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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks

Post by Jabroniville »

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MERRY, GIRL OF A THOUSAND GIMMICKS (Meredith Pemberton, aka Merry Creamer)
Created By:
Otto Binder & Win Mortimer
First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948)
Role: Teen Hero
Group Affiliations: The Seven Soldiers of Victory, The All-Star Squadron, The Justice Society of America, Infinity, Inc.
PL 7 (97)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Athletics 4 (+5)
Deception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+5)
Perception 3 (+4)
Insight 3 (+4)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+9)
Stealth 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Beginner's Luck, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Grab Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2, Second Chance (Falling)

Powers:
"Gimmicks" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [9]
Variable (Technological Gadgets) 2 (14 points)

Samples: Bulletproof Baseball Mit (Parry 1, Dodge 3), Electro-Shock Gun (Blast 4), Mult-Kick-On-A-Stick (Strength-Damage +2- Reach 2)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Mule-Kick +8 (+3 Damage, DC 19)
Electro-Shock Gun +7 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+11 Mit, DC 18-21), Parry +9 (+10 Mit, DC 19-20), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Sylvester Pemberton- Adopted Brother)
Relationship (Henry King, Sr. & Jr.)- Merry married the villainous Brain Wave (who apparently reformed), later giving birth to a son, who became the heroic Brainwave Jr.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 11 (97)

-Merry Pemberton was introduced as the adopted teen sister of Sylvester, aka Star-Spangled Kid- she promptly replaced Stripsey as the sidekick after their first team-up- this was probably an attempt to shake up the flagging feature. Merry's whole thing is that she had various gadgets in and around her costume that could be used to do weird stuff. She had been the daughter of a criminal, who put her up for adoption when he went to jail, promising she'd never know he was a crook. Later, Sylvester's parents adopted the girl on a psychiatrist's recommendation (!), feeling that Syl had no friends and this was harming his mental development (he'd received an injury during superheroing that he couldn't explain, thus worrying his parents). Syl & Merry teamed up a few times, and her birth father (who'd been trying to go straight) died- he promised Sylvester to never real the truth, either. At this point, the Star Spangled Comics feature swapped Stripsey out with Merry, though Robin was by this point the cover star. They teamed up for seven issues, but soon SYLVESTER was written out- a Merry feature only ran for three issues before she, too, completely disappeared.

-Unlike Sylvester, she didn't amount to much in the next eras. Infinity, Inc. had a VERY weird addition in Brainwave Jr., who was the son of the aged, Golden Age villain Brainwave and MERRY. I dunno why a teenage girl would marry a guy I recall being an old bald man, but there ya go. At this point, it was suggested that she'd died young, as she didn't appear in that book. However, much later, she appears in Young Justice as a member of "Old Justice", stating that she'd merely been RUMORED dead. Old Justice's gimmick was disapproving of teen heroing- she also had an issue with Courtney Whitmore taking her late brother's name, but she eventually got over it.

-Merry's designed around spunky "get outta the way"-style agile hero stats, with Gadgets added on. I personally have never read a Merry-based story, so I have no idea what her gadgets even were or what they were capable of, but I can't imagine them giving any bonuses greater than +5, or be worth more than 10 points combined when all brought to bear. Earth-Two Kenn gave me some info for the only ones HE could remember, and it's mostly whatever the artist felt like drawing. Oddly, Grant Morrison created a girl named Gimmix, who was supposed to be Merry's estranged daughter- she appears to be into superheroing for the fame of it- she is killed by an alien race.
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Davies
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Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Mr. Bones! Tao Jones! Carcharo! Star-Spangled Kid!)

Post by Davies »

Because I am just generally insane, I decided to go through all the Merry, Girl of Not-Even-Close-To-A-Thousand Gimmicks stories and see what gadgets she used.

Issue 82: Trick pistol that fires a stream of handkerchiefs instead of bullets. (Feature 1)
Issue 83: Infrared ray binoculars. (Senses 2 [extended infravision]) "Wind siren to summon the law." (Feature 1) "Jack in the Box with a Joe Louis sock". (Damage 4) "Chemical bubbles". (Weak Tear Gas - Probably rank 3) "Indian rope trick". (Feature 1) "Cloud of smoke". (Smoke Pellet - Probably rank 3).
Issue 84: "Fireworks" (Area Dazzle 3).
Issue 85: "Wind Gun" that is nowhere nearly as powerful as a tornado. (Ranged Damage 4) "Stringed magnet." (Move Object 2, Limited to metal). "Plastic balloons" used as a Trick (Feature 1).
Issue 86: "Hawk Call imitator". (Feature 1). Steel tape. (Feature 1) Swingline. (Movement 1 [swinging])
Issue 87: "Octopus" (Cone Area Damage 3). "Bullet shield". (Improved Defense) Not named and hard to describe (Ranged Damage 3). Fake gun. (still Feature 1)
Issue 88: Putty-ball Gun (Visual Dazzle 3). "Smoke gets in your eyes". (Smoke pellet) Rope. (Feature 1) Mirror. (Visual Dazzle 3) Firecracker (same) "Midget wire recorder" (Feature 1).
Issue 89: "Midget fire extinguisher" (Nullify Fire 4). "Wire Web". (Snare 5) Jack knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical). "Caltrops" (Reaction Area Damage 1). "Noose". (Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Grabbing, Chokehold) "Magnesium Flare". (Visual Dazzle 4). "Mechanical Boxing Glove" (Damage 4 again).
Issue 90: "Bulletproof glove" (yes really; Improved Defense, doubles as Improvised Weapon) "Dusting Powder (Weak Tear Gas, again) "Spark Gun" (Ranged Damage 2, takes advantage of target's Vulnerability complication) "Kick of the Mule" (Damage 4). Number of gimmicks set to backfire. (Triggered Visual Dazzle and I'm not sure what the other one does.) "Rocket Firecracker" (Ranged Stun 4)

I'd say that she can produce at most 12-15 points of stuff each time she uses a gimmick.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Mr. Bones! Tao Jones! Carcharo! Star-Spangled Kid!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Davies wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:13 am Because I am just generally insane, I decided to go through all the Merry, Girl of Not-Even-Close-To-A-Thousand Gimmicks stories and see what gadgets she used.
I was actually considering the same thing (because I am also insane and was honestly curious), but you beat me to it. Great work!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Stargirl

Post by Jabroniville »

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SOOOOO CUUUUUUUTE! Star girl’s the best.

STARGIRL (Courtney Whitmore, aka The Star-Spangled Kid II)
Created By:
Geoff Johns & Lee Moder
First Appearance: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999)
Role: Kid Hero, Uppity Brat Turned Good
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
PL 9 (143)
STRENGTH
0/5 STAMINA 1/5 AGILITY 4/5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 4 (+4, +8 Belt)
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+5)
Expertise (History) 2 (+3)
Perception 2 (+4)
Persuasion 4 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Cosmic Stuff) 3 (+9)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Evasion, Improved Critical (Cosmic Rod), Improved Defense, Quick Draw, Luck, Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up, Taunt, Teamwork

Powers:
"Cosmic Converter Belt" (Flaws: Removable) [33]
Enhanced Strength 5 (10)
Enhanced Stamina 4 (8)
Enhanced Agility 1 (2)
Enhanced Advantages 3: Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack (3)
Leaping 1 (15 feet) (1)

"Shooting Stars" Affliction 6 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Multiattack) (Diminished Range -2) (16) -- (17)
  • AE: "Haywire Machines" Affliction 8 (Tech Skill of Creator; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited to Machines) (Dim. Range -2) (14)
-- (41 points)

"Cosmic Rod" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted 2, Remote Control) [26]
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Immunity 1 (Atmospheric Effects) (1)
Cosmic Blast 9 (18) -- (21)
  • AE: Dazzle Visuals 8 (16)
  • AE: "Stabby Stick" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach 2) (5)
  • AE: Environment 1 (Heat, Light) (2)
-- (38 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Cosmic Blast +9 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Dazzle Visuals +9 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Shooting Stars +9 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Haywire Machines +9 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4 (+5 Cosmic Belt)

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (+10 CCB, DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +1 (+5 Belt), Fortitude +3 (+7 Belt), Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (The Legacies of Sylvester Pemberton & Ted Knight)- She wears the Converter Belt of the original Star-Spangled Kid, and wields the Cosmic Rod of Ted & Jack Knight, effectively holding onto two legacies.
Relationship (Mother Paula, Stepfather Pat Dugan, Stepbrother Mike & Baby Sister Patricia)- Courtney and Pat got off on the wrong foot (with her deliberately trying to divorce him and her mom), but they later came to terms. Courtney, in the end, loves her family and will fight to the death to protect them. Even Mike.
Relationship (Albert Rothstein- Atom Smasher)- Al was the only JSA member to not treat Courtney like a dumb kid, and she soon grew very attached to him. This eventually blossomed into love, though Al soon turned his back on the JSA and joined Black Adam. Al would later deny loving her, even though it was plainly obvious to everyone that he did- when some stuff with Johnny Sorrow happened, they took a break and kept their distance. Then continuity ended.
Relationship (Billy Batson- Captain Marvel)- The two had an adorable relationship in JSA, with him feeling like he's special around her just as Billy. He was her first love, and her first broken heart- he left her to avoid giving up his secret identity to Jay Garrick.
Enemy (Shiv)- The daughter of The Dragon King was the ranking Alpha Bitch of Courtney's High School- they were soon enemies for realz, though Courtney soon lapped her in competence.
Courtney started out as a brat, but now she's come to take her new family as if it were her original one. Even Mike, who is an ass. She's devoted enough to them that when they are murdered by Per Degaton's forces, she breaks the "No Killing" rule she holds so dear.
Responsibility (Team Leader of the JSA's Younger Generation)- Courtney is considered the "teacher" of the new generation of JSA kids.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 59 / Defenses: 14 (143)

Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.:
-Warning: this rant's as long as my Atom Smasher one was :).
-Courtney Whitmore was, of course, based off of Courtney Johns, sister of Geoff Johns, who was killed in the TWA Flight 800 disaster in 1996. Johns wanted to pay tribute to his sister, but interestingly, chose not to idealize her at first. This was a character who had to GROW. Reading the original Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. series is funny stuff as far as looking back on the character of Courtney Whitmore goes. Compared to the mature, reasonable young girl of today, she's a snide, arrogant little brat, frequently disrespectful not only to her hated stepfather Pat Dugan, but pretty much every adult in her vicinity. Idealizing her absentee birth-father (who, ya know, disappeared from her life and never knew her), Courtney hates this new guy who's intruded into her life and force her to move to (ugh) Blue Valley, Nebraska. One day, she discovers the Cosmic Converter Belt in Pat's stuff, steals it while telling Pat "by the way... your costume SUCKED!", and she immediately gets into a ton of trouble.

-The series is very odd... it's clearly made to appeal to teenage girls (the hero is a relatively flat-chested, skinny girl with braces- the iconic "This Character Is YOU" look), and has very cartoonish, exaggerated art. She has a mini-crush on a side character named Josh (your standard Bland Pretty Boy, also iconic to girl-focused features), and a school rival in "Shiv", who of course is the daughter of a super-villain, and a big fat guy as a bully as well. Problem is, the series only lasted a short while, and spent a bunch of time in the fighting, and too little on the character-stuff at school, which meant we never got additional information on Josh & the bully until the series was gone. Courtney's friend Mary was a little better, but even SHE went about a decade without being seen, appearing at Stargirl's birthday party in Johns' final JSA issue.

Courtney Joins the JSA:
-With her inclusion on the JSA, Courtney became quite blessed, especially once her creator, Geoff Johns, jumped on board the series as co-writer (he is absent from the first few arcs), eventually becoming the main writer. She gave the team some much-needed youth and perspective, so it wasn't just a bunch of old guys hanging around reminiscing about old times (a major issue in past JSA books is that the cast was first middle-aged, and then VERY old). She was cute (in like, a KID way, not a sexy girl way- she was actually drawn non-sexually), funny, and had some extra-special qualities about her. Rather than dress like a stripper and pack gigantic knockers, Stargirl wore a midriff-baring top as her skimpiest article of clothing, and she looks like a normal teenager with a normal slim build. During every single JSA arc, she stands out- she was brave, but not TOO brave; she admired the older JSAers, but carved her own path anyways; she was rebellious, but she smacked around Jakeem Thunder for talking lip to Mr. Terrific. She was so perfect that the other characters could only talk about how much potential she had, which could veer DANGEROUSLY into Mary Sue territory (especially when Johns based her off of his late sister), but they kept her above the level by making sure she was never TOO smart or TOO powerful (in fact, she's one of the worst members of the team in a scrap). In the end, she is still a fairly young kid.

Courtney/Atom Smasher- BEST SHIP FIGHT ME!!!:
-And then there's the whole Atom Smasher/Captain Marvel thing. See, while she was quickly pushed away from the Young Justice crowd (as that team did its own thing), she did a lot of hanging around with the older hero Albert Rothstein, himself a young kid to the JSA elders, who was once in her position as the admiring teenager. He was nice, respectful, and didn't talk down to her, kind of bringing her into that world. A few issues implied some feelings on Courtney's part (especially the end of the Extant story, where a future Courtney narrates the story while being married to Al), but we never quite got how serious they were at first. Then, Al (who'd killed Extant to save his mother- she'd been killed by the terrorist Kobra in a scene reminiscent of the TWA 800 crash, which was thought to have been caused by terrorists) quit the team after believing Black Adam's assertions that the team was too easy on criminals.

-So while Stargirl was heartbroken over that, she fell swiftly into the arms of one Billy Batson, aka Captain Marvel, upon discovering his secret identity (and true age) in a scene where he's depowered. They come together to fight Obsidian, and Courtney gets his real name, and kisses him on the cheek ("It's very nice to meet you, Billy"). This relationship was a SUPER-CUTE heart-warming affair, with Billy feeling good around what was basically the nicest girl ever by this point (losing just about all of the rebellious attitude of her early years). This went on for only a short couple trades (including Black Reign, the JSA's master-stroke of storytelling, featuring her & Al have a few heart-to-hearts about his betrayal of the team in between him knocking her unconscious), until Jay Garrick added up all the flirting and hints she & Billy were showing, and put the kibosh on it (the old man in Billy's head wouldn't let him just admit to The Flash that Marvel was as old as Courtney was). The image of Courtney, bawling her eyes out, alone in her room, is one of the most emotionally-torquing scenes in the JSA's entire run. Per Degaton, watching from afar, just says "Stargirl's first broken heart", and watches the scene again and again to be an asshole.

Courtney Grows Up:
-This brings us to the Per Degaton storyline properly. Showing classic Geoff Johns-level extreme violence, her entire family is gunned down in front of her (EVEN HER BABY SISTER!), sending her into a firestorm of despair, to the point where she blows apart several of Degaton's henchmen. Being forced to team up with Atom Smasher again, as the JSA runs back into the past to save their mentors and forebears, only makes it worse, as she utterly SNAPS at him when he says "I'm sorry it happened to you, Courtney. But now you know how I felt" (DICK MOVE, ALBERT ROTHSTEIN). But by the story's end, she kind of understands where he was coming from before, and she openly worries about Al in front of the whole team (and Captain Marvel), when they fly to Kahndaq to help Al & Black Adam face The Spectre (doing one of his weekly "I'm controlled by evil!" rampages). Poor c*ck-blocked Billy tries to interject, and Stargirl rejects him, and then Power Girl (herself pulling a Mama Bear on the younger heroine- and recognizing Courtney's feelings for Al) just sternly lectures Billy, telling him off ("Whatever's on your mind, Big Red, I think you better save it").

-And here's where things regarding Courtney/Al get interesting: By this point, it's fairly obvious she likes him (Billy as much accused her of it during Black Reign anyways). But when he sacrifices his life, willingly letting The Spectre kill him rather than hurt the people of Kahndaq anymore, you see the depth of her feelings: Courtney absolutely loses it, crying over Al's dead body. NOW you know she truly loves Al. He is saved thanks to Black Adam (in one of the more emotional scenes in the series, as Adam can't stand the thought of his "brother" dying), but willingly goes to jail to serve his time in the name of "Justice". Courtney makes a promise- she'll "be THERE for him" when he gets out. The JSA series by this point reboots, and she ends up having a ton of younger teammates- Maxine "Cyclone" Hunkel notably HERO-WORSHIPS her, and Courtney good-naturedly accepts it and befriends her.

Kitty/Colossus Version 2.0- Complete With Equivalent Jerking Around:
-Fast-forward to the last year or so of books: Al is finally back on the JSA, moping about how Billy "Deserves Courtney more than I EVER could" while they fight Black Adam AGAIN, and Billy & Stargirl nearly share a kiss (NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!), but by story's end, Billy is off with his sister doing whatever the hell DC was doing with Captain Marvel back then (seriously- has any hero's handling made less sense?), and Courtney smiles at Al. With Geoff Johns' final issue, we figure out that Courtney still likes Atom Smasher (when her friend Mary calls her on it, and all Court can manage is a weak denial- "He screwed up Atom Smasher!" "You STILL have a think for Atom Smasher?!" "NO. Yes. No- Definitely no" "Uh-huh"), and in Jerry Ordway's filler-arc, even Power Girl is just telling that giant idiot to just GET WITH HER ALREADY (WOO HOO SHIPPER ON DECK!). By this point, it's PATENTLY obvious both are in love, but then we get a good-old-fashioned Comic Book Break-Up, as the JSA elders, feeling protective (and noting the age difference), force Al to let her down easy, telling her he loves her "like a sister". Courtney doesn't believe it any more than WE do, but ultimately, the age issue, and Al's questionable standing with the public given his history as a mass-murderer, split them apart.

-Naturally of course, the fans were vastly into the Stargirl/Captain Marvel camp. When the former writers of Fables, Bill Willingham & Matt Sturges, took over, they joked they've been asked "Are Stargirl & Captain Marvel going to get back together?" more than any other question. Despite Johns VERY CLEARLY intending them to get together from the beginning (which... who imagines the bitter anti-hero giant guy getting with his teenage sister's stand-in?), fans ran away with that "ship", and since Billy was 100 times more popular than Al and continues to be screwed with by DC in spite of it, there was a lot of appeal there. And they WERE cute together. So Johns's forced "Peter/Kitty" thing with Al & Courtney actually WASN'T chosen by most fans, and many even missed the not-so-suble hints at it over the course of the series (I even had to get in a bunch of "Someone is WRONG on the INTERNET!" debates with people who just thought they loved each other like brother & sister the whole time- it read loud and clear to me and my shipping goggles but a ton of OTHER people didn't see it).

A Pox Upon Matt Sturges!:
-Alas, things weren't meant to be- Matt Sturges started work on JSA All-Stars, and wrote a story in which Johnny Sorrow imitated Al in order to win "True Love's First Kiss" to allow the King of Tears to inhabit the mortal plane. This resulted in a HUGE tease that saw Court & Al finally kiss, but the big reveal was telegraphed early and put into the next issue. Al "recognized" that Courtney was messed up by this whole thing and needed time... and then Sturges wrote an arc where the entire All-Stars team had to "give up" something from their past to break some Gods' hold on reality before they destroyed LA, and Stargirl forever gave up her chance of ever getting with Atom Smasher ("I have to accept that it's never going to happen with you. Goodbye"). AND THEN Sturges immediately had him flirt with the older time-traveller Anna Fortune to kill that "ship" once and for all. Like, he stuck a fork in that ship and ANNIHILATED IT, as it to say "NOPE. Never gonna happen. Ever. It's DONE!" as if someone had forced him to! Of course, most fans pretty much prefered the Court/Billy pairing, but I WAS SAD, DAMMIT. I bet Ares is responsible for this. Everything that's happened to Billy Batson since then is his penance.

-So yeah, that's a relatively simple love story, huh? I know Marvel's a more popular character, so Billy/Courtney "Shippers" have more say, but damn it, the Courtney/Al thing is just SO fascinating (even if it's kind of a retread of the old Kitty/Colossus story, which in itself was AWESOME... though both have that weird "young adult male falls in love with a tiny teenage girl" thing that is WAY outside of my normal interests... honest!), I can't help but totally support it, and I wish they'd just GET TOGETHER, already! She would have been at least seventeen by the end of Standard DC Continuity (She was sixteen BEFORE One Year Later, and celebrated a birthday after that, though most everyone ignored the time-jump pretty quickly) everyone older and she's not eighteen yet).

-In any case, Courtney shored up the JSA All-Stars spinoff book, and ended up being seen as the "Teacher" to the others. They even award her with a plaque at the end for helping them along. Buuuuuuuuuuut then DC's continuity got rebooted following Flashpoint, and despite Johns heading up the New 52 era with some others, Courtney was one of the characters who suffered. She wasn't around for the initial spree of books, and only popped up a year or so later on a weaker side-book... and suffered from the usual "New 52 Calamity"- she appeared as an already-fleshed-out character, only she didn't actually have any of the stories and character development required to GET her to that point! So we were left with a generic peppy, good-natured girl. But her stock has risen in the past bit with the Stargirl TV series, though it seems that most people have written off the DC TV shows by this time.

Courtney Whitmore- Best Teen Heroine:
-So, uh, where was I? Oh yeah! Courtney's an awesome character. She's a mega-favourite with girl readers for good reason- cute and spunky, brave but not a Scrappy-Doo (who annoyed people by laughing off and threatening every menace), and she actually feels emotions like a NORMAL PERSON. The greatest Little Sister character I've ever seen, and one of comics' best teen characters (or just characters PERIOD) during her short time. The fact that she's not a major powerhouse makes her more likeable in a world of Kryptonian-level guys, and her teeny-tiny build, mixed with the outfit and the braces, makes for a really endearing character- she looks like a cute kid instead of someone's fantasy, like Supergirl, Power Girl and others tend to be (not that there's anything WRONG with such fantasies- you're talking to the world's biggest Thundra fan, here). It totally makes sense that the rest of the JSA recruits look up to her (particularly obsessively in Maxine's case). Between her, Cyclone and Atom Smasher, JSA had my favourite line-up just about all-time in comics. Except they were mostly never on the same team at the same time, and the run was super-short.

Stargirl's Powers:
-Courtney, now boosted by a whole bunch of extra stuff, ends up an over-pointed PL 9 (143) build, which I think makes sense. I've never been comfortable with her as a PL 10 (much less the insane PL 11 from the DCA book, which makes NO sense), because she's never been shown doing very powerful stuff (the most powerful stunt I've EVER seen her do was blow off a guy's arm and through the side of her house, and that's in "Aunt May Mode" after some thugs murdered her family). In the exact same story, she's actually defeated by three common ORDERLIES, who manage to sedate her with a syringe while she's trying to fight them off. Like, this is a fairly weak character!

-What she ends up looking like is a moderately athletic kid, boosted to near-peak human stats with her Cosmic Converter Belt (though she's not doing Cap or Spidey-level damage- she can barely K.O. most Mooks with her fists, and her biggest power-feat ever is lifting a bunch of Mooks off of her), and carrying an additional weapon, the Cosmic Rod, which has TOTALLY replaced her Stunning Shooting Stars as her weapon of choice. The Rod had Telekinetic & Force Field powers under Jack Knight, but Courtney has NEVER shown them during any issue I've ever read (and I've read them all, at least in JSA), so I didn't put them in. The Belt is actually lower-level than it was when she was starting out, as her baseline stats have caught up a little better (So she's just as powerful, but less dependent on the Belt). Courtney's fairly experienced for a teenage superhero, and is basically at that cusp when a character becomes PL 10. Maybe one day she could have gotten there.

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THE STAR-SPANGLED KID II (Courtney Whitmore)
Created By:
Geoff Johns & Lee Moder
First Appearance: Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999)
Role: The Brat, Unpopular New Girl
PL 7 (89)
STRENGTH
0/5 STAMINA 0/5 AGILITY 2/4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 4 (+4, +8 Belt)
Deception 3 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Shooting Stars) 1 (+7)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+5)
Perception 3 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Improved Defense, Luck, Ranged Attack 3, Taunt

Powers:
"Cosmic Converter Belt" (Flaws: Removable) [35]
Enhanced Strength 5 (10)
Enhanced Stamina 4 (8)
Enhanced Agility 2 (4)
Enhanced Advantages 3: Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack (3)
Leaping 1 (15 feet) (1)

"Shooting Stars" Affliction 6 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Multiattack) (Diminished Range -2) (16) -- (17)
  • AE: "Haywire Machines" Affliction 8 (Tech Skill of Creator; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited to Machines) (Dim. Range -2) (14)
-- (43 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Converter Belt +8 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Shooting Stars +7 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +2 (+4 Belt)

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (+8 Belt, DC 16-18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +0 (+5 Belt), Fortitude +2 (+7 Belt), Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Pat Dugan, S.T.R.I.P.E.)- Courtney's stepfather Pat is family, but they don't really get along- she openly disrespects him, and rejects his attempts to settle her down.
Relationship (Birth Father)- Courtney keeps thinking about the father that abandoned her family years ago. Despite him being a con-man, Courtney finds the idea of a runaway father fascinating.

Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 35 / Defenses: 12 (89)

-Courtney as a starting-out "Star-Spangled Kid" is a different ball of wax than what came later. This Courtney is less clever, pretty or skillful, and doesn't have the benefit of the Cosmic Rod either. She's a PL 7 who's nonetheless quite strong (in one issue she tears S.T.R.I.P.E.'s ARM off- and while that's a fragile damn piece of equipment, that's a pretty big feat), which is suprising to those who read JSA, where she's like twelfth in line for physical might. The Cosmic Converter Belt is actually a REALLY good Device, though, boosting all her physical stats, giving her moderate Super-Strength, and the "Shooting Stars", a Stunning Multiattack effect that can nullify people's senses, or make mechanical devices go haywire. Still, this Courtney is more lucky than good, and like a baseline rookie, is REALLY cheap an inefficient overall.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Carcharo! Star-Spangled Kid! STRIPE! Stargirl!)

Post by catsi563 »

one thing ir eally wish theyd done was take the staff and the converter belt and iron man them into a new star spangled suit that combined the best effects of all of them. woudlve rally made her an interesting power set combo
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Re: Stargirl

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Apr 23, 2022 5:03 am Image

Image
Oddly enough, I kind of prefer Sly's Star-Spangled Kid outfit to his Skyman outfit. I don't know, there's just something very charming and old school about that outfit, where it's distinct enough to be patriotic without being an absolute Captain America copy.

I actually think it's kind of a shame how much the Kid wound up relying on the Cosmic Converter Belt after his re-introduction. He started out as a highly acrobatic martial artist while Stripesy was the strongman. But after the belt he basically became a flying blaster and never relied on his original skills much.

Oddly enough, it probably would have worked better if they'd gone with the Cosmic Converter Belt being used how it was portrayed in the Stars and STRIPE series, where it was more that it gave Courtney low-level superhuman strength, durability and agility, along with the ability to shoot stunning star blasts. If the belt had given Sly some minor superhuman stats along with a 'desperation move' energy blast, it could have helped him stand out on a team that already had a decent amount of fliers and blasters.

And instead of Skyman, if he was going to be using Ted Knight's gear, he really should have upgraded himself to be a new Starman, albeit one with a patriotic bend.
Jabroniville wrote: Sat Apr 23, 2022 11:24 pm Image


MERRY, GIRL OF A THOUSAND GIMMICKS (Meredith Pemberton, aka Merry Creamer)
Created By:
Otto Binder & Win Mortimer
First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948)
Role: Teen Hero
Group Affiliations: The Seven Soldiers of Victory, The All-Star Squadron, The Justice Society of America, Infinity, Inc.
Honestly, this should be a legacy character to get a revisit, as gadgeteers are always fun. Call her Gimmick Girl or something and you've got another fun science heroine.

As for the age thing with her and the original Brainwave, it's important to remember a few things:

1) It's never said exactly when Brainwave and Merry get together, only that it happened after Sly was lost in time. It could have easily happened once Merry was of a consenting age.

2) While the original Brainwave was a big brained guy with glasses, we actually don't know how old he was when he started out. When he gave himself a fake supervillain form (which his son later used as a basis for his own costume) it was of a relatively young, heroically built man. It's actually possible that the original Brainwave was a guy in his early 20s during the Golden Age and his mutated brain just makes it easy to mistake him for a much older man.

It was clear Roy didn't intend for Merry to be the victim of mind control, though I could easily see someone like Johns going the darker, edgelord route.
Jabroniville wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 3:33 am
Image

STARGIRL (Courtney Whitmore, aka The Star-Spangled Kid II)
Created By:
Geoff Johns & Lee Moder
First Appearance: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999)
Role: Kid Hero, Uppity Brat Turned Good
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
It really can't be over-stressed how different a person Courtney was when she started to how she wound up. She really was a brat, but thankfully there was at least the excuse of her mother getting remarried and that it is a pretty common reaction for a lot of children of divorce to behave that way. She's honestly lucky Pat had the patience of a saint, tho. But as Jab mentions, it was good that Johns didn't start out with her as this idealized young woman, but instead gave her character growth where she matured into a genuinely good person.

She is kind of interesting in the sense that, while she has a lot of heart and the desire to do the right thing, she's actually pretty bad at being a superhero, at least given the resources she has.

By itself, the Cosmic Converter Belt gives someone the power of flight, energy blasts, and a personal force field. She basically used it for minor strength boosts and a very weak energy attack. The Cosmic Rod she got from Jack is pretty powerful energy projector, allowing the wielder to fly, create shapeable force fields, create intense heat, even be remote-controlled from a distance. And if used in conjunction with the Cosmic Converter Belt, the Belt acts as an additional power source for the Rod, boosting its power.

Courtney, however, tends to just kind of jump around and hit things with the staff, or fly around and shoot stuff. And there's no indication that she's using either device to the best of their abilities. She really never reached he full potential, and it's possible the tools she has actually aren't a good fit for her.

As for the Courtney / Al / Billy love triangle, I have to agree with Jab that Courtney and Al were clearly meant to be from the get go, with it being said to be a future for the two, etc. While I thought Courtney and Billy made a cute couple, I didn't really like how Johns tended to portray Cap for the most part, especially how he had Billy literally arguing with himself because of the Wisdom of Solomon. It was clear Johns basically just wanted to pair Courtney up with the best available teen on the team, and then as things moved towards Infinite Crisis he opted to use Billy as a way to give Courtney her first big heartbreak.

These days, I kind of think if I was going to pair Billy up with another DC hero, I'd opt for one of the more 'sweet and nice' versions of Supergirl.

Image

I could see that being a relationship with some legs.
"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."
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Atom Smasher

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

ATOM SMASHER (Albert "Al" Rothstein)
Created By:
Roy Thomas & Jerry Ordway
First Appearance: All-Star Squadron #25 (Sept. 1983)
Role: Powerhouse, Growing Guy, Fallen Hero, Redemption Seeker
Group Affiliations: Infinity, Inc., The Justice Society of America, Black Adam's Invaders, The Suicide Squad
PL 11 (142)
STRENGTH
8/13 STAMINA 9/14 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (History) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Basketball Star) 3 (+4) -- Uses Agility
Insight 2 (+3)
Intimidation 8 (+9, +10-16 Size)
Perception 3 (+4)
Persuasion 2 (+3)
Technology 2 (+2)
Vehicles 7 (+7)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimdiation), Diehard, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Startle, Takedown 2, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
Growth 5 (Str & Sta +5, +5 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -5 Stealth) -- (24 feet) [10]
Growth +9 (+14 Mass, +7 Intimidation, -7 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -14 Stealth) -- (72 feet) (Flaws: Limited to Non-ST & STA Growths) [9]
Enhanced Dodge & Parry 2 (Flaws: Limited to While Grown) [2]
Protection 2 (Flaws: Limited to Largest Sizes) [1]

"Giant Fists & Feet" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Largest Sizes) (11) -- [12]
  • AE: "Groundstrike" Affliction 10 (Strength; Dazed & Prone/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Both Must Be Grounded) (10)
Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Largest Size +9 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Area Attacks +11 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
"Normal Size" Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +6
"Usual Heigh- 24 Feet Tall" Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +14, Fortitude +14, Will +6
"72 Feet Tall" Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +16, Fortitude +14, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Mother, Terri Rothstein)- When she is killed in a terrorist attack, Al retreats emotionally, giving in to his rage and darkest emotions. He later murders the supervillain Extant to save her life.
Responsibility (The Legacy of Al Pratt, the Original "Atom")- Albert wants to live up to the legacy of his beloved Godfather, the original Atom.
Relationship (Courtney Whitmore- Stargirl)- Al took a mentorly approach to the young girl for months (being nice to her when the other younger members kind of treated her like a pain), but things eventually blossomed into something more. It seemed largely brotherly on his end, but definitely not on Stargirl's. But oh yes, he definitely lovers her.
Motivation (Redemption)- Albert became a conqueror when he rejected the JSA's old-fashioned style of justice, and helped Black Adam take over the dictatorship-ridden nation of Khandaq. However, he soon realized the error of his ways, and now seeks to redeem himself, first by turning himself in, then rejoining the JSA.
Motivation (Guilt)- He wants redemption, but he also feels tremendous guilt. He feels horrible about what happened to Khandaq (especially since the people look up to him), and believes that he doesn't deserve Courtney's love.
Relationship (Black Adam)- Albert hated Adam at first, refusing to believe that this villain could "go straight". When Adam tells Al exactly what he needs to hear regarding his status as a murderer, Al soon takes Adam's side in the "Heroes Don't Kill" debate, and runs off with him to Khandaq. Even after realizing the error of his ways, Al is unwilling to see Adam or Khandaq harmed- Al rescues Adam in secret when he loses his powers, and is conflicted whenever he is sent against Adam in the field. He sees Adam as an older brother figure (though HOLY HELL it is easy to read gay subtext into things).
Reputation (Killer)- Al killed dozens while invading Khandaq, and is still treated like a monster by many people.
Responsibility (Wishy-Washy)- Al is often deeply-conflicted about what actions he should take. He killed Extant, but later regretted it. He quit the JSA and helped Black Adam take over Khandaq, but felt intense guilt over THAT, too.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 34 / Defenses: 13 (142)

Al- Simp To Anti-Hero (Who I'm Totally Not In Love With:
-Oh, Al, what a ride it's been for you as a character. Al Rothstein has had a pretty crazy run as a hero- his SUPER-80s appearance in Infinity Inc. seemed to be his legacy as a character, as he had farted around on a really forgettable JLA era after that. At least he was ALIVE and not a continuity disaster, like many of his teammates (Infinity Inc. had one of the worst track records of the '80s as far as people who died went)- next to Jade, he was actually the most well off. But then he suddenly found a home- the new JSA series was restarting, and he was one of the few active heroes from the second generation left. And suddenly the writers found a way to keep him interesting- have him lose his mother, get more and more aggressive, and finally quit the team, leading directly to one of their biggest stories. He'd be kept on thereafter in various ways, though would kinda end up getting screwed with all over again. Despite how big a deal he was in the book, I've found I'm practically the only really big fan of his out there, lol. I chalk this up only to my expemplary taste!

Nuklon- "The Guy With the Mohawk":
-Starting out as the ridiculous-looked mohawked Infinity, Inc. member Nuklon, Al was initially shown as a loner-type, tentative, good-natured guy who followed in his Godfather's footsteps. Partially-raised by Al Pratt, the Golden Age Atom, Al joined the Infinitors on a whim after being asked by his childhood friends (in the modern era, he was retroactively-written as hero-worshipping the JSA since childhood), and stuck with them their whole run, watching team members die and enter Comics Limbo. Al at this age was rather funny, as he cut his hair into a mohawk in his first appearance, for seemingly NO REASON. He wasn't a punk at all, or a bad-ass or some kind of macho man- he just did it, for the hell of it- on a whim, like when he joined the team. No real explanation. This has the side-effect of him being EASILY the most-dated member of his entire team (though thankfully not the worst-dressed).

-For the entire bunch of books that I got for cheap (20 issues for 6 bucks), Al is reguarly depicted as this nice-guy simp/loser, despite his huge size & odd appearance. Much more shy & good-natured than the rest of the cast, who were WELL into the '80s as far as Whiny Angst is concerned ("Waah! I'm Wonder Woman's rebellious daughter!" "Waah! I'm Hawkman & Hawkgirl's kid, and I'm pampered and jealous of real super-powers!" "Wah! I didn't know my daddy was GL, and my adopted dad beat me, and I hate rich people!"). Seriously- they're an annoying, twerpy bunch. At least Obsidian had a reason to be pissed. Al was thus kind of the "Den Mother" of the team, much like how Donna Toy was to the Teen Titans- someone who was a little more "together" and less prone to emotional extremes.

Al the Simp:
-His indecisiveness and shy personality were MAJOR factors early on with his character- he followed the others easily, tried to stop disputes, and was generally a sweetheart that the girls walked all over. Relationships never really went well for Al in ANY era, I guess. Despite a bit of crushing on Yolanda "Hot Latina Wildcat" Montez, he was CLEARLY carrying a massive torch for childhood galpal Lyta Trevor, despite her being in love with his buddy Hector Hall (he felt so dirty when they started talkin' cute- he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but the point was probably moot). It was so sad that the ENTIRE rest of the team picked up on it, but knew he wasn't a threat at all because he was just "Shy Ol' Al" and would never try anything. I mean, he was THAT PATHETIC. Poor bastard even PROPOSED to a pregnant Lyta after Hector was killed, and she just laughed him off and said he was sweet, but "just a friend". Yeah, a PREGNANT WIDOW turned him down and laughed at the idea- poor Al. Then Yolanda found out and basically shut him down, too. He got stuffed onto one of the REALLY bad Justice League eras soon after, that team flopping HARD and being replaced by the triumphant Grant Morrison JLA in the first issue of the rebooted series. At least he got to sleep with Fire.

The JSA Returns!:
-After flopping in the "REALLY crappy years" JLA team, it seemed like Albert Rothstein was done as a character.... Until the JSA relaunch in the late-90s, which featured him dropping the stupid haircut and '80s-looking costume, and redressing to look more like he did in Kingdom Come, as Atom Smasher, using a modification of his old mentor's codename & costume (Pratt had since died in Zero Hour). Al was shown as the same sweet, good-natured guy he was before, hanging out with young Courtney Whitmore (aka Star-Spangled Kid II) when nobody else gave her much time, talking about the great heroes of the JSA to her. That blossomed a bit to Courtney hanging around him as one of the official pairings of teammates, with maybe a hint of affection (the series showed the two of them married in the future). That all changed when his mother died, killed by the terrorist actions of Kobra. Black Canary noted that the experience "HARDENED him", as Al grows more violent and unable to deal with others' crap (he frequently antagonizes the ex-villain Black Adam, unwilling to accept that he was a different person than he once was- this goes as far as him punching the guy in a fit of rage, despite Adam being 50 times more powerful and haven't not really earned it).

-Al was able to save his mother by using the Worlogog (a time portal) to put Extant, Al Pratt's murderer, into her place on that fateful plane- a 100% understandable, largely-necessary action (I mean, Extant is powerful enough to ALTER REALITY with the blink of an eye- dude had to be stopped; and who WOULDN'T save their own mother in that situation?), to the point where the rest of the JSA didn't even lecture him over it... but this made Al a killer, something he wasn't comfortable with. He was full of turmoil over it, until Black Adam of all people, himself a killer in an older life, told Al EXACTLY what he needed to hear- that it was the right decision ("You did it to save someone you love. What you did, I COMMEND"). Al & Adam had been set against each other, full of aggressors, and Al was about to murder the addled Adam, but ultimately refused to go through with it. And with all that Al got over it, and embraced the way he now thought heroes should be, with Black Adam as a new older brother figure, replacing Al Pratt in his life as a mentor and idol.

Al Quits the JSA:
-Al eventually quit the JSA in a huff when they backed down from a threat by Kobra, and went off with Black Adam, leaving poor Stargirl heartbroken, and the rest of the JSA disappointed. The Kahndaq invasion made Albert a killer yet again (he was forced by Adam to literally squash the evil dictator beneath his heel, doing so by imagining the villain as all the evil men who'd tormented him in his life, like Kobra & Extant), as he was forced to do horrible things for what he thought was right- Adam's team unseated a monstrous dictator sure, but it left the aggressive, dangerous Adam in charge of a whole country. Al's tentativeness & wishy-washiness showed itself yet another time, as on a later mission with the JSA, he argued with Courtney over his actions (when she witnesses her own family being murdered, he just coldly says "I'm sorry it happened to you, Courtney- but now you know how I FELT"), but ultimately realized he wanted his "real" family back, rejecting Black Adam's violence. When the Spectre went on one of his annual rampages, Al redeemed himself by sacrificing his life for the beleaguered Khandaqi people, offering his own life in return for the Spectre sparing them. The Spectre then froze his heart, killing him and poor Stargirl to fall apart emotionally by his dead body. Black Adam, distraught over losing his "younger brother", called forth the power of Shazam to revive Al in one of the series' most powerful moments ("SHAZAM! SHAZAM! SHAZAM!"), and he was brought back to the U.S., where he surrendered and went to prison.

-With Stargirl telling reporters that she would "...wait for him. No matter how long it takes" (pretty much making her feelings for him REALLY obvious by this point), Al prepared for a long stay in jail, but was sprung by Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad. He failed to take down Black Adam several times after that, but still showed a bit of loyalty. Al was still indecisive as hell, though. He followed the Suicide Squad blindly and paid for it (he was an accessory to a teammate's death, as planned by Waller). He joined up with the JSA-led force to bring Black Adam in after he massacred the ENTIRE COUNTRY of Bialya, but after confronting Adam ("tell me it wasn't you..."), he ended up saving the man's life and aided him in spiriting away from justice. Finally, he rejoined the JSA, but he & Stargirl never ended up together, since it's a) Comics, and b) various chicanery involving complex moral reasoning and magical stories. Johnny Sorrow used Al's body to gain "True Love's First Kiss" from Courtney to cast a spell, and Courtney was so weirded out that she "needed some time" to think things over. The fact that most fans supported her & Captain Marvel more probably didn't help. By the time the main DC continuity ended, Al was back on the JSA with a writer who loved the character, but... well, stuff happened.

I'm Not In Love With Atom Smasher- Shut Up!:
-God, I'm such a dork, writing all that like I'm in love with the guy myself :). I'll deny it to everyone who accuses me of it, though! But yeah, I love this character. They took a nobody, forgotten character and brought him out as a major JSA member, making him the most fascinating character study of the entire book, because he just couldn't decide things one way or another. He was indecisive and tentative (actually fitting his "doormate" Infinity Inc. persona in ways), crossing the "No Killing" line and then giving us one of the most interesting conversations about it in comics (most heroes just TOE that line, not go flying over it again and again), as he eventually crossed back the other way, realizing that it was going too far. This is a lot more interesting than most stories, which just go "Killing is WRONG" and leave it at that. And to me, people who do the WRONG thing are often much more interesting than people who always do the RIGHT thing- to err is human, after all. It makes him identifiable and human, especially because you can ALWAYS see his reasoning, even if it's warped by anger and fear. And Al's history is FULL of errors- this gives him a well-rounded, more human nature than a lot of characters.

Atom Smasher's Powers in My Totally Non-Biased Opinion:
-Statting Atom Smasher is a little tough, because he's ALREADY Super-Strong in his base form (he's 7'6" regularly, though the cartoon defaulted at a 20-foot-ish height), yet ALSO has the Growth Power at high levels, which would give him an INSANE boost. So I settled on just removing some Strength & Stamina from his max height, allowing him to reach PL limits easily. PL 11 is a good spot- he was REALLY tough, but he was still mainly an inaccurate Powerhouse, and so far below most Flying Bricks that it was comical to see him brawling with the likes of Black Adam (the eternal problem of Growing Guys in a medium where the Flying Bricks are ALWAYS the top-tier powerhouses). Al's fighting style is that of a grappler, with lots of Grab-based stuff, plus his Groundstrike attack. His power is enough that he's single-handedly defeated more than a few JSA foes, held down Adam for short periods of time, crushed a fighter jet with one hand, and demolished half the JSA by himself in Khandaq (Stargirl, Mr. Terrific, Dr. Mid-Nite & Power Girl- all with a single shot each) and has taken punches from some of the A-list powerhouses of the DC Universe and stayed alive.

Image
Image

NUKLON (Albert "Al" Rothstein)
Created By:
Roy Thomas & Jerry Ordway
First Appearance: All-Star Squadron #25 (Sept. 1983)
Role: Aw-Shucks Nice Guy, Powerhouse, Growing Guy
PL 9 (104)
STRENGTH
6/8 STAMINA 6/8 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Basketball Star) 4 (+6) -- Uses Agility
Expertise (History) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+4)
Vehicles 6 (+6)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Ranged Attack 4, Takedown

Powers:
Insubstantial 4 (20) -- [21]
AE: Growth 2 (Str & Sta +2, +2 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -2 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (4) & Growth +4 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (18 feet) (Flaws: Limited to Non-STR & STA Growths) (4)

Saves:
Toughness +8 (+12 Size), Fortitude +8/+12, Reflex +4, Will +4

Combat:
Attack +7 (+9 Melee, +7 Giant Size), Damage +8 (+11 Giant Size), Defense +6 (+8 Dodge, +6 Giant Size), Initiative +2

Complications:
Relationship (Mother, Terri Rothstein)
Responsibility (The Legacy of Al Pratt, the Original "Atom")- Albert wants to live up to the legacy of his beloved Godfather, the original Atom.
Responsibility (Non-Combative Nice Guy)- Even his government psychological profiling mentions that Al hates conflict, and desperately tries to avoid it by acting as the team's peacemaker. This status often leaves him with the reputation as a harmless pushover.
Relationship (Lyta Hall)- Al has loved Lyta ever since they first met as children- he pined for her so openly that the ENTIRE TEAM figured it out. He felt guilt over it, since she loved his friend Hector so much. This was dropped once Infinity, Inc. ended.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 21 / Defenses: 13 (104)

-Infinity Inc. were pretty minor heroes, not that powerful for the most part, and PL 9 at maximum, by my guess. Young Al was no exception; being more of a pretty-strong tough guy who all of a sudden got Super-Strength and Growth powers... then all of a sudden became Insubstantial as well! This weird set-up gave him an odd place in a team that ALREADY HAD an insubsantial guy (Obsidian), and TWO people of much greater strength than he (Fury & Power Girl), which kind of shows you how much of a mess that series looked in retrospect. He's a VERY low-pointed fellow, despite being better in a fight than Northwind and a few others, coming up shorter than anyone who's not a female successor to a male hero.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Helix! Star-Spangled Kid! Stargirl! Atom Smasher!)

Post by Ares »

Al's Infinity Inc. Outfit wasn't bad, it was really the mohawk that makes it dated. Otherwise the Kirby Krackle on the black sections is kind of cool.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Helix! Star-Spangled Kid! Stargirl! Atom Smasher!)

Post by Ken »

The thing about Al is that he was around 20 when Infinity Inc. began. Then after Infinity Inc. ended, some time went by before he and Todd joined the Justice League America. And then after that ended, there was still more time (at least time to heal the injuries he, Todd, and Ice Maiden received in JLA #1) before he joined the reformed JSA (and since the JSA wasn't quite reformed in JLA #28-31, there's also an indicator that some time had passed.)

Now, Lord knows comic time and real time are two very different things. But in the 26 years between Infinity Inc. #1 and JSA#1, it felt like about 5 years had passed. Which makes him about a decade older than Courtney. Which makes her romantic attraction to him seem normal, but when his brotherly feelings started to shift... it seemed creepy.

In some hypothetical future, if Stargirl had been allowed to age to be at least 20, then it wouldn't phase me. But Al reciprocating to the underage Courtney always made me shudder.
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Re: Atom Smasher

Post by Sidney369 »

Jabroniville wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 9:14 pm At least he got to sleep with Fire.
When was this? I know they went on a date, but Al made it clear that he didn't want to have a romantic relationship with her, as he planned to marry a woman within his faith (something Jones ignored). I was going to make another point, but Ken did it already.
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Re: Atom Smasher

Post by Jabroniville »

Sidney369 wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:56 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 9:14 pm At least he got to sleep with Fire.
When was this? I know they went on a date, but Al made it clear that he didn't want to have a romantic relationship with her, as he planned to marry a woman within his faith (something Jones ignored). I was going to make another point, but Ken did it already.
I dunno- I think I’d heard it somewhere. Wikipedia says they were in a long relationship: “As Beatriz tried to cope with this loss, she briefly had a romantic relationship with Ice's former lover, Guy Gardner, and a longer one with Nuklon.” I assumed they’d both out out, maybe?

Also if Johns ignored that, it was for good reason, given how Al longed for Fury in Infinity Inc. with no me ruin of faith, unless that was a late development.
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Re: Atom Smasher

Post by Jabroniville »

Sidney369 wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:56 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 9:14 pm At least he got to sleep with Fire.
When was this? I know they went on a date, but Al made it clear that he didn't want to have a romantic relationship with her, as he planned to marry a woman within his faith (something Jones ignored). I was going to make another point, but Ken did it already.
I always took Al for younger (probably early 20s) like most Titans-adjacent heroes. And he didn’t seem to reciprocate (until then it was KIND OF subtle and many fans didn’t pick up on it at all) until later- like until the Ordway fill-in. She was older than sixteen then for sure (post One Year Later, I think). Still Colossus/Kitty-ish but still, lol.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Helix! Star-Spangled Kid! Stargirl! Atom Smasher!)

Post by Ken »

Ares wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:14 pm Al's Infinity Inc. Outfit wasn't bad, it was really the mohawk that makes it dated. Otherwise the Kirby Krackle on the black sections is kind of cool.
What Al (and DC) need to do is close the cowl up with black, and put in a fin like the Atom's 3rd headgear.

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The Golden Age Red Tornado

Post by Jabroniville »

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RED TORNADO I (Matilda "Ma" Hunkel)
Created By:
Sheldon Mayer
First Appearance: All-American Comics #3 (June 1939)
Role: Joke Character
Group Affiliations: Infinity, Inc., Black Adam's Army
PL 5 (48)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Streetwise) 3 (+3)
Expertise (Housewife) 4 (+4)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Family)- Ma is devoted to her two children (Scribbly- a boy cartoonist, and Sisty- a kid sidekick), and her granddaughter, Maxine.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (48)

-Ma Hunkel is a weird little part of comic book history, going from a character in a comedy strip to one of the earliest Parody Superheroes, and possibly the earliest female superhero in comics. She debuted in 1939 as part of Sheldon Mayer's semi-autobiographical strip Scribbly, about a boy cartoonist. It lasted about five years in All-American Comics. About a year into the strip, Matilda, the mother of a girl Scribbly knew, throws on a goofy superhero costume in order to fight some neighborhood criminals. She has a VERY weak link to the JSA, having appeared in the groups' debut trying to get onto the team, but split her pants and had to run off instead. That's it- that's her entire "membership" in the Golden Age. Later stories would say she has an "honorary" membership.

-Eventually, Ma gained two sidekicks in The Cyclone Kids- her daughter Amelia (known as Sisty), and a neighbor boy (and Sisty's future husband) Mortimer, known as Dinky. Naturally, the stories were very tongue-in-cheek. This link to the JSA (they refered to her as being pretty thick-headed) allowed DC to re-use the AWESOME codename for one of T.O. Morrow's android creations, who went on to become a recurring DC character. Ma herself pretty much vanished, only being mentioned in passing, until a 2004 story which stated that she had been in witness protection for DECADES, after testifying against a gang. She becomes the caretaker of the JSA's Museum after this point, still being quite physically dominant, despite being VERY old by this point (she is probably a few years older than the OTHER JSA members!). And also, her daughter's own child (... Sisty would've had to have been SIXTY when Maxine was born!) would grow up to be the single greatest character in comic book history.

-Interestingly, Ma went from the typical "mother" character (a heavyset, cartoonish-looking woman) into a fairly glamorous woman with lots of makeup under Dale Eaglesham in the 2000s JSA comic. But for most of her history she was a goofy-looking, chubby lady.

-Ma Hunkel's hardly a severe threat to most super-villains, but most thugs would want to think twice. She's big, slow and not full of Combat Advantages or anything, but she's got a good enough punch to K.O. your average henchman.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Apr 25, 2022 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Helix! Star-Spangled Kid! Stargirl! Atom Smasher!)

Post by Ken »

Sisty's older brother is named Huey. Huey's best friend is Scribbly Jibbet, who is Dinky's older brother.

Oddly, there would be a 15 issue Scribbly solo book that ran from 9/48 until 1/52. It only debuted 4 years after the strip in All-American Comics ended. Ma wouldn't be seen in that series.

I always found it disconcerting how shallow the stewpot on her head was drawn.
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