Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

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Sidney369
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Re: The Rebooted Golden Age Blue Beetle

Post by Sidney369 »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed May 18, 2022 8:23 pm He was killed as part of Ted Kord's origin (they were working together against an alien invasion, and he died stopping them), and his granddaughter is a character in the third Blue Beetle's stories, as well.
Unless it was changed, and that's entirely possible, Dan Garrett died while stopping Ted Kord's mad scientist uncle from unleashing an army of killer robots.
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Sparky

Post by Jabroniville »

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SPARKY I (Sparkington J. Northrup)
Created By:
Charles Quinlan
First Appearance: The Blue Beetle #14 (Sept. 1942)
Role: Kid Sidekick, Pint-Sized Brawler
Group Affiliations: None
PL 6 (79)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 9 (+9)
Expertise (Streetwise) 6 (+6)
Insight 2 (+4)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Close Attack, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 4

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (The Blue Beetle)
Reputation (Sissy)- Sparky has a very precise manner of speaking, having been adopted by an English Lord. This and his careful appearance has left some to consider him a sissy.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (79)

-Yes, the Golden Age Blue Beetle even got a Kid Sidekick, though Sparky couldn't possibly be more generic. Like, we had a Bucky, a Sandy (Sandman's kid partner) and a Dusty (the Boy Detective who allied with The Shield), and so now we get a SPARKY? Sparky had the mandatory short-shorts so common to Kid Sidekicks, his hair showing over his mask, and a lil' beetle chest symbol, making him pretty typical to the type. He teamed up with the Blue Beetle starting in 1942, but really wasn't that successful, fading away in 1944, while Dan Garret lasted for years longer. Sparky has never reappeared since then, despite many appearances by Dan- I don't think this was explained, and it's likely he was wiped out by the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

-Sparky's bio from what I can gather from an introductory panel is that he was an American orphan who was adopted by an English Lord, who then sent him to America during World War II for his own protection. Considered a "sissy" for his fastidious appearance and English-trained speaking patterns, he was nonetheless a brave lad who became the Blue Beetle's sidekick.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (FDR! Magog! Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle!)

Post by Ken »

Sparky happened during a period of time when Victor Fox lost control of the Blue Beetle, and "The Blue Beetle" was being published by Holyoke Publishing instead (though the numbering continued.) Basically the deal with Holyoke was so Fox could get enough money to pay off a bunch of his debtors.

Weirdly, Sparky was replaced after three issues with Spunky. There's some debate if it's the same character renamed or just a different character. He apparently had a different civilian name too. But again, he was only in a few issues, then he vanished.

Apparently he popped up again, some months later, but without a costume, just his civilian clothes.
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Ken
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Re: Sparky

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 2:20 amSparky has never reappeared since then, despite many appearances by Dan- I don't think this was explained, and it's likely he was wiped out by the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Sparky and Spunky were both attached to Officer Garret. DC never has had the rights to Officer Garret. As such DC never had the rights to Sparky and Spunky.

DC does have the rights to Dr. Garrett/Dr. Garret who are supposedly the same character.DC calls him "Garrett" but uses the Garret version for everything else.

Given that Sparky and Spunky were products of the Holyoke years, it's likely that once Victor Fox reacquired Officer Garrett, he couldn't use Sparky or Spunky either.
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The Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE BLUE BEETLE III (Ted Kord)
Created By:
Steve Ditko
First Appearance: Captain Atom #83 (Nov. 1966)
Role: Peter Parker Hero
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, L.A.W. Kord Enterprises
PL 9 (166)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+13)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+13)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+14)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 1 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+7)
Technology 8 (+15)
Vehicles 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Equipment 13 (Bugship), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Inventor, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 7, Set-Up, Takedown, Teamwork

Powers:
"BB Gun" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Those With Blue Beetle's Gloves) [16]
"Compressed Air" Blast 5 Linked to Affliction 8 (Strength; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged) (Diminished Range -1) (25) -- (26 points)
  • AE: "Blinding Flash" Dazzle Visuals 8 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Touch Range) (16)
"Blue Beetle Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [4]
Protection 1 (1)
"Suction Pads" Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) (2)
Senses 2 (Infravision, Extended Vision) (2)
-- (5 points)

Equipment:
"Bugship"
(Huge, Strength 8, Flight 8, Defense 8, Toughness 9)
(Features: Alarm, Navigation System, Remote Control, Swimming 6, Immunity- Life Support 8, Blast 10, Electrified Hull, "Skywire" Line)
-- (64 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Blinding Flash +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Compressed Air +12 (+5 Ranged Damage & +8 Ranged Affliction, DC 20 & 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +4 (+5 Costume), Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Booster Gold)- The two are lifelong friends, ever since they met up on Justice League International.
Motivation (Extra Money)- Though an industrialist, Kord is often short on cash, and frequently engages in "get-rich-quick" schemes with Booster.
Responsibility (Chubby)- Ted has a bit of a weight problem, and frequently tries to hide his gut.
Weakness (Weak Heart)- Ted has had a few heart attacks in action (though none overly serious).

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 30 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 13 (166)

-With the second Blue Beetle, Charlton (the owners of the name now) was lucky enough to have Steve Ditko- co-creator of Spider-Man, and engineer of much of the first part of Peter Parker's life- working on the character. Debuting in Captain Atom's book, Ted Kord was a genius & athlete, combining an arthropodic gimmick with gadgetry and a whacky sense of humor (like a certain other Wall-Crawler), and soon got his own title, though it only lasted five issues, since Charlton was losing money big-time. Ted was an ally of Dan Garrett, the original Blue Beetle, who was killed as part of Ted's origin story (alas, Ted never got the Scarab). Pretty much the majority of what we know about Ted Kord would come about in the 1980s, as he is one of the first "new" characters seen in The Crisis on Infinite Earths, appearing on the Charlton Earth, as DC now had the rights to all their stuff. He got his own series from 1986-88, written by Len Wein, and also joined the "Bwah-Ha-Ha!" JLA, forming a lifelong bromance with Booster Gold. In his own book, Ted was the wealthy owner of KORD Industries, based around his inventions, which rivaled STAR Labs.

-Alas, despite the fame of this run, and a constant undercurrent of nostalgia for Ted as a character (I don't think I've met a comic book fan who dislikes the guy- he is in fact my best friend's favourite comic book character, despite him not being a DC fan as a rule), he wasn't overly-successful. In JLA, he had lost his fortune and was seen as a second-stringer, constantly tying to pull "get rich quick" schemes with Booster Gold, who swiftly became his best friend. A lot of his persona was seen as a kind of good-natured wannabe- after installing the JLA's security system, he decided "Screw the family business- I want to be one of THOSE guys" and bought his way into the superhero business. For a while, he struggled with a weight problem, giving us one of the first superheroes with a gut. In the end, however, JLA was cancelled and Ted was badly beaten by Doomsday.

-Front this point, Ted vanished into the nether regions of the DC Universe on stuff like Extreme Justice (alongside Booster on Captain Atom's more "extreme" JLA-type team), and Living Assault Weapons. The JLI reunion book Formerly the Justice League went nowhere as well. The most we generally saw of the guy was as the on-and-off pudgy guy in Birds of Prey hinting at a crush on Oracle. Ted's popularity with fans combined with his lack of success in any particular book made him an ideal candidate for a murdering, and sure enough, he was killed in part of the prelude to Infinite Crisis, murdered by Maxwell Lord in a pretty good issue that focused on him and his thought process. He is nearly brought back in the Booster Gold Time Travel series (which unites Ted, Jaime AND Dan Garrett), but Ted saves reality by returning to his "proper death". Ted was openly mourned, and nearly every hero was shown as having liked him, and his successor Jaime Reyes learned to appreciate the guy as well.

-Ted Kord is a classic non-powered hero- a gadgeteer (fitting Steve Ditko's style) who used a flying ship, a zipline, and other sorts of non-lethal things to fight crime. Overall he's a minor PL 8-9 sort of dude- hardly a powerful charater or even a supremely good scientist- more of a mid-tier Marvel guy who had trouble fitting into the DC universe outside of a comedy title.
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Booster Gold

Post by Jabroniville »

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BOOSTER GOLD (Michael Jon Carter, aka Supernova)
Created By:
Dan Jurgens
First Appearance: Booster Gold #1 (Feb. 1986)
Role: Future Hero, Lame Hero, The Reggie Mantle of the DC Universe
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, The Conglomerate, The Suicide Squad
PL 10 (167)
STRENGTH
2/10 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 5 (+5)
Expertise (History) 4 (+4)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 6 (+6)
Expertise (Pro Athlete) 3 (+8)
Perception 3 (+3)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Technology 5 (+5)
Vehicles 6 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception), Minion 7 (Skeets), Ranged Attack 8, Taunt

Powers:
"Futuristic Uniform" (Flaws: Removable) [48]
Enhanced Strength 8 (16)
Protection 6 (Extras: Impervious 7) (13)
Energy Blast 9 (Feats: Split) (19)
Immunity 6 (Drowning, Suffocation, Heat, Cold, Pressure, Vacuum) (6)
"Goggles" Senses 6 (Infravision, Microvision, Vision Penetrates Concealment) (6)
-- (60 points)

"Legion Flight Ring" (Flaws: Removable) [28]
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Communication 5 (Flaws: Fifth Rank is only towards Legionnaires) (18)
-- (34 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Blasts +10 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +4 (+10 Armour), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Reputation ("Thanks, Green Lantern!")
Motivation/Obsession (Fame, Damsels, Wealth, et al)
Relationship (Michelle- Sister)- Michelle tries to be a superhero too, but is killed in the process. Only later are they able to bring her back.
Relationship (Rip Hunter)- Rip is a Time-Traveller who starts aiding Booster in "fixing" wrecked timelines. Though they argue a lot, it is revealed there is a closer bond- Rip is in fact Booster's SON, from a FURTHER future!

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 76 / Defenses: 12 (167)

Booster Gold- Hard-Luck Hero:
-Booster Gold is the first significant DC character created in the Post-Crisis era, and is generally deliberately-seen as a jokey loser of a hero. He has a great selfish origin- a poor kid from 25th Century Gotham City, he was disgraced from sports after taking dives as a quarterback in order to collect gambling winnings. He stole some devices from museum displays (you'd think they would be COMPLETELY INSANE to leave stuff like that out for anyone to take, but that has in fact happened in real life with things like a fully-operational TANK), grabbed Rip Hunter's time machine, and entered the 20th Century in order to make himself a famous super-hero.

-Booster's shameless self-promotion and obsession with wealth pretty much annoyed EVERYBODY. His sister joined him as Goldstar (which was supposed to be his superhero name, but he bungled it with his QB nickname "Booster"), but she was quickly-killed. He got rich, but soon lost all his money in a scheme that involved that dumb "Every book has one character revealed to be a Manhunter Android" story- he then joined the infamous "Bwa-Ha-Ha" Justice League era, forming a fan-favorite Buddy-Buddy relationship with The Blue Beetle. After too many embarrassments, he quits and forms The Conglomerate, a team that earns funding from corporate sponsors- unfortunately, said sponsors compromise the team's heroics, and the team falls into history after numerous attempts at reforming- Booster rejoins the League.

Booster's Horrible Decade- The 1990s:
-However, the Early Nineties rears its ugly head, and soon Booster is a badly-damaged character, losing his suit to Doomsday, then an arm to another bad guy (an agent of the Overmaster known as "Devastator"). He joins EXTREEEEEEEEEEME JUSTICE with another suit, but it's a short-lived ultra-'90s team. Booster then COMPLETELY VANISHES until the modern era of Infinite Crisis, as DC mostly takes stuff from the Silver Age, and not the mid-'80s. Yet the darkness of the modern DCU strikes him AGAIN, as Blue Beetle is murdered, Maxwell Lord goes evil, and Rocket Red dies. Even SKEETS has been dissected! Booster goes back to the 25th Century, but returns with Skeets back, and takes over as the new big superhero during 52- SUPERNOVA. A name & costume he really should have been kept, because it was pretty sweet. He eventually helps save the Multiverse from a Mr. Mind-controlled Skeets, and gets his own series as a result. In it, he teams with Rip Hunter (now revealed to be his son), "fixing" the timeline doing various things. Booster even ends up being central to the defeat of Lord, leading the reformed Justice League International against him. He ends DC continuity as a far-improved hero and a bigger deal, but alas nothing really comes of it. He nonetheless pops up in the "New 52" era in various books, and someone's a fan judging by his way-too-detailed Wikipedia bio listing every little thing that happens in those issues.

-But seriously, though, that Booster Gold episode on JLU was THE BOMB. Basically playing up his status as the sucky super-hero, Booster got stuck on Crowd Control during a giant Mordru fight involving the entire League, so he ended up having to save the day in a manner nobody else saw, as a beautiful scientist's lab experiment went out of control, and he had to stop it. Booster is kind of one of those concepts that gets brought up from time to time in the comics, but is usually unsuccessful no matter how much they put behind him (he's kind of an example of "The Doom Patrol Effect" where you see tons of presumed fans of the work talking about it, but no reflection of that in sales). His book seems to be doing okay now, though. Still, very good episode, one of the funniest of the series. And Billy West as "Skeets", his little robot buddy (with Philip J. Fry's voice!) was as stroke of funny gold as well. His quote above was picture-perfect "kind of adult" humor that's very gross, but also very funny.

Booster's Powers:
-Booster comes off like an idiot, but is actually a capable, powerful hero, thanks to the gadgets he stole from the future. He's got a fairly decent Blast, has great Sensory powers, and is pretty durable. Skeets is basically an information-spouting Minion rather than anything that could physically interject himself, but he's worth 8 points. All-in-all, Booster's just a low-pointed PL 10 hero. As Supernova, he had a Phantom Zone Projector in his costume that allowed him to Teleport everywhere. In his own later series, he could Time Travel pretty much anywhere as well. He is also notably INSANELY better in his own book, probably hitting PL 11 or something, and raising all his mental stats.

SKEETS
Created By:
Dan Jurgens
First Appearance: Booster Gold #1 (Feb. 1986)
Role: The Assistant 'Bot
Voice Actor: Billy West (aka Phillip J. Fry)
Finest Moment: Acting as if saving insects is a "Hooray!" worth moment. Explained to Booster how to deliver children.
PL 4 (95)
STRENGTH
-3 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Expertise (Civics) 3 (+7)
Expertise (History) 10 (+14)
Expertise (Theology & Philosophy) 4 (+8)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 4 (+5)
Insight 4 (+6)
Technology 5 (+9)

Advantages:
Languages 2 (Many), Well-Informed

Powers:
"Micro-Machine"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 3 [3]
"Built-In Equipment" Features 4: Computer, TV Screen, Small Fan [4]
Flight 3 (16 mph) [6]
Senses 7 (Vision Penetrates Concealment, Infravision, Microvision, Acute Scent) [7]

"Small Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [17]
(-2 Strength, +4 Defenses, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Initiative +0

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

Complications:
Reputation (Green Lantern)
Motivation/Obsession (Fame, Damsels, et al)

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 67 / Defenses: 5 (95)
Sidney369
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (FDR! Magog! Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle!)

Post by Sidney369 »

So one of Blue Beetle's enemies in his 80s series was Overthrow, a villain dressed in green and purple and who threw orange spheres.
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (FDR! Magog! Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle!)

Post by Sidney369 »

Sidney369 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 12:52 am So one of Blue Beetle's enemies in his 80s series was Overthrow, a villain dressed in green and purple and who threw orange spheres (and who turned out to be no one Ted knew).
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (FDR! Magog! Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

And the SECOND DC villain I've seen that uses one of those scoopy handball things..jeez.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (FDR! Magog! Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle!)

Post by Ken »

KorokoMystia wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 1:16 am And the SECOND DC villain I've seen that uses one of those scoopy handball things..jeez.
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He looks like a souped up jai aai player.

Ironically, Ted would be a founding member of the JLI which looks like it should be a homonym for "jai alai" except "jai" is pronounced "hi".
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Thunderbolt

Post by Jabroniville »

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OMG the little shorts XD.

THUNDERBOLT (Peter Cannon)
Created By:
Pete Morisi
First Appearance: Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt #1 (1966)
Role: Forgotten Hero
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America
PL 8 (158)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+12)
Athletics 9 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+13)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+8)
Expertise (World Traveller) 6 (+10)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 4 (+8)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+7)
Perception 3 (+7)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Treatment 3 (+7)

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

Powers:
"Mind Over Matter"
Immunity 5 (Pain Effects) [5]

"Animal Control" Mind Control 7 (Flaws: Limited to Animals) (28) -- [30]
  • AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 5 (10)
  • AE: "Clairvoyance" Remote Senses (Vision & Hearing) 5 (15)
Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Enemy (Scorpio)- The evil terrorist organization frequently vexes Cannon.

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 35 / Defenses: 13 (158)

-Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt was the title of one of Charlton Comics' mid-1960s offerings, back when they attempted to capitalize on the success of Marvel & DC in creating their own superhero line- his contemporaries include The Blue Beetle & Captain Atom, as well as other guys who would later inspire Watchmen (Cannon is actually the inspiration for Ozymandias). Dick Giordano took a hand in his creation, but he was designed & written by Pete Morisi, an NYPD officer. The whole line died about a year later, which is crazy-fast. He was initially supposed to be the Golden Age hero Daredevil, but Morisi couldn't get the rights, and simply made another character inspired by DD instead (you can see the link in his bicoloured red & blue costume).

-When Charlton sold its superhero properties to DC in 1983, Thunderbolt appeared in 1985's Crisis as a minor background face- he wouldn't get his own series until 1992, in a book done by Mike Collins, whom I've never heard of. This guy is so minor that I've never even HEARD OF HIM, despite his joining the Justice League at one point (it was a very brief run, apparently). He hasn't gotten up to much since, by Dynamite Entertainment publishes a series co-written by Alex Ross, since Morisi's estate now owns the character, DC having lost the rights. Ross also used him as a backgrounder in Kingdom Come (one of the Justice Battalion).

-Cannon was raised in a Himalayan "lamasery" (sorta like a Monastery, I guess), and used their foreign mysticism to gain a huge amount of mental and physical perfection. He used the portions of the brain left unused by ordinary men (part of a myth that we never use most of our brains) to gain "Mind Over Matter". His origin resembles both the Golden Age Amazing Man (the one who became The Prince of Orphans in The Immortal Iron Fist and The Shadow.

-Peter Cannon in the Charlton Books was just your standard Two-Fisted Adventurer, but the DC version added the Powers seen above- I assume "Clairvoyance" means Remote Sensing and not Precognition in this case, though I can't find out for sure. He can also move stuff or control animals thanks to his Himalayan learnings.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle! Booster Gold!)

Post by Davies »

Both of Dynamite's series have leaned heavily into the identification between this guy and Ozymandius, in mutually contradictory ways.
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Captain Atom (Charlton Comics)

Post by Jabroniville »

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He looks different in, like, every picture.

CAPTAIN ATOM (Allen Adam)
Created By:
Joe Gill & Steve Ditko
First Appearance: Space Adventures #33 (March 1960)
Role: Flying Blaster
Group Affiliations: None

-The Charlton Captain Atom is actually a technician named Allen Adam, who was vaporized when an experimental rocket he built exploded with him trapped inside. He rematerialized, gaining super-powers in the process, and gained a costume designed to shield people from his radioactivity. His powers were said to be similar to such other nuclear-powered superheroes as Gold Key's Doctor Solar and Dell Comics' Nukla, and he appearerd in a series of short stories in Space Adventures between 1960-61, pre-dating Spider-Man by co-creator Steve Ditko. He had a mutual attraction with his superheroine partner Nightshade, and faced enemies like Dr. Spectro as a full series came out in 1965. The Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Nightshade appeared as backup features in his book, but it was cancelled in 1967. An unfinished Ditko story was inked by John Byrne in 1975, and the character next appeared in 1982 in a new-talent showcase book. His last pre-DC appearance was in 1983, teaming with Blue Beetle, Nightshade & The Question for an AC Comics book. This Captain Atom actually appears in DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths when DC bought the rights to all the Charlton characters, but the "Captain Atom" that appears in actual continuity turns out to be a different man with similar powers for some reason.

-This Captain Atom is a Flying Blaster with superhuman strength, much like the DC character.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Axis Amerika! The Blue Beetle! Booster Gold!)

Post by Ares »

I always felt bad for Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. While both characters had humorous sides to them, through them we get to see the difference between characters who are funny and characters who are a joke. In their original series, the pair were individually capable of some humor, but were still solid superheroes. Ted was a brilliant designer and fighter, he had one of the coolest superhero vehicles of all time, he was basically Peter Parker who had acquired Bruce Wayne level wealth and was fighting crime as a trained normal. Meanwhile Booster was shown to be someone who early on was obsessed with his image and making money, but there was deliberate character growth that showed him as a real hero.

Then JLI happened and both of them became seen as jokes. It wasn't until Dan Jurgens came back and started writing them that they got treated more as regular superheroes than as these two bumbling buffoons.

Booster is actually pretty powerful and capable as a hero, given he's got the baseline physical stats of a professional athlete, his suit offers him some baseline protection, gives him superstrength, lets him fly, gives him a pretty versatile force field projector, has some sensors built into his mask, and he's got some powerful wrist blasters. Personality wise, I'd make him more like how Johnny Cage was portrayed in some of the more recent Mortal Kombat games, a funny guy who started out self-obsessed but grew into a real hero. He's still funny and plays the clown, but he's no less heroic or effective for it.

Ted should be someone who is the same kind of "ninja / gadgeteer / detective" that Batman is, just where Bruce focuses mostly on the Detective aspect, Ted focuses more on the Gadgeteer aspect. Ted really should be more like the Silver Age Batman who had a gadget for every situation, and used his brain to out-think his issues, while also being an amazing acrobat, hand-to-hand fighter, and solid detective (though the Question would be a better detective in the old Charlton line-up).

I've actually read some old Charlton Captain Atom comics, and it's kind of interesting how different tends to get played up compared to others. He seems like he was built more around being the main Flying Brick of his universe, and would only use his energy attacks (he called them "atomic fireballs") as a weapon of last resort, since they were very powerful but also very draining to use. He also had some unique powers like being able to phase through matter, Vision/Martian Manhunter-style. His main weakness seemed to be his atomic energy levels, which could be temporarily exhausted either by energy drains or overuse of his abilities. It left him a powerful flying brick, but one that could be challenged a bit more easily than the Superman-types.

I also dug this look for Charlton Captain Atom quite a bit, for some reason:

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"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Captain Atom (DC Comics)

Post by Jabroniville »

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CAPTAIN ATOM (Capt. Nathaniel Adam, aka Cameron Scott)
Created By:
Cary Bates, Greg Weisman & Pat Broderick
First Appearance: Captain Atom #1 (March 1987)
Role: Attempted Major Hero, Flying Blaster, Yes-Man Military Boy
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, The U.S. Army, L.A.W.
PL 13 (248)
STRENGTH
15 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Air Force) 8 (+10)
Insight 1 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+10)
Perception 4 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Radiation) 2 (+10)
Technology 5 (+7)
Vehicles 13 (+13)

Advantages:
Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blasts) 2, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
"Living Energy" Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
"Dilustel Body Sheath" Protection 15 (Extras: Impervious 13) [28]
Immunity 10 (Radiation Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]
Flight 9 (1,000 mph) [18]
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]
Senses 3 (Detect Radiation- Acute, Ranged) [3]
Features 1: Unarmed Attacks Count as Radiation Damage [1]
"Telepathic Interface" Communication 1 (Computers) [4]

"Radiation Blast" Blast 16 (Feats: Split, Variable- Any Radiation, Penetrating 10) (43) -- [48]
  • AE: "Radiation Wave" Damage 13 (Feats: Variable- Any Radiation, Penetrating 8) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (35)
  • AE: "Radiation Beam" Damage 13 (Feats: Variable- Any Radiation, Penetrating 8) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (35)
  • AE: "Radiation Storm" Damage 13 (Feats: Variable- Any Radiation, Penetrating 8) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (35)
  • AE: "Drain Radiation" Weaken Powers 13 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Energy) (26)
  • AE: Nullify Transformation Powers 10 (10)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Radiation Blast +10 (+16 Ranged Damage, DC 31)
Area Effects +13 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +15 (+7 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (Living Energy)- A nuclear accident left Nathaniel as a being of living energy.
Responsibility (The U.S. Air Force)- Nathaniel is a Captain in the Air Force, and is absolutely loyal to the U.S. Government. When Wade Eiling reactivates his commission, he feels he has little choice but to accept.
Involuntary Transformation (Disembodied Energy)- If Captain Atom's suit is ruptured, he will cast out Damage 13 in a massive Burst Area, and lose all cohesion. Without another suit, he will be unable to affect the physical world, and may be sent into the future.
Enemy (General Wade Eiling)- Eiling framed Adam and had him killed, then married Adam's widow.
Enemy (Major Force)- A piss-biscuit by the name of Major Force was given powers the same way Captain Atom was.
Relationship (Plastique)- The two were once married, but split up over politics and the fact that she's a villainess.
Involuntary Transformation (Travelling Through Time)- If Capt. Atom absorbs too much energy, he can be sent forward through time.
Power Loss (Durability)- X-Ionizer Technology can cut Atom's Dilustel body.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 139 / Defenses: 13 (248)

Captain Atom- Failed Main Eventer:
-Captain Atom is one of those guys who you would've expected to become a huge name, but it never really panned out. The original Captain Atom was a Steve Ditko creation for the early Charlton comics of the '60s (and was a guy named Allen Adam), alongside Blue Beetle and others, but he vanished after The Crisis on Infinite Earths (until I read his Wikipedia article, I assumed it was always the same guy). His '60s run was about six or seven years long. The new Captain Atom was an Air Force Captain who was framed by General Wade Eiling, and offered a pardon from his death sentence if he participated in an experiment. He got blown up by a nuclear bomb while inside an alien spaceship, and "jumped" 18 years into the future with fantastic powers. Eiling, still an asshole 18 years on (he's married Adam's wife, now deceased herself), forces Adam to perform duties (since he was "killed", no pardon was ever offered, and none is claimed to exist anymore) as a government-controlled superhero.

-The book started off with Cary Bates & Greg Weisman (later the creator of Gargoyles) writing, and details Nathaniel's attempts to reconcile with the death of his wife, her marriage to Eiling, and having missed his children grow up (wow I had no idea he actually had kids). Recurring villains include Plastique, a super-powered terrorist with explosive powers, and a Mirror Image Villain named Major Force, who has all of Atom's powers but none of his morality- he's instead a murdering psychopath. Who would eventually get swiped from Capt. Atom and made a Green Lantern villain instead.

Captain Atom Gets Cancelled; Gets Weird:
-Adam eventually manages to clear his name and breaks free, revealing various department secrets publicly. He joins the JLA and Justice League Europe, and even MARRY his enemy Plastique (!), but his book was cancelled in 1991 after 57 issues. This was because he was due to be turned into the villainous Monarch in Armageddon 2001, a big Event Story... however, DC was so bad at keeping this on the down-low that fans IMMEDIATELY figured it out with the hints they were given, and so the writers scrambled, turning Hank "Hawk" Hall into Monarch instead. Adam got an even WORSE fate- appearing on 1995's Extreme Justice (a "bad-ass EXTREEEEEEME" version of the JLA, after the Image Era had already damaged that concept beyond repair) and 1999's L.A.W.- another "Extreeeeeeme!" book featuring Charlton characters. In fact, Captain Atom basically falls off the face of the Earth after Armageddon, only showing up in minor books like that. He's even shown as having divorced Plastique "eventually"- neither is important enough anymore to have this shown on panel. She shows up as a villain in 2006, the marriage being forgotten.

-A short series set in the Wildstorm Universe (he'd been exiled there after blowing up in Batman/Superman) didn't do much for Capt. Atom, either- he had apparently been used to set off a universal reboot there, doing something to their continuity. In short, the character had become just another one of DC's failed attempts at creating a big new hero, joining Will Payton, Metamorpho, Black Lightning and countless others in the "Discard Pile". He does prove somewhat important to some side stories, like fighting a version of Monarch that IS Nathaniel Adam (from an alternate universe), and helps fix things when he goes to an Earth 112 years in the future destroyed by a war against the OMACs.

-It's odd, because I always have this idea that he's a guy on the level just below the "Main Eventers", but it was clearly never the case. Maybe it's a "Power" thing- he's on a really high-level of power, so I often just ASSUME he was a big, screaming deal. But I think the whole Armageddon fiasco more or less burned him as a character, and he never recovered from it (a later story involved time travel and a version that WAS Monarch, but this was more than a decade later).

Atom in JLU:
-Captain Atom also seemed like he was gonna be a huge character on JLU. I mean, he got major credit in the very first episode, saving the day alongside the debuting Supergirl & Green Arrow, both of whom went on to become MAJOR Core Cast members who did all sorts of things and got tons of episodes all their own. But it just never happened for the guy- much like in real DC Comics, he just can't hold up solo, and plays off of others better. So he showed up here or there, but only really did something important AGAIN when he fought Superman in the depths of Cadmus because General Eiling told him to. That fight is what my friend (who's semi-unfamiliar with DC stuff) commented on being one of the nice things about the DC Animated Universe. In regular comics, it's SUCH A GIVEN that Supes will win against another hero every single time that there's no drama to it- he just kicks guy's asses. But in this show, suddenly Captain Atom, a supporting character, can result in an EPIC brawl, only losing at the very end, after five minutes of solid action. And THEN, after that giant push happened, he got brought back to JLU base, helped out a bit, then vanished for the entirety of the next season. Sigh....

Captain Atom's Powers:
-Captain Atom's tough as hell and hits like hell, being a super-solid PL 13 that breaks his points-caps, costing nearly what some of the Big Seven do. That'll happen when you mix Flying Brick with Blaster with Immune to Fortitude Effects Guy. He's got a super-powerful Radiation Control power, he can absorb nearly any radioactive energy coming his way, he's strong enough to slug it out with Superman briefly, etc. Outside of the Big Seven, he's probably the single-toughest Justice Leaguer.
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