Superhero Media: One Punch Man

So this anime was memeing pretty hard and I figured I should probably check it out. Something about a guy who was so strong he could kill anything with only one punch. Given the tedium that overpowered anime and video game characters tends to inspire in me, I was reluctant to get started. What anyone failed to tell me was that the protagonist, Saitama, suffers from such a degree of existential ennui that he is occasionally unable to function and borders upon suicidal. No one mentioned that One Punch Man was a pastiche of exactly the kind of overused tropes and cliches that I'm growing sick of in comics, anime, films and video games and that there are some unique concepts explored very cleverly. Also, there's big fights and a really strong guy, that's what really counts, right? 

 

Of all the overpowered anime characters to grace the small screen, Saitama is by far the most humble and, frankly, the most reasonable I've ever come across; he just wants to help out. After rescuing a child from a massive crab monster, Saitama dedicates himself to training, with the aim of becoming the strongest hero in the world; he succeeds, but the credit always seems to go to someone else. Also of interest is the public registration, payment and ranking of heroes, in which heroes essentially become public servants or, at the top level, special forces. One of the "S-Class" heroes is actually a criminal, who spends most of his time in prison, either for rape or sexual assault, it's not clear, but he's powerful enough that he's pulled out for the biggest fights. Imagine the level of amoral bureaucracy that requires. It makes a great counterpoint to the whole "Civil War" thing.

For a more international take on the interaction between superheroes and governments, give One Punch Man a go, there's a lot there to explore in games. The fights are pretty spectacular and Saitama's struggle with motivation and mental health give it a bit more mileage than it might otherwise have. Despite my usual tendency to veer away from really powerful characters, I am a bit tempted to track down a 28mm Saitama, he's really strong, but he requires an activation roll to get up and going. In the next series, I'd like to see some more explanation of how the Hero Ranking system works and what the plan is for when the number of heroes grows too large, or someone really powerful goes rogue.

5 Online Superhero Comics worth checking out

Need a quick supers fix and don't like the attention that the latest issue of Atomic Robo brings you in the lunchroom? Well whip out your phone and give these a go. None of them are Watchmen, but you'll scratch that Supers itch just fine. 

The Gutters 
http://www.the-gutters.com/ 

(Completed) 
Actually a series about the comic book industry, The Gutters can require some "insider information" at times to enjoy the gags, but the jokes are clever enough that you'll get a snicker anyway. If you're the kind of comics fan that likes taking shots at Rob Lyfeld and the amount of times the Flash has died, this one is for you. 
 
The Specialists 
http://thespecialistscomic.com/ 

(Ongoing) 
A WWII superhero comic set in a world where German super-humans have kept the war ticking over through 1945. The line quality of the art and the broad Golden Age cliches belie a pretty interesting comic that delves as much into the social and racial issues of the time as it does the necessity to have super-humans wage a war that's spinning out of control. At one page per week, The Specialists may seem slow, but I know I'm hooked already. 
 
Dragonball Multiverse 
http://www.dragonball-multiverse.com/

(Ongoing) I've mentioned DBM before, but if you're like me (a DB fan sick of Goku power-creep), give it a go. The story is a tournament between all of the parallel universes of DB, but that's just a device to explore the possibilities of the universe, all the "what ifs?" (Yes, that's Videl doing a Kaioken and wielding the Z Sword!) The quality varies, but characters like The Namekian and Android Yamacha keep me coming back to check out the new story lines every couple of months. 
 
Bob & George 
http://www.bobandgeorge.com/

(Completed) 
Man, I used to read this in High School. So, the original idea behind this was a superhero comic, but the creator couldn't draw very well, so he did a Megaman sprite comic to fill in while he practiced. The fill-in became so popular that it took on a life of it's own and ran for years. It's silly, it's played for laughs, but in-between the jokes about Megaman being an idiot or industrial strength ice cream, there can be some pretty good action. Time travel, multiple dimensions and an apocalypse speak well to traditional supers tropes. 
 
Super Stupor! 

http://somethingpositive.net/#superstupor 
(On Hiatus) 
Created as a side project by Randy Millholland of Something*Positive, Super Stupor is another parody comic, this time focusing on the traditions and history of comics rather than the industry itself. Not it fails to take, well-deserved, shots at women in refrigerators and One More Day. Again, not much of it there to read, but worth your time. 
 

Superhero Media: Superfolks

In late 2014, I was working full time in retail and was pretty miserable. The hours ate up pretty much all my gaming time and the stress was aggravating my ulcer something fierce. It was clear that I needed a career change, but with a Literature/Film degree, my options were limited. About the same time, a good friend of mine told me that she was returning to study; her excitement over starting her Post-graduate course was somewhat infectious and I soon found myself considering a return to University myself. As I've mentioned before, I'm currently studying to be a Counsellor, but, for a time, I considered pursuing a Phd in literature. What is the point of all this background? Well, should I ever decide to take the plunge into academia full-time, Robert Mayer's Superfolks would suit me pretty well for a thesis. I scavenged a copy of Superfolks, quite by accident, from a friend giving away many boxes of books; I thought why not give it a go, it has a Superman analogue on the front, it may be good? I found that I finished the book in a few sittings, I was so drawn into it.

Superfolks is about Indigo, a retired superhero whose only battle is with middle age. He retired after all the other heroes (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Snoopy and Captain Mantra) retired, died or disappeared and has slunk into fatherhood, the daily grind and "dad weight". His powers have slowly faded with the years and he debates returning to action to battle a crime wave that threatens to destroy New York City. As he straps on the cape for the first time in years, Indigo must find the confidence within himself to fight for justice once more. If this all sounds familiar, Superfolks is considered to have greatly influenced Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Watchmen, though Alan Moore denies this. I believe that Superfolks was written to be a pastiche, but time has rendered it more of a parody. I also get the feeling that Robert Mayer got a lot of his information about superheroes second-hand. The heroes mentioned are very Golden Age (explaining the lack of Marvel heroes), and there is a focus on sexuality that has never really been a big part of the genre, despite what The Seduction of the Innocent claimed and the many, many jokes about the relationship between Batman and Robin. I personally believe that David Mazzucchelli said it best, "It makes perfect sense that his best friend would be twelve years old, because Batman is still a little boy stuck in a man's body. If there's a "No Girls Allowed" sign on their Batcave/clubhouse, it' because girls are icky... ...Superheroes live best in their own world - A pre[-]adolescent world." The Golden and Silver ages of comics simply do not engage with sexuality with anything more than a "fade to black", but that will never stop people from speculating about something that's not actually there.
 

So is it worth a read? Certainly. Superfollks is around $25AUD on book depository, so why not give it a go? It's a fascinating mess of popular culture, psychology and Mad Magazine style humour, with some really interesting Superhero concepts that I'd like to see explored elsewhere. I'll certainly be re-reading it at some point, maybe even working it into my Watchmen essay I've been planning for years. Not much gaming fodder, but fascinating for providing a "moment in time" and an outsider's look at the Superhero Comic.

Miniatures Finished: USAwesome!

More teams finished! Now I just need a few keen opponents and maybe I can get a campaign going! For those that don't know, the concept behind this team is to "flip" the kind of Silver Age "international" teams that Marvel and DC used to do, where stereotypes and national jokes were the basis for heroes rather than just heroes happening to be from other countries. I admit that, in a couple of instances, I've gone for the easy jokes, but if I see one more kangaroo or boomerang based Australian character, I'm going to wreck something.

USAwesome!
More than one commentator has remarked upon the fact that the United States of America was one of the major proponents of the Metahuman Soldiers Treaty, yet was also one of the most creative nations when it came to circumventing the same Treaty. So that the USA does not "technically" employ any Super-humans, the Congress reached out to special interest and lobby groups to provide the heroes they felt they needed. As always, big American money provided the most market-friendly and business savvy options available and USAwesome! was born, the name of the team chosen by SMS voting on a reality television programme. USAwesome! are typically considered a joke by other hero teams, but they have succeeded in defending truth, justice and American capitalism, at home, and against "Rogue Nations". 

 USAwesome! Golden Girl, McHero, American Cowgirl, The 2nd Amendment and The Frontier Spirit 

 McHero (Judge Dread Miniatures) and The 2nd Amendment (converted Heroclix). 

McHero: Created and funded by a Fast Food lobby group, McHero proves that not only is fast food good for you, it can give you super powers! Super-strong, near-invulnerable and able to regenerate injuries by consuming vast amounts of fat and sugar, McHero is one of the strongest members of USAwesome and makes a decent living on the side as a professional speed-eater. 

The 2nd Amendment: Created and sponsored by the NRA, The 2nd Amendment keeps America safe for guns and gun owners. Bristling with Automatic weapons (for deer hunting), The 2nd Amendment shows that, in the right hands, guns only exist to keep people safe. When not defending America from "enemies of freedom", The 2nd Amendment can be seen at pro-gun rallies and gun shows, signing autographs for children and keeping Kinder Surprises away. 

 

Golden Girl, American Cowgirl and The Frontier Spirit (all Reaper) 

Golden Girl: A landmark achievement in sports science, Golden Girl was to be the next Olympic Decathlon superstar, until the IOC questioned her blood tests and banned a few new substances. Undeterred, the team that created Golden Girl lobbied Senators and Congressmen until a way to be financially compensated for their time was found, at the cost of the American Taxpayer. Golden Girl is superhumanly strong, fast and tough, able to bench small vehicles and leap reasonable obstacles in a single bound. 

American Cowgirl: When running the potential roster of USAwesome through focus groups, it was found that the lack of a conventionally attractive female with visible cleavage would hurt the team in the mass-media game. An array of Playboy models were given an experimental gene treatment and the most successful chosen to be American Cowgirl, symbol of the American "Girl Next Door". Despite being, essentially, a pretty figurehead for the team, American Cowgirl is actually a competent fighter, having defeated Wildcat in single combat as well as several more "super-powered" foes. 

The Frontier Spirit: The unliving embodiment of the American West, The Frontier Spirit is the product of Disney animatronics and Apple black magic. Existing as a ghostly mirage of energy, The Frontier Spirit can walk through solid objects and ignore blows from enemies, but still strike back with very real bullets. Plans have been put in place to create more 'Spirits for military use, but the tendency of the machines to speak like John Wayne and make racist comments about immigrants need to be worked out first. 

Name: The 2nd Amendment

BP: 85

Affiliation: USAwesome

AP: 6

Strike: 8 (2)

Strength: 3

Dodge: 4

Sense: 4

Toughness: 5

Mind: 2

Resolve: 4

Damage: 6 (1)

Powers

Ranged Attack (6D), Super 1, Gear

- Spray (Cone) 6” Long, 6” Wide Cone, No Range, Halve Damage Goals rolled against Target.

Super-Strike 2 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Scope 3 – Remove up to 3 Bonus Dice from Range Penalties when using Aim manoeuvre.

Extra Attacks – Flurry at +1 AP (not +3)

Marksman 4 - +4 Dice to Ranged Attack (Included)

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Name: The Frontier Spirit

BP: 85

Affiliation: USAwesome

AP: 9

Strike: 7 (1)

Strength: 2

Dodge: 5

Sense: 5

Toughness: 2

Mind: 2

Resolve: 4

Damage: 4 (1)

Powers

Ranged Attack (4D), Super 1

Lone Wolf – Does not gain nor grant Bonuses in Close Combat. May not benefit from Tactician Boon.

Super-Strike 1 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Density Decrease (Always On) – Immune to Damage rolled against Toughness,

- Cannot make melee attacks, may move through terrain, immune to fall damage,

- Cannot be Knocked Down, (Ghost Touch) Can carry objects and Models.

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Name: McHero

BP: 85

Affiliation: USAwesome

AP: 6

Strike: 4 (1)

Strength: 6 (4)

Dodge: 2

Sense: 4

Toughness: 9 (3)

Mind: 2

Resolve: 3

Damage: 6 (4)

Powers

Massive 1 - +1D to Strike rolls against this model

Berserker (Pain Threshold) - @3 levels of Vitality loss TN4 Resolve Ross or charge nearest model P 82

Super-Strike 1 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Density Increase (Always On) – +3D Toughness (included), +1 Super-Strength and Super-Toughness

- Attacks cost +1AP, Immovable 2 – Counts as Class C Object

Super Strength 3 (Rage, Shockwave) - +1 Super-strength @1/2 Vitality

Regeneration – End of turn, roll 3D, heal 1 for each Goal, may not be re-rolled.

Implacable Charge - +1D Strike on Charge

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Name: Golden Girl

BP: 85

Affiliation: USAwesome

AP: 9

Strike: 7 (2)

Strength: 7 (2)

Dodge: 7 (1)

Sense: 2

Toughness: 6

Mind: 2

Resolve: 4

Damage: 7 (2)

Powers

Implacable Charge - +1D Strike on Charge

Super-Strength 2 – Shockwave

Super-Strike 2 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Super-Dodge 1 - +1D to Resist Fall Damage

Super Leap – 7D[2], 5”/3” per Goal, counts as Charge.

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KO

Name: American Cowgirl

BP: 85

Affiliation: USAwesome

AP: 10 (2)

Strike: 8 (2)

Strength: 5

Dodge: 7 (2)

Sense: 3

Toughness: 5

Mind: 2

Resolve: 5

Damage: 5

Powers

Instant Stand – Cannot be Knocked Down

Tactician 1 – 3AP, Grant 1 Re-roll to friendly model within 15”

Super-Strike 2 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Super-Dodge 2 - +2D to Resist Fall Damage

Combat Reflexes – May break from Combat with an Opposed Dodge Test and Charge again

Extra Move 2, Reach +5”

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