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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Robochic

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ROBOCHIC
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Cyborg Chicken
PL 6 (61)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Intimidation 3 (+3)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Beak Stabs" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) [1]
Flight 2 (8 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Special Moves +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 3 / Defenses: 11 (61)

-Pre-dating Robot Chicken by more than ten years, Robochic is also a cybernetic chicken, and probably the least-dangerous-looking character in the entire cast. Robochic was created by a lonely scientist on a faraway outpost, but she got "too rough for him" and ohhhhh my god that means he invented her for boning purposes. He sent her to the pit for quick disposal, but she quickly impressed with her "Adamantium Steel Beak", and has become a popular fighter.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Brainiac

Post by Jabroniville »

BRAINIAC
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Cyborg Chicken
PL 6 (75)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+3)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Beak Stabs" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) [1]
Flight 2 (8 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [2]
Mind-Reading 4 (Flaws: Limited to Emotions) [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Special Moves +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 11 (75)

-A green Palette Swap of Robochic, Brainiac is a "Battle Model Series Cyborg", fighting by sensing fear and weakness. It has a big, enhanced brain, said to be able to explain Einstein's theory of relativity, but can't spell the word "nice."
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dead-Eye Duck! Bruiser! Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman!)

Post by Davies »

... and yet, DC did not sue them into oblivion.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Ramses

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

RAMSES
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Tiny Minotaur
PL 6 (69)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Fireball" Blast 4 (Feats: Accurate 2) (Reduced Defenses -1, Diminished Range -1) (7) -- [8]
  • AE: "Buck-Kicks & Charges" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Special Moves +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Fireball +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 10 (69)

-A fairly small-looking purple minotaur, Ramses is actually supposed to be like 6'10" or so. Acting studios wanted him, but he didn't want to be "typecast", and instead longs for the day when he can kill Mondu.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

El Toro

Post by Jabroniville »

EL TORO
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Tiny Minotaur
PL 6 (69)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Fireball" Blast 4 (Feats: Accurate 2) (Reduced Defenses -1, Diminished Range -1) (7) -- [8]
  • AE: "Buck-Kicks & Charges" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Special Moves +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Fireball +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)
Hatred (Humans)- El Toro hates all humans because he desires a single identity for himself (not just "Man-Bull"). He resents them and will kill any human he sees.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 10 (69)

-The Palette Swap of Ramses, El Toro has black fur on his head & legs. He is the mutated son of a witch and a bull (like... an actual bull? Granted, that's close to the REAL origin story of the Minotaur, but still), and apparently knocked Ramses himself out in one round.
Sidney369
Posts: 328
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:18 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dead-Eye Duck! Bruiser! Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman!)

Post by Sidney369 »

How do you defeat a mini minotaur?
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dead-Eye Duck! Bruiser! Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman!)

Post by Davies »

Sidney369 wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 2:03 am How do you defeat a mini minotaur?
Well, sources differ as to whether Theseus used a sword or a club on the big guy, so I'd recommend a pointed stick.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Webra

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

WEBRA
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Spider-Lady
PL 6 (77)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Intimidation 3 (+3)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Benefit (Ambidexterity), Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Silk Shot" Snare 5 (Feats: Accurate 2) (Reduced Defenses -1, Diminished Range -1) (14) -- [15]
  • AE: "Special Moves" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
"Spider Lady" Extra Limbs 4 [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Special Moves +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Silk Shot +7 (+5 Ranged Affliction, DC 15)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)
Relationship (Stump)- The two are apparently married!

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 19 / Defenses: 11 (77)

-A black spider-lady, Webra is apparently married to fellow fighter Stump- her bio suggests that she's shy, and "Fortunately, whenever she's surprised in the shower by her husband, Stump, she can cover up with all six arms". She's an agile fighter with an actual snare, which isn't typical at all in the genre.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Spidra

Post by Jabroniville »

SPIDRA
First Appearance:
Slaughter Sport (1990)
Role: Spider-Lady
PL 6 (77)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Intimidation 3 (+3)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Benefit (Ambidexterity), Improved Critical (Special Move), Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Silk Shot" Snare 5 (Feats: Accurate 2) (Reduced Defenses -1, Diminished Range -1) (14) -- [15]
  • AE: "Special Moves" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
"Spider Lady" Extra Limbs 4 [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Special Moves +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Silk Shot +7 (+5 Ranged Affliction, DC 15)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Winning)

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 19 / Defenses: 11 (77)

-Spidra, a Palette Swap of Webra in gold, was hatched on an alien world where insects reign- she's had 56 children, and eaten them all.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mondu the Fat

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

MONDU THE FAT
First Appearance:
Tongue of the Fatman (1989)
Role: Final Boss, Gladatorial Leader
PL 8 (87)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 4 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 2 (+3)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Benefit 3 (Wealth), Defensive Attack, Improved Critical (Special Move), Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Takedown

Powers:
"Tongue Lash" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) (Inaccurate -1) (2) -- [3]
  • AE: "Bouncing Attack" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
"Bouncing" Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Special Moves +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +7, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 4 / Defenses: 12 (87)

-The corpulent Mondu the Fat is the titular "Fatman" in the first game's title, and is the Final Boss of both games, taunting the lead player the entire way. In Slaughter Sport, it's said that "In 2549 he suffered three defeats, losing to Stump, Sheba and Guano before besting Stump for the title in what is considered to be the best match ever." He has the winningest record ever in the fights, but opened his own pit thereafter. The game appears brutally broken in his favor- players who can play as him just spam his "Bouncing" attack, in which he bounces up and down all over the floor (sometimes as a literal ball), his opponents being nearly unable to lay in a single hit. However, the game's also broken in the PLAYER'S favor at times- buy up enough gear for your attacksn and you can defeat him in literal seconds. His baseline form is fleshy Caucasian, but his "Player Two" color is gray.

-Mondus is the strongest character, and best overall at PL 7.5- he has a Tongue attack (hence the title in the first game), in which a mouth in his belly opens up and reveals a piercing tongue, and the aforementioned bounce attack.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dead-Eye Duck! Bruiser! Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman!)

Post by Jabroniville »

And that's finally it for Tongue of the Fatman- which if course has this MASSIVE roster of guys and thus took a few days despite the game being primitive and terrible, haha.

Next up- a kinda request from Skavenger, as I do two extra DC-themed builds! Then it'll be some from an animated movie before I start the next larger project... Watchmen!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Snapper Carr

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Snapper apparently has a "type".

SNAPPER CARR (Lucas Carr)
Created By:
Gardner Fox & Mike Sekowsky
First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb. 1960)
Role: Hero's Buddy (to the JLA)
Group Affiliations: The Justice League of America (honorary member)
PL 4 (62)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+4)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Current Events) 5 (+5)
Investigation 6 (+7)
Perception 3 (+4)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Technology 3 (+3)
Vehicles 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (The Justice League)- Snapper is good pals with the JLA, and aids them for years.
Reputation (Traitor)- Snapper was tricked by the Joker (in disguise) into betraying the JLA, and took years to forgive himself. He appears to suffer from depression and constantly feels he isn't good enough for others.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (62)

Snapper Carr- Maybe The Dumbest Name Ever?:
-I have thought this character needed to be punched in the penis for over thirty years, I swear to God. Ever since my first DC book, Who's Who, featuring this idiotic-looking grinning dweeb on the "JLA" roster page holding his hands out snapping his fingers. Like, at least Jimmy Olsen & Rick Jones are real human names. SNAPPER Carr?!? What IS this? The character was also seemingly immensely disliked, and worse still, only got "fixed" in books nobody read.

-Snapper occupies the same role Rick Jones once did- the Kid Sidekick to the adult heroes who kind of represented the audience, but a bit older. Like Jimmy Olsen before them, both were teens who got roped into superheroic stuff and got to hang out with the cool heroes, but weren't themselves super-heroes. Snapper, however, didn't evolve the way Rick did, at least not at first, and not in major books. Rick Jones, quickly rendered passe as the '60s ended, alternated vanishing but getting a push in other books, and ultimately Peter David made him a "Geez, what the hell!?" civilian buddy to the Hulk, Genis-Vell and others, making a successful character out of him. Meanwhile, I've been reading comics since 1989 and I've never read a Snapper Carr comic ONCE. The only recollection I've ever had of this character is as a one-panel gag in JLA vs. Avengers arguing with Jones himself. Looking at it, it seems he's mostly been in minor books nobody reads since 1969, which might explain it.

Snapper Carr- Teen Sidekick:
-So in 1960, Snapper Carr joins the Justice League's feature as a human buddy- according to DC Editor Julius Schwartz, DC Executive Editor demanded a teenager be a member of the JLA but also ordered that "the teenager be hip". So a bunch of old dudes formed this "Snapper Carr" guy out of modern trends like "the emerging and economically powerful youth culture". Translation: Rip off another character. So they swiped the hip-talking, finger-snapping "Kookie" Kookson on 77 Sunset Strip, then a popular TV series. And so you have the idiotic notion of a teenager who snapped his fingers every time he made a point, and had a hot rod that could fly him to JLA meetings and hang out with the heroes, and would occasionally bumble upon the solution to the day's problem. I dunno, Rick Jones is dated as hell, too (damn travelling guitarist beatnik) but at least he was a believable pain in the ass. Gardner Fox initially wrote Carr with "hipster" dialogue (Wikipedia even mentions this made him the only character who stood out as an individual on the team, which seems like a snide observation about Fox's in ability to differentiate his heroic cast) but gave up after a bit. Carr was given parents, a little brother, and a girlfriend named Midge (a sister would debut in 1974).

-Such stories quickly became passe as the decade went on, as apparently "The Snapper Carr character was immensely unpopular", and Snapper disappeared from JLA about 1969 when Denny O'Neil, who felt that he was "outdated", axed him. He chose to write him out rather than drop him with no explanation. Shockingly, Snapper betrays the League because he's resentful of being famous only for hanging out with them, helping "John Dough" (The Silver Age Joker in disguise as "The most average man in America", who wants to rid the world of superheroes). This is the final Silver Age appearance of both Snapper and the Joker, and pushes the JLA into the Bronze Age. Only a handful of Snapper appearances happen in the '70s.

Post-Crisis Snapper:
-Snapper appears in the Post-Crisis retelling of the Justice League's first year (JLA: Year One), now shown as an I.T. worker and a bit more of a practical help. His shame over having been tricked by the Joker is now part of his backstory. In Invasion!, Snapper is revealed to be one of the humans to have the "metagene" (a rip-off of Marvel's then wildly-popular mutants), gaining the ability to teleport by snapping his fingers- he leads "The Blasters", a team of metagene-possessing civilians, and they help save the day. But later they all get imprisoned on an alien insane aslym and none of that matters. Snapper later allies with Valor (Lar Gand, aka Mon-El) around the year 2000, with the Blasters' stories being told in retrospect, always going poorly. So he's kind of a walking "Shaggy Dog Story" at this point, to the point where the Khunds kidnap and torture him, cutting off his hands so he can no longer teleport. He has them replaced, but his powers are gone.

-Quickly, however, Snapper appears in Hourman, told about the android Matthew Tyler- Tyler accesses memories about the JLA and realizes that Snapper would be a good "humanity coach", making him one of the main cast of the book. Snapper, now a divorcee, has to make peace with his violent past and failures as a Leaguer (he's shown repeatedly to still feel guilty about betraying them to the Joker). Now a coffee shop owner, various calamities befall him (temporarily turned into an android, then tortured by demons, resulting in a depressive state). Ultimately, Matthew convinces Snapper that people like him because he "fights for the common man". Hourman is cancelled and matters so little to comic book history that he was written out in JSA and killed, given only a tiny cameo a bit later. Snapper then showed up in Young Justice in 2001, lasting two years until its own cancellation, appearing only off and on in an "overseer" capacity. He popped up in Checkmate and in the aftermath of 52, but someone wrote every single thing that happened in every story he later appears in, and I ain't digging through all that on Wikipedia. He apparently regained his Teleportation abilities at some point.

Snapper as a Whole:
-So Snapper is the worst kind of dated; a character meant to represent "modern-day hipster youth", and thus comes off as representing an era more than any of the actual superheroes that were a part of it (like how Wonder Woman is more dated as a non-powered mod detective than she ever was as a Golden Age heroine). It seems like both the fans AND the writers hated him, resulting in him vanishing save for cameos here and there- that 1990s stories referenced his betrayal in a 1969 story is "Hank Slapping The Wasp" levels of "never living it down", and it seems like only side-books ever felt like dealing with him after that. Him getting this "metagene" during Invasion! and then having it all be pointless seems hilariously mean-spirited or just forgetful, like someone MEANT to do something with him but then forgot. By contrast, doofus characters like Rick Jones got a lot better, and more consistent, use over at Marvel.

Snapper's Stats:
-A pretty generic "Heroic Backgrounder"- almost a decent fighter but decidedly human and no match for anyone with powers. As a Super-Teleporter, he can seemingly go interstellar distances or something.
Skavenger
Posts: 335
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:56 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman Done! Snapper Carr!)

Post by Skavenger »

Okay, I'm gonna go to bat for Snapper Carr here. There's nothing inherently *wrong* with the character himself, it's that he got used in the worst possible way. I don't think DC was necessarily ripping off Rick Jones so much as they were trying to cash in on what worked before in their own company: the presence of Johnny Thunder in the JSA and the meteoric rise of Jimmy Olsen, one of the greatest characters DC ever created.

Johnny Thunder was essentially the golden age mascot, the character who could pal around with superheroes so the reader could imagine they could pal around with superheroes, and Jimmy Olsen...well, I could write an essay about how mind-bogglingly amazing it is that he got his own ongoing series in the decade when DC was scared to give ANYTHING an ongoing series if it didn't have a hundred issues of pre-existing books that sold.

But this isn't about Jimmy. It's about Snapper.

Unlike Jimmy Olsen, who hasn't really had a role in DC since the storytelling shifted away from a point of view that would allow "Superman's Pal" to be forefront, Snapper's evolved into a role which, honestly, I find endearing because it's how I feel about comic books a lot of the time. Rick Jones is the perennial journeyman sidekick, Jimmy Olsen is Superman's Pal, but Snapper moved on. Hourman established that he was still haunted by guilt from betraying the Justice League that one time, but in a way, he became the counterpoint to Wally West in that they both look at legacy in comics in their own unique light.

See, Wally was the embodiment of legacy in that he took over for an established hero to go on new and exciting adventures, build his own supporting cast, and still pay homage to what came before. Snapper, on the other hand, became the aging comic book fan. He still kept up to date with what was happening in the world of superheroes (as evidenced by his AMAZING collection of t-shirts that were all based on obscure superhero logos), but along the way he lost that personal connection. He tried jumping in again when the company- I mean, "the universe" was trying something that would be a jumping on point for new readers- I mean, "something new and ground-shaking that would lead to all sorts of new stories being told", but in the end things were never going to be as amazing as they were when he was young, and he only really got involved again when he started reading- I mean, "hanging out" with an obscure hero nobody else really read about- I mean, "hung out with."

Snapper Carr's failure as a sidekick lead to a much deeper character that wound up working BECAUSE of his failure as a sidekick, and that's a role very few comic book characters can claim, which I think justifies his existence.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Ultra the Multi-Alien

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

ULTRA THE MULTI-ALIEN (Ace Arn)
Created By:
Dave Wood, Lee Elias & Shitloads of LSD
First Appearance: Mystery In Space #103 (Nov. 1965)
Role: Bizarre Forgotten Hero
PL 8 (134)
STRENGTH
2/8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Spaceman) 8 (+10)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Technology 4 (+6)
Vehicles 7 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit (Ambidexterity), Equipment 7 (Spaceship), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blasts), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Powers:
"Upper Right- Green Fur, Super-Strength"
Strength-Damage +6 [6]
Power-Lifting 6 (6 tons) (Flaws: Limited to Right Side) [3]

"Lower Right- White Feathers, Wings"
Flight 6 (120 mph) [12]

"Lower Left- Bolt of Lightning"
Blast 9 (18) -- [20]

"Upper Left- Blue Skin, Magnetic Powers"
  • AE: "Object Attack" Blast 9 (Quirks: Requires Metals) (17)
  • AE: Move Object 10 (Flaws: Limited to Metals) (10)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Blasts +7 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Motivation (I Dunno- Space Justice?)

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 9 (134)

-This guy's origin is so "Drug-Addled Silver Age" that it's not even funny- Future-Earth Spaceman Ace Arn was attacked by four aliens, each of whom was wielding a gun that could *gasp* TRANSFORM THE VICTIM INTO A COPY OF THE SHOOTER! Now, what in the BLUE HELL kind of purpose a gun like THAT would serve is beyond me (maybe they were planning on assaulting Daxam with a legion of fluffy puppies armed with the things?), but I guess it was to make him docile to the aliens, but all four aliens ended up shooting Ace simultaneously. As a result, he is now 1/4 each Alien, gaining all of their powers- a bird leg, a blue arm, a strong green arm, and a bolt of lightning for another leg. He later gains the power to turn back to human, giving him a secret identity.

-This clown booted Adam Strange & The Space Ranger out of Mystery In Space (poor Adam didn't make it out of the Silver Age as a viable character- his entire genre appeared to die all at once), but the book only lasted for seven more issues before dying. Hilariously, I would create a character much like this for my own Super-Hero Universe as a kid- combining several animals to create Criss-Cross, though he was more awesome since he was made up of a bunch of animal bits. He would essentially vanish from comics entirely save for... come on, do I even need to say it?... GRANT MORRISON, who uses him a couple of times in Animal Man and Aztek. He appears in James Robinson's Starman searching for the Cosmic Rod, and aides Donna Troy in The Rann/Thanagar War, then pops up in the background of a Superman thing. Laroo, the homeworld of one of the aliens who'd attacked him, has been referenced in Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. (a Laroo wishes to turn all of Blue Valley into Laroo like himself) and a few later books.

-Ultra is a PL 8, being a minor non-recurring character (though a few modern writers have taken to using his as a funny "ain't comics WEIRD?" background character sometimes).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Toadborg! Tongue of the Fatman Done! Snapper Carr!)

Post by Ares »

I think a reason Rick Jones is often seen as something of a success while Snapper is mostly forgotten is . . . well, Rick Jones had a lot more going for him. Rick was created by Stan Lee, who came up with legitimate reasons to keep the kid around, and other writers picked up on that and kept Rick around in one form or another.

Rick is forever tied to the Hulk mythos as the stupid kid who Bruce Banner had to save, and thus cursed himself to a life of misery as the Hulk. That's some hard, hard pathos there, knowing that your mistake ruined a good man's life and changed the world in both good and bad ways. So it made sense for Rick to stick around with the Hulk out of sense of guilt, a desire to help atone for his mistake and a genuine friendship with both Banner and the Hulk.

Rick is also forever tied to the Avengers because it was his desire to clear the Hulk's name that Loki co-opted to bring the Avengers together, and as such was someone the Avengers appreciated and respected. Then he bonds with Captain America, and is someone who makes a genuine effort to help Steve adapt to the modern era. In return, Steve and Rick became friends and Steve actually taught Rick how to defend himself. It's actually nice when writers remember that Rick was trained by Captain America, and he can actually hold his own in a fight against anyone this side of a Hand ninja.

So even from the very early days, Rick had strong ties with some of the major players in Marvel's heroic scene. So much so that he actually plays a role in the Kree / Skrull war, and his confrontation with the Supreme Intelligence led to his connection to Kree hero Mar-Vel.

Mar-Vel actually became one of Rick's longest lasting partnerships, and it let him take a more active role in things by being able to give Marv advice, it had a fun 'Firestorm' type back and forth with each other mentally, and let Rick get a glimpse of life as an actual hero. Then there was his association with ROM, his renewed friendship with the Hulk, his bonding with Genis, etc.

Basically, Rick has a place in the Marvel Universe because people keep giving him one, and he's someone with connections to many of the most powerful and influential heroes in Marvel. He might fade into the background for several years at a time, but his combination of regular use, being a Stan Lee original, his importance to the Hulk, Avengers and Captain America, his overall legacy ensures that he'll come back at some point.

He's also one of the few people I could actually see being upgraded from supporting character to full on superhero. It works for him as opposed to someone like, say, Mary Jane because Rick not only has the experience alongside heroes, he has an actual motivation for being a hero (making up for what he did to Bruce, a desire to stand alongside the heroes he's only been able to help from the sidelines for so long, etc) and we've seen that he honestly does want to be a hero. So if the ever opted to upgrade him to full on hero status, I'd actually be okay with it.

Mary Jane, for as sweet and wonderful a person as she is, does NOT want to be a superhero. She's not driven to be one, she doesn't have the motivation to be one, and all she really wants out of life is a happy marriage and family life (which she never had growing up) and to be an actress. She works best as a normal person because her desires are to simply be a supportive person, and to support her husband. She's more like the spouse of a firefighter or a police officer, in that she worriers for Peter, she wants him to come home safe, but she also admires him for what he does and for his bravery and integrity. But while she can handle herself in situations, she doesn't want to be a hero, nor should she be. Because then it just repeats the ongoing joke of how EVERYONE in Peter's life becomes either a superhero or a supervillain at some point.

Now, I've spent a lot of time talking about Rick Jones because . . . well, like I said, effort was put into making Rick relevant to the Marvel Universe. He's tied into the origins of key players, he spent time with some of the most iconic characters, the effort was made to make him a vital part of the Marvel Universe.

Snapper . . . he was put in to the JLA to chase a trend. The DC Executive Editor of the time made it a full on mandate that the League would have a teenage member to tap into "youth culture" of the time and to emulate 'Kookie Kookson' from then popular series 77 Sunest Strip. It had to be a new character and not a pre-existing teenager like Robin, Supergirl or Jimmy Olsen because they were too closely tied with existing heroes.

So Snapper was off to a bad start already because, rather than be some creative decision by the writers, he was an editorial mandate. He wasn't a major part of the formation of the League, and his assistance boiled down to having been lucky enough to be covered in lime to reveal Starro's weakness. And because he was an editorial mandate that took time away from the actual heroes, Snapper wasn't very popular with the readers. So much so that when the time came for a new writing team, they wrote Snapper out as quickly as possible.

After that, Snapper popped around occasionally until Invasion occurred, where he actually graduated to full on superhero and member of the Blasters . . . which honestly, had a lot of the same energy as the modern Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt's on-screen performance would work way better for Snapper Carr than Star Lord, and the kind of 'rag tag bunch of space misfits that are a family' work better for the Blasters than the Guardians.

Then Snapper appeared in Hourman which . . . it wasn't a bad book, really. But it was heavy on the navel gazing and CW-style melodrama, as well as a lot of effort made to promote Hourman as this super important character who would shape the future of the DC. Which is kind of hilarious given the impact the android Hourman wound up having on DC. The art by Rags Morales is just beautiful and expressive. Snapper having the opportunity to mentor a superhero after having seen so many in action was a nice twist, but the series overall didn't grab me. Snapper could honestly be pretty grating at times, and his 'I'm a screw up that hides my pain behind a goofy exterior' schtick sometimes went overboard. It also had a bad habit of putting guest heroes in this weird adversarial role to make Hourman more sympathetic, which was more annoying than anything. Peter David tried to repeat his success with Rick with Snapper when he brought Carr over to Young Justice, but Snapper didn't really have much an impact there or moving forward.

Snapper ironically works best as someone who was part of the superhero world for a time, but then retired from it. Sadly, this means he's someone who shouldn't show up regularly in comics unless you wanted some slice of life comic about "Snapper Carr, Ex-Sidekick", since having him in a supporting cast role to a superhero keeps him in that superhero adjacent role. An interesting role for Snapper might have been as some kind of teacher or lecturer about superheroes, or the journalist career he tried off and on. Having him as Professor Snapper Carr, authority on superheroes, could be a nice way to keep the guy tangentially involved with superhero matters, make it clear he's still friends with the League, and that some college age heroes actually attend his classes.

Still, at least you can say Snapper got off lighter than Marvin and Wendy did when they showed up in the Titans. Poor kids.

So yeah, Snapper is someone who honestly works best when he's not directly involved in superhero-ing, and is more of a footnote in the overall scheme of the DCU, largely because he was an editorial mandate that was popular with neither the creators nor the audience. Rick Jones is a much more integral part of the Marvel Universe because he was a deliberate creation of Stan Lee, and effort was made to keep him involved in the Marvel Universe.
"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.
Post Reply