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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Manhattan! Ozymandias! Hell's Belles!)

Post by drkrash »

greycrusader wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 1:58 am
drkrash wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:54 pm This is the difference between the worldviews of the 60s and 70s that saw unity as one people as a noble goal, whereas now, the concept of one's "identity," distinctive from others, is held as far more important. As such, I think the concept of mutant *superheroes* has pretty much lost its meaning.
I'm...not entirely sure this is the case. I mean, most people who belong to a minority group (be it POC, LBGTQ people, religious minorities) aren't interested in segregating themselves from American society, or retreating to enclaves where only the same types of people live, though there's definitely more of that on certain campuses and in professional societies. The last group is probably the most likely to do so, with communities of Ultra-Orthodox Jews, fundamentalist Muslims, etc., but there really aren't THAT many. There obviously IS a lot more insistence that these differences be recognized and taken into account, rather than just an attitude of taking pride in one's heritage but still wanting to be treated no differently than the majority population.

All my best.
I don't disagree with that, though that wasn't entirely my point. My point is that modern writers are super-concerned with the concept of distinctive identity over shared humanity and thus write as such. In order to make that perspective work as metaphor, they have to write mutants as separatists rather than as heroes for humanity. This may be a kind of realism in-world, but it is a loss for the reader.

I don't entirely agree, however, that our current fixation on identity is based fundamentally on wanting to be treated as the "majority" of people, as the concept of the majority now becomes a fiction premised simply on the idea of the "other" or the "not us," ironically heightening the distance between identities. Identity politics emphasize distinctive "communities" that co-exist intertwined with one another, but they don't really emphasize a shared humanity anymore.
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catsi563
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Dr. Manhattan! Ozymandias! Hell's Belles!)

Post by catsi563 »

just for funsies im messing around with converting Helles Belles to Aberrant as a low to mid tier group of jobber Elites aka mercs using a different cyber though closer to Doctor Cyber from DC as the boss.

Like the idea of a jobber group that can mess with the PCs before they take them down
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

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Jabroniville
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The Crimson Daffodil

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE CRIMSON DAFFODIL (Vernon French, aka The Wombat)
Created By:
Terry Austin & Mike Volburg
First Appearance: Cloak & Dagger #6 (Aug. 1989)
Role: Joke Villain
Group Affiliation: None
PL 8 (64)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

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

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Calming Power... and Digging"
Affliction 8 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2, Sustained +2) (Flaws: Limited to Calming -2, Instant Recovery) [16]
Burrowing 6 [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +1

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- The Crimson Daffodil is a bankrobber.
Hatred (Violence)- The Crimson Daffodil "detests" violence and prefers to use his powers to cease hostilities.
Relationship (Dagger)- The Crimson Daffodil is entranced by Dagger, and decides to reform for her.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 22 / Defenses: 4 (64)

-A mutant with the ability to calm others down, The Crimson Daffodil (a play on "The Scarlet Pimpernel") appears in an early Cloak & Dagger issue as a somewhat peaceful bankrobber- Dagger and her uncle are taken hostage during a robbery in which the Daffodil, with a cape and cowl, keeps using his powers to calm down a frightened bank manager and then an aggressive guard- however, his inability to calm down multiple people at once results in the bank manager being shot when he goes for the calmed guard's gun. The Daffodil appeared to detest violence, but his henchmen were a fair bit more dangerous, and he got involved in a fight after Dagger revealed her costume & powers and vigilantes Ecstacy & the Disciplinarian showed up. He was KO'd by an accidental light burst from Dagger, and awoke to Cloak & Dagger having beaten the villains, declared that Dagger had reformed him and that he loved her, and zipped out of a skylight and escaped.

-A few issues later, the Daffodil returns, now calling himself THE WOMBAT- a superheroic identity- and manifested new mutant powers (??) of digging, but he was immediately KO'd by a Morlock called The Marked Man who was fighting Cloak & Dagger. So not only is he made out to be an even BIGGER idiot, but this ends up being his final appearance.

-This guy is truly low-rent- a very limited mutant power (ONLY calming, and only one person at a time), then a useless one in Burrowing (very odd to get two completely unrelated mutant powers in quick succession like that), and every time he gets into a fight he's immediately defeated. So he's a PL 4-ish doofus with a PL 8 calming power- Perception-Ranged and Sustained so he can always keep it active if he concentrates, but it's got the rare "Instant Recovery" flaw because previously-ensorcerelled victims immediately fight back.
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Marvel's Archie Knock-Offs

Post by Jabroniville »

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MARVEL'S ARCHIE KNOCK-OFFS & "GIRLS WITH JOBS":
-So in the 1940s, the HUGE success of Archie Andrews (who ran away with MLJ's entire line, killing their superhero books quickly) led to a legion of copycats- though Archie himself was heavily inspired by other sources (like the Andy Hardy films) and there were even "Teen Romantic Comedy" books BEFORE him, Archie was head and shoulders above most characters by the mid-40s, and so you saw some attempts at mimicking him. Marvel (then "Timely Comics") most notably added Patsy Walker, featuring teen romance along the same lines- Patsy actually lasted a LOT longer than most people would expect, going from 1944-1967 before getting cancelled. But she wasn't alone!

There were actually a quartet of "Girls With Jobs" books around the same time- though Archie was a male character, his audience was largely female, so when Martin Goodman, Timely's owner & publisher, wanted some copycats, I guess the books all had to star girls. Patsy wasn't even the first- Tessie the Typist debuted in 1942, three years before Patsy! Tessie was soon joined by three other "____ the ____" alliterative characters- Mille the Model, Nellie the Nurse, and Sherri the Showgirl. Most of the books ended up with big Archie stars Dan DeCarlo or Stan Goldberg on art at points. I'm actually a bit shocked I forgot about Nellie in particular, as I definitely had a big flashback upon researching her- the "Blow me down if it isn't Nellie!" cover gag is one shown in my old Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics book.

Martin Goodman, a notorious skinflint, was legendary for re-aligning his entire comic book empire to focus on the hot new thing, dumping everything else (superheroes were wiped out TWICE by this). He obviously saw money in ripping off Archie, but the vast majority of the books feature "OMG that girl is HOT!" cover gags and seem to be an excuse for the artists to draw the sexiest women possible. Only a couple of strips seem to have the "Teen Romance" thing going on, much less Archie's iconic "Love Triangle". 1946-47 seems to create a large chunk of the wannabes, with Georgie, Willie, Mitzi, Margie, Jeanie & Cindy all debuting more or less in the same span of time (several appeared in the same MONTH, in April 1947!), but every one of them but Georgie died in 1949. Hedy De Vine, an aspiring actress, lasted until 1952.

Millie ended up having by far the most longevity next to Patsy (who had to become a superhero to extend past the '60s), going from 1945-1972! I've already done a bio on her, talking about how she went from a gag comic to drama (when Romance Comics hit big) to ending up as an immature Archie-type gag character again. Tessie never made it out of the 1940s, while Sherry the Showgirl was a "Fanservice" character who lasted only a couple of years in the 1950s- her biggest claim to fame is being the brainchild of Stan Lee & Dan DeCarlo.
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Tessie the Typist

Post by Jabroniville »

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TESSIE THE TYPIST (Tessie Tender)
Created By:
Art Gates
First Appearance: Joker Comics #2 (March 1942)
Role: Archie Knock-Off

-The earliest of the "Girls With Jobs" Archie knock-offs, Tessie the Typist debuted in the comedy book Joker Comics. She actually had a really great run, which makes it weird that I can't find squat about the rest of her cast or anything. She got her own book in 1945 (lasting 20+ issues), and was a regular feature in Joker Comics, Gay Comics (hee) and even the book of Hedy De Vine's. She has about 120 appearances all in all, though the only covers I can find are of her own book (she was a side character elsewhere- Gay was centered around Millie first and foremost) and they're all centered around how SMOKING HOT she is, like Millie's covers are. Timely either seems to hope the female audience wants to read about smoking hot uber-babes, or wants crossover appeal from men, lol.
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Nellie the Nurse

Post by Jabroniville »

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NELLIE THE NURSE (Nellie Nelson)
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Nellie the Nurse #1 (Aug. 1945)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Miss Fanservice

-One of the first attempts at an Archie-like book at Timely, Nellie the Nurse was another "WOW THIS GIRL IS HOT!" type on the cover gags. Nellie looks like a standard cutie-pie in the early going, but later shifts to the Dan DeCarlo style buxom, tiny-waisted Miss Fanservice type, with a nurse uniform that has the classic "boob socks" fit around each breast. Nellie appeared in her own book, plus Gay Comics and Millie & Willie's books. Nellie actually lasted a long time compared to her obscure contemporaries- 1945-1952, outlasting Oscar, Jeanie, Willie, Margie, Cindy & Rusty. She & Georgie are actually the most successful next to Patsy Walker & Millie the Model, both of whom lasted way into the Silver & Bronze Ages.
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Sherry the Showgirl

Post by Jabroniville »

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SHERRY THE SHOWGIRL (Sherry Storm)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Dan DeCarlo
First Appearance: Sherry the Showgirl #1 (April 1956)
Role: Archie Knock-Off

-Yes, STAN LEE and DAN DECARLO were once creative partners! Isn't that wild? Sherri is a bit different from the other "Girls WIth Jobs" in that this comic is blatantly supposed to be about Pinups & Fanservice- a "Good Girl Art" book from DeCarlo, the unrivaled master. I've actually read a bit about the origins of this in Hogan's Alley magazine, which detailed how the two wanted to write a comic strip together featuring Sherri. It never quite worked out, and so they released a short-lived comic instead. Most of the cover gags are Archie-style "HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THAT GIRL'S FIGURE!" stuff that Cheryl Blossom would be doing years later when Archie stopped censoring itself as much. The blonde, hourglass-shaped Sherry's impossible dimensions (that waist with THOSE HIPS?) advertised every cover, but the book only lasted for three issues, ending in 1957- it briefly changed its name to Showgirls and lasted another two, now co-starring the more popular Millie the Model and Chili Storm, then suddenly went BACK to Sherry the Showgirl, lasting another three. Sherry has never returned, it seems, even as Millie & Patsy got to show up again.

-Sherry featured a small supporting cast I can only find on Don Markstein's "Toonpedia" site- she works at the Silver Slipper Club, where she works as a showgirl (I mean, duh). Her boss is Nick Brandt, and her boyfriend Steve Saxon (oh yeah, Stan was writing, alright) was the club's bandleader. Her arch-rival was Hazel Hale, who sold cigarettes at the club, but aspired to have Sherry's job.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Ozymandias! Hell's Belles! The Crimson Daffodil!)

Post by Davies »

My headcanon is that Sherry is the daughter of the heretofore unknown younger brother of Franklin Storm, making her Sue and Johnny's cousin. (Alternatively, she might be the daughter of his sister, Mary, using her mother's maiden name as a stage name.) In one of the many alternate universes, there's a superhero counterpart of her (making a single appearance in 2001's Mutant X Annual #1) who uses the Bloodstone.
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Della Vision

Post by Jabroniville »

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DELLA VISION
Created By:
Stan Lee & Al Hartley
First Appearance: Della Vision #1 (April 1955)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Aspiring TV Star

-Another 1950s Stan creation, this one was drawn by Al Hartley, also an Archie artist. Della aspired to be a TV personality, television then being a brand-new medium. Using her good looks to her advantaage, she had replaced rival actress Flame Fancy and had become a "Television Queen". Publicity man Gabby Gimmick, producer J.P. Kilowatt, director Marvin "Nervous" Reck, comedian Tubby Dubbs & receptionist Zelda Quackenbush make up the supporting cast of her show, The Pringle Pretzel Variety Show. Della, however, was a failure, lasting only three issues. She was replaced by Patty Powers, who had the same gimmick AND was done by Lee & Hartley, which is weird.
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Patty Powers

Post by Jabroniville »

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PATTY POWERS
Created By:
Stan Lee & Al Hartley
First Appearance: Patty Powers #4 (Oct. 1955)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Aspiring Movie Star

-In a weird bit, Della Vision was renamed after three issues as Patty Powers, with a similar character with a similar gimmick taking over the book and numbering. Patty Powers was an aspiring MOVIE STAR instead of a television star, but only lasted four more issues before disappearing forever.
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Hedy De Vine

Post by Jabroniville »

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HEDY DE VINE
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Hedy De Vine #22 (Aug. 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Aspiring Movie Star

-Hedy De Vine (one of two Marvel women named "Hedy"- Patsy Walker's best friend was, too- Hedy Lamarr was a big actress at the time and probably inspired this) was another Timely "Sexy Girl Book". Most of the gags are again about how hot the main character is, but also features shenanigans about her job. Hedy starred in both Hedy De Vine and Hedy of Hollywood, and lasted until 1952 at least.
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Crimson Daffodil! Nellie the Nurse! Sherry the Showgirl!)

Post by drkrash »

These covers are hilarious. I understand they are now "problematic," but I'm loving them.
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Goldar
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Re: Hedy De Vine

Post by Goldar »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 7:23 pm
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HEDY DE VINE
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Hedy De Vine #22 (Aug. 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Aspiring Movie Star

-Hedy De Vine (one of two Marvel women named "Hedy"- Patsy Walker's best friend was, too- Hedy Lamarr was a big actress at the time and probably inspired this) was another Timely "Sexy Girl Book". Most of the gags are again about how hot the main character is, but also features shenanigans about her job. Hedy starred in both Hedy De Vine and Hedy of Hollywood, and lasted until 1952 at least.
LOL, Hedy is calling for Trump!, I mean, someone named Trumpy to tell her what to do!
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Rusty Rumple

Post by Jabroniville »

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RUSTY RUMPLE
Created By:
Stan Lee & Kin Platt
First Appearance: Oscar #1 (March 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Housewife, Blondie Knock-Off

-Interestingly, the Rusty feature was about a gorgeous redhead HOUSEWIFE of all things. Like, Rusty wasn't some goofy 20-something out accidentally seducing men everywhere- she had a husband and two kids! Stan Lee was so innovative he even gave us one of comics' first MILFS! It's actually kinda funny seeing her cartoony young husband and two misbehaving children in the covers while their mom is standing there in her best "Good Girl" poses or sashaying around in figure-hugging dresses. Though I didn't realize it at first, I should have figured this was a rip-off of Blondie, with Rusty as the smoking-hot mommy while her husband played the bumbling "Dagwood". Rusty Rumple lasted from 1947-1949, debuting in Oliver but getting her own book for a time.
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Cindy

Post by Jabroniville »

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CINDY
Created By:
Al Jaffee & others
First Appearance: Teen Comics #21 (April 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Teen Girl

-Cindy is a more "classically" Archie character- a teen girl with a steady boyfriend and such, not some career woman Miss Fanservice. She debuted in Teen Comics but rapidly spun off into Cindy (which took over numbering from Krazy Komics). I don't know much beyond the basics of the covers- she has a steady guy named Chuck. Cindy lasted for two years before disappearing.
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