Nomad Memorial Write-up (long)

[Ura-Maru]

Jack Monroe. A failed super soldier. A fallen super hero. A reluctant “father.” Wandering the highways and byways of this vast land, Monroe tries to discover himself, by discovering America.

Stan Lee presents (An Ura-Maru writeup of) NOMAD



Character Name: Nomad
Alternate Identities: Jack Monroe, Bucky

CHARACTERISTICS Characteristics Notes
Val Char Base Cost Pts. Roll
25 STR 10 1 15 14- HTH damage: 5d6 Lift:800 kg End: 3
23 DEX 10 3 39 14- Total OCV:8 Total DCV: 8
23 CON 10 2 26 14-
23 BODY 10 2 26 14-
13 INT 10 1 3 12- Perception Roll 12
10 EGO 10 2 0 11- Base ECV: 3
20 PRE 10 1 10 13- Base Presence Attack: 4d6
16 COM 10 1/2 3 12-
15 PD 5 1 10
10 ED 5 1 5
5 SPD 3.3 10 17 Phases: 3 5 8 10 12
10 REC 10 2 0
46 END 46 1/2 0
48 STUN 48 0 0
Characteristics Cost: 154


SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
Cost Name Roll
16 +2 with All Combat
6 +2 w' Shadowing, Sec.Systems, & W'Smith
3 Acrobatics 14-
3 Breakfall 14-
3 Climbing 14-
3 Combat Driving 14-
3 Lockpicking 14-
3 Slight Of Hand 14-
3 Stealth 14-
3 Teamwork 14-
3 Computer Programming 12-
3 Deduction 12-
3 Security Systems 14-
3 Shadowing 14-
3 Navigation 12-
3 W'Smith: Super Guns 14-
3 Streetwise 12-
7 PS: Hitchiker 14-
3 KS: 50's Cap fanboy 12-
3 KS: Superhuman World 12-
3 Travler 12-
2 AK: US & Canada 12-
2 CK: Washington 12-
2 CK: Los Angeles 12-
2 CK: New York 12-
2 AK: Interstates 12-
5 TF: Lrg & Sml ground vehicles, Motorcycles
4 WF: Small Arms, Shoulder Arms, Super Guns
6 Contact: Capt. Americaextremely useful 8-
skills/ablities, Access, Signifigant
Contacts of His Own
12 Contact: Undergrounders very useful 8-
skills, signifigant Contacts, Organization

120 Total Skill, Perks, & Talents Cost

POWERS AND EQUIPMENT
Cost Name Power/ Equipment End
Martial Arts Combat Training
4 Block 10 OCV, 10 DCV, Block, Abort
4 Dodge -- OCV, 13 DCV, Dodge all attacks, Abort
4 Punch 10 OCV, 10 DCV, 8d6
5 Kick 6 OCV, 9 DCV, 10d6 2
3 Throw 8 OCV, 9 DCV, 5d6+v5, Target Falls 2
4 Disarm 7 OCV, 9 DCV, 40 STR to Disarm 2
4 Escape 8 OCV, 8 DCV, 45 STR to Escape 2
4 Extra DC

8 Athletic +4" Running 3
2 Athletic +2" Leap 3
6 Super Soldier 1/2 End on STR
5 Super Soldier Half End on Running
16 Super Soldier 50% Physical Damage Reduction, Non-Persistant (-1/4)
10 Experienced Defensive Manuver IV

30 Stun Disks 10" Streching, Does Not Cross Intervening Space (+1/2), 3 No Velocity Damage (-1/4), OIF: Stun Disks (-1/2), 4 Recoverable Charges (-1/2),Range Penalties Apply (-1/4)
4 Stun Disk Blades 1 pip Killing HKA (1/2 D6 w' STR) Armor Piercing (+1/2)
35 (88) Shotgun w'Blanks 7d6 EB, AVLD: Flash Defense (+1 1/2), 8 Charges (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), OAF:Shotgun (-1), Defended by both
visual and Hearing Flash Defense (-1/2)

7 Armored Coat 4/4 Armor, IIF (-1/4) Activation 14- (-1/2)
6 Bulletproof Vest 4/4 Armor, IIF (-1/4) Activation 12- (-3/4)

171 Total Power/Equipment Cost

DISADVANTAGES
Cost Disadvantage
25 DNPC: 'Bucky', Incompetent, 14-
15 DNPC:Angst Story of the Month, Normal, 11-
10 Wealth: Destitute
5 DF: Super Solder (Consealable, Noticed, Unusal Senses to detect)
5 DF: Uses dated slang and expressions (easily cons, noticed)
5 Reputation: Unstable Failed Superhero 8- (by supers), Super Wanna-Be 8- (by normals)
5 Phys Lim: Artifically Induced Mental Blocks He's Not Aware Of (Occasionaly, Slightly)
10 Psych Lim: Code vs Killing (Common, Moderate)
10 Psych Lim: Lost Soul, needs a cause to sacrifice himself for or someone to take care of, because he thinks his life is worthless (Uncom., Strong)
15 Guilt Complex, Self-loathing, and Insecurity (Common, Strong)
10 Rivalry: Captain America, Professional, Signifigantly More Powerful, One Sided
5 Vulnerablity: Non-fear based presence attacks Uncommon, 1 1/2
20 Hunted:Vauge Government Agency (8-, MoPow, NCI, Harsh)
10 Born to lose: 2d6 Unluck
150 Total Disadvantages Cost



Characteristics Cost: 154
Skills & Talents Cost: 120
Powers & Equipment Cost:171
Total Cost 445

This is the Nomad from the monthly series. The Stun Disks (Did he have two or four? I don’t remember) are bought as stretching because he frequently disarmed or tripped people with them, as well as smacking them. Seemed easier than using TK or ranged martial arts. Plus, it saves buying swinging just to use the grappling hook attachment.

The shotgun-blanks-in-the-face thing might be too big, but it did stun USAgent, and he’s a pretty beefy guy. One recovering charge might be better, though. It only worked as a surprise move, he never used it more than once in a combat that I remember. Usually he just threatened people with them.

He actually seemed to have several guns, but that seemed basically a special effect, like the jacket changes. He had a collapsible staff, too, but I don’t think he ever used it for anything but a vaulting pole.

I’d put most of Cap’s physical stats at 25, so 23 seems about right. Str should probably be 23 as well, but I hate dealing with half dice. The fairly low speed and dex means he’ll be stuck playing ‘madly block and dodge!’ against almost any ‘real’ super, which is basically how he was portrayed.

Yes, the Ego really should be that low. Combined with the vulnerability, he can be pressured into almost everything, as long as he’s not bullied directly.

Nomad’s art was . . . amusingly inconsistent. He could look pretty badass, or he could be a bishonen with full, pouty lips (he was a sidekick, after all . . .) or he could be a barely humanoid scribble. Adjust Pre and Com appropriately.

Bucky doesn’t get ‘unaware of secret identity’ because she was relatively well behaved when things got serious. She didn’t cry on stakeouts or while sneaking around. :)

I’m a bit disappointed Psych Lims aren’t maxed out, but then both the one-sided rivalry and the vulnerability are sorta-psychlims, and that gives an even 50.

The CVK isn’t strong enough to be worth anything in pure 4 color games. But then a CVK shouldn’t be worth 20 points in those kind of games either.

Continued!

---
Still, 445 points? That’s pretty high for a guy who couldn’t even take USAgent. I always buy too many skills . . .

[Ura-Maru]

So, who’s this Nomad guy?

Basically, a third string marvel character in the Captain America ‘sub universe.’ He has an absurdly complicated backstory, which involves a lot of suspended animation.

Short version:
Jack Monroe was a kid in the 50’s, a total Captain America fanboy, dispite having been raised by Nazi sympathizers. One of his teachers, oddly enough, was also the 4th Cap. Being a responsible adult, he gave the kid some black-market Super Soldier Formula he’d bought online from Canada, and taught him the ways of beating up on blacklisted actors. And, when they couldn’t find any actors, they just beat up blacks.

Now, just like in real life, the government wouldn’t put up with that kind of thing for more than, say, six or seven years. Eventually, they were arrested and thrown into suspended animation. Periodically, they were taken out of suspended animation to beat up on more people suspected of being commies and/or black.

Eventually, the real Cap (and the Falcon, who was black, but not a commie) defeated Cap 4, Jack, and a bunch of neo-nazis they were hanging around with. (Cap 4 died, but no great loss there) Shield took custody of Jack, got him some therapy, and presumably had him beat up a few people for them. (This was pretty much all retconned in, except for the Cap/Cap4 fight. But I’m pretty sure Jack was retconned into that)

Eventually, he got some real sidekick work with the real Cap. His Bucky costume looked ridiculous on a grown man, and kind of freaked Steve out, so Cap let him use the ‘Nomad: Man Without a Country’ identity he’d briefly used a few years earlier. Though the costume was still pretty bad. (He couldn’t give him his ‘The Captain’ costume, because USAgent was wearing it)

Over the course of maybe 10 issues, Steve caught Jack up on the social and political changes of the 60s and 70s, and yelled at him a lot. Eventually they broke up, and Jack went to his own ‘Dark Champions’ mini-series.

He ripped off his sleeves, lost the swashbuckler boots, got some guns, and started killing people. Mostly pimps and drug dealers. He also adopted/kidnapped a baby from a crack-addicted prostitute, who wasn’t taking proper care of her. He proved himself a far better parent by dragging her through one firefight after another. He also got her a mask and started calling her ‘Bucky,’ just in case she hadn’t been sufficiently traumatized by everything else.

There was, eventually, an actual plot and a really cool super-cyber gun thing, and finally he came to the conclusion that just because he could kill people, didn’t mean he should. Cap was still disappointed in him, though.

But all this mayhem had it’s benefits. Marvel was starting a ‘Big Guns!’ line of vigilante types, and Jack’s rampage through Alaska qualified him. So, he got his own monthly series.

Now, THIS was really cool. Despite periodic bouts of preachiness, (Ok, very frequent bouts of preachiness) and very in the comic was actually quite good. He even developed some supporting characters of his very own, including Giscard Epurer, (AKA Hey-poo-poo), who was sort of a kung-fu using Vito Corlione-type favor-broker, and a collection of hookers, small time scam artists, and . . . more hookers who called themselves the Undergrounders.

He managed not to kill anyone for almost eight whole issues.

All which slowly built up to a plot involving the evil Yagyu clan, who pursuied him because he’d taken the post of . . . wait.

Sorry. Eventually, it all came to a head. His government Hunters stopped screwing around, Bucky’s no-longer-crack-addicted mom showed up and demanded her back, and he had Doctor Faustus, who had originally programmed him to fight commies for the government, remove his ‘mental blocks.’ This let him know about his early nazi-sympathizer upbringing (What could be more 90’s than repressed childhood memories, I ask you?) In exchange for this favor, Jack murdered him. (Anyone know if he ever came back?)

A camp of Turner-Dairies-reading-neo-nazis had found the plans for the super gun, and so of course he had to go in there and get it. Bucky’s mom, who’d become sort of a ninja, had already snuck in, but she was killed, which provided sufficient angst to justify killing everyone in the camp. (Did I mention the super-gun was really cool?)

The head neo-nazi wasn’t there, though. He was actually a senator, who’d become a neo-nazi because Jack used to beat him up in grade school. (Really!) They ended up blowing each other up on live TV and taking most of the Capital Building with them. Jack had left Bucky with his arch annoyance, Epurer, presumably because he’d been watching too many samurai movies.
But Jack Wasn’t Really Dead! The CIA agent who’d killed Gambit’s doppeganger after Jack screwed it up saved him and put him in suspended animation. Again. All in all, a pretty eventful 25 issues.

Long version: See Raul Grau’s Nomad is an Island at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=34610
Much funnier than my version.

---
Though not, really, that much longer. Mine was SUPPOSED to be shorter. Dang.

[Ura-Maru]

But that was ten years ago! What’s up NOW?

Ah, spoiler warnings if you still haven’t read the new Captain America series. It’s pretty good, despite offing my favorite Marvel character for no as-of-yet explained reason, and the first six issues just came out in hardback.

About 10 years later, real time, he showed up again, this time as Scourge, the Killer of Lame Villains. He bothered the Thunderbolts for a little while, killed a few, then disappeared again. This time, he was being controlled by nanites, which are harder to shoot than Dr. Faustus, but not significantly better at controlling people over the long term. (I didn’t read this, so I don’t know much more than that)

Finally, in issue 3 of the new Cap series, the ‘Winter Soldier’ shot him, and stuffed him in the trunk of his car, then blew his body up a few issues later. As of yet, there has been no motivation for WS to have done this whatsoever. Not even for sales, Jack didn’t even make the cover. Presumably, eventually, someone will bother to tell Cap, and he may, perhaps, deign to feel a little angst. Not as much as when the Red Skull was killed, (again) of course, but maybe a little.

The latest issue was a ‘flashback’ over Jacks final months. Turns out he was dying from the generic Canadian Super-Soldier formula he’d been injected with all those years ago. (Don’t you love these long, drawn out, clearly planned-in-advance plots that they don’t bother to tell you about until they’re over?) Not just killing him, but driving him insane, so he was beating up regular people, who he imagined were drug dealers, who he imagined were operating near the home of a little girl, who may (or may not) have been a slightly grown-up Bucky.

Kind of like Ikiru would have been, if at the end, the park turned out to have been made entirely out of children’s skin. Wouldn’t that have made it a better movie?

It was sort of implied that it was just a random little girl who he’d fixated on. Insane, remember? The hair color was wrong, but a lot of little details about his own series was a bit off, so it’s hard to tell if that was intended or not. For instance, he never actually rode a motorcycle, except in a flashback. So maybe it was actually Lorenzo Lamas who died. Apparently the whole ‘blowing up the capital building’ bit has been retconned out, too, or Fury wouldn’t have to explain to Shield agents who he was.

In any case, He should have known he’d gone over the edge when he put on his old blue and yellow costume again.

Oh, and it’s been implied that he might have been a clone of the original Bucky all this time. Either they have the same fingerprints, or WS is particularly clumsy at framing people.

A much cooler option, though it would be harder to justify, would be to have JACK be the original Bucky, and have the other one be the clone. Hell, since we’re retconning the entire thing anyway, why not? More angsty for Cap that way.

Or maybe Jack and WS (and, for all we know, the original Bucky) were all disposable cloned ‘problem solvers’ that The Government used to take care of little problems. Maybe every time Jack was thrown ‘in suspended animation’ he actually died, and was replaced with a new Jack every time they needed one.

In either case, his head and left arm were still intact last we saw, so perhaps he’ll come back one day as the third Deathlok. Sounds like something he’d do.

----
So, basically, Fanboy => Red Baiter => Nazi Terrorist => Sidekick => Vigilante => Liberal Vigilante => Vigilante Again => Anti-Nazi-Vigilante Terrorist => Scourge?! => Insane Drunk Vigilante => Bag of Kitty Litter.

[Ura-Maru]

So Why should I care?
Cause Nomad was cool, that’s why. Despite the preachieness, both his limited series and his monthly comic were quite good. Kind of like those occasional good one-shot issues of Punisher War Journal, without quite as much killing.

He did mostly episodic, day-in-the-life type stories, floating in the vague area between the superheroic world and the normal one. Mostly, he still dealt with human problems, like the LA riots, (Where the %#$@!! were the West Coast Avengers, by the way? Andromeda?) but supers showed up often enough to remind him why he switched to Dark Champions in the first place.

I’ve haven’t seen a hero lose so often in his own comic since Master of Kung Fu, and even Chi always managed to win the second round if he lost the first. USAgent, Gambit’s Infinity Doppelganger, even Bushwhacker, all beat the crap out of him. (He did beat Zaran the Weapon Master. Like THAT’s hard) He was also outwitted or outmaneuvered fairly often, without making him look stupid, which is hard to do.

In short, a younger, lower class, less baggage-ed Green Arrow, or a Marvels/Alias kind of thing 10 years earlier. Or Marvel’s take on Lone Wolf and Cub.

Why they chose to market it pretty much exclusively to Punisher fans, I’m not sure. X-books fans, who like endless soap-opera and human-super relations, and Green Arrow fans, who otherwise didn’t read marvel, probably would have liked it. Even Cap fans, who might have been vaguely interested for historical reasons, wouldn’t have known his book existed.

Looking at the adds and covers, you’d assume he was just a Punisher clone. And if you bought it looking for a Punisher clone, and discovered the whole thing was based around not killing people, you’d probably be a little disappointed.

Besides that, the Cap mythos needs someone like Jack around.

He’s the other failed Cap, the flipside of USAgent. USAgent could never be Cap, because he can’t imagine the US ever making a mistake, now or in the past. Anything it or its government does is right, because they’re the ones doing it. Anyone who can’t see this is a villain or, at best, a fool.

Jack’s the other extreme. He could look at the dark, scary places, (Well, the plot-hammer kind of forced him too, but either way) but couldn’t get past them. He could never forgive the country, or himself, for anything, and so was always dragged back down by it.

Cap has both the courage to face up to America’s flaws and mistakes, and enough faith in it to not let that taint the good parts. He can still love it and work for a better future despite everything. Cap would never say ‘we’re the bad guy,’ but he’d never say ‘we can’t do better’ or ‘other people do worse, so that makes it ok’ either. So, he can be Cap.

Not that his writers ever took advantage of this, but it was there anyway.

---
Poor Jack. The third Bucky, the third Nomad. The second Scourge. In his own way, though, he was also the third Lone Wolf, and the first Alias. And that’s gotta be worth something.

[Hermit]

Fabian's run on Nomad was one of the few redeeming graces on Marvel in the 90s. I remember Jack fondly, and yeah, the Captain America current storyline, while excellent, was truly a tragedy for Nomad because I wanted so much more for Jack than what fate (and the writer) gave him.

I suppose, from one point of view, it was a mercy killing. Poor Jack, perhaps one day years from now, one young lady will finally hear the story of how when she was just an infant, there was a man who loved her like a father


... even if he did bring her into firefights on his back from time to time.

[Hawksmoor]

I too loved Jack Monroe. That mini series was very good. Although I was younger I considered the point Jack made to Cap very profound.

"I'll know when I have crossed the line when I can't see the side you are standing on."

Jack told him. That made sense of the whole pre-iron age, and why the iron age just sucked. The so called heroes of the Iron Age have (had) no concept of that line in the sands of morality. Jack did.

Hawksmoor

[Eyendasky80]

Yah, Nomad kicked ***. He was like Marvel's Blue Beetle for me. My favorite third string loser. I was alway shappy when he popped up as a guest star. I think I'll try and track down some of the back issues. I always wondered what would happen to Bucky if Jack fell down. I mean, I've got a pretty good idea, but the possibility of getting knocked down in a fight is something Jack would have had to consider and I wondered if he had some sort of plan.

[Sketchpad]

I agree ... Nomad was the bomb ;) I even have a tribute to him in my campaign ...