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

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Jabroniville
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Re: Superboy

Post by Jabroniville »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Apr 07, 2018 11:05 pm Image
Image

SUPERBOY (Clark Kent, aka Kal-El)
Created By:
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #101 (Jan-Feb. 1945)
Home Planet: Krypton
Origin of Powers: Racial Abilities (Under a Yellow Sun)
Eras: Original
Relationships: Lana Lang
Role: The Inspiration, Super-Heavyweight Fighter, Flying Brick
PL 15 (340)
STRENGTH
18 STAMINA 16 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Aerobatics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+11)
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (History) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Space Hero) 1 (+4)
Expertise (Farming) 2 (+5)
Insight 3 (+7)
Intimidation 1 (+5)
Investigation 2 (+6)
Perception 6 (+10)
Ranged Combat (Heat Vision/Freeze Breath) 2 (+11)
Technology 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Equipment 10 (Legion Gear), Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Inspire, Last Stand, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown, Teamwork, Ultimate Strength Check, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"More Powerful Than a Speeding Locomotive" Power-Lifting 12 (25,000,000 tons) [12]
"The Man of Steel" Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 19) [21]
Immunity 11 (Life Support, Aging) [11]

"Heat Beam" Damage 15 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (45) -- [50]
  • AE: "Heat Vision" Blast 16 (Feats: Extended Reach 2) (34)
  • AE: "Freeze Breath" Affliction 14 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (42)
  • AE: "Freeze Cone" Affliction 14 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (42)
  • AE: "Ground Pound" Affliction 14 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +3, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) (28)
  • AE: "Super-Breath" Affliction 14 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) Linked to Move Object 11 (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2) (Flaws: Touch Range) (36)
"Faster Than a Speeding Bullet"
Flight 18 (500,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (37) -- [41]
  • Dynamic AE: Quickness 16 (Feats: Dynamic) (17)
  • Dynamic AE: Speed 15 (64,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (16)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]

Senses 22 (Extended Vision & Hearing 4, Analytical, Low-Light, Infra, Ultra & Microvision 4, Vision Penetrates Concealment, Ultra-Hearing) [22]
 
Equipment:
"Legion Gear"
"Telepathic Ear Plug" Comprehend 3 (Languages) (6)

"Legion Flight Ring"
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Vacuum, Pressure, Radiation, Suffocation 2) (7)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Communication 5 (Flaws: Fifth Rank is only towards Legionnaires) (18)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+18 Damage, DC 33)
Heat Vision +11 (+16 Ranged Damage, DC 31)
Heat Beam +15 Area (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Freeze Breath +11 (+14 Ranged Affliction, DC 24)
Freeze Cone/Ground Pound +14 Area (+14 Affliction, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +18 (+10 Impervious), Fortitude +16, Will +11

Complications: 
Secret (Clark Kent)- Only Lana Lang and Ma & Pa Kent know his secret in his own century. The whole Legion pretty much have it all figured out.
Motivation (Truth, Justice & The American Way)
Power Loss/Vulnerable (Kryptonite)- Superboy will lose all of his powers, and soon begin to die, if exposed to Kryptonite, the element of his dead homeworld.
Power Loss/Vulnerable (Red Sun Radiation)- Earth's Yellow Sun empowers Superboy- without it, he will soon lose his powers. Red Sun-based energies will do much more damage to him. Typically, Brainiac-5 will give him some kind of protection against this weakness.
Power Loss (X-Ray Vision)- Kryptonian X-Ray Vision cannot penetrate lead.
Responsibility (Human Life)- Clark believes deeply that all life is important.

Total: Abilities: 122 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 29 / Powers: 158 / Defenses: 15 (340)

-So this obscure fellow is actually an idea Siegel & Shuster came up with a few years later- some would say they based him off of Fawcett Comics' success with Captain Marvel Jr., but instead of making a sidekick character, they just told the stories of "Superman When He Was a Boy". He got a whole new supporting cast and became a HUGE deal, earning DC a ton more money (and since he was a non-Superman creation not formed under the same type of deal/contract, his legal issues were far more nasty than Superman's as Connor Kent would discover decades later). Superboy would eventually meet up with three super-powered teenagers from the future, and get inducted into their Legion (which would soon take over his old book), coming to the future whenever he felt like it. This led to an interesting situation, as a CHILD version of their main hero was having these gigantic adventures in another time period, alongside published tales of him as an adult. Of course, people glossed over that Superboy could never be killed since his adult version was obviously still alive, and that Superman never referred to his time with the Legion ending, though he obviously didn't hang with them as much now that he was fully-grown.

-In the 1980s, John Byrne decided he wanted to introduce Superman as an adult (a man just learning about/unsure of his new powers- a valid story idea, sure- countless others have tried to tell it), which meant that there was never a Superboy. BUT, it turns out that since all of the DCU itself wasn't revamping itself at the same time, this made a SWACK of continuity problems, the biggest of which being that the Legion was now based off of... nobody. In fact, all their old stories had to be glossed over, and Superboy, initially one of the top characters of the book, left its pages forever, leaving a blank that was never really filled. Confusing, unnecessary stories about "Pocket Universe Superboys" and the like inspiring them (really, just ignore it and move on, I'd say) just furthered the problems, and the Legion never really got over it. Some blame Byrne for this, but really- this is why comics have EDITORS, who can go "uh, hey- that would actually ruin one of our top-selling books, so let's not". In any case, Superboy became less and less important to the Legion over the years, in any case, hardly showing up at ALL in many stories. In The Great Darkness Saga he only makes a few cameos until the very end, and even THEN doesn't really do any character-stuff- The Legion does all the work.

-That said, Superboy ends up being quite influential overall, with various supporting characters of his making their way into the Legion book- Ultra Boy & Mon-El both debuted in Superboy stories and THEN met the Legion, and both share his powers (mostly). Supergirl ALSO joined the Legion, and soon later-continuity Legionnaires would be inspired by him, such as Andromeda and Kent Shakespeare.

-Superboy took some doing, because this is technically multiple eras being represented by one guy- in the 1960s, Superboy was virtually PL X, and could be portrayed anywhere from PL 14 to PL 30 and be accurate to SOME comic. Hell, I've seen him lug GIGANTIC STARS using a CHAIN- this is the kind of silliness present in the '60s stories (and before you laugh, remember that Superman & Superboy were THE BEST-SELLING COMICS OF THAT DECADE until Marvel took over sales in the late '60s and never really looked back). However, comparing him to my Marvel builds, it makes sense that even in the later stories, Superboy is stronger than Marvel's Thor by enough that he does one point more damage than a Mjolnir-wielding God of Thunder (Superboy is almost NEVER challenged by the kinds of guys that can give Thor trouble), hitting PL 15 overall. This is equal to the DCA Superman build (but more expensive with various Silver Agey additions), which I think can be fitting, since Superboy is the YOUNGER version of Supes, and thus you can expect him to be a PL or two HIGHER once he hits his full power (or learns to fight better)- this Pre-Crisis Super-guy is a bit more powerful than the later versions (ESPECIALLY the Byrne one).

-Superboy is strong as hell and tough as hell, but can still fail a Toughness Test and go down to a lucky punch (like when the MUCH weaker Ferro Lad one-punched him to play the sacrificial lamb). He has tons of Sensory Powers, and the old Heat Vision/Super-Breath thing. He can fly at INSANE speeds on Earth, and can do even better in space, making the Legion Flight Ring a little redundant, but hey- he can still fly if he's Kryptonited, which most Super-folks can't.
For completion's sake, here's my older Superboy build.
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Sidious
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman- Golden, Silver, Modern Age! Kingdom Come!)

Post by Sidious »

All this Superman and now Superboy talk....... I'm hoping there's a LSH revamp coming.
Jabroniville
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Metropolis

Post by Jabroniville »

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You know Superman is an old comic because a newspaper has the most recognizable skyscraper in the skyline.

METROPOLIS
Created By:
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
First Appearance: Action Comics #16 (Sept. 1939)
Role: Superman's Home Town, Megalopolis

-Metropolis is of course the famous fictional hometown of Superman- similar as Batamn has a "Gotham City" to defend. Whereas many/most companies just used real-world headquarters for their guys, for some reason Siegel & Shuster didn't want to, and just coined the comic "Metropolis". Some initial Superman strips showed him in CLEVELAND of all places, but that's because Cleveland is where they were trying to sell the strip. Like Gotham, it's very New York-y- Frank Miller said "Metropolis is New York in the daytime; Gotham City is New York at night." Joe Shuster has indicated its skyline was based around his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, where he lived until he was ten years old (Clark's first job at the Daily Star is based off of the Toronto Star), while a 1950 comic shows the Statue of Liberty in "Metropolis Harbor", indicating that NYC doesn't actually exist.

-Most indications put Metropolis in the northeastern U.S., within driving distance of Gotham. Some comics used to explicitly state where it was- somewhere in New York state. A fanzine said it was in Delaware and this was copied for a DC-based RPG as well. Another out-of-canon comic says that cities from Boston to Washington, D.C. fused into a "Metropolis" (though that's like 4 hours of driving time on the highway- the city would be of PREPOSTEROUS size). Currently in DC all the real world cities are still around, so Metropolis is just an "extra" one.

-Metropolis itself is typically depicted as a gleaming, clean skyscraper-filled city. Midvale is a suburb located a ways away, and was the home of Supergirl- it's a relentlessly idealized 1950s town. Suicide Slum is the one really bad part- it's patroled by the Guardian and Black Lightning, and is a notorious slum full of crime- effectively a mini-Gotham inside Metropolis. It's also the home of tons of New York parallels like "Queensland" (Queen's), Lacey's/Stacey's Department store (Macy's), and more. The Daily Planet building is the most recognizable landmark (do they really have a MASSIVE skyscraper just to themselves?), and there's also S.T.A.R. Labs, where all the wacky space shit happens. Also Lex Luthor has a base, which is sometimes in a Twin Towers analogue and sometimes in his L-shaped skyscraper.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman- Golden, Silver, Modern Age! Kingdom Come!)

Post by Ares »

Quasimofo wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:54 am Regarding the fight between Superman and Captain Marvel in JLU, I think it's important to consider not just the fight but the story and episode that it was a part of. It wasn't a matter of showing who was better or stronger, the fight served to paint Superman as an arrogant, unreasonably bully. The focus of the scene wasn't even the fight, it was the damage and destruction that resulted from it. Captain Marvel didn't even want to fight, as he considered Superman in his own words to be his idol. For narrative purposes Superman needed to win that fight in order to maximize the payoff at the end of the episode, which concluded with Captain Marvel giving Superman the most vicious beatdown he ever got in the entire JLU run.
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 9:49 am Hey! Welcome to commenting :)!

And yeah, that was part Superman being the aggressor and Marvel being more defensive. And he does completely wreck Superman at the end. The only unfortunate thing for the narrative is that Batman goes "They set you up, Clark!" to immediately shift it around to the villains. But that sets up Cadmus as the true bad guys, drops the Luthor conspiracy into the plot, and proves that despite his methods, Superman is correct- Luthor is NOT to be trusted and that Billy was too naïve to see that Lex wasn't "one of the good guys now", despite his well-intentioned thoughts.
Reviewer sfDebris did a really good review (Part 1 Part 2) of how the episode showcases just how far Superman's head has gotten stuck up his own ass. The DCAU Superman was never the moral paragon and friendly father figure the character was usually portrayed as, but he was generally a good person whose biggest flaws were his temper and a mild superiority complex (which was mostly an honest assessment of how much stronger he was than most people). The problem was, as the DCAU went on, that idea of "I'm stronger than other people so I need to act responsibly" morphed in a certainty that he knew he was in the right.

Supes lectures Captain Marvel about how naive Cap is being about believing Luthor has reformed, saying things "aren't that simple". Yet Superman is unwavering in his belief that Luthor is bad because he's Luthor, the simple answer to any question involving Luthor. "Luthor is wrong because he's bad and I'm right because I'm the good guy" is way, way more simple than Cap's position, which is that people can change and reform.

Now, Cap IS wrong about Luthor here, because he lacks the personal experience with Luthor Superman and the original Leaguers have. But he isn't wrong about people deserving a chance to become the best versions of themselves. His lack of experience with Luthor (along with the Wisdom of Solomon) allowed him to show up at the scene where Superman was confronting Luthor and do everything to end the scenario without violence. He de-escalates the situation, gets both sides of the story and then suggests that they bring in a tech expert like Steel or the Atom to make sure Luthor is telling the truth. He's willing to give Luthor the benefit of the doubt but also wants to be careful and verify his claims in case Superman is right. And with the League teleporters, Steel or the Atom could have been there in seconds.

But Superman was so convinced he was right and that everyone else present was wrong that he just flat out attacks Cap and chucks him through a statute. And then beats him with a bank vault for good measure. And in the end, Cap verbally tears Superman and the League a new one for acting more and more like the Justice Lords everyone was worried about them becoming.

It's honestly a shame this wasn't a two-parter so that we could have gotten a longer battle between the two, and still feel they over did it on Superman's end (much like they did with Captain Atom). But I understand giving Superman the physical win since he was going to get a moral slap down after.

Also, it just kind of bugs me that Lois Lane of all people would misconstrue Cap's words into a full on endorsement of Luthor. I'd have expected that from one of the Planet's competitors but Lois is supposed to have some journalistic integrity.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Shock
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Re: Metropolis

Post by Shock »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 4:22 pm
Another out-of-canon comic says that cities from Boston to Washington, D.C. fused into a "Metropolis" (though that's like 4 hours of driving time on the highway- the city would be of PREPOSTEROUS size).
I've now decided that Metropolis is the predecessor to Judge Dredd's MegaCity One. Though it would take WAY longer than 4 hours to drive from Boston to DC. It's more like 8-10 hours and that's if traffic is ideal.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman- Golden, Silver, Modern Age! Kingdom Come!)

Post by Quasimofo »

Thanks, I've been reading here for years just never bothered to say anything ha.

Captain Marvel's line "Whenever I was out there facing down the bad guys, I'd think, 'what would Superman do'?' Now I know" hurt worse than any punch Doomsday ever threw. The rest of the League sitting at attention while Superman lowered his head in shame spoke volumes. But they should have left it there, with Superman just quietly feeling like a complete piece of crap. Batman giving "the look", sure, but him speaking up and then immediately cutting to Luthor and Waller really cheapened the impact. Superman WAS an ass, and should have had at least an episode to reflect upon it before the reveal. It would have been a great opportunity to "right the ship" with Supes by having him face the consequences of his actions but they tossed that bit of character development in the trash, which I agree was a waste.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Asuka 120%- Cathy! Karina! Tamaki! Superman Builds!)

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:28 am
One of the strangest things that happened to Superman is that he was written initially, and honestly for a very long time, as if he was a unique phenomenon. His brief appearances in All-Star Comics weren't referenced in Superman's own books. He shared covers of World's Finest with Batman and Robin for a decade before they started working together (unless you count Batman's appearances on Superman's radio show). Even once Superman was in the Justice League, it took time before that membership was referenced in Superman's own stories. On the subject of the Earth-One and Earth-Two Supermen, I hold fast to the idea that the first appearance of the Earth-One Superman was Brave & the Bold #28 and the first appearance of the Earth-Two Superman was Justice League of America #73.
What's different about those? The first crossovers with Earth-One heroes?
Brave & the Bold #28 was the first appearance of the Justice League of America. As such, it was the first time that Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter were in a Julius Schwartz edited comic book, and the first time for Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman since the golden age. (Shwartz had edited All-Star Comics in the late 1940s, including #36 which had Superman and Batman).

Justice League of America #73 was the first time we saw Superman as a part of the Justice Society since the aforementioned All-Star Comics #36.
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:28 am
The character appearing concurrently in Action, Superman, and World's Finest was set on the Earth I call "Earth-Weisinger". It wasn't until the 1970s, after Superman had been around over 30 years, that it really felt like the writers of Superman and Action were able to acknowledge that Superman was a part of a world of super heroes.
While Mort Weisinger was building Superman's mythos, Julie Schwartz built the shared DC Universe. Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Justice League, the Atom, even the "new look" Batman, they were all edited by Julius Schwartz. And in the 1970s and early 80s, it was Schwartz and his people, who tried to graft Weisinger's Superman mythos onto Earth-One. But when in the post-Crisis world, it was the Schwartz characters who were least changed. Atom's history was intact. Wally had replaced Barry, but Barry's history was intact. They added to Hal's history, yes, but it wasn't rewritten. Hawkman initially survived the Crisis unchanged, only to have his history f--ed over in the early 1990s when Alan Gold decided to make Tim Turman's "Hawkworld" a recent event, not an embellishment and prequel to Brave and the Bold #34.
Yeah, Weisinger must not have played nice with others. Jim Shooter describes him as "mean as a snake at the best of times" and constantly screaming. I'd imagine others were hesitant to play with his stuff. Mark Evanier writes that Mort was a plagiarist who also hated Jack Kirby and fought his inclusion at DC. Though he adds "This doesn't make Mr. Weisinger sound all that wonderful so I should point out that he was a very successful editor of comic books who had a lot to do with Superman being successful from the mid-forties 'til around 1970. As editor of those books, he was a target for anyone who wanted to move up in that company. The person who controlled Superman was, almost by definition, the most important person at the firm…and he was in many ways more qualified for the CEO job at DC than the guy who got it."
By all accounts Weisinger was very protective, and not particularly nice. He did hire a 14 year old Jim Shooter as a writer, though. Considering what people say about Shooter as an editor, all this can be filed under "irony".
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman- Golden, Silver, Modern Age! Kingdom Come!)

Post by Ares »

Quasimofo wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 9:29 pm Thanks, I've been reading here for years just never bothered to say anything ha.

Captain Marvel's line "Whenever I was out there facing down the bad guys, I'd think, 'what would Superman do'?' Now I know" hurt worse than any punch Doomsday ever threw. The rest of the League sitting at attention while Superman lowered his head in shame spoke volumes. But they should have left it there, with Superman just quietly feeling like a complete piece of crap. Batman giving "the look", sure, but him speaking up and then immediately cutting to Luthor and Waller really cheapened the impact. Superman WAS an ass, and should have had at least an episode to reflect upon it before the reveal. It would have been a great opportunity to "right the ship" with Supes by having him face the consequences of his actions but they tossed that bit of character development in the trash, which I agree was a waste.
Yeah, unfortunately the next episode with Superman has him rationalizing everything he did to Lois right before he goes on to give Captain Atom a similar beat down. Part of the problem with the Cadmus arc was that both Superman and Batman were central parts of it (Batman as the human member who could somewhat sympathize with Cadmus, Superman as the guy slowly becoming Justice Lords Superman without meaning to), but there wasn't really enough development for the characters to justify their actions. For most of the Cadmus arc, Superman is just Superman . . . and then The Clash happens and he's acting in a way that kind of justifies Cadmus' actions. They just kind of skipped a lot of the development that got them there because they had to flesh out the other 50 characters they just introduced to the show.

What's crazy is they writers apparently wanted Batman to actually defect to Cadmus (hence why he was surly at Superman at the end of The Doomsday Sanction), but couldn't figure out how to do it in a way that wouldn't make Batman look villainous or completely destroy his relation with the League. It also made Bruce look weird in that particular instance since . . . what the Hell else was the League supposed to do with frickin Doomsday other than send him to the Phantom Zone? They couldn't just give him back to Cadmus, almost no prison on Earth could contain him, etc.

Honestly, they kind of shot themselves in the foot by deciding to make Batman Beyond THE future of the DCEU and not just a possible future, because they had to keep justifying Batman as a "part timer" since Beyond stated that Bruce was only a part time member.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman- Golden, Silver, Modern Age! Kingdom Come!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Sidious wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:50 pm All this Superman and now Superboy talk....... I'm hoping there's a LSH revamp coming.
Like in this thread? I last did them in 2018! There's not been enough stuff to do it yet, especially as I lost interest in whatever DC was doing in their mess of a continuity :).
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Kryptonite

Post by Jabroniville »

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KRYPTONITE:
Created By: The Radio Show Writers
First Appearance: The Adventures of Superman (June 1943)
Role: Superman's Krypto--- er, Achilles Heel

-The iconic Kryptonite, the legendary weakness of Superman, was created a few years after his debut, and for the Adventures of Superman radio show. Then performed live in many cases, radio was a HUGE deal, and this had a fringe benefit to allow Superman's actor, Bud Collyer, to go on vacatoin. Apocryphal stories are that Bud was sick one day and this was used to have Superman groaning so any actor could cover for him; or that it allowed him to go on vacation- it's thought now that this was just a side-effect, and the plot device was originally just used to possibly threaten the invincible hero or to have his origin explained to him. Kryptonite was added to the comics six years later, in 1949.

-So for whatever reason, the element that made up Krypton is now poisonous to Kryptonians, and they will grow weak and sick in its presence. It was initially seen as red in its debut, showing up in the now-famous green hue in 1951. Kryptonite became an easy plot device, especially back in the "Figure out the villain's trick" era of comics, where the otherwise-unstoppable hero could be brought low by something simple. Villains could use it to disable of threaten him, or it could be used as a reason to let Lois or Jimmy Olsen do something heroic to save the day. Lex Luthor would wear a ring made of it to ward off Superman's presence for years- something that would later give him caner.

-Naturally, once we hit the Silver Age, other variants of Kryptonite were discovered- in fact, so rapidly between 1959 and 1961 it's one editor or another demanded a shitload of "Kryptonite Stories" to take place. Between 1959 and 1965, ELEVEN different variants of Kryptonite were invented, creating various one-issue plot hooks. Most of these were wiped out by the Crisis- afterwards, only green & red were shown until Silver Age influences started creeping in again.

Kryptonite Variants:
Red Kryptonite: The most famous variant, invented in 1958. It initially weakened Superman more than the green stuff did, but later gave temporary transformations to appearance or behavior. Superman has been shown growing selfish in proximity to it, etc.

Anti-Kryptonite: "Fool's Kryptonite" debuts in 1959 and merely looks like it, but is harmless to Kryptonians- it instead affects HUMANS the way Kryptonite does to Superman! It is said to be the power source for Ultraman from the antimatter universe.

X-Kryptonite: Invented by Supergirl in 1960 in an attempt to create an antidode to Kryptonite- it instead gives Streaky the Supercat its superpowers. In 1980, Superman Family revises it to be just another thing like the green kryptonite.

Blue Kryptonite: Kryptonite that affects Bizarro and his species, debuting in 1960.

White Kryptonite: Kills all plant life from any planet. Debuts in 1960.

Red-Green Kryptonite: Debuts in 1961, created by Brainiac to mutate Superman, who grows a third eye in the back of his head. In 1965, it cuses Superboy to lose his powers permanently, but he is accidentally restored by a Phantom Zone criminal.

Gold Kryptonite: Nullifies superpowers by permanently removing Kryptonians' ability to process yellow sunlight. Debuts in 1962. Post-Crisis, this only depowers them temporarily.

Jewel Kryptonite: Amplifies psychic powers of criminals imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, letting them use illusions & mind control outside of it.

Bizzaro-Red Kryptonite: Affects humans the way red kryptonite affects Kryptonians.

Red-Gold Kryptonite: Temporarily causes memory loss. Debuts in 1965.

Magno-Kryptonite: Invented by the villain Mr. Nero, it is attracted to all substances from Krypton.

Slow Kryptonite: Invented by Metallo in 1981- affects humans like green kryptonite does Superman.

Kryptonite-X: A fluke created by Eradicator when he filtered regular kryptonite thrown at him by Cyborg Superman. Temporarily supercharged Superman.

Platinum Kryptonite: Discovered in the Phantom Zone "on an impossible planet", it gives people Kryptonian powers for life.

Orange Kryptonite: Gives animals Krypto-like powers for one day. Debuted in 2007.

Imaginary Stories & Hoaxes:
Positive & Negative Kryptonite: Hallucinations invented by Jimmy in a 1958 story when he is struck by a sandbag. Positive kryptonite is what gives Superman his powers, and humans gain his powers by ingesting it. Negative kryptonite takes them away.
Red-Green-Blue-Gold Kryptonite: Superman combines the minerals in 1963 for an intelligence-expanding device- however, it explodes, separating Superman into Superman-Red & Superman-Blue, each of whom has enhanced intellect.
Silver Kryptonite: A hoax- said to alter Kryptonian personalities and cause them to grow hungry and lose inhibitions.
Red-Green-Gold Kryptonite: Permanently removes powers & memories from Superman.
Pink Kryptonite: Joked about in Supergirl in 2003, it turns Kryptonians into homosexuals- an obvious parody of Silver Age dynamics.
Periwinkle Kryptonite: A joke that makes Kryptonians lose their inhibitions, created in 2013.
Black Kryptonite: Turns Kryptonians into murderers in an alternate universe story.
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Ma & Pa Kent

Post by Jabroniville »

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GOD Silver Age comics XD.

MA & PA KENT (Jonathan & Martha Kent)
Created By:
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
First Appearance: Superman #1 (June 1939)
Role: Superman's Parents, The Moral Barometer

-Integral to the entire character of Superman is his parents, Jonathan & Martha (often called "Ma & Pa", just to be as old-timey Americana as possible). Introduced a year after he was (in Action Comics #1, a "passing motorist" finds young Clark), they were explained to have been his adoptive parents, finding the crashing rocket ship that brought infant Kal-El to Earth years ago. They raised their son on good old-fashioned American values, and this is eventually given as the reason for why Superman is so innately moral and kind. Early versions included a "Mary Kent", then "Eben & Sarah Kent" through much of the Golden Age, but in 1948 they were "John & Mary"- "Martha" becomes a thing in 1951.

-A curious thing about the Kents is the universe's insistence that they die- they nearly always appear to be in some kind of mortal danger just from existing, as many adaptations seek especially Pa's demise. In Pre-Crisis continuity, they are removed from the narrative when Clark graduates high school (Jonathan imploring Clark to be a powerful force for good- a "Superman", on his deathbed). This is hilariously done by touching pirate's treasure while on vacation and catching a fatal tropical disease. In Richard Donner's Superman film, Pa's death breaks a young Clark's heart, and is used as kind of a way to prove to him the mortality of other people- a little tragedy that even he can't save everyone, too. In these cases also, Superman is forced to "Grow Up" in a dramatic way, and his friends in Metropolis are all that keep him "human".

-In the Superboy feature, at least, Jon & Mary are recurring characters, having to deal with an invincible teenager- Clark shows most of his powers by the age of eight, and becomes Superboy, Martha sewing his costume out of the blankets contained in his rocket, while Jonathan helps work out a secret identity.

-Post-Crisis, Ma & Pa are both kept alive by John Byrne- this ensures that Clark always has somewhere to return to. It also keeps him human more than anything else, to the point of nearly infantilizing him sometimes (as Ma in particular has a master's degree in "Mom Guilt"). In Pre-Crisis, Superman was this mythological figure who was so far above us mortals, but Post-Crisis he was still someone who needed and listened to his parents, frequently seeking their advice. Pa suffers a heart attack under the writing of Geoff "Slayer of Characters" Johns and dies.
greycrusader
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman Builds! Metropolis! Kryptonite!)

Post by greycrusader »

Superman is actually not the easiest character to write. He absolutely should be written as an aspirational hero, a moral paragon, yet at the same time he can't be written as infallible, because that makes for a deadly dull character; he has the same problem as Captain America over at Marvel, but with the added problem of also being incredibly powerful and versatile, able to handle many situations which would otherwise require a team of superheroes. The characterization in the JLU series likely gave him appropriate character flaws-a sense of righteousness, a bit of a temper, and mostly-justifiable overconfidence. But it erred in too often justifying his anger and impulsivity, never showing him mature as a role model and team member. As Ares suggests, the writers missed an opportunity by not having him go out against Darkseid...and then still lose, straight-up and without any excuses. That could have led to real growth for Superman, recognizing he cannot do everything, despite his massive power.

But as I said, it isn't easy to get his personality right; written wrong, he can come across as aloof and arrogant (a lot of Silver Age "super-dickery" stories showcased this Superman), or else as a patronizing, know-it-all father figure. Again, Kal-El should be brave, just, caring, and compassionate, but still not perfect. The Bronze Age did this pretty well for the most part; I remember when Superman first encountered the Manhunters (alongside the Justice League), casually tried breaking through the Manhunter Grandmaster's force field-and get painfully sent flying backwards! Later, he was plowing through Manhunters, confident he could go it alone while his teammates handled other threats...until the Superman-Hunter showed up, a MASSIVE android whose armor was tinged with Green-K, and Clark ended up being choked out.

And this is also editorial interference or too-zealous writers who will not let Superman lose out to any foe short of cosmic level beings or high-level sorcerers/supernatural threats actually diminish the character, making him a hero who doesn't ever really have to struggle, fear any foe, or need help to accomplish anything. In an odd way, Superboy nearly came off as MORE heroic than his adult self when he was having adventures in the 30th century with the Legion of Super-Heroes; his frequently had to struggle against enemies, space monsters, catastrophes, and super-science that posed a real threat to him. Any of the Fatal Five could potentially harm or kill Clark, and Validus ABSOLUTELY could annihilate Superboy-but he still fought them, even putting himself in danger to protect his more vulnerable allies. And in the Bronze Age, enemies such as Amazo, Neutron ,or battlesuit-clad Luthor (though I never particularly liked that iteration of Lex), or the Galactic Golem (thanks for putting out the correct time period, Ken) were his physical match or more so; the Big Red S has to persevere, use his wits, call in help from his super-friends...and that was far more entertaining than watching an invincible hero who wins anytime he decides to "not hold back anymore". Later writers/editors who weakened menaces such as Validus, or Superman-rivals like Vartox because they wanted to "protect" Kal-El's status cheapened him instead, IMHO. Just my two cents.

All my best.

PS; Ken, Superman's aging (or lack thereof) is sort of all over the map; the Earth-Two version seemed to age more slowly than normal humans but only to a limited degree; the Kingdom Come Superman aged cosmetically, but got MORE powerful up to a point, and apparently had a lifespan of over a thousand years; some Imaginary Tales/Elseworlds variants got older normally, were functionally immortal, etc; no real consistency.
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Superman Robots

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

SUPERMAN ROBOTS
Created By:
Al Plastino
First Appearance: World's Finest #42 (Sept. 1949)
Role: Robot Duplicates
PL 12 (218)
STRENGTH
15 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (History) 2 (+2)
Expertise (Reporter) 4 (+4)
Expertise (Servant) 4 (+4)
Perception 6 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Heat Vision/Freeze Breath) 3 (+10)
Technology 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Interpose, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown

Powers:
"Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 15 [15]
"More Powerful Than a Speeding Locomotive" Power-Lifting 4 (12,000 tons) [4]

"Super-Breath" Affliction 11 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) Linked to Move Object 9 (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2) (Flaws: Touch Range) (38) -- [43]
  • AE: "Heat Beam" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (33)
  • AE: "Heat Vision" Blast 12 (Feats: Extended Reach 2) (26)
  • AE: "Freeze Breath" Affliction 11 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (33)
  • AE: "Freeze Cone" Affliction 11 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (33)
  • AE: "Ground Pound" Affliction 11 (Strength/Athletics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +3, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Both Must Be Grounded, Instant Recovery) (22)
"Faster Than a Speeding Bullet"
Flight 14 (32,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (28) -- [30]
  • Dynamic AE: Quickness 6 (Feats: Dynamic) (7)
  • Dynamic AE: Speed 13 (16,000 mph) (Feats: Dynamic) (14)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]

Senses 15 (Extended Vision & Hearing 2, Infra, Ultra & Microvision 4, Vision Penetrates Concealment, Ultra-Hearing) [15]

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Heat Vision +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Heat Beam +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Freeze Breath +11 (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Freeze Cone/Ground Pound +11 Area (+11 Affliction, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +15, Fortitude --, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Superman's Orders)- The robots are typically the mindless servants of Superman, unless they go rogue.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 139 / Defenses: 11 (218)

-The notion of a "Superman Robot" is an old one, going back to the Golden Age. Oftentimes, they were an excuse in the plot, or a contrivance- sometimes a cap-off to a "how can he protect his secret identity?" story. The duplicates could pass for either Superman OR Clark, so he'd often use one to cover for himself, luring Lois Lane away from thinking that Clark was Superman by showing up in the same place. Other times, he'd have a robot handle Kryptonite, as it would be unaffected. In the Silver Age, it was established that Clark had started doing this while Superboy- the damage to one had made Pete Ross discover that his friend was Superboy.

-Eventually, the Robots started malfunctioning due to Earth's "polluted atmosphere" and so were retired (translation: An editor was probably like "Enough with the damn robots, already!")- one managed to go rogue and became the secret guardian of Smallville, but self-destructed when the real Superman confronted it. Another Superman Robot was chosen as the asinine means by which Titans Lilith Clay & Donna Troy were killed in Graduation Day- like, that story was dumb enough, but why a SUPERMAN ROBOT? Superman barely has anything to do with the Titans at that point!

-Even though Superman Robots were built to be weaker than Superman himself, they are quite potent (especially if one can take on the entire Titans squad and even KILL two of them)- he is generally required to take out one that goes rogue.
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Ken
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Re: Ma & Pa Kent

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 3:31 am-Post-Crisis, Ma & Pa are both kept alive by John Byrne- this ensures that Clark always has somewhere to return to. It also keeps him human more than anything else, to the point of nearly infantilizing him sometimes (as Ma in particular has a master's degree in "Mom Guilt"). In Pre-Crisis, Superman was this mythological figure who was so far above us mortals, but Post-Crisis he was still someone who needed and listened to his parents, frequently seeking their advice. Pa suffers a heart attack under the writing of Geoff "Slayer of Characters" Johns and dies.
I appreciated Ma & Pa Kent still being alive. It never seemed like they were infantilizing Superman. We just saw a Clark Kent who had a healthy relationship with his parents. They relied on him as they became more infirm, and he appreciated their wisdom and advice. It was something to look up to and aspire to in my own life. I started college in 1986; the timing worked. I learned to listen to my parents' advice. It wasn't about obeying them, or needing their approval. But I learned to appreciate their viewpoints. I learned to be able to tell them when I thought they were wrong. I might have learned to do that anyway if I hadn't been reading the Superman books. But it certainly didn't hurt.
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Ken
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Superman Builds! Metropolis! Kryptonite!)

Post by Ken »

greycrusader wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 5:13 am PS; Ken, Superman's aging (or lack thereof) is sort of all over the map; the Earth-Two version seemed to age more slowly than normal humans but only to a limited degree; the Kingdom Come Superman aged cosmetically, but got MORE powerful up to a point, and apparently had a lifespan of over a thousand years; some Imaginary Tales/Elseworlds variants got older normally, were functionally immortal, etc; no real consistency.
I agree that there was no consistency. That's why he shouldn't be immune.

All of the Earth-Two heroes had screwed up aging. Yeah, eventually there was the Ian Karkul thing put in to explain things. But I could go on a very long diatribe about how messed up the JSA's ages were in most of their JLA and 70's "All-Star" appearances.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
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