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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firestorm! Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho!)

Post by Ken »

My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firestorm! Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho!)

Post by Ken »

Metamorpho was basically an attempt to do a Ben Grimm type of character - the reluctant, monstrous hero. Sapphire was his Alicia. But for powers, they basically took Plastic Man's and the Metal Men's powers and turned them up to 11.

And the truth of the matter is that Bob Haney was, at best, as a writer a skilled craftsman. He could tell a decent story. But that was about it. He was never great. And he could be a little inattentive to details when he was writing other people's characters.

But he was a regular writer on The Brave & the Bold in the 1960s and 1970s. He only left the book because an editor told him to write a Batman & Mera story, which Haney reportedly thought was just the wrong thing to do. But it was because of him being on B&B that Metamorpho ended up teaming with Batman a fair amount. This in turn led to Mike Barr choosing Metamorpho as an Outsider.
Remember, the acceptable team formula at the time was 2-4 established characters and 2-4 new characters, with maybe a character who is old but obscure; Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl (established) Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire (new), Beast Boy (obscure); Aquaman, Elongated Man, Zatanna, and J'onn J'onzz (established), Steel II, Vibe, and Gypsy (new), Vixen (obscure); Professor X, Cyclops (established), Storm, Thunderbird, Colossus, Night Crawler (new), Wolverine (obscure [at the time]); Batman, Black Lightning, Metamorpho (established); Geo-Force, Halo, and Katana (new).
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firestorm! Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho!)

Post by Ares »

Metamorpho was definitely meant to be more of a Ben Grimm-style hero, having a monstrous appearance, lamenting how he was a freak, even having a similar speech pattern, attitude and a costume that was just a pair of undies, though Rex was a bit more upbeat than Ben tended to be. His power is very "DC", in that knowledge of actual chemistry and compounds can make for a more interesting powerset. He's basically like a one-man 'Elements of Doom', which has a lot of potential for power.

I wouldn't say Rex is a favorite character of mine, definitely not a Red Guardian character, but he is a DC mainstay and I honestly don't think his look is that bad. It's iconic to the character, so changing it too drastically almost never works. He also works to show that not all DC heroes are shining paragons and pretty boys. And the fact that he was this kind of adventuring archeologist is also pretty cool, and his ties to Egyptian mythology could also have been played up. The Orb of Ra functioning as a creature creator or villain empowerer is also a fun concept and makes for an easy supply of mooks, monsters and master villains.

And under the right artists, I think he looks fine.

Image




It definitely looks better than the look they gave him in the 90s for a brief stint, right before he was killed off by Grant Morrison.

Image



It also looks like his fighting the Metal Men is kind of a recurring thing.

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

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Etrigan the Demon

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

ETRIGAN THE DEMON (Jason Blood)
Created By:
Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Demon #1 (Aug. 1972)
Role: Mid-Tier Character
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, Justice League Dark, The Demon Knights
PL 12 (205)
STRENGTH
14 STAMINA 14 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Magic) 10 (+13)
Expertise (Religion) 10 (+13)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 9 (+11)
Perception 5 (+8)
Ranged Combat (Blast) 4 (+10)
Stealth 3 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Startle

Powers:
"Demonic Physiology"
Immunity 4 (Heat, Aging, Pain Effects) [4]
Senses 10 (Detect Magic- Ranged, Darkvision, Extended Hearing & Vision, Precognition) [10]
Regeneration 10 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [11]
Immortality 10 [20]
Leaping 3 (60 feet) [3]
Speed 1 (4 mph) [1]

"Magical & Demonic Powers"
"Fire Breath" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (24) -- [27]
AE: Hellfire Blast 12 (24)
AE: "Telepathy" Communication (Mental) 2 Linked to Mind-Reading 8 (24)
AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 10 (20)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Blasts +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Fire Breath +12 Area (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +6

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +14, Fortitude +14, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (Morgan Le Fay)- Morgan hunts for Merlin's secrets, and seeks them within Jason Blood's mind.
Responsibility (Evil Demon)- Etrigan is a rather-nasty creature, and Blood struggles to control him. He wishes to be free from his curse, and only-rarely can stop Etrigan from doing bad things.
Weakness (Holy Powers, Iron)- Etrigan shares the limitations of other demons.

Total: Abilities: 92 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 76 / Defenses: 9 (205)

---

JASON BLOOD
Created By:
Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Demon #1 (Aug. 1972)
Role: Mid-Tier Character
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America, Justice League Dark, The Demon Knights
PL 11 (175)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+12)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Magic) 11 (+16)
Expertise (Religion) 10 (+15)
Insight 3 (+7)
Intimidation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Blast) 4 (+10)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Sword +3), Fearless, Languages 2 (A Bunch), Ranged Attack 2, Ritualist

Powers:
"Fused With a Demon"
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
Senses 2 (Detect Magic- Ranged) [2]
Senses 4 (Precognition) (Flaws: Uncontrolled) [2]
Regeneration 6 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [7]
Immortality 10 [20]

"Magical Powers"
Blast 12 (24) -- [26]
  • AE: "Telepathy" Communication (Mental) 2 Linked to Mind-Reading 8 (24)
  • AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 10 (20)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Blasts +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +8

Complications:
Enemy (Morgan Le Fay)- Morgan hunts for Merlin's secrets, and seeks them within Jason Blood's mind.
Responsibility (Evil Demon)- Etrigan is a rather-nasty creature, and Blood struggles to control him. He wishes to be free from his curse, and only-rarely can stop Etrigan from doing bad things.
Weakness (Holy Powers, Iron)- Etrigan shares the limitations of other demons. Even Jason is afflicted by them.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 43--25 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 58 / Defenses: 15 (175)

-As sacreligious as it seems, I really feel like Jack Kirby utterly-failed with this one. Etrigan looks SO DUMB. He was created when Kirby's OTHER DC stuff (his Fourth World line) failed to sell, and DC cancelled them and demanded a horror character- Jack had no interest in horror books, and was annoyed that the first issue sold so well- it meant that DC forced him to remain on the book, and cancel the Fourth World titles before he was done with them! Unfortunately, Etrigan similarly failed to sell in the long run, resulting in the character becoming one of those permanent "Journeyman Heroes" who goes from book to book in Guest-Starring roles instead of doing his own thing.

-Etrigan is the son of the demon Belial, and merged to Jason Blood, a Knight in King Arthur's court by Merlin, who is Etrigan's half-brother. Jason is made immortal as a result, and appears as a Demonologist in modern-day Gotham City. Sometimes, Jason controls the Demon, sometimes he wants to be free of him, and sometimes Etrigan goes a little nuts and goes on a rampage. A four-issue miniseries came out in 1987 (by Grendel creator Matt Wagner), and a 1990 series lasted for an impressive 58 issues (many of which were written by Garth Ennis, who was new to DC)- the character's best. At one point, Etrigan tried to become the ruler of Hell, overthrowing the trimuvirate of leaders (Lucifer, Belial and Beezlebub), but Blood used Merlin's wisdom and re-merged the two of them, drawing Etrigan back to Earth. Repeatedly, Blood would free himself of the burden or do something that controlled Etrigan (like stealing his heart; Etrigan became listless, but made a deal with a debuting Tommy Monaghan to get it back).

-John Byrne wrote a Blood of the Demon book for 17 issues that apparently ignored much prior continuity, taking place after Kirby's run had ended, too. Etrigan actually seems to be getting used more often in the Nu52 than he ever was in his heyday. To me, he's still in the "Metamorpho Class" of guys who look too dumb to take seriously. The guy's a FRIGGIN' DEMON and still looks like an umimpressive idiot in a Quasimodo outfit.

-Etrigan is apparently HIGHLY-powerful, up there in the Super-Heavyweight Class of fighter, and Jason Blood ain't no weakling either. They both have the vague "Magic" Power, which could mean literally anything, but DCA and Wikipedia list some stuff. Etrigan is a PL 12 brawler, while Jason is a PL 11 Blaster who fights like a PL 8 melee battler.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5082
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho! Etrigan!)

Post by Davies »

My favorite Etrigan story is from Alan Grant's run on Detective Comics, involving him coming into conflict with Bats (he wants to eat some crooks, Batman would rather that didn't happen) and coming close to killing him. Batman doesn't give up the fight, though, and that breaks through the Demon's fury ... and makes him laugh. Startled, Batman asks what's so funny.

Quoth Etrigan:
"I like you, man. I like your style.
I wonder what force stirs your bile?
Eh? What demon drives you on,
To fight when even hope is gone?
Cheer up! It's over. Go your own way -- free
...
Because there's something deep inside you, man --
-- that's very much like me!
From now, when caged in skin and bone,
I'll take comfort knowing -- I'm not alone!"

The last panel of the story shows Batman looking utterly shaken by this observation, that his unrelenting pursuit of justice is an inescapable self-inflicted torment that an actual demon from hell found comparable to his own situation.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Orbiter
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:39 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho! Etrigan!)

Post by Orbiter »

I read an old Hal Foster Prince Valiant story one time in which Val decided to pull a bluff that was very interesting in hindsight. He pretended to be a demon to scare some opponents as part of a plan. His disguise consisted of killing a goose, plucking it's feathers and using it's yellowish skin as a mask, making little horns on it, and sticking the goose's feet at the side of his head as ears. You'll never convince that Jack Kirby didn't read that story. It may be an homage, a subconscious memory, or a joke -- but it's too much to be coincidence.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho! Etrigan!)

Post by Ken »

My favourite Etrigan story is probably from the one Blue Devil annual. The Phantom Stranger, Blue Devil, Black Orchid, Etrigan, Man-Bat, the Creeper, and Madame Xanadu vs Felix Faust and the demon Neibros' babies....

And the first* adventure of Creeper and his Spirit Squad!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

* - and only and last.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

JSA Rundowns- Black Adam

Post by Jabroniville »

"Black Adam: The Dark Age" (BA: TDA #1-6)- written by Peter Tomasi, art by Doug Mahnke

-And now for something completely different... taking place between "52" and "Countdown", this is the story of how Black Adam got his powers back after Billy took them at the end of "World War III" (at least the second time a DC story has been called that).

-It starts with Adam (in human, Arab form-- why does he consistently switch between that and caucasian Theo Adam in his human form? Lazy writing & editing?) getting some of his loyalist followers to pummel him unrecognizable to slip through the soldiers now guarding his weakened homeland, while the JSA goes to help the reconstruction of Kahndaq. Oh, and bring in Black Adam.

-Already things get bizarre, as it's Terrific & Mid-Nite, along with Wildcat and ATOM SMASHER, who was of course not part of the JSA series by this point. They never DID quite explain why he didn't just get voted right back into the JSA once he got out of prison, did they? And GASP! He's got ultra-short hair, thus looking even MORE handsome! But now he's no taller than the rest of the team. Uh, hello Mr. Artist, he's supposed to ALWAYS be at least Big Show height. He acts mouthy with Wildcat too (who's depicted as even more un-PC than usual, calling the WWII Japanese "Nips" casually), and no mention is given that he actually SAVED Black Adam at the end of WWIII and probably let him go without a fight. Kind of bizarre characterization here, as I'm questioning this trade right away.

-Teth-Adam makes his way through the U.S. soldiers using unbeforeseen abilities of guile by pretending to be one of his own victims, having apparently put some ranks into Bluff recently. He & his buddies dig up his dead bride Isis, but get attacked by evil dudes also after her bones or something. Atom Smasher finds Isis' ring finger (with ring!) in the rubble later, but HIDES IT from the rest of the JSA! Oh, Albert, you SCAMP!

-Adam is now in the Himalayas, EATING THE BODY of his dead buddy Tamir, the last of his followers to survive. Oh, dear. He dumps Isis' bones into one of Ra's al-Ghul's Lazarus Pits (about time other DC guys started using RESURRECTION POOLS as a plot device), and she REVIVES, all naked and busty and stuff. But she decays in ultra-gory fashion in front of his eyes (yeah, comics definitely ain't for kids anymore, ya know), because something is wrong.

-Adam fights and beats a freakin' YETI out there, without his powers, using it's INTESTINES as a swing-line. Yeah, gross. Meanwhile, Batman & Superman find an assassin at the Kahndaqi Embassy and scare him into giving up info. Then Adam finds Fate's Tower using a shard of the Rock of Eternity, and makes a deal with Felix Faust, still trapped there from "52". They can bring Isis back, using her Amulet. Oh, and magic crap makes him Black Adam again. I hate magic in comics for this kind of stuff. And why are Faust's eyes so goddamned big, anyways? It makes him look like an idiotic 50s villain with no place in modern comics.

-Turns out Isis' resurrection failed because of her missing ring finger, and Adam has limited time in his super-powered form to get the pieces of the missing Amulet (scattered across the world... yeah, it's a Catch the Macguffin kind of story) together. First piece leads to a fight with Hawkman with tons of bad-ass moody lines from the two ancient caveman-types, and it ends with that BRILLIANT "on a wing and a prayer" panel with Adam casually tossing a one-winged Carter down hundreds of feet. Awesome scene, but really, how the HELL does a guy like Hawkman last ten seconds against Black Adam in hand-to-hand? This guy's punched out Captain Marvel, and Hawkman eats a punch to the face and is merely hurt? I know the Nth metal helps him out a bit, but COME ON.

-Adam ends up getting shot up in human form by assassins, and harasses some veterinarians for medical help. In gratitude for their unwillingness to let him die on the table (they figured if he somehow recovered, he'd kill their families upon finding out they nearly let him die), he saves them from the assassins now following him with specialized bullets. Big JLA/JSA group pose as they talk about hunting down Adam by tracking the lightning, which lets me talk a bit about artist Doug Mahnke. Very good, competent stuff, and he draws gore and beatings better than anyone not named Ottley, but everyone looks so GRIM. Lines and harsh shading everywhere like he's Leinil Francis Yu-- except the WOMEN, who are all Elf-like and pretty and big-eyed. And we see CYCLONE~~!! in the group pose, flying around for some reason while everyone else just stands there. Well, I guess it makes sense given her personality.

-Adam gets another piece in China, and makes another guy fall apart from freezing in outer space while he deactivates the JSA's tracking satellite. And now Al separates the ring from Isis' finger, but it explodes in a flash of light for some reason, and other U.N. government types discuss new magic Rock of Eternity bullets that can magically kill Black Adam.

-And now the moment we've all been waiting for... the BROMANCE of Albert & Adam continues! They meet up in NY for some recollections, with Al apparently going behind the JSA's backs on THIS, too! Oh, you and your misguided loyalties, Albert... He feels that Adam should take his bride (he gives him the finger... Isis', that is) and disappear FOREVER, because he knows that Adam's murder of Bialya is unacceptable and pushed him fully into the dark side, no matter how bad he feels for scaring vets or killing fish. And yet... Al lies about the ring, making up a story about losing it. I have no idea why. There's just some really good emotion in this scene, as Al clearly can't stand what Adam's become, but is still loyal enough to lie for him and try to protect him, while Adam is just sad that it's all come to this, and regrets losing what they had. Sniffle.

-Another piece in a poor-ass villain of once-barren women (taking a ridiculous amount of time-- all this gathering could easily have been done in a couple panels), and the last is in Antarctica... where he meets the U.N. legion of soldiers and their magic bullets. So Mahnke does ANOTHER big stretch of him just mowing down random thugs by flying through them and knocking them into the freezing waters and stuff, but HE GETS SHOT. Adam escapes, and the JSA/JLA shows up to confront the soldiers. Really, they sent CYCLONE out on a mission to stop a mass-murdering psychopath? That girl can barely control her tornados at this point; much less take on Captain Fly-Through-Bodies.

-Highlight of the series: Teth-Adam, looking like a hobo, strolling into a Fawcett City Ice Cream Shoppe, getting a ridiculously long-winded description of a Chocolate Egg Cream, ordering one, and BOOM!- that's the secret new magic word for the lightning, and he transforms to Black Adam without using Isis' remaining power.

-Adam & Faust do the big resurrection dealie, but it FAILS- Faust blame's Adam's repeatead use of his powers, and Adam tears off in a rage upon hearing "Isis" blaming him for everything wrong with her life. Faust then smart-assedly explains everything to Ralph Dibny's skeleton, saying that he fooled Adam all along, and really DID bring Isis back, and was using Dibny's body as a ruse. Then he escapes Fate's Tower using her drugged and slowed body. And that's that.

Review: Six issues of comics for that? This could EASILY have been done in less than two issues- maybe even just ONE, and featured some of the most drawn-out stuff EVER. What was the need for three or four full pages each of Antarctica, poor Africans and a Chinese submarine? And all for basically nothing major, as Isis is brought back, but only by Faust's trickery, in something that didn't really get paid off till much later anyhow. Just way too confusing (why did the ring blow in a flash of light, anyhow?), full of decompressed silliness, and based entirely around Adam whining about how dark and morbid he had become, placed around mountains of ridiculous gore and gristle. I mean, it was GOOD gore and gristle, but it seemed more like a decompressed masturbatory excercise in 90s-storytelling than a really good comic book series.

Best Moment: The "On a wing and a prayer" line, followed by tossing a beaten and bloodied Hawkman fourty stories down. And also the diner scene with Adam & Albert, explaining just where the characters stood (Al was still loyal to Adam, but realized he had gone way too far and needed to go down, or disappear forever).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

JSA Rundowns- Thy Kingdom Come Part 1

Post by Jabroniville »

"JSA: Thy Kingdom Come, Part One" (JSA #)- written by Geoff Johns & Alex Ross, art by Dale Eaglesham & Fernando Pasarin
JSA line-up: Green Lantern I, Flash I, Wildcat I, Hawkman II, Dr. Mid-Nite III, Mr. Terrific II, Power Girl, Jakeem Thunder (not present), Stargirl, Sandman II (not present), Hourman II, Liberty Belle II, Obsidian (security system), Cyclone, Damage, Starman VIII, Wildcat III

-We open back to the 'regular' JSA series, where Nathan Heywood wakes up in a steel body, FREAKS, and starts throwing shit around. Mid-Nite (who's sole job in this run seems to be diagnosing people) calms him down, and brings him to see his remaining family... an eleven year old girl and a few other kids. Phew. And poor Nate can't even go visit them, because his raw strength in steel form is tearing the living crap out of everything he touches, which is a nice touch you don't often see from super-types, because most of them are experienced. As a result of this, the JSA builds him a suit to withhold some of his power... but he doesn't react well to the colours- he doesn't want to be a super-hero like the other two men in his life, so the Commander Steel outfit bugs him. And how in the hell did they make it get coloured that way when it was POURED MOLTEN METAL, anyways? Shouldn't they have just painted it? Weird comics science.

-In any case, Power Girl comes in and brings Nate for an ass-kicking of some Fourth Reich loyalists, while Superman talks to Starman, who's as extra-annoying to read the dialogue of as ever. Wow, I really dislike how this guy's being handled.

-So PG leads Wildcat & the Junior JSA members into a firefight with armed psychopaths, which just seems like a TERRIBLE idea, but I guess they gotta start somewhere. "Maybe he's allergic to cats", heh, I like this TomCat kid. Though Eaglesham's the only artist in comics who can seemingly draw him. Fight's pretty one-sided, as you'd expect. "Boo to Nazis!" Oh, Stargirl, I love you too. But as a brother. Yes, a brother who wants you to hook up with his man-cru... favourite super-hero Atom Smasher.

-Power Girl christens Nate "Citizen Steel", and he officially joins the team. Am I crazy, or did PG & Nate seem kinda in the first stages of a hook-up here? Might just be reading into things, since they pretty much hang out NEVER after this. Hey, Cyclone all of a sudden has a slit up the side of her dress again, after several panels of not having one. Weird, Eaglesham. Nate finally gets to hang out with his surviving family members, and is happy again. YAY!

-Next issue is a Liberty Belle focus, describing her relationship with Rick "Hourman" Tyler (he's a wild & whacky guy, super-eager and exciteable and annoying, but she loves him all the same), and her childhood. I always thought it was REALLY lame that nice 'saved from comics limbo' characters like Johnny Quick & Liberty Belle I, who had a great marriage in All-Star Squadron, ended up divorced and disliking each other in our time. Things like this remind me of how awkward it is to have characters be so long-lived. Libby & Johnny were married in the FOURTIES, and popped out only one kid in all that time, apparently only twenty-plus years ago. At least it's better than the entire JSA proper being married for eons, and hatching only a couple legitimate podlings between ten freaking guys, at least ones that knew of their parentage all along (those being Rick Tyler & Hector Hall... not counting Lyta Hall anymore). Everything else is 'latter day' revelations and mystery kids, or ones who died young (Jay's adopted kid, Ted's dead kid, Ted's new kid, Alan's two kids).

-Uh-oh, the team gets called in to stop Zoom, the Reverse-Flash who beat the hell out of Damage's face, and it's in ATLANTA, the place he's banned from because he blew up part of it. Damage ignores them because he's a general shitstain, and it's a big problem. Especially once DAMAGE takes the VILLAIN hostage, trying to kill him. Jesse of course walks in to stop him, having taken ol' Grant (why must the only comic book character with my first name be such an utter tool?) under her wing.

-And seriously, why is the tight blue shirt/baggy yellow mountie-pants combo so HOT? I can't figure it out. Especially under Fernando Pasarin's guest-pencils; he really has her DOWN, moreso than even the usually awesome Dale. I guess the fact that it looks like he just coloured her naked torso blue might have something to do with it (seriously, any artist will tell you you're not supposed to draw each boob like it's own fully-shaped entity when someone's wearing a shirt- no matter HOW tight it is. Not that it stops comics artists EVER). Jessie calms Damage down finally by discussing her new mantra ("Just because something is broken, doesn't mean you throw it away"... good as any, I guess, though it's no "With Great Power..."). Zoom uses that to try to kill him, but Jessie uses her OLD mantra, and suddenly she can ALSO use SUPER-SPEED, making her roughly twice as powerful. Nice. Though now she's doubly-redundant, on a team with Power Girl, Citizen Steel AND Jay Garrick having all of her powers between them, all at higher levels.

-The JSA fights out of getting Grant tossed into prison by demanding the cops arrest ALL of them, and that's the end of it. Cops sure are more easily-cowed in this world. I can't imagine that working anywhere else. "You nearly murdered a man deliberately after breaking a Restraining Order on a city? Well as long as your friends say it's OK."

-Next issue has Power Girl angsting about being alone in the world AGAIN, after Kal-L/Superman I died. Boy, that's getting tiresome sometimes, y'know? It's nice of her to have an Achilles Heel after being such a generic aggressive bitch for so long, but man, broken record here. And the rest of the JSA is helping out at the Fire Hall belonging to the firemen who helped the Wildcats out. Big splash page is pretty entertaining, showing just WHY Dale Eaglesham needs some time off occasionally, with like fourty people milling around. Damage telling the kids he could beat up the ENTIRE Justice League almost makes me love the bugger. Poor Hourman is shot down by Jessie when he openly coos over a cute baby. Ow. Maxine is as adorable as ever, but is definitely playing a minor role so far.

-And in a CLASSIC bit, Stargirl is being openly followed around by a semi-adult-looking fireman (I guess he'd have to be at LEAST eighteen), and Jay Garrick walks up and politely ("You're a bit old for her, aren't you son?") comments on the age disparity, resulting in Stargirl's EXTREMELY realistic and hilarious "JAAAAAYYYY". hahahaha this book rules sometimes.

-It leads to an exhibition boxing match between the Wildcats, as Ted beats the snot out of Tommy, who really looks ineffective as a super-hero. I mean, he's a super-cat, but he can't beat one of the weaker JSAers? I guess Ted IS a lethal bad-ass who trained the Bat and all, but this isn't even CLOSE. They really go out of their way to make Tommy look stupid in his boxers & headgear.

-Emergency fire! It's been caused by Goth, one of the big reasons why the Devin Grayson Titans revival was an utter failure- in that one of their big 'new' villains was an idiotic Marilyn Manson rip-off demon who was manipulating children. At least he's killed here, by a mystery assailant. The magic fire is really dangerous and about to kill everybody, when Starman Power-Stunts a black hole over Goth's body, which is deus ex machina enough to bring an older, Kal-Lish SUPERMAN out of the portal.

-And yes, it's the Superman of Kingdom Come, since Alex Ross is taking such a big part in this JSA reboot series. Why he's on the SOCIETY instead of the more appropriate LEAGUE isn't explained, but whatever. Haha, Cyclone looks so cute peering over Ma Hunkel's shoulder all "UH-OH..." Note also that virtually every time her feet are drawn, they're pointing towards each other, just to make her look EXTRA gawky every time she poses. It's the little things that give you characterization, folks...

-Starman kinda explains that KC Superman here is from Earth-22, the Kingdom Come-verse, right at the moment the bomb was dropped on all the metahumans. Maxine's hyper-fast conversation about it being nice to meet Superman, unless they'd met before, but she'd probably remember that, and needing a drink of water is adorable. KC Supes is happy that the JSA is around, because this world isn't the Crapsack World of his Earth. But then he hears some girl attempt to commit suicide, so he MUST escape the JSA's base. But THEY don't know that, so they try to stop him, and we get one of those meaningless Superhero Meets Superhero battles that are so famous, though at least it's all grappling here. It serves the purpose of showing just HOW powerful Superman here is, as he easily fights off the entire JSA and flies off to save the girl.

-That issue ends with everyone still being confused about this Supes, and the JLA shows up. And Chroma, another lame godly character, is murdered by whatever killed Goth.

-Jay & Wally fly the Cosmic Treadmill in an attempt to find Earth-2, but it reveals a glimmer of Robin I & Huntress I and then goes to black, as apparently modern writers just LOVE that concept of Earth-2. The JLA/JSA team finds nothing wrong with KC Supes, and engages in some MORE conversation about how they're doing the right thing on this Earth (a little obsessed and heavy-handed here, Johns?), and Power Girl angsts AGAIN about missing Superman & Lois I, this time actually checking their bodies with X-Ray vision to ensure they're dead, which gives us the DELIGHTFUL image of their decaying bodies. Ew.

-A new crisis rears itself, but not before My Beautiful & Beloved and her understanding best pal Stargirl present Superman with a new, non-iconically ripped costume. Jesus, Stars must be a SAINT to put up with Maxine all this time. The crisis turns out to be the newly-created Judomaster II, an unrelated-to-Rip-Jagger girl named Sonia Sato. Always liked Judomaster, mainly from his awesome costume (he was another WWII-era character created years later & introduced to the All-Star Squadron, during the martial-arts craze of the 70s). So Miss Sato is fighting some boring losers called The Blood Soldiers, agents of her dead father's boss. This rapid-fire backstory & all these villains don't matter for any future stories, in case you were busy trying to memorize it. A lot of that going around in this new JSA series, really.

-Judomaster II has a unique power, one that is actually REALLY lame when you think about it, the ability to never be hit by a direct attack ever. So every shot misses her unless it's an explosion or something. LAME. Before so much as a few panels of fighting can occur, it's all over (the big fat sumo's exploding body trick being the biggest thing seen) when the JSA gets there, and the police try to arrest Sonia for being a part of all the fighting & destruction. Damage is the one to beg them off this time, bringing joy to Jessie & Rick's faces.

-And now we finally see the NEW Mr. America, Jeffrey Graves, the fired FBI agent who was pals with the one who got killed in the first JSA issue. He's investigating the death of Chroma now.

-Holy crap, it's JAKEEM! Johns remembered him & his annoying-ass super-powers existed again! He gets to meet the new gang of the JSA (well, the boy members), as well as Judomaster, who speaks no English, and easily avoids Wildcat's best punches in the training ring.

-The elder JSA guys look at the next batch of potential recruits (Nightwing? Donna Troy? REALLY?), and the recruitment begins AGAIN, in much bigger fashion, and with much weaker characters. Amazing-Man III is the first, and we get a mini-bio of the original dude, now retconned into history (he's another "Added to the Golden Age long after it was over" guys, as part of Roy Thomas' idea to create a new black character and put him in THAT era to showcase how the heroes & public would deal with it) as the captor of James Earl Ray and an important Civil Rights figure. The new guy is a grandson, inheriting Bill Everett's Absorbing-Man-type powers, and looks like a giant Muslim from Hell. He gives a happy little moral lecture about not allowing horrible tragedy (he stopped a guy who's family died during the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina thing from robbing people) to affect your morals.

-Mr. America III finds another dead body, that of Proteus, a winged false-god whom I've NEVER heard of. Johns is really cleaning up the terrible comic-book side characters here. He's croaked, along with all his New Olympians buddies, all mysteries to me, too. We finally see in sihlouette who the mystery assassin is. BUT I WON'T TELL!

-Mr. Terrific, Stargirl & CYCLONE~~!! go to visit a new recruit, this one not one of THEIR legacies, which kind of mucks up the whole concept, to be honest. It's Jennifer Pierce, the OTHER daughter of Black Lightning. Oh, poor Black Lightning's creator. He threw a shit-fit I heard when they created a kid for him out of NOWHERE, after YEARS of solo stories & Outsiders stuff involving him and no mention of the girl, and now he's got a SECOND one. HAH! Everyone bitches about that Outsiders team that ended up going nowhere and helping nobody (short of making sure Arsenal stayed it at least one ongoing constantly, and introducing us to boring characters Grace & Thunder & that stupid robot chick), which is pretty damning. I mean, most guys who get made fun of IN-CONTINUITY are guys like Gunfire & Geomancer.

-Anyways, Terrific's & Courtney's tiny hidden smiles to Jefferson blowing up at his daughter browning out their house with her powers is pretty hilarious mini-characterization from Dale. And "Lightning" is of course another favourite Alex Ross design, the Black Lightning II from Kingdom Come, who I always thought looked really stupid. I mean, why would a glowing chick have such deep shading all over her body? And have Energy-ridden Lightning Bolts that look like CARTOON electricity sticking out of her, too? Maxine of course makes the worst possible impression straight away, freaking out and talking a mile a minute in a backstory-laden speech (she's an only child and her parents pushed her super-hard and she can only be herself around the JSA and they should all stay up at night in the same room and make costumes), and is for some reason drawn REALLY ugly here by Dale, with a mouth way too big (even for her) and a weird misshapen head & overly-drawn freckles. See, her light Archie-style freckles are CUTE, but you really can't INK THEM IN like they do here. You've got to define them purely by COLOUR, though that takes away from the penciller's stake in things a bit.

-OH MY GOD, CONTINUITY ERROR! Courtney covers Maxine's mouth with her bare hand, when she's established as wearing GLOVES for this scene! I read comics good!

-Next recruit is some dude wearing the Eye of Providence on his arm, who's the great-grandson of FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, aka the President retconned into forming the JSA/All-Star Squadron, making him a big-time awesome legacy. He's a soldier, serving in Afghanistan. Apparently there are THREE-HUNDRED metahumans serving in the Armed Forces, which seems a little bit insane to me. I mean, they could all just be minor metas and shit, but THREE-HUNDRED? There are barely that many SUPER-HEROES active! Apparently many others figured out David's eventual deal here quickly, but I never did- having less knowledge of the Eye since I don't use American money and not getting the significane of that.

-And at the very end, a brutalized Mr. America pops in (bringing up memories of the other's ass-kicking in JSA #1) asking anyone what they know about the murderer... GOG! DUM DUM DUMMMMM!!!

Roster Changes: Ho-KAY.... Citizen Steel joins early. Followed quickly by Judomaster II, Amazing-Man III, Lightning II (the first was a Vietnamese Teen Titan associate), Mr. America III, David "Lance" Reid, Jakeem kinda returns, Superman of Earth-22 moves into the Brownstone.

Review: Huh. This one had a pretty nice basis by focusing on one member at a time and dealing with their personality and backstory, which was nice, and then settled RIGHT into building and building the roster to ridiculous levels. I was with them for Citizen Steel, but adding Judomaster, who can't even talk to the team? Then Lightning, a superfluous Blaster-type? Then Amazing-Man? And Lance, the most boring-looking metahuman in HISTORY? And the super-redundant Mr. America? Jesus. The whole Kingdom Come Superman thing has always kinda weirded me out, as it's nice for Alex & Geoff to live out Kingdom Come fantasies again, but he just feels ODD in a book that's barely about him at all (KC had MUCH more to do with the JSA, and he's significantly different from Superman I, who only LOOKS like this guy). The "This is how super-heroes are supposed to act" thing becomes a mantra for the entire series, for better or worse. I mean, it's a nice concept and all, but I kinda like it when the book was about stopping super-villains and the next big "Event" arc and stuff like that, while allowing good characterization during all the down-times. Oh, and remember when the JSA's roster seemed GIGANTIC with ten guys on the squad? I miss that.

Thumbs in the middle, here. Every issue was nice and AT LEAST passable, and a few moments were truly funny and great, but things are just getting out of control with the roster at this point, and you never really buy anyone being in any severe danger for even a second, like the 'old' JSA series. The worst villains of the entire thing are some Nazi soldiers with guns, and Professor Zoom, who gets taken out by ONE JSAer.

Best Moment: Jay cock-blocking that dude for hitting on Stargirl. Close call, since Cyclone's mile-a-minute dialogue to KC Superman was so adorable (along with her toes pointing towards each other while hanging onto Ma Hunkel), but I went with my mind instead of my weiner on this one.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Super-Chief (Jon Standing Bear)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

SUPER-CHIEF III (Jon Standing Bear)
Created By:
Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid & Eddy Barrows
First Appearance: 52 #22 (Oct. 2006)
Role: Captain Ethnic
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America
PL 8 (90)
STRENGTH
2/10 STAMINA 4/10 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Super-Chief Meteorite Fragment" (Flaws: Removable) [39]
"Strength of a Thousand Bears"
Enhanced Strength 8 (16)
Enhanced Stamina 6 (12)
Power-Lifting 1 (50 tons) (1)

"Speed of a Thousand Running Deer" Speed 8 (500 mph) (8)
"Leaps Higher Than the Tallest Trees" Leaping 5 (250 feet) (5)

"The Keen Senses of the Wolf Nation"
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) (6)
--- (48 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Boosted Strength +6 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4 (+10 Meteorite), Fortitude +4 (+10 Meteorite), Will +2

Complications:
Responsibility (American Indian)- Jon had previously left the ways of his people.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 39 / Defenses: 5 (90)

-Jon Standing Bear debuted in 52 as the third Super-Chief (the first was a Western-themed Native American hero, the second was a villain). He comes back to his people after adopting the White Man's Ways or some junk, and joins Firestorm's interim "Justice League" during the year-off of most major heroes. Jon is killed by the evil Skeets, and ends up in the afterlife, getting yelled at by the original hero (Flying Stag) for forgetting the price that must be paid for magic. Alright then. Morrison felt like he wanted to add more to the character, but didn't have room, and he's never reappeared- a new Super-Chief debuted only a short time later.
User avatar
Ken
Posts: 3460
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Sycalb, Madiganistan

Super-Chief

Post by Ken »

The Super-Chief
Image
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
Shock
Posts: 2978
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Connecticut USA

Re: Super-Chief

Post by Shock »

Ken wrote: Sun Jun 05, 2022 12:12 am The Super-Chief
Image
I'm happy I'm not the only one that thought "Train!" when I see Super Chief.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Moon Maiden

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

MOON MAIDEN (Laura Klein)
Created By:
Dan Curtis Johnson & Dale Eaglesham
First Appearance: JLA Giant-Size Special #3 (Oct. 2000)
Role: Retcon Heroine
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America
PL 12 (128)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+4)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Gravity Powers"
Flight 6 (120 mph) [12]

"Lunar Madness" Affliction 10 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Transformed to Random Actions) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2, Progressive +2) (50) -- [53]
  • AE: "Earthquake" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +3) (48)
  • AE: Move Object 10 (Extras: Perception-Ranged) (30)
  • AE: "Manipulate the Tides" Environment 10 (Impede Movement 2) (20)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lunar Madness -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Earthquake +12 Area (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (The Centurion)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 4--2 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 13 (128)

-A character I've NEVER heard of, Moon Maiden is possibly named after a fabled character from the Dick Tracy comic strip. See, the strip, FAMOUS in the 1940s as a gritty detective comic some some bloody violence and hideously deformed bad guys, had fallen into the Space Age stuff by the 1960s, and so introduced a sexy alien from the Moon named "Moon Maid", who married Tracy's son and became the mother of his child (Dick's grandchild). However, people eventually got SO SICK of Moon Maid and her Moon People and the "Moon Coupe" that flew people to the Moon, that eventually the writer just axed the entire concept, killing off poor Moon Maid via car bomb and having the entire civilization abandon Earth, never to be mentioned again. Tracy's grandchild covered up her moon-antennae with hair and the Moon People were ignored as if they'd never existed. Essentially a particularly-harsh Retcon. This was basically an unmentioned thing for YEARS, until the modern-day creative team brought the concept back, albeit with an unfortunate clone who wasn't the real deal (but thought she was). It was REALLY exciting for comic strip historians, though- the Tracy strip hasn't been relevant (or particularly good) longer than I've been alive, but it was an interesting look at history.

-ANYWAYS, Moon Maiden here was a Retcon Character introduced in a one-shot and never reappeared. She was an infant discovered on the Moon by an astronaut, who brought her back to Earth as she was supposed to be the champion of an offshoot of the Roman Empire. She gained gravity powers in adulthood, and even joined the Justice League- she became a MAJOR hero, but against an enemy The Centurion, she was erased from history. When Centurion returned, Moon Maiden followed, and her father (the only one to remember her existence) rekindled the memories of the League to her old teammate. So this is one of those classic "Hey let's include some history you NEVER KNEW EXISTED" stories, which I typically hate, as they've long since stopped being relevant, because I feel like I've read it a thousand times. They always seem to over-complicate matters, too- I'm sick of this plot thread in comics- The Sentry, The Blue Marvel, The Black Captain America, The Secondary X-Men Team, etc... it's all very irritating. It doesn't help that nobody ever used the character again, making it pointless.

-Moon Maiden has high-end Gravity Manipulation Powers, meaning that she can alter the tides, create Earthquakes, and more- this potentially means that her effects are GLOBAL in scale, which would make them Rank 17. She can also drive people insane.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Jun 05, 2022 4:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
JDRook
Posts: 407
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 11:57 pm
Location: The Calgary Rift - City of Monsters

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho! Etrigan!)

Post by JDRook »

Happy 2k, Jab! That's truly impressive, especially when you consider that 2000 days is surprisingly close to 5.5 years, which is about how long you've been doing this thread. Averaging a page a day is some solid work!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Firehawk! Geo-Force! Metamorpho! Etrigan!)

Post by Jabroniville »

JDRook wrote: Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:12 am Happy 2k, Jab! That's truly impressive, especially when you consider that 2000 days is surprisingly close to 5.5 years, which is about how long you've been doing this thread. Averaging a page a day is some solid work!
Thanks! It's been a longer time than I thought at Echoes. This is easily my longest-running thread, now. No system reboots or Incidents to speak of :)!

Sometimes I cheated to build posts (spamming some teams), other times I relied on extra-chatty people (the Macyn/Batgirl/HalloweenJack comments I've been re-reading lately are like that)- we probably slowed down a bit thanks to the Discord distracting people. But yeah- 2K pages is a heck of a deal!
Post Reply