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

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

Post by Jabroniville »

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WITHER (Kevin Ford)
Created By:
Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir & Keron Grant
First Appearance: New Mutants #3 (Sept. 2003)
Group Affiliations: X-Students, New Mutants, The Hellions
Status: Killed After Necrosha
Role: Angry Emo Kid
PL 11 (204)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+4)
Athletics 4 (+5)
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Art) 7 (+7)
Persuasion 3 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)
Stealth 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (X-Student Uniform- Communications, Protection +1), Fast Grab, Power Attack, Ranged Attack

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Disintegration of Organic Matter"
"Death Touch" Weaken Stamina 14 (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Permanent) Linked to Damage 8 (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Permanent) [132]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Death Touch +8 (+14 Weaken & +8 Damage, DC 24 & 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Power Loss (Death Touch)- Kevin requires flesh contact to use his powers- someone with full body armour or even clothing would be immune.
Reputation (Dangerous Outcast)
Relationship (Wallflower)- Kevin had a crush on Laurie.
Enemy (Elixir)- Kevin & Josh competed over Laurie's affections.
Addiction ("Hunger" of Powers)- Kevin believes that using his powers to kill just "feels right"- Selene's manipulations only make it worse.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 132 / Defenses: 18 (204)

-Wither was an interesting little character, an aversion to the "Evil Powers for Evil People" trope so frequently used in comics, in that he had a Death Touch-ish power that completely wiped out all organic matter he came into contact with (no mention of how he EATS, as far as I read into "New X-Men"). Accidentally killing his father when his powers activated, he lived as an outcast (even at the school), until Hellion (despite being a big douchebag) of all people stood up for him and befriended him a bit. Wither ended up on Danielle Moonstar's New Mutants squad (back when the book was about a NM/Hellions rivalry and featured Dani as it's major character- neither concept lasted long), but switched to the Hellions when they tried to rescue him from the FBI Agents arresting him, after Dani's squad refused to intervene, wanting to let the law do its work.

-Despite all that stuff (and a crush from metal-cutie Mercury), Wither had feelings for Laurie, aka "Wallflower", and competed with smiling douchenozzle Elixir for her feelings (losing out in the process). Part of this, and the growing darkness surrounding his abilities (eventually playing the "Evil Powers" trope straight), led him right into Selene's arms, and you know what happens to men around HER (ie. they get eaten). This new villainous Wither was a major character in Blackest Ni-- I mean, Necrosha, and began using his Death Powers against the good guys (wiping out poor D-Character Onyxx in the process). He is killed by his former teammate & romantic rival Elixir by story's end, essentially wasting not only a potential new HERO, but a new VILLAIN all in one go.

-Like most of the New X-Men types, Wither is fairly fragile and has few skills, but one major-league power (Corrosion was the touch-range Disintegration power in 2e, despite Wither's own name for his abilities)- a Continuous Aura (they're supposed to be Sustained, but his is quite obviously always active) Corrosion effect that wipes out only Organic matter. That's a big enough flaw for one thing, and he MUST be touching flesh-to-flesh, which means it's not quite the Aura that Johnny Storm or Electro have- you touch them unarmed, you get burned- that's it. But someone wearing gloves, a unitard, or even being punched by Kevin in his normal uniform would be unaffected. It's similar to Rogue's Mimic powers in that extent- a Complication, as he could technically just take his clothes off and use it all the time.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Surge! Dust! Hellion! Prodigy! Mercury!)

Post by Jabroniville »

And that's it for the Young X-Men builds! Most of which was just additional research to find out what the kids have been up to since. The answer for 90% of them? Absolutely SQUAT- every subsequent X-writer simply dumps most of the previous kids, and chooses a NEW batch of characters to focus on. Also known as the plight of almost every single character created after 1970, and why no minority or female characters ever seem to gain much traction.

Next up is Alpha Flight! Which, like YXM, is re-posting in most cases. However, in this regard the research is MUCH more in-depth, with characters like Aurora, Sasquatch & Puck receiving massive bios (and Nemesis is apparently three people now!). So people who read this thread primarily for my Handbook of the Marvel Universe, But More Opinionated and Grouchy material will be quite satisfied. It turns out there is a HUGE difference in my commentary between 2010 and 2016/17!

After that, I'm kind of bouncing some stuff around. Maybe the "J"s of Marvel (which is the shortest one left, at six days' worth of posts). I need to stat up Moana at some time. Plus I bought an animated movie from a Disney competitor centuries ago with the intention of statting it, and instead just watched it once and never put builds down, so I can fix that. Also I was thinking of posting Dinosaur builds again, and maybe filling some of the gaps with mid-tier creatures (though that's kinda tough to find with dinosaurs- there are HUNDREDS of every potential type, and not all of them have the sizes easily laid out), or elaborating upon the "Same Stats As" types. Then of course there's the New Mutants, which will allow me to not only put more builds onto the new site, but give even MORE info about those most angsty of teens.

After that... maybe re-posting the Legion of Super-Heroes or Teen Titans? I haven't posted DC builds in a dog's age.
Jabroniville
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Re: NTW

Post by Jabroniville »

M4C8 wrote: She's actually alive (Now looking like her movie counterpart but with her original powers) in Deadpool's new mercenary team.
That book JUST came out, so recently that it hadn't appeared on Wikipedia by the time I posted it :).

greycrusader wrote: You know Jab, Marvel actually DID come up with a few winners in these New Mutants/Young X-Men; Rockslide (whom I agree had a much cooler "look" in his original incarnation), Dust, Mercury, Pixie, a couple of the others...and then just let them languish. Likely not only because of the overabundance of them, but also due to no monetary interest in seeing another characters become popular enough for Fox Studios to make real money off of them.
Yeah, I did end up liking a lot of these characters- Rockslide, Mercury and Wind Dancer were all ones I liked- even Elixir & Wither were interesting looks at old archetypes in Teen Fiction. It's really too bad that they get glossed over so badly, especially considering some of them are very well-trained superheroes at PL 8.
Very cool little mini-power you included for Rockslide-I never knew he could make like a junior league Absorbing Man to adopt the properties of other rocks, minerals, and gemstones. Nice touch!
Thanks! That power's kind of like Iceman's "Turn to Water" and "Regenerate Using Water" tricks- stuff I've only heard about on Wikpedia, but figured I'd include anyways. In Rockslide's case, it's 12 points for something he almost never uses, but I'm not really on a points budget here anyways.
I also agree Mercury's power-set is pretty rare, though clearly she was "inspired" by the T-1000, as you said (the T2 movie was fresher in the public eye when she first debuted); coincidentally, there is also a villain named Mercurial in GR's Rogues Gallery series with the same appearance and abilities, though the character is more an analogue of Inque, from the Batman Beyond cartoon.
Yeah, it's a good power-set. Almost better for villains than heroes (it's a terrific "escape/out-think the villain" power), but it definitely stands out.
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Gilliam
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Hellion! Prodigy! Mercury! Rockslide! Wither!)

Post by Gilliam »

I know you mention earlier that you found the animation style for RWBY hard to watch but if you can give it a second chance I think you will enjoy the show and some of the costumes the characters have are exquisite :D
Jabroniville
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Alpha Flight

Post by Jabroniville »

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ALPHA FLIGHT:

When Canada's in danger, they call the army. And if HE'S busy, they call Alpha Flight!

---

Alpha Origins:
And now for the unusual story of Alpha Flight -- one of John Byrne's most enduring creations, much to his chagrin. Just read his FAQ on the subject first- it's utterly fascinating stuff.

See, Alpha Flight was of course created during John Byrne's run as the artist & co-plotter of the Uncanny X-Men book, back when it was gaining MAJOR steam and was generally known as the best series around, Chris Claremont being the notable other half of the equation. And Byrne's own story is that the Alphans were literally created for no other reason that to "survive a fight with the X-Men", opposing them in a story about Canada finally trying to get Wolverine back on the squad, after abandoning them in Giant-Size X-Men #1, completing a minor plot thread there. So the Alphans Pearl Harbored the X-Men, did some damage, but the X-Men fought back, and ultimately they came to an agreement. And that was kinda supposed to be it for them, aside from some minor appearances later.

Byrne himself admits most of the team was created for little purpose other than to match the X-Men's powers. Mac, Snowbird & Shaman were his "fan creations" (ie. heroes he'd cooked up as a younger fan -- something I'm sure a LOT of pros do but don't often admit to it), while Shaman, Sasquatch, Northstar & Aurora were basically there to run up against individual X-Men power-wise and stalemate them (Shaman creates a huge storm, for instance). Most of them represented various aspects of Canada and its mythos (Byrne himself is Canadian -- he actually went to art school with one of my drawing teachers): Mac and his wife were from Onatrio (Canada's most populous province and the wannabe centre of its universe), Shaman was a Native from Calgary, Sasquatch was a CFL player from British Columbia, the twins were Francophones from Quebec, and Snowbird had links to the mythology of the Inuits in the Northern territories. Now, in what has become somewhat of a notorious comment by him, the man has stated that the team was pretty bland, lacked personality, and that he really didn't like them all that much. Yet he insists that fans wrote in constantly, badgering him & Marvel for an Alpha Flight series. Now, Byrne is kind of a egomaniac blowhard, but he really doesn't have much of a reason to lie and say that his characters sucked if he didn't ACTUALLY BELIEVE they sucked, so I'm gonna believe him.

Alpha Flight- Ongoing!:
But apparently the fans demanded it, and so a new team book was formed, springing off from the X-Men. Byrne states that he figured if SOMEone was gonna do it, it may as well be him. So he added a few more members to the team (Puck & Marrina early on), ones that had personalities he could properly mold instead of the "bland" ones he'd initially created (one wonders why the man didn't just re-do or fix up the old personas), and a pretty big roster was formed. Alpha Flight became this total tool of the Canadian government, and had a Mark Gruenwald-like touch in that they were the "A" team of Canada, with other, lesser trainee teams beneath them (Beta & Omega Flight). This spread out a huge supporting cast, including both Boxes, Diamond Lil, Goblyn & Laura Dean, Purple Girl, Windshear and many other trainee characters with silly powers.

Oh, and Byrne offed James "Mac" Hudson one year in (#12), effectively killing the most famous and symbolic member of the team. This was pretty shocking stuff for the time, but (again) Byrne admits that Mac didn't have a whole hell of a lot of characterisation to him, and that Heather was much more interesting. He says that he NEVER wanted Heather to put on a costume herself and lead the team, as that was "cliche", but sure as hell that managed to happen the second he was off the book (28 issues in).

Personally, I've not read much of it. I have a couple issues I got as a kid in some Grab-Bag of random comics ('member those? Stores used to sell a bunch of 'em, and you could never tell what you were gonna get. I got a She-Hulk issue with "Doctor Bong" and some creepy-ass Strikeforce Morituri issue as well), but they were really bizarre stuff with an odd group of trainees fighting the Dream Queen (who turned out to be a direct blatant rip-off from some other comic). They had some really early Jim Lee art in them as well (looking quite different from the eventual style he'd master- the women all look different from each other, for one). I read a bit of the first collected trade, but found it to be... pretty standard comic book stuff. Quite mediocre to be honest, and you can see Byrne struggle with making the cast interesting. His art is much worse than his X-Men or Fantastic Four stuff as well, because he's inking his own stuff (let that be a lesson to anyone who underestimates the value of a good inker- Terry Austin made Byrne's stuff MAGNIFICENT- without Austin, Byrne's stuff actually kinda looks loose and lazy). After Byrne left with issue 28, Bill Mantlo took over, and displaced almost the entire team while bringing in new Beta Flight members to focus on. Eventually, even Mantlo left, letting a bunch of guys I've never heard of take over.

Cancellation & Weak-Ass Updates:
And honestly, despite me being a Canadian... I've never felt an attachment to these guys. Neither did any other kid I knew -- they were just that team of guys that was crappier than the X-Men or the Avengers, and were just kinda around. Nobody on the playground seemed to give a crap about Alpha Flight, no matter where they came from (historically, Americans have ALWAYS liked the Alphans more than Canadians have). The book maintained some level of fanbase, but REALLY noticeably limped it's way into the 1990s with horrible outfits and worse art, managed to kill or resurrect a fat chunk of the roster (thus making fans not care anymore), before FINALLY being cancelled with Alpha Flight #130 in 1994.

And this is where things get weird. See, a lot of books got cancelled in the Great Comic Book Crash, and it was mostly the kind of mediocre "this is what we pass off on new creators to get them used to writing books" type of junk that was absolutely everywhere in the early '90s (Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, The Darkhold Redeemers, The Night Stalkers, etc.). But for some reason, Alpha Flight stuck with a few people. Maybe it was because they were popular in the rising comic book scene of the '80s. And so we got a handful of reboots of the series. The first (in 1997, three years after the cancellation of the first) was a mostly-forgotten run written by a guy named Steven Seagle with REALLY '90s art that had Heather leading the team... AGAIN... after Mac died... AGAIN. It also featured a new team of trainees, made up of some of the more one-note, generic characters I've seen in comics, with Murmur, Radius & Flex, plus a goofy-ass looking Manbot, and Sasquatch-as-an-animalistic-beast, who turned out to be an ACTUAL Sasquatch and not Walter Langkowski. Oh yeah, and then there was a clone of Mac (who by this point had possibly the most convoluted backstory of a character in the history of comic books -- which is SAYING SOMETHING) who was on the team as well.

This book had a couple fans, but mostly people crapped on it, as the new guys "weren't Alpha Flight", as Wolverine would later say when they buried the book after its cancellation, and we never saw most of them again. It lasted a paltry 20 issues (though it was the Dark Age). THEN came the Scott Lobdell version of the team.

And most of you should know my feelings on Lobdell by now, but let me just reiterate: He sucked. He sucked at writing SO BAD during the '90s and early 2000s that it wasn't even funny. This guy got handed Marvel's flagship book by this point in The Uncanny X-Men and managed to run it into the ground with asinine stories, stupid Acolytes filling up the pages, and enough redundant stuff that he nearly killed off the huge fanbase the X-Men had. And his bizarre idea of "funny" comics... I mean, I like comedy, sure, but when you're writing a super-hero book, this kind of dumb "BWAH-HAH-HAH, this guy is a SUPER-HERO and yet he's an OLD MAN!" humor is the kind of thing that a brain-dead fifth-grader comes up with, not the kind of thing you put together in something that people are supposed to spend actual money on. Yes, this Alpha Flight team was AWFUL -- With both Guardian & Vindicator gone, it was up to Sasquatch to be the team "icon" now (a position he actually holds to this day, after being a supporting guy for decades), and he led a team of wild & wacky stupid characters who were more befitting of a one-panel gag (where they would have been FINE) than a full comic book series (this is sorta like building a movie out of It's Pat- they could've worked as small skits or one-panel jokes, but nobody wants to read about the man who pretends he has powers, when in fact it's his HORSE than has powers). The book was rapidly cancelled in less than a year.

"Oh My God... He Alpha Flighted Them":
Then the worst-possible thing for Alpha Flight fans happened... a new guy came in post-M-Day, packing all the mutant powers that'd been lost when 95% or whatever of the mutant population lost 'em, and Alpha Flight stood in his way. One panel later, they were all lying on the ground. Yes... he "Alpha Flighted" them. An OFF-PANEL DEATH for a big chunk of the team, with only Sasquatch and Snowbird being revealed to have survived. And they were mourned... kinda. See, I heard a COUPLE rumblings, but mostly the fans didn't give a crap, since so few people really cared about Alpha Flight in the first place. I mean, these were purely C-level characters at-best -- the types of guys you could see someone having a "Doom Patrol" fascination with (ie. "Vocal fanbase much smaller than actual fanbase"), but the very fact that they could be offed like the New Warriors were (and that was just two named characters and a couple newbie scrubs) said a lot. A mini-series came about that featured a new team in "Omega Flight" (with Sasquatch plus a few American super-heroes who resisted the Super-Human Registration Act), but fans mostly crapped on it.

(Note: This part was written in 2011) Of course, Marvel's mediocre event The Chaos War brought the team back, and now there's a NEW creative team on it, insisting that they're gonna prove John Byrne wrong and reform the "awesomeness" that was Alpha Flight. So I fully expect another book cancellation within the year, but that's the cynic in me.

(back to 2016 now) And of course, that's pretty much exactly what happened. The book had solid writing, and the art by Canadian artist Dale Eaglesham was FANTASTIC (to the point where several panels were just him showing off how good he was, shaming the rest of the industry- witness a flock of crows coalescing into Ranark the Ravager), but of course, it was still Alpha Flight. The book was REALLY popular in the first couple of issues, to the point where Marvel took this prospective Limited Series and went "No... ONGOING". And then a few more issues came out, the sales dropped, and suddenly Marvel went "No... LIMITED SERIES". The story arc was that Canada had been taken over by a guy who was secretly SUPER-EVIL, and so Alpha Flight got roped into a rebellion, while Heather "Vindicator" Hudson got brainwashed and joined the plan to unite all of Canada as super-evolved human beings.

On To The Builds!:
So despite the fact that I consider the book and most of the characters on it mediocre filler and a "starting point" book for creative teams looking to prove themselves (the aforementioned Mr. Lee seemed to do okay with that, not to mention Fabian Nicieza), I'm making them one of my first sets of "re-posts" for the Echoes forum! I did 'em all for 2e, then did 3e builds of them in 2011, and many of them are very unique and interesting power-wise (a guy who summons duplicates through time, another who summons three distinct Minions, and a guy who can control all machinery). Plus, it allows me to reiterate many complaints I have about the team, and criticize things in general! After all, super-heroes can have jobbers, too. All in all, they're actually a pretty fun group to talk about and build.

Most of the cast will be mere "re-posts" (oddly, they were largely absent from the previous "Marvel Glossary" sets I did), but the big names will have some additional paragraphs added to their histories, and as they're quite old builds by my standards, I'll go over some stats and move things around if I need to.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:24 am, edited 3 times in total.
Jabroniville
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AF Roster

Post by Jabroniville »

The Roster looks like:
Original Squad:

1) Guardian (Team Leader, Inventor, Stock Hero Guy)
2) Vindicator (Heather Hudson- originally a Civilian Ally, eventually an ascended hero and Team Leader)
3) Shaman (Mystical Native Guy)
4) Snowbird (Animal Shapeshifter, Inuit Demigoddess)
5 & 6) Northstar & Aurora (Arrogant Frenchman and Demure Split-Personality Twin Sister, Super-Speed Fliers)
7) Sasquatch (Powerhouse, Scientist)

New Recruits:
8) Puck (Dwarf Martial Artist)
9) Marrina (Merwoman)
10) Diamond Lil (Diamond Skin)
11) Talisman II (Native Mage)
12) Box I (Bochs)
13) Box II (Jeffries)
14) Purple Girl
15) Windshear (Wind-Powered Suit)
16) Wild Child (Wolverine Rip-Off)

Gamma/Beta Flight Guys:
17) Smart Alec (Smart Guy)
18 & 19) Auric & Silver
20) Goblyn & Laura Dean (Switching Sisters)
21) Flashback
22) Earthmover (Wannabe New member that vanished)
23) Manikin (Summons Creatures)
24) Feedback
25) Nemesis (Sword Chick)

Failed Reboot Team:
26) Radius (Force Field)
27) Flex (Body Weaponry)
28) Murmur (Mind Control)
29) Sasquatch II (Monster)
30) Manbot (Manbot)
31) Ghost Girl (Phasing Girl)

Crappy Lobdell Team:
32) Centennial (Old Man Flying Brick)
33) Puck II (Puck's Daughter)
34) Yukon Jack (Caveman Warrior)
35) Major Mapleleaf (Guy Riding Horse)

There's also "The Flight", a retcon written by Lobdell (again), to show what the team was like in it's first mission:
36) Wolverine (was supposed to be the leader)
37) St. Elmo (wannabe God with Light Powers)
38) Groundhog (Digging Suit)

Plus a sometime ally who never fully joined the team:
38) Wyre (techno-wire control)

Regarding John Byrne (it's impossible to talk much about Alpha Flight without referencing the man, so I'll get it out of the way here):
-He's one of the more fascinating people in comics to read about. Especially his website, Byrne Robotics, where he describes all the work he'd done in comics, and the various stories behind it. He's controversial as all hell (moreso than just about anybody), and has one of the worst reps in comics as an individual, and it's not hard to see why. However, he's right a good bit of the time, and is much more humble at points than some people imply he is. I definitely see what he was talking about regarding his struggles with Alpha Flight, and many people back him up regarding what a hard person Marvel Editor Jim Shooter was to deal with (he fixed Marvel's "missed deadline" problem and brought them new levels of financial success, but at the cost of making him the most hated man in the room). He frequently admits that despite falling-out with Chris Claremont over the X-Men books, the sales went UP after Byrne left. He even calls his Fantastic Four run "over-rated".

But yeah, he's got his bad parts (not even talking about him personally, as I've never met the guy). His website comes across VERY MUCH as "Why I am right, and why everyone else in comics sucks and is hard to deal with" (forgetting, perhaps, that if you have a problem with EVERYBODY, then maybe YOU'RE the problem). He actually says "I don't suffer fools gladly", which is a roundabout way of saying "I am a giant prick". He's flat-out stated he won't work with DC OR Marvel again (who burns BOTH bridges?), he's frequently argued publically with other creators, and THE. MAN. IS. OBSESSED. With taking characters with years of character development and STRIPPING them of it all, and reverting them to their original form! Fans of The Vision, direct all your hatred of his "I am an unfeeling robot" days to this man right here. Despite his hatred of any change (though he IS right in that the rapid-fire aging of characters like Dick Grayson & Kitty Pryde have REALLY warped the percieved ages of other characters), he also seems to be in love with altering heroes' origins (was there a real need to have Peter Parker gaining his powers in a giant explosion that also gave Doctor Octopus HIS powers?). It's really not surprising that most other creators seem to dislike him.

He comes across as a jerk-ass egomaniac who nonetheless used to write some GREAT stories, and used to draw really great stuff as well. His X-Men run with Claremont speaks for itself and puts him squarely in the "Best Runs on anything ever" list, but still.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Prodigy! Mercury! Rockslide! Wither! Alpha Flight!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a build for the guy that "Alpha Flighted" the team. I suppose there's a good reason for that, though, since it sounds like he just has ALL THE POWERS.
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Tattooedman
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Prodigy! Mercury! Rockslide! Wither! Alpha Flight!)

Post by Tattooedman »

I'm one of those Americans that likes Alpha Flight, but some of the later done stuff is outright bad plainly said. The main characters (and by that I mean originals plus new recruits, going by Jab's labels) and the Beta/Gamma Flight members gave an interesting cast of characters, that I thought overall had an interesting set of personalities.

Granted, I might be looking back at this through nostalgia glasses as the original AF was one of the first comics I read on a regular basis. So I might be a bit biased.
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Prodigy! Mercury! Rockslide! Wither! Alpha Flight!)

Post by Jabroniville »

The Pak/Van Lente/Eaglesham Series:
* The villains are set up rather well at first, with Gary Cody's "Unity" party defeating the Liberals & Conservatives in a landslide, but enacting the "Emergencies Act" (which gives the Federal government extra powers in times of crisis- aka A Libertarian's Worst Nightmare) and taking total power over Canada during the Fear Itself Crossover. This sets off the entire thing, as Alpha Flight declares the plot a power-grab, but find themselves attacked by both the government, and Vindicator, who has been trying for custody of her & Guardian's child. She assaults Guardian himself as the first issue ends. However, Cody is replaced as "main villain" with lightning speed, as the Master of the World (an old AF villain) reveals himself as the main baddie behind everything.

* It's phenomenally well-drawn from beginning to end. A shot when Ranark transforms from a flock of crows into his base form is just Eaglesham going "hey, comic book industry... top THIS". His women are GORGEOUS, too- Aurora looks like they took Every Man Ever, sat them down, made them list the things they find most beautiful about women, and then compiled their answers into one person's face. Heather Hudson, always a bit iffy in some comics (stodgy in some, back-bendingly sexualized in others), looks terrific, with stern mom-like features, but a killer body (they even do a couple of pages with her in a bikini, just in case we don't get it), and an outfit that's basically more vacuum-packed than even STANDARD comic book women's. And then there's the otherworldly beauty of Snowbird (plus all the freakin' animals Eaglesham can draw her as). Marrina's good for those who like punk-y chicks.

* Eight issues is actually a lot of time, but modern-day comic book storytelling still leaves a lot of stuff out. Marrina, Puck & Snowbird never move beyond "guest-starring", and receive no focus. Sasquatch is said by Dale to be surprisingly hard to draw, thanks to all the fur of varying lengths, and perhaps not-so-coincidentally spends six issues straight trapped in human form, working on a machine behind the scenes. He also sexually harrasses Aurora a lot, considering they all know she's a mental case.

* Alpha Strike is set up pretty well as an Opposite Color Team- Purple Woman, Ranark, Vindicator, Wendigo & Citadel oppose Alpha Flight in terms of powers.

* Northstar gets a lot of focus as the "Quicksilver/Pain in the Ass" guy, also dealing with his boyfriend being controlled by the Unity Party. Aurora goes nuts, as both personalities of hers vie for control (there's a time and a place to be Ableist... why the f*ck is she put on a SUPER-HERO TEAM if she's that prone to going crazy?).

* Gary Cody is dealt with pretty quickly (he effectively becomes superfluous as of the first issue, really- I think this would have been better had he been The Master in disguise), and the heroes basically spend several issues building up their plan... and then enacting it without much of a hitch. Taskmaster and Wolverine both make cameos that sort of affect the plot- Tasky is in charge of quickly training a bunch of civilians for Alpha Flight (humorously, they pay him off with money they stole from a bank... one that funds the bad guys, so they figure it's okay).

* There's a lot of little things popping up that refer to the past Alpha Flight series- the villains stick citizens in Mac's old Groundhog armor. Random old characters pop up like the Master and Purple Woman. It's not quite "easter eggs", but it's also not in your face with it, which I like. Still a lot of missing characters, however- there's no Box, no sign of anyone created after 1990, etc. I'd have at least liked to see some of their past members show up as the cavalry at some point. But essentially, this book is basically the "Disneyland's Main Street" version of Alpha Flight- the book not as it was (this roster has never actually been around at the same time since Alpha Flight #1, but a better, concentrated version that comes right from the fandom's memories.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Prodigy! Mercury! Rockslide! Wither! Alpha Flight!)

Post by bsdigitalq »

And then Marvel decided to put Carol Danvers in charge of Alpha Flight and turn it into SWORD more-or-less.
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Ken
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Re: Alpha Flight

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote:historically, Americans have ALWAYS liked the Alphans more than Canadians have.
That's because most Americans fall into one of two camps: one camp sees Canada as this vast exotic land to our north, the other sees it as the 51st-60th states (or 63rd if they count the three territories.)

I partially lie. The people in either camp can't tell you how many provinces or territories Canada has.

Me? I'm just bothered by the fact that the Northwest Territories aren't the northwestern most territories in Canada.
My Amazing Woman: a super-hero romantic comedy podcast.

When the most powerful super hero on Earth marries an ordinary man, hilarity ensues.
Jabroniville
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Feedback

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

FEEDBACK (Albert Louis)
Created By:
Simon Furman & Pat Broderick
First Appearance: Alpha Flight #118 (March 1993)
Role: Blaster
Group Affiliations: Beta Flight
PL 6 (94)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills: 
Expertise (Whatever his Job Was) 2 (+3)
Insight 2 (+3)
Perception 1 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Electricity) 2 (+4)
Technology 1 (+2)

Advantages: 
Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Bio-Electricity" 
"Bio-Electric Punch" Blast 7 (14) -- [15]
  • AE: "Punching Ram" Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cylinder) (12)
Electricity Absorption 2 [4]
Immunity 5 (Electrical Damage) [5]

"Bio-Electric Shield" Force Field 5 [5]

"Summon Six Shock Troopers"
Summon 4 (Extras: Horde, Multiple Minions +5) [32]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Bio-Electric Punch +3 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Absorbed Punch +3 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +1 (+6 Bio-Electric Field), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Normal Life)- Albert never really wanted to be a super-hero, and was forced into this life by The Hardliners, who were attempting to boss around Canadian superhumans.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 61 / Defenses: 11 (94)

SHOCK TROOPERS
Role:
Summoned Minions
Group Affiliations: Beta Flight
PL 7 (60), Minion Rank 4
STRENGTH
-- STAMINA -- AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -- AWARENESS -- PRESENCE --

Skills: 
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Blast) 5 (+7)

Advantages: 
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Electrical Being"
Insubstantial 3 [15]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 2 [2]
Flight 5 (60 mph) [10]

Enhanced Aura +4 (16) -- [17]
  • AE: Electrical Blast 7 (14)

Electrical Aura 3 [12]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (No Damage)
Aura +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Electrical Blast +7 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude --, Will --

Complications:
Motivation (Normal Life)- Albert never really wanted to be a super-hero, and was forced into this life by The Hardliners, who were attempting to boss around Canadian superhumans.

Total: Abilities: -38 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 71 / Defenses: 7 (60)


-Feedback's one of the Gamma Flight members, and only showed up in some later stories in the initial run. He had a messed-up power that would be very useful if done by a competent character or writer, but the character was such a loser he vanished LONG before the series was ever cancelled, and disappeared forever. Too bad- his power's very unique for a super-hero (like a LOT of Beta-and-lower-Flighters, actually), and could have been the basis for a cool character.

-Probably one of the tougher statting jobs for a mort character, he summons this little "Bio-Doubles" that jump in and zap people. He can only make six of them normally (Requiring 5 ranks in Extras- +2 for 2, +4 for 4, and +6 would be 8, but he can only make SIX, so the last rank is half-price), but could potentially up that by absorbing electricity. He can also up his Bio-Electric Punch by Absorbing more Electricity. Really powerful for a newbie with no talent, he's a PL 5 Rookie (equivalent to the debuting New Mutants), potentially a PL 6 if a teammate nails him with enough electricity, but that's just in power- he can't hold up to a lot of pressure, and he's brutally inaccurate.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Flashback

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

FLASHBACK (Gardner Munroe)
Created By:
John Byrne
First Appearance: Alpha Flight #1 (Aug. 1983)
Role: Summoner
Group Affiliations: Beta Flight, Gamma Flight, Omega Flight
PL 4 (75)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills: 
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Deception 4 (+4)
Perception 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Summons Duplicates From Other Timelines"
Summon 3 (Extras: Heroic +2, Horde, Multiple Minions +6) [33]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +1

Complications:
Power Drawback (Future Selves)- Flashback's Duplicates are actually future versions of himself, drawn from the timeline. As such, they are vulnerable to death, and if one is killed, Flashback too is doomed to die one day, when he puts on the "Reverse-Colour" suit and goes to be slain. He cannot prevent this, as the costume always appears to him.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 10 (75)

-Flashback is a Gamma Flight (later Beta Flight) member who's got a Madrox gimmick, but only by bringing in future selves. He got fired with the rest of the trainees, and turned to evil as part of Omega Flight after being mentally controlled. He was actually a big part of Lobdell's run years after retiring in the initial run- he witnessed the death of one of his Future Selves, making him fear that death was inevitably waiting for him. He refused to go on, believing that if he hung up the costume, he would never "turn into" that version, and be summoned to help a past Flashback. Trying to alter history or somesuch thing. He was constantly finding himself in his costume again, but Alpha Flight was able to fix his problem, possibly saving his life. Kind of a useless character all-around, though, but at least he was deliberately pretty bad.

-Duplication in a fairly basic form, he's only PL 4, so he NEEDS those dupes to be any good at all, and even then, he's barely a match for a standard group of Police Officers from the Main Book's builds. Note, though, that in spite of him seemingly having the "Real" or "Feedback" Flaws from 2e, he didn't actually suffer while his duplicate died; he just reacted badly and decided to retire. So he doesn't even get any real fun things with his power. He just pops in a legion of really crappy fighters with low strength.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Radius

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

RADIUS (Jared Corbo)
Created By:
Steven T. Seagle & Scott Clark
First Appearance: Alpha Flight (vol. 2) #1 (August 1997)
Role: Force Field Guy, Forgotten Character, "My Power Sucks" Guy
Group Affiliations: Alpha Flight, Beta Flight, X-Corps
PL 8 (99)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills: 
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 2 (+4)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+8)
Close Combat (Force Field) 2 (+8)
Deception 3 (+4)
Expertise (Government Agent) 2 (+2)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 2 (+2)
Ranged Attack (Force Blasts) 2 (+7)
Stealth 1 (+4)
Vehicles 2 (+2)

Advantages: 
All-Out Attack, Close Attack 2, Interpose, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Force Fields"
Force Field 10 (Extras: Impervious 13, Continuous) (Flaws: Permanent) [23]
Enhanced Advantages: Withstand Damage (Trade Defenses For Toughness) [1]

"Force Field Stunts"
"Nutcracker Special" Damage 8 Linked to Weaken Toughness 4 (Extras: Affects Objects) (16) -- [22]
  • AE: "Force Blasts" Blast 7 (14)
  • AE: "Air Attack" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (8)
  • AE: "Brace Objects Against Field" Power-Lifting 5 (3 tons) (5)
  • AE: "Force Shapes" Create 8 (Flaws: Touch Range) (8)
  • AE: "Enveloping Field" Snare 8 (Flaws: Touch Range) (16)
  • AE: "Crushing Attack" Damage 8 (Feats: Reach 2) (10)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Force Blasts +7 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Air Attack & Enveloping Field +8 (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Crushing Attack +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Nutcracker Special +8 (+8 Damage & +4 Weaken, DC 23 & 14)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +2 (+12 Force Field, +7 Impervious), Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Canadian Government)- Both Corbo Brothers were raised in "Hellhouse", an orphanage funded and controlled by the Canadian government.
Responsibility (Douche)- Cocky and full of bravado, Jared is disliked by a lot of his teammates, and often rubs people the wrong way.
Relationship (Adrian)- Jared is quite close to his brother Flex.
Secret/Responsibility/Disabled (Force Field)- Radius' force field is permanent, and therefore he has no sense of touch, and cannot bathe. He eats using a weird device over his face that converts food into energy.

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 46 / Defenses: 8 (99)

-Radius is part of the failed '90s Alpha Flight revamp, a rookie hero who sorta hung around, doing the "wah my force field won't let anyone touch me" thing that Rogue was already doing in X-Men. He went away when the series died, didn't show up for the later revamp, and was confirmed as being one of the "Unimportant De-Powered Mutants" following M-Day. He actually became known as Unus the Untouchable's son (along with brother Flex), thus making them half-siblings of Carmela Unuscione of the Acolytes.

-Hey, it's another Force Field Guy! I've done a handful of these before, and Radius is slightly different in that his field NEVER comes down, and he can't eat or bathe or anything thanks to it. Hence, he doesn't get the usual "Selective" Feat from the Permanent Field. He eats via a special device hooked to his face which he holds food up to. Hence he doesn't need "Immunity (needs to eat)". He's PL 8 on defense (he's easy as hell to hit, since he has no real reason to try dodging), and some of his various Stunts vary, but he can smash away as a PL 8 guy as well, plus Blast away like a PL 7. So he's no elite fighter, but he's pretty good for a rookie.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:25 am, edited 3 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Flex

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

How many crunches does this guy DO?


FLEX (Adrian Corbo)
Created By:
Steven T. Seagle & Scott Clark
First Appearance: Alpha Flight (vol. 2) #1 (August 1997)
Role: Weapon Fighter, Forgotten Character, Team Everyman
Group Affiliations: Alpha Flight, Beta Flight
PL 8 (82)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills: 
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Athletics 3 (+5)
Close Combat (Weapons) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Government Agent) 2 (+2)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 2 (+4)
Persuasion 2 (+3)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+2)

Advantages: 
Defensive Roll, Improved Critical (Blades), Power Attack, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Body Weaponry"
"Arm Blades" Strength-Damage +4 (Feats: Reach, Split) (Extras: Penetrating 7) [13]
"Blades in the Way" Enhanced Dodge & Parry 2 [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Arm Blades +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+10 Blades, DC 18-20), Parry +9 (+11 Blades, DC 19-21), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Canadian Government)- Both Corbo Brothers were raised in "Hellhouse", an orphanage funded and controlled by the Canadian government.
Relationship (Jared)- Jared is quite close to his brother Radius.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 17 / Defenses: 11 (82)

-Flex was Radius' brother, also from the failed '90s Alpha Flight team. His gimmick was turning his hands into bladed weapons, which is kind of neat for a one-shot villain or something, but really not the kind of thing a guy in a super-hero team should have. For one thing, he can't really attack any non-robots if he's a non-Wolverine type, and as the "shy, reserved guy" on the team, that was about all he could do.

-Flex is a low-end Scrapper-type hero, as he's pretty good in Melee (but not as good as a PL 10 Scrapper would be), but only PL 8 on offense, PL 7.5 on defense. His Blades are pretty good, getting better reach, a higher Crit, and the ability to split his attacks, but he's not dishing out furious amounts of damage either.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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