Jab's He-Builds: Trap Jaw, Two-Bad, Bow, Angella, She-Ra

[Batgirl III]

Someone call Geoff Johns.

An ask him for the phone number of Kurt Busiek.

Well played, sir. Well played indeed.

[Jabroniville]

More Disney stuff:

Frontierland (stuff about the Wild West, since Walt built the park when Western stuff was SUPER-popular, and was probably a fan himself):
* Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- not that busy, and still fun. I liked the imagery more than the fairly low-key (though sharp-corner-turning) Rollercoaster. Oddly, they're closing this for the majority of 2013 to fix it up, and I'm not sure with what.
* Mark Twain Riverboat- this is pretty fun actually- I skipped it last time I guess. A big ol' Riverboat reminds me of "The Life & Times of Scrooge McDuck" and it's explanations of them, and there's some cheap-looking old-timey animatronic animals to be seen on the journey around Tom Sawyer Island, which I always get a kick out of.
* Tom Sawyer Island/Pirates Lair- A fun playground for kids, with some cool tunnels not designed for anyone over 5'5" (Seriously- ouch) containing some pop-out skeletons and stuff. A nice way to blow 45 minutes or so, and kids would like it more. Some "Pirates of the Caribbean" stuff has inundated this area, too- I never saw the original Tom Sawyer Cabin or any of that (not that any kids would even know who that is these days).
* Unfortunately the rad Sailing Ship Columbia was set up for Fantastmic & other stuff, so it wasn't used. That thing is a thing of BEAUTY.

Fantasyland (the "generic" land with mainly Disney movie-related stuff):
* Alice in Wonderland- Some decent cartoon animatronics, though pretty forgettable.
* It's a Small World- Some people are so dumb- this has been advertised on the "www.disneyland.com" site as being closed for repairs after Oct. 21st, and people STILL didn't get it. I knew a month ahead of time that I would have exactly one day to see it. It's as mind-numbingly-brain-hurting as they say, but still a necessary visit for the park. It's just so quirky and old-timey- some purists get upset over the inclusion of a few Disney characters in the old "identical puppets wearing ethnic garb" displays, but purists get upset over everything. Would they prefer the park stay as it did in 1955, with terrible old rides?
* I skipped Dumbo, the Tea Party, the Carrousel and other kiddie rides. They're fun to look at, but I can't imagine waiting in line to spin in teacups. The Carrousel is a work of ART, though.
* The Matterhorn- Fun as always. WAY too long a line-up considering that it's an ancient rollercoaster (1959!) with cheap animatronics, but I like the whole theme. I stayed in line for like 35 minutes one day because I failed to notice the "Singles Line" way up front- dangit.
* Mr. Toad's Wild Ride- Arguably the most fun ride in the park, despite being more ancient and behind-the-times than anything else there. Way more fun than the more-advanced Alice, Peter Pan & Pinocchio.
* Peter Pan's Flight- Quite advanced puppetry (though apparently only from 1983's updated version, which is quite impressive. Though I guess I'm easily impressed by 3-D moving figures) and a really nice set-up, particularly the London-At-Night bit, though the wait (I waited until after the Halloween thing started and was stuck there for almost half-an-hour- this thing loads SLOWLY) kind of spoils it. Not a major thing, though.
* Pinocchio's Daring Journey- Generic dark-animatronic ride. Not very interesting (more just "hey, here's some scenes from that movie!"), but those kids turning into donkeys... *shudder*. In a funny bit of personification/anthropomorphization, someone on a Disney forum actually points out that they "feel bad for" this ride, because it almost NEVER has a long line, no matter how busy the park is.
* Snow White's Scary Adventures- Generic dark ride like the others, though the Witch is like "Childhood Nightmare Fuel" incarnate. She just keeps showing up to freak you out.
* Sleeping Beauty Castle- Still a great piece of design work (and very short, amplified with forced perspective), and there's some great little dioramas inside that reflect the film. The hallways are a Grade-A pain to get around in, thanks to the thin walkways and the tendency of people to crowd around in them, but that doesn't entirely spoil it. There's a neat bridge to the side of the main bridge that has a wishing well, Snow White singing, and the lady and the dwarves in little statues also- Snow White herself is the same height as the Dwarves, enhanced with more of the same "forced perspective" (ie. she's up higher and to the back so your eyes automatically assume she's taller because she's so "far away").

Mickey's Toontown (what was going to be "Mickey Land" and got fixed to the popular Roger Rabbit thing when his movie came out):
* Mickey & Minnie's House- more fun for the puns & historical stuff- it's basically a set of well-decorated lines for kids to meet the Mice- I bailed before those points since I didn't care about that bit.
* A bunch of kid play-areas for the most part- some Boat, a Treehouse, etc. Gadget's Go-Coaster is now easily the most-obscure Disney character reference in the park ("Rescue Rangers" was a heck of a long time ago).
* Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin- a fun ride, but ridiculously busy most of the time. Fastpass made it easier, though.

Tomorrowland (beacon of "What 1950s People Thought The Future Would Be Like", which is fun in and of itself):
* Space Mountain- one bugger of a popular ride, and for good reason. The indoor roller-coaster things makes for a cool visual, and the craziness of being chased by Ghost Galaxy space-phantom is great. The ambiance is terrific thanks to the darkness and the starfield backdrop. GET THERE EARLY- this is the most popular ride in the park, and Fastpasses are gone by noon, with hour-long lines the rest of the time.
* Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters- A "Lazer Tag" thing, but on a ride in a moving area. It's pretty popular so I only rode once, but I could've done it again. Fun stuff- the Toy Story movies' popularity makes me wonder why they didn't do all of this sooner.
* Captain EO- Yes, they brought back the SUPER-80s Michael Jackson 3-D attraction. It`s just SO dated that you can't help but love it. MJ teams up with some stereotypically-80s aliens (including one so incompetent that he should have just killed him- HE ATE THE MAP TO THE BAD GUY?!?). Any movie where the hero defeats the Evil Empire by singing and dancing at them to turn them into '80s dancers (spoiler alert!) is awesome. The music is LOUD, though- apparently I didn't deaften myself with my headphones like my parents always warned I would, because this is like ear-bleedingly-intense.
* Finding Nemo Thing- an underwater submarine ride with apparently legendary line-ups (I spent more time just waiting for the sub to unload than waiting on Sunday night). I never saw all of "Nemo", and the ride mainly has some animatronics with a bunch of clips of the movie (really, if I wanted to watch clips I'd just BUY THE FREAKING MOVIE!!), so I don't get the big screaming deal.
* Innoventions- a space-filler with some advanced tech and "The Home of the Future". I'd kind of prefer the 50s-style Jetsons-ish futuristic stuff because it's so quaint- this just seems like shallow advertising and space-filler.
* Star Tours- Epic line-ups, but I got there early. Unfortunately I forgot there were multiple "variations" of locations to visit in this 3-D sit-down ride, so I only went on it once (I saw the underwater Gungan world and Kashyyyk with a Wookie windshield encounter). Pretty okay, but I wasn't majorly into it. I liked the old Robot Host better than C-3PO as an accidental driver.
* I skipped Autopia and the other things since they were more kiddie. Tomorrowland is EASILY the most overall crowded part of the park, with swarms of people all over the place.

[Jabroniville]

DEADPOOL (Wade Wilson)
Created By: Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld
First Appearance: The New Mutants #98 (Feb. 1991)
Role: Unexpected Triumph, Crazy Guy, Fourth-Wall-Breaking Guy, Smart-Assed Assassin
Group Affiliation: Weapon X Program, X-Force, The Deadpool Corps., Agency-X, Landau Luckman & Lake, The Maggia, The Frightful Four, The Secret Defenders, The Heroes For Hire, Six Pack, The X-Men
PL 11 (199)
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 7
FIGHTING 14 DEXTERITY 7
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+14)
Athletics 7 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+14)
Deception 5 (+6)
Expertise (Assassin) 7 (+7)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 8 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+4)
Investigation 1 (+2)
Perception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+3)
Stealth 1 (+8)
Technology 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Daze (Deception), Diehard, Equipment 6 (Guns, Sword, Spy Tech), Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical 2 (Sword, Gun), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 2 (Various), Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Seize Initiative, Startle, Takedown 2, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Ultimate Healing Factor"
Regeneration 12 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [13]
Immunity 2 (Poison, Aging, Disease) (Flaws: First Two Limited to Half-Effect) [2]

"Psychotic" Immunity 20 (Mental Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [10]

"Personal Teleportation Device" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [17]
Teleport 7 (Extras: Extended, Accurate) (28 points)

Equipment:
"Guns" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18) -- (20)

AE: "Sword" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Penetrating 4) (6)
AE: "Grenade" Blast 6 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Diminished Range -1) (17)

Offense:
Unarmed +15 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Sword +14 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Grenade +6 Area (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Guns +12 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +11

Defenses:
Dodge +15 (DC 25), Parry +15 (DC 25), Toughness +5, Fortitude +8, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Insanity)- Deadpool is flat-out, full-blown nuts. He is almost incapable of being series for any length of time, jokes about everything (often in an inappropriate matter), lusts after elderly women, and kills people for money.
Motivation (Money)- Deadpool has been known to switch sides mid-assignment for cash.
Relationship (Bea Arthur)- Wade Wilson has only one true love.
Relationship (Siryn)- Next to his beloved Bea, the beautiful Irish lass Theresa Cassidy is his most-beloved relation. Her feelings for him are more complicated, as she's usually hooked up with other fellows.
Relationship (Copycat)- Vanessa Carlyle was another stooge of the crimelord Tolliver, and was dating Wilson for a long time. Since both are amoral monsters, it doesn't work out well, and they've often tried to kill each other.

Total: Abilities: 80 / Skills: 52--26 / Advantages: 34 / Powers: 42 / Defenses: 17 (199)

-Deadpool is a guy who was pretty much unexpected to become a huge runaway success with several solo books, a movie appearance and his own video game. After all, he was created by Rob Liefeld among a HUGE swath of guys clearly designed from whatever characters he had on his sketch pad that day- his contemporaries include forgotten nobodies like Gideon, Crule, The Mutant Liberation Front, and minor X-characters like Domino and Feral. Even Shatterstar went forgotten for a long time, and is really only like 21st in line for "popular X-Men characters". He wasn't even original- his status as a Deathstroke rip-off was so obvious that they named him "Wade Wilson" after "Slade Wilson"! So it's all the crazier that yet another one of Liefeld's gun & sword-wielding eye-circle-having people became a major character.

-Funny thing is, it's scarcely on Liefeld's shoulders. Initially, Deadpool was a smart-ass who got beat by the newly-introduced Domino and humiliatingly mailed back to his boss Mr. Tolliver in a box. All he did that was impressive in his debut was beat Shatterstar! But he was funny enough (thanks to Fabian Nicieza's dialogue) that fans geled to him quickly, and he's start snarking it up in a few random X-Force issues (I laughed my ass off when he cracked wise while carrying a fatally-injured Black Tom Cassidy through the World Trade Centre wreckage- demolished by Juggernaut, not an airplane- and added "and stop bleeding on me"), and only got drawn by Rob maybe three or four times in that entire span.

-Wade had a few more X-Force appearances under Greg Capullo's pencil, but really didn't show up very often. Curiously, despite many fans being into him (the letters page had more Deadpool stuff than half the X-Force characters), they REALLY didn't push him too hard. In fact, this happened quite a lot during the 1990s- they would have a hot character and just wouldn't pull the trigger on them, seemingly witholding them from the fans- the same thing happened to Magik (fans were DESPERATE for Illyana to come back... instead they killed her) and Blink (a popular early-fatality of the "Generation-X" book). It was stubborn and weird. Wade would take a few years before he REALLY took off, being written by a group of good comedy writers. His series was beyond irreverant, featured Fourth-Wall-Breaking the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days of John Byrne's She-Hulk run, and was altogether hilarious stuff.

-Overall, I heavily prefer a book that's funny because the hero is weird and cynically cracks jokes about things with pitch-black dark humour, than a book that's "funny" because the heroes all have stupid names and powers, or do stupid things. This is what makes Deadpool better than The Great Lakes Avengers in my mind- it's self-consciously, ironically funny and cracks wise at the industry itself without trying to be all "BWAH-HAH-HAHA AREN'T WE HUMOROUS!?!?"

-Deadpool tends to have some high stats around here, but I didn't wanna go too nuts- his key advantage is less his various skills (though he IS quite skilled), but the fact that he's damn near unkillable. He's regenerated from decapitation, near-vaporization, having a hole the size of Rosie O'Donnell blasted through him with a laser gun, and more. And he regenerates FAST, too- he makes Wolverine & Sabretooth look like slowpokes. Overall, he's good enough a fighter to hold off any PL 11 for a good while, and his stamina makes him extremely dangerous. For some reason, many people assume he has superhuman strength, and I don't recall EVER seeing a hint of that in the comics, and it's not mentioned anymore anyhow, so he's basically a Captain America-level physical specimen with great martial arts.

[Gazman]

Glad you had a good vacation. Now with Disney buying LucasFilm, do you think next time you'll see Star Wars in Tomorrowland or will they build a whole new theme park?

With regards to Deadpool having super human strength I am thinking specifically of a Cable and Deadpool issue where Wade forgot he murdered some dude. The investigation finds that the killer could jump like twenty feet at a go and could hold aloft and snap the neck of a grown man with just two fingers. Deadpool is explicitly called out as having superhuman strength. I'm sure that's not the only time either. I think the healing factor lets him push his muscles beyond human endurance or something like that,

[Jabroniville]

More Disney stuff:
"Fantasmic" is OH SO AWESOME. It was unbelievably rad, and much better than "World of Color" (which is really just a bunch of montages from films)- Mickey (a live actor) has a dream, which soon becomes a nightmare, as Maleficent, Ursual and the Evil Queen team up to summon CHERNOBOG (aka the pants-crapping nightmare god of "Fantasia") while Peter Pan & Captain Hook fight aboard the Columbia pirate ship. Maleficent turns into a 40-foot animatronic DRAGON, before Mickey goes all "oh yeah, you're tough- but this is MY imagination!" and blows her the hell up with a fireworks display. EPIC.

I saw fairly few characters aside from Parades- the only major one I would have marked out for would be Uncle Scrooge thanks to the awesome comics about him. I saw a bunch of the Princesses in the meet & greet (meant for young children and perverted adult males ), and let me just say that YEEEEOOOOOWWWW- this is apparently where Miss American contestants go when they want a steady job. These are some STUNNING women (I learned later that most of them are actresses that play multiple Princesses- this might be why the ethnic princesses are more rare- they gotta pay one girl to play one role). I vote Aurora as the most beautiful one there, though Belle is always unquestionably awesome and spectacular. Cinderella is a close call. I was gonna check out the Pixie Hollow thing, but it's kind of hidden, and the line-up is just as bad (I poke fun at the "Multi-Racial Team Dynamic" thing and the whole commercialization of Tinker Bell, but OH WOW does it ever work).

The only unfortunate things about the whole "Princess" deal are that it leaves out some pretty good heroines just because they aren't princesses (not that Mulan is really one anyways- and how is The Beast a Prince if his family is never seen? Shouldn't he just be a King?), and that many of the characters are the same old "I want MORE" girl after a point. Merida was included with the girls this time around (I didn't see Rapunzel or the "ethnic" Princesses aside from Tiana either), but was played by the same typical beautiful young woman type rather than a teenage girl. Disney makes a TON of money off of this whole deal as well- something like $3 BILLION a year!

The line-up there is pretty long, and mostly full of little kids, so I didn't wanna stick around for pictures (I mean, what's sadder than grown men waiting in a line full of children getting pictures taken with hot princesses? Two guys in line did just that, and Ariel clearly was taken aback a bit before laughing it off). It seems to be way too much effort to be a pervert- I'm more of the natural garden-variety pervert who just ogles a bit from the sidelines rather than aiming for a sexy picture, ya know?

Some of the shops are pretty great- Downtown Disney is a cool shopping district, and they have a Disney store the size of a department store there! There's some GREAT anime-style artwork of the Princesses on some shirts, but sadly they're all shirts for little girls, so I didn't feel like buying them . Funny moment- at one point, I was admiring a series of pictures on a random package I saw, and people kind of walked by giving me some odd, lingering looks. I then realized that I was holding a package of little girls' panties in my hand.

Later: California Adventure, Universal Studios & San Diego.

[Jabroniville]

THE MAD THINKER
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #15 (June 1963)
Role: The Mad Scientist's Mad Scientist
Group Affiliations: The Maggia, The Intelligencia, The Triumvirate of Terror
PL 8 (156), PL 10 (156) Scientist
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 10 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Science) 10 (+20)
Expertise (History) 2 (+12)
Insight 4 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Investigation 5 (+9)
Perception 4 (+8)
Technology 10 (+20)
Treatment 1 (+11)
Vehicles 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Defensive Attack, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 15 (Base, Computers, Flying Hover-Thingie, Weapons, etc.), Jack-of-All-Trades, Ranged Combat 6, Skill Mastery 2 (Technology & Science), Ultimate Skill (Technology), Well-Informed

Powers:
"Surgically-Implanted Radio Projector"
Remote Sensing 16 (Hearing & Sight) (Flaws: Limited to His Own Robots) [32]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Ray Gun +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (Reed Richards)- Like most early Fantastic Four enemies, The Mad Thinker is obsessed with proving himself to be smarter than Reed Richards.
Reputation (Mad)- He prefers to be called "The Thinker", but the other appelation stuck.
Responsibility (Code of Conduct)- Despite being an evil douche, the Thinker will not willfully endanger the lives of children. He once broke up a partnership with The Wizard because it would likely kill Franklin Richards.
Responsibility (The X-Factor)- A master planner, the Thinker's plans are often foiled by some random "x-factor" forcing it's way onto the scene. He once had a plan ruined because Spider-Man happened to come upon him, and after capturing The Avengers, he was foiled by Hercules, who had just recently become a member (after the Thinker came up with his plan).

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 48--24 / Advantages: 29 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 13 (156)

-The Thinker (or Mad Thinker, as everyone else calls him) is an old-school FF villain, so much so that he's just a generic mad scientist and that's it. No tragic past (we don't even KNOW his past), nothing else to him, he's just a mean, vicious, rival scientist who messes stuff up and tries to steal Reed Richards' inventions. And actually, he had a TON of appearances in his day- rather than just over-use Dr. Doom all the time, the FF book used him as pretty much the token "HERE'S my new plan!" nemesis, with appearances in countless books). He's pretty much rarely gets used these days, though, as the Mad Scientist was virtually a dead trope, but he's started showing up again as a background villain, and years of insight have given me new realizations about a guy I once dismissed as a "lame", forgettable villain. Kind of a classic, with his ugly Jack Kirby design and crazed persona, so I don't mind him these days.

-The Mad Thinker is one of the few characters who comes close to Reed Richards & Dr. Doom in sheer intellect, INT 10 to their INT 12s. Less of an inventive genius than Reed (note the lack of Inventor for such a brilliant mind), he often swipes other people's concepts and inventions, but he makes up for it with a near-Precognitive level of planning genius (often thrown into disorder by a single x-factor like Spider-Man wandering into a battleground, or something), understanding of the most complex principles, and his Awesome Android. He can also project his consciousness into his own robots, which I choose to stat up as more of a Remote Sensing than a Mind Switch/Affliction thing (since his robots automatically let him take control). Like most super-geniuses, he's not a real combatant, and needs his Robots & Androids to fight for him.

---



THE AWESOME ANDROID (Awesome Andy)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #15 (June 1963)
Role: Android Mook
Group Affiliations: Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway
PL 12 (180)
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA -- AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Computers) 6 (+4)
Expertise (Civics) 4 (+2)
Expertise (Office Worker) 4 (+2)
Intimidation 10 (+8, +10 Size)
Perception 4 (+2)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grapple, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle, Takedown 2, Ultimate Toughness Save

Powers:
"Android Body"
Immunity 40 (Fortitude, Mental Effects) [40]
Growth 4 (Str & Toughness +4, +4 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -4 Stealth) -- (12 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 11) [19]
Power-Lifting 1 (50 tons) [1]
Regeneration 4 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [5]
"Gale-Force Wind" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) Linked to Damage 6 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) [17]

"Mimicking One Power"
Variable 3 (Multiple Body-Based Powers) (Extras: Reaction +3) (Flaws: Limited to Those Touched) [27]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Boosted Strength From The Thing +10 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +12, Fortitude --, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Mute)
Involuntary Transformation (Immobile)- Awesome Andy shuts down when a switch in his left armpit is switched.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 118 / Defenses: 17 (180)

-The Mad Thinker created his Awesome Android (back when "awesome" was a standard positive word to add to make something sound impressive- not Surfer Slang) to fight the Fantastic Four, and it did some mimicking, and beat them around for a bit, before ultimately being beaten. He showed up a handful of times over the years but, being more dated than even the Thinker himself, he became one of those villains that nobody ever really thought about anymore, and vanished. More recent She-Hulk stories using a lot of old goofy Marvel concepts re-introduced him as Awesome Andy, having gained a level of sentience. This lasted a few years, but he eventually left the book, and lo, there he is again, under the thumb of the Mad Thinker. Again. See, this is why it doesn't pay to give old-school little-seen characters power or personality upgrades. You know how many damn times I've seen Electro gain power-ups over the years?

-The Awesome Android is PL 10 in his base form as a super-sized dumb Powerhouse, but upon touching Ben Grimm or somebody, he can Mimic a few properties, and gain in PL, eventually becoming PL 12. I'm pretty sure Strength 10 is where he sits normally- upon Mimicking The Thing he can go higher. The Mimic doesn't go very far, and is limited to only 15 Power Points, but it's Action is all the way up to Reaction, allowing him to steal powers just by being punched. He's pretty dumb (and is even worse without sentience- he loses Int & Cha entirely), and is quite cheap, but he's about as good as you can get for a Robot Minion. Since I don't think he has much discernable anatomy, or be KO'd, I think the Android is a Fortitude-Immune non-living entity, though others have built him with a Con score.

[FuzzyBoots]

Nice write-ups. I'd say that, if Master Plan were still a thing in 3E, it'd be an excellent Advantage for The Mad Thinker, modeling him using his plan at the right moment to get an edge on the heroes.

I kind of liked the Ultimate version as well, recasting the character as Rhona, a girl who did crude surgery on her brother to graft parts of his brain to hers to give her extra processing power. ^_^ Still largely unexplained, but I liked the pseudoscience vibe of it, where it left you mildly uncertain whether she actually succeeded or if she was that smart all along.

[Horsenhero]

First off...good call on not going all creepy perv with the princesses at Disney. There's a time and place for perviness (college parties, strip clubs, political conventions) and Disney ain't it. So mad props for your decision making skills.

Secondly, loving the Mad Thinker and his massive minion. Do you think we could see Zaarko the Tomorrow man and Servitor sometime? They were a fun couple of Thor jobbers.

[scc]

Can't go wrong with mad scientist. He should be PL 10 due to his science and technology skills.

[Jabroniville]

First off...good call on not going all creepy perv with the princesses at Disney. There's a time and place for perviness (college parties, strip clubs, political conventions) and Disney ain't it. So mad props for your decision making skills.

Hee hee, it's like being proud of something that any normal person should be able to decide on their own .

If I did, I'd have looked like a younger, balder version of this douchebag: http://tackytouristphotos.com/2009/07/d ... rincess-1/
Or THIS guy!! WHO DOES THIS?!?: http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-r ... ead-3.html

Secondly, loving the Mad Thinker and his massive minion. Do you think we could see Zaarko the Tomorrow man and Servitor sometime? They were a fun couple of Thor jobbers.

Sure! In fact, I'll build him so efficiently that I'll already have a link done in the past!

Zarrko

Though you just got back to the Think Tank, so I don't blame you for not being up-to-date on my current assortment of Marvel Card-themed builds! I should publically welcome you back, by the way. And I'm not sure what his Servitor was capable of beyond being a generic Robot, but I can toss him in.

Can't go wrong with mad scientist. He should be PL 10 due to his science and technology skills.

THUNDER AND DAMNATION! I have made that accursed mistake more times than I can count- it's just so RARE to have a guy require a PL upgrade thanks to his Skills (most heroes are between PL 8 & 11, and don't have many Skills going beyond +18-21).

[Jabroniville]

Kirby drew some weird-looking villains in his day, but SHEESH.

THE PUPPET MASTER (Phillip Masters)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #8 (Nov. 1962)
Role: Mind Controller
PL 13 (70)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 6 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+12)
Expertise (Art) 8 (+13)
Insight 2 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+5)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Mental Control Via Puppets Sculped From Radioactive Clay"
Affliction 13 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Cumulative, Perception-Ranged +2) (Flaws: Requires Puppet Sculpted From Radioactive Clay, Instant Recovery, Distracting, Limited to One Person at a Time) [8]
Senses 4 (Detect Puppets' Subjects, Ranged 3) [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Alicia Masters)- Alicia and her mother were the only positive influences in Phillip Masters' life, and he is still devoted to her. The thought of her marrying a Fantastic Four member turns his skin.
Enemy (The Fantastic Four)- Phillip has confounded the team again and again, frequently teaming with The Mad Thinker to destroy them.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 6 (70)

-The Puppet Master is a recurring FF foe who shows up less and less these days, since he's rather goofy (a long-eyelashed bald man who controls people like puppets to stop boys from dating his stepdaughter). He's a particularly nasty case of "Back To Basics Syndrome" as well, as he's repeatedly reformed, died, and undergone a new "status quo", only to return to his status as a villainous character no matter what. He's generally a one-shot foe, and a handy way to make the heroes fight each other (something that "Civil War" made a heck of a lot easier), though there's been some nice moments with Alicia Masters and him, as they really do have affection for each other.

-Phillip is a minor threat except for his Mind Controlling Puppets, though there's so many limitations on it (Distracting, Limited, Requires Puppets) that it's super-cheap. It does allow him further reach with Mind Control than most characters have, as he has more sensory power (though even that has limits). Still, PL 13 in PL 13- Mind Control-based characters are often rather high in Power Level, since the heroes almost NEVER break the control until the story's climax.

[Jabroniville]

California Adventure (the bastard child of the franchise) was on Monday, and it's pretty good- there's some haters, and it's nowhere near as good as Disneyland, and it's more a random assortment of rides and attractions instead of any coherent thing (lots of space-filler, and parts of the park resemble either old-timey Los Angeles or a Generic Theme Park), but it's still okay. And MAN is that "Cars Land" with it's Radiator Springs ride a huge attraction- people were literally RUNNING there on the Magic Hour, creating an hour-long line-up within TEN MINUTES of park opening. People were waiting in the Fastpass lane EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T OPEN FOR ANOTHER HOUR. Thankfully, I wandered up to a "singles line" and spent more time walking up to the front than I did actually waiting in line). Despite all that, the ride was merely "good". I never understood the appeal of "Cars"- both movies were at-best "alright", and never very good, and yet little kids eat that stuff up with a spoon and the toys sell millions. Considering how much of the Disney & Pixar franchises is a thousand times better than "Cars", yet the movies get all this hype upsets me. Screw you, "Cars". However, the Mater puppet/animatronic in the attraction was probably the most-advanced such creation I've ever seen- it literally looks and acts just like the film character.

The whole "It's Tough to be a Bug" performance (part of "a bug's land", with mostly kiddie rides) is fun just for the crazed reaction from children, though it's not as awful as some parents have complained (the Unofficial Guidebook has some HILARIOUS notes from parents who witnessed their children absolutely lose their **** in the theatre). Basically it's a normal 3-D theatre thing (with some water and air spraying you), until BOOOOOM!! The giant grasshopper dude from the movie pops in as a super-advanced 20-foot tall animatronic monster, he screams at the audience repeatedly, then drops black widow spiders the size of watermelons directly over your head. Holy CRAP- entertaining as hell, if only for watching the children around you shriek with mortal terror at the real-ish looking spiders.

Other stuff:
* Disney Animation- A great, interesting museum-ish thing about various aspects of animation. They had lots of models and sets from "Frankenweenie" (ie. the actual ones from the movie), a phenomenal 3-D Zoetrope of "Toy Story" characters (inspired by a "Totoro" one at the Miyazaki Museum in Japan), lots of animation-themed stuff, a class on "How To Draw" (Winnie the Pooh and others- mostly drawn from grids and circles), and more. "Turtle Talk with Crush" is a Nemo-themed thing where a CGI Turtle actually talks in real-time with the audience, using some high-tech stuff.
* Monsters Inc.- It's funny how long it took this park to become a Pixar-themed thing. Really, those movies do SO WELL they were almost foolish to wait as long as they did. It's a pretty generic dark ride, though I like the way the chameleon guy changes colour when Boo bonks him (one of his spots is a Hidden Mickey!). Dark rides are hard to screw up- even mediocre ones are still quite good.
* Muppet-Vision 3-D- It's always good to see the Muppets around. Fozzie doing his hokey comedy is great, as is Statler & Waldorf (as actual puppets in the Muppet Theatre you're sitting in- yes it's a life-size version fo the theatre from the show) insulting members of the audience ("That's a great Halloween mask!.... Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am"). I actually forget most of this oddly enough, but it was good.
* California Screamin'- A SERIOUS Rollercoaster, almost appearing out of place except for the whole "Generic California Theme Park" concept. This is actually the first real coaster I ever rode, and it was pretty fun. I actually dig the whole "being thrown around and looped about thing". The only problem, oddly? Three tiny little hills at the end, where you just kinda go up and down very quickly. Yeah, apparently that's a motion-sickness inducer, so I didn't eat anything for like an hour :). Thankfully I have a cast iron stomach (I haven't barfed in seven years... well there was one time and beer was to blame, but that only happened once).

* Twilight Zone Tower of Terror- Hey, guess what ride is REALLY BAD TO RIDE after you get motion sickness? It's a fun little theme based off of the TV show (one that I've never seen, though is apparenly required-viewing by all writers ever), culminating in a giant seating-arrangement basically throwing you up and down a seven-story building. Uh, yeah, not a fan of rises and sudden drops, apparently. A great overall attraction, though. It's apparently much different than the Disney World version (which sends you around one room- this one never leaves the elevator shaft).
* The Little Mermaid- This is very underrated- people are complaining that it's worse than "Pirates of the Caribbean"... well NO KIDDING- it's one of the best theme park rides EVER. The animatronics are very well done (you have skin-baring puppets actually moving about without noticeable fakery), and it captures the overall story. The only "issue" is that it's ridiculously colourful given the theme, making the "dark ride" less able to draw you in with it's scenery- it's as cartoony as it gets.
* Grizzly River Run is a bit simple- just a big raft-ride around not-very-steep waterfalls. If any ride requires some bigger scares and animatronic animals, it's this one. It gets a HUGE amount of hype from people, though (and is apparently the best raft ride ever). Unfortunately I only rode once, and it apparently gives you different experiences sometimes (like dark caverns and stuff).
* Soarin' Over California- Patrick Warburton is your pilot (!!!), taking you in some big hanging chair things over a giant 3-D screen of Californian sites. It's a huge part of the park (I got in ahead of most lines, thanks to being a Resort Guest), but is rather weird in parts. You're supposed to feel like you're actually flying over California all immersive and stuff, except you can often see the top of the screen, and most of the scenes have direct transitions to the next scene- would it kill them to add some fades or "you're flying over a dark spot and pop out at another location" stuff? It's literally just "you're flying over a beach and suddenly you cut to a different thing".
* Toy Story Midway Mania- Sorta like the Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland, but with 3-D imagery and laser stuff instead of a "moving animatronics" thing. This is SERIOUSLY popular, as a new ride featuring the most popular cartoon franchise ever, but I liked the first ride better, since it's a dark ride/animatronic thing and not just shooting and pictures on a screen. I assume it takes a while to get good at it, because while I thought I was doing okay, I only got 65,000 points and the top for the day was over 300,000.

I skipped most of the other generic carnie rides, and World of Color was cool, though more of a nostalgic trip than anything (it plays HD footage over a wall of mist, which is sort of defeating the purpose of HD), what with all the old school movie clips and songs they play. Fantasmic is still much better, though.

Overall I still liked it, and stayed there all day (Early Magic Hour till it closed at 8 pm), though I could've cut a few hours off to go back to Disneyland (I had a park hopper ticket) but didn't feel like bouncing around all day. Thematically, it's much weaker.

[Jabroniville]

DIABLO (Esteban Corezon de Ablo)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #30 (Sept. 1964)
Role: Recurring Minor Foe
PL 11 (176)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 5 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+12)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 6 (+11)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)
Sleight of Hand 5 (+10)
Stealth 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Artificer, Beginner's Luck, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 5, Startle

Powers:
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
"Suspended Animation" Immunity 10 (Life Support) (Flaws: Immobile -2) [3]

"Master of Alchemy"
"Alchemical Gadgets" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [74]
Variable 9 (Alchemical Tricks) (63)

(Common Powers)
Blast 11 (22)
"Water-Breathing Elixir" Immunity (Drowning, Pressure) (Extras: Affects Others) (4)
"Hallucinogenic Bomb" Affliction 11 (Fort; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed to Random Actions) (Extras: Cumulative, Area- 30ft. Cloud +2) (44)
Transform (Any Element to Another) 8 (32)
"Acid Potion" Damage 7 (Feats: Accurate 2, Reach 2) Linked to Weaken 10 (Feats: Accurate 2, Reach 2) (23)
"Deflatable Body" Insubstantial 2 (10)
"Ice Cloud" Snare 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cloud +2) (Flaws: Touch Range) (40)
"Healing Potion" Healing 10 (20)
"Muscle Relaxant" Affliction 11 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (33)
"Suspended Animation Bomb" Immunity 10 (Life Support) (Extras: Affects Others +0, Area- 30ft. Cloud +2) (Flaws: Immobile -2) Linked to Affliction 6 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Incapacitated) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cloud +2, Progressive +2 (45)

"Potions of Animation" Summon Animated Creatures 6 (Extras: Horde, 8 Minions +6, Active) (60)
-- (123 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Blast +10 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Hallucinogenic Bomb +11 Area (+11 Affliction, DC 21)
Acid Potion +10 (+7 Damage & +10 Weaken, DC 22 & 20)
Ice Cloud +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Muscle Relaxant +10 (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Suspended Animation Bomb +6 Area (+6 Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Enemy (The Fantastic Four)- Diablo was first revived by the FF, and has fought them ever since. He only rarely confronts other heroes.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 78 / Defenses: 17 (176)

-Diablo's a minor Fantastic Four villain, known as less of a powerhouse and more as a trickster, though he's certainly very unique as far as powers go. Using Alchemy and Immortality he gained from Mephiso, he's replicated tons of other powers from within his costume, from summoning minions to do his dirty work, to creating acid, sleep gas, etc. It's too bad he's so hard to write for (and has such a goofy-ass Kirby costume), because otherwise he'd be a terrific recurring villain. I've really only seen him a couple times, and one was in a backdrop issue set of Spider-Man (full of half-issues to make up for Erik Larsen losing his house in a fire and being delayed with his issues).

-Essentially, Diablo acts like a Wizard, but more with the Gadgets power than the Magic one- he can replicate just about any effect, as long as he has his potion & elixir-filled costume, and it takes him relatively little time to switch out one power for another. He's got a huge list of things he can do (it's basically Variable Power, really), at a pretty good level of effectiveness, though he's still rather cheap for someone who threatens the ENTIRE Fantastic Four on occasion. I suppose that's because he's more of a planner and "Minion Guy" that real powerhouse- he can hold the FF down with his Snares, and burn them with his Acids, but he's not a good enough fighter to beat them in a straight-up brawl (like most Mages, he's a Glass Cannon that can't take a punch, and needs that Summon Animated Object power of his).

[BlindPugh]

Always glad to see Puppet Master, when used well he can produce some creepy stories like eyes without a face from Marvel Knights 4. And I have an irrational love of Diablo, I was enough of a mythology/occult geek as a kid that just the idea of an Alchemist supervillain made me happy, add to that fact the first time I saw him was not only against my favourite F4 lineup (Ben's team) but also revealed he had a magic moustache, how could I not love him?

Very glad to see Esteban statted up as a threat to a major league team on his own, the way he should be. Great build all round.

[Jabroniville]

CRUSADER (Arthur Charles Blackwood)
Created By: Alan Zelenetz & Bob Hall
First Appearance: Thor #330 (April 1983)
Role: Recurring Minor Foe, Religious Zealot
PL 10 (86)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4/11 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Religion) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 1 (+2)

Advantages:
Power Attack

Powers:
"Faith Begets Power" (All Powers Have Flaws: Directly Dependent Upon Faith; Can Be Lost With Failed Will Saves)
Enhanced Strength 8 [8]
Enhanced Stamina 7 [7]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [1]

"Sword" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [6]
Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Improved Critical, Penetrating 7) (10 points)

"Shield" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [3]
Enhanced Dodge & Parry 2 (4 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Faith Boost +7 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Sword +7 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (+9 Shield, DC 17-10), Parry +7 (+9 Shield, DC 17-19), Toughness +4 (+11 With Faith), Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Killing Sinners)- Crusader is a bargain-basement religious extremist, out to kill sinners and/or pagans.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 8 (86)

-Crusader is an odd character, coming out of that late-70s early-80s era where it suddenly became okay to criticize religion and the religious in the comic pages. Crusader was a failed seminary student (he was super-devout to the point where even his superiors were like "Dude, cool off") who gained all the power of his ancestors to kill pagans, namely Thor. However, after this first strong showing (he dealt THOR a near-fatal wound!), his New Villain Stink wore right the hell off, and he soon jobbed to The Black Knight and Luke Cage, neither of whom is anywhere near Thor's power level. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the "pick and choose" type of proof I can use to justify my relatively short spread of Power Levels .

-The Crusader tended to do rather well for himself at first, but quickly lose confidence/faith, and thus get beaten. The recurring theme is that his sword would be shattered (do all his enemies automatically get Improved Smash against him or what?), thus breaking his faith, and he then jobs. He's PL 10 at his peak, but rapidly lowers as the fight goes on, making him a jobber. As a pretty one-note villain, he ends up quite cheap despite his power.