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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Grenzer
Posts: 99
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2019 2:22 am

Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Dr. Phosphorus! Magpie! Bane!)

Post by Grenzer »

On Bane: He is very much a product of the 1990's and as such will never be as timeless as classic villains like the Joker and the Riddler. But there is something about him that elevates Bane above the legions of forgettable edgelords from the Dark Age. I think it has something to do with how in the hands of a good writer he comes off as very controlled and measured in his approach towards murder and mayhem. Yes, he enjoys violence and asserting his power over others, but even more so if it advances his plans. He is a crimelord who he sees himself as the point of the spear rather than the hub that the wheel spins around. It sets him apart from the other Rogues who commit crimes structured around their pathologies, which gives them distinctive characters but can be hard to write around at times. The Venom gives him an excellent balance as well: it makes him much stronger than Batman in a straight up fight, but it is an obvious weakness that will always undo him due to his dependence on it. It highlights an element of Batman's purity that rarely gets remarked upon otherwise.
Last edited by Grenzer on Fri Oct 01, 2021 12:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Abattoir

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

ABATTOIR (Arnold Etchinson)
Created By:
Marv Wolfman
First Appearance: Detective Comics #625 (Jan. 1991)
Role: Jobber Villain, Serial Killer
Group Affiliations: None
PL 7 (87)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+9)
Perception 6 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Equipment 3 (Gun +4, Knife +1), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Startle, Ultimate Toughness Save

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Knife +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Gun +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Crazy)- Abattoir is convinced his family is evil and that he must kill them to protect the world.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 13 (87)

-A weird, forgotten super-villain, Abattoir is a standard-issue serial killer, one who's convinced that his family was evil, and that killing them would protect the world from peril. He was repeatedly captured by Batman, but always escaped Arkham, killing more members of his family as he did so. He believed he would absorb the life-force from anyone he'd killed. As a chaotic evil villain, he was a good selection for Jean-Paul Valley's "Token Kill" as Batman- he chased Abattoir down alongside Robin, but allowed the villain to fall to his death. Valley was torn between the angel & devil on his shoulder (St. Dumas and his father, respectively), and chose to do neither instead. As Abattoir had been holding a family member in a torture chamber in an unknown location, Valley had indirectly condemned that man to death, too. This whole thing ends up being Bruce Wayne's instigation to take back the cowl. Abattoir returned once as a ghost, possessing Valley's Batman armor and attacking Bruce, but Batman tricked Abattoir into leaving the armor, dispersing him for good (he'd been attempting to possess his last living relative's unborn child).

-Abattoir (a word that's equal parts hard to spell and woefully pretentious- a sure sign your dealing with a snobby "artiste") is a pretty standard serial killer, but was able to challenge both Wayne & Valley by being so crazed. His key aspects as a villain were his merciless nature and utter lack of empathy- he would kill anyone without regret, and fought all-out every time. He was physically a normal man, but had odd brick-like stuff like all the grappling feats and Ultimate Toughness.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Dr. Phosphorus! Magpie! Bane!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Grenzer wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:17 am On Bane: He is very much a product of the 1990's and as such will never be as timeless as classic villains like the Joker and the Riddler. But there is something about him that elevates Bane above the legions of forgettable edgelords from the Dark Age. I think it has something to do with how in the hands of a good writer he comes off as very controlled and measured in his approach towards murder and mayhem. Yes, he enjoys violence and asserting his power over others, but even more so it advances his plans. He is a crimelord who he sees himself as the point of the spear rather than the hub that the wheel spins around. It sets him apart from the other Rogues who commit crimes structured around their pathologies, which gives them distinctive characters but can be hard to write around at times. The Venom gives him an excellent balance as well: it makes him much stronger than Batman in a straight up fight, but it is an obvious weakness that will always undo him due to his chemical dependence on it. It highlights an element of Batman's purity that rarely gets remarked upon otherwise.
Yeah, Bane works best as a kind of calm, intellectual brute. If he were just some goon, like in that Schumacher Batman movie or in other books, then he's a generic one-off foe. But the way he's so measured and reasoned in his approach to murder is what sets him apart. And yeah, he's less "Tee hee! I'm gonna do everything based off of my insanity, too!" about it, which makes him stand apart. It also makes him a weird fit for the Bat-Rogues- like Ra's al-Ghul, it's hard for me to picture him teaming up with any of the others.
Skavenger
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Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Dr. Phosphorus! Magpie! Bane!)

Post by Skavenger »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 5:43 am
Grenzer wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:17 am On Bane: He is very much a product of the 1990's and as such will never be as timeless as classic villains like the Joker and the Riddler. But there is something about him that elevates Bane above the legions of forgettable edgelords from the Dark Age. I think it has something to do with how in the hands of a good writer he comes off as very controlled and measured in his approach towards murder and mayhem. Yes, he enjoys violence and asserting his power over others, but even more so it advances his plans. He is a crimelord who he sees himself as the point of the spear rather than the hub that the wheel spins around. It sets him apart from the other Rogues who commit crimes structured around their pathologies, which gives them distinctive characters but can be hard to write around at times. The Venom gives him an excellent balance as well: it makes him much stronger than Batman in a straight up fight, but it is an obvious weakness that will always undo him due to his chemical dependence on it. It highlights an element of Batman's purity that rarely gets remarked upon otherwise.
Yeah, Bane works best as a kind of calm, intellectual brute. If he were just some goon, like in that Schumacher Batman movie or in other books, then he's a generic one-off foe. But the way he's so measured and reasoned in his approach to murder is what sets him apart. And yeah, he's less "Tee hee! I'm gonna do everything based off of my insanity, too!" about it, which makes him stand apart. It also makes him a weird fit for the Bat-Rogues- like Ra's al-Ghul, it's hard for me to picture him teaming up with any of the others.
During Knightfall, Bane was depicted as someone who would murder anybody, for any reason. Because they upset him, or just for looking at him, which was further designed to put him as the polar opposite to Batman (same intelligence, same physicality, zero morals). It wasn't until later appearances where he suddenly started developing a conscience and wouldn't harm children or show affection for anybody else.
Skavenger
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Re: Azrael

Post by Skavenger »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:15 pm Image
There's so much to unpack with that costume. The shoulder spikes clearly designed to open giant novelty soda bottles in case a villain trapped Robin in one. The cape whose spikes have spikes. The strange golden yellow football chest plate. The belt without a clasp. Those god-awful thigh belts. WITH POUCHES. What the hell would you possibly keep in a thigh pouch belt? Those funky additional shin spikes that would trip you up on stairs.
Jabroniville wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:15 pm -Valley's actions as Batman grow more and more negative- he allows a mass murderer named Abattoir to fall to his death, leading to one of the hostages dying too. He grows delusional, nearly strangling Robin and banishing him from the Batcave, rejects the Gotham P.D., and sees hallucinations of his father and the Order. At first impressed by Valley-As-Batman, Bruce realizes he has to be stopped, and eventually recovers the use of his spine thanks to magic healing and training- he & Valley battle for ages and across Gotham, until Bruce tricks him into removing his armor and then exposing his night-vision lenses to bright sunlight- this shocks him out of his brainwashing and he accepts Bruce as the "True Batman", giving up the role.
Hahahahahahaha, "magic healing and training."

I honestly kind of hope you're going to give a mention of Dr. Shondra Kinsolving somewhere, even though she doesn't need a full build. Her brother, maybe, but man. People should talk more about the time Bruce Wayne's doctor/lover used her psychic powers to heal his back and then had her mind reduced to that of a child so she could be put in a home and never talked about again.

Just...it should come up more.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Magpie! Bane! Azrael!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Never heard of Kinsolving, actually. Given Batman's insanely long run (usually with 2-3 books running simultaneously; sometimes more) the side characters especially just vanish. I only know Vickie Vale because of the movies!
Orbiter
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Dr. Phosphorus! Magpie! Bane!)

Post by Orbiter »

Skavenger wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 5:11 pm The Batman of Year One was incredibly skilled and ridiculously wealthy, and then you had the "I'm a surgeon" gritty Batman who took down Superman in The Dark Knight Returns (a book that I maintain everybody took the wrong lessons from, much like Watchmen).
I agree, people have copied all the surface of DKR without understanding what was under it, and it has really hurt the character. And it is also my hypothesis that Frank Miller is aware of it ... and my evidence is ... All-Star Batman and Robin. The only explanation I have for the existence of that series is that Miller saw the effect that his Batman work had on how others wrote Bruce Wayne, and decided he might as well write the "if we take their understanding to it's logical conclusion you get ..." scenario. It's why ASB&R had such an irregular release schedule, for example. Miller quickly tired of his own joke, especially when he saw that people weren't catching on to it. As I say, it's only a hypothesis; and ASB&R is still garbage. I'm just saying there may have actually been a point to The Goddamned Batman after all.
Jabroniville
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False Face

Post by Jabroniville »

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FALSE FACE (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
Bill Finger
First Appearance: Batman #113 (Feb. 1958)
Role: One-Off Villain, Master of Disguise
Group Affiliations: None

-A one-off villain, False Face was quickly replaced as "Master of Disguise" by the Silver Age Clayface. He is a makeup artist whose specialty is making him look exactly like the wealthiest citizens of Gotham- he tails them to learn their habits and mannerisms, then arranges to have that person delayed while he duplicates them to the point that even close friends are fooled, committing crimes as he does so. Batman saves one man from being framed, but the villain escapes. Batman later learns that a rockabilly artist is trapped in an elevator, and theorizes this is False Face's next target- sure enough, False Face has disguised himself and is about to make off with a barrel full of charitable donations at a concert. False Face STILL manages to escape, having ensured his outfit also matched the doorman's. He later lures Batman into his next crime, sending him falling into a 60-foot empty water tank. Batman, "unconscious", was unmasked to reveal another man entirely- he had pre-disguised himself and feigned being KO'd- he pulls a switch by disguising himself as False Face so his men would lure Batman to their hideout. False Face is thus arrested, being revealed as a white-haired, toothless man.

-The villain has never reappeared, but was used for a one-off villain in the 1966 Adam West TV series. Here, the villain is given a legitimately disturbing plastic mask that gives off serious "Uncanny Valley" vibes and is probably why the villain never showed up again (it was said to frighten children). Also the actor was furious that his "moll" was played by an actress more well-paid than he was. A False Face II appeared years later in Birds of Prey, and was a female.
Jabroniville
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Golden Age Tony Zucco

Post by Jabroniville »

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TONY ZUCCO- Golden Age
Created By:
Bill Finger & Bob Kane
First Appearance: Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)
Role: Mob Boss
Group Affiliations: None

-Tony Zucco is a relatively minor character in the long run, but carries an importance similar to that of Joe Chill to the origins- he is the killer of Dick Grayson's parents. The origin is usually the same- he is a mob guy (higher or lower on the food chain depending on the era) who was holding up Haly's Circus for protection money. When the C.C. Haly refused him, an annoyed Zucco decided to teach him a lesson by cutting the highwire used by the famous Flying Graysons. The rope breaks when Dick's parents are in mid-air, killing them both. Bruce Wayne quickly takes on the grieving youngster Dick and makes him a crime-fighting partner, and the two promptly capture Zucco, who is sentenced to the ELECTRIC CHAIR and dies. ah, 1940s justice.
Jabroniville
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Post-Crisis Tony Zucco

Post by Jabroniville »

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TONY ZUCCO- Post-Crisis
Created By:
Bill Finger & Bob Kane
First Appearance: Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)
Role: Mob Boss
Group Affiliations: None

-Tony Zucco is given more backstory in the Post-Crisis era. In a bit of irony, his own parents were murdered for refusing to pay protection money. A nun at the orphanage where he lives tries to console him, but he is consumed by anger and vengeance, hoping to kill the men who killed the Zuccos. He runs away from the orphanage and joins the Mafia, and we get the same origin story for Dick Grayson that we always had- he murders the Graysons when Mr. Haly refuses to pay protection money. In Batman: Year Three, we learn that he has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms at Blackgate Penitentiary, but seven years in, is granted parole after he gives up testimony against other criminals. Despite Alfred's desperate attempts to convince a judge to keep Zucco imprisoned, Tony gets out, and soon Dick hears of this. Dick, newly taking the name of Nightwing, vows to confront Zucco at the orphanage (where Zucco had hidden some incriminating evidence about the mob)... but the second Zucco steps out of prison, he is gunned down by a rival crime boss. Dick is given some closure.

-Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale revisit Zucco in Batman: Dark Victory, where Zucco is a low-level thug working for Sal Maroni, and the murder of the Graysons was a demonstration of his power. Batman & Dick (not yet Robin) chase him through the sewers, but the obese criminal suffers a fatal heart attack, confessing to various crimes before expiring.

-In a much later story, we learn that Tony has a daughter named Sonia. Dick is disheartened to learn that she is also untrustworthy- she manipulates him into dealing with some rivals who wished to take over her bank. However, in the "New 52" continuity, she and Dick are in a tenuous relationship. Here, we learn that Tony had, in fact, survived whichever death method was chosen for him in this continuity- he changed his name and worked for the corrupt mayor of Chicago, and he teams up with Nightwing to take on the Prankster- the son of a man Zucco had also murdered- when the villain attempts to blow up city hall. During the course of the story, Zucco saves Nightwing's life by shooting and wounding the Prankster, and is then arrested for murdering the man's father. Zucco is visited by a man who suggests he can help him beat the rap, but here, Zucco chooses to take responsibility so he can set a good example for his own son, thus ending the cycle of violence involving him and Dick. This actually seems like a pretty cool idea for a story.
Skavenger
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Magpie! Bane! Azrael!)

Post by Skavenger »

There's a current/recent storyline happening in Nightwing right now involving Melinda Zucco, the new mayor of Bludhaven. It- that- ...I'm just going to copy/paste from the DC Database:

"Before Melinda was born her mother Meili Lin ran away from Zucco and joined Haly's Circus. While travelling with the circus she befriended Mary Lloyd and had a brief relationship with John, just long enough to become pregnant. Zucco eventually kidnapped Meili back and carried her off to Bludhaven, six months later she gave birth to Melinda. Zucco always suspected that Melinda was not his child but would not admit it to save face."

Later on Meili Lin tried to connect back up with John, just to realize that the Graysons were now married and had a son, and she didn't want to ruin their relationship, so she kept Melinda secret, divorced Zucco later, and hid in the safety of the Maroni crime family.

Do Dick Grayson now has a half-sister whose mother was married to Tony Zucco. Because comics.
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Tattooedman
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Magpie! Bane! Azrael!)

Post by Tattooedman »

Could be worse. She could be lusting after her half-bro.
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
Jabroniville
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The Reaper (Dr. Gruener)

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE REAPER I (Dr. Gruener)
Created By:
Denny O'Neil
First Appearance: Batman #237 (Dec. 1971)
Role: One-Arc Villain, Murderous Vigilante
Group Affiliations: None

-There was a short-lived Pre-Crisis Reaper- he was a German Jew who was placed in a concentration camp run by Col. Kurt Schloss. In modern times, he murders Schloss at a Halloween parade, and dies fighting Batman, falling off a dam. He reappears in modern times, being thawed out of cryogenic storage by Black Mask and does his bidding in order to get a daily shot provided by Hugo Strange. Batman reveals to Gruener that he was not built to last, and is in fact deteriorating, sending the crazed Doctor against Strange before he dies.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Oct 01, 2021 12:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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The Reaper (Judson Caspian)

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE REAPER II (Judson Caspian)
Created By:
Mike W. Barr & Alan Davis
First Appearance: Detective Comics #575 (June 1987)
Role: One-Arc Villain, Murderous Vigilante
Group Affiliations: None
PL 10 (137)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 7 (+10)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+8)
Expertise (Business) 7 (+10)
Insight 3 (+7)
Intimidation 7 (+10)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 4 (+8)
Stealth 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 4 (Handgun +4, Smoke Pellets), Improved Critical (Scythe), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 5, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Armored Reaper Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [13]
Protection 4 (Extras: Impervious 7) (11)
"Scythe" Strength-Damage +4 (4) -- (5)
  • AE: "Spiked Gloves" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Split) (3)
-- (16 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Gloves +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Scythe +12 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4 (+8 Armor, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 14 (137)

-Well spank my ass and call me Charlie- apparently the "Phantasm" design from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was based off of this character- 1987 creation. Judson "The Reaper" Caspian was a socialite by day, murderous vigilante by night- his wife had been killed by a robber in the streets during the 1950s, turning him into a dark mirror image to Batman. He prowled the streets, murdering juvenile delinquents with a giant scythe- this led Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, to come out of retirement to challenge him- he overpowered the Reaper, but a chance shot with nunchaku (a rare thing in the 1950s) got through Alan's force field, and the Reaper fled to Europe. He returned in the 1980s (jesus I always forget how close together those two decades were- he could be in his 50s by that point), vexing Batman, who was actually about to marry Caspian's daughter Rachel as Bruce Wayne (wow, he moved on from Nocturna fast- this was the year later!).

-Losing a fight to the Reaper, Batman is then forced to team up with JOE F*CKING CHILL, the man who killed his parents. And unbeknownst to Bats, Chill has been contracted by the Mob to kill both Batman & Reaper when it's all said & done. However, Batman reveals his actual identity to Chill, thus revealing Chill's culpability in the creation of the Batman, and holds a gun to the man's head (!!). However, the Reaper takes his revenge, shooting Chill in the head. The Reaper & Batman then fight a fierce battle, Batman ultimately winning- the Reaper is unmasked and left hanging from scaffolding, only for Batman to realize Caspian was his beloved Rachel's father! He goes to help the vigilante, who admits that Bruce will make a fine successor, then leaps off the scaffold to his death. Rachel, now aware of her father's crimes, runs away and becomes a nun as a result, breaking Bruce's heart again.

-A Reaper appears in the "New 52", trying to kill mobsters with poison- his scythes now reveal dual machine guns- Robin knocked him unconscious.

-Overall, the Reaper is a powerful foe, hitting PL 9 offensively- enough to challenge the late '80s Batman and defeat him once, then lose the second fight. The big issue with fighting him is he's PL 10 and extremely durable- enough so that bullets and punches don't do much damage to him at all.
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Davies
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Huntress! Magpie! Bane! Azrael!)

Post by Davies »

The Green Lantern business is from a years later continuity implant in the last issue of the 80s Secret Origins series, one of the few times this character has ever appeared since his story, ostensibly set in Batman's second year of activities.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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