Brandi

Re: Dear G-D, NOOOOOOOOO!!! I hate Hollywood!

FWIW, I think the mutie prostie rumor originated with the New York Post, whose gossip columnists I would consider about as sane and reliable as their editorial writers.

Personally, I'm more bothered that Alan Cumming's website (http://www.alancumming.com) reports that he was not asked back to play Nightcrawler, who is a favorite character of mine and one of the highlights of X2.

Re: Batman Begins

My only quibble was the "microwave projector". it should have been called something else....something techno-babblish like "non-lethal water vaporizor".

 

it's a selective AoE that does not target water enclosed in living things, other wise the people, pets, etc. would have exploded.

Actually, it would've had to vaporize water in some unique way, since given PV=nRT (and if you remember your college chemistry-- which I didn't remember all of-- n and R are constants) the temperature increases proportionally to pressure. Getting that water vapor pressurized enough to burst city water pipes means it should've parboiled everyone caught in it.

Then again, the movie was compelling enough that I didn't care when watching it-- which is what REALLY counts here.

Re: "Super Heroes" That your character doesn't/wouldn't like

Irving would be mighty uncomfortable with ends-justify-the-means types, be they Iron Age lay-down-the-smack types or Ozymandias.

Depending on how overanalytical the science types get (the gadgeteer in our party kept trying to see how Irving worked-- noninvasively, but he did come off as if he didn't quite think of Irving as anything but a clever toy) they may or may not grate on his nerves.

Otherwise, Irving's remarkably hard to upset and will probably get along well wtih just about everyone else.

Re: Funniest ingame event

This was in the Champs campaign Irving was played in.

At some point, I can't remember what, our group had gotten hold of a rather fragile artifact that was nonetheless dangerous in the wrong hands, so we were transporting it back to our base.

This session was also the debut of our new player, whose character was an MIB type with Desolid (among other things, but that's the only power I remember now).

He decided he would wait at the entry to our base, in the doorway, looking all cool and stuff, and showing off his desolid power to make an impression.

So here's Irving, leading the other heroes who are carrying that artifact, and he meets the MIB at the door.

"Greetings, I am _____, and..."

"It's good to meet you, but we have to bring a rather fragile item inside. If you would please step aside... [At this point Irving puts his paw on the MIB's chest and finds it goes through.] Oh! You're intangible! Er, beg my pardon, but we really, REALLY have to get this someplace safe...

At which point Irving, and the rest of the group, simply walked THROUGH the new PC, leaving him standing in the doorway.

His ego never really recovered.

Re: What are some interesting disadvantages you have used?

[Total Colorblindness] That is such a great idea. I may pull this on my players

It gets even better when you realize the character in question is my Irving (the lion statue), which means he also has Psych Lim: No Fine Manipulators...

Re: What have you done with the Asesinos?

I sometimes wonder if Pete Abrams, writer of the Sluggy Freelance comic, knew of Iggy? His recurring vampire character Sam is very much how you'd expect Iggy to play out...

Re: What are some interesting disadvantages you have used?

Psych Lim: Total Colorblindness gets interesting when he's the only character not tied up or otherwise incapaciated when there's a bomb to be defused.

"Cut the blue wire!"

"Is that the light gray one or the dark gray one?"

Re: How do you feel about Superheroes that kill?

Actually' date=' a better question is why the government hasn't executed the Joker yet? Insane or not, his body count would get him the chair, even in states without capital punishment![/quote']

 

Time to break out the Criminal Law flash cards (no really; found 'em by the dumpster at my apartment, disposed of by a student who didn't need them for some reason or another):

 

Under the Model Penal Code, the Joker might be considered criminally insane since he lacks substantial capability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law (the "irresistable impulse" test of mental competence). Mind you, I'm not sure if the MPC's approach would mark a genuine psychopath as legally insane: IANAL, just someone who found an interesting reference by the dumpster.

 

He might also be found incompetent to stand trial if he cannot assist his lawyer in preparing a defense (it would be a violation of due process).

 

Finally, if he's considered insane enough to not understand the nature and purpose of his punishment, he couldn't be executed until he was cured.

 

Depending on how the Joker's written up he might qualify for one or more of these, in which case the budget for Arkham Asylum had better get a big boost in order to increase security measures.

Re: The Essential Bad Iron Age

This sig is just six words long.

Actually, it's seven-- or is that the joke?

Re: What's the most ridiculous PC you've ever been subjected to?

We had a Born Again Christian gamer who over many years ran a series of characters with no external genitalia' date=' in multiple short campaigns. The first two (a Lizard Man and an Android) were fine, but then came the Viet-Nam Vet with the terrible injury, and the mutant who had his privates fall off when hi power manifested...[/quote']

 

Perhaps he is toying with the idea of joining the Skoptsi.

 

Personally, I'd encourage it.

Re: Rewrite your PC(s) as Iron Age Villians!

Irving: The Fair One (for that is what his name means in the old tongue [Celtic]) was somehow brought awake, in a strange body, in a land where the magic was dying and the respect for his people gone-- they were dismissed as legends or trivialized as flitting imps decorating the franchise-sold clothing of silly children. The Sidhe may have been driven into hiding, but the Lion of Dana will bring the fight to those who hide behind the soft and bleating Lamb of Yahweh.

I suspect with Irving the end will not be death per se, but banishment or exorcism.

ETA: You'll have to decide if churches are respected institutions or not in an Iron Age world. If they are, he will probably seek to remove/desecrate them, especially if they are on ground once beloved of the fae folk. If they are corrupt, like many powerful institutions seem to be in the Iron Age, he may have a demented agent or two working havoc from within (think of the crazed verger in Rawhead Rex, though without the stink of urine).

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

Hmm... Bad Bronze Age might be a laugh too... "Brother Power' date=' the Geek".[/quote']

 

Two things spring quickly to mind for Bad Bronze Age:

 

1) Angry Black Heroes. The original version of John Stewart comes quickly to mind:

 

 

but for real badness you should be looking more to Brother Voodoo.

 

2) Painfully earnest-- and usually lefty-- politics. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow "On the Road" story arc was actually a good and groundbreaking example of Bronze Age politicking, but the imitations it spawned were often annoying or goofy. (If you've got a Steve Ditko fan in the group, try some painfully earnest Objectivism on 'em! )

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

Agreed. Super-Pets rock.

So whaddaya think of the Krypto cartoon?

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

While not as much fun to read as the Truly Awful Comics review, this Quarterbin column might provide a good springboard:

Unnecessary Vices of the Silver Age

Also, look for Cheeks the Toy Wonder's Silver Age pages, which seem to be mirrored haphazardly across Geocities, Tripod, and Fortunecity; the Hall of Shame sections should be plenty of ripe fodder.

Re: The Essential Bad Iron Age

Pergatori: The Dracula Gambit #1

 

Vampire sex and slaughter porn.

Actually, using Quarterbin again, Crimson Plague might be even better.

Re: The Essential Bad Iron Age

This review at QuarterBin seemed to distill the essence of bad Iron Age stuff, and the comic at the center of the review can probably be had cheaply as well.

Re: Here on Earth-2: your evil counterpart!

Never actually met an evil twin in the campaign I had Irving in, but there are two valid approaches he could've taken:

Irving-2 could be a simple thug, seeking only territory and comforts and rather animal-like in manners and understanding.

Or, he could be very intelligent as Irving-1 is, but dangerously arrogant. Why yes, he knows how to solve many of the problems of the world. Lots of humans will have to die for these solutions to work-- and that's a shame, because they can be pretty amusing-- but you simply cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. Think Ras al-Ghul, or maybe Ozymandias...

Re: Jack-Jack Parr

Pixar has right of first refusal. Disney has to offer to them first.

Well, that's something, though it looks like Toy Story 3 is being made without Pixar's involvement-- with two writers, one of whom has never done a script before, and the other responsible for Meet The Parents/Meet the Fockers.

So I've got my misgivings.

Re: Jack-Jack Parr

Incredibles 2 might answer it.

But do we want to see that? The rights are owned by Disney, not Pixar, and judging from recent output Disney scriptwriters suck like a two-dollar whore.

Re: [4color] Why do you dislike the Iron Age style? (No flames, ok?)

I'm beginning to think what it comes down to for me with regards to Iron vs. Silver Age is: what happens when they fail?

Bad Silver Age comics tend to be silly, childish, and irrelevant (Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas! comes to mind; I'd've used Cheeks' Silver Age pages but all his graphics are gone).

Bad Iron Age comics tend to be squalid, nasty, and brutal (QuarterBin's review of Bloodstrike #5 and Crimson Plague cover this nicely).

On the whole, I can handle silly much better than squalid, thanks.

Re: [4color] Why do you dislike the Iron Age style? (No flames, ok?)

Anyone have a site with an example of their work? I'd really like to see this for myself./

10 Sal Buscema Covers

Herb Trimpe covers

Trimpe's biggest sin may be trying to emulate Jack Kirby's exaggerated perspective, and not doing it very well (in fact, there's definitely some problems in this Nick Fury cover), but really, nobody's come close to Liefeld for raw pain.

Re: [4color] Why do you dislike the Iron Age style? (No flames, ok?)

Sal Buscema.

Sal's not a favorite of mine, but he never gave Captain America bitch tits.

Re: [4color] Why do you dislike the Iron Age style? (No flames, ok?)

Overall' date=' I KNOW the penciling/inking is better now.[/quote']

 

With one EXTREMELY significant exception.

 

Seriously, has there been any artist of old whose work has been as goddam FUGLY as Rob Liefeld's?

Re: A costume challenge

Weird photoshopping aside-- why not a simple jumpsuit, not too tight? Y'know, like a mechanic might wear. Relentlessly functional (pockets are handy), unrevealing, and not too expensive.

Re: "I can't hear you!" effect

Thanks for the help. I imagine that it's GM's discretion if certain voice-based powers that don't explicitly have Incantations (Howler's scream comes to mind) would be affected by this? (The power is somewhat comic in intent; eventually I'll write it all up here...)