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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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Ares
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Re: The Phantom Reporter

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:50 pm Image
Image

THE PHANTOM REPORTER (Richard Jones, aka Van Engen)
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #3 (April 1940)
Role: Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: The Twelve
Man, he gave up that classic Pulp Mystery Man/Golden Age Masked Detective look for a post-modern leather military uniform with a mask, cape and symbol? Terrible.
"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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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Holocaust! Fiery Mask! Phantom Reporter! Capt. Wonder!)

Post by Jabroniville »

He wears that for I think only the last panel of the entire story, so there's still hope for the original outfit to make a comeback. If anyone ever uses any of these characters again.

Only issue I had with PR's outfit (not a lot of heroes in PURPLE, really) was the banana-nose part of his domino mask, which sometimes looked rather prominent.
Spectrum
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Holocaust! Fiery Mask! Phantom Reporter! Capt. Wonder!)

Post by Spectrum »

Haven't been commenting much lately. Enjoying things but don't have much to say. I really don't know these characters or genre at all. :(
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Rockman

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

ROCKMAN
Created By:
Charles Nicholas & Basil Wolverton
First Appearance: USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)
Role: Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: N/A
PL 8 (97)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+9)
Expertise (Mining) 5 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+2)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Abyssmian "Digger Car", Monitoring Gear), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
Speed 6 (120 mph) [6]
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Pressure) [2]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Nazi Germany)
Responsibility (Abyssmia)- Rockman believes that he is descended from the first white settlers of North America (the Vikings?), who live underground. He cannot find them in the modern era.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 10 (97)

-Rockman appeared in four comics in the Golden Age, before disappearing for decades, without a mention. He reappears in The Twelve, seeking the remnants of his people- a subterranean race (complete with his "Little Princess"), though one girl arrives with a theory that he is her long-lost great-uncle. Named Daniel Rose, he was lost in a mine explosion thanks to an evil Company Boss in their union town, who tried to kill everyone to prevent a strike (this was more common than you'd think back in the day of "Company Towns" that were entirely owned by large corporations).

-His "Rockman" identity might be his delusional response to losing his wife and daughter, who were slain when the saboteur inadvertently set off a chain reaction that destroyed the town. The army man in charge of the Twelve sends her away (lying to her to avoid suspicion), not wanting Rockman's last hope to snap if he discovers that he'll never see his "Little Princess" again. Most of his time is spent searching in vain for his people- he ultimately appears to give his life to stop Dynamic Man, but the book leaves a hint that he may have gone searching for "Abyssmia" after all. Or just died in the destruction of the mansion, and found his little girl in the afterlife.

-Rockman is super-strong and super-tough, though his super-speed only appeared in Golden Age stories, not in The Twelve.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Dynamic Man

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

Haha, love that panel.


DYNAMIC MAN (Curt Cowan)
Created By:
Daniel Peters
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #1 (1940)
Role: Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: The Twelve
PL 10 (133)
STRENGTH
10 STAMINA -- AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Deception 6 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 3 (+7)
Intimidation 8 (+8)
Investigation 3 (+4)
Perception 2 (+3)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]
Power-Lifting 2 (200 tons) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 10 [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +10, Fortitude --, Will +4

Complications:
Secret (Android)
Obsession (Anti-Sex)- Dynamic Man's creator was intensely against any uses of human sexuality- thus, his creation was born without sex organs. Dynamic Man is disgusted to the point of revulsion at any expression of human sexuality, refusing to aid a couple when he found out they were married, and violently responded to a pat on the ass from a gay man (turns out he would have done so if ANYONE had touched him).

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 56 / Defenses: 10 (133)

-Dynamic Man was a pretty clear rip-off of Superman, sporting X-Ray Vision and Flying Brick powers in the 1940 Timely Comics book Mystic Comics. He didn't appear much afterwards, and The Twelve plays on this, calling him the Man of Tomorrow.

-Dynamic Man gets a ton of focus in The Twelve, and is usually seen interacting with the modern world the most- disgusted by how everyone else is just sitting around and doing nothing, the dynamic one goes out and DOES THINGS, saving lives and stopping crimes in progress. Unfortunately, this do-gooding is countered by the fact that he is a HUGE DOUCHEBAG, makes frequent jokes about homosexuals (Phantom Reporter jokes that this tendency made the others thing HE was gay, and just covering for it), refused to help an interracial couple upon finding out they were married, etc. He also insults all his colleagues, to the point where several lash out at him.

-JMS did a good job in covering up the guy's true nature, though- it SEEMED like he was having issues with his own homosexuality (he attacked a gay man for an ass-pat), and SEEMED like he was racist (refusing to aid the interracial couple)... but in actuality, he was straight-up disgusted with the idea of human sexuality. He thought that "things like this should have been stamped out years ago". It turns out his original creator (they reveal that he was an android in the final issues of the series) was extremely anti-sex, and built this into his own creation (they two shared brainwaves). When the creator died upon Dynamic Man's birth, the son took after the father. Phantom Reporter reveals all of this thanks to the Fiery Mask burning away Dynamic Man's clothes- revealing a "Ken Doll" body with no genitalia whatsoever! This is as creepy to look at as you might imagine.

-It turns out that Dynamic Man had a connection with the "Electro" robot, and, consciously or subconsciously, controlled it to murder the gay men at the club who'd been around him. Then, upon realizing that the Blue Blade had found out what was going on, had Electro toss him through a third-story window. When the heroes all confronted him over this, he lashed out, possibly killing Rockman (who was attempting to hold up the mansion as it fell around them). When the final crew attacked, Dynamic Man one-shotted the Fiery Mask with a throat-clamp, KO'd the others, and was finally killed when Phantom Reporter (who'd gotten Fiery Mask's powers) melted him down while Captain Wonder (the only one strong enough) held him steady.

-The Golden Age Dynamic Man had a few other powers, but the Marvel one was merely a Flying Brick, though immune to powers like those of the Golden Age Black Widow. Golden Age Dynamic Man's powers include X-Ray Vision (Vision Penetrates Concealment), Shapeshifting (??) and the use of Magnetic Fields to repel bullets and yank guns away from criminals (Deflect & Move Object).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

So I was looking up Marvel Golden Age Heroes and came across some guy called the Blue Blaze. I read a handbook entry on him, which says he has Class 100 strength when fully energized (!!), but maintains Class 10 strength most of the time. It seems like he's got some ridiculous power for a Golden Age hero, but it seems like he didn't last long, and didn't even get to be on the Twelve.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Yup- him and the others have been built- though uninteresting types were just put into a template)(my apologies to Captain Daring's legions of fans) :). The re-posts of Golden Agers will be spammed out pretty quickly.

Also, WOW are the 2099 guys boring to research. Like bio after bio of minimal information on their powers or personalities, with a clear distinction indicating where the books all went off the rails.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Apr 14, 2017 1:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Golden Age Red Raven

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

RED RAVEN I
Created By:
Joe Simon & Louis Cazeneuve
First Appearance: Red Raven Comics #1 (Aug. 1940)
Role: Failed Golden Age Character
Group Affiliations: The Liberty Legion, The Bird-People
PL 8 (104)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Aerobatics 6 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (History) 5 (+7)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Technology 4 (+6)

Advantages: 
Equipment 4 (High-Tech Gear- Laser Guns & Stuff), Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
"Anti-Gravity Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [5]
Flight 6 (120 mph) (Flaws: Winged) (6 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Laser Guns +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +3

Complications:
Secret (A Bird-Person)- Red Raven is actually a member of a group of Inhumans, though is himself human.
Responsibility (His People)- On a few different occasions, Red Raven has led his people towards acts of great evil, all in defense of The Bird-People.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 13 (104)

-A failed Golden Age character, Red Raven appeared in a comic named after himself, which was immediately cancelled (and here I thought CAPTAIN AMERICA was the first superhero ever introduced in a #1 Issue featuring his own name...). He went unused for more than two decades, until revived in an X-Men story in 1968 (you'll NEVER GUESS who was writing X-Men back then. NEVER!). He was eventually revealed to have been a member of the "Liberty Legion" during World War II, and has appeared in minor cameos and flashbacks over the years. It was also revealed that he was a human boy who was adopted by The Bird-People or Winged Ones (not Aeroika's Winged Ones). They lived in The Aerie, a floating city that was kept hidden from the real world.

-When Red Raven discovered that the Bird-People planned on conquering humanity, he put themselves (and him) into suspended animation under the sea, until modern times. He was startled by The Angel, and things turned into a fight, but he eventually decided to re-sink the island and go back into suspension. However, not long afterwards, they were accidentally-revived, and a now-insane Red Raven (thanks to the faulty animation process) attacked Namor. Horrified at the fact that the Bird-People had all died thanks to the same process, he destroyed the island.

-He reappears alive YEARS later in The Order, having faked his death, and naturally that of the Bird-People and their island. His only other appearance was in a set of Annuals crossing over with the Inhumans in modern times, as his race has now become disfigured and were, in fact, INHUMANS who'd managed to perfect their genetic code so that they all had the same mutation. When Black Bolt activated his Terrigenesis Bomb, it ruined what they'd built, and now Red Raven swore revenge. However, he was talked-down by FalcoCap and Spider-Man, and Medusa volunteered to help restore the Bird-People.

-So in one of those weird things that only happens in comics, this idiot fails as soon as he's introduced, vanishes for EIGHTEEN YEARS until Roy Thomas brings him back, then gets written-out TWICE before all of a sudden showing up in modern comics for one-offs that need a random antagonist. He's actually been a villain more than a hero now, showing up three times specifically to go nuts and kill people. Like a lot of Flying Heroes, he's tough to make some kind of PL caps, so I'll assume he's a solid +10 accuracy fighter. His main advantage, however, is his set of high-tech weapons.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Red Raven (The Girl One)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

RED RAVEN III (Dania)
Created By:
Chris Wozniak, Scott Lobdell & M.C. Wyman
First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #8 (Jan. 1992)
Role: Failed Legacy Hero
Group Affiliations: The Bird-People
PL 8 (87)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Aerobatics 6 (+10)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Perception 3 (+5)
Technology 3 (+3)

Advantages: 
Equipment 4 (High-Tech Gear- Laser Guns & Stuff), Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
"Bird-People Physiology"
Flight 6 (120 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [6]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- High Altitudes) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Laser Guns +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +3

Complications:
Responsibility (The Bird-People)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 15 (87)

-Red Raven's daughter Dania, the third Red Raven (another was a Rawhide Kid opponent who used Navajo medicine magic to fly) was introduced in 1992, hating Namor because she believed that he was responsible for destroying her people's island all those years ago. However, when Namor's Oracle Inc. company (he was a Corporate Hero at this time, remember) investigates the Island and tries to utilize its technology, everyone is attacked by Diablo, who reanimates the comatose Bird-People. Namor has to team up with Dania to defeat them, and the Island is destroyed. The original Red Raven begins rebuilding, and the two heroes part with a measure of grudging respect (however, Dania still blames Namor for interfering with the Bird-People). Her debut issue is now more well-known for unleashing Squirrel Girl onto the Marvel Universe- Dania only appeared in three other comics until she was killed as a Token Sacrifice in Avengers Arena. And in a STUPID WAY, too- she flew above the island, and broke her neck on an invisible force field. I think they only used her so that they could kill somebody to establish once again how "serious" this book was, but do so by wiping out someone that nobody cared about.

-She's basically another version of her father, but uses actual Bird-People physiology. It's also possible she's not even his genetic daughter.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Generics

Post by Jabroniville »

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Image
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GENERIC GOLDEN AGE HERO
Created By:
xxxxxxxx
First Appearance: xxxxxxxxx
Role: Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: N/A
PL 7 (82)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Deception 2 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 2 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Nazi Germany)

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (82)

-There were a million of these guys in comics around this time- generally speaking, if the writer was lazy and did nothing to differentiate the character, the hero was this guy.

AMERICAN ACE (Perry Webb)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Paul Lauretta
First Appearance: Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (1939)
-American Ace was featured in only a single story, where he promised justice to the people of a small nation being punished by "Attainia" and its Queen Ursula. The creator (drawing in a crude, humorous style more similar to the Popeye comics than the more serious tale here) took the book elsewhere, reprinting it as Lieutenant Lank and changing little else.

AMERICAN AVENGER (Donald Caldwell)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: USA Comics #5 (July 1942)
-Said to be the reincarnation of "el Gaucho", Caldwell fights using a lasso, and stopped a Nazi action in Argentina (Nazis in Argentina? Who'd believe THAT?).

CAPTAIN DARING (Real Name Unknown)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #7 (April 1941)
-He engaged in heroism in the 3000s, as Adolf Hitler had been frozen and revived in this time period. I would imagine this is non-canon (after all, we all know he became the Hate-Monger, right?). Captain Daring only had a couple of appearances- there's even another Timely character by that name- himself a fighter pilot.

DAVEY DREW- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Charles Nicholas
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #7 (Dec. 1941)

-Davey Drew was a foolish young boy who freed a creature called "The Demon" from imprisonment- given a mystical cloak as a reward, Davey used the thing to stop the Demon's subsequent rampage, and kept it in order to fight evil. He later appears in a modern comic, which explains some of the past one as "in-universe comics" meant to keep up public morale.

Image

THE DEFENDER (Don Stevens)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Charles Nicholas
First Appearance: USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)
-A patriotically-themed guy with ugly white & red-barred tights, Dan Stevens is your typical Golden Ager. The "Camp Mascot" became Rusty, his generic Boy Sidekick. He was depicted as killed in a modern Daredevil story, as up & coming mobster Alexander Bont murdered him to protect Lucky Luciano.

Image

THE FALCON I (Carl Burgess)- PL 7 (91)
Created By:
Maurice Gutworth
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #7 (June 1940)
Stats: INT 2, Expertise (Law) 6 (+8), "Flying Costume" Flight 5 (Winged) [9]
-A District Attorney who wears a flying costume to fight crime. Unrelated to Sam Wilson.

FIGHTING YANK (Bill Price)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Jimmy Thompson
First Appearance: Captain America Comics #17 (Aug. 1942)
-Looks pretty standard in his military uniform.

FLEXO THE RUBBER MAN- PL 7 (127)
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #1 (March 1940)
Stats: ST 8, No STA, FIGHTING 6, Flight 6, Immunity (Fort. Effects), Protection 8, Elongation, Morph (Flaws: Simple Shapes) [45]
-Another "Robot Hero" character created by the Williams brothers to "right wrongs". He didn't even seem to last until the War- only a couple stories have used him in modern times, where he has learned to operate independently- before, he was simply controlled by one of the Williams bros.

Image

THE HUMAN TOP III (Bruce Bravelle, aka The Top)- PL 8 (126)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Red Raven Comics #1 (Aug. 1940)
Stats: Flight 7, AE: Swimming 8, "Spinning" Damage 8 (Multiattack), Immunity 5 (Bullets) [44]
-The Human Top (sometimes just "The Top") was struck by lightning and gained Spinning-based powers- he only appeared twice, oddly in issues spaced two years apart (was there some kind of super-late letter-writing campaign to bring him back?).

MAGAR THE MYSTIC- PL 7 (131)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Red Raven Comics #1 (Aug. 1940)
Stats: Teleport 10 (Extended, Accurate), Speed 4, Force Field 5 [49]
-Magar was your typical Turban'd Magic Guy, having awoken from suspended animation in Egypt in order to fight the Nazis. He summoned the spirits of great generals (like Napoleon & Wellington) to fight for him.

MAJOR LIBERTY (John Liberty)- PL 7 (89)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)
Stats: Comprehend 2 (Speak to & Understand Spirits), Expertise (Teacher) 6 (+7) [7]
-Summons the spirits of dead Americans (like Paul Revere) to help him. I don't know if they could interact physically with the world, though. His costume is BEYOND terrible- mixing a 1700s-era top with starfield-designed gloves & boots.

MERZAH THE MYSTIC- PL 8 (105)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940)
Stats: ST 2, Communication (Mental) 3, Mind-Reading 8, Pre & Postcognition [23]
-Merzah appeared in only one story in the '40s. He appears in a few modern stories, including one where he is killed by David "Legion" Haller when Charles Xavier dies.

Image

MISS FURY (Marla Drake, aka The Black Fury)- PL 7 (91)
Created By:
Tarpe Mills
First Appearance: Sunday Newspaper Strips (April 1941)
Stats: Agile Feint, Attractive, Benefit 2 (Wealth), Equipment 4 (Car, Clawed Gloves- Wall-Crawling, Handgun +4, Whip +0), Languages 1 (A Few) [9]
-Miss Fury wasn't really a Marvel character; they simply reprinted some of her appearances between 1942 & '46. She appears in the background of one issue of The Twelve as well. She's a wealthy socialite who fights crime in a skintight catsuit akin to what Catwoman would wear much later, and would have a love triangle between her ex-fiancé and a Detective. Though popular, its status as a "Good Girl" book (the character wore skimpy outfits) was controversial, losing 37 newspapers as a result of a strip in which Marla appeared in a BIKINI (!!).

-Greycrusader seems to think she earns a ton of extra stuff and was particularly notable, which reminds me of that episode of Robot Chicken where that boy was obsessed with the vast and mighty "world of the Gobots", but here we go :): she's apparently wealthy and has some extra junk on her. He says she has powers so long as she has some "Magic Leopard Skin", but those apparently only got added to the character years later, in some other company.

MISS PATRIOT (Mary Morgan)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Syd Shores
First Appearance: Human Torch #3 (Spring 1941)
-Mary Morgan was the Patriot's secretary, and fell in love with him. She disguised herself as "Miss Patriot" to woo her man. Retcon Stories have apparently given her ESP.

MONAKO, PRINCE OF MAGIC- PL 7 (125)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Stats: ST 5, Mind Control 8, Illusions (Visual & Hearing) 8, Remote Sensing 8, Teleport 10 (Extended), Move Object 6, Blast 6, Shrinking 8 (Affects Others), Growth 8 [43]
-A boy who was raised by magicians in India after his parents died. He had Super-Strength and other powers.

Image

MOON-MAN- PL 7 (85)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941)
Stats: Benefit 3 (Wealth) [3]
-A wealthy playboy who only had one appearance, in which he beat a guy who was... committing charity fraud? Yeah, some guy was giving rancid meat to children and pocketing the rest of the money himself, and Moon Man stopped him. A Retcon has him dying in Germany in 1944.

THE PHANTOM BULLET (Allen Lewis)- PL 7 (85)
Created By:
Joe Simon
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #2 (1940)
Stats: Benefit 3 (Wealth) [3]
-A freelance Superhero who used a gun that fired specialized "ice bullets" that left no trace, hence his name. A Retcon has him dying in 1939, with The Angel avenging his murder at the hands of Germans spies.

THE PHANTOM OF THE UNDERWORLD (Doyle "Doc" Denton)- PL 7 (86)
Created By:
Joe Simon
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Stats: Treatment 8 (+10) [4]
-Another one-shot, he used his medical skill to help in his career as a police detective.

ROBERT ROLAND- PL 7 (85)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941)
Stats: Expertise (Geology) 6 (+8) [3]
-A geologist who engaged in some random adventure with some underworld people.

ROKO THE AMAZING (Lon Crag)- PL 9 (98)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: USA Comics #5 (Summer 1942)
Stats: INT 3, AWA 5, Expertise (Tactics) 8 (+11), Shield +2, Protection 4 [16]
-Lon Crag was an art student who drew a picture of Menelaos, the famous Greek hero- Menelaos suddenly came to life and granted him a wish. Lon wished to be "like Captain America!", and was given a great shield. The magic word "Ilium" turns him into a guy with the Wisdom of Ulysses, battle-skill of Agamemnon, and invulnerability of Achilles. He only appeared in one story before vanishing.

THE SECRET STAMP (Roddy Colt)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Captain America Comics #13 (April 1942)
-This insane character was a teenage boy who put on a costume to get even with the mobsters who ran him and his brother down while they were out collecting stamps.

SERGEANT JEFF DIX- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
Charles Nicholas
First Appearance: USA Comics #4 (May 1942)
-Jeff Dix starred in a military-themed comic, and lasted a couple of years.

SUPER-SLAVE- PL ??
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #5 (April 1940)
-... SUPER-Slave? This genie was summoned by a guy named "Cappy" in a one-off comedy strip, helping the guy out when he grabbed a Magical Bracelet that could help him make wishes.

TAXI TAYLOR (Jim Taylor)- PL 7 (89)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #2 (April 1940)
Stats: Technology 6 (+7), Equipment 4 (Wonder Cab) [7]
-Taxi Taylor built a "Wonder Cab" that could fly and float on the water.

Image

THE TERROR (Laslo Pevely)- PL 7 (93)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941)
Stats: ST 5, STA 5, Intimidation 6 (+9), Startle, Features (Instant Change) [11]
-A guy who could transform into a much scarier, skull-faced form. He reappeared much later in She-Hulk, but lost to Sitting Bullseye of the Band of the Bland. So I'd imagine he'd lost a step since the War.

TERRY VANCE- PL 7 (92)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics #10 (Aug. 1940)
Stats: ST 1, STA 2, INT 5, Technology 4 (+9), Inventor, Sidekick 4- Monkey [10]
-A "Boy Detective" probably taking bits from the Hardy Boys and other acts at the time, Terry was actually very popular, lasting for 40-odd issues. He had a Monkey Sidekick, and was a brilliant inventor.

TOMMY TYME- PL 7 (85)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Young Allies #7 (April 1943)
Stats: "The Clock of Ages" Time Travel 2 [3]
-A Brooklyn youth who could travel through time. Naturally, this magic timepiece was given to him by a magical genie while Tommy was busy playing hooky from school. And his power was usually used to help him in his schoolwork (holy shit, did the Bill & Ted writers read this comic or something?). He actually got a fair number of appearances, often getting into life or death struggles against Genghis Khan or Antaeus the Giant or something.

TROJAK THE TIGER-MAN- PL 7 (87)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics #2 (Feb. 1940)
Stats: Athletics 6 (+9), Survival 8 (+11) [5]
-A generic Tarzan rip-off, created by a writer with presumably little skill in geography, as the Tiger-Man with a Tiger sidekick was living in the AFRICAN JUNGLE.

Image

THE VAGABOND I (Pat Murphy)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: USA Comics #2 (Nov. 1941)
-An unusual superhero who disguised himself as a big fat clown to fight criminals he couldn't match as a police officer. Retcon has him dying via the Japanese Imperial Navy during the war.

THE YOUNG AVENGER (William Byron)- PL 7 (82)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: USA Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)
-Wearing a generic green costume with an orange cape, this was a pretty half-assed design. He only appeared once, after a "shadowy figure" conscripted him to fight Nazis.

ZARA OF THE JUNGLE- PL 7 (87)
Created By:
xxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #2 (April 1940)
Stats: Athletics 6 (+9), Survival 8 (+11) [5]
-A generic "Jungle Girl" character from the company that already created Shanna the She-Devil. The allure of skimpy, jungle-print outfits was too much for comic creators to resist, and so you saw a lot of these ladies over the years. Eventually, they'd even outstrip (hee) their male counterparts in popularity, if only in comics.

ZEPHYR JONES- PL 7 (95)
Created By:
xxxxxx
First Appearance: Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941)
Stats: INT 5, Vehicles 8 (+12), Inventor [13]
-Zephyr Jones is an inventor/rocket pilot type. He tended to fight aliens in basically "Low-Rate Buck Rogers" adventures, and seemed to last about two issues.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by Jabroniville »

SWEEEEEET. Chez Lindsay does a great takedown of Smug Internet Douches who go "Beauty and the Beast is about Stockholm Syndrome": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syYCO0QVkZo

Spoiler Alert: No. It's not. And shut up.

Plus it's one of her favorite Disney movies ever. And she shows so many of the great scenes and subtleties to the animation (the Beast's inherent childishness is one of the things lost in the remake, which makes him more of a grumpy aristocrat), like when Belle considers leaving the Beast to die, but turns back against her own best interests. Or that "WTF?" look she gives him when he turns into a dude. Or that SCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENE where she yells at him when he starts whining, then verbally owns him while her hair is all down and she's so distracting and my future bride that I AAAGGGHHHH!!!

But yeah, that movie rules. It still annoys me that my best friend was all "wow, that animation is terrible by today's standards- it looks like a 1990s TV cartoon!" I mean, yeah, the colors look washed-out by today's standards, but it's the QUALITY of the animation and the character movements, not the bells & whistles.
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catsi563
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by catsi563 »

One fo the best comments on B&B to me was one that stated very clearly that Gaston really was the villain in B&B because We all know a Gaston. One of those smug, snobbish, jackwads that just because he looks good and is an athlete has people fawning all over him and tending to his every whim while feeding his ego,

The Beast is an allegory for people who might not feel very good about themselves and because they don't look good on the outside people treat them like crap thus reinforcing their negative self image which makes them feel and sometimes act worse. After all why be a nice guy when all everyone ever expects of you is to be a dick?

So the Beasts of the world are the ones who stay hidden and shunned while we celebrate the gastons of the world.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Yeah, I made the same point about Gaston years ago, when discussing top-tier Disney Villains. He stands out a bit, as he lacks the sheer might of the Sorcerers, Dragons, Witches, etc. But this is his strength; like Lady Tremaine (just a mean old lady who pushes around members of her family), he's more of a REAL villain- we all know a Gaston. We've seen that particular egotistical "I'm entitled to everything" personality rewarded countless times in real life. Attractive girls get hit on by Gastons all the time. Shier guys looks jealously at them. Guys who read The Game and want to be part of a "Seduction Community" attempt to emulate him (no one emasculates cucks like Gaston!). While he's a cartoonish exaggeration, we all feel we know him, in a way.
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Goldar
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by Goldar »

Wow! I can't imagine them posting a full-frontal naked Dynamic Man, even with a "Ken" body in the early 1940's!

I can understand Miss Fury losing syndicated columes because bikinis were very controversial in America until after the war. Bathing attire was very long and very modest.

Thanks for posting all of these long-lost characters! Many if them I have heard of and am somewhat familiar.
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M4C8
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Black Widow! Master Mind Excello! Dynamic Man!)

Post by M4C8 »

Did you read the 'Mystery Men' title from a few years back? it was abut a group of vigilante heroes operating in the 1930's. Your WW2 posts just reminded me it existed.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
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