Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[slade the sniper]

So, the gloves make her stronger? Not just more goofy looking and grippy strength?

-STS

[Ares]

So, the gloves make her stronger? Not just more goofy looking and grippy strength?

-STS

Yeah, those oversized gloves wound up being used by Alex more recently, and they gave her superhuman strength while wearing them. She-Dragon used them to make herself more formidable, but Rapture still wound up beating her in a fight.

[Ares]

-Rapture is an early love interest for the main hero in The Savage Dragon, and one of the "Image"-iest- wearing little more than the world's tiniest lingerie, she's spilling out of the top, has hair down to her calves, and is a literally EX-PROSTITUTE, just ramping up the "Bad Girl" tropes. Like a few of Larsen's Dragon characters, she's got great similarities to his past Marvel work- in the 1980s, he designed a character fighting X-Factor, and added her to a Spidey comic as "Powerhouse"- she's also a black woman in a swimsuit-esque costume and wild hair.

Believe it or not, they actually addressed how Rapture can fight in that costume and not pop out of her clothes. According to her, the static electricity her body generates makes her clothes cling to her, so it holds her outfit tight against her body. It's also apparently why she prefers skin tight clothing, because looser clothing would cling to her body in weird ways.

[Jabroniville]

I'd probably drop She-Dragon down to a 9 or 8 strength wise. It was generally agreed that she was noticeably less strong than Dragon, since she had no relation to his people. She was just a girl with green skin and some very mild superstrength, and she needed those power gloves to really make a difference.

Smasher meanwhile probably deserves to be at least a Strength 12, as she was listed as a "90 Ton" hero and was considered VASTLY stronger than Dragon. She was in that "Not quite Thor/Herakles/Mighty Man" category, but definitely above the Dragon.

Well I gave the Dragon a 10, so I figured she was twice as strong at least. She comes off like a total jobber in the stuff I've seen, so I didn't want her overpowering him too much. She-Dragon I'll have to take your word for it- I was figuring her for "girl version of the male hero" at a more jobber tier.

[Woodclaw]

I think that this last series of builds demonstrate why Savage Dragon lasted this long. Despite Larsen killing/rebooting his own universe there is a lot of interesting ideas and a large cadt, showing that he wasn't afraid of trying weird stuff to see if it stuck (Powerhouse being the most egregious example).
Also, I'm one of those guys that always think of Dragon as a police officier, mostly because it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I can totally see superheroes working as indipendent characters in the United States, but not so much in other countries. So the idea of "superheroes with a badge" really appeals to me. Heck, I even wrote a draft for an alternate universe where Peter Parker became a police officier to get the thief that killed uncle Ben and, in the end, became the protege of George Stacy.

[Ian Turner]

I do like the idea of superheroes being somehow deputized or recognized or subsidized by law enforcement, and working within the system, and not all being vigilantes, outside the legal system (and breaking all sorts of laws in the process).

I also like some of the wa-hoo 'only in comics' histories of these characters, with all the body swaps and other universe versions, it's no crazier than reading the backstory of Psylocke or Hawkman.

But gosh, these heroes are super-dull, powerwise. It seems like the majority are just big punchy sorts, with no real powers other than 'hits real hard, has ginormous muscles / boobs, takes a hit real good and heals fast.'

[Ares]

I do like the idea of superheroes being somehow deputized or recognized or subsidized by law enforcement, and working within the system, and not all being vigilantes, outside the legal system (and breaking all sorts of laws in the process).

In my own setting I do something like this, because I wanted superheroes to have some authenticity and not just be folks that the government turned a blind eye towards because they were occasionally useful.

The idea is that prior to World War II, most costumed heroes were Pulp Style vigilantes, working outside the law, sticking to the shadows, with only a few operating openly in full view of the public. Due to the meta-rules for how superpowers work in my setting, the events leading up to World War II caused a massive surge in the superhuman population, and many heroes operated more openly. Due to the crime of the time and the relative newness of supervillains, police were willing to work with the new heroes and give them some leeway.

Then World War II happened and the world got to see what happened when superhumans operated as part of the German, Italian and Japanese army. The damage they caused to civilians and normal troopers was devastating and horrific. Superheroes from non-Axis nations joined the fight, and were asked to continue to operate in costume to inspire the troops and to act as targets for other enemy superhumans. Granted, because it was my setting there was also a lot of weird science and mysticism involved in the war as well. The Nazis had a mech-trooper division, the Japanese employed ninja during the war, vampires, werewolves, the whole bit. Though a lot of that was swept under the rug.

In any case, following the war it was made illegal for superhumans to act as part of the official military of any nation, by unanimous international agreement. The only way around this was for the government to sponsor a superhero team, but the official mandate there was to protect the interests of the sponsoring country, and they couldn't simply be deployed anytime the government wanted to invade another nation. Naturally, a lot of the higher end nations have Black Ops superhuman teams to do dirty work, but they're used relatively sparingly since no nation wants to be caught breaking this law. The non-United Nations countries that do employ it and the damage they cause is a reminder to everyone why the laws exist.

Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of superheroes to win the way, most Allied nations adopted laws to legalize superheroic activity so long that acted within the bounds of the "Four Color Code", named after classic "four color comics". Basically, heroes needed to display a degree of competence, show a willingness to work with legal authority, prioritize the safety of civilians, and act with restraint (ie, killing only when absolutely necessary). As long as heroes abide by these rules, they're generally treated as a type of special deputy law enforcement officer, with their costume serving as their badge.

The idea of a Sidekick program was also introduced to help get new heroes up to speed. Basically, a new hero could get placed with a more experienced hero and act as their sidekick for a period, gaining experience under their supervision, learning the ropes, etc. Being a sidekick is seen less as a mark of shame and more as being an apprentice to a more experienced hero. It also builds a stronger sense of community amongst heroes, and the really good ones looking to be more of a mentor can have small teams of sidekicks working under them.

At the same time, superhumans or costumed crime fighters that don't abide by the Four Color Code are considered vigilantes and lawbreakers. These are the type of folks that behave in a dangerously reckless manner, endanger civilians, don't work with police and don't use restraint. Basically the Punisher types whose main solution is always murder or the guys who prioritize beating up villains and having fun over saving people.

[Jabroniville]

LOL a company full of badass antiheroes and this guy has a starfish on his chest.

WILDSTAR (Michael "Mickey" Gabriel, aka SoulStar)
Created By: Al Gordon & Jerry Ordway
First Appearance: WildStar- Sky Zero #1 (March 1993)
Role: Flying Blaster, Forgotten Solo Hero
Marvel Character Most Ripped Off: Venom (Symbiote Powers)
'90s Ratio: 4/10 (Flying Blaster; kind of an "Image"-y name)
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (108)
STRENGTH 2/10 STAMINA 2/10 AGILITY 2/3
FIGHTING 4/6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Streetwise) 4 (+4)
Perception 2 (+4)
Persuasion 1 (+3)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"K'l Vann WildStar Symbiote"
Enhanced Strength 8 [16]
Enhanced Stamina 8 [16]
Enhanced Agility 1 [2]
Enhanced Fighting 2 [4]
"Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound" Leaping 8 [8]
Blast 8 (Feats: Accurate 3) [19]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Symbiote Strength +6 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2 (+3 Symbiote)

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +4
"With Symbiote" Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +10, Fortitude +11, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Fighting Crime)- ... I guess?

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 6 (108)

-Among Image's early failures was the hero "WildStar", who was created by people outside of the "Big Six" (Al Gordon & Jerry Ordway)- he had a four-issue Limited Series in 1993 (the year after Image was founded), but his ongoing book that followed was cancelled after three issues. Apparently behind the scenes, both creators each wanted more control over the final product, and lacking an editor to play middleman, they kind of just argued on an on, I guess. However, it was the collapsing comics market that spelled the end for the book.

-The character debuts experiencing a Groundhog Day-like "time loop" that causes him to repeat a section of time- his future self gives Mickey the "WildStar Symbiote" as a gift- an alien weapon thus granting him superhuman abilities, and memories of a post-apocalyptic future. He had to fight the alien that once wore the Symbiote, and appeared in The Savage Dragon a few times, going by "SoulStar" probably due to rights issues.

-WildStar is a low-powered, low-experienced "Golden Age Superman" of a sort, gaining his "Leap a Tall Building" power and some Energy Blasts by "short-circuiting the epidermis of the Symbiote".

[Shock]

Did the black and white pattern reverse in those 2 pics on purpose or was there really that little effort involved?

[Ares]

Did the black and white pattern reverse in those 2 pics on purpose or was there really that little effort involved?

The first image is of how Wildstar normally looked. The second picture is from an alternate future version of Wildstar, and was colored that way to differentiate him from his younger counterpart.

[Ares]

LOL a company full of badass antiheroes and this guy has a starfish on his chest.

I think it's a fairly solid look, the black and white contrast works, but I find the issue comes with the red starfish. The starfish itself isn't bad, but it works best when it's limbs are relatively thin. Making it this large, huge thing just looks ungainly and ugly.

-WildStar is a low-powered, low-experienced "Golden Age Superman" of a sort, gaining his "Leap a Tall Building" power and some Energy Blasts by "short-circuiting the epidermis of the Symbiote".

An older Wildstar is definitely on Dragon's level, while the younger one is about right for the PL you gave him. Apparently the symbiote feeds on emotions, and it requires a lot of anger to really get the most out of it. The energy blast he used was also apparently very tiring.

[Ian Turner]

It's like Starro missed his face, and he somehow got super-powers instead of possessed...

[Jabroniville]

... Damn. I was talking out loud again."
-The Maxx, frequently during his Superhero Monologues

THE MAXX (Dave)
Created By: Sam Keith
First Appearance: The Maxx #1 (March 1993)
Role: LSD-Inspired Nightmare
Marvel Character Most Ripped Off: Wolverine (Claws)
'90s Ratio: 8/10 (crazy, messed-up weirdo with no memory and claws)
Group Affiliations: None
PL 9 (76)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Expertise (Hobo) 6 (+5)
Perception 6 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Claws), Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Claws Projecting From Wrists" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Claws +10 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +7, Fortitude +7, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Protecting Julie)- The Maxx has been linked to Julie via her connection to The Outback.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 9 (76)

-Of all the early Image Comics books, the only one you could really call "great art" would be The Maxx, I think. It's certainly the only one of the lot to gain a lot of respect for its story and art. The book had a five year run, featured some very stylistic, bizarre, heavily-inked art, and had a way more "outside the norm" concept than the other books (which were mostly just "Which Marvel character can we rip off the most?"). Sam Keith's work is something I'm only familiar with via the short-lived MTV animated series (back when they made a big attempt at those, post-Beavis & Butt-Head). I recall it being very interesting, highly confusing, and deeply weird- all the hallmarks of "great art", y'know.

-So "The Maxx" is a weird-looking, squat, powerful guy with claws on his hands that kills disgusting little evil creatures called "Isz". He simultaneously lives in both the real world and a fantasy realm called "The Outback", and in both protects Julie, who in The Outback is the sexy, fur-bikini'd "Jungle Queen". On Earth, however, she's just a vaguely-BBW social worker. The Maxx lives on Earth as "a homeless vagrant in a box", and constantly gets bailed out of jail by Julie, who is unaware of the Jungle Queen or The Outback. Mr. Gone, a serial rapist with a telepathic link to Julie, is aware of her and other people's "Outbacks", and sends multiple eyeless creatures called "Isz" after her- they are actually protectors of The Outback, turned from white omnivores into black cannibals when brought into the real world. Eventually, Gone reveals the truth to Julie- he masqueraded as her "Uncle Artie", telling her tall tales as a child in order to shape her Outback.

-Julie counsels Sara, a depressed teenager who is actually the DAUGHTER of Mr. Gone. We also find out Julie's backstory- she was raped while picking up a hitchhiker in college, and to cope, slid into her Outback, creating the powerful "Jungle Queen" persona as a shield against dark thoughts. But she spent so much time in her Outback that it destabilized both worlds. The Maxx is actually a homeless man she hit with her car- remembering the last time she helped someone, she covered the man in trash- an object that'd grazed The Outback covers his body, transforming him and linking him to Julie.

-The second part of the series follows Sara, whose own "Maxx" is a hobo named Norbert. An Outback creature named Iago injures Julie, and the other characters (including Mr. Gone, whose own backstory is shown to be tragic, inspiring Sara to attempt to forgive him). The various characters begin transforming into different forms because Keith was on LSD or whatever, and everyone disappears into The Outback- Gone is left to be by the Maxx, as he raises his daughter, now a child again- Julie says "even evil deserves a place to rest". A new reality forms, with Mr. Gone being a professor, The Maxx a janitor, and Julie with her son Mark.

-All in all, the series seems quite nuts. Somehow kinda-redeeming the rapist Mr. Gone seems a bit of a bizarre twist. I just remember the cartoon, which was very artistic in how it'd change styles from scene to scene.

-The Maxx is a fairly decent "Scrapper", but heavily light on skills- all he really fights are these short, grabby "Isz" creatures.

[M4C8]

Did the black and white pattern reverse in those 2 pics on purpose or was there really that little effort involved?

The first image is of how Wildstar normally looked. The second picture is from an alternate future version of Wildstar, and was colored that way to differentiate him from his younger counterpart.

Ignoring the red star creature, I actually like the version in the second picture better.

[drkrash]

I am really enjoying these builds overall and I'm learning a lot. The Image universe/multiverse is a lot more complicated than I thought. I'm a big fan of what I *think* is called the Wildstorm universe, with WildCATS, Storm Watch, Cyberforce, Wetworks, Gen 13, DV8, I/O, Team 7.

Were Savage Dragon and Spawn (just to use 2 examples) also part of that universe originally?

If I wanted just to read that whole early Wildstorm, what series would it include and when would it stop? I have tried looking up Image universe reading orders online and just got more confused.