From the Archives - 5

Due to the fact I started painting superheroes long before I started this blog, some of the stuff I painted has never been featured here, which is something I'm looking to remedy as I sort out my collection at bit better.

Liz Sherman: When painting my BPRD stuff, I went for stark shading and highlights, to evoke the art style of Mike Mignola, and I like the results even if it doesn't precisely match my other heroes and villains. Heroclix. 

V: One of my very first superhero conversions, V was done for my first big display game, so that I had four "Indy" characters for players to choose from. I'm pretty happy with this one, but one day I'd like a mini more like the film version. Converted Carnivale. 

The Thin Man: Man, I used Weird World War II gaming as an excuse to paint lots of heroes back in the day. I don't think Thin Man ever got used in a game, but turned up on a few display tables. Heroclix. 
 

Baron Blood: Another Weird Wars piece, I decided to give him a red scheme rather than purple as it was a little more pulpy. Don't let the pictures online scare you off Baron Blood, the mini is actually pretty nice with a good sense of movement. Heroclix. 

Black Manta: This version of Manta comes with a trident that was pretty much always bent, so I replaced it with some Dark Eldar blades to evoke his funny sword/knife thing from the comics. I need to do more games with this guy, he's a fun character. Heroclix. 

Deathstroke: I used to not be happy with the more pastel shades on this figure, but as I see more and more dark and dirty versions of Slade for Batman Miniatures Game, I'm glad he has a more Silver Age finish. Heroclix. 

Superhero Media: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Ok, so this is another one where I'm not covering the comics first, as the set I brought are in the possession of an ex-girlfriend and I can't get my hands on them. Then again, the comics and the film are quite different in many ways and, like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the film is the version with which more people are familiar, so it makes sense to start there. I really enjoy watching Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, but I'm not sure how much I enjoy the film versus how slick and visually vibrant it is. I remember seeing Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World in the cinema with my then-girlfriend and not being terribly impressed, though she was literally bouncing with joy in her seat the entire film, but clearly at some stage I turned around on it. I also remember talking to a friend about it and him telling me that I didn't get it as I wasn't "Gen X", who it was made for. Whilst I'll agree that the original comics are certainly aimed at that audience, the film is a full-on "Millennial" trip and hit that bracket hard. Also, from what I've read of the comics, they seem to be mostly about growing up in Toronto at the same time as the author, so who the "intended" audience is is pretty debatable. 

The primary reference material for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is, of course, retro video games, making the film not only one of the best "Video Game Movies" of all time, but also a great primer for making video game-styled characters into more grounded characters for your own games and stories. Not that I want to dip into the comics, but the reason Scott is such a good fighter is because he's good at fighting games, just to clear up how powers work in the setting; not that Vegan or Skateboarding based super-powers are too far "out-there" for most comic settings. I think that the world of Scott Pilgrim can be read as a place where a decent number of people have super-powers of some form, making them less of a big deal if they're minor, like My Hero Academia or other powers-heavy settings. No one really seems to think twice about most of the strange stuff going on, and Scott's friend asks about Vegan Super Powers as if they're a well-known thing. Again, I like the mundane nature of powers this presents, because in a world of people with extra-normal abilities, life would just tend to go on after a while; why superheroes didn't arise is interesting though and may be a fun thing to explore. 

In terms of the film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World features both an amazing cast and a pretty banging soundtrack, with the original Sex Bom-Omb songs being written by Beck and the rival bands drawing from performers like Metric and other hipster-cool indy rock and pop acts. Until I upgraded to an MP3 capable stereo, I kept the soundtrack in my car for years because it was a great listen, even if it jumped around a lot. That Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World didn't perform better at the box office is no real shock, no matter the true intended audience; the film is built out of visual gags and pop culture references and was probably a little before it's time. In a post-Deadpool world, something with the pace and humour of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World probably would have performed better, especially with a cast like Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Anna Kendrick and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who have all gone on to be cult actors in their own rights. I'm not sure I can really recommend Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World as a "must see", it is fun and an enjoyable watch, but I'm never sure what others will make of it, so take a look for yourself, I guess?

Thinking Out Loud: Murder Hobos

Should Superheroes kill? It's a question about as old as the genre, and one that has no simple answer. In the Golden Age, heroes killed bad guys all the time, often deliberately, with only popular recurring villains escaping to fight another day. The introduction of the Comics Code Authority changed this, with heroes now more likely to round up evildoers and drop them off to the police than drop them off buildings. Now that comics have a rating system, and not to mention multimedia productions that are way more popular than the comics themselves, superheroes are free to do just about anything in terms of violence and murder, and some certainly do. I'm never sure how much I like the idea of a superhero killing a villain, as murder just really is never heroic; however, I do recognise that the ideas that can be explored here are deeper than a first year Ethics class. First up, I'd like to say that characters who utterly refuse to kill, like Batman and Spider-man are hugely important to the genre, despite some limitations that we'll discuss below, because they are intended to be aspirational, and not hurting other human beings is very aspirational in my eyes. 

Of course, Batman is a bit of problem in that regard, as he's ethically pretty terrible aside from the unwillingness to murder, but that's an issue for another time and article. Let's look at Spider-man instead, as his morals are a little more realistic. Although Spider-man doesn't kill, there has been a couple of notable times where he has caused a death through his own actions (not just Gwen Stacy), I'm thinking Norman Osborn and Morlun, both of which left him pretty wracked with guilt for a while, even if those deaths were the only way for Peter to save his own life at the time. What I'm saying is I'm ok with a superhero killing someone if they have to, so long as there's consequences, be they legal, social or psychological. This is something the better Captain America comics and Invincible do well, having a character who can kill, and has in the past, but will only do so when there is no way to get a better outcome, or save more lives. Cap killed Nazis in the war, but that was then and this is now, and now he can knock out a room of AIM guys without killing them, so why take that step? The journey of killing and coming back is portrayed brilliantly in Invincible as well, with Invincible eventually no longer wanting to kill anyone, but knowing that only he has the power to finally end the threat of Thragg. 

The MCU is a bit disappointing on this score in a few places, with Iron Man blasting away indiscriminately and Hawkeye being an accomplished murderer even before the opening credits roll on The Avengers. Again, when Thanos is attacking Wakanda, I don't mind so much that Cap beating down Outriders with no concern for their wellbeing, but at lot of Hydra goons get arrows and repulsor blasts to the face in the opening of Age of Ultron. The MCU Spider-man is managing pretty well, getting hurt in his first solo outing saving the Vulture's life and only killing Mysterio by accident in Far From Home. Let's not even talk about the DCEU, except to mention that Wonder Woman killing during a war is fine by me, she is an Amazon warrior after all, and I'm also in the camp that thinks it wasn't out of character when she snapped Maxwell Lord's neck to prevent more deaths either. When I run superhero games, I try to engender an idea that the heroes aren't killing everything in their paths, just to make things easier; they're the heroes after all. What about characters like The Punisher, I hear you ask? Well, he's not really a superhero though, is he? Frank Castle is a vigilante and only separate from the killers he hunts through his intent and level of competency. Also, in a Supers RPG, I'd be loath to let a player create a character like The Punisher, as he really belongs in a different game.

Superhero Media: Dragonball Z - Dead Zone

Generally speaking, the DBZ "movies" are not considered to be canonical with the series, due to contradictions and inconsistencies. Dead Zone is a bit funny in that regard, as the series involves the Garlic Jr saga, the direct sequel to this movie. The only real big contradiction between Dead Zone and DBZ is Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi finding out about Gohan a little early, which I always felt was a smaller issue than not introducing Garlic Jr and is far less egregious than some of the continuity hiccups in the series anyway. Of course, the fan solution is to claim that the Garlic Jr Saga is not canon, which, as I've stated before, I disagree with, because it's one of my favorite adventures. The action starts when the minions of Garlic Jr attack Piccolo and start rounding up the Dragon Balls, capturing Gohan in the process and inadvertently putting Goku, martial arts champion of the world, on their trail. 

Unlike most villains, Garlic Jr is smart enough to make his wish the second he gets all the Dragon Balls together, making himself immortal and preparing for the coming of Kami, the person responsible for locking Garlic Sn in the Dead Zone. One of the best parts of Dead Zone is seeing Kami fight, even if it is a losing battle; fans of Dragon Ball will remember that it was only after the defeat of Piccolo Jr that Kami admitted that Goku had surpassed him, so at this stage of the story, Piccolo, Goku and Kami are all around the same power level. I tend to look at Dead Zone as being the bridging story between the styles of Dragon Ball and DBZ, as much of the action and the setting harkens back, but elements like Gohan's hidden power and a truce between Goku and Piccolo looks forward to what is coming. 

For those who are put off DBZ by the sheer amount of content, these "movies" are a good in, as most are under an hour and feature very little filler, jumping into the action a bit faster. I know there are a few of these that I like to pop in the player from time to time, to get my DBZ fix in a hurry, and Dead Zone is one of them, as I still don't own Dragon Ball and haven't seen it in years at this point. I've already talked about Garlic Jr as a villain years back, so I won't dwell on it here, but I like the idea of an evil force that wants to conquer the planet and can't be killed, and if I ever get my hands on more DBZ miniatures, I'll be sure to have John Constantine and the BPRD battling Garlic Jr and the Spice Boys. Until then, I'll tide myself over with my FuZion format Garlic Jr deck, which is probably my best one at the moment.

Miniatures Finished: EDF XII

After some discussions online about using 6mm infantry with 1/400 Gundams, which is technically incorrect, as 1/400 infantry would be 0.7mm, but what "looks better" is sometimes the better choice for games, much as my Kaiju project hovers somewhere between 2mm and 12mm at the best of times. Rather than spend money I don't have on more 6mm figures that "better" resemble One Year War Zeon infantry, I just gave some spare WWII Soviet Spetsnaz a coat of paint.

They still look too much like WWII Soviets for my liking, but the effect is fine. 

 

And, of course, I managed to come into more free 6mm stuff, this time, some KV-2s, the bottom right one getting a "Laser Canon" due to being broken in the packet. I love these for any Kaiju and Sci-Fi games as they're just such a funny looking tank. 

Superhero Media: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Volume 1

Why did I decide to talk about this series? Seriously, I could make each of these properly written and referenced literature essays with Harvard footnotes if I really wanted to. The depth to these comics is staggering, with meta-criticism, commentary on literary academia and Moore's nascent radical politics. For me, with my literary background, the "superheroic" elements of the story are almost secondary to parsing the meaning of a particular sequence. If you've heard anything about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it probably has to do with the violence and sexuality portrayed in the books, which can be extreme and often brutal. The number of rape sequences and other violence perpetrated against women in the first volume is pretty off-putting, but knowing Moore's politics and leanings, this is clearly intended as commentary on what is (and isn't) considered "classic" literature; which has always been very patriarchal, at least up until the late 20th Century, when things began to swing away from this trend. Moore clearly also has a fondness for pulp literature and how it transitions to classical status, like The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde or Sherlock Holmes. 

The characters for this first outing are Mina Murray (Dracula), Allan Quatermain (King Solomon's Mines), Jekyll/Hyde, Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and Hawley Griffin (The Invisible Man), brought together by Campion Bond to battle the machinations of Fu Manchu. Of course, there is a twist and the League end up caught between Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty's airborne forces. There's plenty of scenario fodder in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for both supers games and VSF/Gothic Horror/Pulp, using the League themselves or other characters, though the majority of the characters are pretty low-powered, even including the fabulous technology on offer. The real gem in the trade paperback collection, however, is the prose story "Allan and the Sundered Veil", in which Quatermain, high on a magical drug, drifts into the space between worlds and joins with John Carter, Raymond Carter and The Time Traveller (The Time Machine), to battle Morlocks and hold off the influence of the Great Old Ones. There's not much action to speak of, but I can't help but get ideas for a VSF "Fantastic Four" and all the great games I could play with that team. I already have Allan and John Carter, once funds allow, I'll be grabbing a Time Machine with pilot and Raymond Carter for some games. 

Although the team of Victorian literary "heroes" has become somewhat trite and overdone, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen remains a masterwork from two of the medium's most masterful masters. For those more familiar with the pop-culture ephemera of the characters, the visceral nature of the comic may come as a shock and deter further readership, which is a shame, as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is well worth the time to read, and further time learning about the literature that inspired it. As much as I honestly don't mind the LXG film, it is a bit of a shame that it is the limit of most people's exposure to the franchise, as it really does have a lot to offer, even if it has inspired dozens of sub-par imitations over the years. Of course, that's not to say that your own adventures with the League need to be metatextual explorations of the changing role of classic literature in the postmodern world, fighting Tong and Martians is a perfectly valuable use of your time if that's what you want to do. Either way, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a solid read, just packed with inspiration for gaming. 

Ultimate Alliance: China - Part I

Jimmy Woo, Agent of SHIELD, shot his cuff-links as he stepped from the plane, it had been a long time since he stepped on Chinese soil, and the grim memories of his last days in the FBI and tangling with the Yellow Claw were not fond ones. Although the mainland was a distance away from Honk Kong International Airport, the spectre of Beijing's increasing control could be felt in the number of sharp-suited "escorts" that were awaiting the lone agent of SHIELD. In fact, the only person in the vicinity not wearing the kind of hard-wearing yet well-fitted suit favoured by intelligence workers the world over was in a garish and anachronistic silk affair, he was the man Agent Woo was here to meet, and his code-name was Accomplished Perfect Physician. 

After a brief and formal greeting, Jimmy Woo and Accomplished Perfect Physician were quickly whisked by town car to a government building looking out upon Hong Kong from such a height, the streets looked clean and well-ordered. Tea was served in the traditional style and Jimmy Woo waited a full five minutes silently before speaking. 

"I thank the Government of the People's Republic for allowing my visit and hearing my request," Woo reached for his holographic projector but was stopped by a wave from Accomplished Perfect Physician. 

"That won't be necessary, Agent Woo," Accomplished Perfect Physician sidestepped any response, "I am here on behalf of the People's Government to inform you that they are already aware of this, so called 'Annihilation Wave' your superiors are concerned about and do not require outside assistance." 

"You don't require outside assistance," Woo's professional approach slipped for a moment, "for a world-ending threat?" Accomplished Perfect Physician shook his head and Jimmy Woo practically had to pick his jaw up off the floor. 

"It is the opinion of my government," Accomplished Perfect Physician continued, "that our own extra-normal assets shall be more than adequate to meet the threat." 

"Really?" Jimmy Wood had to suppress a smile, "Because my intelligence indicates that you can count your active 'extra-normals' on one hand." He was rewarded by a mighty twitch on Accomplished Perfect Physician's face. 

"Whilst it is true we are short a couple of our operatives..." 

"Short?" Jimmy Woo wasn't going to let up now that he had the Chinese representative on the back foot, "It is known to SHIELD that only two of The Great Ten, yourself and Thundermind, are combat-ready after Black Adam's attack on Oolong Island. Crimson Dynamo is serving a stint on The Raft and Radioactive Man is currently in the Thunderbolts. You're scrambling reserve members of The Great Ten, but Yeti being cleared is unlikely and The Collective Man are pushing fifty. Anything I missed?" 

Accomplished Perfect Physician was quiet a moment, contemplating the braggadocio of the young SHIELD Agent in front of him. With a barely perceptible flick of his head, Accomplished Perfect Physician tapped his ear and slid his eyes towards the door. Understanding, Jimmy Woo flicked a hidden switch on his watch and waited for a light to come on before continuing to talk. 

"That should buy us five minutes of privacy," Woo was accustomed to having to cover for 'real talk' on such missions, "what's actually happening here?" 

Accomplished Perfect Physician quickly explained the panic that the Central Government was in with continued unrest in Hong Kong and the loss of most of their superhuman assets; despite the huge population of China, comparatively few super-powered individuals appeared, especially when compared to the United States. A few "masked vigilante" types, Masked Warrior, Red Dragon and Blackbat operated, but most were based in Hong Kong and had no ties to the Central Government. 

"China needs heroes, Agent Woo," Accomplished Perfect Physician was downcast, "and we're not finding them. That's why I'm here in Hong Kong, we're looking for a hero from the past." 

"Of course," Woo nodded thoughtfully, "Super Inframan."

What mysterious dealings are going on in the Far East? Can Agent Jimmy Woo entice the People's Republic to stand with the rest of the world against the Annihilation Wave? Who will survive and what will be left of them? Tune in next time to find out, true believer! 

Superhero Media: Jonah Hex (2010)

To paraphrase Hedley Lamarr, "How did they make such a poor film with such a great cast?" Josh Brolin, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, John Malkovich and Megan Fox, who yes, is a decent actor in case you only ever saw her in Transformers. In the last days of American Civil War, Confederate soldier Jonah Hex is betrayed by his commanding officer and left for dead, but is rescued by a Crow Medicine Man and brought back to life, almost. Having been dead for a while, Hex can reach into that realm and perform plot-relevant tricks when he needs to. Just how much magic works in the setting is never really explained, which grates, as all of the steampunk technology is throughly explained as the work of Eli Whitney and a side-character named "Smith" who I swear is a reference to Evil Roy Slade of all things. Also there's a side-plot with a dog that doesn't seem to mean anything; did Hex have a dog in the comics? 

Not that I've read too many Jonah Hex comics, but what I do know is that the film really only seems to take the basic ideas of the protagonist and throw them into a remake of Wild Wild West. Evil Confederate General, seemingly back from the dead, builds a steampunk super weapon to prevent a major event in American history, it's all there, just with a worse filter and no opportunity to read deeper into it. Fun fact, it took me three attempts to get through Jonah Hex, the first two times I gave up after the opening scene with horse-mounted Gatling guns and the first speaking to the dead sequence respectively. I just about never stop watching a film, so that's a good indication of how poor Jonah Hex really is. Hell, Michael Fassbender plays an Irish terrorist with Creole tattoos and a vendetta against Hex, but I can't even recall his name, motivation or what he does other than being killed by a paddle-wheel in the second act. What a waste. 

Then again, could a decent Jonah Hex film really be made? The comics are strange and often meditative, with a magic-heavy setting and morality only existing in shades of grey, none of which tend to make for popular cinema. That said, Hex himself features in episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League, and that works pretty well. Oddly, I think the answer is to not bother explaining how the magic works or why Hex can speak to the dead, there's been enough superhero films that people will probably just take that for granted now and let the action happen. Westerns kind of being "done" doesn't help either, but I do believe it could be re-contextualized as a genre piece with the right team behind it, but that's probably a really big ask. For now, I suggest tracking down the BTAS episode for a more enjoyable watch.