Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Baron von Konigsblut

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

BARON LEONHARDT VON KONIGSBLUT
Created By:
Drake Morgan & Bruce Timm
First Appearance: Captain America- Red, White & Blue (Sept. 2002)
Role: Nazi Knight
Group Affiliations: The Nazis

-This guy is a one-off villain used in a Bruce Timm story in a Captain America TPB I've never heard off- he was a Nazi Werewolf who was wanted by the Allies, and came across Cap when the hero was looking for an abducted woman. She was in the Baron's castle, and the two men fought over her until she nearly fell to her death in a "bottomless pit". To Cap's surprise, when he nearly died rescuing her, the Baron saved BOTH of them, refusing to let an innocent woman die, and admiring Cap's heroism. When Cap was surprised that such an honorable man would serve the Nazis, the Baron simply replied that he was serving his country. By mutual agreement, the two men met later atop the Baron's castle, and prepared for an epic battle... which was where the short story ended. Kind of an interesting artistic decision there for the tale. The Baron has never reappeared.

-Baron Von Konigsblut is presumably tough and strong, as he recovered from Cap's punches well enough, but he's hardly vastly overpowering to a human-level hero.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! CapWolf! Jack Flag!)

Post by Jabroniville »

And this guy does it for the Captain America builds! All done now! After like... a month and a half of building! I tried to slow it down this time, leaving guys like Cap, Red Skull, Falcon & Baron Zemo a day to breathe as the only build posted. I find comments can be a little more elaborate that day, preventing "I will only comment on the latest build posted" syndrome :). Thanks for following along, everyone! It delights me that I can still get comments about builds I've largely been re-posting for a few years now (with modifications here and there)- these are six years old and still kicking!

Next up- a day or two spent on the Battle-Axis- refashioned public domain Golden Age heroes now turned inexplicably into villains! After that, one of the most notorious Fighting Games of all time... Kasumi Ninja!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Free Spirit! Dr. Agony!)

Post by Jabroniville »

So, having read a huge chunk of Gruenwald's Cap run (The Bloodstone Hunt, Scourge of the Underworld, The Superia Stratagem, The Captain, and many issues in between), I've come to a few observations:

* Few writers have ever loved their character as much as Gru loved Captain America. I mean, every character talks about how awesome he is IN the book (a "Character Shilling" thing that can come off as very amateurish and "you should all like my character"- Gail Simone does this to poor effect in her Secret Six book), women are constantly gaping at his huge muscles, and he does all of these REMARKABLY amazing things in combat, such as fending off an entire army of Incan warriors by himself (after being poisoned by curare and having all of his limbs trapped), taking out Class 10-ish Superhumans like Mr. Hyde with ease, and generally finding his way out of every kind of trap by himself. He is like the most moral, awesome dude ever.

This is SO close to ultimate Fanwankery and Power-Feating for a character that it would be awful if it weren't so damn endearing. I mean, Gru just LOVES Cap so much that it's palpable, and you can't help but admire it. It helps that Cap doesn't go out of his way to do impossible things, create HUGE displays of over-the-top power (what I call "Power-Geeking"), and never really pummels someone he shouldn't be able to take out (Mr. Hyde is tough, but nobody's really a FAN of his, y'know?). Basically, very few IMPORTANT characters are ever jobbed out hard in his book- he's not curbstomping Daredevil, Bullseye or Wolverine in his book, so no beloved, famous characters are being wiped out (compare this to the infamous "Wolverine beats up 20 Marvel Heroes" issue that fans STILL talk about to this day). I'm actually quite certain that The Serpent Society was designed for this very purpose- a group that Cap could beat on two or three at a time without "damaging" anyone too important.

* Cap uses a much more acrobatic style in this run than in any other- in Brubaker's and more modern runs, he basically charges forward like a battering ram, hitting with full force. THIS Cap basically fights like Spider-Man, bouncing off of stuff, jumping off of buildings and out of airplanes (at one point nailing a perfect landing while jumping out of a jet that's above multi-story buildings), doing back and forward flips, doing nigh-impossible feats while in combat, etc. Multiple artists are shown drawing this, so it's not just one guy's concept on how Cap fights.

* This Cap is always much more... unsure of himself compared to other Caps. Compare him to the ultra-serious, "I automatically know this is wrong" Cap of Civil War or others- he is NEVER prone to knee-jerk reactions here, and often hems and haws for days before coming to a decision (he does this when the Commission asks him to be their errand boy, and when Nighthawk asks him for help against The Squadron Supreme). This kind of thoughtful thinking is rather unnatural to most comic book characters, who generally make snap decisions and fully-commit to them, leading ot violent altercations. This can come off as indecisive at times, but is a welcome difference from the "let's have a minor disagreement and FIGHT!" style of comics in... well, every era and book other than this one.

* He says "Mister!" a lot. Like, once per issue at least. He uses "mister" like Kilowog uses "poozer". Gru LOVES this, and other writers have continued it a bit. Did he do that back in the Stan 'n' Jack days?

* Gru LOVES Jobbers. I mean, they're everywhere. U.S. Agent fights squads of them (The Resistants are the old Mutant Force, plus there's the famous Power Tools), Superia creates an army of JUST female jobbers, etc. Absolutely no stone was ever left unturned- there are guys brought out of the mothballs from obscure 1960s issues and one-shot losers from Marvel Team-Up- never mind the ones killed by The Scourge of the Underworld.

* Zemo really... doesn't get a lot of respect in here. He's seen looking like a goof with his neckbrace (since he broke his neck in Avengers: Under Siege), gets captured OFF-PANEL by Incans (along with Batroc's Brigade), and is then defeated in hand-to-hand by DIAMONDBACK of all people (back before she was trained by Cap or had left The Serpent Society- ie. she was still a Jobber). Poor guy even passes out when he thinks he's about to be killed by thrown spears. Then he whines like a baby for his daddy (the whole Bloodstone Hunt was to bring back his beloved father, who is instead possessed by a Quasi-Powerful Entity that is then killed by Cap & Crossbones).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Free Spirit! Dr. Agony!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Also here’s some other old thing I wrote last time:



So that's all for my Captain America Builds! It's actually interesting to go entirely into the world of JUST ONE CHARACTER for once- something I've only ever done with Spider-Man and Batman before. And given that those two have the strongest rogues galleries in all of comics, it's saying something that Cap deserves the honor, too. I was surprised at the sheer NUMBER of guys, but once I added all the big names to it, I kept thinking up more names! Then someone'd request one, or I'd remember another, or a Wiki search would show another Skeleton Crew member or something, and then I finally just added Captain Germany and his group... it adds up quickly.

It's interesting to note all the "Shield Guys" in here- like most heroes, Cap has a lot of others trying to be like him, or be evil versions of him. There's the three Retcon Caps explaining away old continuity errors, U.S. Agent & BattleStar, Major America (a recent forgettable type), Protocide, The Red Guardian(s), The Ameridroid, The Taskmaster, Bucky Cap & FalcoCap now! And most of Cap's crew is somewhere around his level- a lot of tough physical fighters.

Looking at Mark Gruenwald's run in one giant chunk is pretty interesting. His run was ENORMOUSLY long, but honestly doesn't quite get the credit it deserves sometimes, mainly because it fell apart so badly in the end (Gru insisted that "Capwolf" was meant to be poking fun at the claw-based heroes out there, but that strikes me as a retroactive "oh no, I was SATIRE!" excuse), and some of it was just goofy ("Now I will give Captain America and Paladin the gift of BEING TURNED INTO WOMEN!"). But really... here we've got The Scourge of the Underworld, The Bloodstone Hunt and The Captain (The John Walker story). The man added an ENORMOUS amount to Cap's history, often just by bringing back old characters (Mother Night and most of The Skeleton Crew are somebody else's creations). But there's Flag-Smasher, The Serpent Society, Diamondback, Crossbones (and WHAT A DEBUT- the guy shows up eating a charge from Captain America, then wraps his legs around the guy's head and gives him a FREAKING FRANKENSTEINER through the floor of a boat! THEN starts to DROWN HIM? The dude was just a nasty, crafty, rough and tumble brawler and I LOVE IT), John "U.S. Agent" Walker, and more.

And the JOBBERS!! There is NOBODY who knows more about the forgotten and useless one-shot Jobbers of the Marvel Universe than Gru! Hilariously, he used the Scourge storyline to wipe out all of the dumbest ones (Marv Wolfman admitted that the final issues of the Crisis are spent doing this too- "I refused to write comics in a world where The Ten-Eyed Man and The Bug-Eyed Bandit existed")- he seems to share a special enmity for Turner D. Century. But that's not all- The Superia Stratagem is chock-FULL of female villains nobody else has even heard of! Cast members who briefly fought Iron Man, Cap and others are brought out alongside a gang of one-shot Black Widow opponents, and more! And a few years later, he does ANOTHER storyline on A.I.M. Island featuring MORE jobbers- Cap dressed as Crossbones ends up brawling through a bunch of guys that includes Mad Dog (shoot, I gotta build him!), Ramrod and more! With TONS of guys added in the background! It's The Juggler! A new Firebrand! Poundcakes again! OH MY GOD- THE TRUMP!!! I've never heard of him!!!

So it's this fun look into the Hall of Jobbers, though admittedly Gru often got WAY too stuck on just throwing armies of mooks at Cap (who, as I've stated, was Mark's own personal Paragon of Perfection). It IS a good way to make the hero look good without damaging credible characters, though. The Steve/Diamondback relationship is TERRIFIC, too, though sadly she went the way of most Comic Book Love Interests and disappeared after Gru's run (even he himself kind of screwed it up in the end, because Angst Means Break-Ups). There are a LOT of great moments- I love how his Cap is often tortured by the right thing to do, and there's often no EASY answer (like when Nighthawk asked him to fight The Squadron Supreme of his Earth. Cap is hesitant at first, because he's butting into the lawmakers of another society... then ultimately figures out that Nighthawk's cause is just. Only for Nighthawk to take back the offer, realizing how wrong it is to ask this of other universe's people). Gru's Cap is a bit silly with the "No-Killing" rule (apparently he was big on Cap NEVER killing), but given that he was at this point the only light in the dark of an increasingly-violent comic book world (circa the early '90s), I can't really blame him.

The art was usually pretty good. Mike Zeck wasn't any good (THOSE CHINS), but Ron Lim is to me perhaps the ICONIC 1990s artist. He didn't have the bad habits of some of the others, but his stuff STILL looks super-dated. SO CLASSIC though- his art to me is the ULTIMATE in "Generic Comic Book Art"- skinny, perky women combined with these muscle-bound, lantern-jawed dudes. Bright costumes, shading (but not too much), and grimacing characters. Rik Levins was a tolerable replacement sometimes (he seems chosen due to his Lim-ness), but could be iffy- drawing a great panel here, then a weak one there. Some people look deformed, and then there's an issue FULL of B.A.D. Girls, Inc. trotting around in their bikinis by the pool. He seemed to get weaker with time. Dave Hoover was a poor replacement, basically doing Bad Liefeld Type art, but he improved vastly as a Pin-Up guy in more recent years before he died.

All in all, Ed Brubaker's run was better in terms of style, content and even dialogue (Gru's Cap is... REALLY big on bad jokes), but I still love Gru's more. More iconic moments, more comic book silliness that I love, and he just added SO MUCH to things.

Everyone's got a handful of these- overexposure, over-poweredness, a personal philosophy contrary to yours, etc., can all lead to this. Plenty of people hate Wolverine for the first one, obviously. As one of those "Contrary" kids, I just had to be the one loving Captain America at a time when all the other kids were worshipping Wolverine, Ghost Rider & The Punisher :). But nowadays? There's plenty of big-name acts I just don't like.

The Hulk: Horsenhero shares my view here, though I think he hates Hulk more than I do. He's fine on a symbolic level, but as an ongoing feature character? Absolutely dull as dishwater. I think it says something that he's had a dozen variations over the years, and has only had a few top-tier runs. And it's odd, because while I prefered The Thing & Colossus as a kid, it's not due to Over-Poweredness- in my "Personal Canon", Colossus had simply replaced Banner as the top-tier strong guy. In fact, it wasn't until The Avengers movie came out (and the EMH cartoon, I guess) that I finally "got" him- he IS a perfectly-fine character, but ONLY ON A TEAM. He's great as a somewhat snarky, simple-minded ass-kicker and is PERFECT for physical comedy (witness him punching Thor or slamming Loki in the film).

Thor: Friggin' THOR. As a kid I didn't really care one way or another. But reading the comics NOW and it's like every issue is "the Avengers do some random stuff, then Thor flies in and wins". I have issues from the '80s and '90s that are basically just Thor one-shotting foes while the rest of the team mops up the scraps. I was biased against Walt Simonson's Thor run due to this, and when I FINALLY bought it... I enjoyed them tremendously! But what was odd was that I loved the entire supporting cast: Beta-Ray Bill is awesome. Sif is good, Loki is a hoot as an egomaniacal and selfish asshole, Lorelai is surprisingly-good as a more immature Enchantress, Amora herself is great as a bitch, Thor's MOM is actually pretty interesting, The Warriors Three are fun, and even ODIN of all people comes across as clever, charming and noble (a far cry from more modern incarnations).

But Thor? Thor is FRIGGING BORING. He is the absolute most DULL character I have ever laid eyes upon. Given that the entirety of his supporting cast (except oddly Balder, who shares Thor's boring nature) was interesting, funny and great, seeing the MAIN CHARACTER act as basically a personality-less doll for everyone else to revolve around was a bizarre sight. Simonson's run is era-defining and beyond excellent... yet his main hero is sort of just the centrepiece.

---

Wonder Woman: Like a lot of people, I find her boring and a bit "outside" of the Big Three. Part of it is that her personality is so rudderless that she's effectively an entirely-different person under every single writer. But it's more than that- her brand of Feminism had a lot more of a bite in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. In the modern era, there is a HUGE backlash against Feminism, for numerous reasons (many I would consider entirely fair, and as sort of the embodiment of Female Empowerment, WW struggles a lot in that light. She'd actually be MORE interesting if she reflected the modern issues women suffer from, but instead it's just "Man's World is Bad, and I will show you this by bringing you to my island of bigoted, ignorant, angry, war-mongering women who are just as bad as anyone on Man's World." The Amazons are one of the biggest things that's fallen apart in recent times as well. I dug the JLU version a lot more, as she played more off of naivete, and was a bad-ass ass-kicker. Plus she was capable of being flirty. Gail Simone & Phil Jiminez both wrote a sexless, awkward-as-balls WW, and both have shown talent in other books. It's like the character creates a warp of suck around her.

Superman: Superman is one of the finest symbols in all of comics, and of course is ludicrously important to super-heroes as a whole. However, I can't help but feel that a lot of his iconic traits (invincibility, being the best at everything) reflect a completely different era of comics. The '50s and '60s was more about outwitting the villains- since Supes was so powerful, he could still fit and be an active example of Power Fantasy- it was all "how can I save the day... and STILL keep my Secret Identity!" Or figuring out some puzzle. Or curing Jimmy Olsen of werewolfism. Comics has changed since then- for the better in my mind (reading old '60s DC stuff is painful with all of the hackneyed plot twists and goofy stories quickly-solved by a smirking, asshole hero who then lectures everyone on his brilliance), but Supes is kind of left behind by the fact that everything is now more centered around fighting than outwitting and trickery, and his very nature as "the best EVER" makes him unable to fit in. He either dominates everyone, or jobs out hardcore due to chicanery- his villains lack credibility because nobody can HURT HIM- in the old days it was all Kryptonite or Magic or Parallel Earth goofiness, and being invincible wasn't a big detraction from stories.

Because he's so powerful, he appeals to Power Geeks, who naturally write story after story based around how utterly unstoppable and great he is (that garbage with Imperiex was basically a Superman Fanwank, making everyone else around him look useless while Supes did everything). This makes him annoying to anyone who ISN'T a giant Supes-fan, creating a backlash.

The saddest thing is that he's still the PERFECT "Go To" guy for countless stories. Kingdom Come is a perfect example. No other character would have fit that role. Like Wizard Magazine once said, he's somehow the guy who's AMAZING in every single book but his own.
---

There's a few minor DC characters who just rankle me for whatever reason, too- Metamorpho is a character I will never like no matter how many attempts are made with him. I don't give a crap about The Atom, and never will. The Metal Men are Silver Age Retardedness and have no place in comics anymore, and fans need to accept that. Zatanna is a Walking Fetish an an utterly blank character otherwise, with nothing interesting about her- she's just nice to look at. I HATE the very idea of a Justice League full of jokey heroes and wacky antics- so the Giffen/DeMatteis League fills me with nothing but revulsion- THERE I SAID IT.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Free Spirit! Dr. Agony!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:03 am So, having read a huge chunk of Gruenwald's Cap run (The Bloodstone Hunt, Scourge of the Underworld, The Superia Stratagem, The Captain, and many issues in between), I've come to a few observations:

* Few writers have ever loved their character as much as Gru loved Captain America. I mean, every character talks about how awesome he is IN the book (a "Character Shilling" thing that can come off as very amateurish and "you should all like my character"- Gail Simone does this to poor effect in her Secret Six book), women are constantly gaping at his huge muscles, and he does all of these REMARKABLY amazing things in combat, such as fending off an entire army of Incan warriors by himself (after being poisoned by curare and having all of his limbs trapped), taking out Class 10-ish Superhumans like Mr. Hyde with ease, and generally finding his way out of every kind of trap by himself. He is like the most moral, awesome dude ever.

This is SO close to ultimate Fanwankery and Power-Feating for a character that it would be awful if it weren't so damn endearing. I mean, Gru just LOVES Cap so much that it's palpable, and you can't help but admire it. It helps that Cap doesn't go out of his way to do impossible things, create HUGE displays of over-the-top power (what I call "Power-Geeking"), and never really pummels someone he shouldn't be able to take out (Mr. Hyde is tough, but nobody's really a FAN of his, y'know?). Basically, very few IMPORTANT characters are ever jobbed out hard in his book- he's not curbstomping Daredevil, Bullseye or Wolverine in his book, so no beloved, famous characters are being wiped out (compare this to the infamous "Wolverine beats up 20 Marvel Heroes" issue that fans STILL talk about to this day). I'm actually quite certain that The Serpent Society was designed for this very purpose- a group that Cap could beat on two or three at a time without "damaging" anyone too important.
I deeply respect Gru for loving a character that much, yet manages to not go full on Starlin / Loeb / Englehart with his character. While he writes Cap as impressive, he also is careful to not let Cap simply walk over all of his opposition. There were several times during the run where Cap faced an opponent that could match him (his first fight with John Walker), and guys he just couldn't beat straight up (he didn't really have any illusions of being able to fight the actual Magneto one-on-one). Any time he had to fight a fellow hero and win, there were always extenuating circumstances, such as when he took out a mind-controlled Namor by attacking the control disk on his neck, or Daredevil makes it clear internally that he was not in peak performance, while Cap was going all out due to drug exposure. Likewise, Gru had no problem letting the Red Skull lose to the Kingpin, where other writers might have used Kingpin to shill how awesome the upgraded Skull was.

In these respects, as well as his attention to history and his love of morally good characters, Gru is someone I'd want to emulate, and I can only hope my own love for my favorite characters come off more as Gru's love than Starlin/Loeb/Englehart-esque obsessiveness.
* Cap uses a much more acrobatic style in this run than in any other- in Brubaker's and more modern runs, he basically charges forward like a battering ram, hitting with full force. THIS Cap basically fights like Spider-Man, bouncing off of stuff, jumping off of buildings and out of airplanes (at one point nailing a perfect landing while jumping out of a jet that's above multi-story buildings), doing back and forward flips, doing nigh-impossible feats while in combat, etc. Multiple artists are shown drawing this, so it's not just one guy's concept on how Cap fights.
Yeah, people forget that Cap's overall combat methodology used to explicitly be a combination of Boxing, Judo and Acrobatics. Cap had a very dynamic fighting style, constantly on the move, and emphasizing all aspects of his capabilities. It made sense since back then Cap had to regularly tangle with guys much stronger than himself, so he had to rely as much on his agility as his strength. Making him focus on more human-level opponents means that in those cases, Cap is often the strongest guy in the room and can take on a much more 'freight train' approach.

Myself, if possible, I'd actually kind of stress to the creative team to try and make certain characters have a different 'feel' with how they fight.

Guys like Spider-Man, Daredevil, Nightcrawler and Nightwing have a much more obviously acrobatic style of combat, prone to more flashy flips, extended leaps and so forth. They're meant to provide distractions, frustrate opponents, and place the hero in an advantageous position. All four of the people here are somewhat show-off-y swashbuckler types to a degree, with most of them having either a background in acrobatics or superhuman abilities that help their agility, so it makes sense that they make use of a lot more flips than other people.

Guys like Shang Chi and Iron Fist are martial artists first and foremost, so while they're capable of similar acrobatic feats as the above guys, they're more likely to rely on solid footwork, fluid movements and focused combos. While they'll flip around to clear distance or avoid attacks, they're more likely to move swiftly in and unload these elegant, flowing attack combinations.

Guys like Captain America and Batman I see as "efficient, no frills, tactical fighters". Watching the Daredevil/Nightwing types is like watching an acrobatic performance meant to take advantage of mobility and confuse the opponents. Watching Shang and Danny is like watching an elegant dance with the power to kill or cripple their opponents. Watching Steve and Bruce is like watching a machine. They take the shortest, most efficient path to victory, their fighting styles have no excessive movements to them, but there is a hidden purpose behind everything they do. When they come after an opponent, both Steve and Bruce come on hard, strong and powerful to intimidate the opposition. Steve does this to make the opponent and said opponents friends more likely to surrender. Bruce does this to make everyone watching terrified of him. There's some difference in how Bruce and Steve approach fights (Bruce has the mentality of a ninja, Steve of a soldier), but I see the pair's actual type of fighting as being very similar.
* This Cap is always much more... unsure of himself compared to other Caps. Compare him to the ultra-serious, "I automatically know this is wrong" Cap of Civil War or others- he is NEVER prone to knee-jerk reactions here, and often hems and haws for days before coming to a decision (he does this when the Commission asks him to be their errand boy, and when Nighthawk asks him for help against The Squadron Supreme). This kind of thoughtful thinking is rather unnatural to most comic book characters, who generally make snap decisions and fully-commit to them, leading ot violent altercations. This can come off as indecisive at times, but is a welcome difference from the "let's have a minor disagreement and FIGHT!" style of comics in... well, every era and book other than this one.
Rather than unsure of himself, I'd characterize this Cap as much more introspective, willing to admit he isn't always right and having the sense to consider all possibilities before making a decision. Rather than a snap judgement, Steve will responsibly weight all options in a quick and timely fashion, which makes sense for someone with the kind of responsibility he shoulders. Steve would also take time to reflect on past decisions, sometimes coming to the conclusion that he'd made the wrong choice, and try to better himself from them.

I'd honestly prefer more heroes who actually put that kind of thought into what they do, but only to the extent that Gru does. It's not how some writers will have Spider-Man mope for an entire issue, mentally torturing himself and complaining. Nor is it how some heroes spend way too much time trying to come to an obvious decision. Gru's Steve was thoughtful enough to show that he was giving the subject actual consideration, but was decisive enough to act on whatever decision he came to, as well as spring into action the second it was required.
"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.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Free Spirit! Dr. Agony!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:44 am I HATE the very idea of a Justice League full of jokey heroes and wacky antics- so the Giffen/DeMatteis League fills me with nothing but revulsion- THERE I SAID IT.
While there's characters you mentioned that I actually like or don't think there's anything inheritly wrong with (I like Thor and Superman, I think Hulk and Wonder Woman have issues that can be overcome, etc.), I definitely agree with this statement. I actually really like characters like Blue Beetle, and I think him on a team with Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner and whomever else works fine for an entertaining team . . . but that team shouldn't be called "The Justice League". The League is supposed to be the premier team of the setting, the big guns, the one you can rely on to save the day. Having them get into stupid antics and going BWA'HA'HA all the time was just ridiculous.
"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: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Free Spirit! Dr. Agony!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Here's a few "Mark's Remarks" columns I saved from someone posting them online.
In every other column for the past few months, I've been discussing the fictional construct we call the Marvel Universe. I've likened it to a sandbox which a bunch of us kids are playing in, a sandbox whose basic framework was built by master builders but has had many hands building additions and renovations over the years. I've likened it to a sandbox which has its own guidelines and standards for all those who choose to play in it. I've covered what it's like to be a writer toiling in the communal sandbox. I explained that these problems lead to mistakes, discontinuities, and discrepancies.

This time out I'd like to talk about the impact and ramifications of these discrepancies. In short, these things contribute to a disjointed sense of universe. Every inconsistency hurts the integrity (literally: sense of oneness) of the fictional world known as the M.U. On one hand we can say, "Well, we blew it this month. We'll just have to try that much harder next month." On the other hand, bad stories never go away. As long as there is a single copy in a single reader's hands out there, the story exists, and we have to deal with it and live it down somehow.

The way we choose to deal with inconsistent stories after the fact varies. Minor slips are usually treated like mere proofreading errors and ignored. Major gaffes are often addressed more immediately. And then there are, of course, the stalwart sticklers and feckless fixers of old continuity blunders- guys who make it a point of order to rehash the past in flashback in order to smooth out past rough spots. As often as my writing has been lumped in with that of the continuity-rehash crew, an examination of my body of work would reveal that my stories rarely address old inconsistency problems- I'm more interested in making the present interesting than making the past make sense.

Like bad stories, bad characters never go away. There's this rap group called Another Bad Creation. Somehow the name of that band runs through my mind whenever I see an ill-conceived character limp into print for some reason or another. What makes a character bad? We must distinguish between good characters handled poorly and bad characters from their inception. A famous artist of the 60s once said there are no bad characters, only bad handling. I disagree. All characters are not created equally- more thought and consideration and originality go into some more than others. Of the 100 or so characters I'm responsible for bringing into being, I can state unequivocally that the same amount of inspiration and work did not got into all of them. I think I'm typical in this.

Though my job as sandbox custodian is to keep lame characters from coming into being, I must admit that there are uses for lame characters of the past. Personally, I love it when characters who have appeared in Marvel Universe series of less fan repute or respectability are rehabilitated and become useful, productive members of more respected series. The list of characters who have gone beyond their humble beginnings are legion: Killer Shrike came out of BLOODSTONE to become a useful Spider-Man foe. Speedball was despised in his own book- as a member of New Warriors, he's a fun, unique addition to the team. Dr. Demonicus came out of GODZILLA to become a major AVENGERS WEST COAST foe. So am I being inconsistent here? Should I let lame characters hobble into existence just so we have fodder for future useful rehabilitated characters? No. There are plenty of lame characters to go around already, and just because a bad character can be made useful, there's no justification for the deliberate creation of one. To earn the right to exist, every new character must have at least one major thing about him or her that makes him or her unlike any other character we (or anybody else) ever published.

Conversely, characters with very noble beginnings can fall on very bad times through less than thoughtful usage. Terrific characters I personally feel have been diminished through inconsiderate use include Galactus, Doctor Doom, Galactus, Scarlet Witch, Galactus, Kang, Galactus, Supreme Intelligence, Galactus, Electro, and Galactus, to name but a few. Fotunately, bad stories with good characters can be lived down once the character starts appearing in good stories again. But it often takes twice as many good stories to counteract the stigma of the bad. In other words, if the Trapster appears in 4 bad stories in a row, it may take 8 good stories before the reading public will accept him as a worthy character again!
So what's my ratinale behind the statement a few paragraphs ago that bad characters never go away? This: bad characters can never be uncreated. They exist forever. Once upon a time I didn't believe this. I thought if a character stinks and you kill him, he's gone. Then after doing MARVEL UNIVERSE for so many years, it sunk in that characters don't disappear when they die, they just get filed under another category! Turner D. Century is not dead and gone- he's just on the Actively Dead list, waiting for me to be on vacation and some recalcitrant writer to sneak him back into a story. If I had my way, characters would never die anymore, at least not until every last ounce of story potential was wrung out of him or her, and none who are dead would ever come back. John Donne said "Every man's death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind." I say "Every character's rebirth diminishes the Marvel Universe by robbing the concept of death of its dramatic impact." Since we're doing drama, not comedy, in most stories set in the M.U., I see no point in conditioning readers to not believe in the awful finality of death anymore. I've reserved a special circle in Dante's Inferno for any writer (myself included) who manages by hook or crook to revive any character killed by Scourge. This doesn't include recycling names or costumes, this means literally bringing back one of the people who was actually pum-SPAKked by Scourge.

My opinion is not one universally shared. My esteemed colleague Fabian ("I write more books than you, Gruenwald") Nicieza, for instance, has no problem (if I understand him correctly) with revivals of the seeming dead. If a character even has an ounce of untapped potential and happens to be dead, then "un-dead" him so he can have that potential explored, so sez Fave. Fabian believes that if you give the fans good stories, it doesn't matter if the characters in the story were once believed to be dead- the fans care more about the quality of stories than the versimilitude (semblance of reality) of the universe as a whole. He may be right, he may be wrong. But since my job is universe-preserving and his job (as writer) is quality-story-providing, you can appreciate where our sensibilities derive from. And since my position is higher than his, my sensibility may have more influence with Mr. Life and Death Arbitrer (Tom DeFalco) when they're in opposition (they usually aren't, right, Fabe?). I can but hope.

Occasionally I get letters from readers who began their Marvel habit in the 60s and 70s who say that in their opinion the spirit of the Marvel Universe has died. It just got so distended, they say, so stretched out about the edges, so threadbare in areas, and overly dense and complicated in other areas that it's just not the fun place it used to be. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but obviously I disagree. While the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s Marvel Universe are characteristically different places, I feel they are good and rightful expansions of the same place I've read about since the beginning of time (1961). Yes, there have been times when parts of the universe got skewed, but like a river flowing around a log that's dropped in, the river is eventually going to dislodge and overpower the log. With Tom and me ever vigilant, the Marvel Universe despite its expansion (an expansion, I might add, that would not be happening if you readers didn't demand more books!) will remain a happy, homogenous place. For my money, the sandbox known as the Marvel Universe has many healthy years ahead of it, and properly maintained, we'll never have to resort to any kind of wholesale implosion or continuity-shredding to keep it from collapsing under its own poorly distributed weight.

I hope this lengthy discussion of the Marvel Universe has been diverting. Let me know what you think of the various points I've raised here if you're so inclined. Write me in care of this magazine.
-- Mark Gruenwald
1. If I were a super hero, I'd want to hang around with other super heroes. That's the appeal of a team book, seeing super heroes interact with their peers. Sure, it's interesting to see how civillians react to super heroes, but I like to know what goes on behind closed doors, what the real pecking order is among the superhuman elite, who gets along with whom and who thinks who's a blowhard. Of all the team books ever done, THE AVENGERS does this best.

2. The difference between groups and teams: a group is any collection of individuals with something in common, such as an ethnic group, a social group, etc. A team is a collection of individuals, united in purpose and action: such as a sports team, a debate team, a drill team. The Avengers is a team. Infinity Watch is a group.

I've heard a lot of artists say they hate drawing group books. I couldn't figure that out at first- after all, aren't all books group books? Doesn't every solo hero have a group of supporting characters? Then I realized that what these artists disliked was executing the choreography of multiple individuals in action together. That is, indeed, a lot harder than drawing a single hero against a single villain. Artists vary drastically in their ability to depict simultaneous multiple actions. The best AVENGERS artists- like John Buscema, John Byrne and Steve Epting- are the best action choreographers. They can draw multiple actions on multiple planes in the same panel, clearly showing the relationship of each hero to the others at any given moment.

3. I always had a problem with the world's mightiest super-team relying on one man, good 'ol Jarvis, to do everything from cooking to coordinating field assignments. It may have been fine in the early days when the Avengers were little more than a social club for super heroes, but now they're the preeminent super hero peace-keeping force! Under my editorial tenure, I instituted Jarvis' staff. It's not that we have to see them every issue; it's just comforting to know they're there.

I love knowing the rules and regulations by which organizations are supposed to act. When I was the AVENGERS editor, I reread all the back issues trying to come up with the team's standard operating procedures. Then I commissioned writer Roger Stern to write the Avengers charter. To me, it would be next to impossible to write or edit a single story of a team before I knew exactly how that team was supposed to function. It is also grist for a hundred stories that contrast the way a team's supposed to act with the way the members of a team actually do act.

4. My favorite all-time AVENGERS storylines: 1. Kree-Skrull War...2. The Korvac Saga...3. The Scarlet Witch/Wundagore/Chthon three-parter (which, immodestly enough, I co-plotted)...4. The Kang/Celestial Madonna Quest...
My least favorite AVENGERS storylines: 1. The Hank and Jan Pym break-up...2. Ms. Marvel gets pregnant by Marcus Immortus...3. Acts of Vengeance...

Funny thing about Ms. Marvel and Marcus Immortus: in the original scenario Marcus wasn't supposed to be the father of Carol Danvers' "child", the Supreme Intelligence was. The child in AVENGERS#200 was supposed to be a newborn cosmic baby with the S.I.'s spaghetti-head look. But a WHAT IF story about the Kree-Skrull War came out around the same time, with a plot featuring a Supreme Intelligence spawn, so the editor in chief ordered writer David Michelinie to find a different father. Thus the nonsensical finale of issue #200!

5. My favorite Avengers line-up to date: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Yellowjacket and the Wasp. It's got the big three, plus two very different couples. While Cap, Thor and Iron Man were always the heart of the Avengers, the Vision and Scarlet Witch were the soul. Watching thier ardrous relationship grow was one of the book's biggest pleasures in the 70's. When they got married, all the dramatic tension dissolved from their relationship, and there was nothing comparable to take its place! (Finally now, with the Crystal-Black Knight-Sersi triangle we have something romantically interesting going on!) I like the Vision's reversion to his original personality. It feels like I've gotten the true Vision back after all these years. (But do something about that milk-white suit you're wearing, Vizh!)
My least favorite Avengers line-up: Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Tigra, and Wasp. No romance.
Good characters who should never have become Avengers: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Moon Knight, Spider-Man, and Sandman.
Folks who seriously need to become Avengers: Thundra, Giant-Man, Will 'O the Wisp, and Iron Fist.

6. Sometime I regret having invented the West Coast Avengers. It came out of a discussion I had with then-AVENGERS writer Roger Stern. We were doing the "Ultimate Vision" storyline which culminated in #254, and I said, "We've got to make this a big deal, have this story change their status quo forever." We had the Vision plan an international Avengers organization with fanchises all over the place. He only got as far as a West Coast branch before his sinister programming was discovered. So why do I regret the AWC's existence? Well, to legitimatize the second team, we wanted one of the founding Avengers in the line-up. Iron Man was out west at the time, so we designated him as the old-time mainstay. I now realize that, in doing so, I permanently disconbobulated the Cap, Thor, Iron Man trinity that is at the Avengers' core. Mea Culpa.

7. Both Avengers teams need more good villains. The only good Avengers villains are those powerful enough to give the whole team a run for its money. I mean, once you go past Kang and Ultron, who is there? It's amazing that the team has lasted 30 years and still has so few recurring villains. Immortus? Too much like Kang, too ambiguous in his villainy. Grim Reaper? Not as yet powerful enough to take them all on. Nebula? She's in Silver Surfer terrain now. Who else is there? I must admit that the new guys Bob Harras has whipped up- Proctor and the Gatherers- are very intriguing. Time will tell if they become big-time.

8. When we wrote the MARVEL UNIVERSE Avengers Mansion entry, we decided to determine where the building was located. In all past stories, it was on Fifth Avenue facing Central Park, so I personally scouted Fifth Avenue from 59th street all the way uptown along the park. The block between 70th and 71st streets caught my eye. On it is the Frick Museum, a dead ringer for the original Avengers Mansion! Wonder if this was the inspiration way back when the mansion was first designed?
And once, when AVENGERS Editor Ralph Macchio and I visited Los Angeles, WEST COAST scribe Roy Thomas gave us directions to Palos Verde Drive. We drove right past where we calculated the West Coast compound to be.

9. Special notes to kids who play the Avengers in the backyard: The best Avengers to impersonate in order to maximize the action are: Cap, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Black Knight, Thor, Wonder Man, Mockingbird and She-Hulk.
A. Cap: A garbage can cover will make an adequate Cap's shield, but make sure it's a plastic one before you throw.
B. Hawkeye: Try that new Nerf crossbow, and don't expect a boxing-glove arrow to fly very far.
C. Quicksilver: When running at super-speed, make a distinctive verbal "speed whine". When everyone hears it, they have to shift to slow motion.
D. Black Knight: Plastic swords only. Wood hurts.
E. Thor: A croquet mallet hammer works fine, but remember- Thor nevers throws Mjolnir at mere mortals and neither should you. Just use it for deflecting projectiles, smashing cardboard walls or doors down, and summoning lightning.
F/G. Wonder Man & She-Hulk: Every "normal strength" opponent has to agree to pullpunches and collapse at your every touch. After all, you're super-strong.
H. Mockingbird: For battle-staves, I recommend empty wrapping paper tubes or plastic toy nunchakus, taken apart.
I. Avoid Yellowjacket, Goliath, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel & Quasar. Their powers are next to impossible to simulate without having to constantly explain to your playmates what you've done to them.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Battle-Axis

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

THE BATTLE-AXIS:
-The Battle-Axis have an odd origin- all of them were actual Golden Age SUPERHEROES, now long since lost to time, but were brought out of the mothballs by Roy Thomas for his Invaders series as a band of one-off foes for the heroes. This was a bit odd, given that they were good guys in their original form, but I guess Thomas just wanted to use them as a speedbump while bringing up old forgotten Golden Age stuff. Apparently the story goes was that he was planning on using MARVEL characters (Timely guys like the Blazing Skull or whatever), but Editor Mark Gruenwald overruled him, and so they swiped some public domain guys from Fox Features, Harvey Comics, Holyoke and stuff.

The Roster:
Doctor Death- Doctor Nemesis from Ace Periodicals. Changes back when he becomes an X-Men side character. Build here: Doctor Nemesis I
The Human Meteor- Flying Brick from Harvey Comics.
Spider Queen- Web-Shooting female from Fox Features.
Volton- Flying Android from Holyoke.
Strongman- Superman Rip-Off from Holyoke.
Skyshark- Actually just a regular Marvel villain- I guess Thomas wanted to use him again.
The Golem- Actually a 1970s Marvel character, controlled by the Nazis. Build here: The Golem II (Goldstein)
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Spider Queen

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

THE SPIDER QUEEN (Shannon Kane)
Created By:
Elsa Lesaur (likely a pseudonym for Lester & Arturo Cazeneuve) & Pierce Rice
First Appearance: Eagle #2 (Sept. 1941)
Role: Forgotten Golden Age Heroine Turned Supervillain
Group Affiliations: The Battle-Axis
PL 7 (113)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 7 (+9)
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Current Events) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Chemistry) 4 (+7)
Insight 4 (+7)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 4 (+7)
Persuasion 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Aim, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Wrist-Bracelets" (Flaws: Removable) [16]
"Web-Shooters" Snare 6 (18)
Movement 1 (Swinging) (2)
-- (20 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Web-Shooters +8 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Russia)- Shannon hates Russia so much (their agents killed her husband) that she fights against the Allies during World War II.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 16 / Defenses: 10 (113)

-Okay, so this one's pretty wild- Spider Queen is a widowed Golden Age super-heroine who actually built FREAKING WEB-SHOOTERS, using them exactly like Spider-Man did twenty years later- swinging around and ensnaring people. She worked with plainclothes police officer Mike O'Bell to fight generic crooks like blackmailers & shakedown artists, and appeared in four issues of Eagle by Fox Features Syndicate before disappearing. Then, inexplicably, Roy Thomas brought her out of the woodwork as a NAZI villain in The Invaders. Remembering that her husband was killed by Russian agents who wanted to steal his formulas, she fought against the Allies (as the Soviet Union was one of them). She fought alongside the super-villains called the "Battle-Axis", frequently battling American super-heroes, but appeared shocked that their boss planned on poisoning Americans. She was ultimately captured alongside her teammates. Little-known series Avengers 1959 uses her as an enemy of the superhero spy unit, and she is defeated by the Blonde Phantom.

-Spider Queen is a basic, PL 7 "Snare-User"- not much in the way of hitting power, but fine for a Golden Ager.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: The Battle-Axis

Post by Woodclaw »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:04 am Image
Image

THE BATTLE-AXIS:
-The Battle-Axis have an odd origin- all of them were actual Golden Age SUPERHEROES, now long since lost to time, but were brought out of the mothballs by Roy Thomas for his Invaders series as a band of one-off foes for the heroes. This was a bit odd, given that they were good guys in their original form, but I guess Thomas just wanted to use them as a speedbump while bringing up old forgotten Golden Age stuff. Apparently the story goes was that he was planning on using MARVEL characters (Timely guys like the Blazing Skull or whatever), but Editor Mark Gruenwald overruled him, and so they swiped some public domain guys from Fox Features, Harvey Comics, Holyoke and stuff.

The Roster:
Doctor Death- Doctor Nemesis from Ace Periodicals. Changes back when he becomes an X-Men side character. Build here: Doctor Nemesis I
The Human Meteor- Flying Brick from Harvey Comics.
Spider Queen- Web-Shooting female from Fox Features.
Volton- Flying Android from Holyoke.
Strongman- Superman Rip-Off from Holyoke.
Skyshark- Actually just a regular Marvel villain- I guess Thomas wanted to use him again.
The Golem- Actually a 1970s Marvel character, controlled by the Nazis. Build here: The Golem II (Goldstein)
Knowing Gruenwald and Thomas, I guess that the idea was to explain why these heroes were never referenced in modern comics. By making them into villains, these characters became a sore point for their contemporaries like Cap,Namor or Jim Hammond.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Volton

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

VOLTON
Created By:
Joe Kubert
First Appearance: Cat-Man Comics #8 (March 1942)
Role: Forgotten Golden Age Heroine Turned Supervillain
Group Affiliations: The Battle-Axis
PL 8 (152)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA -- AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Deception 2 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 2 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Electrically-Powered Android"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 7 [7]
Lightning Blast 8 [16]

"Literally Travels Through The Phone" Teleport 10 (Extras: Extended, Accurate) (Flaws: Source- Phone Lines) (30) -- [31]
  • AE: Flight 15 (64,000 mph) (30)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Lightning Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Enemy (Nazi Germany)

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 84 / Defenses: 9 (152)

-Volton was an android superhero created for Holyoke Comics in 1942- he was one of the early "Artificial Man" characters, and used the stunning, futuristic power of ELECTRICITY. Images include stuff like him literally popping his head through the earpiece of a telephone, meaning he had some pretty wild attributes- this is the first instance I can find of a hero traveling through phone lines as an electrical impulse. In Marvel's continuity, he was created by a man who worked with Phineas Horton in the creation of the Human Torch- not getting any credit, this Dr. James Bradley spitefully created his OWN crime-fighting android, naming him Volton. However, Volton eventually went bad, fighting alongside the Battle-Axis- Bradley himself was called "Doctor Death" (and later joined the X-Men as Doctor Nemesis). At the end of the story, Volton turned on Bradley and killed him (he got better). Volton has never reappeared.

-Volton, judging by the small amount of pictures available, was a fairly strong guy, and could fly about with a lightning bolt making up his lower body. He also shoots electricity.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
Location: The Forever Tree

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Dr. Agony! Spider Queen!)

Post by Hoid »

...I have a lot to catch up, I see.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Baron Zemo! Jack Flag! Dr. Agony! Spider Queen!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Hoid wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:47 pm ...I have a lot to catch up, I see.
LOL if you've been missing my thread for a while, then yeah, probably. But don't worry- I will accept it if you read TEN builds per day, leaving comments about all of them. Anything less will hurt my feelings :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Strongman

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

STRONGMAN (Percy Van Norton)
Created By:
Joe Kubert
First Appearance: Crash Comic Adventures #1 (May 1940)
Role: Forgotten Golden Age Heroine Turned Supervillain, Superman Knock-Off
Group Affiliations: The Battle-Axis
PL 10 (128)
STRENGTH
3/12 STAMINA 4/8 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7)
Deception 2 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 2 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"The Strength of 100 Elephants"
Enhanced Strength 9 [18]
Power-Lifting 4 (1,600 tons) [4]

"Skin as Tough as a Rhino Hide"
Enhanced Stamina 4 [8]

"The Speed of a Race Car"
Speed 7 (250 mph) [7]
Leaping 4 (120 feet) [4]

"Boomerang Rope" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [6]
Snare 6 (Feats: Homing, Ricochet) (Flaws: Limited to One Target -2) (8)
Movement 1 (Swinging) (2)
-- (10 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Enhanced Strength +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +8, Fortitude +9, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Nazi Germany)

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 47 / Defenses: 11 (128)

-... yes, STRONGMAN. American wealthy playboy Percy van Norton took a serum that made him the "Perfect Human" (aka a Superman rip-off), appearing in Holyoke Comics like Volton did, but only for five issues of Crash Comics. In one story, he stopped "Aissur" (read it backwards) from invading the nation of Rutania by defeating Aissurian troops and coercing it's leader, "Linats," into making peace. In his fifth appearance, he stopped a "thinly veiled Nazi Germany" proxy from invading a thinly veiled Poland proxy. Even though his costume featured no mask, he could easily disguise himself as a charming, if dim, society man by adding.... a monocle. In Marvel, he eventually turned bad, fighting as a Nazi alongside the Battle-Axis. He was ultimately captured at the end of the story.

-Strongman had "the strength of 100 elephants", the "speed of a race car", and "skin as tough as a rhino hide", which is all very specific and kind of hilarious in terms of Superman-esque descriptions. He also had a "Boomerang Rope". And god dammit, I'm just a big enough nerd to calculate how strong 100 elephants are (1,800,000 pounds of weight, or around 1,800 tons). This makes him an extremely powerful Golden Age superhero- hitting PL 10 in an era where very few were that mighty. In the story, he handily defeats both Namor and the Human Torch in their first encounter.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5082
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Agony! Spider Queen! Volton! Strongman!)

Post by Davies »

From what I remember, there wasn't really even as much of a fig leaf of explanation for why Strongman ended up with the Battle-Axis as the others got.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Post Reply