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Ken
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:40 pm
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Re: Eric Masterson

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:59 pm This sort of thing happened a lot in this era of Marvel, as Jim Shooter was a big fan of temporary "Shake Things Up" storylines that left heroes in new identities or costumes for some hype.
Eric Masterson as Thor
James Rhodes as Iron Man
John Walker as Captain America
Jean-Paul Valley as Batman
Artemis as Wonder Woman
The Eradicator as Superman

It wasn't just Jim Shooter at Marvel.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Thunderstrike (Kevin)

Post by Jabroniville »

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THUNDERSTRIKE II (Kevin Masterson)
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
First Appearance: Thor #392 (June 1988)
Role: Legacy Hero
PL 11 (159)
STRENGTH
13 STAMINA 13 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Hammer) 5 (+8)
Ranged Combat (Lightning) 5 (+8)

Advantages: 
Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Given the Powers of the Immortal Aesir"
Power Lifting 3 (6,000 tons) [3]
Impervious Toughness 6 [6]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrowth) [3]
Immunity 15 (Aging, Life Support- Radiation, Fatigue Effects) [15]

"Thunderstrike" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Indestructible, Restricted 2- Those Worthy) [37]
Movement 1 (Space Travel) (2)
"Lightning Bolt/Hammer Line" Damage 11 (Extras: Area-Line 120ft. +3) (44) -- (54)
  • AE: "Magical Energy" Blast 14 (Feats: Improved Critical 2, Penetrating 6) (26)
  • AE: "Hammer Smash" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Penetrating 4) (5)
  • AE: "Hammer Throw" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Ricochet 3, Penetrating 4) (Extras: Ranged 13) (21)
  • AE: "Hammer Spin" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +16/+1/2) (28)
  • AE: "Obscure Visuals" Concealment 2 (Visuals) (Extars: Attack, Area- 30ft. Burst) (8)
  • AE: "Air Control" Move Object 16 (Flaws: Concentration) (16)
  • AE: "Groundstrike" Affliction 11 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery, Limited to Grounded Targets) Linked to Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Objects) (11)
  • AE: "Blinding Light" Dazzle Visuals 10 (20)
  • AE: Deflect 12 (12)
  • AE: Flight 8 (500 mph) (Flaws: Limited to One Direction) (8)
-- (56 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Hammer Smash +7 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Hammer Throw +8 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Lightning Bolt +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Lightning +8 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +13 (+3 Impervious), Fortitude +14, Will +5

Complications:
Power Loss (All Powers)- If removed from his Hammer for more than one minute, Kevin will transform back into human form (ST 0, STA 0, AGILITY 0).
Responsibility (His Father's Legacy)- Kevin's father was the replacement Thor later known as Thunderstrike.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 64 / Defenses: 11 (159)

-Kevin Masterson was a supporting character in Thor, known mainly for being the son of Eric, the man who replaced Thor in the title role for several years (and later became Thunderstrike, wielding scaled-down Thor-like powers). He was generally your standard Supporting Cast Kid, but notably gave Eric a bit of responsibility to him. Since DeFalco was his creator (and the main writer of Thor for years), he was a natural for a "Future Hero" run in the MC2 Universe, as the future Thunderstrike. However, with the MC2 line finally dying, and Eric Masterson having been LONG-since killed-off and entirely forgotten in the 1990s, his Supporting Cast accordingly vanished (I wonder if there's a list out there of all the Supporting Cast Members who utterly disappeared once their main hero had his book cancelled. There are a HUNDRED heroes who've lost their books and/or their lives, and each one must've had a half-dozen recurring civilian friends!).

-DeFalco & Frenz would reunite for a Thunderstrike Limited Series in recent years, aging Kevin to a pre-teen and giving him a Grouchy Sexy Amazon caretaker. He was now an angry, problem-ridden kid who hated "spandex-clad glory hounds", which is a bit understandable, given his father's demise. Steve Rogers nonetheless gives him his father's old Mace, which later turns out to give him the ability to transform into his father's body! He briefly appeared in the background of Avengers Academy, but didn't follow that book when its characters were transferred to another series.

-In MC2, Kevin was older, and could shoot sonic "Thunderbolts" from his hands or throw super-punches with them, as well as use them to Leap great distances. In the standard Marvel U, he's basically got the Powers of his father, minus the years of experience. I downgraded some of the powers to make him PL 11 (mostly the Area Effects).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:07 am, edited 3 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Eric Masterson

Post by Jabroniville »

Ken wrote: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:57 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:59 pm This sort of thing happened a lot in this era of Marvel, as Jim Shooter was a big fan of temporary "Shake Things Up" storylines that left heroes in new identities or costumes for some hype.
Eric Masterson as Thor
James Rhodes as Iron Man
John Walker as Captain America
Jean-Paul Valley as Batman
Artemis as Wonder Woman
The Eradicator as Superman

It wasn't just Jim Shooter at Marvel.
Yeah, DC got into the act as well, but post-Shooter. Most of Marvel's came a ways earlier.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Gruenhilda

Post by Jabroniville »

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0_0

GRUENHILDA
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
First Appearance: Thunderstrike #1 (Jan. 2011)
Role: Valkyrie, Hot Amazon, Annoyed Mentor-Figure
PL 10 (135)
STRENGTH
10 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Expertise (History) 3 (+4)
Expertise (Valkyrie) 6 (+7)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Perception 4 (+6)

Advantages: 
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Diehard, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Sword), Ranged Attack 4, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Asgardian Physiology"
Power Lifting 1 (50 tons) [1]
Impervious Toughness 3 [3]
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Immunity 4 (Drowning & Suffocation, Poison, Pressure) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]

"Valkyrie Powers"
Super-Senses 4 (Precognition) 4 (Flaws: Limited to Impending Death) [2]
Super-Senses 3 (Detect Death- Ranged & Acute) [3]

"Valkyrie Sword" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [12]
Teleport 8 (16) -- (19 points)
  • AE: "Sword Slash" Strength-Damage +1 (Extras: Penetrating 5) (6)
  • AE: Morph 2 (Flaws: Limited to Clothes -2) (6)
  • AE: "Sword Into Guitar" Variable 1 (Flaws: Limited to Tools & Devices) (6)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Sword +9 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +10 (+2 Impervious), Fortitude +10, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (The Aesir, Valkyrior)
Responsibility (Teaching Kevin Masterson)- Gruenhilda's mission is to keep Kevin safe, and to teach him to wield his late father's Mace. She dislikes this intensely, calling Kevin "Mort", for mortal.

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 11 (135)

-Gruenhilda is pretty clearly named for the late Mark Gruenwald, the semi-legendary Marvel writer, Jobber Killer, and best friend of Thunderstrike writer Tom DeFalco. She's been sent to Midgard to help teach Kevin Masterson how to be a hero, owing to the debt all of Asgard owes his father. She's your standard "Valkyrie" set-up: A big strong chick with a Sword, able to take out dozens of mooks at once, but is relatively untested against high-level opponents. So I'll call her a standard PL 10 (one below Brunnhilde, who is one of those "iffy" characters who rises and falls with the tides in terms of power).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Bloodaxe

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLOODAXE (Jackie Lukus)
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Pal Olliffe
First Appearance: Thor #499 (July 1992)
Role: Classic '90s Bad-Ass Villain
PL 11 (131)
STRENGTH
12 STAMINA 13 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Intimidation 10 (+10)
Perception 2 (+2)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Startle

Powers:
Impervious Toughness 7 [7]

"The Bloodaxe" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [29]
"Fire Line" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (33) -- (47 points)
  • AE: "Ice Beam" Snare 11 (33)
  • AE: "Axe Smash" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach, Affects Insubstantial 2, Dimensional 3, Improved Critical 2) (Extras: Penetrating 14) (24)
  • AE: "Cut Through Space" Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (12)
  • AE: "Teleport Others" Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Attack +0) (6)
  • AE: "Fire Blast" Blast 13 (26)
  • AE: "Destroys Illusions" Nullify 14 (Illusion Effects) (Extras: Simultaneous, Effortless) (Flaws: Touch Range) (14)
  • AE: Deflect 10 (10)
  • AE: "Tornado" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (24) -- [31]
  • AE: "Wind Funnels" Move Object 8 (16)
  • AE: "Disorienting Groups" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Area- 30ft. Burst) (24)
  • AE: "Disorienting Winds" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged) (16)
  • AE: Air Control 8 (16)
  • AP: "Wind" Features 2 (Nullify Thrown Weapons, Douse Flames, etc.) (2)
  • AE: "Wind Storm" Affliction 8 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Extra Condition, Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (8)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Axe Smash +8 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Fire Attack +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Ice Beam +8 (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Fire Blast +8 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Tornado +8 Area (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Disorienting +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Winds +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +13 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Blood)- The Bloodaxe is a weapon that slowly possesses the user, just like The Black Knight's Ebony Blade. When Eric Masterson held it, he went so crazy that he committed suicide to end his rampage.
Normal Identity (Jackie Lukus)- If Bloodaxe is separated from the Axe for more than 60 seconds, she will revert to human form. Jackie's normal stats are Strength 0, Stamina 1, Agility 1, Fighting 2, Dex 2, Int 1, Awareness 2 & Presence 2.

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 36 / Defenses: 10 (131)

-Bloodaxe is sort of the big villain of DeFalco's run, using Skurge the Executioner's old axe on a new character to be a '90s bad-ass in addition to an evil vigilante. The identity was deliberately kept mysterious, eventually being revealed as a female love interest of Eric's. Bloodaxe threatened Eric as Thor & Thunderstrike a bunch, but soon lost the Axe to Eric, who went nuts and died after sacrificing himself to prevent himself from killing others. Marvel's Series IV cards portrayed Bloodaxe a bunch (she got her own card and a "Famous Battles" card), but really it was a one-year run at best.

-Bloodaxe is very powerful, but simplistic- she fights like a demon, and has tons of Wind-based offense and elemental attacks. Not a lot of fanciness, just ass-kick. She's powerful enough to challenge Thor & Thunderstrike, but I don't buy her as higher than PL 11 thanks to her short run. In my Builds, you have to EARN that- Thor enemies tend to be a pain that way anyhow, since they do so well in the first fight, then inevitably lose when Thor just tries harder next time. After repeated showings, the characters just lose more and more, until they end up jokes like Skurge The Executioner. Another reason to make Jackie PL 11- Skurge was PL 12, and I don't by some green newbie as being at his level, no matter how many times Thor beat his ass.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Code: Blue

Post by Jabroniville »

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CODE: BLUE
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
First Appearance: The Might Thor #426 (Nov. 1990)
Role: Super-Police
Group Affiliations: The New York Police Department
PL 6 (82)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Police Officer) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+5)
Technology 1 (+3)
Treatment 1 (+4)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit 1 (Police Officer), Equipment 4 (Police Gear), Improved Critical (Gun), Fast Grab, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Police Arsenal"
"Pistol" Blast 4 (8)
"Rifle" Blast 6 (12)
"Pepper Spray" Affliction 6 (Fort; Dazed & Hindered/Stunned & Defenseless) (Feats: Reach 2) (Extras: Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (8)
"Body Armour" Protection 1, Protection 2 (Flaws: Limited to Bullets) (2)
"Grenades" Blast 6 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (Diminished Range -1) (14)
"Baton" Strength-Damage +1 (1)
Regular Equipment: Handcuffs, Communications

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Pistol +6 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Rifle +6 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Pepper Spray +7 (+6 Affliction, DC 16)
Grenades +6 Area (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3 (+4 Armour, +6 to Bullets), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (The NYPD)

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (82)

Code: Blue- Thor's Super-Cop Buddies:
-Code: Blue was a solid idea by Tom DeFalco, and seems inspired by the kind of stuff Mark Gruenwald thought about, re: How different would the world be with super-heroes in it, and how would people go about things? Gru often wrote stuff like The Avengers having a support staff (I mean, all that crap would require MAINTENANCE, right?), and DeFalco figured that NYC would eventually have to develop less-useless cops to deal with all the super-crime going around. DeFalco's Thor run was... often uninspired, in my opinion. The few issues I've read were fairly dull stuff, and I REALLY thought his first issues on Thunderstrike was sub-par. Eric Masterson was a decent character, I guess, but just didn't do much for me- but his "He's an everyday guy" thing had gotten pretty generic in comic books by that time in the early 1990s. Granted, I've never been that interesting in Thors of any type- even the great Walt Simonson run for me was basically Boring Thor & Boring Balder and their super-interesting supporting cast of awesome characters. It doesn't help that the dialogue was often bad, and the villains were really poor.

-Honestly, though, it's a really good idea to have guys like this. It makes sense in the context of their universe (cops getting sick of being scared off by villains making a team of SUPER-COPS), it makes for something other than "generic background police" in the books, AND it essentially gives the villain another Jobber to beat up on- because after all, these guys are still meant to LOSE. They're the Aldo Montoya to the regular police's Barry Hardy- they still job, but they're at least a recognizable NAME.

Code: Blue's Adventures:
-The team actually has a LOT of appearances, as DeFalco used them again and again as part of his Thor/Thunderstrike run, trying to build up a solid supporting cast for his hero (years after I first did this build, Tom did a Panel at the Edmonton Comic Expo, and brought up how a Supporting Cast should always "inform upon at least one aspect of the main character"- I would imagine Code: Blue would reflect Eric's responsibility/law-abiding nature, as well as his comradery with allies). Code: Blue dealt with bureacracy (losing funding & being shut down once), losing to super-villains, and Jock's death in battle, while generally getting a lot of focus, judging by the relatively-large number of appearances they made according to the Official Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. They also had minor team-ups with Night Thrasher, Moon Knight, Spider-Man and The Human Torch. They made WAY fewer appearances as soon as DeFalco departed Marvel, but pop up once or twice since the mid-'90s in the background, and appeared a bit in DeFalco's MC2 continuity. Their most recent appearance was in 2005, under Fabian Nicieza's Thunderbolts run, so they're at least still around in some context, but only the major Continuity Nerd-type writers actually get involved with using them.

Code: Blue- Super-Jobbers:
-Code: Blue was a rag-tag band of multiracial extra-tough cops, but never really got any big wins that I could see. Their best showing was in seeing off The Wrecking Crew, who basically Teleported away when the team freed their hostage. Their history is REALLY not that impressive, as most villains laugh off their hardware as easily as they do regular cops, especially considering most of them are THOR foes- there's nothing they can really do to affect The Absorbing Man or Titania, though they DID arrest Demogoblin in one issue. 90% of the time, though, they just arrive to arrest somebody a real superhero has already defeated. PL 6 is pretty much good for the lot of them- slightly above your average Mook, but a joke to a real Super-Villain, who might only have trouble with them as a group (D'Spayre once effortlessly swatted the whole team aside).

Most members of Code: Blue fit the above template with a few modifications:

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FIREWORKS (Daniel Fielstein)- PL 6 (92): Intelligence 5, Expertise 4 (Demolitions) (+8), Inventor, Equipment 6 (More Gear- Electrified Nets, Liquid Nitrogen Guns, etc.- mostly Snares & Weakens) [10]
-Fielstein is the Tech Guy, often coming up with inventions in mid-battle, like a liquid nitrogen gun to freeze & shatter a big guy's hand.

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RIGGER (Margarita Ruiz)- PL 6 (93): Strength 4, Intelligence 3, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Expertise 6 (Weaponry) (+8), Technology 4 (+7), Inventor, "Bazooka" Blast 8, Ranged Attack 2 [11]
-AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH. Rigger was a HUGE, ripped chick who was basically the team Tough Guy. According to my cop friend, a lot of female cops act like this, though most of them are usually average-sized girls who learn an important lesson the first time a male suspect REALLY fights back. But not Rigger- she's the strongest member of her entire team (lower accuracy, but higher-damage weapons, too), and is also a capable builder and tech-spert. And looks WAY HOT in an Asgardian Uber-Cleaveage Dress.

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MAD DOG (Julius Anthony Rassitano)- PL 6 (84): Fighting 6, "Sniper Rifle" Blast 6 (Feats: Extended Reach 2, Accurate) (Flaws: Distracting), Ranged Attack 4, Improved Aim, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover) [2]
-As the Sharpshooter of the team, Mad Dog is a higher PL than the others, since in comic books, the sniper is always the best shot in the field as well as when sniping.

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MOTHER (Samuel Majowski)- PL 6 (89): Agility 1, Intelligence 4, Expertise (Tactics) 6 (+8), Expertise (Computers) 9 (+13), Technology 4 (+8) [7]
-In one of those moves that seems utterly cliche and silly, one of the team is a paraplegic who is nonetheless a huge bad-ass (bios say he's a quadriplegic, but he's shown using his arms). He's also a tech-guy & hacker. Oddly, he hasn't been seen since 1995, while the rest of the team has.

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JOCK (Andrew Jackson)- PL 6 (93): Agility 5, Fighting 9, Acrobatics 4 (+9), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Takedown [11]
-A personal combat specialist (this means hand-to-hand fighting), Jackson died saving Thunderstrike from a villainess called Pandara.

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CAPTAIN SHELLEY CONKLIN- PL 6 (78): Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 3, Fighting 5, Intelligence 3, Presence 3, Expertise (Police) 8 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8) [-4]
-Capt. Conklin is a desk-jockey in charge of the team, who only rare sees action in the field, but is still capable. She's smarter and more Skilled than the usual crew. Her husband was killed by The Thermal Man in the Thunderstrike series. She hasn't been seen since then.
CHIEF O'GRADY- PL 6 (68): Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Fighting 2, Intelligence 3, Presence 3, Expertise (Police) 8 (+10), Expertise (Politics) 4 (+8), Ranged Attack 0 [-14]
-O'Grady was in charge of Capt. Conklin, and was the liaison between Code: Blue and the city (ie. the Mayor's office). He was pretty much a background guy who did nothing physical- he never even got a first name!

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DETECTIVE WARREN CURZON- PL 6 (76): Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 3, Fighting 5, Intelligence 3, Presence 3, Investigation 7 (+10), Equipment 2 (Less Gear) [-6]
-Curzon is a chain-smoking, alcoholic detective assigned to the team. Warren Ellis created him to be his typical "Smoking English Guy" character. While investigating Thor's disappearance, he came across The Enchantress, who vaporized him. A pretty short story arc, really.

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LIEUTENANT MARCUS STONE- PL 6 (89): Presence 3, Expertise (Police) 8 (+10), Expertise (Botany) 4 (+6), Fearless, Leadership [7]
-Stone is the commanding officer of Code: Blue in the field, answering to the Captain and Chief. He'd actually debuted in Thor #404 in June 1989, so was part of DeFalco's run long before the others. Shockingly, he once defeated ULIK THE TROLL after the Rock Troll KO'd both Thor & Hercules- a lucky shot hit Ulik's temple, sending him off a building and through an electrical sign.

-A few other members showed up later as background guys, named Sarge, Rookie & Marty, plus another unnamed blond-haired guy.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Pandara

Post by Jabroniville »

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PANDARA
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
First Appearance: Thunderstrike #4 (Jan. 1994)
Role: Evil Hot Chick
Group Affiliations: Lord Tantalus's Army
PL 10 (153)
STRENGTH
8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 2 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Expertise (Magic) 5 (+7)
Insight 2 (+5)
Persuasion 3 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Blast) 2 (+8)

Advantages: 
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Ritualist

Powers:
Power-Lifting 2 (50 tons) [2]

"Pandara's Box" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [54]
Blast 12 (Feats: Improved Critical 2, Penetrating 8) (34) -- (35)
  • AE: "Black Fog" Concealment 2 (Vision) (Extras: Attack, Area- 15ft. Cloud) Linked to Dazzle Olfactory Senses 6 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Cloud) (Flaws: Limited to Scent) (20)
Summon Monsters 5 (Extras: Horde, 16 Minions +8) (55)
-- (90 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Blast +8 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +5

Complications:
Responsibility (Asgard)

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 56 / Defenses: 9 (153)

-Pandara is a one-off villain from the Thunderstrike book, out to sacrifice human life to her master, Lord Tantalus, who resides in some other dimension. She was killing people in a spa, then targetted Mary Jane Watson-Parker, who'd been visiting the place. Peter Parker got involved, changing to Spider-Man and fighting some monsters she'd summoned. Thunderstrike also got involved, turning into a big demon-brawl. Lord Tantalus sent some agents to get her once she'd escaped, but she was captured and tied up by Blackwulf. She also killed Jock of Code: Blue once she'd escaped jail- Jock leaped in front of a blast meant for Thunderstrike. She was beaten and jailed, then never reappeared.

-She had vague super-strength, but her main weapon was her vile, dangerous box. Pandara's Box could shoot out Energy Blasts and some kind of thick, black fog. It could also call forth an entire army of monsters.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Zarrko

Post by Jabroniville »

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Not the most... DYNAMIC of outfits...

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ATTABOY.

ZARRKO, THE TOMORROW MAN (Artur Zarrko)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #86 (Nov. 1962)
Role: Throwaway '60s Villain
PL 11 (104)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 9 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 9 (+18)
Expertise (History) 6 (+15)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 2 (+5)
Persuasion 6 (+9)
Technology 10 (+19)
Vehicles 3 (+7)

Advantages: 
Equipment 10 (Any Sort of Gear), Inventor, Ranged Attack 6

Equipment:
"Super-Gear"
"Radiation Gun" Blast 10 (20)
"Time Cube" Movement 3 (Time Travel 3) (6)
"Force Field Projector" Force Field 14 (Extras: Impervious 15) (29)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Radiation Gun +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3 (+17 Force Field), Fortitude +3, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Power, Ending Thor)- Zarrko came back to the modern era to stop Thor before he took over the world. But it's pretty apparent that he also wants to put himself in charge of everything.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (104)

-Zarrko has a pretty cool concept (rather unusual for comics, though I assume Stan & Jack lifted it from some sci-fi story or another, as was usual for comic books at the time), that of a Civil Servant from the future who builds a time machine and goes back to the modern era to steal some weapons and rule his future. Unfortunately for Zarrko, Thor used his Hammer That Can Do Everything to go forward in time and beat the bad guy. Basically, it was a total throwaway one-shot story to fill space in Thor's book- the 1960s were a grand, inventive time for comics, but they definitely maintained their fair share of Filler. He would reappear a couple times over the years for other one-shots against Thor (including a fight against Kang in what I'm assuming is Marvel Team-Up since it had a Spidey/Iron Man team fighting them).

-Part of his gimmick seems to be to con/coerce the heroes into aiding him against a worse foe (Kang, Zarrko's timeline's rulers, The Time-Twisters), only to betray them or be betrayed. He even conned Dargo (the Thor of the 26th Century) into fighting Thor & Beta-Ray Bill, but the "Thor Corps" (I swear to God they made a Series III "Team-Up" Marvel Card with that very name). Later on, they revealed that the world government he was trying to unseat was actually ruled by a cruel & inhuman Thor, and so Zarrko's plan was to stop Thor in the past to save the world, making him a bit more of a semi-well-intentioned extremist. He later shows up as Kristoff Vernard's mentor when Kristoff joins the Fantastic Four following the seeming death of Reed Richards. He eventually escapes, deciding all he wants is quiet and food.

-Zarrko is less of a "fight the hero" kind of guy, and more of a "plan an adventure around him" kind of guy- GMs/writers tend to use him as the guy to base a small adventure around, typically involving Giant Robot Minions, Time Travel, or some bizarre scheme to set up the hero to fight some OTHER sort of threat, before ultimately trouncing Zarrko in the end. He's an inventor and super-genius (rivalling Mister Fantastic & Doctor Doom in this respect, but being less smart overall- essentially, he's SMART, but his high Skills come from being in a future time where this stuff is more mundane, and thus it's more Skill-focused than actual Intelligence). His best thing in a fight is his Force Field Projector, allowing him to take Thor-class punishment while still being unable to be much of a fighter.

Image

SERVITOR
Role:
Zarrko's Minion
PL 11 (108)
STRENGTH
14 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -- PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Intimidation 8 (+6, +12 Size)
Ranged Combat (Blasts) 4 (+10)

Advantages: 
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Robot" Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 11) [13]
Energy Blasts 12 (Feats: Penetrating 5) [17]
Growth 12 (Str & Toughness +12, +12 Mass, +6 Intimidation, -6 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -12 Stealth) -- (48 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [25]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Energy Blasts +8 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +14 (+6 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will --

Total: Abilities: -4 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 85 / Defenses: 14 (108)

-Servitor is basically Zarrko's personal Minion, and he's generally just SUPER-strong and SUPER-tough, and enough to keep Thor or somebody busy for a while.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ken
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Warriors 3! Mr. Hyde! Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson!)

Post by Ken »

Pandara?

Managing to evoke both Pandora and pandering.
her main weapon was her vile, dangerous box.
So... many... ways... to... abuse... this... straight... line....
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Warriors 3! Mr. Hyde! Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ken wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:23 am Pandara?

Managing to evoke both Pandora and pandering.
her main weapon was her vile, dangerous box.
So... many... ways... to... abuse... this... straight... line....
Why'd'ya think I worded it that way ;)?
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson! Bloodaxe! Code Blue!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Man, reading the Kurt Busiek/George Perez Avengers run is great stuff. Sadly I only have the first 25 issues, but those seem to be the peak of the series (it has Ultron Unlimited in it). The art is so friggin' good, and there's this equal part "homaging history", but also "brand-new stuff" thing going on- the Triune Understanding, The Exemplars, etc. are new, but they refer to the past without being too absorbed in it (like too many Teen Titans retreads have done). I liked how the roster was a good size, but they still had a lot of side-characters just kind of strolling by and helping occasionally- Hank Pym & The Wasp weren't regulars, but were around at the mansion for half the issues.

Justice's "aw shucks!" hero-worship thing started getting old, but they managed to cap it off nicely in the Ultron story arc.

That this came out at the same time as Thunderbolts makes this a heckuva time for comics. It's just too bad a lot of the good will was kind of ruined by later writers- all the hard work on the Scarlet Witch (as much as she turned into "Deus Ex Machina Lass"), Wonder Man and Justice/Firestar was kind of wasted, as the ex-New Warriors bailed on the team pretty quickly in order to spy on the Triunes, while Wanda was ruined by Disassembled and all sorts of later stories.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson! Bloodaxe! Code Blue!)

Post by drkrash »

Some of the comic pages used as art for some of these characters from the 70s are a vivid reminder of something I miss from modern comics: words.

I swear, that page with Zarrko has more words on it than many modern comics have in the entire book.

If I'm reading an old comic to my sons: half hour. If I'm reading a new one: maybe 10 minutes.

I could maybe understand it better if the art in modern comics was really that amazing, but honestly, most of it sucks by comparison to the old stuff also.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson! Bloodaxe! Code Blue!)

Post by Jabroniville »

drkrash wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:31 am Some of the comic pages used as art for some of these characters from the 70s are a vivid reminder of something I miss from modern comics: words.

I swear, that page with Zarrko has more words on it than many modern comics have in the entire book.

If I'm reading an old comic to my sons: half hour. If I'm reading a new one: maybe 10 minutes.

I could maybe understand it better if the art in modern comics was really that amazing, but honestly, most of it sucks by comparison to the old stuff also.
Reading a Claremont X-Book took an eternity as well. Both that and Teen Titans of the '80s were massive undertakings by comparison to what's out today. I once got one of those Uncanny X-Men Essential Collections- the damn thing took me a MONTH to read through. And that's a month of pretty serious reading, including a couple hours a day at one point.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Warriors 3! Mr. Hyde! Balder! Karnilla! Eric Masterson!)

Post by scc »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:35 am
Ken wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:23 am Pandara?

Managing to evoke both Pandora and pandering.
her main weapon was her vile, dangerous box.
So... many... ways... to... abuse... this... straight... line....
Why'd'ya think I worded it that way ;)?
Giggity!
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Mongoose

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

MONGOOSE
Created By:
Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #283 (May 1988)
Role: Animalistic Villain
Group Affiliations: The New Men/Knights of Wundagore, Masters of Evil, The Thunderbolts
PL 10 (161)
STRENGTH
8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 7
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+14)
Athletics 4 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+12)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 6 (+7)
Vehicles 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 3 (Wundagorian Tech- Sky-Craft, etc.), Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Mongoose Physiology"
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent) [3]
Speed 7 (250 mph) [7]
"Wall Run" Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling) (Flaws: Limited to While Running) [2]

"Mongoose's Gear" (Flaws: Removable) [27]
"Claws" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (2)
"Cellsmograph" Senses 3 (Detect Life Energy- Acute, Ranged) (3)

"Gas Pellets" Affliction 7 (Fort; Dazed & Impaired/Exhausted & Disabled/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition, Cumulative) (Diminished Range -1) (27) -- (28)
  • AE: "Wrist-Blaster" Blast 9 (18)
-- (33 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Claws +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +15

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +3

Complications:
Reputation (Jerk-wad)- Even the New Men of Wundagore don't want to hanag around him- they know he's a violent, evil criminal.
Enemy (Thor)

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 21 / Powers: 39 / Defenses: 7 (161)

-Here's a guy who I would've never thought of as a bad-ass: The Mongoose, a filler Thor villain in a RIDICULOUS furry costume, created by the High Evolutionary to do... stuff. He's threatened both Spider-Man and THOR of all people (Tom DeFalco must've wrote a significantly-weaker Thor than others), using a mix of super-human speed and raw strength. He briefly joined the Masters of Evil, warred with Thor, and later allies with Quicksand and Count Tagar to steal some of Thor's DNA, and escapes after Thor beats the group. It was the Mongoose, in fact, who fatally-wounded mortal Eric Masterson, forcing Thor to combined their life-forces in order to save his friend- this led directly to the "Eric Masterson" years on Thor.

-Mongoose is later rejected when he attempts to rejoin the New Men, as they've heard of his villainous career- he then attacks Thor & Eric in a rage, but escapes when they fight back. The character does not appear in a major role after that- he is a backgrounder in the later Thunderbolts era, joining the team in its "Villain Army" phase after they arrest him and offer membership or prison. Like a billion other animal-themed characters, he once appeared in Alyosha Kraven's "Zoo" of animal-powered characters. A DeFalco original, the character has effectively become a background Journeyman Villain, ill-fitting for Thor's Rogues Gallery.

-Despite being a one-note guy who never really made his name in the Marvel Universe, Mongoose had a Spidey-like fighting style, tons of powers, good Devices, and a history of repeatedly surviving fights with The Thunder God himself, so I'm gonna take him as a PL 10 all-around great fighter, able to manipulate many of his caps.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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