Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Batgirl III]

I remember the epic after school debates during the ‘Reign of the Supermen’ arc when it was still ongoing. We pretty much all agreed that Superboy and Steel were cool, but clearly intended to be additions to the rather sparse “Team Superman” cast. (Which was, like, Clark and Matrix-Supergirl at that point… Occasionally Maxima and Guardian, maybe?)

The debate was between my friends Sean and Kevin, who were convinced the Cyborg Superman was the real deal versus myself and Mariah who just knew it was the (soon to be revealed as) Eradicator.

In hindsight, it’s obvious that Clark was always going to come back. But back then? I was eleven or twelve and no where near as media savvy as I am now. I totally bought into the hype. I might be a “Smart” now, but I was a “Mark” back then.

I still think Eradicator has one of the top Superman variant costumes of all time.

[Ares]

In hindsight, it’s obvious that Clark was always going to come back. But back then? I was eleven or twelve and no where near as media savvy as I am now. I totally bought into the hype. I might be a “Smart” now, but I was a “Mark” back then.

Oh sure, it is easy to say in hindsight, but 12 / 13 year old me was caught up in it as well.

I still think Eradicator has one of the top Superman variant costumes of all time.

Which is funny, because the Eradicator and Cyborg Superman were both clearly meant to be a kind of "take that" to Image Comics inspired heroes.

The Eradicator has a mostly black costume with a single stripe and a visor/goggles (Image uniforms loved stripes and goggles only slightly less than pouches, shoulder pads and oversized headphones) and had a very Image-esque "90s anti-hero" vibe to him with crippling or murdering criminals the way you'd see in Spawn, Youngblood, Savage Dragon and Supreme.

. . . . actually, the Eradicator's outfit is almost an inversion of Rob Liefeld's Supreme.



The white becomes black, the red becomes blue, and the stripe starts at the feet and goes up instead of starting at the cape and going down. It isn't perfect, you'd need to lose the boots and bracers and give Supreme long sleeves, but honestly? I could see Eradicator being a riff on Supreme.

Meanwhile the Cyborg Superman was the OTHER side of the Image spectrum, the bad-ass cybernetic hero who could turn HIS ARM INTO A GUN! EXTREEEEEEMMMMMME!

[Batgirl III]

Now that you say it, I can definitely see how the Eradicator-Superman’s costume looks very similar to the Image heroes of the day. However, to me, the one-piece body suit (no trunks, no boots, no bare hands), the black-with-full-body blue stripe, and the way the cape just sort of flowed into the s-shield just looked so futuristic. (I admit, I was never crazy about the shades though.)

It reminded me very strongly of the SW6 Legionnaires costumes, which I loved back then and still swear by:



I say more one thing about it though: it was loads better than the Jim Lee/New 52 “random lines everywhere and let’s make it look like he’s wearing body armor” look.

[Jabroniville]

DOMINUS (Tuoni)
Created By: Stuard Immonen
First Appearance: Action Comics #747 (Aug. 1998)
Role: Evil Lord of Chaos

-Given one of the most generic super-villain names ever, Dominus was an alien priest who'd lived a live of peaceful meditation and prayer while acting as a Lord of Order. He had fallen in love with a colleague, but when she moved past him in importance to become "Kismet"- Illuminator of All Realities, he grew jealous and used dark magic to try and usurp her- he was immolated for it. Despite his betrayal, Kismet spared him and sent him to the Phantom Zone. There, his shattered form was discovered by a Kryptonian scientist Kem-L, who built him a new body with vast cosmic & psionic powers. Now a Lord of Chaos, he escaped the Zone and fought Superman, swapping their appearances and trapping the hero. His behavior was so suspicious that Lois Lane teamed up with LEX LUTHOR to uncover the secret. Superman used Kryptonian mental disciplines known as Torquasm Vo to win, sending Dominus back to the Phantom Zone.

-Dominus had magical and reality warping powers, able to use Telepathy, Illusions, Regeneration, Blasts, Teleportation, Time Travel & Flight, as well as physical powers equal to Superman and the power to absorb souls.

[Jabroniville]

REPO MAN (Jesse something)
Created By: Chuck Austen
First Appearance: Action Comics #821 (Jan. 2005)
Role: Powerhouse

-Repo Man was created by Chuck Austen (OH GOD WHAT?) for an arc- Jesse here was a nerdy weakling who acted as a lot tender for cars that'd been towed. He aspired to be a repo-man, coveting the great power of such a lofty position, but he was rejected for the job because he lacked the body type to intimidate people, and his boss also suspected that he'd abuse the position to make others suffer. A mysterious man gave him a crystal that granted wishes, and now became a huge dude. It turned out he was empowered by Gog (from the JSA arc) and picked a fight with Superman- he was instead fought by Superboy, and grew to twice his normal height and one-punched the hero through the Kent family farmhouse. He grew even stronger when Superman attacked him, knocking him across a few states. He nearly murdered Pa Kent until Krypto arrived, and then Superman finally returned and pummeled Repo Man into the Earth. He was shocked, however, to find Jesse shrinking back to normal size- when Jesse said he'd "claim" all the women at the Kent farm (oh yeah, Chuck Austen wrote this arc, alright), Superman did the "Super-flick" of his finger to knock him out. He further mutated disproportionately while in custody, but has never reappeared.

-This has a lot of strange Chuck Austen hallmarks (it's weird that he's considered a pretty decent showrunner as whenever he has complete control his work is AWFUL)- a completely wild villain unable to be remotely identifiable, who grows increasingly more perverse and sadistic as time goes on. "Pointlessly cruel statements" are a frequent theme in his work, with multiple villains in his Exiles and X-Men runs being totally amoral lunatics.

-Repo Man is just incredibly strong and tough, but with a physique that can randomly diminish itself.

[Batgirl III]

This has a lot of strange Chuck Austen hallmarks (it's weird that he's considered a pretty decent showrunner as whenever he has complete control his work is AWFUL)

I’ve long thought that comics should adopt a “writers’ room” model, akin to what you see on tv. Get four or six writers who will be working on Captain Hero, Adjectived Captain Hero, Captain Hero’s Girlfriend Molly McHostage and Team Captain Hero to coordinate a rough outline for the next six to twelve issues, write their scripts, and then run everything past a “show runner.”

[Jabroniville]

This has a lot of strange Chuck Austen hallmarks (it's weird that he's considered a pretty decent showrunner as whenever he has complete control his work is AWFUL)

I’ve long thought that comics should adopt a “writers’ room” model, akin to what you see on tv. Get four or six writers who will be working on Captain Hero, Adjectived Captain Hero, Captain Hero’s Girlfriend Molly McHostage and Team Captain Hero to coordinate a rough outline for the next six to twelve issues, write their scripts, and then run everything past a “show runner.”

This would help fix a lot of "So the Editor is ghost-writing and forcing the writer to do the work" stuff.

[Jabroniville]

BARON SUNDAY (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: John Byrne
First Appearance: Superman #26 (Dec. 1988)
Role: Voodoo Serial Killer

-Similar to "Baron Samedi", Baron Sunday is an evil voodoo practitioner. However, this one is a serial killer, and because he used magic, he was shown as an early adversary who proved that Superman could be hurt by it, as Supes was already tired and couldn't capture the villain. Sunday was eventually defeated by Gangbuster, who tracked him down and beat his ass, dumping him off at the police station.

[Jabroniville]

ATOMIC SKULL I (Albert Michaels)
Created By: Martin Pasko, Gerry Conway & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Superman #303 (Sept. 1976- Albert), Superman #323 (May 1978- Skull)
Role: Mad Scientist, Blaster
PL 12 (114)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 6 (+6)
Expertise (Terrorist) 3 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 5 (+12)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Technology 4 (+11)
Vehicles 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (SKULL Leader), Equipment 4 (Big Hover-Skull), Improved Critical (Blast), Inventor, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Brain-Blast" Blast 14 (Flaws: Source- Visor) [14]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 27)
Blast +10 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Painful Seizures)- Michaels is occasionally besieged by painful seizures.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 14 (114)

-Huh, so there's two Atomic Skulls. I didn't know that. The first was a brilliant but unfriendly scientist-administrator at S.T.A.R. Labs with a rare nervous system disorder that short-circuited his brain, creating painful seizures. Unable to find the cure, he secretly contacted the criminal organization SKULL, who implanted a radium-powered device that harnessed his disorder into "Atomic Brain-Blasts", intending to make him their agent. However, these proved difficult to control and only made his condition worse- he blamed Superman for this, as the hero had captured all the SKULL scientists who could have cured him. Calling himself Atomic Skull, he put on an extremely garish yellow & Green costume and became the organization's leader. He used a skull-shaped hovercraft and had a woman named Felicia dressed in a similar costume as his assistant/lover, and a panther he'd artificially-evolved into human form and oh my god how did DC not PUSH this guy?

-Atomic Skull I guess doesn't get much more use until the Crisis hits, and then he appears in the new Captain Atom book and fights Thunder & Lightning in a Teen Titans Spotlight- it's said that his powers now came from him mutating himself in search of immortality. After this point, he's largely ignored- a new Atomic Skull comes out of nowhere in another Superman book only a few years later, and this version does not reappear until 2007 in Birds of Prey and Villains United.

-Atomic Skull I is a very powerful Blaster (apparently enough to almost challenge Superman? I dunno) and criminal organization leader, but I can't imagine he's much of a challenge for Superman in combat. He probably gets by a lot more on being a genius scientist.

[Ken]

In hindsight, it’s obvious that Clark was always going to come back. But back then? I was eleven or twelve and no where near as media savvy as I am now. I totally bought into the hype. I might be a “Smart” now, but I was a “Mark” back then.

Oh sure, it is easy to say in hindsight, but 12 / 13 year old me was caught up in it as well.

You kids are making me feel old. I was in my mid-20s.

[Batgirl III]

“Atomic Skull” is just such an awesome name. I’m honestly shocked there are only two of them!

[Ken]

This has a lot of strange Chuck Austen hallmarks (it's weird that he's considered a pretty decent showrunner as whenever he has complete control his work is AWFUL)

I’ve long thought that comics should adopt a “writers’ room” model, akin to what you see on tv. Get four or six writers who will be working on Captain Hero, Adjectived Captain Hero, Captain Hero’s Girlfriend Molly McHostage and Team Captain Hero to coordinate a rough outline for the next six to twelve issues, write their scripts, and then run everything past a “show runner.”

That's actually very much what the Superman/Action/Adventures of/Man of Steel creators did during the 1990s.

[JDRook]

ATOMIC SKULL I (Albert Michaels)

-Huh, so there's two Atomic Skulls. I didn't know that.
...
He used a skull-shaped hovercraft and had a woman named Felicia dressed in a similar costume as his assistant/lover, and a panther he'd artificially-evolved into human form and oh my god how did DC not PUSH this guy?

I had the same thought when I read the brief mention of him in DCA at the end of the entry for Atomic Skull II:

There is also a sidebar reference to the other, older Atomic Skull who is in no way related to Martin or the old movie serial. From what little research I did, Albert Michaels was a scientist with a terminal brain condition that he attempted to cure with the resource backing of a criminal organization in exchange for essentially henching for them. He apparently turned on the organization, took it over and went full-on supervillain with skull-themed vehicles and a gene-altered cat-girlfriend, which sounds pretty legit on paper but never caught on like Martin, I guess.

[Jabroniville]

ATOMIC SKULL I (Albert Michaels)

-Huh, so there's two Atomic Skulls. I didn't know that.
...
He used a skull-shaped hovercraft and had a woman named Felicia dressed in a similar costume as his assistant/lover, and a panther he'd artificially-evolved into human form and oh my god how did DC not PUSH this guy?

I had the same thought when I read the brief mention of him in DCA at the end of the entry for Atomic Skull II:

There is also a sidebar reference to the other, older Atomic Skull who is in no way related to Martin or the old movie serial. From what little research I did, Albert Michaels was a scientist with a terminal brain condition that he attempted to cure with the resource backing of a criminal organization in exchange for essentially henching for them. He apparently turned on the organization, took it over and went full-on supervillain with skull-themed vehicles and a gene-altered cat-girlfriend, which sounds pretty legit on paper but never caught on like Martin, I guess.

haha, nice. I'm glad it's not just me. Reading that Wikipedia article I couldn't find the snark usually required in forgotten Pre-Crisis DC villains and I was instead like "WHAT? Explain this panther-man and the skull-ship more, please".

[Jabroniville]

LOL was there a coloring mistake there?

ATOMIC SKULL II (Joseph Martin)
Created By: Roger Stern & Bob McLeod
First Appearance: The Adventures of Superman #483 (Oct. 1991)
Role: Powerhouse, Blaster, Big Dumb Villain, Delusional Villain
PL 10 (123)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 3 (+3)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 10 (+10)
Ranged Combat (Blast) 3 (+9)

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

Powers:
Fire Blast 11 (22) -- [23]

• AE: "Flames" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (20)

Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 3) [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Blast +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +12 (+2 Impervious), Fortitude +9, Will +4

Complications:
Prejudice (Obvious Superhuman)- Atomic Skull is a big, strong guy with green flames constantly erupting from his body.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 28 / Defenses: 11 (123)

-Atomic Skull is as simple as it gets: a big, ugly, distinctive-looking freak with tons of hitting power. He's most notable for a minor background villain in JLU, after which he started showing up more and more often, being one of the most visually-interesting of Luthor & Grodd's little gang. Eventually he ended up as one of the few survivors of Darkseid's attack on Luthor, and he helped out against the Parademons in the end. He's actually the kind of villain DC could use a lot more of- a big, distinctive-looking jobber to the stars. To this point, he'd DC's own big Journeyman Villain, popping up losing to Manhunter (while stalking an actress), Mon-El and others.

-Joseph Martin was at S.T.A.R. Labs for a routine check-up when he took an intense blast from the gene-bombs of the Dominators- one of many characters empowered by such an event. This caused his flesh to become invisible (much like Mister Bones of Helix), which got him targetted by some thugs. The resulting brain-damage made him go insane, and he took the name "Atomic Skull" from an old film serial he loved. Now a radiation-shooting super-villain, he fought Superman, whom he mistook for the serial's villain "Doctor Electron", and mistook Lois Lane for the serial's love interest, Zelda. Later, he was one of dozens of loser villains gifted with more power by Neron in exchange for his soul. He was cured of his delusions, and finally decided to act like the proper superhero he wanted to be, but... well they ignored it, because he soon left the Superman books and became a generic Journeyman Villain. He was killed in battle with the Maximums, a super-team from another reality, but was later seen alive, assuming that Mr. Mxyzptlk had reversed his death, as he'd done with other stuff the Maximums did.

-Atomic Skull's stats are equally-simple- he's a big strong Blaster. He's enough to maybe annoy Superman for a little bit but other heroes don't seem to have much issue taking him on as the "Villain of the Day" so presumably his power levels vary a lot.