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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Moon Knight Builds

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

MOON KNIGHT:
-Moon Knight was a big hit when he first debuted in a Werewolf By Night issue, and soon started popping up in various 1970s books at Marvel. Since big new characters were getting rare by the 1970s, Moon Knight soon became a regular series in 1980, lasting for 38 issues. Another series soon failed, and he was slapped onto the West Coast Avengers for 20 issues. Another comeback series lasted sixty issues- his best ever- every subsequent book has also been short-lived (even the one written by BENDIS, which only lasted twelve issues!). It begs the question as to why Marc Spector's books kept failing. Ultimately, I think he's one of comics' greatest cases of the Costume Not Making The Man. See, Moon Knight has a BITCHING look. I mean, it's one of the coolest costumes in all of comics- that stark white outfit, cool logo and shadowy mask behind the cowl? It's amazing. Top-tier bad-ass stuff, and possibly one of the best ten looks in all of comics. But as Wizard Magazine (remember THAT?) once noted- he'd "still have to stand on a stepladder to kiss Batman's butt".

-The character debuted as a mercenary fighting Jack "Werewolf" Russell, but soon had a change of heart and fought alongside Jack. Created by Doug Moench, he proved popular enough with fans and creators that "LenMarv" (Len Wein & Marv Wolfman, a writer-editor duo of buddies) brought him back for the tryout book Marvel Spotlight, again with Moench at the helm. The villainous Knight was explained away as working undercover to infiltrate The Committee, justifying a push as a super-hero. Back-ups in books like the Hulk black & white magazine gave him a bit of artistic credibility (it was how Bill Sienkiewicz got noticed in comics). Five years after his debut, he was given an ongoing book. Sales were good enough at first that Marvel pulled the book off newsstands, making it one of the few titles only available in comic book shops (this now sounds COMPLETELY INSANE, but back in the 1980s, this seemed like a great economic decision).

-A big part of the book was the main hero- Marc Spector- having a series of aliases. This would lead to 1985 revealing that this trait ended up giving the guy schizophrenia- an element so recurring that it would end up pigeonholing him as bad as the PymSlap did for Hank Pym! The cancellation of the main book would almost immediately lead to a Limited Series, then 1989 bringing the character back for Marc Spector: Moon Knight. It was an early work by Chuck Dixon, who would write for two years, before leaving so abruptly that a subplot (about Spector's sidekick Midnight) would only be resolved in The Amazing Spider-Man, under Al Milgrom! The book was cancelled after its sixtieth issue in 1994, right as the Dark Age of Comics was killing titles left and right- I have a feeling the bottom-tier book would've been dropped before that, but the early '90s was the time of EVERYONE having their own ongoing title.

-The character was killed off, but returned in 1998 under Moench one more time. A pair of Limited Series gained some respect, and would mark the character as a kind of "Art Book" concept- more "Indie" than other Marvel heroes, Moon Knight was gritty and artsy because he was so crazy and DEEP, yo. Indie writers would soon get roped into writing his book periodically, leading to a lot of new books starting up and being cancelled circa 2006 and on. It was a weird kind of "Indie Cred" thing, as the writers would aim for more arsty stories, but because the character was so schizo, he's essentially get completely renovated between every appearance. Brian Michael Bendis would try to use his "Street-Level" cred and sales respectability on the character, but would be such a bomb that his Moon Knight (featuring a dumb "he mimics different established heroes" concept) only lasted for TWELVE ISSUES. There's been somthing like five or six Moon Knight books in the past twelve years, every one lasting less than two years, as Marvel keeps renovating and resurrecting the idea.

MARC SPECTOR- MOON KNIGHT:
-Marc Spector's characterization is the key to, and explain for the lack of success of, Moon Knight. He's just a little TOO grim and hard to comprehend, you know? BATMAN's grim, but at least he's standard-issue crazy. Obsessive and violent, sure. But Moon Knight's all about different lives, personalities, and nonstop discomfort. I find it hard to really ENJOY anything about the character. He's miserable even by the standards of a MARVEL protagonist. Ultimately, I think people dig the look, but not as many dig Marc Spector THE CHARACTER. Now, I own about four books featuring him as the star (just a few Guest Shots in WCA & Spider-Man, so I can't properly say whether or not the character is any good. But all I can say is that he's either got a Doom Patrol Fandom thing going on, or he's just someone the suits always see as "Marvel's Batman", and so they push him every couple years as the Grim, Wealthy-but-Dark Vigilante of the Night out of some kind of rivalry/jealousy with DC's biggest hero.

-Spector himself is the son of a rabbi- a former boxer and U.S. Marine who ended up becoming a mercenary. Allying with Raoul Bushman in Egypt, they stumble across an archaeological dig which contained a temple to Khonshu, the Egyptian God of the Moon. A looter, Bushman killed the man in charge of the excavation, horrifying Spector, who is beaten in personal combat and left to die at the foot of a statue of the God. This, of course, results in the God making Spector a deal- resurrection in favore of becoming Kohnshu's Avatar on Earth- an agent of vengeance. Spector agrees, defeats Bushman, and starts a relationship with Marlene, the daughter of the head archaelogist. He, Marlene, and his pilot "Frenchie" all becoming recurring characters.

-Spector is apparently the wealthiest mercenary in the Marvel Universe (most are "one more score" types of guys like George Batroc), and soon becomes "Yet Another Wealthy Super-Hero", copying the Batman schtick with his own dark mansion. He creates the identity of millionaire entrepreneur "Steven Grant". He also becomes taxi driver "Jack Lockley" to gain underworld contrats, as well as numerous other civilian IDs. His debut, fighting Jack Russell on behalf of The Committee, was explained away as an undercover op (with his initial origin story being a lie). He gains recurring foes like his brother (the Shadow Knight), the Midnight Man, The Black Spectre, and others- mostly lower-tier villains who didn't appear much in other books.

-His relationship with Marlene was constantly on the rocks- she disliked his schizophrenia and how working as a super-hero exacerbated it. Teaming up with the West Coast Avengers gave the character some credibility, but he tended to act more like a "Generic Super-Hero" by the books I've read. He resigns from the team when Khonshu admits he forced him into it, so that he could battle the Death-God, Seth. The character dies, but is immediately resurrected by Khonshu. His next solo book creates the son of Midnight Man, who becomes Moon Knight's sidekick "Midnight". This briefly leads to a more "Bad-Ass '90s" version of the character, as Marc begins wearing an adamantium-laced costume in order to stave off an infection by the Demogoblin- this era is characterized by a lot of '90s-style rage and fury. Midnight is killed, and Moon Knight himself dies in the end of the series, thanks to a different guy named Seth, and his evil computer program.

-Naturally, given the nature of his being, he isn't dead for long. He briefly joins the "Marvel Knights" non-team, as well as popping up in the occasional Avengers book. By this point, his series of 2000s-era Short-Lived Books become a thing, as he quarrels with both sides of the Superhuman Registration Act, behaving erratically. By this point, it's clear he's into vengeance as a concept, using it in part because Khonshu makes him, and because he feels bad about the people he killed while a mercenary, and wants to make up for it. He & Khonshu argue frequently, sometimes he adopts new personalities, and at some point, he begins looking like "Indie Comix" personified, with his "Mr. Knight" persona of all all-white business suit that delves into mystical shenanigans.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Re: Jab's Builds! (Amakusa! Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro!)

Post by Ken »

Moon Knight has always been one of those characters who's costume puzzles me. You called it stark white, but in a lot of pictures, like the middle one above, the chest and legs made it unclear if those parts were black with white highlights, or white with areas of heavy shadow.

Then again, I'm one of those people who thinks that Steve Ditko intended the non-red parts of Spider-Man's costume to be the same black as Clark Kent's hair. It was only after Ditko left and the first Spider-Man cartoon came out that the black parts turned blue.

The black parts of of Hal Jordan's GL uniform turned a kind of purple-gray in the 1970s, sort of reversing the process.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
User avatar
L-Space
Posts: 740
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: Jab's Builds! (Amakusa! Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro!)

Post by L-Space »

Ken wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:42 pm Then again, I'm one of those people who thinks that Steve Ditko intended the non-red parts of Spider-Man's costume to be the same black as Clark Kent's hair. It was only after Ditko left and the first Spider-Man cartoon came out that the black parts turned blue.
Huh, that makes a lot of sense.
Image
Formerly luketheduke86
User avatar
KorokoMystia
Posts: 1402
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:42 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

My only experience with Moon Knight is his appearance in Marvel Ultimate Alliance (but only in some versions of the game), but he has a really cool look, despite clearly being a derivative of Batman in some things.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Moon Knight

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

MOON KNIGHT (Marc Spector, aka Steven Grant/Jake Lockley, Mr. Knight)
Created By:
Doug Moench & Don Perlin
First Appearance: Werewolf By Night #32 (Aug. 1975)
Role: Batman Lite, Failed Street Level Hero, Night Avenger
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, The Defenders, The Marvel Knights
Avengers Grade: D-Level
PL 10 (164)
STRENGTH
4/6 STAMINA 4/6 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 7
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Athletics 5 (+9/+12)
Deception 6 (+8)
Expertise (Religion) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Mercenary) 6 (+8)
Insight 5 (+7)
Intimidation 8 (+10)
Investigation 6 (+8)
Perception 5 (+7)
Sleight of Hand 1 (+7)
Stealth 4 (+8)
Technology 4 (+6)
Vehicles 3 (+10)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (Wealth, Multiple Identities), Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 12 (Arsenal), Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Last Stand (Spend an HP to Ignore Damage for 1 Round), Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Seize Initiative, Startle, Taunt

Powers:
"Moon Phase-Based Powers" (All have Flaws: Limited to Night and the Strength of the Moon)
Enhanced Strength 2 [2]
Enhanced Stamina 2 [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [0.5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [1.5]

"Split Personalities" Enhanced Will Check 4 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Attacks) [2]

Equipment:
"The Mooncopter" As Military Helicoper minus the Rockets (37) -- (38)
  • AE: "Remote-Controlled Limousine"
"Armor" Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 3) (5)
"Throwing Darts" Blast 4 (Extras: Multiattack) (Diminished Range -1) (11) -- (16)
  • AE: "Nunchuku" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split, Fast Grab) (3)
  • AE: "Truncheon" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1) note: Once had a Danger Sense Power, too
  • AE: "Bolas" Snare 4 (Diminished Range -1) (11)
  • AE: "Ivory Boomerang" Blast 4 (Feats: Homing, Ricochet 2) (Diminished Range -1) (10)
  • AE: "Grappling Hook" Movement 1 (Swinging) (2)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
At Night +12 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Nunchuku +12 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Truncheon +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Bolas +12 (+4 Ranged Affliction, DC 14)
Throwing Darts & Boomerang +12 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 12), Toughness +4 (+6 at Night, +8 Armor), Fortitude +7 (+9 at Night), Will +5 (+7 vs. Mental Attacks)

Complications:
Responsibility (The Fist of Khonshu)- Moon Knight is expected to do Khonshu's bidding, and hears the God's voice in his head. Khonshu is the God of Vengeance & Justice, often driving Marc to violent territory.
Involuntary Transformation (Split Personalities)- Marc Spector can be replaced by some of the other personalities and personae he's created- at one point completely becoming John Locksley, and at another splitting between Spider-Man, Captain America & Wolverine personae.
Motivation (Making Good)- An ex-mercenary, Marc Spector now fights for justice to make up for his wicked life.
Relationship (Marlene & Frenchie)- Marc had his own teammates during his war with crime, though Marlene would frequently leave him when he got too obsessive with his work.
Enemy (John Bushman, Midnight)- Bushman is Spector's old partner (who murdered him), and Midnight is a former sidekick who Marc's had to kill twice.
Relationship (Randall Spector, Brother)- Randall also became The Shadow Knight and fought Marc.

Total: Abilities: 74 / Skills: 62--31 / Advantages: 37 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 14 (164)

-Moon Knight stats out as a good, solid PL 10, but only at night. During the day, he's still tough, but reduced to +6 Damage with his weapons, making him a low-end PL 9. He did KO Black Knight pretty easily in their fight in Contest of Champions as I recall, though that (and the "Adamantium Bad-Ass Costume" era adventure with Spidey versus Hobgoblin, who was kind of a villain whore at that point, being lended out to lesser heroes in early books like Lindsay Lohan at a musician's hotel room) is about the only time I've ever actually read Moon Knight's stuff. In 2008, he's stated to have lost all of his Powers, possibly upgrading him to a PL 10 Martial Artist with boosted accuracy.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Ares »

I've also got to agree with Moon Knight having an awesome look, and would probably pin his lack of success on a lack of a consistent personality and tone. Once they gave him a multiple personality disorder, writers basically latched onto that as an excuse to have him do whatever they wanted, up to and including some very silly shit like the "I have several Marvel heroes giving me advice in my head" his one series consisted of.

Because the concept of a mercenary turned millionaire chosen by the Egyptian God of Justice to fight evil as a masked vigilanted Batman-style is COOL.

I'd say he'd benefit from a back to basics approach. Have him spent time getting treatment for his issues and that his "craziness" was partially due to his guilt from his mercenary days and due to some unintended side effects of his link to Khonshu. Have Khonshu fix that by reducing their link, leaving Marc merely a near peak human athlete with a few bonuses to things like seeing in darkness and hiding in shadows, even in an all white outfit. Khonshu limits himself to maybe some night time mission statements during every full moon.

Focus on Marc and his girlfriend being more like the old pulp hero The Spider, dedicated to each other and both capable. Have Marc make use of things like false idenities and disguises and more mundane but effective spy/mercenary stuff. Have him be more of an international crime fighter than a city based one. Make him an expert on monster hunting and fighting supernatural evil, much like his initial Werewolf appearance. Try and really figure out a solid personality for the guy.

Sort of this hybrid of Batman, Simon Belmont, James Bond and the Spider.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Yojimbo
Posts: 666
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:31 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Yojimbo »

Doug Moench is on record as stating that Moon Knight was meant to be the Shadow, not Batman.

Moench subbed in Egypt for the Far East, but Frenchie and Marlene are straight out of the pulp handbook for supporting characters, and the multiple aliases recall the Shadow's use of Kent Allard or Lamont Cranston as his alter ego. The Spider, for example, was only ever Richard Wentworth, although he was pretty much a Shadow clone too.

I have a few issues of Moon Knight that I bought as a kid, including most of that run when he had super-strength at night, but I never really engaged with the character. He never really worked for me. I'm told that the Warren Ellis run is supposed to be amazing, but I don't know how much of that is just because Warren Ellis is a really good writer or because of any inherent potential to the character.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Marlene Alraune

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

MARLENE ALRAUNE
Created By:
Doug Moench & Don Perlin
First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight #28 (June 1976)
Role: Recurring Love Interest, Official On/Off Girlfriend

-Marlene Alraune is the sometime-girlfriend of Marc "Moon Knight" Spector- they were both on the archeological dig that saw John Bushman murder Marlene's father and mortally-wound Spector, leading to him becoming Moon Knight. She acted as his personal secretary/assistant/lover in the books, and helped him out with his secret identity, though was greatly disturbed by his schizophrenia (from all of his secret identities). Eventually, she got Spector to quit his superheroic activities, but left him when he returned to being Moon Knight. She went back to her former husband, Eric Fontaine, but then got back with Marc... then left him again. Oh, comics. Apparently she recently became pregnant with Marc's child.

-Marlene is pretty much a "normal person" kind of character, but has some self-defense capabilities and is good at the piano and hypnotism.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Yojimbo wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:26 am Doug Moench is on record as stating that Moon Knight was meant to be the Shadow, not Batman.

Moench subbed in Egypt for the Far East, but Frenchie and Marlene are straight out of the pulp handbook for supporting characters, and the multiple aliases recall the Shadow's use of Kent Allard or Lamont Cranston as his alter ego. The Spider, for example, was only ever Richard Wentworth, although he was pretty much a Shadow clone too.

I have a few issues of Moon Knight that I bought as a kid, including most of that run when he had super-strength at night, but I never really engaged with the character. He never really worked for me. I'm told that the Warren Ellis run is supposed to be amazing, but I don't know how much of that is just because Warren Ellis is a really good writer or because of any inherent potential to the character.
Oh, interesting. I know almost nothing about those characters. The thing with Moon Knight, though, is he does the whole "Nocturnal Caped Crusader" thing, while ALSO using themed weapons that include a boomerang. It's hard to escape the obvious comparisons.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Ares »

Yojimbo wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:26 am Doug Moench is on record as stating that Moon Knight was meant to be the Shadow, not Batman.
I definitely relate to Doug Moench's love of pulp stuff and love his work on Shang Chi, but he can go a little overboard at times. He wrote the God awful "Act of God" Elseworld that stripped all superhumans of their powers with no explanation, and spelled out in the book how he felt that pulp heroes were better than superheroes. Period.
Moench subbed in Egypt for the Far East, but Frenchie and Marlene are straight out of the pulp handbook for supporting characters, and the multiple aliases recall the Shadow's use of Kent Allard or Lamont Cranston as his alter ego. The Spider, for example, was only ever Richard Wentworth, although he was pretty much a Shadow clone too.
I don't really consider the Spider a clone of the Shadow, anymore than I consider Moon Knight a Batman clone, Capt. Marvel a Superman clone, or Quicksilver to be a Flash clone. To me at least there's a difference between characters having similar abilities and/or methodologies and being outright "serial numbers filed off" copies.

The Shadow was definitely incredibly influential, and is what you could point to as the start of what would eventually become the superhero movement. The character did start as just a voice on the radio to advertise for other radio shows, and then got his own radio show and pulp series.

You're not technically correct with regards the multiple aliases bit with regards to the Shadow and the Spider. The whole "multiple identities" thing came about out of a disconnect between the radio show and the pulp novels. In the radio show, the Shadow had mental powers gained from training in the orient and was really Lamont Cranston, while in the pulp novels he was just a well trained, well connected man named Kent Allard, who had a deal with the real Lamont Cranston, whose identity Kent would use while Lamont was traveling abroad. He had a similar deal with a guy named Henry Arnaud, and had a couple of other identities he could assume, such as the elderly Isaac Twambley and Fritz the janitor for police headquarters. Later works needed to decide whether they followed the radio show (like the Alec Baldwin movie did), the pulp series, or do what the BOOM! Comics do and take what they wish from both.

In any case, it's less that the Shadow had multiple identities so much as he would impersonate actual people to get the information he wanted, or had a couple of read made disguises he could easily assume. Depending on the source material, the Shadow was only ever "really" Lamont Cranston or Kent Allard pretending to be Cranston while Cranston was away.

The Spider was only ever "really" Richard Wentworth, but he had a similar capacity for disguise and impersonation, and in fact tended to rely heavily on make-up, disguise and impersonation in his stories and as part of his plans. He also had several identities he could assume for specific purposes, such as violin player Tito Caliepi, underworld crook Blinky McQuade, and Scotland Yard Inspector Rupert Barton. Being a master of disguise was a big tool in the Spider's arsenal.

You can actually see by contrast that Batman's whole "Matches Malone" thing makes Bruce kind of the underachiever.

While I like both characters, I think I like the concept of the Shadow while I really enjoy a lot of the old Spider pulp stories. The Spider was actually very ahead of its time in a lot of regards, he was one of the few pulp heroes to have a long time girlfriend, and then one who was an active participant in his war on crime, to the point of being just a hair shy of as dangerous as Wentworth. Hell, the very first Spider story had Nita be the one to save Dick's secret identity from the police within a few pages. Likewise, Ram Singh was an ethnic sidekick in the vein of Kato, but was portrayed as someone to be respected and feared, loyal to Wentworth and Nita, brave and competent and possibly one of the most dangerous close combat experts in that entire series. Along with Commissioner Kirkpatrick, Jackson, Prof. Brownlee, I really enjoyed the whole set up of the character.

The Shadow meanwhile is a cool concept, but I tend to enjoy him more when he's teaming up with other characters than as an entity on his own. I'll admit, I'd likely play up his mental abilities when having him work with other pulp heroes, such as the Masks miniseries BOOM! produced. The Shadow is the mentalist, the Spider is the master of disguise, the Green Hornet is the gadgeteer, Kato is the hand-to-hand expert, Doc Savage is . . . well, basically Pulp Superman, etc.

Damn, I really need to find time for those Doc Savage/The Shadow team-up novels I have.
I have a few issues of Moon Knight that I bought as a kid, including most of that run when he had super-strength at night, but I never really engaged with the character. He never really worked for me. I'm told that the Warren Ellis run is supposed to be amazing, but I don't know how much of that is just because Warren Ellis is a really good writer or because of any inherent potential to the character.
From what I've seen, it was more just that it was written by Ellis and that it was weird and/or different than story quality.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Associated Characters I've Already Built Recently:
Stained Glass Scarlet
Jean-Paul DuChamp ("Frenchie")
The Committee
Werewolf By Night

I contemplated re-posting them now, but there's really not much of a reason to. None of them have changed much.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:19 am
Yojimbo wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:26 am Doug Moench is on record as stating that Moon Knight was meant to be the Shadow, not Batman.

Moench subbed in Egypt for the Far East, but Frenchie and Marlene are straight out of the pulp handbook for supporting characters, and the multiple aliases recall the Shadow's use of Kent Allard or Lamont Cranston as his alter ego. The Spider, for example, was only ever Richard Wentworth, although he was pretty much a Shadow clone too.

I have a few issues of Moon Knight that I bought as a kid, including most of that run when he had super-strength at night, but I never really engaged with the character. He never really worked for me. I'm told that the Warren Ellis run is supposed to be amazing, but I don't know how much of that is just because Warren Ellis is a really good writer or because of any inherent potential to the character.
Oh, interesting. I know almost nothing about those characters. The thing with Moon Knight, though, is he does the whole "Nocturnal Caped Crusader" thing, while ALSO using themed weapons that include a boomerang. It's hard to escape the obvious comparisons.
I think the comparisons can be made, but I think it's unfair to call Moon Knight a Batman rip-off the way some people do. They're both caped vigilantes that make use of stealth, gadgets and martial arts, but the look, origin, personalities and motivations are different enough that I wouldn't say one is a rip off. You go down that route and every shadowy crime fighter is a Shadow knock off and every strong person is just a rip off of Heracles.

Though it can be hilarious when Marvel writers try to overcompensate. At one point, before Bendis took over, Marvel launched a Moon Knight series where the writer was being interviewed by Wizard (*snicker*) Magazine, and was asked how he'd describe the character. And the writer said that "Moon Knight was like Batman if Batman wasn't such a p*ssy." And then proceeded to show what he meant by having Moon Knight fight a villain and literally cut the villain's face off while said villain was still alive and screaming.

All I could do there is laugh, roll my eyes and say, "Dude, you're trying too hard."
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Jabroniville »

heh-heh- love it when writers do tone-deaf edgelord crap :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Bushman

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

BUSHMAN (Raoul Bushman)
Created By:
Doug Moench
First Appearance: Moon Knight #1 (Nov. 1980)
Role: Cold-Hearted Mercenary
PL 8 (107)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+12)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Mercenary) 8 (+10)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 4 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Equipment 4 (Sharp Teeth +1, Guns), Ranged Attack 5, Tracking

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Metal Teeth +11 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Guns +10 (+4-6 Ranged Damage, DC 19-21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Bushman's greed is so great, that he will stoop to murdering innocent people to steal.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 10 (107)

-Raoul Bushman is a mercenary leader who was Marc Spector's Boss in Marc's Origin Story- when Spector rejected Bushman's plan to murder two innocent people to steal an Egyptian relic, Bushman fatally wounds his close partner. This leads to Marc's deal with Khonshu and his origin as Moon Knight- he immediately hunts down Bushman, defeating him using his newfound super-powers. He reappears later as the dictator of the African country of Burunda, which is a heck of a leap from "Mercenary Leader"- he funds the country through drug cultivation and profits, but is against undone by Moon Knight, who deposes him. He is later hired by a new form of The Committee to torture Moon Knight and break his will, but Marc carves off the mercenary's face before killing him. He was most-recently resurrected by The Hood. Moon Knight refuses to kill him again, even as a sacrifice for Khonshu.

-As a minor recurring nemesis to a Street-Level Hero, Bushman isn't anything great- just your standard PL 8 Merc.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Mizuki! Kusaregedo! Gaoh! Zankuro! Moon Knight Builds!)

Post by Jabroniville »

LOL at all the big-name artists now IMMEDIATELY jumping on the "Disney Princesses in Wreck-It Ralph 2 Casual Wear" train with their fanart: https://www.deviantart.com/neoartcore/a ... -759640482

ImageImageImage

Casual Mulan is, in fact, the most popular one, owing to that GREAT hair and that WICKED jacket.
Post Reply