Computer died.
Doing recovery on HD to save about 2 to 3 months of work.
Working on old, very slow P4.
GF is going to get me a laptop, ain't she wonderful?
End of line...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Just What Is The Silver Age?
"A silver age is a name often given to a particular period within a history, typically as a lesser and later successor to a golden age, the metal silver generally being valuable, but less so than gold."
Nope that sounds bad. Making it not as good as the Golden Age. Hmmmmm.
"The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to circa 1970, and was succeeded by the Bronze and Modern Ages."
Well that just tells me when it was... le sigh. I need a better definition of what the Silver Age was... what it means.
Wikipedia you have failed me!
"The Silver Age of comic books began with the “second generation” of superheroes from 1959 to 1963 or so. Silver Age comics tended to feature more powerful heroes than their Golden Age predecessors (with the exception of a few godlike Golden Age characters). Silver Age comics also had a decidedly science fiction bent to them, with more aliens, fantastic technology, and scientific origins, especially involving atomic energy and related mutations. Many classic comic book characters first appeared in the Silver Age, or settled into their now-familiar forms and mythologies during this time."
That's from Mutants & Masterminds by-the-way.
Hmmm... it doesn't really help though does it?
Okay science and aliens are up. Got it. The classic characters either start or settle into themselves in this era. I am guessing that means what we know as the Flash, Wonder-Woman, Batman and Superman from DC or the entirety of Marvel Comics.
It would be fair to say that DC's Silver Age was much sillier than Marvel comics, though some also say that Marvel Comics are part of the "Atomic Age", though I am not going into that in this campaign.
So for me, the idea of the Silver Age becomes defining it for myself with an eye to what it was in the real world of comics. Those comics range from the 50s to about 1970. Interestingly enough that is an age that starts, in American history, as a sort of idealized innocence and ends with that innocence ripped away and reality really hitting home. The Korean War vs the Vietnam War. Eisenhower's America vs the Civil Rights movement. Elvis Presley vs the Beatles. Okay I better stop I can do this all day.
So given that my Silver Age needs to start with an idealized and somewhat naive view and end with a more realistic view, that gives way to the Bronze Age.
So at the end of the Golden Age we have the postwar heroes falling victim to the "Red Menace" fears and Dr. Dynamite getting shot. The other heroes have all but retired or vanished. Some have stuck it out, like Guardsman, who is very much into the whole 1950s America. White picket fence, nuclear family, etc... Racisim exists but no one talks about it in polite company and while there may be greasers, most middle-class white kids are essentially what Archie comics gave us. Oh and no one talks about the poor people.
In my timeline I have the SS Titan getting hi-jacked in 1958. A but late for the Silver Age to kick off, certainly later than the 1953 or 56 proposed in the above quotes. I had certainly decided that before I had created the idea of Guardsman as well. Still it is easy to say that with Guardsman running around doing various "American Things" in the early to mid 50s and Captain Comet showing up in 1958 the Silver Age get's kicked off with a flood of new heroes.
Though that makes me unhappy as well, for it means I lose out on the wonder and excitement of the whole early and mid 50s idealism and innocence. Interesting the onyl superheroes of note in those days in our world were Superman and I think Batman. Wonder Woman may have been in that time as well, I can't remember. Oh and there may have been a commie battling Captain America as well. Hmmm.
So I either adjust my timeline and move the beginning of the Silver Age back, or have Captain Comet show up earlier in the timeline, which is the same as moving the beginning back.
Now I am just thinking out loud.
I suspect I will need to do more research on this and so I will end this post by asking any and all of you to feel free to comment or share your thoughts on this topic.
Cheers.
Nope that sounds bad. Making it not as good as the Golden Age. Hmmmmm.
"The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to circa 1970, and was succeeded by the Bronze and Modern Ages."
Well that just tells me when it was... le sigh. I need a better definition of what the Silver Age was... what it means.
Wikipedia you have failed me!
"The Silver Age of comic books began with the “second generation” of superheroes from 1959 to 1963 or so. Silver Age comics tended to feature more powerful heroes than their Golden Age predecessors (with the exception of a few godlike Golden Age characters). Silver Age comics also had a decidedly science fiction bent to them, with more aliens, fantastic technology, and scientific origins, especially involving atomic energy and related mutations. Many classic comic book characters first appeared in the Silver Age, or settled into their now-familiar forms and mythologies during this time."
That's from Mutants & Masterminds by-the-way.
Hmmm... it doesn't really help though does it?
Okay science and aliens are up. Got it. The classic characters either start or settle into themselves in this era. I am guessing that means what we know as the Flash, Wonder-Woman, Batman and Superman from DC or the entirety of Marvel Comics.
It would be fair to say that DC's Silver Age was much sillier than Marvel comics, though some also say that Marvel Comics are part of the "Atomic Age", though I am not going into that in this campaign.
So for me, the idea of the Silver Age becomes defining it for myself with an eye to what it was in the real world of comics. Those comics range from the 50s to about 1970. Interestingly enough that is an age that starts, in American history, as a sort of idealized innocence and ends with that innocence ripped away and reality really hitting home. The Korean War vs the Vietnam War. Eisenhower's America vs the Civil Rights movement. Elvis Presley vs the Beatles. Okay I better stop I can do this all day.
So given that my Silver Age needs to start with an idealized and somewhat naive view and end with a more realistic view, that gives way to the Bronze Age.
So at the end of the Golden Age we have the postwar heroes falling victim to the "Red Menace" fears and Dr. Dynamite getting shot. The other heroes have all but retired or vanished. Some have stuck it out, like Guardsman, who is very much into the whole 1950s America. White picket fence, nuclear family, etc... Racisim exists but no one talks about it in polite company and while there may be greasers, most middle-class white kids are essentially what Archie comics gave us. Oh and no one talks about the poor people.
In my timeline I have the SS Titan getting hi-jacked in 1958. A but late for the Silver Age to kick off, certainly later than the 1953 or 56 proposed in the above quotes. I had certainly decided that before I had created the idea of Guardsman as well. Still it is easy to say that with Guardsman running around doing various "American Things" in the early to mid 50s and Captain Comet showing up in 1958 the Silver Age get's kicked off with a flood of new heroes.
Though that makes me unhappy as well, for it means I lose out on the wonder and excitement of the whole early and mid 50s idealism and innocence. Interesting the onyl superheroes of note in those days in our world were Superman and I think Batman. Wonder Woman may have been in that time as well, I can't remember. Oh and there may have been a commie battling Captain America as well. Hmmm.
So I either adjust my timeline and move the beginning of the Silver Age back, or have Captain Comet show up earlier in the timeline, which is the same as moving the beginning back.
Now I am just thinking out loud.
I suspect I will need to do more research on this and so I will end this post by asking any and all of you to feel free to comment or share your thoughts on this topic.
Cheers.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I Just Noticed...
This will make 23 posts for January.
Wow I guess I really like my superheroes and have a lot to say about them.
Interesting realization that is.
Cheers.
Wow I guess I really like my superheroes and have a lot to say about them.
Interesting realization that is.
Cheers.
To Public Domain or Not to Public Domain.
In my preparation for this campaign, I have managed to score permission to publish roster books or heros and villains using the BASH! system (I also intend to make versions for Superlink M&M and possibly 4C). This has allowed me the freedom to pour over the volumes of old campaign documents I have collected this past 25 years, as well as scour the internet (what did I do without it for all those years?) for inspirations as well.
Imagine my surprise to find this;
Public Domain Superheroes!
Yes a public domain heroes (and villains) wiki.
This site is fantastic and it focuses on the concept of heroes & villains who have not had their original copyrights renewed and as such have lapsed into the public domain.
Many are surprising, such as the original Blue Beetle (no not the Charlton one that DC now owns) as well as interesting characters like the original Wonder Man (and Wonder Boy) and such luminaries as Captain Atom (again a very specific early version).
For those who have read Project Superpowers or Terra Obscura, you have seen how these characters can be used, updated and even modernized a wee bit.
The tricky part is the trademark stuff. You have to be careful not to seem like you are trying to confuse people into thinking yours is the same one being published by DC or Marvel or whomever. That said, it seems to me that despite the fact that a lot of the modern copyright laws were modified to protect Mickey Mouse, the end result is not that DC or Marvel would think I am trying to pass off my Blue Beetle as their Blue Beetle, but instead that they simply have large law firms and I don't.
Still with some cleverness it can be done. For example on the original Blue Beetle;
"After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garret joined the New York Police Department, but he soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. He donned a blue three-piece suit and a white mask and established a costumed identity, fighting crime as the Blue Beetle. He had no powers, but he used a gun and a wrist-mounted mini-radio to get an edge on the criminals he was fighting. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime-fighting reputation as a weapon against them."
See the a comic page here!
Now to me that is a much more interesting Blue Beetle than yet another spandex clown with super powers. I like the Dick Tracy aspects of this guy. Your mileage may vary, of course.
So I continue to ponder this topic and see where it takes me, but I must say that I am intrigued. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the matter.
Imagine my surprise to find this;
Public Domain Superheroes!
Yes a public domain heroes (and villains) wiki.
This site is fantastic and it focuses on the concept of heroes & villains who have not had their original copyrights renewed and as such have lapsed into the public domain.
Many are surprising, such as the original Blue Beetle (no not the Charlton one that DC now owns) as well as interesting characters like the original Wonder Man (and Wonder Boy) and such luminaries as Captain Atom (again a very specific early version).
For those who have read Project Superpowers or Terra Obscura, you have seen how these characters can be used, updated and even modernized a wee bit.
The tricky part is the trademark stuff. You have to be careful not to seem like you are trying to confuse people into thinking yours is the same one being published by DC or Marvel or whomever. That said, it seems to me that despite the fact that a lot of the modern copyright laws were modified to protect Mickey Mouse, the end result is not that DC or Marvel would think I am trying to pass off my Blue Beetle as their Blue Beetle, but instead that they simply have large law firms and I don't.
Still with some cleverness it can be done. For example on the original Blue Beetle;
"After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garret joined the New York Police Department, but he soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. He donned a blue three-piece suit and a white mask and established a costumed identity, fighting crime as the Blue Beetle. He had no powers, but he used a gun and a wrist-mounted mini-radio to get an edge on the criminals he was fighting. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime-fighting reputation as a weapon against them."
See the a comic page here!
Now to me that is a much more interesting Blue Beetle than yet another spandex clown with super powers. I like the Dick Tracy aspects of this guy. Your mileage may vary, of course.
So I continue to ponder this topic and see where it takes me, but I must say that I am intrigued. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the matter.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Zenith Comics Universe: The Golden Age or What's Going On?
So today those of you who follow this blog were bombarded by information about the Golden Age in the Zenith Comics Universe and there should be at least a couple of questions in your minds now if I have done my job correctly.
I would love nothing more than to peel back the curtain and give you the inside scoop, but alas players in the campaign read this blog too.
Damn players. ;)
Take heart though, because part of the campaign will be learning the truth about the Golden Age and such. So when the sessions notes start coming, the story should unfold a bit more.
Now that I have this done, I can turn my attention to the Silver and Bronze Ages, without that 4 colour distraction nagging at the back of my brain.
I would love nothing more than to peel back the curtain and give you the inside scoop, but alas players in the campaign read this blog too.
Damn players. ;)
Take heart though, because part of the campaign will be learning the truth about the Golden Age and such. So when the sessions notes start coming, the story should unfold a bit more.
Now that I have this done, I can turn my attention to the Silver and Bronze Ages, without that 4 colour distraction nagging at the back of my brain.
Zenith Comics Universe: Golden Lies
The following is a transcript from a late November 1983 broadcast of “The Nightowl” radio talk show on WMSH 1460 AM in Capitol City. The interviewer is right-winged host , Jack Porter.
=-=-=-=-=
Porter: (Slightly monotone voice) Joining us in the studio this hour is Robert Hoyt, who has written a book entitled “Golden Lies: A True History of the Golden Age of Heroes”. A book that… well.. a book that takes everything you thought you knew about the Golden Age and turns it on its’ ear. That about sum it up right Bob?
Hoyt: (Nervous) Yes Jack, that’s about the long and the short of it.
Porter: (matter of factly) So Sun Man was a homosexual?
Hoyt: That’s correct.
Porter: Dr. Dynamite was assassinated on purpose?
Hoyt: Yes
Porter: Supergang and the Sentinels fought the Swastika Seven together… (nonchalantly) well we’ve all heard that one before…
Hoyt: (laughs a bit) Yes one of the worst kept secrets of the…
Porter: (Interrupting him) Ubermann was created by Doc Titan’s brother and was brought to America after the war?
Hoyt: Yes (swallows as if setting himself) Piter Titansky was trapped in Poland where he lived with their mother after the divorce in 1928, while Phineas…
Porter: (Cutting him off) But here’s the biggest bombshell of the book… There was no Castle Fear? Are you listening friends. The Victory Squad never fought at Castle Fear and … hang on to your seats on this one… They were killed in Berlin fighting Ubermann over Hitler’s bunker! Can you believe that!?
Hyot: (Hesitant sensing a trap) Yes… that’s true Jack…
Porter: (Not stopping) And they were all killed! Major Victory? Killed there. Kid Victory? Yup! Spangle? (speaks staccato) Torn in half by Uberfrau. (back to normal) That’s right!
Hoyt: This was all seen…
Porter: (still going) And Lady America! That’s right, our own beloved Lady A was killed as well. (goes deep serious voice) Think about this for a second. (pause) Lady America. Dead in 1945. So who has been running around as her since then?
Hoyt: Well they…
Porter: (Explosively interrupting) A succession of replacement women! Trained for the job and surgically altered to look just like the original! Can you believe it listeners?
Hoyt: (Emphatically) Yes Jack! And this is all true!
Porter: So why not have the other three, Major Victory and Kid Victory? And the girl, Spangle? Why not have them running around too? Why create this whole Castle Fear story?
Hoyt: (Sheepishly) That I don’t know Jack.
Porter: (Decidedly) You don’t know. (sighs) You just don’t know.
Hoyt: The rest of this information comes from a good source though! I…
Porter: (Interrupting aggressively) Your source was none other than Lady America herself!
Hoyt: (Triumphantly) That’s right!
Porter: (Condescendingly) In 1982! 1982! Everyone knows that was not really Lady America at all! That was an evil clone! Set loose by the Citadel no-less! And you expect us to believe anything this woman had to say?
Hoyt: (Fighting back but not strong) What… what about the Russian soldier who witnessed the fight in Berlin?
Porter: (Dismissive) A Commie soldier? What are you crazy? Those pinkos would say anything to discredit our great nation, especially in our greatest victory! Poppycock!
Hoyt: (almost a mewling sound) But you don’t… I need to…
::Microphone Feedback::
Porter: That’s it! I’ve cut off your microphone! Now I want security to get this lunatic out of the station right now! We gotta go to break! (Yelling away from mic) GET SECURITY IN HERE!
=-=-=-=-=-=
It should be noted that Robert Hoyt committed suicide three weeks later when the publisher of this book, Heritage Press, refused to pay him for the book, leaving him penniless.
=-=-=-=-=
Porter: (Slightly monotone voice) Joining us in the studio this hour is Robert Hoyt, who has written a book entitled “Golden Lies: A True History of the Golden Age of Heroes”. A book that… well.. a book that takes everything you thought you knew about the Golden Age and turns it on its’ ear. That about sum it up right Bob?
Hoyt: (Nervous) Yes Jack, that’s about the long and the short of it.
Porter: (matter of factly) So Sun Man was a homosexual?
Hoyt: That’s correct.
Porter: Dr. Dynamite was assassinated on purpose?
Hoyt: Yes
Porter: Supergang and the Sentinels fought the Swastika Seven together… (nonchalantly) well we’ve all heard that one before…
Hoyt: (laughs a bit) Yes one of the worst kept secrets of the…
Porter: (Interrupting him) Ubermann was created by Doc Titan’s brother and was brought to America after the war?
Hoyt: Yes (swallows as if setting himself) Piter Titansky was trapped in Poland where he lived with their mother after the divorce in 1928, while Phineas…
Porter: (Cutting him off) But here’s the biggest bombshell of the book… There was no Castle Fear? Are you listening friends. The Victory Squad never fought at Castle Fear and … hang on to your seats on this one… They were killed in Berlin fighting Ubermann over Hitler’s bunker! Can you believe that!?
Hyot: (Hesitant sensing a trap) Yes… that’s true Jack…
Porter: (Not stopping) And they were all killed! Major Victory? Killed there. Kid Victory? Yup! Spangle? (speaks staccato) Torn in half by Uberfrau. (back to normal) That’s right!
Hoyt: This was all seen…
Porter: (still going) And Lady America! That’s right, our own beloved Lady A was killed as well. (goes deep serious voice) Think about this for a second. (pause) Lady America. Dead in 1945. So who has been running around as her since then?
Hoyt: Well they…
Porter: (Explosively interrupting) A succession of replacement women! Trained for the job and surgically altered to look just like the original! Can you believe it listeners?
Hoyt: (Emphatically) Yes Jack! And this is all true!
Porter: So why not have the other three, Major Victory and Kid Victory? And the girl, Spangle? Why not have them running around too? Why create this whole Castle Fear story?
Hoyt: (Sheepishly) That I don’t know Jack.
Porter: (Decidedly) You don’t know. (sighs) You just don’t know.
Hoyt: The rest of this information comes from a good source though! I…
Porter: (Interrupting aggressively) Your source was none other than Lady America herself!
Hoyt: (Triumphantly) That’s right!
Porter: (Condescendingly) In 1982! 1982! Everyone knows that was not really Lady America at all! That was an evil clone! Set loose by the Citadel no-less! And you expect us to believe anything this woman had to say?
Hoyt: (Fighting back but not strong) What… what about the Russian soldier who witnessed the fight in Berlin?
Porter: (Dismissive) A Commie soldier? What are you crazy? Those pinkos would say anything to discredit our great nation, especially in our greatest victory! Poppycock!
Hoyt: (almost a mewling sound) But you don’t… I need to…
::Microphone Feedback::
Porter: That’s it! I’ve cut off your microphone! Now I want security to get this lunatic out of the station right now! We gotta go to break! (Yelling away from mic) GET SECURITY IN HERE!
=-=-=-=-=-=
It should be noted that Robert Hoyt committed suicide three weeks later when the publisher of this book, Heritage Press, refused to pay him for the book, leaving him penniless.
Zenith Comics Universe: The Golden Age
This essay is taken from the book "The Golden Age; A Collection of Essays on the Heroes of Yesterday" by Tribune Press, from 1981. These are the thoughts of Air Force Major Amanda Reese, the first female pilot to engage in a dogfight with enemy fighters. Her call sign is "Lady A" after her favorite superhero and role model Lady America.
1. Before The War
The Golden Age, as it has been called by historians, is the age wherein the "Super-Hero" or "Mystery-Men" first appeared. It's official staring date would be 1935, when the Masked Avenger broke up a Chicago gangland gambling den and killed Mob Boss Victor Sciscenti in retaliation for the deaths of nine Chicago police officers. He never took a name, and in fact was given the moniker the Masked Avenger by the papers, based on eye-witness accounts. Although the Masked Avenger was enigmatic, he did from time-to-time come into contact with other members of the Golden Age elite, but her never joined a team, and no one ever found out who he was under the mask.
Within one year of the Masked Avenger's beginning exploits, there occurred an explosion of super-heroes and mystery-men across North America, and in a limited sense overseas. Perhaps some of the most notable of the time were Golden Gloves and Sunboy, who would go on to become Sunman later in the early 40’s. Golden Gloves was nothing more than a boxer turned crime-fighter when the Irish mob began terrorizing non-Irish immigrants in Hell's Kitchen, New York city. Sunboy was the promise of what tomorrow would bring, he was just a teenager from the Mid-West who was imbued with the powers of the Sun, of course he could operate at night, but then only at half power due to the reflected sunlight of the moon. These two set the stage for the rest to come. They were in fact the models that all others would be based for awhile.
The first collection of supers as a team was not heroes, but in fact a group of villains calling themselves the Supergang. Lead by a man named Black Eagle, these villains perpetrated scores of crimes, only ever being stopped, and never captured by super-heroes of the time.
The response to their teaming was the formation of a team of mystery men called appropriately enough, the Gangbusters. Made up of a half dozen of the union suit vigilantes of the day, they would stick together until the war and keep the streets of New York City as safe as could be.
The is also a story that suggests that during the war, Supergang and members of the United Sentinels of America (hereafter: USofA) teamed up to stop a team of 5th columnists called the Swastika Seven from destroying the then Boulder Dam. While there is no proof to back this story, those surviving members of the USofA have never denied it.
One other person of note would be the first woman to don a costume and take up crime fighting. Although she would be the first to retire, in 1942 with a spinal injury causing her to lose the use of her legs, Night Woman was a figure-head for the other women heroes to come. She was in fact the widow of a man who had decided to try and fight crime as Night Man. After about 2 months of action, he was shot by the mob and barely managed to get home, where he died in his wife's arms. Enraged, she chose to extract a measure of revenge on the mob for the murder, and copied her husbands plans and desires. On January 10th, 1940, she made her first move, smashing up the book-making offices of the mobsters who killed her husband. This brought her to the attention of the Masked Avenger, with whom she teamed for almost the rest of her career. Night Woman suffered her injury at the hands of the Mafia connected hitman Hammer Hurricane (who would later gain powers under less than noble circumstance) during a battle in the Bowery section of New York City. Lucky to be alive, she retired and faded from the stage, and was never heard from again. Still she had broken ground and paved the way for other such notable heroines as Silver Sparrow, Grass Hopper, Lady Luck and Miss Liberty, all of whom would have a major impact on the Golden Age, each in her own way.
Silver Sparrow and Grasshopper were the first America supers to battle Nazi saboteurs, In New York on December 21st 1941. This action caught the attention of local newspapers and soon their names were well known to Americans. It is sad how many texts on the time still credit these two as being the first super-heroines, as Night Woman had a very quiet career and disappeared relatively quickly. It is equally sad how Grasshopper, a Japanese-American, was interred during the war, a black spot on our nation’s history to be sure.
The concept of Lady Luck and Miss Liberty was cooked up by the War Department as a way to sponsor war bonds. A talent search was held, and the two ladies who won had their visages plastered all over America. They became an overnight sensation, and did more touring than crime-fighting, but still they managed to make a huge impression and develop a following. An interesting side-note is that neither woman was super-powered in any way, and aside from gymnastics training, neither had any combat related skills to speak of. Still they were invited to join the USofA after the war. In light now of how their lives ended, they may have been on the greatest losses of the aftermath of the Golden Age.
2. Heroes At War
The war was the next major event for the heroes, and it produced the newest form of super-hero, the patriot. Contrary to popular opinion the first flag-wrapped hero did not come from America, but in fact from it's northern neighbor Canada. Already involved in the war, before the Americans, the Canadian Government, along with British support, began a project to create a super-hero under controlled conditions. They labored for a year, and on January 21st, 1940 they struck success by bonding a strange energy to a man who would become the Red Ensign, the carrier of the flag, and the first official super-hero to do battle with the Nazis. The Red Ensign was also without a doubt the most powerful hero of his day, he could lift in excess of 20 tons, rifle rounds bounced off of him and tank shells only knocked him to the ground. He could fly by controlling the winds around him and seemed immune to aging and disease. Only later would it be discovered that the energy that had been fused to him was in fact an air-elemental, and that it was slowly taking over his body.
Although this was the first allied hero, the Japanese, Italians and Germans already had super-powered soldiers in the field. Hengeyokai, Yokozuna and Tsunami lead the charge for the Japanese in 1931 against the Manchurians. Imperator crushed opposition for Italy during the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and Übermann, Überfrau, Herr Vulture, Wotan and Stuka were unveiled by Hitler in 1938. While these were to be the first Axis supers, they would not be the last, and even benefited from a Soviet super by the name of Vikuz, although she left and joined up with allied supers after Hitler's betrayal of Russia in 1941.
America was not to be left behind in the super-hero race, and astounded Commonwealth scientists by producing not one, but three super-powered soldiers only one year after their success with the Red Ensign. Using a technique that is perhaps still one of the closest guarded secrets in the world, the War Department was able to take four normal people, one man, one woman, a young boy and a teenage girl, and enhance their physical attributes to the peak of human conditioning. The three were rushed into intensive training, and emerged as Major Victory, Lady America, Kid Victory and Spangle.
Once the war was under way, many felt it was important for the heroes to come to the aid of their government and fight in the war, but that would not be. Excluding an elite group of heroes and mystery men, code-named the Victory Squad, put together by the Allies for that purpose, the majority of heroes and mystery-men would never leave North American shores during the war. The reason for this was the belief that the Axis Supers would be drawn into the fray and many lives would be lost. The Victory Squad’s purpose was simple, neutralize the Axis supers. To this end they were joined by a number of European supers, and even an supposed Atlantean called Mermaid. There would be two more mystically inclined supers to join up; from England, the English Knight, a man who claimed to wield the magical sword of King Arthur, Excalibur, and from Greece, Aegis, whose sword, helmet, shield, armor, bow and sandals were supposedly gifts from the Olympian gods of old. Whether that fact was true of not is irrelevant to this text, both men would face foes who claimed to be their mystical antithesis. For the English Knight there was Sir Blood, who claimed to be a vampiric knight empowered by Morgan LeFey. While it was never proven, Sir Blood did posses abilities classically attributed to such undead creatures. Aegis though faced an even older threat; according to his own testimony, Imperator was granted magical artifacts of war by Ares, the Olympian god of war, who wished to see the struggle in Europe continue. While there is much debate as to whether or not these claims were true, most who witnessed the clashing of these titans agree that they did in fact wield powerful artifacts.
Certain heroes even hung up their cowls and joined the armed forces, wanting to fight for their country. Some even ignored the decision from the War Department for them not to engage the enemy and headed overseas anyways. The war certainly was a test of fire for the heroes, as they spent the majority of it protecting the home-front against subterfuge and terrorism perpetrated by the enemy. The largest collection of these heroes and heroines would be the USofA. Formed by Golden Gloves and Sunman, by the war's end almost every home-front hero would be a member. Still, the names of the originals are perhaps the most important of the day, they were Golden Gloves, Sunman, Dr. Dynamite, Grasshopper, Silver Sparrow, Thunder-Man and Doc Titan. These seven would form the backbone of the team and remain loyal to it's ranks until the very end.
Another home-front team that did not fair as well were the Mysterymen. Only three strong, The Mysterymen fought against saboteurs and fifth columnists on the west coast. Comprised of the enigmatic Silver Squid, the hulking Stone and the quantum powered Schrodinger Kid, the team met its end when they were forced off a sea-side road during a high speed chase with Nazi agents, crashing more than two-hundred feet to their deaths. Never incurring much press or media, they still managed to provide an example of all American's desire to what they could during the war.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the war was the loss of a number of heroes in battle at Castle Fear, near the war's end. Lead by the Victory Squad, every Allied hero and Axis super in the European Theatre were there. While the details remain sketchy and classified, it is known that during the battle the USofA arrived to lend a hand, which helped to turn the tide in favor of the heroes. Of the losses, it is known that the British super Hawker was killed by Stuka, Canadian hero Grizzly by Wotan and Spangle was killed at the hands of Überfrau. The falling of these heroes seemed to unleash the fury of the Allied supers against their enemies and more than eight fell on either side, including Major Victory and Kid Victory. Oddly enough, there are reports that some sort of advanced robot, housing the brain of Hitler emerged from a spatial vortex and aided many of the Axis supers in fleeing. While the American government nicknamed this robot the Iron Fuhrer, they did not honestly accept its existence as a reality. Other than the heroes and villains who witnessed the event there is no proof to collaborate their testimony. Regardless of these rumors, the battle broke the will of the Axis supers who were routed, many escaping into the Alps. Those that were captured would go on to stand trial at Nuremberg.
All-in-all the war time took it toll of the population of heroes with some deaths, some disappearances and some retirements, but for the most part they went on strong. In 1949 the USofA held it's last meeting, and official disbanded. Many recall it as a tearful day, and the press covered it almost as much as the day the war ended. For many an era had come to an end, but it was not so, as soon enough many villains, including the Supergang returned to threaten the world. The American people called for their heroes again, and they returned. On a cold October night in 1950 the USofA returned to battle Supergang one last time. Lead by Sunman and Golden Gloves, they were heroes to millions and seen as the only heroes who could stand for all that was good about America. It was not to last.
3. The End Of The Golden Age
The end of America's Golden Age heroes was not one that befit all that they had accomplished. Mired down by paranoid-anti-communist fears, they were soon turned on by those they had sworn to protect, and many voluntarily went into retirement to protect their families. In 1952 the Golden Age truly came to an end when Dr. Dynamite was shot and killed while fleeing police who were under orders to arrest him due to the Superhuman Loyalty Act.
4. Last Notes
I would go into details on the events that ended the Golden Age here, but it is really a tale more fitting the Silver Age. I say this because while it was the close of one age, it was instrumental in the formation of the next. Also, for very personal reasons, I find it hard to write objectively about what I and many others see, as the betrayal of America's greatest heroes, and I shall leave it at that.
I hope that this short treatise will serve to further this document on the history of super-heroes, as it culminates over 25 years of research. My prayer is that perhaps, in these darker times, people can take hope from the past and maybe understand why more than ever the world needs heroes. I hope you enjoyed it and more importantly share it, we must never forget.
Amanda Reese, April 4th, 1981.
1. Before The War
The Golden Age, as it has been called by historians, is the age wherein the "Super-Hero" or "Mystery-Men" first appeared. It's official staring date would be 1935, when the Masked Avenger broke up a Chicago gangland gambling den and killed Mob Boss Victor Sciscenti in retaliation for the deaths of nine Chicago police officers. He never took a name, and in fact was given the moniker the Masked Avenger by the papers, based on eye-witness accounts. Although the Masked Avenger was enigmatic, he did from time-to-time come into contact with other members of the Golden Age elite, but her never joined a team, and no one ever found out who he was under the mask.
Within one year of the Masked Avenger's beginning exploits, there occurred an explosion of super-heroes and mystery-men across North America, and in a limited sense overseas. Perhaps some of the most notable of the time were Golden Gloves and Sunboy, who would go on to become Sunman later in the early 40’s. Golden Gloves was nothing more than a boxer turned crime-fighter when the Irish mob began terrorizing non-Irish immigrants in Hell's Kitchen, New York city. Sunboy was the promise of what tomorrow would bring, he was just a teenager from the Mid-West who was imbued with the powers of the Sun, of course he could operate at night, but then only at half power due to the reflected sunlight of the moon. These two set the stage for the rest to come. They were in fact the models that all others would be based for awhile.
The first collection of supers as a team was not heroes, but in fact a group of villains calling themselves the Supergang. Lead by a man named Black Eagle, these villains perpetrated scores of crimes, only ever being stopped, and never captured by super-heroes of the time.
The response to their teaming was the formation of a team of mystery men called appropriately enough, the Gangbusters. Made up of a half dozen of the union suit vigilantes of the day, they would stick together until the war and keep the streets of New York City as safe as could be.
The is also a story that suggests that during the war, Supergang and members of the United Sentinels of America (hereafter: USofA) teamed up to stop a team of 5th columnists called the Swastika Seven from destroying the then Boulder Dam. While there is no proof to back this story, those surviving members of the USofA have never denied it.
One other person of note would be the first woman to don a costume and take up crime fighting. Although she would be the first to retire, in 1942 with a spinal injury causing her to lose the use of her legs, Night Woman was a figure-head for the other women heroes to come. She was in fact the widow of a man who had decided to try and fight crime as Night Man. After about 2 months of action, he was shot by the mob and barely managed to get home, where he died in his wife's arms. Enraged, she chose to extract a measure of revenge on the mob for the murder, and copied her husbands plans and desires. On January 10th, 1940, she made her first move, smashing up the book-making offices of the mobsters who killed her husband. This brought her to the attention of the Masked Avenger, with whom she teamed for almost the rest of her career. Night Woman suffered her injury at the hands of the Mafia connected hitman Hammer Hurricane (who would later gain powers under less than noble circumstance) during a battle in the Bowery section of New York City. Lucky to be alive, she retired and faded from the stage, and was never heard from again. Still she had broken ground and paved the way for other such notable heroines as Silver Sparrow, Grass Hopper, Lady Luck and Miss Liberty, all of whom would have a major impact on the Golden Age, each in her own way.
Silver Sparrow and Grasshopper were the first America supers to battle Nazi saboteurs, In New York on December 21st 1941. This action caught the attention of local newspapers and soon their names were well known to Americans. It is sad how many texts on the time still credit these two as being the first super-heroines, as Night Woman had a very quiet career and disappeared relatively quickly. It is equally sad how Grasshopper, a Japanese-American, was interred during the war, a black spot on our nation’s history to be sure.
The concept of Lady Luck and Miss Liberty was cooked up by the War Department as a way to sponsor war bonds. A talent search was held, and the two ladies who won had their visages plastered all over America. They became an overnight sensation, and did more touring than crime-fighting, but still they managed to make a huge impression and develop a following. An interesting side-note is that neither woman was super-powered in any way, and aside from gymnastics training, neither had any combat related skills to speak of. Still they were invited to join the USofA after the war. In light now of how their lives ended, they may have been on the greatest losses of the aftermath of the Golden Age.
2. Heroes At War
The war was the next major event for the heroes, and it produced the newest form of super-hero, the patriot. Contrary to popular opinion the first flag-wrapped hero did not come from America, but in fact from it's northern neighbor Canada. Already involved in the war, before the Americans, the Canadian Government, along with British support, began a project to create a super-hero under controlled conditions. They labored for a year, and on January 21st, 1940 they struck success by bonding a strange energy to a man who would become the Red Ensign, the carrier of the flag, and the first official super-hero to do battle with the Nazis. The Red Ensign was also without a doubt the most powerful hero of his day, he could lift in excess of 20 tons, rifle rounds bounced off of him and tank shells only knocked him to the ground. He could fly by controlling the winds around him and seemed immune to aging and disease. Only later would it be discovered that the energy that had been fused to him was in fact an air-elemental, and that it was slowly taking over his body.
Although this was the first allied hero, the Japanese, Italians and Germans already had super-powered soldiers in the field. Hengeyokai, Yokozuna and Tsunami lead the charge for the Japanese in 1931 against the Manchurians. Imperator crushed opposition for Italy during the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and Übermann, Überfrau, Herr Vulture, Wotan and Stuka were unveiled by Hitler in 1938. While these were to be the first Axis supers, they would not be the last, and even benefited from a Soviet super by the name of Vikuz, although she left and joined up with allied supers after Hitler's betrayal of Russia in 1941.
America was not to be left behind in the super-hero race, and astounded Commonwealth scientists by producing not one, but three super-powered soldiers only one year after their success with the Red Ensign. Using a technique that is perhaps still one of the closest guarded secrets in the world, the War Department was able to take four normal people, one man, one woman, a young boy and a teenage girl, and enhance their physical attributes to the peak of human conditioning. The three were rushed into intensive training, and emerged as Major Victory, Lady America, Kid Victory and Spangle.
Once the war was under way, many felt it was important for the heroes to come to the aid of their government and fight in the war, but that would not be. Excluding an elite group of heroes and mystery men, code-named the Victory Squad, put together by the Allies for that purpose, the majority of heroes and mystery-men would never leave North American shores during the war. The reason for this was the belief that the Axis Supers would be drawn into the fray and many lives would be lost. The Victory Squad’s purpose was simple, neutralize the Axis supers. To this end they were joined by a number of European supers, and even an supposed Atlantean called Mermaid. There would be two more mystically inclined supers to join up; from England, the English Knight, a man who claimed to wield the magical sword of King Arthur, Excalibur, and from Greece, Aegis, whose sword, helmet, shield, armor, bow and sandals were supposedly gifts from the Olympian gods of old. Whether that fact was true of not is irrelevant to this text, both men would face foes who claimed to be their mystical antithesis. For the English Knight there was Sir Blood, who claimed to be a vampiric knight empowered by Morgan LeFey. While it was never proven, Sir Blood did posses abilities classically attributed to such undead creatures. Aegis though faced an even older threat; according to his own testimony, Imperator was granted magical artifacts of war by Ares, the Olympian god of war, who wished to see the struggle in Europe continue. While there is much debate as to whether or not these claims were true, most who witnessed the clashing of these titans agree that they did in fact wield powerful artifacts.
Certain heroes even hung up their cowls and joined the armed forces, wanting to fight for their country. Some even ignored the decision from the War Department for them not to engage the enemy and headed overseas anyways. The war certainly was a test of fire for the heroes, as they spent the majority of it protecting the home-front against subterfuge and terrorism perpetrated by the enemy. The largest collection of these heroes and heroines would be the USofA. Formed by Golden Gloves and Sunman, by the war's end almost every home-front hero would be a member. Still, the names of the originals are perhaps the most important of the day, they were Golden Gloves, Sunman, Dr. Dynamite, Grasshopper, Silver Sparrow, Thunder-Man and Doc Titan. These seven would form the backbone of the team and remain loyal to it's ranks until the very end.
Another home-front team that did not fair as well were the Mysterymen. Only three strong, The Mysterymen fought against saboteurs and fifth columnists on the west coast. Comprised of the enigmatic Silver Squid, the hulking Stone and the quantum powered Schrodinger Kid, the team met its end when they were forced off a sea-side road during a high speed chase with Nazi agents, crashing more than two-hundred feet to their deaths. Never incurring much press or media, they still managed to provide an example of all American's desire to what they could during the war.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the war was the loss of a number of heroes in battle at Castle Fear, near the war's end. Lead by the Victory Squad, every Allied hero and Axis super in the European Theatre were there. While the details remain sketchy and classified, it is known that during the battle the USofA arrived to lend a hand, which helped to turn the tide in favor of the heroes. Of the losses, it is known that the British super Hawker was killed by Stuka, Canadian hero Grizzly by Wotan and Spangle was killed at the hands of Überfrau. The falling of these heroes seemed to unleash the fury of the Allied supers against their enemies and more than eight fell on either side, including Major Victory and Kid Victory. Oddly enough, there are reports that some sort of advanced robot, housing the brain of Hitler emerged from a spatial vortex and aided many of the Axis supers in fleeing. While the American government nicknamed this robot the Iron Fuhrer, they did not honestly accept its existence as a reality. Other than the heroes and villains who witnessed the event there is no proof to collaborate their testimony. Regardless of these rumors, the battle broke the will of the Axis supers who were routed, many escaping into the Alps. Those that were captured would go on to stand trial at Nuremberg.
All-in-all the war time took it toll of the population of heroes with some deaths, some disappearances and some retirements, but for the most part they went on strong. In 1949 the USofA held it's last meeting, and official disbanded. Many recall it as a tearful day, and the press covered it almost as much as the day the war ended. For many an era had come to an end, but it was not so, as soon enough many villains, including the Supergang returned to threaten the world. The American people called for their heroes again, and they returned. On a cold October night in 1950 the USofA returned to battle Supergang one last time. Lead by Sunman and Golden Gloves, they were heroes to millions and seen as the only heroes who could stand for all that was good about America. It was not to last.
3. The End Of The Golden Age
The end of America's Golden Age heroes was not one that befit all that they had accomplished. Mired down by paranoid-anti-communist fears, they were soon turned on by those they had sworn to protect, and many voluntarily went into retirement to protect their families. In 1952 the Golden Age truly came to an end when Dr. Dynamite was shot and killed while fleeing police who were under orders to arrest him due to the Superhuman Loyalty Act.
4. Last Notes
I would go into details on the events that ended the Golden Age here, but it is really a tale more fitting the Silver Age. I say this because while it was the close of one age, it was instrumental in the formation of the next. Also, for very personal reasons, I find it hard to write objectively about what I and many others see, as the betrayal of America's greatest heroes, and I shall leave it at that.
I hope that this short treatise will serve to further this document on the history of super-heroes, as it culminates over 25 years of research. My prayer is that perhaps, in these darker times, people can take hope from the past and maybe understand why more than ever the world needs heroes. I hope you enjoyed it and more importantly share it, we must never forget.
Amanda Reese, April 4th, 1981.
I Had A Strange Dream
I don't normally do this, but it was so vibrant that I felt the need to get it down and heck why not share it.
It started out I was home in the Gaspé visiting my father when I noticed some police going through our basement. I mean a lot of police. So I went down to find out what the hell was going on and was pretty much told to mind my own business.
My father was there and he demanded to know as well, this angered the police who tried to threaten us away, but my father held his ground until one of the cops got fed up, he seemed to be in charge, and grabbed by father's head and snapped his neck with inhuman strength.
"Kill the other one."
On hearing that I tackled the closest cop and wrestle his gun away. Shots were fired. I know I hit at least two of them, including the leader who I killed.
The dream then had me on the run, through shrubs and bushes and backyards. I avoid a dog, some kids out playing on their bikes late at night, etc... Somehow I have been on the run for months and have made it from Gaspé to Vancouver, where I used to live (for anyone who doesn't know Canadian geography that's like going from Cape Code to Seattle). The other things I have figured out is that the cops I saw were actually aliens pretending to be humans and that they had infiltrated our society on every level.
Shades of V, They Live and the Arrival... I know, but hey I didn't write this stuff... or did I? What creative control do we have over dreams? Sorry, getting off topic.
So I am back in Vancouver, where being a homeless drifter is easy to blend in. For some reason I am heading to a semi-private bar I used to drink at called the WISE Club (Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English Club), though I have no lucid knowledge why in the dream.
Once inside I see Monte, who I used to drink scotch with. He lets me in and tells me to go clean myself up in the bathroom. I do and then come out of the stall to be greeted by two goons, who I quickly learn are aliens. Naturally a fight breaks out and I am not doing well as these Aliens are super strong.
I manage to run, and suddenly I am not longer in the WISE but some sort of truck stop/motel. I don't know. I manage to kill one of the aliens chasing me with a hastily grabbed fire-axe and just as the other is about to shoot me he is instead shot in a timely fashion. I look up to see a young black man and a young white blonde woman. They give me to old "Come with us if you want to live."
I go with them where they introduce me to an older scientist lady in a wheel chair, played by Kate Bush in this dream. I have "cleaned up good", naturally as you do in such films, and Dr. Kate starts to explain what is going on.
The aliens have been here for years, slowly infiltrating all levels of power. They use a visual light-bending technique to hide from us, in plain sight, but she has developed a lense that let's you see them. Told you it had They Live elements in it.
She tells me that she is part of a resistance that are trying to figure what the aliens want and how to stop them if possible. When I ask her how she knew about me, on cue Monte enters the scene, just like in a good movie.
I put in the contact lenses and we go for a walk around Vancouver, Gas Town to be precise. I can see these aliens everywhere. They are talk and ugly with big black eyes, essentially a mix of the Psychlos and the Greys. That's right, Battlefield Earth has infiltrated my dreams. Dear goddess help me.
We fast forward somewhat, I am not a valued part of the team and an action hero it seems. The blonde who rescued me and I have some kind of unspoken mutual romance thing going on, naturally, but dare not speak its name. It's all very Sci-Fi Original, as in not original at all.
There is some sort of raid on our secret base, Blonde Love Interest is kidnapped, Dr. Bush is killed, Monte, Black Guy and I all escape with a captured alien. We are in a field on the other side of a bridge, somewhere in the country. We torture him to get answers, which we do.
Then the phone rings and wakes me up.
Now why am I telling you about this? Well two reasons;
1] I rarely have dreams that follow a cohesive narrative, even one ripped off from a bunch of movies I have seen.
2] This is, as far as I know, an untapped genre in rpgs. The "aliens walk amoung us" type of thing. Why is that?
That's it. That's all I got on this. If you have any thoughts about this, please feel free to share them. Otherwise I am blaming this one on the bad potatoes I fried up for supper.
It started out I was home in the Gaspé visiting my father when I noticed some police going through our basement. I mean a lot of police. So I went down to find out what the hell was going on and was pretty much told to mind my own business.
My father was there and he demanded to know as well, this angered the police who tried to threaten us away, but my father held his ground until one of the cops got fed up, he seemed to be in charge, and grabbed by father's head and snapped his neck with inhuman strength.
"Kill the other one."
On hearing that I tackled the closest cop and wrestle his gun away. Shots were fired. I know I hit at least two of them, including the leader who I killed.
The dream then had me on the run, through shrubs and bushes and backyards. I avoid a dog, some kids out playing on their bikes late at night, etc... Somehow I have been on the run for months and have made it from Gaspé to Vancouver, where I used to live (for anyone who doesn't know Canadian geography that's like going from Cape Code to Seattle). The other things I have figured out is that the cops I saw were actually aliens pretending to be humans and that they had infiltrated our society on every level.
Shades of V, They Live and the Arrival... I know, but hey I didn't write this stuff... or did I? What creative control do we have over dreams? Sorry, getting off topic.
So I am back in Vancouver, where being a homeless drifter is easy to blend in. For some reason I am heading to a semi-private bar I used to drink at called the WISE Club (Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English Club), though I have no lucid knowledge why in the dream.
Once inside I see Monte, who I used to drink scotch with. He lets me in and tells me to go clean myself up in the bathroom. I do and then come out of the stall to be greeted by two goons, who I quickly learn are aliens. Naturally a fight breaks out and I am not doing well as these Aliens are super strong.
I manage to run, and suddenly I am not longer in the WISE but some sort of truck stop/motel. I don't know. I manage to kill one of the aliens chasing me with a hastily grabbed fire-axe and just as the other is about to shoot me he is instead shot in a timely fashion. I look up to see a young black man and a young white blonde woman. They give me to old "Come with us if you want to live."
I go with them where they introduce me to an older scientist lady in a wheel chair, played by Kate Bush in this dream. I have "cleaned up good", naturally as you do in such films, and Dr. Kate starts to explain what is going on.
The aliens have been here for years, slowly infiltrating all levels of power. They use a visual light-bending technique to hide from us, in plain sight, but she has developed a lense that let's you see them. Told you it had They Live elements in it.
She tells me that she is part of a resistance that are trying to figure what the aliens want and how to stop them if possible. When I ask her how she knew about me, on cue Monte enters the scene, just like in a good movie.
I put in the contact lenses and we go for a walk around Vancouver, Gas Town to be precise. I can see these aliens everywhere. They are talk and ugly with big black eyes, essentially a mix of the Psychlos and the Greys. That's right, Battlefield Earth has infiltrated my dreams. Dear goddess help me.
We fast forward somewhat, I am not a valued part of the team and an action hero it seems. The blonde who rescued me and I have some kind of unspoken mutual romance thing going on, naturally, but dare not speak its name. It's all very Sci-Fi Original, as in not original at all.
There is some sort of raid on our secret base, Blonde Love Interest is kidnapped, Dr. Bush is killed, Monte, Black Guy and I all escape with a captured alien. We are in a field on the other side of a bridge, somewhere in the country. We torture him to get answers, which we do.
Then the phone rings and wakes me up.
Now why am I telling you about this? Well two reasons;
1] I rarely have dreams that follow a cohesive narrative, even one ripped off from a bunch of movies I have seen.
2] This is, as far as I know, an untapped genre in rpgs. The "aliens walk amoung us" type of thing. Why is that?
That's it. That's all I got on this. If you have any thoughts about this, please feel free to share them. Otherwise I am blaming this one on the bad potatoes I fried up for supper.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Zenith Comics Universe: The Ages
The Ages
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide a very quick overview of the period of super-humanity in the 20th century. This time is divided into 3 “ages” based on the classical Greek Ages of mythology. While those ages in legend refer to better times, we make no claims that the previous ages of heroes were better or worse than the next, it is used simply as a handy way of measuring the distinct times.
The Golden Age
The Golden Age started in 1928 when the Masked Avenger first made headlines in his one man war on organized crime. He may have been the first, but he was far from the last. His actions seemed to herald a tide of mystery-men and women who would first spread across America and then the world.
Colorful circus strongman and wrestler costumes were the order of the day and most wore masks to hide their identities and to avoid prosecution by some over zealous District Attorneys on charges of vigilantism. In time though the Police and most cities came to accept the costumed crusaders in their midst and even work with them.
The first costumed criminal was also the first super-powered being of the Golden Age and also the leader of the first super-team, though it was a villain group called the Super Gang. The Black Eagle had tremendous large black wings and carried a raygun that could melt steel. He would clash with almost every hero of the time, but his primary enemy was Golden Gloves, a non-powered mystery man who used boxing to thwart crime.
When Hitler unveiled the first Nazi super in 1938 the world held its collective breath. Die Ubermann changed the face of international politics and as he would prove in North Africa, modern warfare. The mad dash to match the super human arms race started by the Germans would lead to many a great hero and some truly tragic accidents.
By the time America joined the war in 1941, there were dozens of heroes on all sides, villains to match and the catch term for the day went from “Mystery Man” to “Super Hero”. For reasons never revealed, after one brief excursion into German controlled territory, the most powerful super heroes were sent to protect their home lands, leaving essentially the non-powered mystery men and women to man the Allied strike force, the Victory Squad. At home the remaining heroes were unified under the flag of the United Sentinels of America by order of President Roosevelt.
By the end of the war, though many supers had died on all sides, a significantly large number survived and returned to their prewar crime-fighting activities. While some were able to make the transition to civilian crime-fighting again and some were not, the American government wasn't either. When the United Sentinels of America refused to deploy to the Korean theatre, some within the government soon where asking “Why masks?” and “Could the Scarlet Streak really be a Red?” When the orders came down they were direct and simple, unmask and sign loyalty statements or be considered vigilantes and be hunted. Scores of super heroes vanished over night, refusing to unmask for the safety of their loved ones. Some fought on, but when Dr. Dynamite was shot to death by Police in a botched arrest attempt in 1952, the Golden Age came to an end.
The Silver Age
There is some debate as to when exactly the Silver Age began, but for most the starting point is 1958 when the flying luxury liner SS Titan was saved from crashing by Captain Comet and his Rocket Rangers. Their daring rescue of the first and only flying liner got world wide coverage and rekindled the heroic ideals of Americans.
The Silver Age was also about something else that may have always been present, but really came into its own, the notion of space. Science and space played such a large part of this time that some think it should be renamed the Space Age. Certainly the Golden Age saw plenty of space and science related heroes and villains, but this age was swamped with them.
Not long after Captain Comet's appearance, like the Masked Avenger before him, a new wave of heroes and villains began. Space men, super spies and the ever present mystics, made up the lion's share of these men and women. Hope for tomorrow and a brighter future drove these colorful costumed folk on and the public was happy to have them, but then the 60's came and the world began to change again.
When JFK was killed, Lady America was reported as having been assigned to guard the Vice-President that day. When she later questioned why she had those orders, stories say LBJ gave her a dressing down in the Oval Office. She was later deployed to Vietnam, seemingly as a punishment.
The Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movement were not to be spared the touch of the super hero or even the super villain, but in the end these events were their own and certainly not overly affected by the actions of the costumed set.
As the 70s came in things began to change, the heroes were growing darker and more ruthless. Soon many were openly carrying guns and other lethal weapons. There was a shift coming but first a shorter age would have to be passed through. The Silver Age slid into the Bronze Age in 1975 with the arrest of Captain Thunderbird for the murder of two Chicago mobsters.
The Bronze Age
The world had changed, the OPEC Crisis, the Watergate Scandal and rampant inflation was changing America and slowly it was changing her heroes as well. More and more stories were surfacing about heroes being more aggressive, not accepting surrender of criminals without a “finishing blow” and even killing their enemies.
For 10 years the media ignored this and slowly the public began to become suspicious of the heroes and their behaviors. The premiere hero group of the day, the Guardians did their best to uphold more noble ideals, but theirs was a battle to be lost. The self indulgence of the 70s and the greed of the 80s were just not instep with upright, moralistic, old school thinking.
The Bronze Age can therefore been seen as one last gasp of a previous generation to hold onto something that was a bit nobler than their times, but the times were calling for a new type of hero.
In 1979 Dr. Walter Van Jove, the foremost expert on superhumans in the world wrote a book entitled “The Shape of Things to Come: The Super Future”. In it he predicted an explosion in the population of superhumans globally within the coming decade as well as major leaps forward in technology, pioneered by what he termed “Super Geniuses” whose only powers would be to invent, improve or develop new technologies.
In late 1983 something happened that shook the world. The Guardians were attacked in their base by a team of anti-democratic and despotic themed villains called the Axis of Evil, lead by none other than die Ubermann. They destroyed the satellite base of the heroes and when all was said and done the leader of the Guardians, considered to be the World’s greatest hero, Guardsman was dead.
On a cold January 3rd 1984, Guardsman was put to rest at the Heroes Hill cemetery in Capitol City. The crowds lined the streets as his funeral procession went by, thousands deep. The funeral itself attended by heroes from all corners of the world, 3 former Presidents and the current one as well. It was televised globally to millions of viewers and it sent a powerfully dark message to all. The world they had known was forever changed.
Afterword
Some say that the death of Guardsman marks the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of an inevitable Iron Age. Still others say that it is just the midway point and the Bronze Age may yet not be over. Whether or not this is the case, many wonder if Dr. Van Jove’s promised wave of supers and technological advances will come to be or is simply a pipe dream.
According to EAGLE files there are over 500 known superheroes and villains globally and an estimated 200 more who have powers but do not “suit up” to coin a phrase. There has also been an increase in the number of governments that are employing superhumans in their militaries and other agencies. Some have speculated that this many superhumans will either lead to a new dominant form of humanity or a culling of the herd in some sort of crisis.
While the future remains unclear, for now superhumans are here to stay, for good or bad.
Zenith Comics Universe
Hi there,
I just felt a need to let you all know that I am reposting the old characters I have put up where need be or making changes to their stories so as to bring them up to speed with the emerging backstory of the Zenith Universe as I develop it further.
The biggest change right now is changing the Golden Guardsmen to the Guardians. It just sits better with me.
I hope to have a basic timeline up and ready this week, before the first session.
Wish me luck ;)
I just felt a need to let you all know that I am reposting the old characters I have put up where need be or making changes to their stories so as to bring them up to speed with the emerging backstory of the Zenith Universe as I develop it further.
The biggest change right now is changing the Golden Guardsmen to the Guardians. It just sits better with me.
I hope to have a basic timeline up and ready this week, before the first session.
Wish me luck ;)
Gyro, Gyro, Gyro!
With those words the hero Spartacus summed up how he felt about Vixen's constant deferral to the hero who was also her lover at the time. Out of game it gave all of us a great laugh and later proved to me how a properly used GMPC can enhance a game, so long as you allow them not to be a Mary Sue and are willing to kill them once in a while.
I don't see GMPCs as a bad thing, though I have read enough horror stories to see how they can go bad. While this is an article for another time, I just wanted to say that if used as a falvouring/seasoning a GMPC can add to a game. If used as a starring role or constantly saving the heroes butts and telling them what to do, then it is a bad thing.
Like too much salt.
I have reposted the "My Thoughts" part of the original posting at the end of this one, but enough about that though.
So here he is, my first hero I ever created back in V&V in 1985 and one of the most iconic characters of the Zenith Universe;
GYRO Richard Wilkerson
35pts (Stats 16/Powers 21/Weakness -2)
Stats
Brawn: 2 Agility: 4 Mind: 2
Weakness
Damaging Weakness: Sonics
Skills
Athletics: Aerobatics
Pilot: Tricks/Evasion/Control
Investigation: Gut
Powers
• Boost: Mind 2 (For Energy Blast)
• Energy Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
- Standard Blast: Mid Range, +1 Hit, +2 Dm
- Short Blast: Close Range +1 Hit +3 Dm
- Long Blast: Long Range, +1 Hit, +1 Dm
- Wide Angle: Close Range, Small Burst, +3 Dm
- Dodge This: +5 Hit
- Haymaker: +5 Dm
- Spin-Blast: Medium Burst, +3 Dm
• Flight 5 [Enhancements: Space]
• Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Vacuum, Temperatures, Radiation]/ Personal Force Field: Armour 3 [Enhancement: Linked]
• Super Speed 5 [Limitations: Only In Flight/Only Movement]
Advantages
Appeal
Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Mocked
Mental Malfunction
To prove himself
Background
Richard Wilkerson was born the son of Nathanial Wilkerson III, owner and head of Avitech, a large military contractor to the US. Raised around aviation it was only natural that Richard would become a pilot. Flying for the USAF, Richard was on a routine mission chasing a stray MiG back across the Bering Strait when something he could never have imagined happened.
A UFO came onto the radar and bathed both Richard’s F-15 Eagle and the Russian’s MiG in a strange golden glow. According to Air Force documents and statements, both jets dropped off radar over the Bering Strait. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wilkerson was first listed as MIA and then 48 hours later as KIA.
Six months later, a fishing boat off the coast got the surprise of their lifetimes when they pulled a blonde, alive man in with their nets. His Air Force Dog Tags still on, they radioed to shore and were met there by a military detachment.
It is unknown what happened in the debriefing, but this much is k
now. Wilkerson was discharged after an Air Force Lawyer named Karen Winston brought his story to the media. The Air Force discharged her as well. Wilkerson moved in with her in Seattle for a time, where he began complaining of migraines. Then one night he began glowing with a tremendous golden energy and flew out of their penthouse, not stopping until he reached Japan.
Over a short period of time he came to learn that somehow he had developed tremendous powers. He went to his father immediately, explaining the situation. His father promised to help, but instead called the USAF and offered to hand over his son to them. EAGLE intercepted that call and stepped in.
Richard was given the choice of joining up with EAGLE or returning to the Air Force. He chose EAGLE and very soon found himself with a costume, a code name and a position on Team Justice. Now called Gyro he was suddenly a member of the premiere American super-hero team. To say he fit in would be a lie.
It didn’t take long for Gyro to get kicked out of Team Justice for undisclosed reasons, though rumours say it involved the villainess Trixie of Ravage V. EAGLE then convinced Guardsman to make him a member of the Guardians, which turned out to be the best thing for Gyro.
He respected Guardsman and looked to him as the father he wished he had. He learned to control his powers and his hot headedness under Guardsman’s careful tutelage and watchful eye. Eventually though this too would end for Gyro.
With the details having made all the gossip rags at the time, we will just sum it up by saying his romantic dalliance with Guardsman’s girlfriend at the time Sparrow Hawk, lead to both Gyro and her being removed from the Guardians. In a morbid turn of fortune, this occurred one week before the team was devastated by the Axis of Evil and Guardsman was killed.
Now without a team and cut loose by EAGLE, Gyro has taken up residence in New York City and hopes to prove that there is a hero inside him, the hero that Guardsman told him he could be. If only he could make everyone else see that.
Pictured
Current Cosutme as of 1984 (top right) and original costume (left)
My Thoughts
Gyro was my first character I ever made. I made him in V&V and man did he get into trouble. My buddy Graeme was running the campaign and Gyro was actually a member of Team Justice. Then they captured Trixie from Ravage V and she worked her feminine wiles on poor old Richard and sure as shit he let her go. He was promptly kicked off the team.
When I started the Guardians campaign back in '89, I had Gyro with the rest of the PCs trying out for an open slot on Team Justice. Yup, he was such a thick head that he was determined to get back on the team. Needless to say he didn't make it but he did band with the PCs to stop a fight between King and Mega-Man (no relation), two other tryout rejects.
When they announced to the media that they were forming a superhero team, the first question asked was "Gyro! Gyro! Sally Such-in-such for the Blather Press Daily. Will you be kicked off this team too?" I recall having Gyro lose his temper and declare the press conference was over.
The funny thing was, the players really liked Gyro and decided to make him the team leader. Nowin those days no one in our group knew the term GMPC and certainly I didn't favour Gyro. So much so that years later one of the original players confessed to me that he knew it was a serious night when I had Gyro get killed flying a nuclear bomb into orbit as the first act of the session.
That's right. I killed my pet NPC two sessions into the campaign.
Something most folks won't understand, especially those who have been on the bad end of a GMPC experience, is that I treat my NPCs far worse than my PCs. I beat them, kill them, rape them, torture them, humiliate them, etc... all so that the players understand how the world works. Then I can do it to them without worry of them thinking I am picking on them.
Some players get it, some don't. Those who get it though have been coming to my table on and off for 25 years. So I must be doing something right.
Will Gyro be in the new game? Hell yes. This is the 25th Anniversary game! You bet your ass my first ever superhero will be in it, without a doubt!
I don't see GMPCs as a bad thing, though I have read enough horror stories to see how they can go bad. While this is an article for another time, I just wanted to say that if used as a falvouring/seasoning a GMPC can add to a game. If used as a starring role or constantly saving the heroes butts and telling them what to do, then it is a bad thing.
Like too much salt.
I have reposted the "My Thoughts" part of the original posting at the end of this one, but enough about that though.
So here he is, my first hero I ever created back in V&V in 1985 and one of the most iconic characters of the Zenith Universe;
GYRO Richard Wilkerson
35pts (Stats 16/Powers 21/Weakness -2)
Stats
Brawn: 2 Agility: 4 Mind: 2
Weakness
Damaging Weakness: Sonics
Skills
Athletics: Aerobatics
Pilot: Tricks/Evasion/Control
Investigation: Gut
Powers
• Boost: Mind 2 (For Energy Blast)
• Energy Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
- Standard Blast: Mid Range, +1 Hit, +2 Dm
- Short Blast: Close Range +1 Hit +3 Dm
- Long Blast: Long Range, +1 Hit, +1 Dm
- Wide Angle: Close Range, Small Burst, +3 Dm
- Dodge This: +5 Hit
- Haymaker: +5 Dm
- Spin-Blast: Medium Burst, +3 Dm
• Flight 5 [Enhancements: Space]
• Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Vacuum, Temperatures, Radiation]/ Personal Force Field: Armour 3 [Enhancement: Linked]
• Super Speed 5 [Limitations: Only In Flight/Only Movement]
Advantages
Appeal
Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Mocked
Mental Malfunction
To prove himself
Background
Richard Wilkerson was born the son of Nathanial Wilkerson III, owner and head of Avitech, a large military contractor to the US. Raised around aviation it was only natural that Richard would become a pilot. Flying for the USAF, Richard was on a routine mission chasing a stray MiG back across the Bering Strait when something he could never have imagined happened.
A UFO came onto the radar and bathed both Richard’s F-15 Eagle and the Russian’s MiG in a strange golden glow. According to Air Force documents and statements, both jets dropped off radar over the Bering Strait. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wilkerson was first listed as MIA and then 48 hours later as KIA.
Six months later, a fishing boat off the coast got the surprise of their lifetimes when they pulled a blonde, alive man in with their nets. His Air Force Dog Tags still on, they radioed to shore and were met there by a military detachment.
It is unknown what happened in the debriefing, but this much is k
now. Wilkerson was discharged after an Air Force Lawyer named Karen Winston brought his story to the media. The Air Force discharged her as well. Wilkerson moved in with her in Seattle for a time, where he began complaining of migraines. Then one night he began glowing with a tremendous golden energy and flew out of their penthouse, not stopping until he reached Japan.Over a short period of time he came to learn that somehow he had developed tremendous powers. He went to his father immediately, explaining the situation. His father promised to help, but instead called the USAF and offered to hand over his son to them. EAGLE intercepted that call and stepped in.
Richard was given the choice of joining up with EAGLE or returning to the Air Force. He chose EAGLE and very soon found himself with a costume, a code name and a position on Team Justice. Now called Gyro he was suddenly a member of the premiere American super-hero team. To say he fit in would be a lie.
It didn’t take long for Gyro to get kicked out of Team Justice for undisclosed reasons, though rumours say it involved the villainess Trixie of Ravage V. EAGLE then convinced Guardsman to make him a member of the Guardians, which turned out to be the best thing for Gyro.
He respected Guardsman and looked to him as the father he wished he had. He learned to control his powers and his hot headedness under Guardsman’s careful tutelage and watchful eye. Eventually though this too would end for Gyro.
With the details having made all the gossip rags at the time, we will just sum it up by saying his romantic dalliance with Guardsman’s girlfriend at the time Sparrow Hawk, lead to both Gyro and her being removed from the Guardians. In a morbid turn of fortune, this occurred one week before the team was devastated by the Axis of Evil and Guardsman was killed.
Now without a team and cut loose by EAGLE, Gyro has taken up residence in New York City and hopes to prove that there is a hero inside him, the hero that Guardsman told him he could be. If only he could make everyone else see that.
Pictured
Current Cosutme as of 1984 (top right) and original costume (left)
My Thoughts
Gyro was my first character I ever made. I made him in V&V and man did he get into trouble. My buddy Graeme was running the campaign and Gyro was actually a member of Team Justice. Then they captured Trixie from Ravage V and she worked her feminine wiles on poor old Richard and sure as shit he let her go. He was promptly kicked off the team.
When I started the Guardians campaign back in '89, I had Gyro with the rest of the PCs trying out for an open slot on Team Justice. Yup, he was such a thick head that he was determined to get back on the team. Needless to say he didn't make it but he did band with the PCs to stop a fight between King and Mega-Man (no relation), two other tryout rejects.
When they announced to the media that they were forming a superhero team, the first question asked was "Gyro! Gyro! Sally Such-in-such for the Blather Press Daily. Will you be kicked off this team too?" I recall having Gyro lose his temper and declare the press conference was over.
The funny thing was, the players really liked Gyro and decided to make him the team leader. Nowin those days no one in our group knew the term GMPC and certainly I didn't favour Gyro. So much so that years later one of the original players confessed to me that he knew it was a serious night when I had Gyro get killed flying a nuclear bomb into orbit as the first act of the session.
That's right. I killed my pet NPC two sessions into the campaign.
Something most folks won't understand, especially those who have been on the bad end of a GMPC experience, is that I treat my NPCs far worse than my PCs. I beat them, kill them, rape them, torture them, humiliate them, etc... all so that the players understand how the world works. Then I can do it to them without worry of them thinking I am picking on them.
Some players get it, some don't. Those who get it though have been coming to my table on and off for 25 years. So I must be doing something right.
Will Gyro be in the new game? Hell yes. This is the 25th Anniversary game! You bet your ass my first ever superhero will be in it, without a doubt!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Team Justice: Gravity!
GRAVITY
Karen Harris
(Stats: 9pts/Powers 33pts/Weakness -2pts = 40pts)
Stats
Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Mind: 2
Weakness
Negating Weakness: Stellar Matter
Skills
Military: Tactics
Pilot: Evasion/Control
Science: Physics
Powers
• Boost; 2 Mind with Gravity Powers
• Anti-Gravity: Flight 3 [Enhancement: Usable on Others]
• Gravity Manipulation: Telekinesis 5
• Gravity Screen: Force Field: 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
• Gravity Blast: Special Attack: 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
• Gravity Multi-Power: 10pts
- Deflect 3
- Push 5 [Area: Burst Medium]
- Immobilize 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
- Slow: Huge Burst. Resist with Brawn
Advantages
Never Surrender
Disadvantages
Duty
Mental Malfunction
Patriot
Background
Gravity was supposed to be the first American woman in space. Lt. Karen Harris had been selected for the astronaut program and was training day and night. Her placement had not yet been announced when an accident removed her from that role and gave her a new one as a super hero. The details of the accident remain classified at the highest levels, even today, but the end result of that accident was that she was imbued with mastery over the very forces of gravity itself.
Placed on Team Justice as a military aspect by demand of the Pentagon, she served as a 2nd in Command to Magnet. There were rumours that they were linked romantically, though none can be confirmed.
Her personality was a more laid back one than Magnet's, certainly she was easier going and more open to the ideas of the other teammates and in combat she could improvise quite well, making her unpredictable to enemies.
In 1980 she left the team under undisclosed circumstances and joined the Guardians. Alas her life was lost in the deadly attack by Übermann in 1983.
Fast Update!
Just wanted to give a shout out to the new followers I seem to have picked up this past week. Cheers and welcome.
Also been slow on the updates as I have been dealing with my oh so fun bronchitis infection thing. Not getting a lot of sleep what with the coughing and the crying and the gnashing of teeth.
Hope to put more stuff up this weekend at the latest.
Going to see Avatar 3d tomorrow with the GF, so that should be nice.
Peace.
Also been slow on the updates as I have been dealing with my oh so fun bronchitis infection thing. Not getting a lot of sleep what with the coughing and the crying and the gnashing of teeth.
Hope to put more stuff up this weekend at the latest.
Going to see Avatar 3d tomorrow with the GF, so that should be nice.
Peace.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Team Justice: Magnet!
This is intended to be a series of posts wherein I will post up members of various superteams, good and bad, with their stats as well as a brief history.
First up;
In 1978, when the Guardians became an officially UN Sanctioned superteam, the American government recruited Dr. Walter Van Jove, the world preeminent expert on superhumans, to help them develop a new American team. At first their idea was to recreate the patriotic Victory Squad from WW2 and even recruit the still active Lady America to lead it. Van Jove advised not to, stating that with it only being two years since the Bicentennial, a flag draped team of heroes would seem like a gimmick. Instead he proposed assembling a team of the best candidates from a secret government operation called "The Program" and elsewhere, so long as they weren't already known to the public. They agreed and Van Jove hand picked the original members of Team Justice (he did not alas have any control over the naming of the team and or the candidates from the Program).
The team was based out of a public headquarters in abandoned embassy of the former nation of Vaslavia (Liberated from Nazi control by the Soviets at the end of WW2). Conveniently their base of operations would be nicknamed "The Embassy" by the media. The Embassy was a combination of state-of-the-art and classic elegance. Keeping much of the original look of the Vaslavian embassy, it had a rather extensive subterranean complex added to it for special activities, housing of superpowered threats, storing of the team shuttle, etc... all built under the watchful eye of the Army Corps of Engineers.
With a home base and a name, all that was needed were members. The first, hand picked by Dr. Van Jove, was;
MAGNET
Dr. Martin Fowler
(Stats 14pts + Powers 26pts = 40pts)
Stats
Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Mind: 4
Weakness
None
Skills
Computers: Programming
Drive: Control
Pilot: Control
Science: Physics +1AM
Technology: Repair
Powers
Animation 4 [Limit: Metal objects only]
Deflect 3 [Limit: Only vs. Metal/Energy based attacks]
Flight 3
Force Field 5 [Limit: Only affects metal/energy based attacks]
Magnetic Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
Magnetic Mastery 4
Telekinesis 5 [Limit: Only affects metal]
Advantages
Versatile
Disadvantages
Rogue’s Gallery
Mental Malfunction
Control, Must Be In Control
Background
Magnet, really known as Dr. Martin Fowler, was American's leading expert on magnetism and stellar energy collection. Not a product of the Program, he gained his powers when his attempts to capture part of the Van Allen Belt for study using a long range Stellar Energy Converter went wrong and the resultant explosion bathed him in the strange energy. With the power to control magnetic fields, he was recruited by Van Jove from the government facility he was recovering at.
Made the leader of the team, his personality is best described as no-nonsense and straightforward. In fact his reliance on logic has been exposed as an Achilles Heel by some of his enemies, finding him predictable. That said though, his massive amount of power balances that out, even playing to his favour.
He was rumoured to be romantically linked to his teammate Gravity and then after that Telepath, though no proof of these affairs has surfaced.
Pictured: Original costume (top) and recent 1984 costume (left)
First up;
In 1978, when the Guardians became an officially UN Sanctioned superteam, the American government recruited Dr. Walter Van Jove, the world preeminent expert on superhumans, to help them develop a new American team. At first their idea was to recreate the patriotic Victory Squad from WW2 and even recruit the still active Lady America to lead it. Van Jove advised not to, stating that with it only being two years since the Bicentennial, a flag draped team of heroes would seem like a gimmick. Instead he proposed assembling a team of the best candidates from a secret government operation called "The Program" and elsewhere, so long as they weren't already known to the public. They agreed and Van Jove hand picked the original members of Team Justice (he did not alas have any control over the naming of the team and or the candidates from the Program).
The team was based out of a public headquarters in abandoned embassy of the former nation of Vaslavia (Liberated from Nazi control by the Soviets at the end of WW2). Conveniently their base of operations would be nicknamed "The Embassy" by the media. The Embassy was a combination of state-of-the-art and classic elegance. Keeping much of the original look of the Vaslavian embassy, it had a rather extensive subterranean complex added to it for special activities, housing of superpowered threats, storing of the team shuttle, etc... all built under the watchful eye of the Army Corps of Engineers.
With a home base and a name, all that was needed were members. The first, hand picked by Dr. Van Jove, was;
MAGNET
Dr. Martin Fowler
(Stats 14pts + Powers 26pts = 40pts)
Stats
Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Mind: 4
Weakness
None
Skills
Computers: Programming
Drive: Control
Pilot: Control
Science: Physics +1AM
Technology: Repair
Powers
Animation 4 [Limit: Metal objects only]
Deflect 3 [Limit: Only vs. Metal/Energy based attacks]
Flight 3
Force Field 5 [Limit: Only affects metal/energy based attacks]
Magnetic Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable]
Magnetic Mastery 4
Telekinesis 5 [Limit: Only affects metal]
Advantages
Versatile
Disadvantages
Rogue’s Gallery
Mental Malfunction
Control, Must Be In Control
Background
Magnet, really known as Dr. Martin Fowler, was American's leading expert on magnetism and stellar energy collection. Not a product of the Program, he gained his powers when his attempts to capture part of the Van Allen Belt for study using a long range Stellar Energy Converter went wrong and the resultant explosion bathed him in the strange energy. With the power to control magnetic fields, he was recruited by Van Jove from the government facility he was recovering at.
Made the leader of the team, his personality is best described as no-nonsense and straightforward. In fact his reliance on logic has been exposed as an Achilles Heel by some of his enemies, finding him predictable. That said though, his massive amount of power balances that out, even playing to his favour.He was rumoured to be romantically linked to his teammate Gravity and then after that Telepath, though no proof of these affairs has surfaced.
Pictured: Original costume (top) and recent 1984 costume (left)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Last One For Today!
Here is the all new and king-sized Lady America modern costume.
The hair is still not right, but that's the way it goes. I am not an artist, so I make do with what I have until I have cash to pay folks to do stuff for me ;)
The hair is still not right, but that's the way it goes. I am not an artist, so I make do with what I have until I have cash to pay folks to do stuff for me ;)
More Sneak Peaks!
Lady America's original USO costume and her later more military costume, both from the Golden Age :)
Fast & Dirty Update!
Sorry no updates for a week. Been getting settled in back home after spending the holidays with the family.
Also I have bronchitis, so that's fun. :(
Updates to come, I promise.
For now, here's a WIP of one of the players characters, Dragonfly!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
New Pictures!
So I realized I was doing something wrong with the way I did my character pictures. So I redid them all and in the process redesigned a little bit :)Here we go;
First up is my Lady America. I spent a lot of time working on this look and in the end it became a mix of two different Lady America costumes. The first one ever and the City of Heroes look I used that won me oh so many costume contests in Atlas Park.
The hair is still wrong, as it it supposed to look like the singer from Roxette's hair but I just could get that right at all.
It should look like this;
But the problem is that I have little to no artistic talent freehand and drawing said hair would have been beyond my talents.Still I am happy with how she turned out. Even if her boobs are too big. ;)
Up next is the rework of Gyro. Again I added something to the picture, which was the new chest symbol. I like it a lot more than the one that came built into the Fabrica program, so off to Photoshop I went. In the end I think he looks more streamlined and faster, which is sort of what I was aiming for.Like Lady A, Gyro is a character that is near and dear to my heart. When I couldn't get his name in City of Heroes I wound calling him Ex Astris, which was fun... but it wasn't right. I can still hear Farrel in my head saying in his Spartacus voice "Gyro! Gyro! Gyro!" in a very Brady Bunch moment.
Sigh those were good time.
Continuing the trend of remake and redesign, I came to my buddy
Guardsman. I just couldn't get it right. No matter how I tried to do it, it wasn't coming out the way I wanted.Then I tried this and everything was okay;
It is amazing what a half-cape and some colour introspection can do for a character. I am beyond happy with how Guardsman turned out. Now he looks like the bad-ass super hero I saw him as originally.
Well that's it for now.
More to come, as there are already designs on the plate that haven't been seen yet. Some of which still need to be stated out as well.
Cheers and enjoy!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Guardsman BASH!
GUARDSMAN
Nathan Prince
36pts (Stats 20pts/Powers 20pts/Weakness -4)
Stats
Brawn: 4
Agility: 4
Mind: 2
Weakness
Devastating Weakness: Argonite (Negating/x3 Damage) (-4pts)
Skills
Acrobatics: Throwing/Running/Climbing/Jumping
Military: Command/Tactics
Powers
Ability Boost: Brawn (Uppercut Punch!) 3
Armour 3
Attack Weak Point
Eye Beams: Special Attack: 5 (2 Range/+3DM)
Fleet of Foot
Flight 5
Martial Arts: Tough Style
Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Security Clearance
Disadvantages
Arch-Enemy
Public ID
Rogue’s Gallery
Mental Malfunction
Square jawed hero.
Background
Guardsman started out as a hero in the Golden Age. A bit late to the show, he only appeared on the scene in 1944, but his arrival was a giant impact on the day.
He claimed to have been given his powers from a magical helmet he had found, but more than once he had the helmet knocked off his head and never seemed to depower.
Never a member of the wartime super teams, he did work with plenty of them throughout the Golden Age and seemed to attract the attention of German super die Übermensch in a big way. The two had epic battles, the last being over Berlin as the Allies closed in.
Returning home he agreed to President Truman's request that he form up a national team for the protection of America. He called that team the Golden Guardsmen, after himself of course.
According to all other heroes who knew him, the one thing greater than his power was his ego. Still his impressive nature and awesome powers served him well and he became the gold standard for superheroes for the next three decades.
In 1983, while still leading the Golden Guardsmen, Guardsman was killed in battle by die Übermensch and his team of anti-American villains, the Axis of Evil. It was a tremendous loss for a nation and the world.
His funeral was broadcast around the world and was attended by many leaders of the free world and a who's who of the heroes of the world. Even Soviet hero Red Guard issued a statement praising the heroics of Guardsman, and of course condemning his capitalist politics.
To say the world is lost without their premiere hero is an understatement. The Golden Guardsmen, all lost save one in the attack, are no more and Team Justice does what it can to hold the line, but Guardsman's absence has left a large void to fill.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Gyro - BASH!
GYRO
Richard Wilkerson
36pts (Stats 16/Powers 22/Weakness -2)
Stats
Brawn: 2
Agility: 4
Mind: 2
Weakness
Damaging Weakness: Sonics
Skills
Athletics: Aerobatics
Pilot: Tricks/Evasion/Control
Investigation: Gut
Powers
• Boost: Mind 2 (For Energy Blast) 2pts
• Energy Blast: Special Attack 5 [Enhancement: Variable] 6pts
- Standard Blast: Mid Range, +1 Hit, +2 Dm
- Short Blast: Close Range +1 Hit +3 Dm
- Long Blast: Long Range, +1 Hit, +1 Dm
- Wide Angle: Close Range, Small Burst, +3 Dm
- Dodge This: +5 Hit
- Haymaker: +5 Dm
- Spin-Blast: Medium Burst, +3 Dm
• Flight 5 [Enhancements: Space] 4pts
• Immunity 4 [Suffocation, Vacuum, Temperatures, Radiation]/ Personal Force Field: Armour 3 [Enhancement: Linked] 6pts
• Super Speed 5 [Limitations: Flying Movement only] 4pts
Advantages
Appeal
Disadvantages
Social Stigma: Mocked
Mental Malfunction
To prove himself
Background
Richard Wilkerson was born the son of Nathanial Wilkerson III, owner and head of Avitech, a large military contractor to the US. Raised around aviation it was only natural that Richard would become a pilot. Flying for the USAF, Richard was on a routine mission chasing a stray MiG back across the Bering Strait when something he could never have imagined happened.
A UFO came onto the radar and bathed both Richard?s F-15 Eagle and the Russian?s MiG in a strange golden glow. According to Air Force documents and statements, both jets dropped off radar over the Bering Strait. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Wilkerson was first listed as MIA and then 48 hours later as KIA.
Six months later, a crab boat off the coast got the surprise of their lifetimes when they pulled a blonde, alive man in with their nets. His Air Force Dog Tags still on, they radioed to shore and were met there by a military detachment
It is unknown what happened in the debriefing, but this much is know. Wilkerson was discharged after an Air Force Lawyer named Karen Winston brought the his story to the media. The Air Force discharged her as well. Wilkerson moved in with her in Seattle for a time, where he began complaining of migraines. Then one night he began glowing with a tremendous golden energy and flew out of their penthouse, not stopping until he reached Japan.
Over a short period of time he came to learn that somehow he had developed tremendous powers. He went to his father immediately, explaining the situation. His father promised to help, but instead called the USAF and offered to hand over his son to them. EAGLE intercepted that call and stepped in.
Richard was given the choice of joining up with EAGLE or returning to the Air Force. He chose EAGLE and very soon found himself with a costume, a code name and a position on Team Justice. Now called Gyro he was suddenly a member of the premiere American super-hero team. To say he fit in would be a lie.
It didn?t take long for Gyro to get kicked out of Team Justice for undisclosed reasons, though rumours say it involved the villainess Trixie of Ravage V. EAGLE then convinced Guardsman to make him a member of the Golden Guardsmen, which turned out to be the best thing for Gyro.
He respected Guardsman and looked to him as the father he wished he had. He learned to control his powers and his hot headedness under Guardsman?s careful tutelage and watchful eye. Eventually though this too would end for Gyro.
With the details having made all the gossip rags at the time, we will just sum it up by saying his romantic dalliance with Guardsman?s girlfriend at the time Sparrow Hawk, lead to both Gyro and her being removed from the Golden Guardsmen. In a morbid turn of fortune, this occurred one week before the team was devastated by the Axis of Evil and Guardsman was killed.
Now without a team and cut loose by EAGLE, Gyro has taken up residence in New York City and hopes to prove that there is a hero inside him, the hero that Guardsman told him he could be. If only he could make everyone else see that.
My Thoughts
Gyro was my first character I ever made. I made him in V&V and man did he get into trouble. My buddy Gramme was running the campaign and Gyro was actually a member of Team Justice. Then they captured Trixie from Ravage V and she worked her feminine wiles on poor old Richard and sure as shit he let her go. He was promptly kicked off the team.
When I started the Guardians campaign back in '89, I had Gyro with the rest of the PCs trying out for an open slot on Team Justice. Yup, he was such a thick head that he was determined to get back on the team. Needless to say he didn't make it but he did band with the PCs to stop a fight between King and Mega-Man (no relation), two other tryout rejects.
When they announced to the media that they were forming a superhero team, the first question asked was "Gyro! Gyro! Sally Suchinsuch for the Blather Press Daily. Will you be kicked off this team too?". I recall having Gyro lose his temper and decalre the press conference was over.
The funny thing was, the players really liked Gyro and decided to make him the team leader. Nowin those days no one in our group knew the term GMPC and certainly I didn't favour Gyro. So much so that years later one of the original players confessed to me that he knew it was a serious night when I had Gyro get killed flying a nuclear bomb into orbit as the first act of the session.
That's right. I killed my pet NPC two sessions into the campaign.
Something most folks won't understand, especially those who have been on the bad end of a GMPC expirence, is that I treat my NPCs far worse than my PCs. I beat them, kill them, rape them, torture them, humilate them, etc... all so that the players understand how the world works. Then I can do it to them without worry of them thinking I am picking on them.
Some players get it, some don't. Those who get it though have been coming to my table on and off for 25 years. So I must be doing something right.
Will Gyro be in the new game? Hell yes. This is the 25th Anniversary game! You bet your ass my first ever superhero will be in it, without a doubt!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
"EVIL CLONE" Lady America - By Request
1980's "EVIL CLONE" LADY AMERICAAmanda Reese
LADY AMERICA
Amanda Reese
31pts (16 Stats/15 Powers)
Stats
Brawn: 4
Agility: 2
Mind: 2
Powers
Armour 2 (x5 Soak)
Eye Beams: Special Attack: 4 (+2DM/Mid Range)
Flight 4
Mind Spikes 5
Skills - Physical
Athletics – Aerobatics
Drive – Steering
Pilot – Control
Stealth – Evading Security
Skills - Mental
Military – Command
Security - Surveillance
Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Quick Thinking
Security Clearance
Disadvantages
Duty*
Nightmares**
Rogue’s Gallery
Secret
Mental Malfunction
Super Patriot
Background
According to the EAGLE file on this one, the Citadel (or VENOM depending on whose files you read) captured and cloned Lady America and gave her different powers. They then sent her out to pretend to be the actual Lady America. A ruse that lasted from 1981 to late 1983. In late 83 the real Lady America escaped capture and confronted her doppelganger, who had gone crazy and was attacking the Project Liberty HQ. The battle was brilliant and brutal, but ended with the real Lady America holding her dieing clone in her arms. The clone's last words were "Why?".
Monday, January 4, 2010
I'm Living In the 80's!
I had made a passing comment on wanting to set my new Ultimate Guardians game in 1985. I never expected my players to like the idea, but so far a couple of them do and now I am looking at it realistically.
I am rereading Watchmen and the Elementals to get myself back into that 80's superhero headspace.
I am also reading a bunch of alternate history stuff to see if there are any events I want to change, ala Watchmen-style.
Of course the big upside to this is that in 1985 I still have my Soviets! The 60's weren't so long ago. Lots of heroes can have tours in Vietnam in their backgrounds. Oh and the music Rocks!
So any ideas or suggestions you might have to make this even more fun would be very much welcome.
Cheers.
I am rereading Watchmen and the Elementals to get myself back into that 80's superhero headspace.
I am also reading a bunch of alternate history stuff to see if there are any events I want to change, ala Watchmen-style.
Of course the big upside to this is that in 1985 I still have my Soviets! The 60's weren't so long ago. Lots of heroes can have tours in Vietnam in their backgrounds. Oh and the music Rocks!
So any ideas or suggestions you might have to make this even more fun would be very much welcome.
Cheers.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Lady America - BASH!
Here is Lady America written up in BASH Ultimate Edition for the new Ultimate Guardians campaign.
Note that due to players being able to read this blog, I have had to leave a couple of things blank. These are things to be discovered through play.
Also I have included a Timm done of her in her City of Heroes costume. While not perfectly how I see her, it is a good look.
With out further ado;
Lady America
Amanda Reese
Power Level: 35pts
Stats (16)
B: 2
A: 4
M: 2
HP: 3/_
XP: _
Powers (16)
Attack Weak Point
Disarm Expert
Fleet of Foot
Keen Senses
Martial Arts 3
Mind Spikes 5
Swift Strike
Skills - Physical
Athletics – Acrobatics
Drive – Steering
Pilot – Control;
Stealth – Evading Security
Skills – Mental
Military – Command
Security - Surveillance
Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Quick Thinking
Security Clearance
Disadvantages
Duty*
Nightmares**
Rogue’s Gallery
Secret
Mental Malfunction
Super Patriot
*Duty - New Disadvantage; You work for or are beholden to some group or organization that can call upon you to perform tasks or such, thereby interfering with your life and your heroing.
**Nightmares - New Disadvantage; You suffer from nightly nightmares due to something in your past, outside forces, premonitions (work it out with your Narrator). As such each morning you must make a difficulty 20 Mind check or suffer 1d6 Setbacks for that day.
Note that due to players being able to read this blog, I have had to leave a couple of things blank. These are things to be discovered through play.
Also I have included a Timm done of her in her City of Heroes costume. While not perfectly how I see her, it is a good look.
With out further ado;
Lady America
Amanda Reese
Power Level: 35ptsStats (16)
B: 2
A: 4
M: 2
HP: 3/_
XP: _
Powers (16)
Attack Weak Point
Disarm Expert
Fleet of Foot
Keen Senses
Martial Arts 3
Mind Spikes 5
Swift Strike
Skills - Physical
Athletics – Acrobatics
Drive – Steering
Pilot – Control;
Stealth – Evading Security
Skills – Mental
Military – Command
Security - Surveillance
Advantages
Leadership
Never Surrender
Quick Thinking
Security Clearance
Disadvantages
Duty*
Nightmares**
Rogue’s Gallery
Secret
Mental Malfunction
Super Patriot
*Duty - New Disadvantage; You work for or are beholden to some group or organization that can call upon you to perform tasks or such, thereby interfering with your life and your heroing.
**Nightmares - New Disadvantage; You suffer from nightly nightmares due to something in your past, outside forces, premonitions (work it out with your Narrator). As such each morning you must make a difficulty 20 Mind check or suffer 1d6 Setbacks for that day.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Campaigns of 2010
As the new year is upon us and on the 16th of January the Ultimate Session of Book 1 of the New Dawn of the West (wow that's a mouthful) will be occurring, I have to think about what 2010 will mean roleplaying wise.
For certain I have Ultimate Guardians on the plate, as well as my ongoing Final Age playtest group. The main thing though is that the Fortknights, the group that has been playing New Dawn of the West, are my oldest and primary group. One player has been gaming with me since grade 9!
So Ultimate Guardians for sure. Superheroes is how this group came together, and super heroes is still their favorite game.
I am also thinking of a Star Trek campaign, but I can't decide what flavour yet. I know for sure I will make a SAGA version of Star Trek though, using cards and such. It just seems like a natural mix to me.
I like TOS, but my "Trek Sweet Spot" is Star Trek 2 - 4 with cherry pickings from everything after. Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and Voyage Home are the sweetest Trek trilogy ever and frankly my view of what Star Trek should be. Very FASA Trek I know.
That said there was a lot I liked about the new Star Trek (Abrams-Trek) and a lot I really really didn't. It is funny how when I walked out of the theatre I was simply blown away by that movie. Every subsequent review I have disliked it more and more. I find giant plots holes or logic-fails in the story (1 super nova is going to destroy the whole galaxy? WTF?) and like it less and less. I really hated the bridge and the "utility" look of the engineering. Arrgggh! I just reminded myself of more stuff I didn't like! Peh! Enough of that.
And don't even get me started on TNG.
So yeah TOS or Movie Gen? That is the question.
After Trek I need a third choice. One that works with a group of 6 players. Cyberpunk, while fun as hell, is not realy good longterm stuff for me. I kill characters far too easily and often for that to happen.
Horror rpging has never gone well with my groups. Smaller ones yes, but big groups no.
Western Horror might be fun though, some seriously toned down Deadlands could be a hoot.
Any suggestions?
For certain I have Ultimate Guardians on the plate, as well as my ongoing Final Age playtest group. The main thing though is that the Fortknights, the group that has been playing New Dawn of the West, are my oldest and primary group. One player has been gaming with me since grade 9!
So Ultimate Guardians for sure. Superheroes is how this group came together, and super heroes is still their favorite game.
I am also thinking of a Star Trek campaign, but I can't decide what flavour yet. I know for sure I will make a SAGA version of Star Trek though, using cards and such. It just seems like a natural mix to me.
I like TOS, but my "Trek Sweet Spot" is Star Trek 2 - 4 with cherry pickings from everything after. Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and Voyage Home are the sweetest Trek trilogy ever and frankly my view of what Star Trek should be. Very FASA Trek I know.
That said there was a lot I liked about the new Star Trek (Abrams-Trek) and a lot I really really didn't. It is funny how when I walked out of the theatre I was simply blown away by that movie. Every subsequent review I have disliked it more and more. I find giant plots holes or logic-fails in the story (1 super nova is going to destroy the whole galaxy? WTF?) and like it less and less. I really hated the bridge and the "utility" look of the engineering. Arrgggh! I just reminded myself of more stuff I didn't like! Peh! Enough of that.
And don't even get me started on TNG.
So yeah TOS or Movie Gen? That is the question.
After Trek I need a third choice. One that works with a group of 6 players. Cyberpunk, while fun as hell, is not realy good longterm stuff for me. I kill characters far too easily and often for that to happen.
Horror rpging has never gone well with my groups. Smaller ones yes, but big groups no.
Western Horror might be fun though, some seriously toned down Deadlands could be a hoot.
Any suggestions?
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