infamous "crotch attack" panel, for anyone that hasn't seen it.

[Voltron64]

Some panels from Prophet #39 that add some major depth to the character.

https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4526353.html

[Ken]

may have underestimated his strength a bit. in the crossover where he and grifter team up to save Badrocks mom tommy lifts a tank overhead and then promptly hardballs it over a mountain range into the ocean a distance of quite a few miles to throw something as heavy as a tank

"I'm going to power stunt off of my Strength damage into +12 Strength, lifting only, giving me a 24 lifting Strength, so I can hoist that tank and throw it over the mountain. And spend a Hero Point to negate the fatigue."

[Ian Turner]

It goes to show how memorable / informative Youngblood was that I didn't have the slightest notion that Diehard was a cyborg, I thought he was an android or robot, and meant to be the 'Vision' or 'Red Tornado' of the team (only without any cool powers).

Man, Diehard, Vogue, Shaft. He just ripped names from random stuff that caught his eye, didn't he? It's like 'this superhero brought to you by the letters A.D.D.'

[catsi563]

may have underestimated his strength a bit. in the crossover where he and grifter team up to save Badrocks mom tommy lifts a tank overhead and then promptly hardballs it over a mountain range into the ocean a distance of quite a few miles to throw something as heavy as a tank

"I'm going to power stunt off of my Strength damage into +12 Strength, lifting only, giving me a 24 lifting Strength, so I can hoist that tank and throw it over the mountain. And spend a Hero Point to negate the fatigue."

Huh Fair point

[Jabroniville]

RIPTIDE (Leanna Creel)
Created By: Rob Liefeld
First Appearance: Youngblood #1 (April 1992)
Role: Anti-Hero, Water Controller
Marvel Character Most Ripped Off: None! (I mean, Hydro-Man, I GUESS...), early version was a recolour or Wonder Woman
'90s Ratio: 5/10 (chick in a swimsuit for a costume; posed nude in a magazine)
Group Affiliations: Youngblood
PL 8 (94)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Government Agent) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Attractive, Power Attack

Powers:
"Water Control"
Swimming 6 (6) -- [7]

• AE: "Ride the Waves" Speed 5 (60 mph) (5)

"Dehydration" Affliction 8 (Fort; Impaired/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Feats: Accurate 2) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (26) -- [28]

• AE: "Wave Smash" Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (16)
• AE: "Geyster" Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cylinder) (16)
• AE: Water Blast 8 (Feats: Accurate 2, Split) (19)

"Rob Liefeld Character" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+8) (Flaws: Limited to Feet) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Water Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Wave Smash +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Dehydration +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Being Extreme and Looking Cool)
Reputation (Nude Model)- Riptide posed nude in a men's mag for some quick money, and was fired from Youngblood temporarily over it.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 36 / Defenses: 9 (94)

-Okay, RIPTIDE? Riptide actually works! Maybe it's because she's the most plainly designed character on this nutjob team, but Riptide is the only Youngblood character who looks like she could fit into a team from any era- as skimpy as the swimsuit outfit she's wearing can be, there's nothing on her that wouldn't fit in on, say, the 1970s Legion of Super-Heroes, 1980s Teen Titans, 1990s X-Men or even most teams in the post-2000 era! And she even has a unique, rarely-used power-set! Riptide ACTUALLY WORKS. I mean, if Rob was capable of drawing water that didn't look like she was riding a river of cum, but otherwise, yeah.

-So Riptide is part of Rob's old-school Youngblood pitch, and is the ever-rare Water Controller archetype, and arguably the most prominent superhero with that concept (as Marvel's Hydro-Man is easily the most famous super-powered example overall). She got her powers from an "undersea accident" that resulted in a Sea Witch empoweroing her. She joined Youngblood to make some quick money, but soon became an important part of the team. She became one of very few super-heroines to pose nude in-universe, as she was in "Pussicat Magazine", something that got her booted from Youngblood. But after Battlestone became the new team leader, she was asked to rejoin.

-However, in Alan Moore's run on Youngblood, she was the victim in a big "Murder Mystery" arc in which Knightsabre went on trial for killing her. Eventually, the truth was revealed- her father's old magical storybook had been stolen years ago, and she discovered that her teammate Sentinel had taken it. Langston was startled when she caught him, and the two fought, Sentinel killing her in cold blood. He tried to frame their partner Knightsabre for the slaying. He was eventually found out and imprisoned.

-Riptide has a bunch of "Water Controller" powers, making her a pretty unique, interesting character. She can create water, ride waves, dehydrate people, blast with torrents of it, and more.