Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Batgirl III »

You have a weird way to spell “sexy,” Scots.

Of course, I’ve been up to my elbows in Barsoom, Amtor, Tarzan, Conan, and Tor artwork lately digging up inspiration for my own “sword and planet” campaign world. So my perceptions may be skewed.

Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins were way overdressed in the Disney movie.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ken »

Batgirl III wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:14 pm Image

Helena explains Shadow Lass’s fashion choices just as well as her own.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Scots Dragon »

Batgirl III wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:52 pm You have a weird way to spell “sexy,” Scots.
Of course it's sexy. I just don't believe too strongly in making redundant statements.
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Tyroc

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

Jim Shooter, who had been prevented from introducing black characters into the Legion in the 1960s, objected to the characterization of Tyroc: "...I always wanted to have a character who was African-American, and years later, when they did that, they did it in the worst way possible....instead of just incidentally having a character who happens to be black...they made a big fuss about it. He's a racial separatist....I just found it pathetic and appalling."

According to Mike Grell, who co-created Tyroc with Cary Bates, the character of Tyroc was "sort of a sore spot with me." He had previously tried to introduce black characters into the series, but had been prevented by then-editor Murray Boltinoff. "I kept getting stalled off...and finally comes Tyroc. They might as well have named him Tyrone. Their explanation for why there were no black people [in the Legion] was that all the black people had gone to live on an island. It's possibly the most racist concept I've ever heard in my life...I mean, it's a segregationist's dream, right? So they named him Tyroc, and gave him the world's stupidest super-power."

Grell's dislike of Tyroc was strong enough that he deliberately made him look ridiculous, saying, "I gave him a silly costume. It was somewhere between Elvis' Las Vegas costume and something you would imagine a pimp on the street corner wearing."

Grell notes that physically, Tyroc is based on the football player Fred Williamson. "I modeled him somewhat on Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, who was a movie star at the time...and gave him this "Elvis Presley goes to Las Vegas" kind of a costume, and that's pretty much it. That was the extent of my contribution to Tyroc."
-From Tyroc's Wikipedia page


TYROC (Troy Stewart)
Created By:
Cary Bates & Mike Grell
First Appearance: Superboy #216 (April 1976)
Home Planet: Earth (Island of Marzal)
Origin of Powers: Racial Abilities
Eras: Original, Threeboot
Relationships: None
Role: The Most Racist Character Ever
PL 10 (143)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Politics) 5 (+7)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 6 (+8)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 1 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 10 (Legion Gear), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Set-Up

Powers:
"Sonic Scream Powers"
"ARRRHHHHH!" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (24) -- [35]
  • AE: "EEYYAAAGH!- Pyrokinesis" Fire Blast 10 (20)
  • AE: "AHHRRRRRR!" Force Field 8 (Extras: Affects Others) (16)
  • AE: "OYYUUUUUU!" Teleport 8 (Feats: Change Direction & Velocity, Increased Mass 2) (20)
  • AE: "ZZZRRRUUGGH!" Move Object 8 (16)
  • AE: "UIUUIEEEEE!" Trasform (Anything to Anything) 4 (16)
  • AE: "ARRREEEEG!" Environment 5 (Impede Movement 2, Visibility, Cold) (20)
  • AE: "RRRYYYY!- Air Control" Affliction 10 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) Linked to Move Object 8 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Touch Range) (21)
  • AE: "IRWWWWW!" Move Object 10 (Extras: Perception Range) (Flaws: Limited to Plants) (10)
  • AE: "IRWWWWW!- Plant Snare" Snare 8 (24)
  • AE: "CCCIIIIRRRR!- Vertigo" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Hearing-Dependent) (8)
  • AE: "Generic Scream" Dazzle Hearing 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Close Range) (20)
Flight 4 (30 mph) [8]

Equipment:
"Legion Gear"
"Telepathic Ear Plug" Comprehend 3 (Languages) (6)

"Legion Flight Ring"
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Vacuum, Pressure, Radiation, Suffocation 2) (7)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Communication 5 (Flaws: Fifth Rank is only towards Legionnaires) (18)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
ARRRHHHHH! +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
EEYYAAAGH! +8 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
RRRYYYY! +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
IRWWWWW! & CCCIIIIRRRR +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Generic Scream +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3 (+11 EEYYAAAGH!), Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications: 
Responsibility (Marzal Island)- Marzal Island leaves Earth every 200 years, and Tyroc goes with it.
Responsibility (President of Earth)- At one point, Tyroc is made President of Earth when Invisible Kid II gives up the Presidency. This means he has tremendous responsibilities.
Power Loss (All Powers, If Unable to Speak)- Tyroc must be able to scream to use his powers.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 43 / Defenses: 13 (143)

Tyrone's- I mean, Tyroc's- Origin:
-Tyroc is one of the biggest forgotten Legionnaires in history. That'll happen when you're created as a Token Black Guy in the START of that era (also where the black Peanuts kid & Chuck Clayton came from), and the next one DC made, Black Lightning, was so much better. Plus the character has a HORRIFYINGLY racist origin story- fans used to ask "Where are all the black people?" in DC's all-white futuristic Earth. Writers had tried to create black characters, but then-editor Murray Boltinoff refused. Finally, he came up with an explanation: all the black people moved to an island, one that teleports out of our system every 200 years! Boltinoff apparently hated blacks SO MUCH that in his IDEAL FUTURE, they were all segregated from white people by a magic island! As Mike Grell states: "it's about the most racist concept I've ever heard (...) so they named him Tyroc and gave him the world's stupidest super-power."

-Grell was upset that he DELIBERATELY gave Tyroc a stupid costume (a mix of pimp & Elvis, with little elf shoes, a 'fro and a bare chest), and most of the writers basically disavowed the character. Criminy, PAUL LEVITZ, who wrote the Legion for FIFTEEN STRAIGHT YEARS, NEVER USED TYROC ONCE! It wasn't until Threeboot came along that they stuck him back into the books, but mostly as a background gag. I think Keith Giffen is the only one to use him a lot, featuring him as the VP and then President of Earth in his "Five Years Later" run.

Bronze Age Tyroc:
-Tyroc was very, very short-lived. He hails from the island of Marzal, which is where all of Earth's black people hid in the future, because segregation is AWESOME, yo. He and his peopel were descended from African slaves who revolted during a ship's "middle passage" in the 18th century. The people of Marzal did not realize that their island went out of phase with reality, Brigadoon-like, every few years, and so assumed that they'd been abandoned by the world. They developed a highly-advanced, isolationist society as a result. 

-Tyroc was your typical "1970s Black Superhero"- a pronounced chip in his shoulder, and an attitude towards the white heroes- he refused Legion help on Marzal, but soon came to respect them. He turned down membership at first, but later joined the team. He would quickly leave the team, however, going back to Marzal as it left Earth's dimension once more. As mentioned, Paul Levitz's 15-year run ignored him COMPLETELY, as Levitz felt that his sonic powers didn't work in a silent medium like comics, and he because he was "just such a stupid character", and that he did his best to dodge him.

Modern Tyroc:
-Levitz eventually left the Legion book, and Keith Giffen took over- he had the Dominion wipe out Marzal, but Tyroc returned as the President of Earth, taking over for Invisible Kid II. However, this continuity was soon erased, and Tyroc did not appear in the Reboot (1994-2004). "Threeboot" featured him only briefly, in a "campfire story" about the urban legends springing up around the Legion. He popped up only briefly post-Infinite Crisis. He actually appeared in the Legion Lost book by Levitz (the first time he wrote the character, in fact), but that book was short-lived.

Tyroc's Ridiculous Powers:
-A fun little build, Tyroc had idiotic powers that let him use varying effects as a massive Alternate Effect machine. This kind of thing is actually very dangerous to give your players, as they have nearly limitless powers all super-cheap all coming from one effect, but he makes up for it by only being PL 10 on offense or defense, never both at once, and his lack of PL 10's maximum points cost.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue May 24, 2022 10:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Goldar
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Goldar »

When I heard of Tyroc, I wanted to read stories with him in it, but I never found any Legion books with him. His Sonic powers are really different in that he can teleport, and all the other things you noted. Has he appeared in recent times?
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Goldar wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:26 am When I heard of Tyroc, I wanted to read stories with him in it, but I never found any Legion books with him. His Sonic powers are really different in that he can teleport, and all the other things you noted. Has he appeared in recent times?
He was in the Nu52 Legion book, but it didn't last.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Thorpocalypse »

Scots Dragon wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:29 pm
Batgirl III wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:52 pm You have a weird way to spell “sexy,” Scots.
Of course it's sexy. I just don't believe too strongly in making redundant statements.
Well, there is the alternative spelling of T-H-O-R-P-O-C-A-L-Y-P-S-E. 8-)
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Batgirl III
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Batgirl III »

I’m a big believer in avoiding “Presentism” and not judging past events by modern sensibilities. Many things which strike us as some sort of –ism or –ist would have been considered amazingly forward thinking in their day. For example, someone recently went off on a me about how the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane film The Birdcage was transphobic... Yeah. No.

But even by the standards of the year he was created, in the very risk-adverse late Sixties comics industry (which was still seen as a children’s medium), it’s hard to see how Tyroc’s “Apartheid Brigadoon” was considered a good idea.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ares »

Scots Dragon wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:25 pm Also you can't forget that any woman with skin colour outside the human norm in a science fiction or fantasy setting is bound by the genre itself to show as much of that skin as possible. See also: Starfire, Gamora, basically any Twi'lek in Star Wars, basically any Orion in Star Trek, and every single female character in the John Carter of Mars series.
Oddly enough, the first major Twi'lek character to get a recurring role in an on-screen Star Wars series was Hera from Star Wars: Rebels, and her outfit was a flightsuit that basically only ever left her face and her lekku / head tails exposed. Compared to the others on your list, she was positively puritanical.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Batgirl III »

I’m not a big connoisseur of Star Wars media, the only Twi’lek that I remember are the dancers at Jabba’s Palace (who are obviously sexualized because, y’know, exploited sex slave) and the Jedi Knight with the bare midriff from the Prequels. In her case, a bare midriff actually seems like a pretty practical outfit, given the gymnastic fighting style of Prequel-era Jedi. Jabba’s major domo, Bib Fortuna I think, wears heavy robes.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ares »

Batgirl III wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 10:52 pm You have a weird way to spell “sexy,” Scots.

Of course, I’ve been up to my elbows in Barsoom, Amtor, Tarzan, Conan, and Tor artwork lately digging up inspiration for my own “sword and planet” campaign world. So my perceptions may be skewed.

Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins were way overdressed in the Disney movie.
I love me some old school pulp stories. I've got audio-books for John Carter of Mars, Conan the Barbarian, The Spider, Doc Savage, a ton of Lovecraft's work, and a few others, and I listen to them whenever I'm on the road, doing yardwork or exercising. Those guys really could turn a phrase and had some great imaginations. I also dig a lot of the Dynamite Press stuff with their Pulp comics. Part of me wonders if we aren't maybe at the right time for a kind of pulp revival, given the effects budgets we have nowadays and how much fun they were. But they'd also likely get automatically demonized because they were written in the 1920s and 30s, or in John Carter's case, the turn of the century.

It also doesn't help that Indiana Jones is one of the few successful big screen pulp adventure series. It's especially bad when the creators try to be "ironic" with the works and poke fun at them, rather than embracing what made those stories great, like the recent Green Hornet and Lone Ranger films. And I really wanted to like the John Carter movie, and in terms of visuals and effects it was great (they captured John's leaping ability perfectly), but the story itself was pretty bad. The fact that they turned the chivalrous, swashbuckling, noble and fun John into this dour, self-centered, brooding bundle of angst with a tragic family backstory and acting so leaden it would protect against radiation didn't help either.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ares »

Batgirl III wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:08 am I’m not a big connoisseur of Star Wars media, the only Twi’lek that I remember are the dancers at Jabba’s Palace (who are obviously sexualized because, y’know, exploited sex slave) and the Jedi Knight with the bare midriff from the Prequels. In her case, a bare midriff actually seems like a pretty practical outfit, given the gymnastic fighting style of Prequel-era Jedi. Jabba’s major domo, Bib Fortuna I think, wears heavy robes.
Yeah, but Bib was about as far from "sexy, oddly colored space babe" as you could get.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ken »

Batgirl III wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:08 am I’m not a big connoisseur of Star Wars media, the only Twi’lek that I remember are the dancers at Jabba’s Palace (who are obviously sexualized because, y’know, exploited sex slave) and the Jedi Knight with the bare midriff from the Prequels. In her case, a bare midriff actually seems like a pretty practical outfit, given the gymnastic fighting style of Prequel-era Jedi. Jabba’s major domo, Bib Fortuna I think, wears heavy robes.
Yes, but you have to understand, every member of a race in Star Wars is a prime example of that race. e.g. there are books that indicate that the most respected job for Rhodians (Greedo's people)is bounty hunter and most Thodians one encounters will be bounty hunters. And by that rather flawed reasoning, most female Twi'leks are exploited sex slaves or sexy Jedi.

And dear God in heaven, I wish I were joking.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ares wrote: Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:01 am
Scots Dragon wrote: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:25 pm Also you can't forget that any woman with skin colour outside the human norm in a science fiction or fantasy setting is bound by the genre itself to show as much of that skin as possible. See also: Starfire, Gamora, basically any Twi'lek in Star Wars, basically any Orion in Star Trek, and every single female character in the John Carter of Mars series.
Oddly enough, the first major Twi'lek character to get a recurring role in an on-screen Star Wars series was Hera from Star Wars: Rebels, and her outfit was a flightsuit that basically only ever left her face and her lekku / head tails exposed. Compared to the others on your list, she was positively puritanical.
I was LOOKING for a place to gush about that character...

But yeah, despite wearing standard-issue, body-covering pilot gear, I found Hera to be BY FAR the most attractive Twi'Lek in Star Wars. I dunno- a combination of that face (REALLY nice cgi model) with that stoic, serious-but-kind personality... girl was hotter than a hundred sexy Jabba Dancers. Hell, I liked her more than any of the generic cute girls they cast as SW heroines these days.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Dream Girl! Star Boy! Colossal Boy! Mon-El! Shadow Lass!)

Post by Ares »

Regarding Tyroc, as a little experiment I wanted to see if I could make his outfit look semi-decent with the least amount of changes, using the animated Legion pic of him as a guide.

Image

I think it looks alright. Not great, but it'd fit in with the rest of the Reboot-Legion. I think if I could somehow make those discs on his chest have a more Kirby-esque look, it'd be better.

As for Tyroc himself, Sonic Powers with a lot of alternate effects are actually pretty cool, though rather than the stupid specific sound bit, just make hima more generic sonic expert.

His origin though . . . . see, THAT'S the kind of stuff that warrants legitimate outrage, because that was just horrible and offensive. Poor Tyroc is a guy in desperate need of a do-over.
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