Powerhouse Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Hi everyone! I'm working to finalize my Silver Age team to post. One minor problem is the name of a solar based character who is intended to be slightly reminscent of a Green Lantern. I'll post below and ask for some help with a new name since Solaris just doesn't cut it, especially for a Silver Age hero. Also, chances are that I'm going to majorly overhaul him but this should at least give an idea of what the character is like and thus hopefully have some inspiration for a name. Thanks! Background: Matt Thompson was always known as a man without fear. Whether taking any dare as a boy, playing quarterback as the smallest man on the field, or becoming a fighter pilot, nothing seemed to disturb his demeanor. These nerves of steel lead him to great success as a daring pilot but also got him into trouble until a court martial seemed inevitable. Ultimately, Matt met his match: a petite but fiery redhead who wasn't easily impressed or intimidated. The two fell in love, married, and soon had a family. As his time in the Airforce approached its end, the couple contemplated a quieter life where the most dangerous thing that Matt would face was the possibility of being late for a future job as an airline pilot. And then his world turned upside down. Coming back from his final mission over the tracer seared skies of Vietnam, Matt was met by his superior officer and the chaplain. His family had been killed in a car accident. He underwent the counseling and seemed to the world to be fine but he shifted from the safety of a commercial airline to the world of test piloting where life and death is often separated by a razor's edge. No matter how dangerous the test or advanced the craft, Matt always pushed the plane to its limit to glean information for the engineers He would even, when the plan got away from him, do all in his power to salvage the flight and land safely. Only at the very last second would he eject to safety. His reputation as fearless grew. His time away from the job had its own thrills as he raced his sports car too fast, gambled, drank, and chased any beautiful woman who caught his eye. His antics should have gotten in his trouble but his skills and easy charm kept him safe. Eventually, Matt received an invitation to join NASA to assist in the testing of the Ares I: a craft that might be able to reach the surface of Mars in only a month. Powered by nuclear reactor drive that was fueled by a new isotope, the ship was beyond cutting edge and highly dangerous. There were even concerns that the experimental radiation shielding would be insufficient to protect the pilot. Matt's response was: "When do I start?" The answer would be six months later as Ares I rocketed towards Earth's red neighbor. Within an hour, the drive leaked and showered Matt with intense and exotic energies. The mission was promptly aborted and the craft was turned around but power was lost shortly afterwards. It now became a race to see what would kill Matt first: the radiation, burning up in the atmosphere, or the cold vacuum of space as his life support failed. Throughout the experience, the pilot felt no fear but instead a relief. It would be over soon. Just before he passed out, a warmth caressed Matt: the craft beginning to burn up he supposed before his vision went black. Rather than die, he woke up in a hospital with contusions and pain but no serious wounds. Plucked from the ocean, Matt had cheated death once more and gotten away relatively unscathed… but not unchanged. As he learns to deal with his powers, the newly named Solaris does not feel the strange eyes that now watched him with great intent. Personality/Motivation: early in his superheroic career, Solaris is rather intoxicated with his powers and tend to use them in tactically unsound ways despite his military background. Rather than end a fight quickly, he will taunt his opponents and show off, convinced that there is little that can hurt him. His confidence extends beyond the costume and he takes many chances whether it's a flight or a beautiful woman. Indeed, he is particularly enamored by the fairer sex and has on more than one occasion paused in a fight to ask a lady out to dinner. Even a supervillainess might find herself propositioned. Despite his flaws, Solaris is a brave man and dedicated, albeit flashy, hero. He will not hesitate to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves and he will risk his life to protect the innocent or stop the guilty. Indeed, this disregard for his safety leave some to question if he has any regard for his own welfare… Powers/Tactics: Solaris has the impressive ability to generate solar energy and gravity as if he were a miniature sun. His current powers include solar blasts, increasing gravity to the point where it can pin down an opponent, fly, protect himself with a gravity shield that deflects attacks, or even increase the force of gravity on his fist to maximize his punching power. His powers have also left him vulnerable to attacks that pierce or cut his skin although he doesn't know why. In combat, Solaris will power up his force field and open up with an attack that he thinks will awe his opponent or impress onlookers. He also likes to spend time taunting his enemies or dragging out combat to make it more fun. Appearance: His costume is a mostly black affair with white scattered about to mimic a stars across the velvet void of space. His mask is a full one that covers his face but he's quick to remind women that they might get a better look if they agree to dinner. Mat is about 5'10" with an athletic build, longish brown hair that always seems tousled and a devilish smile that adorns striking features. Notes: the public ID might go and Solaris might be a more traditional hero with Secret ID and not subject to the military. Then again the hotshot pilot forced back into military life is fun. We'll see. Also, it should be clear that there is something more to his powers than a radiation bath. In reality, he was contacted by a being (I'm being vague since I'm not sure yet) who noted that Matt was brave in the face of death but could he be brave enough to truly live? Could be abandon the self-destructive ways he adopted after the death of his family and stop seeking to die but instead chose to live and embrace a higher purpose? This will be remembered over story arcs as Solaris, hopefully, learns to mourn his lost family and create a life for himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunyip Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please My A$0.02... First thought that came to me was "Phaeton", from Greek myth (hey, "Apollo" is already in use); it might fit with the slightly Thor-ish description of the character. Maybe better for that Silver Age feel, though, would be "Captain Starlight"; that would play off his Air Force affiliations and has a slightly roguish air to it (if I recall right, there was an Australian bushranger of that or similar name). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRavenIs Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Hummmm, I think if your going for a solar name, you might think of something corney, like Solar Man. other names 1. Stellar 2. Sol 3. Star Child just a few Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenn Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please The costume ain't to Silver Agey either. Very Bronze to Iron. And the full face mask. Not silver agey. Starman (yeah, I know) Morning Star (I used this one) Captain Star Mirster Stellar Hyperion (yeah, I know) Starlord Power Star Sam Solar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Hey, if you call him Star Rider, he'd already have his own theme song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMike Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Star Flare Solar Flare Captain Sunray Starrion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please I think the name you've got will work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnought Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Solar Flare (or Flair, if you want a less serious name) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerhouse Posted August 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Help with a name please *grumble* Where were ya all when I posted my rought drafts of the Sentinels! Seriously though, some cool names. Not sure about the Thorish thing though. Hmm... The costume ain't to Silver Agey either. Very Bronze to Iron. And the full face mask. Not silver agey Good point - I hadn't considered that. Besides getting rid of the mask, I should probably change it from black and be more colorful? I'll be honest in that I SUCK at costume design. Thank you and please keep the advice coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Help with a name please if he was iron age i would suggest razorlight but as your going fro silver age goldenlight dawntreader starburst solareon corona coronus sunturion(i think that ones been done) sunray raystorm goldstar sunseeker as for the costume ditch the full face mask have his skin and hair glow with golden light when his powers are active disguising his features. keep the black body suit but have it cut to expose some of his chest in the shape of a half star. no gloves but his hands will of course glow the same colour as the rest of him especially when using his solar bolt powers.you coudl also detail the ends of teh sleves with a similar star pattern cut out add a belt of golden discs with perhaps the front one having a stylized star have villains think its the source of his powers but its really just a placer to keep a few bucks and a spare set of house keys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Help with a name please wanted to see what he woudl actually look like so i knocked up a quick costume design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelm Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Black Star or Dwarf Star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haven Walkur Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Starshine Sunstorm Supernova Starlord Helios (Greek) Ra (Egyptian) Utu/Shamash (Sumerian/Babylonian) Captain Comet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerhouse Posted August 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Re: Help with a name please So far, about 42 names have been submitted. I'm going through them now and wanted to thank everyone for their time and generousity in this matter. Extra thanks to Freakboy for the costume design. I think it will help immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remjin Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Re: Help with a name please hmmm.... I personally liked "Corona" since it was related but less obvious. Silverage, eh? I liked the glowey features costume idea. Done with black would contrast well, but be a bit featureless. Cutouts and the belt aside, you need to bring balance to it. Everything is up top or center, leaving the legs ignored. It might be beneficial to go with boots to match the belt or bare glowing feet. A collar of the material and even rings on his arms would tie the costume together better... possibly also adding bracers to the arms. A simple stripe running from legs to body, tying it all together and directing the sight upwards from the boots to the collar via pointy bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemurion Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Re: Help with a name please Here's a couple of ideas; how about Solarion or Solarite? I know I'm late hitting the thread but I couldn't resist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Re: Help with a name please i knocked up a quick redo just extended the star a bit to make it a little less inverted pentacle-y and added some gold boots with a subtle star motif at the top and gerally cleaner the thing up a little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Re: Help with a name please oh and i like corona but if i used it i would have to take hunted brewery advertising executives half of them want you to represent their brand and the other half are looking for dirt on you in the hopes it will reflect badly on the competition. also his side kick should be English because corona and limeys go well together. (i really shouldn't post this early in the morning/late at night) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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