Dial H for Here We Go Again

After the experiments of House of Mystery #160, it's a return to normalcy. If you can call any story with a grass gorilla normal. Well, maybe in the DC Universe, you can't really be too surprised about any kind of super-powered ape. He's not even the first green ape to show his face there (that would be Beast Boy). Let's look at the three new heroes offered.

Would THEY have had as much a place in the DCU as a super-ape would?

Case 6: House of Mystery #161
Dial Holder: Robby Reed
Dial Type: The Big Dial
Name: Magneto (COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!)
Costume: The grape chainmail clashes awkwardly with the white and blue and yellow highlights. The mask seems to feature bad mascara and there's just no reason for the bat-spikes on his sleeves. Throw in an all too literal chest logo and you have a proper fashion disaster.
Powers: He's a human magnet. Simple enough. Magneto can move metal objects and fly by attracting himself to metal structures (though the chainmail suit should be enough alone, shouldn't it?). Where Magneto fails as a headliner is in his need to recharge after barely a fight's worth of action. Once again, Robby's natural detective skills must fill out this hero's day.
Sighted: In Littleville. Magneto fought the Egyptian God-headed Beket and saved a bus full of people buried under sand. He later investigated Beket and got some nice confidential information from that lady at the Littleville passport office.
Possibilities: In 1966, this Magneto might have had a chance to steal Marvel's thunder, as the villain of the same name had not yet risen to become one of Marvel's most famous. X-Men wasn't even one of their top-sellers. However, the costume is terrible, and the power burnout just the pits. It's even awkward to look at this purple hero sleuthing about Littleville. Unusable.
Integration Quotient: 0% (he's got everything going against him)
Name: Hornet-Man (would definitely work better as just "The Hornet")
Costume: Aside from the striped sleeves and legs, this is a good insect-based design. not too far off some iterations of the Fly/Fly-Man. Thanks to Spider-Man, we don't have to see the hero's eyes for him to be expressive, but Hornet-Man's multi-faceted bluebottles may be pushing it slightly. The wings sort of flop around though. Oh, and that stinger finger is creepy.
Powers: Hornet-Man can fly and is very maneuverable while doing so. What he CAN'T do is move silently. The villains are warned well in advance of his coming by a loud buzz. He also has sting, delivered by touch, that can knock out a human being.
Sighted: In Littleville. He, too, fought Beket, or rather his animated plant creatures (each of Beket's heads has the power to summon and control a different element or environment). Beket escaped again.
Possibilities: Change his name to the Hornet, and we have a possible headliner, at least as marketable as the Fly. Throw in a tweaked costume with heavier blacks instead of blues, and maybe a different delivery system for the sting, and they could squeeze a doomed-from-the-start series out of the concept. Spider-Man rip-off with an intimidating buzz? 12 issues at best.
Integration Quotient: 55% (finally somebody breaks the 50% barrier; classic concept, but Hornet-Man needs a little work before making a second appearance)
Name: Shadow-Man (if it was good enough for a Valiant comics hero, it's workable)
Costume: Suit, fedora and short cape, completely black. And black goes with everything.
Powers: Shadow-Man can easily hide in darkness and even appears less than solid to his opponent who "only see a shadow". Being a few degrees cooler than everything around him, this two-fisted crime fighter is also partially resistant to fire and heat.
Sighted: In Littleville. Shadow-Man was responsible for the capture of Beket and his crew.
Possibilities: Falling into DC's hands well before the Question (and thus, Rorschach), Shadow-Man could totally have filled the role of dark, anonymous avenger. He might have found his full expression in the late 80s and early 90s under Denny O'Neil's direction instead of Vic Sage, his visual darkness extending into the darkness of his violent tales.
Integration Quotient: 70% (definite possibilities, especially if you remove later comers like the Question)

So things are looking up! Or are they? A look ahead makes me think I'm wrong.

Star Trek 1399: Fool's Gold, Issue 2

1399. Fool's Gold, Issue 2

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Fool's Gold #2, IDW Comics, January 2010

CREATORS: Scott and David Tipton (writers), Fabio Mantovani (artist)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)

PLOT: Jake's gonna be ok, but more and more disreputable characters keep arriving on the station. The Bajoran Board of Commerce is overjoyed that tourism is booming, so Sisko can't expel them from DS9. O'Brien follows a vandalized hatch to a section where persons unknown have stripped everything in sight and uncovered strange alien writing. Bashir's sickbay is overflowing with people wounded not by fights, but by labour. Odo and Kira work a con on the man who accidentally shot Jake, pitting him and his partner against each other for information. They finally cave and reveal the station is a big treasure map leading to a huge amount of money buried on Bajor...

CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Rom, Nog). Gul Dukat appears.

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Coming back to DS9...
REVIEW: The Tiptons keep us once again on very familiar territory, including one of those famous calls to Dukat in which he obfuscates, but knows more than he's telling. At least the plot is coming together, with each new revelation building on the other. The interrogation scam is well handled, and it helps that we met these two rogues in the previous issue, giving a face to the gold hunters. I'm starting to wonder about the series' title however. It seems to be giving up the twist. Hope I'm wrong about that...

Cat of the Geek #82: Le-matya

Name: Le-matya
Stomping Grounds: Vulcan (Star Trek Animated Series episode "Yesteryear", other appearances include Last Unicorn Games' The Way of Kolinahr, the TOS novel The Vulcan Academy Murders, and the short stories "The First Law of Metaphysics" and "Oil and Water")
Side: Evil
Breed: Le-matya cat
Cat Powers: Poisonous claws that can kill a small animal in seconds, or paralyze a humanoid. Lightning reflexes. Extra geek cred: Its roar was the same as Godzilla's.
Skills: Eat 10, Sleep 1, Mischief 8, Wit 2, Using the whole damn planet as a litter box 10
Cat Weaknesses: The taste of blood. No room for them on animal preserves because they attack everything and anything whether they are hungry or not.

Star Trek 1398: Fool's Gold, Issue 1

1398. Fool's Gold, Issue 1

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Fool's Gold #1, IDW Comics, December 2009

CREATORS: Scott and David Tipton (writers), Fabio Mantovani (artist)

STARDATE: 48987.3 (between The Adversary and The Way of the Warrior)

PLOT: There's been an increase in criminally-inclined visitors on the station lately and they're all going to Quark's. Sisko isn't convinced it's a problem, but Odo and Kira are, given the amount of weapons and contraband confiscated. After a riot breaks out in Quark's - who of course seems to know more than he lets on - that spills over onto the Promenade, Jake is shot with a small incinerator device. An angry Sisko now wants to know what the hell is going on...

CONTINUITY: Rom, Nog and Morn appear. Sisko waits for the other shoe to drop re: changeling infiltration (The Adversary). O'Brien gets punched by a Nausicaan (Tapestry).

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - They don't write dialogue like they used to.
REVIEW: IDW finally releases a DS9 series, and it's been so long since the series has aired, apparently, that they feel a need to make a couple criminals speak exposition about the show's premise. It's disheartening to have to admit that a lot of today's Trek fans don't know much about its best iteration (opinion mine). Despite it all, Fool's Gold is off to a good start, with Quark obviously up to no good and the rest of the crew trying to figure out just what that means. Sisko gets angry, Odo gets dour, Kira gets pissy, Quark gets evasive, Dax gets supportive... Etc. There's even the obligatory "Morn talks too much" joke. So while it's recognizably DS9, there isn't much to the story yet. Just a reintroduction of the cast and station for those who might not be all that familiar with the show. What saves the issue is the art, which is quirky and expressive. Montovani doesn't dwell on likenesses, but manages them well nonetheless, with beautifully rendered exterior shots, varied environments and alien extras, and dynamic panel choices.

DC Adventures: Time Masters Campaign

One campaign ends (so long and thanks for all the fish, Savage Worlds) and another begins. That shiny new DC Adventures core book beckons. Now, I've done a lot of superhero gaming, and specifically in the DC Universe too. So how do I make this round of games interesting and different?

Introducing the Time Masters Campaign!Our heroes basically take the place of Booster Gold in DC Comics' standard continuity. Rip Hunter will act as the guy who gives them their missions, which usually have something to do with protecting the timeline from ne'er-do-wells from across DC's multiverse. Is Per Degaton once again trying to help the Nazis win World War II? When Batman vanishes from history thanks to the Waynes' survival, can our heroes set wrong what once went right? And which version of the Legion will they meet THIS week? The whole of the DCU becomes my canvas as I take my cue from the Booster Gold series' mix of Quantum Leap and a tour of the DCU's most remembered moments. My players have been crafting heroes from across time, not just the Modern Era, who will weave in and out of Rip's HQ as their schedules allow.

So now I'm thinking... How do I accomplish this? Here's stuff I'd like to do with it:

Rip's TARDIS
I want to revamp Rip Hunter's HQ to better fit the multi-temporal nature of my team, so I'm looking to the already lamented Mighty Avengers series and Hank Pym's infinite mansion. Many doors across space, time and dimension lead to Rip's HQ, though they're keyed to the Time Masters' DNA/energy signature. Characters step in from the home time, then out to the mission and back.

Roll Call
The University year is about to make things more difficult for getting a regular group together, so this is specifically designed so that many players can participate, just not all the time. Rip will have many agents, but not use them all for every mission. He's recruited a number of strong, yet sufficiently marginal, heroes. In the real world, it'll more or less be first come first serve, rarely if ever topping 5 "seats" per session. Most characters look to be player-created, but some are interested in attempting Elseworlded versions of known characters. I definitely plan to slide known DC stars into the proceedings via guest stars (i.e. old players coming from out of town for just one session).

So where/when to?
That would be telling, wouldn't it? Without spoiling anything for my players, I do plan to create a couple of "hot spots" we can return to a couple times, creating somewhat of an "arc" despite the one-off games the format promises. World War II is always rife with possibilities, it'll come up. I'd also like to adapt some of the DC Heroes adventure modules I could never fit into our games because they took place in a strange time or tone. I think my players would appreciate visiting the Watchmen's Earth, for example. My biggest challenge will actually be the time travel element and the variety of stories that can be told with it. I don't want it to be a weekly Quantum Leap. It has to do more. Quests across time. Villains trying to interfere with events or who just shouldn't win according to Rip's "future" history. Waking up in alternate world dystopias and having to backtrack changes to the source. It could be lots of fun.

But each hero should have a home
My usual program of subplots will still go on, with characters facing problems in their home times. I like to play these just before sessions with players who came in early, or via email or MSN in between sessions, or at the coffee shop. This gives the players a chance to make their characters richer, but also score Hero Points in readiness for their next game. I've got Complication ideas for each of them, so it should be fun AND could generate actual group stories down the line.

Rip's blackboard
I've got to get myself a blackboard, whiteboard or other wide writing surface to put up behind me while I GM. On this board, all sorts of hints of both coming events in the DCU and in the game itself, all cryptic, Rip-style. Every week, some disappear, others appear, and I keep the players guessing. This is such a fun element of the Booster Gold series, I gotta have it.

Educating players
I may also have to lend comics, or keep them close to the table, as "research" for my players. "We're going way back to the events of Invasion!" "But half of us weren't even born then!" Hey, they can act as flashbacks, Rip's info-dumps or computer research.

So am I ready to punch through the time barrier? You bet I am! I just need to get my brain around this crazy thing the kids call d20...

Star Trek 1397: Ghosts, Issue 5

1397. Ghosts, Issue 5

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation - Ghosts #5, IDW Comics, March 2010

CREATORS: Zander Cannon (writer), Javier Aranda and Marc Rueda (artists)

STARDATE: 44751.7 (follows the last issue)

PLOT: Worf is meant to be executed at sunset by the Dorosshians, so Riker sends Data down to find him so he can be beamed up. Worf manages to slip out of his manacles, but is quickly recaptured. The scuffle does give his location up. However, the transporter is busy trying to blindly collect people in the Zoor energy dimension using coordinates transmitted via the Zoor ship's survivor who is half in and half out of it... and he's slipping into the other dimension more and more. Geordi realizes Juuletians have six fingers and must be using base 12 for their mathematics, which makes sense of the coordinates. They start beaming people to the ship. The survivor's wife, one of the scientists responsible for discovering Zoor energy feels responsible for its use as a weapon and chooses to remain behind. As the sun sets, Riker beams Picard and the former Dorosshian leader directly to Worf's location, preventing a tragedy. The Zoor ship survivor slips out of our universe, he and his wife are reunited in a timeless dimension. The Enterprise leaves, knowing this world is not ready for Federation membership, though the collaboration he forced between its peoples inside the void may bring them closer to it one day.

CONTINUITY: See previous issues (O'Brien, Tapestry). The Enterprise next heads for Q'onoS, presumably to pick up J'Dan (The Drumhead).

DIVERGENCES: See previous issues (stardates; the whole mission apparently lasted only about 6 hours). The cover's enemies have no relation to anyone pictured in the series.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Five-fingered Worf is a Houdini on Allios IV.
REVIEW: Again, there are some cool bits, like Picard's diplomatic skills, Worf's escape attempt and the reveal of the six fingered hands which had been hiding in plain sight. However, Ghosts' finale doesn't quite save the series from its forgettableness. Where kickassery was indicated, we instead have Data on a scouting mission that doesn't do a damn thing. He finds Worf, but Worf escapes by himself, only to be recaptured and saved at the last second some other way. Apparently, O'Brien was the only transporter dude on duty at the time (never mind that sensors have been more finicky than normal all series). The guilt-ridden scientists remaining behind was entirely predictable, and there's no real closure as we leave the planet behind with its troubles. Picard has acted haunted for five issues now, but we're not sure by what. It seems odd for him to contemplate his mortality in the middle of Season 4. And of course, there was always the awkward art, which couldn't even follow the script (where's the "glow" they refer to on the survivor's body, for example)? Cannon has some good ideas (and an infectious love of Worf), but ultimately, they just never gelled.

Posted Without Comment

From House of Mystery #160, July 1966.