Friday, February 28, 2014

Gay Guy

An example of his abilities
John Byrne has written many great works. He has written the Fantastic Four, a Superman reboot, the X-Men, the Next-Men the IDW Star Trek comics and the start of the Hellboy series. However, his incipient work, Gay Guy, is (to put it politely) political incorrect.
History
As a kid, Gaylord Le Guye had his lollipop stolen by the villainess Ruby the Dyke. Somehow, this made him think all women are evil. He swore "by the spirit of my poor lollipop that I shall spend my life fighting evil!" Years later, he used his inheritance (from his now-dead parents) to become a superhero modeling his costume after a butterfly. He worked with Police Chief Znurn.
Powers
Gay Guy uses his wits and gadgets to fight crime. He knows that he is in a comic strip. As such, he can use this to his advantage such as attack someone in the next panel. He has secret base under a beauty salon and a "Homobile".
References:
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/g/gayguy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byrne_(comics)

Friday, February 21, 2014

Angle Man

History
Angle Man is a con man and master thief from Italy. He uses the Angler device. This allowed him to confuse or avoid would be-capturers. He used a gimmick where he tries use "as many angles as" (Comicvine) possible. He was a minor villain to Wonder Woman during the Gold and Silver Ages even joining the Secret Society of Super-Villains and Academy of Arch-Villains. He was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, he was brought back. This version had an version of the Angler device that was a Penrose Triangle. In the New 52 event "Forever Evil", he was a member of the Crime Syndicate.
Powers and Abilities
Angle Man is a master thief. His main tool is the Angler, a device with various abilities. This allow him to teleport; bend perspective, space and perceptions; and alter gravity.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/angle-man/4005-10886/
http://www.comicvine.com/angler/4055-57183/

Daredevil

This is not the Marvel character. There was a World War II-era character of the same name. However, the character (due to his revision of origin) is basically two different characters. Like many Golden Age superheroes, he is public domain.
History
Daredevil had two origins and costumes related to the origins.
His original costume
Originally, Daredevil had a Batman-like origin. Bart Hill witnessed his parents being killed. The trauma led him to become mute and a superhero. He trained himself to become a boomerang marksman. He used this to aid his crime fighting.
    His normal costume
Due to Bart speaking in his second appearance, his origin was changed to a more Tarzan-like origin. Bart's parents died in Australia. An aboriginal tribe raised him and taught Bart how to use boomerangs. Inexplicably, he became a superhero when he returned to America and can speak perfect English.

Regardless of origin, Daredevil fought in World War II. He teamed up with fellow heroes Dickie Dean, Pirate Prince, Cloud Curtis, Lance Hale and Silver Streak. He fought villains such as the Claw, Adolf Hilter, Wolf Carson, the Scarlet Skull (not to be confused with the Red Skull), Deadly Dozen and the Bolt.
References:
http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Daredevil

Monday, February 17, 2014

Element 152

The scene in question
In Adventure Comics issue 305, Marvel Lad (actually Mon-El in disguise) creates Element 152 by vibrating iron, gold and silver at superhuman speed so to make them into a new element. There are several things wrong with this. First off, vibrating a substance cannot alter the molecular structure of an object. Mon-El probably should have just shattered the brick or heated it up. Second, "Element 152" seems to be an iron-gold-silver alloy as oppose to an element (which has to be pure) since he is combining them. Lastly, Mon-El explains the name saying that "152" refers to the atomic weight. This would seem to imply it is an isotope of either Hafnium (which has atomic weight of 178.49) or Tantalum (189.94788).
The above image is a cropped version of this image. My source of this issue was Showcase Presents Legion of Superheroes volume 1.

Friday, February 14, 2014

White Rabbit

From Marvel Team-Up issue 131
Charles Dodgson (probably best known by his pseudonym "Lewis Carroll") created the timeless classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. His works influenced numerous works ranging from entire stories to individual characters. White Rabbit is an example of the latter.
History
Lorina Dodson was the trophy wife to an elderly man, Lewis Dodgson. Bored, she killed him and used his money to funded a life of crime. She took the alias "White Rabbit". She started robbing fast-food restaurants. However, Frog-Man and Spider-Man stopped her and her minions. Frog-Man stopped her when she tried to rob a book fair. White Rabbit attempted to get other villains to help her, but only Walrus agreed. The duo were defeated by Spider-Man, Frog-Man and Leapfrog (Frog-Man's father). White Rabbit reappeared with two "minions" (actually actors since no real criminal would work for her) Dormouse and Mad Hatter. She captured Grizzly and Gibbon then demanded a ransom (which she increased when the mayor rejected her original offer). Bag-Man (Spider-Man) defeated White Rabbit allowing Grizzly and Gibbon to escape. White Rabbit started to date the X-Men villain Arcade. After a failed attempt to kill Wolverine and Black Cat, the Arcade and White Rabbit on the Savage Island with a goat by their would-be victims. Arcade abandoned her. A group of cannibals worshiped the goat and made White Rabbit their queen. Upon finding Arcade, White Rabbit refused to save him from the cannibals. Later, White Rabbit was a member of Hood's Gang. She was sent to prison after failing to kill Bobby Carr.
Equipment
Since Lorina has no powers, she uses an array of equipment and weapons. These include killer bunnies, explosive-firing umbrella, rocket boots and razor-tipped carrots. She travels via "the Flying Hare".
References:
http://marvel.wikia.com/Lorina_Dodson_(Earth-616)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_based_on_Alice_in_Wonderland

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Scourge the Hedgehog

Scourge post-transformation
History
Scourge was an evil version of Sonic the Hedgehog. He attempted to switch places with Sonic but was defeated by him. Scourge was sent back to his home dimension. Scourge was exposed the Master Emerald, which made him green fur and super strength. Scourge took over his own world. He attempted to use his "Suppression Squad" to take over Mobius (Sonic's homeland). The Freedom Fighters (Sonic's posse) attempted to stop him, but he seemed to be too powerful in his Super Form. Sonic tricked him into returning to normal state thus allowing Sonic to defeat them. Scourge attempted to escape, but failed. Scourge was imprisoned the No Zone Prison.
Powers
Scourge has Sonic's powers. As such, he can use super speed and the spin dash move. His transformation seemed to give super stamina and strength. With the Chaos Control, he can teleport. Like Sonic, he can change into a super form.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/scourge/4005-45337/
http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Scourge_the_Hedgehog

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Dirk Drain-Head

Truly the most noble of heroes
Dirk Drain-Head was a fictional superhero comic that appeared in Valiant Comics' Super Mario Bros comic (as part of their Nintendo Comics System).
Content
The series focuses on the titular hero Dirk Drain-Head. He uses an array of plumber-related weapons. He has stereotypical superhero traits like being virtuous, having a sidekick and so on. Dirk resembles Luigi (which was probably intentional). He has a sidekick named "Snakey". His villains include Dark Dirk (Dirk's evil twin), Muck and Pipe Ooze. Oddly, the comic is said to released quarterly yet it has 658 issues. Assuming that were no publication delays or schedule changes and Super Mario Bros. takes place in 1990 (when the comic was made), this would mean Dirk Drain-Head would have been published since 1825.
History
Dirk was originally mentioned in "A Mouser in the Houser". However, he didn't have a prominent role until "The Adventures of Dirk Drain-Head". Here, Mario tells Luigi about how much he loves Dirk and later attempts to find a place to read the comic. Luigi claims he and several other characters hate Dirk. During a fight with a Birdo, Mario loses an issue of the comic, which some enemies (who also fans of series) find and read. In "Bedtime for Drain-Head", Mario's obsessive reading of the comic causes him to sleepwalk (during which, he thinks he is Dirk) and tries to find "Snakey". Oddly, Mario is shown to be more competent in this state since he managed to subdue Bowser without help. The story "The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!" shows there is an annual Dirk Drain-Head fan convention and role playing game.
References:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Dirk_Drain-Head
http://www.mariowiki.com/Dark_Dirk#Dark_Dirk

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Reuben Flagg


History
Born on Mars in 2000 A.D., Reuben Flagg was the lead actor in Mark Thrust: Sexus Ranger. However after the first season, the show's producers replaced him with digital effects. Mark became a member of the Plexus Rangers, the law enforcement of Plex. He proved himself streetwise, tough and morally flexible enough for the job. Flagg discovered Plex's plan to sterilize the US citizens as part of a plan to sell the land via the testament of the late Hilton Krieger. After a series of misadventures, Reuben Flagg became the president of the USA and started social reform. However as soon as he quit and returned to the now-free Illinois, things basically went back to how they were before due to everyone's apathy.
Setting
American Flagg takes place in a future where the America collapsed to by crop failure and nuclear meltdown while the U.S.S.R. was destroyed by Islamic efforts. This led to mass chaos and destruction. U.S. President Silver and the remaining leaders of big industries and banking fled to Mars and created Plex. Plex started as a broadcast company, but a megacorp that effectively took over the world. They use public relation campaigns, drugs and entertainment to maintain control.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/reuben-flagg/4005-51241/
http://www.comicvine.com/the-plex/4060-59975/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreadAndCircuses

Saturday, February 8, 2014

The Last Generation

I mentioned Jack Chick, the writer of the Chick Tract, which are insane comics preaching his evangelical fundamentalism. However, I felt like I needed to elaborate. So, I decided to so something unusual. I will do a text recap / commentary in the style of the early Atop of the Fourth Wall posts (before it was turned into a video show). Although I originally was going to the role playing-themed Dark Dungeon tract, I decided to his dystopia comic The Last Generation. I will be talking about the newest version (since the original version isn't on his website). Click here to see the entire story for yourself.
In the not-too-distant future, Next Sunday, A.D.
The comic takes place in the "near future". The world is controlled by Rome. Keep in mind in the Jack Chick universe, the Roman Catholic Church is an evil Babylonian religion ran by the Devil. No seriously. The comic starts with a news report that states it has been declared illegal to believing Jesus Christ is the only way into Heaven and punishable by being sent to a "mental camp" or execution. The nameless dad of a Christian family claims this will be the last generation and the Bible says they still have hope. 
Bobby in action
The dad-guy's grandson, Bobby, comes back from school. Bobby, who for some reason dresses like a Hitler Youth member, talks about how the school taught him about sacrificing animals (the justification being that animals are reincarnations of people that were jerks in their previous life). When the dad tells Bobby go to bed, Bobby says "Larry's mom said that to him now she's in a concentration camp for... CHILD ABUSE!". Why in the heck would telling someone to go to bed be abuse? I know this is a dystopia, but there has to be some logic behind it.
So, New Age Healers are rejected Venture Bros. villains?
Later, Dad-Guy talks about the Christians will be saved by the Rapture. Bobby the Brat overhears this. At school the next day, the teacher introduces the class to a "New Age Healer", who looks like a mix of a superhero and the Grinch. The Healer says the government is looking for "sickos... who hate [the] blessed Mother Goddess". After returning home, Bobby leaves and turns in his family to the Healer. Charles, Paul (Dad-Guy's son) and Charles (their other Christian friend) flee. 
The torturer on the left looks like a mustache-less Doctor Zin
The dad is captured and is tortured a la Nineteen Eighty Four in what I assume is the before-mentioned "mental camp". Why does the "mental camp" look like a museum? The two torturers use a vaguely electric chair-like machine to torture dad-guy and enhance the pain with microchips (even though that is not how microchips work). However when they discover they can't get him to crack, one of them orders dad guy (who they call "it") to be taken away and "dispose of it, or use it for food." Wait, "use it for food"? Soylent Green is people!
Jesus has good timing.
Paul, Charles and Connie reach a log cabin, where they plan to hide. Paul, fearing the consequences of his actions,  leaves and tell one of the torturers where to find Charles and Connie. Oddly, the desk the torturer is at says "Free Drugs". So, do government agents give out crack like banks do lollipops? The police (one of whom seems to be the Grinch Healer from before) attacks the cabin only to find Connie and Charles have been raptured. How convenient. 
References:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/ChickTracts?from=Creator.JackChick

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Emerald Twilight

That's not a good attitude...
Plot
Due to events in "Reign of the Supermen", Coast City, the home of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, was destroyed. Hal attempted to use his powers to recreate Coast City, but this upset the Guardians of the Universe (his bosses) since he was doing this for personal gain. As such, the Guardians ordered Hal to give up his ring. He flew off to the planet Oa (the base of the Green Lanterns and Guardians). On his way there, several Lanterns attempted to stop Hal. However, Hal killed them and stole their rings to make himself more powerful. Desperate to stop Hal, the Guardians gave Sinestro, a former rogue Green Lantern, his ring to stop Hal. Hal killed Sinestro and Hal's old pal Kilowog. Hal absorbed all of the power in the Central Power Battery (the source of the Green Lantern's powers) and destroyed it. Hal became the villain Parallax. All the Guardians, except Ganthet, are killed by the explosion caused by the battery's destruction. Ganthet went to Earth and gave the last Green Lantern ring and battery to Kyle Rayner (who became the then-new Green Lantern).
Original Story
The original script of "Emerald Twilight", written by Gerard Jones, was vastly different than the final product. Originally, a new group of altruistic aliens appear and declare themselves the Guardians of the Universe and tried to take power away from the pre-existing Guardians. The Green Lanterns would have choose which were the true Guardians of the Universe. DC Editorial supposedly thought it wasn't interesting enough. As such, various editors came up with a basic outline for a new story and Ron Marz wrote the draft that got published.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/emerald-twilight/4045-41289/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Twilight
http://www.webcitation.org/5wCg3Qel3

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Printout Man

Icemaster is not the only Hostess ad villain to return after their Hostess ad. Printout Man is also example.
History
His original appearance
Printout Man originally appeared in the Hostess ad "Break the Break", which was featured in multiple comics. Printout Man used a "Mad Computer" to jam a bank's computer and take over the accounts of the costumers. Peter Parker realized something and investigated as Spider-Man. The Printout Man tried to steal from the bank's vault when everyone has distracted. Spider-Man discovered Printout Man was actually stealing Hostess cup cakes as oppose to the blocks of money. The police managed to capture him.
As he appeared later on
In New Avengers Most Wanted Files, it was mentioned Printout Man was still in prison. He later appeared in Fin Fang Four Return issue 1/5. The robot Elektro was mistaken for the villain of the same name. He was sent to the "S-Wing" of a prison full of Spider-Man foes, who Printout Man was among. Printout Man and the other villains attempted to escape, but were hit by "sedation foam" that subdued them.
Powers and Abilities
Printout Man has no powers. However, he is skilled at banking, math and computers. He managed to use his "Mad Computers" (the origin which is never revealed) to break into a bank's computer system.
References
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/printoutmanh.htm
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11/114254/2246695-v2spiderman14.jpg