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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Blackstarr

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLACKSTARR (Rachel Berkowitz)
Created By:
Paul Kupperberg & Carmine Infantino
First Appearance: Supergirl #4 (Feb. 1983)
Role: Failed Mega-Villain
Group Affiliations: None

-Unusual for a forgotten DC character, Blackstarr has a MASSIVE bio on the DC Wiki, probably owing to some gigantic fan of the story writing out the whole thing (right down to extraneous details like what the names of minor side characters are and their backstories). The story takes place over three issues of Supergirl, shortly before the Crisis (which is probably why this character never mattered)- Supergirl is dealing with Anti-Semitism going on around Chicago, but when she orders a Neo-Nazi march to scatter, she is confronted by the ringleader- Blackstarr, who has cosmic powers. Blackstarr fights Supergirl to a standstill and escapes, and Kara is later shocked to discover that Blackstarr is the daughter of her Jewish landlady. Particularly shocking because Rachel Berkowitz was supposed to have died in the Nazi death camps in 1941.

-Mother & daughter spot each other and both are equally shocked, and Rachel later kidnaps her mom and confronts her- Rachel believed that her mom gave her up to the Nazis out of hatred, and was adopted by a death camp commandant she'd befriended, and the man had taught Rachel to hate her own people until he died at the end of the War and Rachel moved to the US, where she became a physics genius that learned how to manipulate the forces of the universe. And hate Jews. In a final confrontation, Blackstarr teleports Supergirl to the center of the universe and tries to use gravity to tear her apart- Supergirl rushes her, the gravitational field creating two black holes (SCIENCE!) which tears Blackstarr apart. She dies leaving only a heartbroken mother, trying to smile in spite of her pain. Blackstarr apparently appeared one more time as the Crisis was occuring, but never again.

-So, uh, Blackstarr is a Jewish girl trained to hate Jews, huh? Wonder why THIS character never became a big-time supervillain. Granted Paul Kupperberg is Jewish too, but wow. This story feels a bit like DC attempting some of that Marvel credibility from Magneto's death camp backstory (which was a new thing at that point).

-Blackstarr was able to alter gravity, shoot electromagnetib blasts, create black holes, teleport, and more. She was easily powerful enough to deal with Supergirl, but was herself victimized by her own powers.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Ares »

Blackstar was probably the Supergirl villain with the most staying power, and could do with a remake to give Kara any kind of Rogue's gallery.

The "Jewish villain hates Jews" thing has popped up more than once. There was a Spider-Man villain I believe literally called Skinhead who was a Jewish guy who joined a skinhead neo-Nazi group before gaining superpowers.
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Jabroniville
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Black Flame

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLACK FLAME (Zora Vi-Lar)
Created By:
Leo Dorfman & Jim Mooney
First Appearance: Action Comics #301 (Sept. 1963)
Role: Supergirl's Nemesis
Group Affiliations: None

-Another failed nemesis of Supergirl's, Black Flame was actually a Kryptonian from the Bottle City of Kandor. She turned towards a life of crime and occasionally bailed on Kandor to commit crimes, bringing her into conflict with Supergirl. Eventually, she was depowered with Gold Kryptonite and imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. One of the last Pre-Crisis Kandor-based stories featured her reforming.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Skavenger »

Davies wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:07 pm ... Balder? In Ancient Greece? <shakes head> That's without mentioning that Zha-Vam was also apparently able to call on the powers of Siva. (This gave him four arms.)

Well, the story has one point of interest in that one of the first powers Zha-Vam demonstrates is throwing lightning bolts. And with how often his inspiration throws the lightning around in contemporary comics, you could argue this is where that mytheme starts. (If Cap ever did that in Fawcett publications, I don't know about it.)
To be fair, is that any weirder than Solomon hanging around with a group of Greek gods and god-like entities?
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Shock »

Blackstarr reminds me of the Marvel cosmic entities what with the weird starfield costume. Wearing a bathrobe over it is definitely an interesting choice. That's an image that could be rehabbed into a usable enemy, I think.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:05 am
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That's such an "Archie mean girl face" look she's sporting there.


Skavenger wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:08 am
Davies wrote: Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:07 pm ... Balder? In Ancient Greece? <shakes head> That's without mentioning that Zha-Vam was also apparently able to call on the powers of Siva. (This gave him four arms.)
To be fair, is that any weirder than Solomon hanging around with a group of Greek gods and god-like entities?
I mean, there's at least some precedent with Greco-Roman culture interacting with Jewish culture, albeit not always in the most pleasant way. Whereas the Norse and the Greeks were basically on different planets for how much they interacted. I like the idea War of the Gods put forth that Shazam specifically used a blending of characters for his new spell as a symbol of unity. His previous spell with Black Adam had used only Egyptian sources, all of whom were gods. Shazam's patrons for his new champion came from Greece, Rome and Israel, included humans (Solomon), demi-gods (Hercules, Achilles), gods (Zeus, Mercury) and titans (Atlas). Billy, Mary and Freddy are thus symbols of unity, not only culturally, but across all levels of humanity and divinity.

My own twist if I ever got to write Cap is that each patron also done things they aren't proud of, and that karma for mythical beings is a very real thing. At some point, even gods may be called to answer for their crimes. So by donating their powers to the Marvel Family (or more accurately, by giving them access to the magical concepts of Wisdom, Strength, Stamina, Power, Courage and Speed), the patrons get to experience the good the Marvels do, get to learn better morality and empathy, and have some of their bad karma wiped away with every good deed the Marvels do. So the Marvel Family aren't just helping people, they're helping immortal deities become the best versions of themselves.
"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."
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Ares »

Shock wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:40 am Blackstarr reminds me of the Marvel cosmic entities what with the weird starfield costume. Wearing a bathrobe over it is definitely an interesting choice. That's an image that could be rehabbed into a usable enemy, I think.
It might look better if she simply had a dark, slightly stylized robe where all the shadows had a starfield on them, there was an actual black sun in the center of her chest, and she tended to wear her hood up most of the time.
"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."
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Batgirl III
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Batgirl III »

I’ve always been partial to the idea, that I’ve seen in various game settings and sci-fi/fantasy novels, that all the gods in all pantheons are just manifestations of some sort of higher, truer entity that mortals cannot quite comprehend or understand.

So every “sky father” deities (Zeus, Jupiter, Ra, Odin, etc.), all the various “earth mothers (Gaia, Geb, Freya, etc.), all the various psychopomps (Anubis, Hermes, the Valkyries, etc.) across all the different cultures (are all just culturally specific “forms” for mere mortals to be able to grasp.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by greycrusader »

Supergirl suffers from having a LOT of failed mega-villains/arch-nemeses; Black Flame, Lesla-Lar, Blackstar, the Enchantress, Reign, Satan Girl...none with ANY staying power. It doesn't help that she's essentially been a side-character for most of her existence, gets rebooted as often as Wonder Woman, AND spent a big chunk of the last thirty years being canonically dead and replaced by a totally different character with her codename.
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Rampage

Post by Jabroniville »

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Man, that's some serious "Depending on the Artist".

RAMPAGE (Dr. Karen "Kitty" Falkner)
Created By:
John Byrne
First Appearance: Superman #7 (July 1987)
Role: Lady Hulk, The Only Muscular Comic Book Woman I Don't Lust After (except when they draw her hot)
PL 10 (102)
STRENGTH
12 STAMINA 12 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+8)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
Impervious Toughness 7 [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +12 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +12, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Monstrous Appearance)- Rampage is all yellow and stuff, and couldn't pass for a normal person.
Normal Identity (Kitty Faulkner)- Dr. Faulkner is incredibly intelligent but non-powered. ST 0, STA 0, AGI 1, FIGHTING 0, INT 5, AWA 1, PRE 1.
Enemy (Colleagues)- Kitty was sabotaged by one colleague and framed by another.
Relationship (Will "Starman" Payton)- Kitty and Starman once dated.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 10 (102)

-Rampage is a pretty forgettable DC Background Villain, notably mainly for her distinctive appaerance- a monstrous-looking yellow woman with a red mohawk. She was created by John Byrne as one of the few unique villains for his Superman run, with a bit of a "Hulk" bent. Dr. Kitty Faulkner was working on a pollution-free energy source in a competition sponsored by the Daily Planet, when a colleague, Dr. Moyers, arguing about the dangers of the project shut off the safety systems. The thing immediately exploded, turning Faulkner into a super-strong monster, continuously absorbing solar energy. Superman was hesitant, thinking she was Lois Lane transformed, but soon learned the truth and drained her excess solar energy, returning her to normal.

-Soon, Kitty learned that her body REQUIRED solar energy to an enhanced degree, and Dr. Moyers from before built her a collar to regulate it... but knowingly transformed her into Rampage again to sabotage a former friend of his. Superman finally halted Rampage and had Dr. Moyers arrested. Kitty started working at S.T.A.R. Labs, befriending Will "Starman" Payton and even helping him out by deliberately transforming into Rampage, now more in control of her faculties. They started dating for a time... but then I think his book went away, because she's then in Supergirl going on a rampage after another colleague framed her for embezzlement, and Superman had to prevent her from killing said framer. Superman & Supergirl stopped her when Supes "allowed her" to attack the woman, correctly guessing that Rampage would accept that she didn't have it in her to commit murder.

-Rampage shows up a bit more in one-offs after this- she helps enhance the powers of the hero Antaeus, was believed to have a crush on Parasite before his death, and was the director of Metropolis S.T.A.R. Labs. Then of course it's Back To Basics Syndrome, as she goes on the rampage in Metropolis and Mon-El has to stop her as his first real test as the city's guardian. However, he carelessly drops her from a great height.

-Rampage is a pretty basic Powerhouse build, albeit one who can cause a lot of property damage before Superman stops her. She's a bit tricky to figure out as though she's never come close to beating her foes, her foes are all GODS, so like... where is she, power-wise?
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Lobo! Parasite I-IV! Conduit! Cyborg Superman!)

Post by Davies »

I'd pretty much put her at wherever you'd put the She-Hulk.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Parasite! Conduit! Cyborg Superman! Rampage!)

Post by Ken »

My favourite Kitty Faulkner stories were 6the one where she befriended and ultimately started dating Will Payton Starman.

However your build doesn't really include her energy absorbing powers,her regulator harness, or her growth. The harness is used to control her energy absorption. The growth is a side effect of the power. Here's what some of what happened when Rudy Jones tried using her power against Starman.

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Batgirl III
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Parasite! Conduit! Cyborg Superman! Rampage!)

Post by Batgirl III »

Man do I miss the way Bronze Age comics handled fight scenes. The action moves from panel to panel, hero and villain trade blows, the surroundings and scenery have an impact… Today’s comics will just have a two-page spread splash panel for the whole fight (and in the nineties, it was a two page spread without a background and you had to turn the book 90°).
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Parasite! Conduit! Cyborg Superman! Rampage!)

Post by Shock »

Batgirl III wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 2:56 pm Man do I miss the way Bronze Age comics handled fight scenes. The action moves from panel to panel, hero and villain trade blows, the surroundings and scenery have an impact… Today’s comics will just have a two-page spread splash panel for the whole fight (and in the nineties, it was a two page spread without a background and you had to turn the book 90°).
And even with a couple dozen panels dedicated to the fight, they managed to get more story into a single issue than you get in two or three issues these days.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Parasite! Conduit! Cyborg Superman! Rampage!)

Post by greycrusader »

Batgirl III wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 2:56 pm Man do I miss the way Bronze Age comics handled fight scenes. The action moves from panel to panel, hero and villain trade blows, the surroundings and scenery have an impact… Today’s comics will just have a two-page spread splash panel for the whole fight (and in the nineties, it was a two page spread without a background and you had to turn the book 90°).
This is largely because of current pay rates; except for a handful of “star” artists, DC and Marvel simply don’t pay enough per page anymore to justify the time and mental effort required for artists to do that sort of work, planning and laying out multiple panels, backgrounds, making sure there’s consistency between panels, etc. Most writers don’t get paid all that much per book either, unfortunately.

All my best.
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