Jab’s Builds! (Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man! Metroid!)

[Jabroniville]

THE SHADE (Richard Swift)
Created By: E.E. Hibbard
First Appearance: Flash Comics #33 (Sept. 1942)
Role: Golden Age Villain, Upgraded Foe
PL 11 (248)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 7 (+10)
Expertise (Criminal) 6 (+9)
Expertise (History) 9 (+12)
Insight 6 (+10)
Intimidation 5 (+9)
Investigation 6 (+10)
Perception 6 (+10)
Ranged Combat (Shadows) 2 (+10)
Stealth 7 (+12)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit 2 (Wealth), Defensive Attack, Evasion, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Set-Up, Startle

Powers:
"Creature of the Night" Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2]
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
Regeneration 12 (Feats: Regrows Limbs) [13]
Immortality 5 [10]

"Access To The Darkfo-- I Mean, Shadowlands"
Force Field 3 (Extras: Affects Others 10) [13]

Snare 11 (Feats: Reversible) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable) (Flaws: Touch Range) Linked to Damage 7 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable, Sustained +2) (62) -- [71]

• AE: Snare 12 (Feats: Reversible) Linked to Blast 6 (Extras: Sustained +2) (61)
• AE: "Dark Beams" Blast 12 (Extras: Multiattack) (36)
• AE: "Dark Wave" Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Shapeable +2) (33)
• AE: "Darkness Falls" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, Area- 60ft. Cone) (8)
• AE: "Darkness Falls" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, Area- 60ft. Shapeable +2) (10)
• AE: "Shadow Hand" Move Object 11 (22)
• AE: "Shadowjump" Teleport 12 (Extras: Easy, Accurate) (Flaws: Medium- Shadows) (36)
• AE: "Living Shadow" Create 12 (Feats: Precise, Reversible) (26)
• AE: Movement 3 (Dimensional Travel- Shadowlands, Time Travel 2) (Extras: Attack 10) (16)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Snare +11 Area (+11 Affliction & +7 Damage, DC 21 & 22)
Snare +10 (+11 Affliction & +7 Damage, DC 21 & 22)
Dark Beams +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Dark Wave +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +8 (+11 Force Field), Fortitude +10, Will +9

Complications:
Enemy (The Ludlow Family)- After killing members of their family's gang, the Shade has had to deal with the vengeful Ludlow family ever since- they constantly send assassins his way.
Enemy (Simon Culp)- The darkness-powered dwarf Culp occasionally was able to take control of the Shade's body, occasionally leading him into generic super-villainy.
Relationship (Matt O'Dare)- The Shade takes the O'Dare cop family's "black sheep" under his wing and mentors the boy.
Power Loss (Shadows)- Bright lights and energy can fend off the Shade's shadows for a time. A survivor of the same event that took his powers can also drain him.

Total: Abilities: 80 / Skills: 60--30 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 110 / Defenses: 14 (248)

-The Shade is originally a Golden Age villain of The Flash's, but decades later was completely revamped by James Robinson into a Starman character, now a morally-ambiguous Victorian-themed guy. This was a MAJOR hit with readers, especially the wannabe pseudo-intellectuals and pretentious types, and to be fair, completely renovated an unused character. The GOOD kind of Retcon, really.

-The Shade was initially a Flash baddie, using a magical cane to manipulate shadows. In this form, he joined the original Injustice Society, and was in the Flash of Two Worlds story as well. He also appeared in a crossover with Earth-S, but didn't get much play until a new Injustice Society formed in the Post-Crisis 1980s. It wasn't until the 1990s that The Shade became the "baby" of James Robinson, who was a pretentious twatwaffle to be sure, but at least had some creative energy to play with. He turned the Shade into an Englishman who gained his powers in a mysterious disaster, becoming immortal and meeting famous people all throughout history that Robinson probably wanted to meet (Charles Dickens! Oscar Wilde!), narrates a series of prose journals, then gets involved in the backstory of Opal City, the central town of Starman.

-Though a killer, the Shade is depicted as wise, friendly, cultured and mysterious, and rarely directly evil. His actions as a Golden Age Super-Villain are shown as manipulations from an enemy that'd become fused with his body- one who can still control him. Ultimately, the Shade rejects villainy as his rival, Simon Culp, dies in the culmination of the series.

-The Shade has since reappeared a handful of times, though typically only in small roles, as he was "Robinson's Baby". There's a great bit in JSA where he laughs at Stargirl ordering him to do something, delighted at the potential she shows (he figures Jack was right!). He aids the JLA in defeating Prometheus in Robinson's Cry For Justice arc, which humorously would devastate Robinson's reputation as a writer as badly as Starman had made it.

-The Shade's said to be very powerful and mostly unkillable, so the experienced, capable anti-hero costs a TON of points, as he can come back from everything, and has very powerful Snare/Damage abilities that can shred large groups of foes at once. He can Teleport, Blind, disappear, travel through dimensions and time, and do damage in a variety of ways, ultimately being only PL 11, but very tough to bring down all the same.

[Jabroniville]

Dude looks SO damn cool.

THE GENTLEMAN GHOST ("Gentleman" Jim Craddock)
Created By: Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert
First Appearance: Flash Comics #88 (Oct. 1947)
Role: Golden Age Villain, Ghost
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society, The Secret Society of Super-Villains, The Suicide Squad
PL 9 (191)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA -- AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 6
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Deception 7 (+11)
Expertise (Criminal) 9 (+10)
Expertise (Magic) 4 (+5)
Expertise (History) 7 (+8)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 5 (+9)
Perception 5 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 2 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimidation), Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Powers:
"Immortal Ghost"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 5 [5]

Insubstantial (Feats: Precise) [21]
Concealment (Visuals) 2 [4]
Senses 4 (Psionic Energy Awareness- Ranged 2, Tracking) [4]
"Summon Spectral Steed" Speed 4 (30 mph) [4]

Teleport 8 (Extras: Extended) (24) -- [26]

• AE: "Spectral Gun" Blast 6 (12)
• AE: "Spectral Fire" Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cone +1/2) (12)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Spectral Gun +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Spectral Fire +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +5, Fortitude --, Will +7

Complications:
Enemy (The Justice Society)- Craddock hates the JSA more than anyone else in the world- this hate can power his resurrection spell.
Weakness (Virgins)- Craddock and ghosts he summons cannot harm those who are virginal. However, they cannot harm him, either. And he can just pick up a real-world weapon and use them on virgins, too.
Weakness (Royal Blood)- Craddock is vulnerable to those of royal blood. Even ruffians descended from royalty.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 94 / Defenses: 14 (191)

-A villain with an incredible name and an even cooler appearance, the Gentleman Ghost just may be my favorite DC villain from the Golden Age. The whole concept is that he thinks of himself as a gentleman, but is an invisible ghost, complete with floating monocle, cape and top hat. SO DASHING!

-Jim Craddock is a poverty-stricken, trashy kid in the 19th century, he and his mother being abandoned by a gentleman who'd impregnated her. He grew up into a highwayman who terrorized England until he was hanged by the Western hero Nighthawk (who mistakenly thought Craddock had sexually-assaulted his partner, Cinnamon). Craddock rises as a ghost (JUST LIKE THE OLD GYPSY WOMAN SAID!!! ... no literally, she did), doomed to wander the Earth until those who killed him had died... unfortunately, Nighthawk is part of the ever-reincarnation soul of Hawkman, so that'll never happen. He was primarily a foe of Hawkman & Hawkgirl, but was a Journeyman Villain as well, fighting just about everybody.

-Craddock joins the Injustice Society for only a short arc in modern times, and doesn't get a big-time run until 2006, which features him in an odd JSA arc. See, this was during Infinite Crisis, and Geoff Johns (primary writer) was busy, so a "Filler Arc" featuring the Gentleman Ghost was made- Craddock, it seems, is trying to sacrifice "those he hates most" in order to return himself to life, having swapped out his "Nighthawk" origin for a regular-old hanging at the hands of Redcoats during the Revolutionary War. Ultimately, he is slain by his only weakness- one of royal blood- as Wildcat of all people turns out to be descended from English royalty. It was quite an odd aside- the book had up until this point largely been telling "Epic Event Stories", with the occasional villain army that threatened everybody- so a solitary bad guy was a bit strange for a foe.

-The character reappeared as a backgrounder in Secret Six (somebody probably didn't realize he was dead), and another showed up in the New 52, not as a ghost.

-The Golden Age Gentleman Ghost was apparently seen to use devices to simulate a spectral nature, but this was open to speculation. He is later retconned into being a true ghost. Not really a powerhouse as much as a nuisance, he is hard to see and hurt (being Invisible AND Intangible at will), can move quickly with a summoned Spectral Steed, and can even put weapons into his own hands, such as a flintlock pistol or a cane that shoots fire. His big JSA arc reveals that his mother's spirit is with him, and this allows him to summon and control an army of ghostly highwaymen, making him a much more serious threat. As it stands, he's expensive and useful, but not really deadly, on his own.

[Woodclaw]

Shade was also used to a nice effect in Green Arrow: Archer's Quest, where it was revealed that Ollie actually paid him to remove any link between Oliver Queen and Green Arrow after his death. The base logic was that Shade was both almost impossible to kill and just mercenary enough to do so.

[Jabroniville]

THE RIVAL (Edward Clariss)
Created By: John Broome & Joe Kubert
First Appearance: Flash Comics #104 (Feb. 1949)
Role: Mirror Image Villain
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 10 (181)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8/10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 7 (+9)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+11, +13 Speed Force)
Deception 6 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+8)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 3 (+7)
Stealth 1 (+6)
Technology 4 (+8)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 3, Evasion, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Interpose, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 2, Seize Initiative, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Access to the Speed Force"
Speed 18 (500,000 mph) [18]
Quickness 16 [16]
Enhanced Advantages 4: Enhanced Initiative 4 [4]
Enhanced Fighting 2 [4]
Immunity 1 (Friction Heat) [1]

"Speed Feats"
Movement 3 (Wall-Crawling 2, Water-Walking) (Flaws: Limited to While Running) [3]
"Knockdown Whirlwind" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) Linked to Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (17) -- [22]

• AE: "Move Debris" Move Object 8 (Extras: 30ft. Cylinder) (Flaws: Touch Range, Limited to Away) (8)
• AE: "Rapid Attack" Strength-Damage +5 (Extras: Multiattack 8) (Inaccurate -1) (12)
• AE: "Hyperfast Punch" Strength-Damage +7 (Inaccurate -1) (6)
• AE: "Hit Everyone in Range" Strength-Damage +5 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2 for 8 ranks) (21)
• AE: Deflect 12 (12)

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Hyperfast Punch +11 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Rapid Attack +11 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Hit Everyone +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Whirlwinds +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +21

Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +3 (+6 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (The Golden Age Flash)- Clariss has faced Jay Garrick numerous times.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 68 / Defenses: 19 (181)

-Hey wow, this was a real guy. The Rival shows up as an unspeaking, glowing guy in Jay Garrick's clothes, but bears little relevance to the plot aside from killing people in a manner that spells out his surname, with his final target being Jay's wife, Joan. The character actually dates back to 1949, appearing in, of all things, the final appearance of the Golden Age Flash. A professor who recreated the formula behind Jay's speed but found his peers disbelieving him, he decided to Show Them All and became a super-villain. He gives his (temporary) formula to criminals, and he is eventually captured and jailed. The character thus disappears... for fifty-one years.

-Clariss is brought back Nov. 2000 as a member of the renewed Injustice Society, and it's revealed that months after his sole comic book appearance, he'd accidentally vanished into the Speed Force when he hit light speed. Retrieved by Johnny Sorrow, he's sent against the Flash once more, and the two engage in a super-speed race across the world- Jay absorbs Clariss's speed before he can kill Joan, which absorbs the villain- nobody mentions him again in the book, and I just assumed he'd been killed because Jay had no other choice, but nobody acted like that had happened. The Rival returns in 2002 in Impulse- now being living energy, he possesses Max Mercury, but is lost in time. He never reappears.

-A smart scientist with super-speed... The Rival is rather easy to build, as I just copy my Flash build and make him more of an asshole, removing some people skills.

[Jabroniville]

THE FIDDLER (Isaac Bowin)
Created By: Robert Kanigher & Lee Elias
First Appearance: All-Flash #32 (Dec. 1947)
Role: Evil Musician
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 10 (119)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Music) 7 (+10)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 1 (+4)
Perception 4 (+7)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Stradivarius Violin, Gimmicked Violints- Damage +2), Improved Critical (Violin), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Magical Fakir Powers"
"Hypnotism" Mind Control 10 (Extras: Area- Hearing Perception, Selective) (Flaws: Touch Ranged -2, Source- Fiddling) (30) -- [32]

• AE: "Shatter Objects" Blast 8 (Flaws: Source- Fiddling) (8)
• AE: "Make Barriers" Create 8 (Flaws: Source- Fiddling) (8)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Stab With Bladed Violin +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Shatter +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Hypnotism +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (The Flash- Jay Garrick)

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 15 (119)

-The Fiddler is a Post-War villain of the Golden Age Flash- he's one of those guys who found magical powers in "The East", developing powers after being arrested in India and having a "fakir" snake-charmer teach him the tricks of the trade. Now with the power of fiddling at his command, he could shatter things, create barriers, or hypnotize people- he killed the fakir who taught him, and embarked on a criminal career. He first tried to blame his crimes on his virtuoso twin brother, but faked his death to escape. At one point, he even convinced the Flash to retire by having his gang dress up as "ordinary citizens" to rout criminals and make him feel like he wasn't needed, but his girlfriend Joan came to her senses (SILLY DAMES!), and convinced Jay to come out of retirement. The Fiddler later joined the Injustice Society, and was part of the group responsible for the Flash of Two Worlds story that reintroduced the JSA and brought us Earth-Two.

-The Fiddler was used in modern times, facing Infinity, Inc. as part of "Injustice Unlimited". John Ostrander revealed in Hawkworld that the original fakir was actually a demon who empowers a heavy-metal guitarist version named The Thrasher- the Fiddler is killed in this story, but reappeared later without explanation. In the first issue of Gail Simone's Villains United, the Fiddler is a member of the rebellious Secret Six, but is executed by Deadshot on "Mockingbird's" orders for screwing up their mission. Deadshot mocks him for using a "genuine Strad" (pretty much everyone knows the name of only one kind of violin, and the fanciest is always chosen) while calling himself "The Fiddler", and shoots him.

-Later, a new Fiddler arrives as part of the army of Secret Society villains sent to execute the Six- called "Virtuoso", this one is a woman using the same violin.

-The Fiddler is a fairly capable pain in the ass of a villain, being able to Hypnotise even super-heroes on occasion, with some sub-tier Blasting & Stabbing tricks.

[Jabroniville]

PER DEGATON
Created By: John Broome & Irwin Hansen
First Appearance: All Star Comics #35 (June/July 1947)
Role: Time Traveller, Conqueror
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 7 (138)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 6 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+8)
Expertise (History) 12 (+16)
Insight 4 (+8)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Perception 3 (+7)
Stealth 3 (+7)
Technology 4 (+8)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Time Vision" Senses 4 (Precognition) [4]
"Out of Phase With Time" Insubstantial 4 [20]
"Recalls the Pre-Crisis World" Immunity 1 (Changes to the Time Stream) [1]

"Time Disc" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [7]
Movement 3 (Time Travel 3) (6)
Flight 5 (50 mph) (Flaws: Platform) (5)
-- (11 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Enemy (The JSA)- Degaton likes to visit their times of death, and always schemes to destroy them.
Vulnerable (Tachyons)- Tachyons will destabilize Degaton's inability to be harmed.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 14 (138)

-Per Degaton rarely appears in modern comics, but was a menace in the Golden Age, appearing as a douchebag who killed the man who invented a Time Machine- clever and careful, he makes several attempts at taking over the world using his weapons (such as changing the course of the Greek/Persia war, or stopping human technological development while keeping weapons of his own), but the JSA always defeat him- his memory is always removed, and the scientist, Malachi Zee, is always revived. It's a bit of a pattern. He eventually joins the Injustice Society, but is imprisoned- in his final Pre-Crisis appearance, an elderly Degaton commits suicide rather than be captured for murdering Zee.

-Post-Crisis, the character is largely absent, but shows up in the modern JSA series, acting as a dangerous, confident, taunting villain. Though lacking depth and any major character tics of his own, I felt Geoff Johns did a pretty deft job with the story anyhow- Degaton is put over as a big threat (a JSA member hears about time travel and assumes some doofus like Chronos, but when he hears "DEGATON", he immediately goes "REAL trouble, then"), he's shown to be a really nasty guy (watching Stargirl get her heart broken over and over again because the pain of his enemies is amusing to him), yet not without honor or respect (he proudly tells the Flash "You died a MAN, Jay", after saying he's witnessed all the JSA's deaths). And the story doesn't focus on him, anyway- it's all about how the JSA members respond to the deaths of their families and loved ones, as Rip Hunter (himself given no personality and just a means to an end in the story- we're not meant to care) rescues a handful of the JSA and sends them to meet their counterparts, thus setting up a resistance to another Degaton scheme to take over the world. So the meetings of Atom/Atom-Smasher, the Star-Spangled Kids, and Mr. Terrifics are the crux of the story.

-He briefly returns, but some weird time-travel shenanigans wipe him out, as his Robot Helper discovers two Degatons because of a time flux, and the elder, evil one is vaporized by the paradox of there being two of him- the robot kills the younger Degaton, fearing he'll turn evil, too. Later, he appears trying to gain ultimate power by merging all versions of himself from across the timeline together.

-Degaton is more of a careful planner and nasty schemer than powerhouse, with his main advantage being that you often can't hurt him (Hourman's Tachyons were required one time).

[Jabroniville]

GEOMANCER (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Geoff Johns, David Goyer & Derec Aucoin
First Appearance: JSA #5 (Oct. 1999)
Role: Jobber Villain
PL 8 (80)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Deception 2 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Perception 2 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Earth Powers) 2 (+8)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Geokinetic Gauntlets" (Flaws: Removable) [22]
"Trip" Affliction 8 (Athletics or Acrobatics; Hindered & Dazed/Stunned & Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Ranged, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Power Loss: Requires Earth -1) (23) -- (27 points)

• AE: "Earth Control" Move Object 10 (Flaws: Limited to Earth) (10)
• AE: "Earthquake" Blast 7 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Drawbacks: Power Loss- Requires Earth) (20)
• AE: Snare 8 (Power Loss: Requires Earth -1) (23)
• AE: Earth Blast 8 (Power Loss: Requires Earth) (15)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Snare/Trip +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Earth Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Earthquake +7 Area (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (The Justice Society)- Geomancer appears to carry a grudge against the JSA after Sand defeated him.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 22 / Defenses: 11 (80)

-Geomancer's just a one-note lameoid DC supervillain, created to threaten Sandy "Sand" Hawkins during his new run as JSA Team Leader. The very first trade of the revamped series ended with the JSA Chairman suddenly developing Geokinetic powers to offset his general uselessness as a guy with gas guns on a team where even the non-powered people were martial artists of vast skill. It was kind of clumsily done (though at least it made sense, since Sand used to be a sand-monster), but really, Sand needed SOME bonuses.

-So Sand developed these powers, then detected this Geomancer loser threatening people in the Congo. A short fight later, and Geomancer went down to a chokehold. He popped up later on the Injustice Society, a collection of JSA recurring adversaries, where Wildcat trounced him with ease- apparently that one loss against Sand left him with a grudge. He's so minor a character that his third or fourth appearance was his dead body, having had a brain aneurysm when teammate Icicle tried to free him from the Ultra-Humanite's Suspended Animation Pods after he took over the world using the Thunderbolt. Though that whole event had the Cosmic Re-Set Button pressed on it, Geomancer has yet to return, so maybe that one death DID stick. Later issues feature a "Geomancer", but it's stated that this is a NEW person under the hood.

-Poor Geomancer never really got shown doing anything but causing an Earthquake while screaming alot. Sand, just learning to use his powers, managed to beat him after a pretty simple fistfight, and he was even more easily disposed-of later, so he's no elite powerhouse. He's PL 8 with his varied attacks using what I assume are Devices (he's got big gauntlets on) rather than actual super-powers, but is WAY under-cost.

[Jabroniville]

SOLOMON GRUNDY (Cyrus Gold)
Created By: Alfred Bester & Paul Reinman
First Appearance: All-American Comics #61 (Oct. 1944)
Role: The Powerhouse, The Zombie, The Dumbass
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 12 (168)
STRENGTH 14 STAMINA -- AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Intimidation 14 (+14 Size)
Perception 4 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Thrown Objects) 9 (+9)
Stealth 3 (-2 Size)

Advantages:
Chokehold, Close Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Last Stand, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown 2, Withstand Damage

Powers:
Power Lifting 2 (1,600 tons) [2]
Leaping 11 (2 miles) [11]
"Undead Monstrosity" Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 11 [11]
Regeneration 6 [6]
Growth 4 (Str & Toughness +4, +4 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -4 Stealth) -- (12 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
Reach 1 [1]

"Super-Strength Feats"
"Impact Blast" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (36) -- [37]

• AE: "Groundstrike" Affliction 12 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery, Limited to Grounded Targets) Linked to Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Limited to Objects) (30)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Impact Blast +12 Area (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Groundstrike +12 Area (+12 Affliction & Damage, DC 22 & 27)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +15, Fortitude --, Will +4

Complications:
Prejudice (Monstrous Appearance)- Grundy is huge and chalk-white, and cannot pass for a human being.
Power Loss (Powers)- Solomon Grundy can appear to be a PL 10 powerhouse, or a PL 12 super-heavyweight. His power level is quite variable, as is his intelligence.

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 107 / Defenses: 19 (168)

-Solomon Grundy started life as a Green Lantern (Alan Scott version) villain in the '30s, but got modified into a Superman villain (which led to a song by that one ultra-'90s band), and even later appeared in the Long Halloween storyline fighting Batman. As a result, he's been all over the place in power levels and overall demeanor. Golden Age-themed writers later took him back, featuring him frequently in Infinity, Inc. and the modern JSA revival. As a villain, he's pretty much a backdrop, being aggression and strength without much personality unless a specific storyline calls for one (essentially like The Hulk), and he hangs around with the Injustice Society more often than not.

-Solomon was Cyrus Gold, a wealthy merchant who was robbed and buried in a swamp- reanimating years later, his poor memory indicated that he was "born on a Monday", and so a hobo camp gave him the nickname Solomon Grundy, which stuck. His body now being part-vegetation, he proves resistant to Alan Scott's powers as he goes on a criminal rampage, and Alan ultimately just tosses him under a moving train. The character reappears numerous times, proving unkillable. In modern times, he briefly faces Superman, but Roy Thomas uses him as a "friendly dumb ally" in Infinity, Inc., where he follows around Jade affectionately. However, his stupidity proves tragic- Harlequin disguises herself as Jade, and gets Grundy to attack the Infinitors one by one- this results in the death of Sylvester "Skyman" Pemberton, touching the unconscious Mr. Bones' "Cyanide Touch" to Skyman. A savage Grundy later beats Harlequin within an inch of her life- this whole thing leads to the end of Infinity, Inc.

-An Earth-One version of Grundy appears as a Superman foe in the 1990s.

-For raw power, Grundy's one of the best, and features some decent accuracy (he didn't have much trouble hitting most characters), making him a pretty standard Tank, but at VERY high damage output. He's "Marvel Class 100" strong, and acts as a PL 11.5 fighter- sometimes, he can take on a whole super-team for hours. In the DCU proper, he could have virtually any Power Level (from PL 8 to PL 15).

[Davies]

After the Crisis, he was identified as an attempt to create a Swamp Thing-style elemental, occasionally appearing in Swampy's book.

[Jabroniville]

THE BRAIN WAVE (Henry King, Junior, aka Brainwave)
Created By: Gardner Fox & Joe Gallagher
First Appearance: All-Star Comics #15 (Feb. 1943)
Role: Telepath, Mind Controller
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 10 (134)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 7 (+8)
Expertise (Psychiatry) 5 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+7)
Stealth 2 (+4)
Vehicles 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Inherited & Absorbed Telepathic Powers"
Mind Control 10 (Feats: Mental Link, Dynamic) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Sustained +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2) (52) -- [60]

• Dynamic AE: "Mental Blast" Blast 10 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception-Ranged) (31)
• Dynamic AE: Telekinesis 10 (Feats: Dynamic) (21)
• Dynamic AE: "Telepathy" Mind-Reading 10 Linked to Communication (Mental) 2 (Feats: Dynamic) (29)
• Dynamic AE: Illusion (Visuals & Hearing) 10 (Feats: Dynamic) (32)

"Telelocation" Senses 6 (Mental Detection- Ranged 5) [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Mind Control +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Mental Blast -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Telepathy -- (+10 Mind-Reading, DC 20)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Power)
Relationship (Son- Henry King Jr.)- Brainwave Junior is Brain Wave's own son, and Brain Wave would actually die protecting him.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 66 / Defenses: 12 (134)

-The villainous Brain Wave was actually born with tremendous mental powers- the socially-shy bookworm developed jealousy issues when the girl-next-door married another guy, and he became a crime lord despite becoming a psychiatrist. Learning of the Justice Society, he planted post-hypnotic suggestions into them as a way to get rid of the team, but when Alan Scott broke free using his tremendous will, it caused Brain Wave to become mentally unstable. He would fight the JSA numerous other times, often being thought dead as a result after his schemes backfired on him. He joined the first incarnation of the Injustice Society, then eventually disappears from comics until 1976, facing the JSA once more. His return features the debut of Power Girl, and the 1980s would reveal that the villain had married... MERRY- THE GIRL OF 1,000 GIMMICKS?!?! The FRIG? This is like, not explained in the bio-sites I read

-Yes, so apparently Merry Pemberton had married the goonish, goofy Brain Wave, and their son, also named Henry King, would develop powers of his own as "Brainwave, Jr.", proud owner of the worst superhero codename in history. Finally, the Ultra-Humanite created a scheme that threatened the JSA and Infinity, Inc., and Brainwave Junior would team up with his father- Brain Wave, disgusted that U.H. would try to kill his only son, engaged in a psychic duel to the death, then took a blow protecting his son from a stray psi-bolt. The Ultra-Humanite took this opportunity to kill him- Brain Wave's final act was to bequeath all of his power to his son, and Brainwave Junior stopped the villain.

-Brain Wave is a powerful PL 10 Psychic, but somewhat limited compared to some later examples of the type.

[Jabroniville]

Huh. I always thought of the Gambler as an utterly silly Golden Age villain-I'm not sure I actually read any of the stories he or his successors appeared in, but the whole idea of a senior citizen-looking "Southerner" with a dinky pistol and dagger taking on Green Lantern just seemed SO ridiculous. So actually he was a really cunning, daring master of disguise with a very limited but effective gimmick. Seems as if he would have made a good Batman villain during the Silver or early Bronze Age, too. And I'm guessing his older appearance may simply have been one of his disguises. Sort of surprised you didn't also give him Ultimate Disguise advantage, given the feats described.

The thing I notice while reading these is that Golden Age stories tended to be based a LOT more around "contests of wits" instead of fights. It was generally a given that Superman, Green Lantern or The Flash would trounce their weakling foes- the crux of the story was based around the villain's Clever Scheme, or the hero being able to figure out a way around their disguise or something. So somebody who looks ridiculous to modern eyes, like "My gimmick is that I'm a fast-talking southerner with a fetish for dice", is actually a credible threat in that the entire store is "how do I see through his disguise/what is his plan?"

The Manhunters story line had the potential to be terrific, but just (as you said, Jab) ended up needlessly ruining a bunch of supporting cast members, and resulting in nothing more than an utterly forgettable team of D-list heroes, ALL of whom were promptly killed off or forgotten entirely once their short-lived book was cancelled.

I think I mentioned with my DC Trading Cards post that DC had a TON of "Crisis Wannabe" events following in the wake of that epic tale, and every single one of them shit the bed, because it didn't have Wolfman & Perez working on it- both guys were staunch pros who knew how to write a good story, while all the others seemed to be written by writers bitter over Wolfman's Teen Titans being more popular than the shitty Detroit League or whatever, so the Titans weren't included, and the writers tried (and failed) to come up with threats bigger and badder than those in the Crisis. And failed. Every single time. Legends, Millennium and all sorts of other things just came off like nonsense.

Vandal Savage is one of those ALMOST-villains; he should be more of a threat,but...no distinctive appearance, not powerful enough to take on any major hero (obviously the Immortality is pretty impressive), not an inventive genius on Luthor's level, and doesn't have the Batman-mythos mystique of Ra's Al Ghul. Without some change-ups and a major, sustained push, Vandal is just never going to be much in comics.

All my best.

It's kind of funny, because I kept waiting for the "Big Vandal Savage Story" to show up in Wikipedia's history of the character, and I swear most of it's written of his *NEW 52* incarnation, as they're still trying to make him a thing.

[Jabroniville]

BLACKBRIAR THORN
Created By: Len Wein & Joe Kubert
First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #66 (Feb. 1984)
Role: Gimmick Villain
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society
PL 8 (122)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Magic) 8 (+10)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Wooden Body"
Immunity 2 (Aging, Suffocation) [2]
Elongation 2 [2]
Regeneration 5 (Feats: Regrows Limbs) [6]

Morph 2 (Plant Forms) (Feats: Metamorph) [11]
(Shrinking, Growth, etc.)

"Plant Control" Snare 6 (Feats: Accurate 2) (20) -- [23]

• AE: Growth 6 (Extras: Affects Others Only +0) (Flaws: Limited to Plants) (6)
• AE: "Barbed Branches" Strenght-Damage +3 (Feats: Improved Critical) (4)
• AE: "Weather Control" Environment 5 (Impede Movement, Visibility) (10)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Branches +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Snare +9 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +5

Complications:
Vulnerable (Fire)

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 44 / Defenses: 11 (122)

-Huh, funny. In March 2008, I intended to post the Injustice Society to fit alongside my JSA builds. I put down Tigress III and Ragdoll I, but stopped posting them, getting sidetracked with Visionaries, Warhammer & Dinosaur builds. Looking at my Word-file thingie, I realized I actually had a couple I never posted, which made my job of finishing up the "good" members much easier. Just in case anyone was wondering why I eventually decided to post ENTIRELY theme-based characters after a point. It's way too easy to forget one and just leave them behind.

-Blackbriar Thorn is an ancient Druid, transforming himself to wood in order to escape murderous Roman soldiers. However, he's buried in rubble, and reawakens only in modern times, going on a rampage. He is stoppepd by Superman and Etrigan the Demon. His appearances after this are sparse- he's in human form helping the assembled mystics during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, then threatened Alan Scott, then no longer vulnerable to wood. This tenuous link to the JSA is probably what resulted in him being used as an almost literal throwaway in the Injustice Society's modern incarnation, where he is easily beaten by Wildcat, who tricks him into falling several stories- his body explodes on impact. Wildcat stomped the entire team by himself (which is kind of the "oh, these guys aren't THAT big a threat" moment of the initial Society, though they'd recover a bit later). He reappears, used as a living crossbow bolt by Tigress, impaling Scott's chest and nearly killing him (owing to a re-vulnerability). He ultimately loses to Stargirl. His next appearances are all very minor, usually as a "Background Wizard" needed to job.

-Basically, he's immune to tons of stuff, being a construct and all, but is very easy to just break and shatter, and though he recovers, it takes him a while.

[greycrusader]

The Brainwave/Merry the Gimmick Girl thing was a pretty weird bit of ret-conning-I mean, not only was the original Brainwave depicted as being middle-aged, he was also diminutive, scrawny, and geeky, with the oversized head and coke-bottle glasses. He was pretty much a bald version of Dr. Psycho, from the GA Wonder Woman comics. But on a couple occasions when he first reappeared in the Bronze Age, Brainwave I showed the power to form a muscular, good-looking body out of "psychic energy"...which was also an ability Dr. Psycho developed when HE popped up. So I guess that's how he managed to appeal to Mary? Comics hadn't entered the Dark Age yet, so there was no hint she was actually being mentally dominated (i.e., raped) during their marriage.

And yes, Brainwave Jr. is more a superhero codename I'd expect from Hanna-Barbera (Frankenstein Jr., anyone) than DC or Marvel.

All my best.

[Ares]

Yeah, luckily for Henry he dropped the "Junior" part of his name after his father died. I always kind of felt bad for the heroic Brainwave, as he was one of DC's few dedicated telepaths and a Golden Age legacy, but he got little use once Infinity Inc. was cancelled. Then the 90s hit and the writers of Extreme Justice decided to make him a villain, which had later writers just make him insane, which lead to even longer periods of inactivity. He was finally fixed towards the end of Johns run to some extent, but vanished into obscurity again.

As for Merry, that was a weird bit, but I imagine was just Roy Thomas using his Golden Age knowledge to build a connection between Henry and the Star-Spangled Kid/Skyman. Weirder still, Merry was suppose to have been dead for a long while, but turned up alive out of nowhere in Young Justice as part of "Old Justice", made up of sidekicks from the Golden Age.

[Jabroniville]

RAG DOLL I (Peter Merkel)
Created By: Gardner Fox & Lou Ferstadt
First Appearance: Flash Comics #36 (Dec. 1942)
Role: Evil Cult Leader
Group Affiliations: The Injustice Society, The Secret Society of Super-Villains
PL 9 (150)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 7
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 5

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+14)
Athletics 11 (+13)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+14)
Deception 9 (+14)
Expertise (Criminal) 8 (+10)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+7)
Perception 5 (+9)
Persuasionn 10 (+15)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+11)
Stealth 7 (+13)

Advantages:
Chokehold, Equipment (Knife), Daze (Persuasion), Diehard, Evasion 2, Fascination (Persuasion), Fearless, Grab Finesse, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Prone Fighting, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Artificially Triple-Jointed Physique"
Immunity 5 (Entanglement Effects) [5]
"Grabs With Legs" Extra Limbs 2 [2]
Features 1: May Fit Into Tiny Spaces [1]
"Precision Striker" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +14 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Knife +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +10

Defenses:
Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +5, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Money & Power)
Reputation (Manipulative Monster)- Rag Doll's own children despise him, and his Injustic Society teammates betrayed him without a care, expecting him to turn on them anyways. He's literally too evil for SUPER-VILLAINS.

Total: Abilities: 86 / Skills: 62--31 / Advantages: 20 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 14 (150)

-One of the more curious decisions made by James Robinson in his Starman series was to retcon in the idea that the original Rag Doll, a gimmick villain weirdo, was actually a Manson-esque Cult Leader, gaining followers and manipulating them into doing his psychopathic will. Initially, the Golden Age villain was just a goof who was born "Triple-Jointed", allowing him to engage in impossible acts of contortion. With his carnival side-show job failing, he turned to crime, with his initial spree halted by the Golden Age Flash, who figured out his stealthy trick and tied him up. The character fell into limbo until the Silver Age, popping up a handful of times. In the '80s, he was recruited by the Ultra-Humanite into his new Secret Society of Super-Villains, but most of them were trapped in Limbo (like, the actual Limbo, not the aforementioned Comic Book Limbo).

-The character disappeared for the most part until James Robinson's critically-beloved Starman, which featured an elderly, pained Rag Doll, now reimagined as having become a manipulative cult leader to enable to him to still commit crimes. In a story set in the 1980s, it was retconned in that Rag Doll had gotten his cult and threatened the families of Starman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hourman, & Dr. Mid-Nite, when the heroes captured him- while the heroes recoil at the thought, Rag Doll escapes, and is killed in the ensuing battle. The story heavily hints that Ted "Starman" Knight deliberately killed the villain to protect the lives of his sons, David and Jack, though the surviving heroes in modern days refuse to accept it.

-Rag Doll's body is retrieved by his followers, and through means unknown, the villain returns (this happens to a LOT of DC villains, I notice. Really loose continuity). He becomes one of many villains who give Neron their soul in exchange for power- in this case, Rag Doll regains his youth. He joins The Mist's plot to destroy Opal City, nearly killing the Knight family, but leaves Ted to die of radiation poisoning, rather than sparing the hero by killing him in battle.

-Rag Doll has only been occasionally used since then- he was one of many guys in the JSA Classified "Injustice Society" arc. After that, it was discovered that two of his many children had become twisted super-villains- Peter Jr. had become the third Rag Doll (the second was a short-lived imposter) in the Secret Six, and Alex had become a frightening master criminal. Both were hopelessly nuts, with Peter being treated like an entertaining weirdo (who altered his body to be triple-jointed like his father), and Alex a tragic beauty who fell into madness. The Golden Age villain only barely got involved in these stories (fighting Peter Jr. in the Secret Society's assault on the Six's headquarters), and is largely only mentioned in passing- he was himself killed in a later JSA Classified tale, helping the Society retrieve a Cosmic Key that brings Johnny Sorrow back to reality- the act kills Rag Doll, with everyone just shrugging and going "meh" about it, since Wizard, Icicle & Gentlemen Ghost were all expecting him to turn on them anyways. Funny stuff.

-Rag Doll isn't that elite, but was a solid grappler (Grab Finesse plus all the other grappling Advantages) and could be rather dangerous- he works out to PL 8.5 offensively, PL 9 defensively. Pretty much like his son, whom I'd built already. He differs heavily from his son in terms of his manipulative prowess, though- as a dangerous cult leader, he has followers so twisted to his will that they'll gladly commit suicide to cover his tracks.