telemachus Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 What GA comic book characters would make good pulp characters, heroes and villains, both? An obvious example would be the Bat-Man. With a tweak here and there, he'd make a great pulp hero (and already had a pulp equivalent, of sorts, with Black Book Detective's "The Black Bat"). Some other good candidates are Sandman (the original gas-masked version), The Blackhawks, The Vigilante, and The Spirit. I'd include characters like Slam Bradley, but they're already close enough to pulp characters that there's not much point in mentioning them, at least not so far as I can tell. Any other nominations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Mask Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes A lower powered Hourman or Starman if you allow devices or sci fi explanations. Captain America , The Tarantula? DC acrobat with swing gun. Wildcat or even the original Atom.The GA Green Arrow. As for villians Per Degaton or Lex Luthor . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes "The Sandman" when he was using his "gas gun" would make a perfect Pulp hero (or villain). Costume of suit, hat, gas mask and cloak looks about right too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes I don't remember (without looking it up) whether "Doctor Occult" is actually a "Golden Age" character or not but I think he would make a good "psychic detective" type for a "Pulp" campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes With a less garish costume (or no costume at all) the Golden Age "Atom" would fit into a Pulp campaign and either "Black Canary" or "The Black Cat" could also fit right in, both of the girls being martial artists rather than having "super powers". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Wildcat The mighty Atom The original Red Tornato The Crimson Avenger Vigilante Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy Streching pulp a little we can go with Green Arrow and Speedy Shining Knight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes All of them, just in street clothes rather than costumes. Remember that Hugo Danner, a character with the full power set of 1938 Superman, first appeared in print in 1930, and that the book he appeared in, Gladiator, was actually written in 1924. Most of his more interesting adventures were meant to have taken place in the teens and twenties. If you don't want to go to that level, historically accurate or not, then any of the gadget using heroes work fine as pulp characters, Just downgrade the gadgets slightly and butch up the costumes. Doctor Occult in particular is a good pulp era option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemachus Posted May 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes I don't remember (without looking it up) whether "Doctor Occult" is actually a "Golden Age" character or not but I think he would make a good "psychic detective" type for a "Pulp" campaign. Dr. Occult actually predates Superman, so I guess that makes him a "Platinum Age" character. He still counts, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemachus Posted May 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes The mighty Atom You think Astro Boy would make a good pulp character?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemachus Posted May 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes All of them' date=' just in street clothes rather than costumes.[/quote'] I dunno...personally, I couldn't see Green Lantern, Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman or The Flash as pulp characters. Manhunter, yes. Plastic Man? Not so much. FYI on Hugo Danner- "Gladiator" was actually a novel, not a pulp and read very differently than anything you'd read in the pulps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes That's true enough-things never seemed to work out for Danner. Oh,and Oddhat if memory serves Danner wasn't immune to poison (unless Abnego's formula worked differently on humans) unlike Superman.He also never performed any of Superman's speed tricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes I dunno...personally' date=' I couldn't see Green Lantern, Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman or The Flash as pulp characters. Manhunter, yes. Plastic Man? Not so much.[/quote'] For Green Lantern, tone down the ring so that he's just hypnotizing crooks and throwing mysterious green energy rays. Hawkman becomes a man in a glider cape who dresses like a bird to terrify his foe and hits people with a mace. Superman becomes a Hugo Danner who isn't a doomed ne'er do well. Wonder Woman becomes a female stronger than any man with athletic skills and strange gadgets from her mysterious Island home. Plastic Man becomes the Avenger with contortionist skills added. FYI on Hugo Danner- "Gladiator" was actually a novel, not a pulp and read very differently than anything you'd read in the pulps. It's on my shelf, along with my pulp reprints and ERB novels. My information is fine, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes That's true enough-things never seemed to work out for Danner. Oh,and Oddhat if memory serves Danner wasn't immune to poison (unless Abnego's formula worked differently on humans) unlike Superman.He also never performed any of Superman's speed tricks. Superman wasn't immune to poison in 1938, and Danner had the same level of speed and leaping ability. Gladiator of Iron by Will Murray is a good place to look for the connections those that don't have the books, and Al Schroeders Supermania is quite good as well, though as his work is meant for a Wold Newton setting there is fiction mixed in to make the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimble Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes John Constantine. He'd be a bastard in any setting. Definely hard boiled. Grimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karmakaze Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes I dunno...personally' date=' I couldn't see Green Lantern, Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman or The Flash as pulp characters. Manhunter, yes. Plastic Man? Not so much.[/quote'] The Alan Scott version of Green Lantern isn't too bad. The "lantern" had been formed of a mystical green flame prophesied that it would act three times: once to bring death, once to bring life, and once to bring power. It only worked on inanimate objects - wood or plants affected him normally. He used it for desol and dazzling people a lot more than brute force. Carter Hall was an archaeologist who discovered that he is the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince. A jealous priest had killed the prince and his lover and now all three were doomed to be reincarnated over and over repeating the drama. He found an ancient "n-th" metal that allowed the wearer to defy gravity. The reincarnation thing, the Egyptology, and the "n-th metal" are all pretty pulp. Wonder Woman is an Amazon - that's pretty pulp right there. The whole "bullets and bracelets" thing seems in-genre, too. She would just be a little less of a brick in a pulp incarnation. The Flash? Yeah - I don't see him as terribly pulp. Plastic Man, on the other hand, works for me. From the wikipedia article: Plastic Man had been a crook named Patrick "Eel" O'Brian when he was shot by a security guard and struck by a falling drum full of an unidentified acid, some of which entered Eel's wound. He was saved by a mysterious order of monks whose example cured his penchant for crime. The acid bath gave him the ability to change his shape.... I mean, come on, a mysterious order of monks? How pulp is that? I wouldn't go with the slapstick style, particularly, but if you focus on Eel O'Brien trying to make up for his misspent life... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes The Flash? Yeah - I don't see him as terribly pulp. H.G. Wells published the New Accelerator in 1901, about a formula that gave the user temporary superspeed, to the point that time seemed to stop. The Flash works fine as a somewhat overpowered Pulp era character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Don't forget the 'almost' superheroes. There's all those "lost in a world he didn't make" types, characters that were ripped from the pulps to begin with; DC's Adam Strange or the Warlord... forget his name... are perfect Burroughs rips, Kazar is a poor mans Tarzan, Or any of the old western heroes from DC's Jonas Hex backwards through the Two Gun kid. An argument could be made for Howard the Duck being a decent pulp concept, just make it a short guy in a funny mask from a strange place like Bora-bora. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes International Superheroes - Pulp Heroes http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/pulphero.htm Cinemarquee - Pulp Heroes http://www.cinemarquee.com/cine/pulp.htm Pulp Hero Resources - TheQuestionMan's http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30071 LOL QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Johnny Thunder - make him a little tougher, and make the T-bolt only be able to affect magic/other magical beings. So Johnny has to deal with the cultists on his own, but the T-bolt can protect him from spells/tackle the demons. The Spectre - make him a hat&suit guy like the Shadow who returned from the dead/near death with some mystical powers...and a mean right hook. The Human Torch - a guy who's immune to fire and heat, can make things hot by touching them if he wants to. Melts the bars of the cage he gets tossed into, sets the warehouse on fire and immolates the head bad guy in a bear hug, then walks out of the burning building (perhaps naked, unless he buys asbestos suits). Still has to watch out for explosions started by the fires, falling beams, etc. not golden age but: Changeling/Beast Boy - take away the always green bit, maybe have the power come from some mystic amulet or something. A guy who can turn into any animal would be awesome in various exotic locales...stalking bad guys through the jungle as a tiger, tailing the Thugee boat back to their lair as a crocodile... Wolverine - no adamantium or claws, but a scrappy fighter with great fast healing would be hell on wheels in pulps, and the writers could do all kinds of terrible things to him. Enhanced senses to help solve crimes/find the bad guys. He'd by like a Casca with a good nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes If you're going to talk Plastic Man, don't forget Ralph Dibney and his "gingold soda" bit... plus his "nose for mystery"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimble Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes As long as you toned down her powers, Wonder Woman's origin is perfect for Pulp. Daughter of an Amazon queen. Leaves their idillic island to teach the world of Man a better way... I'd make her tough, but not Superman tough. Keep the bracelets and magic lasso. Great fighting skills. I'm on the fence about the invisible plane, but I believe it fits into a Pulp setting. Grimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes As long as you toned down her powers, Wonder Woman's origin is perfect for Pulp. Daughter of an Amazon queen. Leaves their idillic island to teach the world of Man a better way... I'd make her tough, but not Superman tough. Keep the bracelets and magic lasso. Great fighting skills. I'm on the fence about the invisible plane, but I believe it fits into a Pulp setting. Grimble Nick Carter faced a race of "Aryan" blond warriors, including female warriors, in a hidden valley in Tibet in one of his pulp era adventures. Their toys included invisible planes and strength enhancing belts. Source: Jess Nevins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcw43921 Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes I'm with Oddhat--Superman would make a great pulp character. I see him as Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Planet, and his reporters (foremost among them Lois Lane and Perry White, with Jimmy Olsen as a copy boy who always tags along and gets into trouble) bring him stories of injustices which he then battles to overcome with his great strength, speed and invulnerability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Here's how I wrote up homage characters to Superman, Wonder Woman, and a very tongue in cheek version of Hawkman for my own Pulp campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldorn Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Re: Golden Age Superheroes as Pulp Heroes Elongated Man: I can see him and his wife Sue modeled after Nick and Nora Charles ("The Thin Man") and other husband and wife slueth teams from the pulps and slicks of the era. The Sandman: That was the point behind the "Sandman Mystery Theater" title from Vertigo The Specter: Detective Jim Corrigan (killed in the line of duty), dons the hooded cloak of the Specter to bring justice to the deceased. Captain America: The Ultimate version (Ultimate Avengers animated movie) is probably the best version for pulp conversion. Also see the Republic serial "Captian America". Black Hood (MJL/Archie Comics): If memory serves actually had a two issue pulp run, but they are hard to find. Captain Marvel/Spysmasher: These Fawcett/DC stalwarts had serials done that could be spring boards for a series of pulp games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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