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

[Ares]

Dr. Sivana, to me, is a fantastic villain. The mad scientist archetype is a great one for a reason, and with Lex Luthor having shifted to a kind of Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne-esque billionaire schemer genius, Sivana can easily work as the main evil Science Guy of the DCU. He could be a real easy way to supply other villains with technology, explain where they get their cool gadgets, provide origins for heroes and villains, etc.

While Sivana functioning as a villain with his own schemes is a given, I also like the idea of him being used kind of like the Tinkerer in Marvel, where other villains can contact him for gear or upgrades to their gear. Sivana actually gives them a significant discount on his price based on the kind of scheme they're planning. The more evil and misery they plan to spread, the less he charges them.

Beyond that, I see Sivana as a villain who just REVELS in being evil. He's got no illusions about his moral compass, he's got almost no chance for redemption, he's gleefully evil and makes no apologies. He hates humanity and goodness and goes after Captain Marvel because he embodies the kind of optimism and hope the Sivana can't stand. Sivana is, in essence, a nihilist who believes everything is terrible, everyone is terrible, and it's his scientific duty to show everyone how terrible they are, mostly so he can take enjoyment in their misery. In his own way, Sivana is basically the "arrogant, know it all asshole" types from shows like House or Rick and Morty, only here they get treated like the villains they are and suffer consequences for their actions.

As for his kids, my own twist on Sivana's origin would be that he was a scientist whose dedication to science left him horribly lonely and lacking in love. So much so that the absence of love in his life attracted the goddess Aphrodite/Venus to him, and for a while they were actually genuinely happy together. Aphrodite bore Sivana two children, demi-gods with potential for greatness. Unfortunately, Aphrodite is not someone built for long-term relationships and motherhood. Eventually the contentment Sivana had with her caused her to lose interest in him, so she moved on her next "Fixer-Upper", leaving Sivana alone with the kids.

This broke Sivana utterly. In his mind, he'd been rejected by the embodiment of love itself. Love sucked. Magic sucked. Humanity sucked. Everything sucked. So he took his kids to the planet named after Aphrodite, discovered there was an entire Hollow World beneath its surface, and conquered it. He cloned himself to create another son and daughter as a middle finger to her, showing that Thaddeus Bogg Sivana needed heartless harpy to reproduce. And over this time, Beautia developed into someone nearly as lovely as her mother, with an ability to influence the wills of people attracted to her, while Magnificus became an almost Hercules-like scion of strength and athleticism. Sivana used the resources he'd gathered on Venus to build his arsenal to cause misery to the world, returned to Earth and started causing trouble.

It keeps an echo of Sivana's tragic past, but makes it clear he's taken things too far.

Georgia and Sivana Jr. are both basically teenage versions of their dad, gleefully evil and looking to spread misery. Beautia and Magnificus are more "True Neutral" types, in that they don't really want to be evil, but they feel obligated to help their dad out. On their own they use their abilities to gain wealth, power and fame, but they occasionally get roped in to their dad's schemes.

[Jabroniville]

JESUS CHRIST

STEAMBOAT (aka Steamboat Bill)
Created By: Otto Binder & C.C. Beck
First Appearance: America's Greatest Comics #2 (1942)
Role: ... hoo boy
Group Affiliations: None

-ah, STEAMBOAT. One of the more notorious, now rightly-ignored aspects of Captain Marvel's history. Largely because he's more or less your everyday "LOL aren't black people STUPID and FUNNY-LOOKING?" gag that was oh-so-popular in 1942 but now looks absolutely horrifying to modern audiences. The valet to Billy Batson as well as Captain Marvel, Steamboat was apparently created to APPEAL to black readers! However, that same audience was like "Dude, WTF?" to C.C. Beck, and in 1945, an integrated group of junior high school students associated with the Young Builders program met with Fawcett Comics editor Will Lieberman and successfully petitioned him to drop the character. By mid-1945, Steamboat was gone for good. So yes, this character was deemed so racist that a NINETEEN FORTY-FIVE audience was offended.

-Steamboat was a food struck owner that helped Capt. Marvel catch a gang of criminals one day- the act resulted in his truck being destroyed. As a gesture of gratitude, Billy gave Steamboat a job at WHIZ Radio, and the character swiftly became Billy's sidekick. With a stereotypical "Negro" dialect ("You" becomes "Yo", "Are" becomes "Is", etc.), he was of low intellect but some courage, and helped Billy in various stories, including against the Monster Society of Evil.

[Ares]

So Steamboat . . . yeah, I got nothing. An extremely ill-conceived idea to add some diversity to the book that instead showed that even folks of the 1940's had their limits, or perhaps were not as intolerant as we like to think. Either way, fixing Steamboat Bill would require doing so much extra work that you'd basically be inventing a new character. The only possible thing I could think of would be to use the "Bill" last name to make him another "Billy Batson" to be placed with the Lt. Marvels as a 'helper/tech aid' character. Otherwise you're better off just creating a new character from scratch. Much as I prefer to try to re-imagine old character concepts for the modern era, there's no real saving Steamboat.

[drkrash]

But it'd be like pointing at The Boys TV series and trying to tell me it's a series about the Justice League.

Yikes. That's a rough comparison.

Off-topic for a moment: one of the struggles I occasionally have in my present supers game is that 60% of the people in the group love The Boys and for 40% of them, it constitutes their primary engagement with superhero media at the moment. Probably needless to say, this has a negative effect.

[Woodclaw]

Dr. Sivana, to me, is a fantastic villain. The mad scientist archetype is a great one for a reason, and with Lex Luthor having shifted to a kind of Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne-esque billionaire schemer genius, Sivana can easily work as the main evil Science Guy of the DCU. He could be a real easy way to supply other villains with technology, explain where they get their cool gadgets, provide origins for heroes and villains, etc.

While Sivana functioning as a villain with his own schemes is a given, I also like the idea of him being used kind of like the Tinkerer in Marvel, where other villains can contact him for gear or upgrades to their gear. Sivana actually gives them a significant discount on his price based on the kind of scheme they're planning. The more evil and misery they plan to spread, the less he charges them.

After Conner and Palmiotti left Power Girl, the following writer used Sivana in this capacity, as well as establishing that he was the only person in the universe able to safely clone a Kryptonian.

Beyond that, I see Sivana as a villain who just REVELS in being evil. He's got no illusions about his moral compass, he's got almost no chance for redemption, he's gleefully evil and makes no apologies. He hates humanity and goodness and goes after Captain Marvel because he embodies the kind of optimism and hope the Sivana can't stand. Sivana is, in essence, a nihilist who believes everything is terrible, everyone is terrible, and it's his scientific duty to show everyone how terrible they are, mostly so he can take enjoyment in their misery. In his own way, Sivana is basically the "arrogant, know it all asshole" types from shows like House or Rick and Morty, only here they get treated like the villains they are and suffer consequences for their actions.

On this count, I kind of disagree. In my mind Sivana is amoral, not immoral. An immoral character is someone that acknowledge the existance of moral bounduaries, but choose to ignore or break them if needs be; an amoral character doesn't acknowledge them in the first place.

[pathfinderq1]

Just a quick comment here to say that I'm actually fascinated by this whole crop of Shazam-itude. I've never really been much into DC, except for the 'Big 3'- too much early exposure to the goofiness of the Superfriends, I guess. Likewise, the whole idea of Shazam/Captain Marvel has been something I have scoffed at and ignored for ages, due to early exposure to the live-action TV show. I mean, I heard good things about the recent movie (and have a bit of interest in Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam), but the whole Marvel family and all were wrapped in a protective fog, and I can't mentally hear 'Shazam' except in Gomer Pyle's voice...

Until looking through this package of builds, with the commentary and write-ups. Looks like I have some stuff to look into...

Thanks!

[Jabroniville]

COMMANDO YANK (Chase Yale)
Created By: Clem Weisbecker
First Appearance: Wow Comics #6 (1942)
Role: Soldier Super-Hero
Group Affiliations: The All-Star Squadron
PL 7 (88)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Reporter) 5 (+7)
Insight 4 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Rifle- Blast 5), Improved Aim, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 4

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Rifle +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +7

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

Complications:
Motivation (Winning the War)- Chase Yale fights the enemies of freedom while as a war correspondant, and while as a superhero.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 13 (88)

-I was considering not taking the Fawcett Comics guys into the All-Star Squadron list when I did these in 2nd Edition, but then it reads on DC's Cosmic Teams (most useful website ever) that they "technically" count as a branch of the Squadron, which is a nice way of saying that some writer probably half-assedly wrote in one panel that they'd joined the Squadron, but was too lazy to actually SHOW them working alongside them. So let's call them a sub-group, OK? Yank here is so obscure he's got no Wikipedia entry, but judging by appearance, I can gather than he's a soldier-type (he's got a rifle) in tights, basically a Captain America-type Patriotic Superhero guy.

-Further research shows that he's a War Correspondent who also fights the War in a costume, leading a group of British Commandos (hence his name) until this was quietly dropped upon the revelation of his secret identity. He was often chased around by nosy female reporter Betty Graham, who was assuming that Chase Yale got all these hot scoops because Commando Yank was tipping him off. In the old days, he actually lasted a while as a backup feature in Wow Comics, outlasting the War itself (he has 81 appearances according to ComicVine), but he completely vanished in modern times. He's made only one Post-Crisis appearance, and that's in a flashback to a Fawcett heroes meeting.

-This is probably what Captain America would look like if he were drastically pared down into a much weaker, more ineffective build. PL 6 without the Rifle, and lower stats all-around.

[Ken]

Off-topic for a moment: one of the struggles I occasionally have in my present supers game is that 60% of the people in the group love The Boys and for 40% of them, it constitutes their primary engagement with superhero media at the moment. Probably needless to say, this has a negative effect.

Is the 40% part of the 60%? Or are you describing 100% of your group?

And that's "superbeing media". Calling "the Boys" superheroes is like calling Liberace a rock star.

[drkrash]

Yeah, my math was unclear. We're 5 people. Three of them are big fans, but one of those 3 is a comic book guy, so he knows the difference between superheroes and deconstructed superheroes. He still appreciates the show; I don't.

I agree that it's a show about "superbeings"; however, conversations I've had about the show demonstrate most people don't make that distinction.

[Ken]

I agree that it's a show about "superbeings"; however, conversations I've had about the show demonstrate most people don't make that distinction.

Feel free to use the "calling the Boys superheroes is like calling Liberace a rock star" to explain it to them.

[Jabroniville]

IBIS THE INVINCIBLE (Prince Amentep of the 14th Dynasty)
Created By: Bill Parker & Bob Kingett
First Appearance: Whiz Comics #2 (Feb. 1940)
Role: Magic Guy
Group Affiliations: The All-Star Squadron, The Squadron of Justice
PL 8 (128)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 8 (+10)
Insight 6 (+8)
Investigation 6 (+8)
Perception 6 (+8)
Persuasion 5 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Lightning) 2 (+7)

Advantages:
Artificer, Ritualist, Trance

Powers:
"Ibis Stick" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [23]
Teleport 10 (Extras: Affects Others) (30) -- (36)

• AE: Force Field 10 (Extras: Affects Others) (20)
• AE: Flight 4 (Extras: Affects Others) (12)
• AE: Create 5 (Feats: Innate, Subtle) (12)
• AE: "Bash With Stick" Strength-Damage +2 (2)
• AE: "Suspended Animation" Affliction 2 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep) Linked to Immunity 10 (Life Support) (Extras: Affects Others) (24)
• AE: Healing 6 (Extras: Resurrection) (18)
• AE: Lightning Blast 9 (18)

"Vibrates in the Presence of Evil" Senses 1 (Evil Awareness) (1)
-- (38 points)

Immunity 2 (Anything From the Ibis Stick) [2]
"Ibis Stick Revisits Attacks Upon Wielders"
Variable 6 (Any Effect Desired) (Flaws: Limited to Wielders of the Ibis Stick -2, Limited to Those Attacking Ibis With It) [24]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Lightning Blast +7 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Relationship (Taia)- Ibis put his beloved into suspended animation in order to save her life in Ancient Egypt.
Enemy (The Black Pharaoh, Others)
Power Loss (Black Magic)- Ibis' powers are often ineffective against black magic.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 49 / Defenses: 11 (128)

-Ibis was Fawcett Comics' variant on the "Mandrake Rip-Off" concept. He's got a blue tux and a red turban, and is apparently Egyptian even though he's white (gotta love the '40s). His whole concept is based around being an ancient Prince of Egypt who faces off against the evil Black Pharaoh- he succeeds, but his beloved Taia is struck and placed into a coma. Heartbroken, he places himself in suspended animation for centuries, awakening in modern times as a magic-based hero. Wielding his "Ibis Stick", he uses tremendous power. He was around for a decade or so, then disappeared. He was brought into the mainstream DCU as a "Squadron of Justice" member (along with the rest of Fawcett Comics' characters), then retconned in as members of The All-Star Squadron. Post-Crisis, his origin was altered so that he was saved from a snake by an Ibis, and was given the Ibis-Stick by the god Thoth. Growing bored along with his wife Taia, he deliberately placed them all in suspended animation to awaken in "more exciting times".

-Ultimately, Ibis is killed alongside his wife Taia, Dr. Thirteen and Tim Ravenwind at the hands of some guy named Gwydion during a seance involving Zatana. An apprentice named Danny Khalifa (an Egyptian-American kid bullied and called "Osama" by his classmates) appears, and Ibis returns in an attempt to teach him.

-Ibis doesn't cost much more than Tor The Worst Magician Ever in terms of points, but he's a full two PLs higher and has much greater magical ability. His comic form was given alot of the usual "it's the 40s and no one cares about power levels" stuff (like putting an entire city under a force field), so I'll pare down some of the goofier stuff into a Magic 10 array, and say the rest of pushing his limits. His Ibis-Stick makes him remarkably cheap when you think about his power level, essentially saving him 10 pp. But he definitely deserves the break; apparently his big running theme is being disarmed and thus powerless.

[Hoid]

Would Ibis even have Ritualist? It seems to me he's entirely dependent on that wand of his.

[Jabroniville]

Would Ibis even have Ritualist? It seems to me he's entirely dependent on that wand of his.

Yeah I dunno- I just give it to all Magic guys, just in case. Especially since I've never read adventures starring any of DC or Fawcett's, pretty much.

[Jabroniville]

Just a quick comment here to say that I'm actually fascinated by this whole crop of Shazam-itude. I've never really been much into DC, except for the 'Big 3'- too much early exposure to the goofiness of the Superfriends, I guess. Likewise, the whole idea of Shazam/Captain Marvel has been something I have scoffed at and ignored for ages, due to early exposure to the live-action TV show. I mean, I heard good things about the recent movie (and have a bit of interest in Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam), but the whole Marvel family and all were wrapped in a protective fog, and I can't mentally hear 'Shazam' except in Gomer Pyle's voice...

Until looking through this package of builds, with the commentary and write-ups. Looks like I have some stuff to look into...

Thanks!

Thanks- I'm glad you're interested! Part of the fun with the Marvel Family and Wonder Woman is that so many of the characters are unknowns to me- I'm aware of Sivana, Mr. Atom, Sabbac, Cheetah & Silver Swan, but I really know NOTHING about any of them, so digging into their origins and what became of them is fascinating because they'd had such long runs resulting in varied shots here and there.

And then you get into the characters I've literally NEVER heard of before (most outside of the big ones). Those, even if I can't do builds, at least might provide an entertaining paragraph or two.

[Ken]

-Ibis was Fawcett Comics' variant on the "Mandrake Rip-Off" concept. He's got a blue tux and a red turban, and is apparently Egyptian even though he's white (gotta love the '40s). His whole concept is based around being an ancient Prince of Egypt who faces off against the evil Black Pharaoh- he succeeds, but his beloved Taia is struck and placed into a coma.

Using the old 4 colour printing process what combination of colors should one use to denote the skin of ancient Egyptian royalty?

If one examines Egyptian hieroglyphs it's clear that Egyptians had a range of skin colors, some more brown, and some more fair. We're not talking Scandanavian fair, mind you, but similar to Greeks, Italians, and Israelis. Modern scholarship agrees with this. Egypt is not, and has never been racially homogeneous. So Prince Amentep and Taia were clearly on the fairer side. The 14th Dynasty of Egypt was centered on the Nile delta region, which is, generally, home to fairer skinned Egyptians.

Yes, they should probably be darker than Beautia Sivana, but it isn't as if the printing process used at the time allowed for much variance.