tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44464480076317971492024-03-12T16:27:53.929-07:00Hideouts & Hoodlums: The Larcenous Lexicon An exploration of the Golden Age of Comics, through the lens of Hideouts & Hoodlums, the comic book roleplaying game.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.comBlogger941125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-66282324015927899942023-03-31T16:17:00.003-07:002023-03-31T16:17:44.840-07:00Fight Comics #4 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqeJhuktRU5ltvgTQH5upb4xJFyCfaaPULtVFFoc6qid9kXlHs3BK7Xh19FHT1HgSnezIAqr-mRfYwZYrqamctnQJDUJYQYIrsGHveLeCzAFbP_U0EL0glDt7Vi-9B61Ydo_T7vZ0EE0qDwUy3qjiBfP23w7gU53xdLQmqigkot4vqaK16wVzj6lv/s1790/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1790" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqeJhuktRU5ltvgTQH5upb4xJFyCfaaPULtVFFoc6qid9kXlHs3BK7Xh19FHT1HgSnezIAqr-mRfYwZYrqamctnQJDUJYQYIrsGHveLeCzAFbP_U0EL0glDt7Vi-9B61Ydo_T7vZ0EE0qDwUy3qjiBfP23w7gU53xdLQmqigkot4vqaK16wVzj6lv/s320/blog1.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>We're back, looking at <i>Chip Collins</i>. Now, in my very last blog post I was crediting this story with some ingenuity; Wang (again, he's Mongolian, even though his name isn't) has hired Chip to kill his enemy, Chin Lo (also Mongolian), and is tricking Chip into thinking Chin is the bad guy. So, it makes no sense to kidnap Chin's daughter and be holding her prisoner somewhere Chip might find her. Sure, it's good to have a back-up plan to finish off your hated enemy, but you should only try one scheme at a time so they don't thwart each other! <br /><p></p><p>I almost missed this on first reading the page, but - how does Chip get the manacles off of Chin's daughter? It's not clear if he's picking the lock, if he found the key in the room, or he's forced the manacles off the walls; it seems like all he had to do is touch them and they magically fell open.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA-SDUVEiCDa5o8kU1mNHhTq1P5uawLiCZnHbbVO5kdDW7eUnQsv2jMciK9kDb4sIs5NU7W62RWLlwKJIhuTQKpCKI7zWZimYmN6-24LBCNyYiqWYtUmbjdIQaLGf5eDx5d3O0Nqzg4pc9aT-X3XG8ChuCKcpJ6vNmUXCTbzrvIViUtm62tQTAj17/s1775/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1775" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA-SDUVEiCDa5o8kU1mNHhTq1P5uawLiCZnHbbVO5kdDW7eUnQsv2jMciK9kDb4sIs5NU7W62RWLlwKJIhuTQKpCKI7zWZimYmN6-24LBCNyYiqWYtUmbjdIQaLGf5eDx5d3O0Nqzg4pc9aT-X3XG8ChuCKcpJ6vNmUXCTbzrvIViUtm62tQTAj17/s320/blog2.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>I know the aviator genre is too big a part of early comic books to ignore, and I've tried to accomodate it in Hideouts & Hoodlums as much as possible...but I feel this page best exemplifies my problem with the genre. Chip, on the ground, fighting overwhelming numbers, may seem heroic, but as soon as his air support shows up, the balance of power swings way too far in his favor. The scenario might as well be called over at that point - unless you give the enemies planes/air support too, which evens the odds again.<div><br /></div><div>I did say <i>seems</i> heroic. Let's go over again what happens in this story: Chip is hired through trickery, doesn't figure out he was tricked but just stumbles across evidence he was, changes sides, asks the other side to help him in the shootout and putting them all at risk, and barely manages to even hold his ground until the cavalry comes to save him. But this can easily happen in <b>H&H </b>if you suffer enough bad dice rolls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnVZ4881pJQdD8L8-Bu9Hne4bssP-xtZikQclVvz5gIDK3z8qXE3VkLxVzALSVS9Yi9FZgQ3bk5hqQVu8rCgA2VZcgAAJbY7Gc7L3Bi1x1qM1EsrSxvOyrw8GyXimYUGysJVIXUqopGwrVoxdv0B1zReiUQJV3OASTyPRDCvhBcIoxtEt1FXUKPeg/s1778/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1778" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnVZ4881pJQdD8L8-Bu9Hne4bssP-xtZikQclVvz5gIDK3z8qXE3VkLxVzALSVS9Yi9FZgQ3bk5hqQVu8rCgA2VZcgAAJbY7Gc7L3Bi1x1qM1EsrSxvOyrw8GyXimYUGysJVIXUqopGwrVoxdv0B1zReiUQJV3OASTyPRDCvhBcIoxtEt1FXUKPeg/s320/blog3.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I have some serious problems with this page, the least of which is that Chip is served "exotic oriental food" that looks like turkey and ...pumpkins?<div><br /></div><div>My second biggest problem with this page is the perceived outcome of Wang Chi's death. No taxes? Wasn't Chin Lo a rival warlord? He's going to absorb Wang's territory and make those people pay to him now. And even if not him, <i>someone</i> is going to step in to fill that power vaccuum. This libertarian fantasy of a suddenly tax-free zone wouldn't happen - unless what they mean is Chin Lo declared a temporary tax break to celebrate Wang Chi's death, which would actually be pretty smart to ingratiate himself in with his new subjects...</div><div><br /></div><div>But the biggest issue is scenario-wise: If you are dropping a bomb on a hideout to eliminate the bad guy, how do you know he didn't survive? How do you know he was even home at the time? Game mechanic-wise, I am not going to award you experience points for everyone in the hideout you just killed, because your Hero was at no risk while murdering them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpGpq_rE5_CmiXH9_sYnMMOhpSjnTTA214zvsnbDHKTSL6TEDvOMYki5yrMwNRNWPoSTuYkPatdukt4YOYaTAQ7JiVE_ciZ-HKLtiypDhjIF_bAyBZOrBnAnUW2IvK7FgWX4Fxbil-VbFJJWeKCqeqQT_GTSaNNGaepc8KevQfzBikN61rSsYUAaI/s1780/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1780" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpGpq_rE5_CmiXH9_sYnMMOhpSjnTTA214zvsnbDHKTSL6TEDvOMYki5yrMwNRNWPoSTuYkPatdukt4YOYaTAQ7JiVE_ciZ-HKLtiypDhjIF_bAyBZOrBnAnUW2IvK7FgWX4Fxbil-VbFJJWeKCqeqQT_GTSaNNGaepc8KevQfzBikN61rSsYUAaI/s320/blog4.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div>(Disguised plug!) So we're pretty far into the <u>Minnesota Campaign Sourcebook</u> now and the last thing we're adding are 10 short, 2-page scenarios you can run as part of a MN-based campaign. Something I've been thinking much about, then, is how to make sure the outcomes of failure scale upwards. For example, I don't want the level 1 adventure to involve saving the world because - how do you scale upwards from there? <br /><div><br /></div><div>You can't get much more low-end on the failure scale than this - if you fail to stop the racketeers, they will go on making exactly 800 pennies off of each farmer! It's hard to imagine the FBI even getting involved in a case this small, let alone put their resident superhero on the case.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhma5o8Jlp3yFxIOTgep0HXWSiJxaWELk--hC-C3kIWn024wJvFzSUlF2nGJtqvdS3gC21qIfbCd2qtRDFuJCdxAIsStd8nFAsbWLszw-AUMqSBwpQf4xOJP3OF_s0ku-QOWNHq3S27IHcE1OkoHP7xyAUCna72eC5c2E9R5TCDhqcXP97X_SgBbJet/s1791/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1791" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhma5o8Jlp3yFxIOTgep0HXWSiJxaWELk--hC-C3kIWn024wJvFzSUlF2nGJtqvdS3gC21qIfbCd2qtRDFuJCdxAIsStd8nFAsbWLszw-AUMqSBwpQf4xOJP3OF_s0ku-QOWNHq3S27IHcE1OkoHP7xyAUCna72eC5c2E9R5TCDhqcXP97X_SgBbJet/s320/blog5.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Rip Regan is based in San Francisco and we got told on the last page that he is at a farmers market. But what a weird farmers market it is...according to the background, there are buildings, an open field, a wooden dock, and some sort of body of water here. I guess this isn't downtown! </div><div><br /></div><div>The nickname of "Si" is the only indication this farmer is Hispanic, a very rare sighting for a 1940 story taking place in the United States. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidW-4R_Lv-SWJ1hYQUsZ35OqgL3A8BMef6z0UCZ9nTI7obMAKL7Jhs7h3HsLqByaitIcInNvBj_8IoCj9oQFC_K2xTiXGDI4aEb5E1vJaX0nR4orJMe4-ejtLE9XtQnsQSH02Bcr-z5SOQA4DPc-3udD6WzcUcHDlGredGsGt1CGVIB4ilib9rPWhI/s1770/blog6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1770" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidW-4R_Lv-SWJ1hYQUsZ35OqgL3A8BMef6z0UCZ9nTI7obMAKL7Jhs7h3HsLqByaitIcInNvBj_8IoCj9oQFC_K2xTiXGDI4aEb5E1vJaX0nR4orJMe4-ejtLE9XtQnsQSH02Bcr-z5SOQA4DPc-3udD6WzcUcHDlGredGsGt1CGVIB4ilib9rPWhI/s320/blog6.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>This is already a bad story, but this is just a particularly bad page of this story. Rip is FBI, right? You'd think better tactics would come to his mind than letting one bad guy get away and come back with reinforcements, so they can have a shoot out in a public place. Maybe Rip should have, oh I don't know, questioned the hoodlum? Or followed him back to his lair? </div><div><br /></div><div>The hoodlums know a bullet bounced off Rip's back. Why are they so confident he's vulnerable from the front? It's almost like they know game mechanics - Rip is buffed by Nigh-Invulnerable Skin, which still means a lucky shot will hurt him.</div><div><br /></div><div>And look at that one hoodlum in panel 8 - reduced to a midget suddenly so his reaction is visible below the caption!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBcNyVhatQVobGHzcCkTNL8JQ-xYad9osA7-WpcxecsTzGX2GM4yqew2H8g5WUj89GIQisivxGTY7NxqNo-LrY2NRlAIhNKUP2cNpYIlnNCHKK8fUxnYg0hx6-4KQs3V4YDsZE6kCRW_BvtJJIBBMz3Zf99kTW6NN24Sk6Y1z8BHzmNjoazdeDRb0/s1780/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1780" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBcNyVhatQVobGHzcCkTNL8JQ-xYad9osA7-WpcxecsTzGX2GM4yqew2H8g5WUj89GIQisivxGTY7NxqNo-LrY2NRlAIhNKUP2cNpYIlnNCHKK8fUxnYg0hx6-4KQs3V4YDsZE6kCRW_BvtJJIBBMz3Zf99kTW6NN24Sk6Y1z8BHzmNjoazdeDRb0/s320/blog7.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>The mobsters came back with guns, the farmers are defending themselves by throwing tomatoes, and Rip thought this was going to be a fair match-up? </div><div><br /></div><div>Although I didn't always think this way (I have run some pretty lethal H&H scenarios in the past..), I am more with than against Rip's line of thinking now - if the players don't want to offer lethal force, then the villains can tone down their response to match the same tone of play (what I've always called campaign mood).</div><div><br /></div><div>That said....there should also be a logical expectation of a certain level of resistance from the bad guys and choosing to go against them unarmed shouldn't necessarily keep your Heroes safe. It's a situation that requires balance.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzfkRVbyfCsULkh2AuUIpnzjlHTzV1RqUTz0jU7XddrfL_rf2FuJhBXtPghm_SX8JzoeW_Y0QPswbzITqcwg_SJQ96WLmoUdyYneaIYm9rfAzAdbxdnMifK_bV2ahc6CmTqkke10NOazTJZjLQzLGMwwTNBQtMwiTOWhAZ_JgBd3xLR-Uaun5tXte/s1785/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzfkRVbyfCsULkh2AuUIpnzjlHTzV1RqUTz0jU7XddrfL_rf2FuJhBXtPghm_SX8JzoeW_Y0QPswbzITqcwg_SJQ96WLmoUdyYneaIYm9rfAzAdbxdnMifK_bV2ahc6CmTqkke10NOazTJZjLQzLGMwwTNBQtMwiTOWhAZ_JgBd3xLR-Uaun5tXte/s320/blog8.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>We're going to jump right into <i>Big Jim McLane</i>, and I have to say I almost admire his directness. When Jim thinks these rival lumberjacks are stealing his wood, he doesn't watch them, or wait to find evidence - he walks up, basically says, "Hey, guys, come fight me!" They get goaded into attacking him, and then he can charge them all for assault. <div><br /></div><div>This reminds me of another old RPG campaign, one I was playing in, where we knew who the bad guy was and that he was up to no good, but we wasted so much time being super-cautious and hunting for evidence, forgetting the directness of these old stories.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBIESX19m6NOAI91r36mLyaXxXDpssSesqy5h6fIJuUx7B6KCbDHrTdyWxWboJaPT88MXfcffRoiKmQmPs49uMIHDyaAuHLe3JymM16CTqME-MyBgsmcRMIznh8WzRR4gm7apn6c4cb410nbaGwrLDRWE4PmL7QAnI7YFzeDnVfSBCwwMHuiOY9Uu/s1787/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBIESX19m6NOAI91r36mLyaXxXDpssSesqy5h6fIJuUx7B6KCbDHrTdyWxWboJaPT88MXfcffRoiKmQmPs49uMIHDyaAuHLe3JymM16CTqME-MyBgsmcRMIznh8WzRR4gm7apn6c4cb410nbaGwrLDRWE4PmL7QAnI7YFzeDnVfSBCwwMHuiOY9Uu/s320/blog9.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Inverting the order of how a story normally goes, Red has already defeated the bad guys when he finds out what the stakes are and the reward. I would be tempted, if this was my scenario, to shrink the reward for two reasons: 1) the fight turned out to be really easy and the risk-reward is unbalanced in the reward's favor ($500 per bad guy?), and 2) the Hero already took care of the bad guys, so the reward isn't needed any longer as a plot hook. <div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=14516" target="_blank">digitalcomicmuseum.com</a>)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-81916583061139746432023-03-22T06:30:00.003-07:002023-03-22T06:30:28.453-07:00Fight Comics #4 - pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkb1TMfWeJhQ4zZ4Ba7Fayvl_KWXk7eUpY7KmHqwTqk13VvmE3QPjNyOxs7Y112u-R881tsGJVFiczGEAc2UOPe-BAuaildUNtRk-dE2-R2l6ksTYiYTL8tTXxiYjeJYE1KJ3bO5Uu3hSjg8qm2qsOobVhBVaV8ijJ3ySD0txzWlPrGw0kcdGau_X/s1776/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkb1TMfWeJhQ4zZ4Ba7Fayvl_KWXk7eUpY7KmHqwTqk13VvmE3QPjNyOxs7Y112u-R881tsGJVFiczGEAc2UOPe-BAuaildUNtRk-dE2-R2l6ksTYiYTL8tTXxiYjeJYE1KJ3bO5Uu3hSjg8qm2qsOobVhBVaV8ijJ3ySD0txzWlPrGw0kcdGau_X/s320/blog1.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>We return to Kinks Mason to find he's...well, improvising a club to bet a pirate captain with, I have no problem with that, but using a cape, underwater, to distract swordfish like a bullfighter...that seems problematic to me...<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRIGeUJFgxi8gg42GbBvpGe9fS9_Ggan8_XeoqsqOR31DO3CCJfoO-DpiBrErXdJ6R5N2e51K8HW475uNWAUiDG9cV3aT3BZlZZgitfDhJMa_QtJaq2oXbG2OHZyriMEVTdRD4nFmhJv6XZO9lHJqKU_fGFfhRBDf-_Onqnv8rh_aAYEg0nlNztnV/s1779/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1779" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRIGeUJFgxi8gg42GbBvpGe9fS9_Ggan8_XeoqsqOR31DO3CCJfoO-DpiBrErXdJ6R5N2e51K8HW475uNWAUiDG9cV3aT3BZlZZgitfDhJMa_QtJaq2oXbG2OHZyriMEVTdRD4nFmhJv6XZO9lHJqKU_fGFfhRBDf-_Onqnv8rh_aAYEg0nlNztnV/w230-h320/blog2.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>...especially since Kinks does it to pull off this trick, which I find flat-out impossible. I know, as a good Editor, I should be encouraging my players to come up with clever solutions and give them a chance to work, but sometimes you need to consider the mood, or tone, you want for your campign and if the idea is compatible. <br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8VhSko2btEV-NquBQ5RLoUFVBxB-lcarRr9P05-QIdcYJJkjzae5yTq_ZVY2z7K_VKMkyf61zpZbgZygxWdu2KHbnCXrpYue7-eDOBVu8KIO16zYbeXeXfF-LF-2XcoxqZ-z-2u6ZGwwDXIv_KzWP_jPza5yxxkJKEunxT-xNymH8sCvBi0hSFYa/s1788/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1788" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8VhSko2btEV-NquBQ5RLoUFVBxB-lcarRr9P05-QIdcYJJkjzae5yTq_ZVY2z7K_VKMkyf61zpZbgZygxWdu2KHbnCXrpYue7-eDOBVu8KIO16zYbeXeXfF-LF-2XcoxqZ-z-2u6ZGwwDXIv_KzWP_jPza5yxxkJKEunxT-xNymH8sCvBi0hSFYa/w229-h320/blog3.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>We're jumping ahead now into the futuristic adventures of Saber. How can you tell it's the future? Well...there's that weird machine next to his desk, and that weird machine hanging from the ceiling. And no clutter!<div><br /></div><div>Saber unlikely has active powers buffing him in panel 3. The spies failed to gain surprise, which allowed Saber to "size up the situation." Saber appears to be using Leap I, but the distance crossed is no different than what he could have reached running, so the leap is flavor text.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saber is rolling great for damge to knock out one person per punch, but it <i>is</i> possible without buffing. It is also possible he is buffed with the Get Tough power. </div><div><br /></div><div>Saber fails his saving throw vs paralysis. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4xY5zA2C3XIAJHxqVQgxbprxhks5EQkHbdJQXLNMMIRcMOCwzMnp6he7vGZphsbbHTCKEEgs_eZYzLMYRkPFkNzwhPHc8ikoAMX1z-e0LvyvTqroWNQAVwcRBtAJAmiOw6A_wjSnTirPLrs-zxq94pYZ_sV5tIe6YU8hLCKdacmDjBgMdJkaZsmV/s1760/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4xY5zA2C3XIAJHxqVQgxbprxhks5EQkHbdJQXLNMMIRcMOCwzMnp6he7vGZphsbbHTCKEEgs_eZYzLMYRkPFkNzwhPHc8ikoAMX1z-e0LvyvTqroWNQAVwcRBtAJAmiOw6A_wjSnTirPLrs-zxq94pYZ_sV5tIe6YU8hLCKdacmDjBgMdJkaZsmV/w233-h320/blog4.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>It's nice that, in the future, spies will all wear uniforms so you can tell they are spies.<div><br /></div><div>It's unclear if Saber is saying he "must get out of here" from within his jail cell because he is frustrated with the speed of the judicial system or because his cell is somehow Saber-proofed. He doesn't look like he's trying very hard to escape, but maybe we missed all his wrecking things checks.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's also unclear why that exchange with the guard had to happen through telepathy; I would be comfortable with handwaving that as flavor text, since it doesn't really impact the story whether they spoke out loud or not.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y_vOb0jo5fLgfwOLeOA0FDqLzeuL58bGNCMYDzl-Nq8qErdTM8UKFDABBF0BlexrkYATqYrf5Mfks3eZpWKTcnEJefslQ6yYqi1dEgjo057-A0PSmfvXpslR-rl26RLoIvXhEdY-qdi_MSt-L0lEpdctndOIb_ajAGIDQqUw8RANOsWyPpt5-PA_/s1769/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1769" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y_vOb0jo5fLgfwOLeOA0FDqLzeuL58bGNCMYDzl-Nq8qErdTM8UKFDABBF0BlexrkYATqYrf5Mfks3eZpWKTcnEJefslQ6yYqi1dEgjo057-A0PSmfvXpslR-rl26RLoIvXhEdY-qdi_MSt-L0lEpdctndOIb_ajAGIDQqUw8RANOsWyPpt5-PA_/w232-h320/blog5.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>An electo-mort seems to be short for electric mortar, though I can think of several better names for the weapon than that, like an electro-mortar, e-mortar, or - heck - why not just call it a raygun?</div><div><br /></div><div>500-foot leaps are covered by the Leap I power...but the rules as written are intentionally vague as to what the lifting capacity is while leaping. If my explanation for the leap power is my super-strong leg muscles, then maybe I should be able to carry more than someone who can leap because their magic belt lets them float. The important thing is to reach a decision between player and Editor and remain consistent.</div><div><br /></div><div>"That just about finishes everyone in this stronghold! Oh, that's the wrong building? I just murdered dozens of sunbathers? Oops!" It never ceases to amaze me when I find someone arguing that heroes didn't kill in the golden age, because people like Saber had absolutely no compunctions stopping them from casual slaughter. There is absolutely zero consideration of bringing these traitors in for trial going on here; it's more like -- ooo, <i>this</i> is easy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP4rF-gGIedGATLbBQI2R7Ixqis4eLqt0X8KrVWnt5nUD9oLag33EEOWNJ2lebhoAwves33VjKwjbj34zD8cB--QS4TWuRxof72XvLiwRK1Pj6l-EEZwbVqHIH6Zk0nnjX1qtsSCNvJBGI5DNfIkXpCj3gVsV95tDg9h1GG-SPkZi9OxwV5qAZDyN/s1775/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1775" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP4rF-gGIedGATLbBQI2R7Ixqis4eLqt0X8KrVWnt5nUD9oLag33EEOWNJ2lebhoAwves33VjKwjbj34zD8cB--QS4TWuRxof72XvLiwRK1Pj6l-EEZwbVqHIH6Zk0nnjX1qtsSCNvJBGI5DNfIkXpCj3gVsV95tDg9h1GG-SPkZi9OxwV5qAZDyN/s320/blog6.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It's very gracious of Saber to give credit to Lt. Chandler, but I think we can trace a lot of his success to the absurdly deadly weapons Saber keeps finding, and that the spies have nothing compatible. The spies/sunbathers on the rooftop apparently had no weapons to fire back. While Saber is zipping around with an atomic disintegrator, the enemy ships are just trying to ram his - the equivalent of letting your 1940-era Heroes arm themselves with sub-machine guns, while the mobsters are armed with sticks and broken bottles. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRKEKuK9WbmbuJ5T1jK-UhbPiHGJxY3upHoQGsqPZFXroc36a4EkOvmSHH-EGoYycZtX2L8FbycQ7sxzyeyiu19PPWuWuILmmgZ9PpFcl9P1Qf9lTlJArobeJpxAYZJIk_rXyu87qu5QES51ojCbrJhhXXd-U1I-zKTsQl4RxXowdMRuBKHghlaTY/s1815/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1815" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRKEKuK9WbmbuJ5T1jK-UhbPiHGJxY3upHoQGsqPZFXroc36a4EkOvmSHH-EGoYycZtX2L8FbycQ7sxzyeyiu19PPWuWuILmmgZ9PpFcl9P1Qf9lTlJArobeJpxAYZJIk_rXyu87qu5QES51ojCbrJhhXXd-U1I-zKTsQl4RxXowdMRuBKHghlaTY/s320/blog7.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>This is the second half of a two-page strip called <i>Slug-Nutty Sam</i>. The end gag isn't particularly good, but neither would the fall be lethal in <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b>; falling damage always leads to unconsciousness, except for falls resulting from deathtraps. And that is assuming an average or higher damage roll for the fall; a three-story fall could still be as little as 3 points of damage if the rolls are lucky enough.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bE8fxy1arLs6bPwamt4sjozjILJEpCjKoxbSG0O0Wh1yxk_gNPbf5niP7mTAdVWcAKoXu56y-XiywAY6Kkz_2SudROq5UEytHEqUe4Rx1_dgTv1mQ7vHjhcKEMAnw7zjjbA9rvOFpIGeyNcjJBuf11dAKLuYFxGyw9vZIe3xFO_5HhQCruJLenHg/s1785/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bE8fxy1arLs6bPwamt4sjozjILJEpCjKoxbSG0O0Wh1yxk_gNPbf5niP7mTAdVWcAKoXu56y-XiywAY6Kkz_2SudROq5UEytHEqUe4Rx1_dgTv1mQ7vHjhcKEMAnw7zjjbA9rvOFpIGeyNcjJBuf11dAKLuYFxGyw9vZIe3xFO_5HhQCruJLenHg/s320/blog8.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div>Wang Chi and Chin Lo are surprisingly realistic Chinese names...so it's all the more disappointing that this story takes place in Mongolia. Although most Westerners, even at the time, thought of Mongolia as a province of China, Mongolia was more closely aligned with the Soviet Union than to China at this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The twist plot - that the Heroes are recruited by the bad guy under false pretenses - is worth pointing out, and an exciting scenario alternative when used sparingly.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwYtjS9cl24PPSTTSFm9z0UE2ATw_CbFVwaNp6WiFnLF-qOIkF7Ass7UoLJcfganrk5JZXDt1GrJVhuW1HTAqzBHqpX2tupbe-c-QHgnnklY6UZAWX_PEz9CPhAvNBpgysK5E26FEo6LoNFn60i45plG7lcZq2q1DFXYZMwwFxpoy-AnfpukWc3iX/s1776/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwYtjS9cl24PPSTTSFm9z0UE2ATw_CbFVwaNp6WiFnLF-qOIkF7Ass7UoLJcfganrk5JZXDt1GrJVhuW1HTAqzBHqpX2tupbe-c-QHgnnklY6UZAWX_PEz9CPhAvNBpgysK5E26FEo6LoNFn60i45plG7lcZq2q1DFXYZMwwFxpoy-AnfpukWc3iX/s320/blog9.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Shanghai is probably a thousand miles from where "Wang Chi" lives; that's a long distance to travel to recruit the Americans. Geopolitically, the story makes little sense; Wang would be better off and have a shorter route to go heading north/northwest to recruit some Soviet pilots. <div><br /></div><div>Again, when you ignore these particulars, the plot itself is clever, using your own gunmen to convince Chip an innocent man is the enemy.<br /><div><br /><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=14516" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-42301354874432679422023-01-30T15:27:00.001-08:002023-01-30T15:27:26.225-08:00Fight Comics #4 - pt. 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOsFYGXD08pKJVn4aZcq-uDe8m2Z-UvWH3y0wh0V9nuKvMXvGdBkzKtLeCURTP4HWVQzR3X3jyDySp-bw20PDx1sC8OllqRSuHUgmF2G5ZSbBPX0IAFWwLQmW0cE0UmDgzvoQMqMIp1QxTHN5hUMrCNto_V683vR0Pz4xDBa4brnC1bZMZPD_UIze/s1766/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1766" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOsFYGXD08pKJVn4aZcq-uDe8m2Z-UvWH3y0wh0V9nuKvMXvGdBkzKtLeCURTP4HWVQzR3X3jyDySp-bw20PDx1sC8OllqRSuHUgmF2G5ZSbBPX0IAFWwLQmW0cE0UmDgzvoQMqMIp1QxTHN5hUMrCNto_V683vR0Pz4xDBa4brnC1bZMZPD_UIze/s320/blog1.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>If you'd asked me this morning what I planned to do with my day, writing about George Tuska's Shark Brodie boxing a kangaroo probably wouldn't have been any of my guesses. <br /><p></p><p>Not that he's actually boxing the kangaroo yet; at first, he's just sailing along, minding his own business, when he gets his first wandering encounter (spoiler: there will be more of these). The encounter is a chance for a good deed and some easy experience points, so Shark leaps at the chance. </p><p>A dory is a small boat with pointed ends and high, flaring sides, like a large rowboat, only it can also support a sail or a motor. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBWJjCbP6LP2GJJXoGF_LM-VsyrSX-_4Pmk6JCA1YpT2Cj0jp_BHUBQLPFOaOrtLEFLSPy_edhIUYbUbTgEyvQfwT8Rw6CZrb0IOWulwRNjuCMfgAqRNyB7ZeAVnFNpiJlE9nDIIX3leHK_sSak7dPYqQBD_HwiERy1c-i77QSw7iPZiF1wq5hrmn/s1779/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1779" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBWJjCbP6LP2GJJXoGF_LM-VsyrSX-_4Pmk6JCA1YpT2Cj0jp_BHUBQLPFOaOrtLEFLSPy_edhIUYbUbTgEyvQfwT8Rw6CZrb0IOWulwRNjuCMfgAqRNyB7ZeAVnFNpiJlE9nDIIX3leHK_sSak7dPYqQBD_HwiERy1c-i77QSw7iPZiF1wq5hrmn/s320/blog2.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Here's a clever tip for Editors; when the players aren't spoiling for a fight, but you want to make a fight happen, have the bad guys make this mistake. <br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRJJfP8OIj8UfHSaq3VqIqsiETFZ1rw1AYPBPAC_BzTBaikvaYm_PEFxOzIplvL6bHuAsYeI50q-djlaRd1N9vjjyLgcsqR-6p-wCYjV-RX3vdn66rAlRq7gzq31trGl_e34u-nrgT7ZwJp7P0H0ys3AdKqXRNBr0xRNcDE-3PrJUt453yDzGGFSC/s1765/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1765" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRJJfP8OIj8UfHSaq3VqIqsiETFZ1rw1AYPBPAC_BzTBaikvaYm_PEFxOzIplvL6bHuAsYeI50q-djlaRd1N9vjjyLgcsqR-6p-wCYjV-RX3vdn66rAlRq7gzq31trGl_e34u-nrgT7ZwJp7P0H0ys3AdKqXRNBr0xRNcDE-3PrJUt453yDzGGFSC/w232-h320/blog3.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I'm honestly surprised that players have never actively sought this out in one of my <b>H&H</b> campaigns yet, but fighting for gamblers seems like an easy way to make both xp and $, though Lawful Heroes should not be considering this option. <div><br /></div><div>Ten to one odds is very good odds. I would probably sink some levels in the fighter class into that kangaroo if I wanted it to be that challenging.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFvEnqxfGXsgdH9TpByxi_Yx6LPB5rLybWOKq26_Nf7LYgUol71O0RLCnEA7RphD0KL9Z1iAb6o93AzayU-QwUGTRH3_B-yBBKr06VEvQZ5EHHkM18SueZn5hjOQoGm4in2zpPKq0Ua7cPAEZ4869echwFL1OvroezlfwLRu_w1B_8GNN7gX598v1/s1775/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1775" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFvEnqxfGXsgdH9TpByxi_Yx6LPB5rLybWOKq26_Nf7LYgUol71O0RLCnEA7RphD0KL9Z1iAb6o93AzayU-QwUGTRH3_B-yBBKr06VEvQZ5EHHkM18SueZn5hjOQoGm4in2zpPKq0Ua7cPAEZ4869echwFL1OvroezlfwLRu_w1B_8GNN7gX598v1/w231-h320/blog4.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>I like how there's no overarching plot to this installment, but just a series of random encounters that are made to overlap thanks to Stubby and Fritz motivating each encounter.<div><br /></div><div>I hope I'm not reading too much into this page to think Susie and Dolly are prostitutes, but since Susie is a pickpocket we can always stat them as thieves instead of vamps. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbhAD4yHcgc2jLzEMrF2r7831_qGJLc_tiBOc9rMfMnW251l5b7ltn0qn--sj2LPhVFWmh_hunpXgycKz_-y3-awRrvKP8Ueb6rbRU8eXzJgXukPhmS4rVNo2As5HOIx8KB-_3GSMH3jMjTA0svVNKhSedyPPbJ6UJt541hAkQhPclhX-PWF6XZxK/s1767/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1767" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbhAD4yHcgc2jLzEMrF2r7831_qGJLc_tiBOc9rMfMnW251l5b7ltn0qn--sj2LPhVFWmh_hunpXgycKz_-y3-awRrvKP8Ueb6rbRU8eXzJgXukPhmS4rVNo2As5HOIx8KB-_3GSMH3jMjTA0svVNKhSedyPPbJ6UJt541hAkQhPclhX-PWF6XZxK/w232-h320/blog5.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>We're going to jump from there into the next feature, <i>Kinks Mason</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>A 100-lb. swordfish is average size, so at 300 lbs. would be a large swordfish, at 900 lbs. a huge swordfish, and ...well, luckily giant swordfish don't exist in real life, and I would call this a huge swordfish. </div><div><br /></div><div>Huge swordfish can overturn small boats. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH16nTkgJUmgux8lsIViFBmtO4lqVatIYjLsM3mIXQh5IHb9RJgKIz9PEZ_J60ClPlsQpcfeUvSnGzz1Ir0oCgnYdyXN5G9nkAS-qhLX15JzOfiegGM6R-lYZf4p_Eah_AqpEr64VtAyw9YemGji9pFmoNqt1gbC5Xp_6Mzb-XvCmPPeT3y1bCi13l/s1762/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1762" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH16nTkgJUmgux8lsIViFBmtO4lqVatIYjLsM3mIXQh5IHb9RJgKIz9PEZ_J60ClPlsQpcfeUvSnGzz1Ir0oCgnYdyXN5G9nkAS-qhLX15JzOfiegGM6R-lYZf4p_Eah_AqpEr64VtAyw9YemGji9pFmoNqt1gbC5Xp_6Mzb-XvCmPPeT3y1bCi13l/s320/blog6.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I'm interested in how treasure can be concealed on a fish and be hook enough for an underwater adventure. Treasure is always a good adventure hook, but don't forget that treasure should usually be guarded.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEXONoBinP1AChXbnR0Y8JjYxaZzu1t8dhCaSYHbv186O11g6KL0kafsKpFa9HDg1hdaM7idCyOqkJE-WUQvF86tzafQtox17cfJwOfCH99ACuRS5CY8jUn_AhqgosklPi8dIMCxe_Gk6UXhE1yrnZsibjbXfuavRdMLMbMD2cYvYOen1DDx0mCSZ/s1778/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1778" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEXONoBinP1AChXbnR0Y8JjYxaZzu1t8dhCaSYHbv186O11g6KL0kafsKpFa9HDg1hdaM7idCyOqkJE-WUQvF86tzafQtox17cfJwOfCH99ACuRS5CY8jUn_AhqgosklPi8dIMCxe_Gk6UXhE1yrnZsibjbXfuavRdMLMbMD2cYvYOen1DDx0mCSZ/w230-h320/blog7.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Sometimes it isn't enough to dangle plot hooks and Editor's can get impatient. When the Editor wants to get a character to an adventure locale so badly that he takes extraordinary measures to move the character there against his will that's usually called railroading, but here we can call it swordfishing.<div><br /></div><div>Ooo, nice surprise encounter at the end here!<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHZBgYGzu2bgBABbJtfzcvIIOLOBeOKmFI2RAx32VTZhBDjAcjDHhMP-7TxmLiR1iMYE2waEmK4W66MJ1hz6frZosJ63jQkU29yrPCDPh5FzItUrf0mahXIGvwpSpYH-Rs5VWFd60P7_SdB1pIw2g4Ezb-iSy67O4tzaA1eE6k0-_l8xIvBZsGtdx/s1777/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1777" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHZBgYGzu2bgBABbJtfzcvIIOLOBeOKmFI2RAx32VTZhBDjAcjDHhMP-7TxmLiR1iMYE2waEmK4W66MJ1hz6frZosJ63jQkU29yrPCDPh5FzItUrf0mahXIGvwpSpYH-Rs5VWFd60P7_SdB1pIw2g4Ezb-iSy67O4tzaA1eE6k0-_l8xIvBZsGtdx/w231-h320/blog8.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>At first I thought he was going to be a ghost pirate, but that he's got a Potion of Water Breathing with a really impressive duration is a novel wrinkle. Since he's a captain, level titles tell me that he's probably a 5th level fighter. Having trained huge swordfish instead of a pirate crew is another interesting wrinkle. Did he have a Potion of Animal Control as well?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh6k3OygVqFc_Pt_ypUfuvVBhOjz4e7URx-pGmsfETfEZu_ZawNkdAE8Zpk-VloiQ-Bdsu7JrIahDDbnHIe1WApXNHMpMx9WpS3kXJ2sMtCrKvmQq7439vSil8TavSR9ZT0FQpYELrQT5rz3PUXvLJuCEYYRBiDJfoZSwDwmGXJjulO6sQl5DbBlr/s1769/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1769" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh6k3OygVqFc_Pt_ypUfuvVBhOjz4e7URx-pGmsfETfEZu_ZawNkdAE8Zpk-VloiQ-Bdsu7JrIahDDbnHIe1WApXNHMpMx9WpS3kXJ2sMtCrKvmQq7439vSil8TavSR9ZT0FQpYELrQT5rz3PUXvLJuCEYYRBiDJfoZSwDwmGXJjulO6sQl5DbBlr/w232-h320/blog9.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I'm not sure what's going on in panel 5. Either Kink is knocking over the table to serve as cover (which is sensible), or he knocked it over so he can jump off of it and lunge for the sword, burning a stunt and essentially wasting a turn of combat. <div><br /></div><div>If he managed to keep the sword maybe the extra damage over punching would be worth it, but Sneely (a terrible name for a villain, by the way, other than the villain's sidekick) manages to break the sword. This could be a non-superhero wrecking things roll, or the Editor had simply decided in advance that the sword was rusted and useless and just there to inconvenience the Hero. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=14562" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-86286328175401961612023-01-16T19:52:00.001-08:002023-01-16T19:52:07.615-08:00Amazing Man Comic #11 - pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC1psl6xZPiw0ZhFLSAgwTnx-dYbZSi0dC9uZLGES0UlwqWhiGev5R4FksuMk-krAj58pDGj5Rcudo3d9-MMnEkfkbGtCghtXtjRRJqVd-q2ZqQqrQPwQDXrY9t4BlLLaZGVvDQ1craVcDk6URji63nipfolEeRpaEGoP17y9XdVjnbZVTMQ2Dzeb/s1427/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC1psl6xZPiw0ZhFLSAgwTnx-dYbZSi0dC9uZLGES0UlwqWhiGev5R4FksuMk-krAj58pDGj5Rcudo3d9-MMnEkfkbGtCghtXtjRRJqVd-q2ZqQqrQPwQDXrY9t4BlLLaZGVvDQ1craVcDk6URji63nipfolEeRpaEGoP17y9XdVjnbZVTMQ2Dzeb/w219-h320/blog1.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>Wrapping up this comic, we return to <i>The Shark. </i>We find the Shark has buffed himself with the Super-Tough Skin power, almost correctly identified by name by the narrator. <p></p><p>Spoiler: The Shark wins.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63KlvHpb6jlY7KRxUjYN_WITs7npXwgyHBaYAO00U5x-JPl3bTI91SUIQN3Xh8TyF6eHTv5QEC6CUL8ufhpodqGaEfk-nKHj5oGD3KZrj7OZ5jRLOI7tsx_MmBBn4eyyZJybZ7mxpI2NvM_xrdt7nxlEGRtA2DdbiXC3FQ-JbKxvRF8HeBOXxAbid/s1390/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63KlvHpb6jlY7KRxUjYN_WITs7npXwgyHBaYAO00U5x-JPl3bTI91SUIQN3Xh8TyF6eHTv5QEC6CUL8ufhpodqGaEfk-nKHj5oGD3KZrj7OZ5jRLOI7tsx_MmBBn4eyyZJybZ7mxpI2NvM_xrdt7nxlEGRtA2DdbiXC3FQ-JbKxvRF8HeBOXxAbid/s320/blog2.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>Now we'll jump right into <i>Mighty Man</i>. Here is what finding a secret door in the game looks like. <div><br /></div><div>Comic book fans are expected to be familiar with Hollow World settings, so the reader is meant to be no more shocked by sunlight in an underground setting than Mighty Man is.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxo0F8y-T_-LBMkHd3FCLJJMZ4eGGO-MWgbAknUJ11l4CikYK0R42RdE-5SvnvoDDlRhWKrB3QQcEoXdLsRM6KBeTeyOCkfp_OAnDm_z2CfjU96GDXHtdaWj7y_uQxgVnOevA_Z4clrJl1Wsx2zpHP_bihnPkPfYOoFZvxZxIhJ0yYs_ojl1TtMYJ/s1411/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1411" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxo0F8y-T_-LBMkHd3FCLJJMZ4eGGO-MWgbAknUJ11l4CikYK0R42RdE-5SvnvoDDlRhWKrB3QQcEoXdLsRM6KBeTeyOCkfp_OAnDm_z2CfjU96GDXHtdaWj7y_uQxgVnOevA_Z4clrJl1Wsx2zpHP_bihnPkPfYOoFZvxZxIhJ0yYs_ojl1TtMYJ/w221-h320/blog3.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>Okay now, if you can look past the implied racism of these black men, the idea of coal giants itself is pretty good and not that different from stone giants in D&D. <div><br /></div><div>I appreciate that, even know after taking his blows, Mighty Man still doesn't think of them as the enemy and wants to make peace.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivuYBz6EkK2XgFiI5Lq7pkchlfvZVbI-ZRshR7YXpTDWlD0VY9Oq2fUqHgz-rXV_l7SvMvTSnoHrZhbJWfhuzCyQOQLQnGCh-6hgaW86zFZbQETsoHpFfVRHbAWlO-wq42iqsv5f-uuAkSmgZ3xjVoceJBiIbeVTU1kahPDwXqifKXWdubIseOVLA/s1385/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivuYBz6EkK2XgFiI5Lq7pkchlfvZVbI-ZRshR7YXpTDWlD0VY9Oq2fUqHgz-rXV_l7SvMvTSnoHrZhbJWfhuzCyQOQLQnGCh-6hgaW86zFZbQETsoHpFfVRHbAWlO-wq42iqsv5f-uuAkSmgZ3xjVoceJBiIbeVTU1kahPDwXqifKXWdubIseOVLA/w225-h320/blog4.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Again, if you look past the "White Savior" cliche...and the suggestion of black cannibals, you'll find that this is a surprisingly dark scenario (especially given the Filchock cartoony art), with the 12 missing people having already been <i>eaten</i> and beyond rescue.<div><br /></div><div>The origin of coal giants - that they have to eat chemically altered coal - is ridiculous, but it's not that out of line with golden age comic book origins; we're about a year away from a speedster getting his powers from a transfusion of mongoose blood. <br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXV-BJuVdgMh-MB_yrJ8Hi_v8RBYTn89C-Irfbi5nmUbInWeLILOnQEhPV6QlF7KkZ-8-ACKAy35stt86b-ehBgOm1ZgJRdnzBI9snn1YYEFB_FmPdgc1HUnYwulM5VE38ZYT0u06wRKSDKYT0MK9gkgf9GHGPXd_taA9bE6bgOzBwu8y5pxPbtE4_/s1397/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1397" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXV-BJuVdgMh-MB_yrJ8Hi_v8RBYTn89C-Irfbi5nmUbInWeLILOnQEhPV6QlF7KkZ-8-ACKAy35stt86b-ehBgOm1ZgJRdnzBI9snn1YYEFB_FmPdgc1HUnYwulM5VE38ZYT0u06wRKSDKYT0MK9gkgf9GHGPXd_taA9bE6bgOzBwu8y5pxPbtE4_/w223-h320/blog5.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>"Making every blow count" sounds to me like Mighty is buffing his damage rolls. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is maybe the first time a trap has been triggered to <i>aid</i> a Hero. It looks like that pit trap really hurt him too, though he could have already taken a lot of damage in the fight. </div><div><br /></div><div>So far we don't really learn much about the coal giants, physically, other than they are tough and they are not faster than Mighty Man.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMNZf1atYfHjTdiCmUckCSUV9DWAZZGqSiGdTMkI0bjOrnPsxwzTUo6uQ-tfakZPGBwJSnh1D94PsAebxJk9st0CiKi-0G19vFCi8Sb_Db0iElOmn8BM-bPi6vLkXU1MNFlyPhm49MZFxqA97kPkTlnZcUCztolxG-SxhQDCGBFeeHyNVBNTFJPWE/s1403/blog6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMNZf1atYfHjTdiCmUckCSUV9DWAZZGqSiGdTMkI0bjOrnPsxwzTUo6uQ-tfakZPGBwJSnh1D94PsAebxJk9st0CiKi-0G19vFCi8Sb_Db0iElOmn8BM-bPi6vLkXU1MNFlyPhm49MZFxqA97kPkTlnZcUCztolxG-SxhQDCGBFeeHyNVBNTFJPWE/w222-h320/blog6.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><div>We are told, but do not see the dozen coal giants here. It's interesting that this is the same number as the missing people and it would have been a nice twist if the coal giants were actually the 12 missing people.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last thing we learn about the coal giants is that seeing fire triggers morale saves for them, and we can presume that they take additional damage from fire (+1 point per die?). </div><div><br /></div><div>Didn't the old man tell us that he found the hidden kingdom by a different method? So they're <i>not</i> hidden forever.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjRlFBuoqTD7ZoVJ10bav0NYLuzFSPMse7qYBvbSSO7R0v2Fh3CM62Mfdt8Eck1UYn1RnqjKMHfiKbyOFUVlDudsz9IoBwYLHhhQvAftWvtTZjWqK9ySOl9pE8-DRfVXSaAfTW9KbJ790WifZTAuBhyFRIkmynjE-Dgs-sVRscRQHt4jry_otPhyU/s1419/blog7.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjRlFBuoqTD7ZoVJ10bav0NYLuzFSPMse7qYBvbSSO7R0v2Fh3CM62Mfdt8Eck1UYn1RnqjKMHfiKbyOFUVlDudsz9IoBwYLHhhQvAftWvtTZjWqK9ySOl9pE8-DRfVXSaAfTW9KbJ790WifZTAuBhyFRIkmynjE-Dgs-sVRscRQHt4jry_otPhyU/w220-h320/blog7.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>Jumping ahead into <i>Magician from Mars</i>, we have a rare instance of authority figures not doing whatever it is the Hero asks them to do. Could it be because she's a woman? </div><div><br /></div><div>Jane uses pyschic paper! Or is it a Phantasmal Image spell, cast on the paper...?</div><div><br /></div><div>500,000 MPH seems fast, except in space travel, where it would still take almost six days to reach Mars from Earth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jane casts Wall of Force.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqsRs9XCGEEG0wSTJ-XNckXL5gX2WZAoUb2woFZpP1Ytl9XVmZSzgMR3p95SZp2B3tL5e-2f6x3PJiUnk-MerjWXZScWfpxPxY31OrgW18orfBOydrBPauaU2HQYGeFjElniD0-oe6jYr3mS38G2EoutdGRfAJKVqLnm7rIKm4rs7mbdeP3V0V36N/s1419/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqsRs9XCGEEG0wSTJ-XNckXL5gX2WZAoUb2woFZpP1Ytl9XVmZSzgMR3p95SZp2B3tL5e-2f6x3PJiUnk-MerjWXZScWfpxPxY31OrgW18orfBOydrBPauaU2HQYGeFjElniD0-oe6jYr3mS38G2EoutdGRfAJKVqLnm7rIKm4rs7mbdeP3V0V36N/w220-h320/blog8.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Martian tanks look pretty much like normal Earth tanks, except they have windows? And better shielding around the treads. </div><div><br /></div><div>The king's city has a force field, but the generator must be enormous and costly; they don't have the technology for smaller forcefields until Jane teaches them how to make them. Or she just gives them the idea, because they never thought of it...?</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet another bad guy with a television.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rFZddzxP3Yt7gFOYDivC6znp1EqfLtUqCC2dXPjF5pk6pP0xFhNt3Uktav_ak5zxjMP3QrMhMb96rEUdLEm3948zVaWnNRXBdgY8nZcj4GasZi2JcWPnZkHI0rxj1wl9VoqJQsdxIAPi7r0ZwHVAWFLrZ0n3JUMll27p1rOK948r01_p23hyI-41/s1415/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rFZddzxP3Yt7gFOYDivC6znp1EqfLtUqCC2dXPjF5pk6pP0xFhNt3Uktav_ak5zxjMP3QrMhMb96rEUdLEm3948zVaWnNRXBdgY8nZcj4GasZi2JcWPnZkHI0rxj1wl9VoqJQsdxIAPi7r0ZwHVAWFLrZ0n3JUMll27p1rOK948r01_p23hyI-41/w220-h320/blog9.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>Gravity shoes allow them to fly. They must be wearing some other device that creates the personal force field. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jane uses the ...well, there's no Raise Tank power, but the Raise Bridge power should be more than strong enough to let her toss tanks around. If we didn't know she was a Magic-User/Superhero, we do now!</div><div><br /></div><div>There's an interesting little subplot building with Taal - you'll have to read the comic to see what happens!</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="Wright of Indiana" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.)<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-9933312965516606632023-01-11T18:33:00.004-08:002023-01-11T18:33:19.321-08:00Amazing Man Comics #11 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMjMmgKfsh5vqzPepb-QK8r8lnTROEZx7SUcINYg1YhVa6BxKkBDH9A8n1P3xtoW3tNEV6wkj0IhMqh3jALVeM3DFc_5zQvsf0y0zY8jEksvNwwl_IGMVs3QWT8XtM8hdnmRMDBmGosdkXHKbbLy5vJtrcImAjqyn6YjsnZZDh9edNc_jVAhz6VKi/s1467/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMjMmgKfsh5vqzPepb-QK8r8lnTROEZx7SUcINYg1YhVa6BxKkBDH9A8n1P3xtoW3tNEV6wkj0IhMqh3jALVeM3DFc_5zQvsf0y0zY8jEksvNwwl_IGMVs3QWT8XtM8hdnmRMDBmGosdkXHKbbLy5vJtrcImAjqyn6YjsnZZDh9edNc_jVAhz6VKi/s320/blog1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>We're still on <i>Minimidget</i>, so today we're going to talk about the trouble with shrinking and game mechanics. I have proposed before on this blog the radical idea of using no new game mechanics at all -- that shrinking is entirely flavor text. The benefit is that you are -4 to be hit, the same as if your opponent couldn't see you (in this case, because you're so small). But that ignored one critical issue with being small, and that's getting from point A to point B when any common sense ruling at normal size would say you could not pass through that opening. You could hand wave the common sense ruling, but that could be granting more power through handwaving then I am generally comfortable with, particularly in a scenario like this where escaping from a locked room is critical. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Where that leaves us is that the shrinking Hero must be a Magic-User with the Poof! spell. The flavor text of the spell has been replaced with shrinking, but the spell effect - of getting from point A to point B over a short distance - is still there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTzAbIvv0FntQxDJWTl1KB0raUnU9TypygZcSCwZkIdN-Qp4Xvxrj6FlBveFeyeJrcbdqjcBQiNnw5d_2q4RrrVF1-rZEf5p4j1n4Ix87KVuZHgGBIqrrxoTvQy2Hf-bhePLoLVnjuSBhX5hlDFcoyfeJelG1FcCseJq4QEFkLUwJYcHLWyHIjGlC/s1464/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTzAbIvv0FntQxDJWTl1KB0raUnU9TypygZcSCwZkIdN-Qp4Xvxrj6FlBveFeyeJrcbdqjcBQiNnw5d_2q4RrrVF1-rZEf5p4j1n4Ix87KVuZHgGBIqrrxoTvQy2Hf-bhePLoLVnjuSBhX5hlDFcoyfeJelG1FcCseJq4QEFkLUwJYcHLWyHIjGlC/s320/blog2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ugh, Google isn't letting me wrap text around the images today. Thanks so much, Google!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I shared this second page for more evidence of the importance of random initiative rolls for each combat turn. Even as I've turned away from random initiative rolls when running D&D and back towards Old School common sense order, it's clear that common sense has nothing to do with who gets to attack first in a comic book panel. Here, the hoodlum has three guns trained on him, yet he's still able to rush up and punch Minimidget before anyone can make a move to stop him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqrkYAWUW_yAwAUEwmhDIFOJgkVuqe6LiT40b0jzU5DGDZa8G69HRXJEDC8C0Zmvp8n95_mMT46SAS0-xaxL7Ot8lWJsFu0c-KpUm5yzVIdWteqlMGXZ6vAeY0RH0KFY4oVqgW6H36NB1hADZvx2QulBsfwko8inlqgnJAzGKS-7S3BasS_oSPlWw/s1415/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqrkYAWUW_yAwAUEwmhDIFOJgkVuqe6LiT40b0jzU5DGDZa8G69HRXJEDC8C0Zmvp8n95_mMT46SAS0-xaxL7Ot8lWJsFu0c-KpUm5yzVIdWteqlMGXZ6vAeY0RH0KFY4oVqgW6H36NB1hADZvx2QulBsfwko8inlqgnJAzGKS-7S3BasS_oSPlWw/w220-h320/blog3.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What you just looked at was Zardi the Eternal Man, a brand new character, and an interesting spin on the Mandrake clone. You'll notice in the following pages that Zardi sometimes appears to be using real magic, like when he makes himself young again, and other times his wand seems to be more like a scientific tool akin to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. The last panel even seems to allude to this when it refers to what Zardi does as "tricks," instead of spells.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now the question is, do I need a spell that de-ages someone? I would say probably not, since there are no game mechanics attached to age in H&H (except between minors and adults, and even then just for mobsters). More on this shortly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"Conquering gravity" is a Levitate spell. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And, of course, it's ridiculousy racist to make your ethnic manservant dress in period clothing and not let him even wear a shirt.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES3yoqLxlU9sNsWghASyt98xA3s_7oKgnwWWQ4zvOGy4sbS4yb75t9WTDrOP8KFecRk2_4rAXoB4sVExU_2Tz1DYP--LsiDj2zm1GTZe4lg6URdqcUKXNtCAdgvJK452vpYeCq9B-k-kegpnMoJckgKSJmo1NRYJY8npubk9SMbZpECYfAsYzkY2b/s1418/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1418" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES3yoqLxlU9sNsWghASyt98xA3s_7oKgnwWWQ4zvOGy4sbS4yb75t9WTDrOP8KFecRk2_4rAXoB4sVExU_2Tz1DYP--LsiDj2zm1GTZe4lg6URdqcUKXNtCAdgvJK452vpYeCq9B-k-kegpnMoJckgKSJmo1NRYJY8npubk9SMbZpECYfAsYzkY2b/w220-h320/blog4.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>For a magic cane, it sure looks like it's just a trick cane with a retractable silk line reeled up inside it. The only magic I'm seeing here is that Zardi is strong enough to lift Jeffry aloft with one hand - but then, we can chalk this up to flavor text, since Zardi isn't using his other hand for anything important.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGEaW9dz_6V9HUkzBkzWmyo50WBZxBI8l_Ddzi2LI-5rKeTMIf6cAaV5z5eGisssiGUnAAUVNYOOTBl1Ukvd4-nAjzszvNs6zgGQ7jyfZGeP_VvxbdndgLTm5kxpIp-2jP15mT6oBeyUvUoZGcdVVqWuU2IWKiElU6BjBBe3qM7y2t6NbOKG1PiUP/s1430/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGEaW9dz_6V9HUkzBkzWmyo50WBZxBI8l_Ddzi2LI-5rKeTMIf6cAaV5z5eGisssiGUnAAUVNYOOTBl1Ukvd4-nAjzszvNs6zgGQ7jyfZGeP_VvxbdndgLTm5kxpIp-2jP15mT6oBeyUvUoZGcdVVqWuU2IWKiElU6BjBBe3qM7y2t6NbOKG1PiUP/w218-h320/blog5.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>Here we can see that Zardi's age actually does figure into the scenario, as a disguise. Since that is the only purpose it is serving, this could simply be a Change Self spell. <div><br /></div><div>He also casts Invisibility on Jeffrey.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw1e3q7p3D_371OEqqXOjpGkE9XvJz0F4nMDVt_z8x9R--DYRV81YWw2ZIJErkCxIWOExpR30IlkhUmd6ELAXiUw4ykrO77VoFMmfb1XjwFyxcYPAZHOsr5bRykdssQi92a4VNcnIKoED-KiDYmVdSv6qfnnJNO0VPl-77xoBzNxAC19u-LME03Tn/s1400/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw1e3q7p3D_371OEqqXOjpGkE9XvJz0F4nMDVt_z8x9R--DYRV81YWw2ZIJErkCxIWOExpR30IlkhUmd6ELAXiUw4ykrO77VoFMmfb1XjwFyxcYPAZHOsr5bRykdssQi92a4VNcnIKoED-KiDYmVdSv6qfnnJNO0VPl-77xoBzNxAC19u-LME03Tn/w223-h320/blog6.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>There is no explanation for how Silky faked that photo, but Silky is a great nickname for a Slick Hoodlum. </div><div><br /></div><div>Zardi is either casting Knock, or his cane has some electronic door-opening feature -- which it looks more like. </div><div><br /></div><div>The magic cane "works" because he's using it as a whip and actively whipping them. No magic here.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1_Vizb-0pYh3S-URa3ru1tQFo4PC8gjokIfQYQCe8I1N8jD8R23BHDg7yLn_-x_OwEw6AmaVQQKE31bq_sytK2Vd6i6L0K23vsrMuJK1Fe0Cu1JA8Ku5m1DCN0o8NR-sWM2iWQ21eg0OS__xw8nZEmMit5pXUO4PpxRHYT_9THuh8rBLdxt3gv5G/s1401/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1_Vizb-0pYh3S-URa3ru1tQFo4PC8gjokIfQYQCe8I1N8jD8R23BHDg7yLn_-x_OwEw6AmaVQQKE31bq_sytK2Vd6i6L0K23vsrMuJK1Fe0Cu1JA8Ku5m1DCN0o8NR-sWM2iWQ21eg0OS__xw8nZEmMit5pXUO4PpxRHYT_9THuh8rBLdxt3gv5G/w223-h320/blog7.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>Chaldean illusions are the Phantasmal Image spell. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's refreshing that Zardi seems to be no more than a 5th level magic-user. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r6cfSZw_BoUSQP7P1ZFU3yxM0OZlC36UOcZhdE36hvjMILvbo4VQ5RaDLKblZNjq9O404-ri4UMrVk6H5SmQLnhW11rGQOFfpMdDj09Z_7OdSGyB_QKjxAmT9qB4_ebjK2laDrY4QkbrYEI9GZnX7BSae68TRSufC8t5pwDW5krEPHZrwQrk2Axd/s1412/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r6cfSZw_BoUSQP7P1ZFU3yxM0OZlC36UOcZhdE36hvjMILvbo4VQ5RaDLKblZNjq9O404-ri4UMrVk6H5SmQLnhW11rGQOFfpMdDj09Z_7OdSGyB_QKjxAmT9qB4_ebjK2laDrY4QkbrYEI9GZnX7BSae68TRSufC8t5pwDW5krEPHZrwQrk2Axd/w221-h320/blog8.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>I'm jumping into the <i>Shark</i> story in progress. <br /><div><br /></div><div>There's not really a good in-game rational for how Shark just happens to find this going on with his "magic" television just in the nick of time...except....the Shark's TV probably has a certain chance of finding bad guys per turn, which were measured in rest turns, until the moment a combat happened, and then his turns became melee turns. This explanation is a little dodgy because the Shark is not in her combat until after he already benefits from being slowed down to her turn speed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another example of a gun being disarmed with a thrown knife.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEEPetLc1qFxFmta_5DqSp-a5fjMIL-DTGtMLacDTL3L2nR4Kao9IaxHoUQoF2PVld55yzw4Lb7aKMWu2Ogxt_qpLme8V69ziAUoCRtk7YTpmQ7k3sc--2KVCwgbXjDGUiP-5Ctobe_CmohceU_FCr3_yLXDTd4IpnCJlgURa86aU1aiQlcdZ5SvP/s1415/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEEPetLc1qFxFmta_5DqSp-a5fjMIL-DTGtMLacDTL3L2nR4Kao9IaxHoUQoF2PVld55yzw4Lb7aKMWu2Ogxt_qpLme8V69ziAUoCRtk7YTpmQ7k3sc--2KVCwgbXjDGUiP-5Ctobe_CmohceU_FCr3_yLXDTd4IpnCJlgURa86aU1aiQlcdZ5SvP/w220-h320/blog9.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>I don't recall if any other Shark stories feature this weakness, but it's a good idea and makes the last two panels of the previous page all the more heroic. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't get how Fritz is able to tell just by looking at him that he's helpless, or manages so quickly to tie it to the thrown knife. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also surprised that belt buckles can do that kind of damage. Were belt buckles made sharper in 1940? I would think they would each do 1-3 points of damage, at best. <br /><div><br /></div><div>Pretty good art, though! </div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=24360" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div><p></p></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-35290941038695205012023-01-07T17:33:00.004-08:002023-01-07T17:33:53.150-08:00Amazing Man Comics #11 - pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4kxlAtfddhI7hY3MDZnGxxZBM6uKC8_zH8RSZ5t7Z7XWH6vf1hsLxgrYmbyD_K0Ke5kJWdmKGSZvO880OrEExQdzwGtuOI8mnnIzh3rQafPlFZmtNG9n8uJI7xO_wn7Xs_Wci3rogkUmbnNCTfIp4prd7QZ8VdcjD7g5ROHXQxn_T_dyCh_XxSzl/s1410/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4kxlAtfddhI7hY3MDZnGxxZBM6uKC8_zH8RSZ5t7Z7XWH6vf1hsLxgrYmbyD_K0Ke5kJWdmKGSZvO880OrEExQdzwGtuOI8mnnIzh3rQafPlFZmtNG9n8uJI7xO_wn7Xs_Wci3rogkUmbnNCTfIp4prd7QZ8VdcjD7g5ROHXQxn_T_dyCh_XxSzl/s320/blog1.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>Welcome back! Let's pick up where we left off last time with <i>Chuck Hardy</i>. Chuck has met a new species in his Hollow World setting and, no, it's not lobstermen, it's <i>pygmy</i> lobstermen. That implies that there are "normal"-sized lobstermen out there somewhere too. We don't learn anything about the pygmy lobstermen other than they use a monarchical system of government, are matriarchal, extremely friendly, and technologically primitive. We never once see them fight, so they could have 12 HD for all we know, but I think it's a safer bet that they have a 1/2 HD, or 1-1 HD at best.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZ9auGOl-KrRsIThDqW_TRZ9o_xeND4aOBiWY80SC6830HGCmutMBINke0TyExWnfJkkBKjodZsItCIhzCFDxwKRtiwBT1YZStvd3CTlWKtX2XiKdFrY6aVT6lAsvhZGKLEizhT6zmAa1MrhdIdhzYvXihLr8wl1RLHXN250rLxQ5sb7Nd2hGdx1W/s1398/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZ9auGOl-KrRsIThDqW_TRZ9o_xeND4aOBiWY80SC6830HGCmutMBINke0TyExWnfJkkBKjodZsItCIhzCFDxwKRtiwBT1YZStvd3CTlWKtX2XiKdFrY6aVT6lAsvhZGKLEizhT6zmAa1MrhdIdhzYvXihLr8wl1RLHXN250rLxQ5sb7Nd2hGdx1W/w223-h320/blog2.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>I wish we had a sense of scale for that curious lizard, as it looks more fearsome than pygmy lobstermen and frogmen. <div><br /></div><div>I'm going to spare you the next page and the results of Chuck's trap. Here's a hint: had it been drawn realistically, there would be blood flying everywhere. So how do I stat this trap? A catapult-launched spear is going to be pretty powerful - I'd even be willing to say 3-18 points of damage worth - but it's also going to be an impractical, poorly-aimed weapon. Despite the number of spears, they would each have a chance to hit equal to just a 1 HD mobster. </div><div><br /></div><div>Incidentally, missing from this story is any explanation for how people with pincers for hands were able to make rope ladders.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAZSksihlulz5u1b8OwbmAsi7tBBCM1khl5zyiOf-NXA2Evu2Y3h_5jyuaHmaLUEj5cfaX_rkjSLV7Y4OZ1n0rSG7mpAOT5Wv9AFOFxVz481qU7lBlU5M2wwh1VeuOLdFmv3Z4BZ1CHWUo_aEbgnkbSRvBqaW_ANCvTYvIbomndQp39V0dJ8QTH7N/s1406/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAZSksihlulz5u1b8OwbmAsi7tBBCM1khl5zyiOf-NXA2Evu2Y3h_5jyuaHmaLUEj5cfaX_rkjSLV7Y4OZ1n0rSG7mpAOT5Wv9AFOFxVz481qU7lBlU5M2wwh1VeuOLdFmv3Z4BZ1CHWUo_aEbgnkbSRvBqaW_ANCvTYvIbomndQp39V0dJ8QTH7N/w222-h320/blog3.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>If panel 3 makes you think of the Ewok Dance...then we think alike.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only real reason I shared this page is the peculiar wording of "knock him kicking!" Google that phrase and the <i>only</i> thing that comes up is a sports article from a 1965 newspaper, and it's behind a paywall so I can't tell what the context is. I can only imagine that Chuck's dialogue is being written intentionally silly.<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aFIeCT2rvueVsU_BNqoeZ_wlzwvU0smboanP7S8oCUx2HvfkTwa7udkLg0JZ8KtC20cxNbaBf6KBn_scBoFl7ZON0TlCeTJn0MmH42caM-C1y_xP7aNEIsJH6JMbtQPAZ2D-EaPUDnuwrVNkUTLcS199cXiyFPX_ntTyYiwRSa8IcaHw4YSMgUrt/s1398/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aFIeCT2rvueVsU_BNqoeZ_wlzwvU0smboanP7S8oCUx2HvfkTwa7udkLg0JZ8KtC20cxNbaBf6KBn_scBoFl7ZON0TlCeTJn0MmH42caM-C1y_xP7aNEIsJH6JMbtQPAZ2D-EaPUDnuwrVNkUTLcS199cXiyFPX_ntTyYiwRSa8IcaHw4YSMgUrt/w223-h320/blog4.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>Moving on to <i>Iron Skull</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>I was confused at first by the term "pet suspects," never having heard it before. Apparently it's a real term meaning the same thing as "most likely" suspects, though my first thought was that the Chief had a pet that suspected them.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's incredible that the Chief is unable to see the two dead men both belonging to the same cult as a clue. Or perhaps I should say it's <i>suspicious</i>... coincidentally, Drago hears that the Skull is after him right after the Skull leaves the police station. </div><div><br /></div><div>This episode of <i>Pinky & Jim, Slave Cultists</i> is interrupted by Iron Skull, climbing up the bricks instead of the easier drainpipe right next to him. To be fair, the Editor could rule that a drainpipe isn't strong enough to support an android's weight (there is no game mechanic behind that; it would just be a common sense ruling by the Editor). It's also possible that Iron Skull is so strong that he's pinching fingerholds into the bricks (which would be handled by a wrecking things roll). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xTuF3AfiDW-gr1IhW3QADw4CMYK39dJaVrFKWDBU8hnwrYu3BaMw96IbcczfsOJ_ou_ZVP13R-tL37kni4OVuSqoFHl3KNjT0I39oYn2OUSEIxUV5jACsmO20UBGdOVbZbWhWHwg0rgiR7J0sSFdsMN2HLuOhgKMWkZJF0oqex2kToeTU-tma9s_/s1396/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xTuF3AfiDW-gr1IhW3QADw4CMYK39dJaVrFKWDBU8hnwrYu3BaMw96IbcczfsOJ_ou_ZVP13R-tL37kni4OVuSqoFHl3KNjT0I39oYn2OUSEIxUV5jACsmO20UBGdOVbZbWhWHwg0rgiR7J0sSFdsMN2HLuOhgKMWkZJF0oqex2kToeTU-tma9s_/w223-h320/blog5.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div>Here we have a new type of robot - grotesque robots. What's special about these is that Iron Skull's annod comptod machine doesn't work on them. Now, no one knows what "annod comptod" means, but we know from past issues that this machine is what Iron Skull uses to Wreck at Range (the power). It seems that grotesque robots are immune, or greatly resistant, to being wrecked. The Skull has to defeat them the old-fashioned way with punches. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NH8qbyLClVS7nkk8lvJPU8Y4OUi6X3j6YNk96DmO72mckxzv0BqIlKf5TosLRB--4PnBK2fREbvkfIPGIExEIKd2Xx3Z5gTJA-PADo3s_UMHQ_zKmTXeZWmVeDIsTaD1OP_FF-oLkCdN9j5jRoSldLQwhiHov7Mr41wBTarQGi9duVbETo_Yaiyy/s1403/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NH8qbyLClVS7nkk8lvJPU8Y4OUi6X3j6YNk96DmO72mckxzv0BqIlKf5TosLRB--4PnBK2fREbvkfIPGIExEIKd2Xx3Z5gTJA-PADo3s_UMHQ_zKmTXeZWmVeDIsTaD1OP_FF-oLkCdN9j5jRoSldLQwhiHov7Mr41wBTarQGi9duVbETo_Yaiyy/w222-h320/blog6.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>In the future (or maybe because this is a comic book?), you don't have to smother someone for 10 minutes with a chloroform-soaked rag to knock him unconscious, you just toss the rag on his face and if it lands he is knocked out. <div><br /></div><div><div>Both the art and the caption in panel 3 are confusing. The rod must run through the center of the sphere and spins it. The "pyramids" would more properly be called spikes. Being scraped against the spikes wile being rotated past them seems like it would do at least 4-24 points of damage to me. Good thing that the Skull is being held with nothing but rope - easily wrecked as if a door. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCro_L_DakLAbKF8xXH1g_fjULN9E_ZLo6o4hmrZtYI_soaPuJl7-r6b2kK1QwtH96A70auXchFWIxSr7nu4aZQzaPxFnEEHOP-QeY2Wf_l74x-gyVL6Gffn5oiNKmPxgQnDjhTvmOJw0igpciLb4R058fPDnMUuAVSSvq5VZPIiHiEI7sdpsQOvdL/s1406/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCro_L_DakLAbKF8xXH1g_fjULN9E_ZLo6o4hmrZtYI_soaPuJl7-r6b2kK1QwtH96A70auXchFWIxSr7nu4aZQzaPxFnEEHOP-QeY2Wf_l74x-gyVL6Gffn5oiNKmPxgQnDjhTvmOJw0igpciLb4R058fPDnMUuAVSSvq5VZPIiHiEI7sdpsQOvdL/w222-h320/blog7.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>Now this is interesting - Yagani is a Hindu name. In Iron Skull's future, he has to watch out for spies from India! (Unless Burgos just mistakenly assumes this is a Japanese name, since otherwise his WWIII is awfully similar to WWII). </div><div><br /></div><div>The bald guy is an assassin, as detailed in the <u>Mobster Manual</u>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this is the first time I've ever seen a comic book character actually swallow a key; this is usually a cartoon thing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiC3Uc3rtIjt8bZEJy4NqOo_zQeqcw9lXiOTFxRUWMLAHOmH5oT5XnZlgVhcjSUxnsbOXgSgl-4ja0fpkeGCvsWSLd2AIXsaBjV8U4cS3UJd_YlfedRnh0Lix4tvtr5SU1ynLY77Vbbd-Fsoo5UIMbA3wsTni2EBb35Wew17CuGTKGbXsIEAThw0c/s1392/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiC3Uc3rtIjt8bZEJy4NqOo_zQeqcw9lXiOTFxRUWMLAHOmH5oT5XnZlgVhcjSUxnsbOXgSgl-4ja0fpkeGCvsWSLd2AIXsaBjV8U4cS3UJd_YlfedRnh0Lix4tvtr5SU1ynLY77Vbbd-Fsoo5UIMbA3wsTni2EBb35Wew17CuGTKGbXsIEAThw0c/w224-h320/blog8.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>"Dragon has a time bomb hidden here!"<div><br /></div><div>"We have no time to look for it! In a 10' x 10' cell with almost no furnishings!"</div><div><br /></div><div>We can see it makes no difference whether Iron Skull wrecks with his head or his fists, so that's all flavor text.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've never been impressed with Burgos' artwork, but that last panel is particularly rushed. That "BOOM!" going off a few feet away looks like it was set off by a firecracker instead of a bomb.</div><div><br /></div><div>Note that we never did find out who Drago's informant was - my money is still on the Chief!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77-LKwiY4ZDmmsdS546rxyOdn2ZAiwfCxBa1rWR-CDWydVlzhv4is3Z2qjOkvUIH2N6e1sub9WlvymG1OIuFoY9Bpvtobd8nY9ZPg6zBYfrkDC44h89P1Q2z6U-OieVVwTbUeEM_91M3_rXn4GGQZtjqMJamdbDQ9lF4kJ1uVlvpuK1uiqVqU9pR7/s1468/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77-LKwiY4ZDmmsdS546rxyOdn2ZAiwfCxBa1rWR-CDWydVlzhv4is3Z2qjOkvUIH2N6e1sub9WlvymG1OIuFoY9Bpvtobd8nY9ZPg6zBYfrkDC44h89P1Q2z6U-OieVVwTbUeEM_91M3_rXn4GGQZtjqMJamdbDQ9lF4kJ1uVlvpuK1uiqVqU9pR7/w213-h320/blog9.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div>Before we go, let's peek in on just one page of <i>Minimidget</i>. All I have to say about this page is that Boma is a real city, in the Congo - and also that ordinary people seem to be really cool about tiny shrunken people in this strip.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=24360" target="_blank">Comicbookplus</a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div> </div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-14122160657968309522023-01-04T20:46:00.002-08:002023-01-04T20:46:19.259-08:00Amazing Man Comics #11 - part 1<p>Now that I'm finally publishing Amazing Man (<a href="https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/421638/Funny-Picture-Stories-7" target="_blank">see Funny Picture Stories #7 - on sale now!</a>), covering this story might not only seem biased, but posting pages seems like it might hurt future sales - but oh well!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED7qCHPcInRM0bLbAQxDFMGNCL_Ls4N5nd_r23odS47YIDC-rV3wFpoSiz5wbK-MhNSX0l4Yehd-b_Gx-NWn9idRIUhEJmwutetWyEmxLvZsaEyy7VGiQ3UT1Jzw3Eyqp4bDHvUPr437Ut8b_SzDUCIznwOhhKdXmNKB-6FHm719Tg6xELoCxV0wV/s1406/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED7qCHPcInRM0bLbAQxDFMGNCL_Ls4N5nd_r23odS47YIDC-rV3wFpoSiz5wbK-MhNSX0l4Yehd-b_Gx-NWn9idRIUhEJmwutetWyEmxLvZsaEyy7VGiQ3UT1Jzw3Eyqp4bDHvUPr437Ut8b_SzDUCIznwOhhKdXmNKB-6FHm719Tg6xELoCxV0wV/w222-h320/blog1.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>There are some big changes this issue, starting with how Aman seems to have dropped his first name, John. Gone also is the interesting struggle in John Aman between hero and antihero; the Council of Seven has decided these stories need to be a lot more straightforward from now on. <div><br /></div><div>Aman is "purified" by fire, but what this would mean game mechanically isn't clear. Is it simply a magical effect of Alignment correction? Is Aman taking damage from the fire? Given that his initial tests involved stabbing him with knives, I'm guessing he's taking damage. Aman is a really good sport about this, as I'm guessing they would not allow him to buff himself with the Resist Fire power. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuHpzdBK0xOdax5yxL96qpUgeKjeTXWJyZefa05tcmrFJKo-9EV4kwjsU4ATUwcdySzIHChdxRZidzvP1OZdgxIoxXLrUp5pK_u_k3i3_zQFh93j-pi7NLMurVjUGVDrrdET5pZJxDOc1jkKjcCwUZPgQi4ON_kLDbutsU2CbBe3Jk-VTD6LokNDx/s1400/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuHpzdBK0xOdax5yxL96qpUgeKjeTXWJyZefa05tcmrFJKo-9EV4kwjsU4ATUwcdySzIHChdxRZidzvP1OZdgxIoxXLrUp5pK_u_k3i3_zQFh93j-pi7NLMurVjUGVDrrdET5pZJxDOc1jkKjcCwUZPgQi4ON_kLDbutsU2CbBe3Jk-VTD6LokNDx/w223-h320/blog2.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>We begin to get some explanation here about why Aman is being dressed up like John Carter of Mars. Having an indestructible costume would normally be some comfort, but maybe Aman is secretly wishing it covered up enough of him to offer more protection? For that matter, how much <i>should</i> an indesctruble costume protect him? In the 2nd edition rulebook, I have indestructible costumes being statted as Armor Class 2 (and remember, lower is better). My description wisely does not describe how much of the body needs to be covered by the costume, so maybe these straps and sternum hield are enough? Is what a costume looks like really no more than flavor text?<br /><p>Has the purification ritual protected Aman from the Great Question's influence, or did Aman make his saving throw vs. charm?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ANXfSHVo0Y4GyWy2C-hrOiasZJ6oRdkYn5tYaL1PdRN9mxHLNRxklzE8yIjZiTO2h9w_1o6V1CLAiZdMX_4D5hYtDeXsaAu2Kyp00ONWJZHvqkXUx_NskTd71oIFck-LvOsnemP2vqF9yw6ClQVi5OZX-32xu_wgarfu6LF0BdLM6pQaFip3nDjS/s1404/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ANXfSHVo0Y4GyWy2C-hrOiasZJ6oRdkYn5tYaL1PdRN9mxHLNRxklzE8yIjZiTO2h9w_1o6V1CLAiZdMX_4D5hYtDeXsaAu2Kyp00ONWJZHvqkXUx_NskTd71oIFck-LvOsnemP2vqF9yw6ClQVi5OZX-32xu_wgarfu6LF0BdLM6pQaFip3nDjS/w222-h320/blog3.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>It's just as well that Everett doesn't give us an exact number of days it takes to get from Tibet to Louisiana by plane. Even Google Maps can't tell me this today! What I can't figure out, which is probably more important, is where Aman was heading before he wound up near Louisiana. It certainly isn't on the way to Chicago or New York City from Tibet. Maybe he was planning on vacationing in Florida before fighting evil?</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as I can tell, the "lost" in the "lost bayous of Louisiana" means that they have disappeared due to landscaping the terrain, as opposed to unmapped "lost world"-type areas. Still, this first interpretation is definitely more interesting and lends itself to adventure fiction.</div><div><br /></div><div>This page attempts to explain away Amazing Man's John Carter rip-off togs as a "Tibetan uniform." Could this be the Great Question's final laugh at Aman, convincing him that this was the latest in Tibetan fashion?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvkvaI3BN19iA5AWhE49d6Ltvs0XPxeVKKQvmV8AklZzKnpCbmOPe8SaNF-axfCmVcy8cGh31p0PX9d2Nb6U22mDbI8jbzDwuccKoAdWaetqR9usC8UNuCPZm6LnG_qWvHbx7XBk1KPGsgMnHnm_AZSHIvTqDALcAvzGwL3T-NOVYnggORnRhr-ih/s1400/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvkvaI3BN19iA5AWhE49d6Ltvs0XPxeVKKQvmV8AklZzKnpCbmOPe8SaNF-axfCmVcy8cGh31p0PX9d2Nb6U22mDbI8jbzDwuccKoAdWaetqR9usC8UNuCPZm6LnG_qWvHbx7XBk1KPGsgMnHnm_AZSHIvTqDALcAvzGwL3T-NOVYnggORnRhr-ih/w223-h320/blog4.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>I appreciate that Amazing Man has the subtlety, that you don't see often in superheroes, to climb a wall and oberve the bad guys unnoticed. Because he's climbing vines, I would probably still make the player roll a skill check, but at a large bonus. </div><div><br /></div><div>I like this hideout set-up, where the prison cells are behind a cell with three panthers in it (we'll see there are three of them on the next page). How Aman circumvents the panthers to get to the prisoner is great too, showcasing the versatility of this power. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've probably talked about this before, but I haven't posted in a long time and I can't remember. The issue is, how would Amazing Man have this power in <b>H&H</b>? Because Green Mist is not a 1st-level superhero power, or even a low-level one. It does bear some resemblance to the 1st-level magic-user spell, Poof! Could that be all it is - just an exception of allowing a Superhero to prepare a Magic-User spell as a power, and everything about it that isn't movement is flavor text? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmba-kT-j_CzzgEkYYta62WLR5sAc36zA4hSrxIyiX49H7HdIcJGM-dQfN17yuwdwhOuyM4cytHqUHxHzX6ao8E-TVpQMVGHONSTRq9T8Ka6CwWK8jUEnhG15Y9h6b-jgHO40AFwc_78dDKHcbvqFnHLyR66ndFD74qq7Er4stODEjNN1vSyPOZYW3/s1412/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmba-kT-j_CzzgEkYYta62WLR5sAc36zA4hSrxIyiX49H7HdIcJGM-dQfN17yuwdwhOuyM4cytHqUHxHzX6ao8E-TVpQMVGHONSTRq9T8Ka6CwWK8jUEnhG15Y9h6b-jgHO40AFwc_78dDKHcbvqFnHLyR66ndFD74qq7Er4stODEjNN1vSyPOZYW3/w221-h320/blog5.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>Three panthers is actually a pretty tough encounter in <b>H&H</b>, so it's disappointing that Aman takes them each out in one punch. It is more likely than them being knocked out that they have each failed their morale saves after taking damage and they choose to stop fighting. <br /><div><br /></div><div>These bayou pirates have a lot of personality to them. We even get help with statting them. One is a brute (a variant of thug) and another is a slick hoodlum. Garlock, their leader, doesn't seem the master criminal type, but might be a mid-level fighter, since he can subdue panthers.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGldlgqwbLkeJCNz7qwNdlSaEpwgr4FXhKpq3YHkZKiHiEix8S87Y4smy2GtYBBP9hR2xpIWPa44_i7UDWV9o_xSWd6ThH9oGNBMUN0ThgOuX6fKMKJxz5XGvhdznPY8FepxWGOh3k485cwnFy5xqsFiLrcuA36uxLEVPH2n1FhA5NynYlJ0vCUG5S/s1427/blog6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGldlgqwbLkeJCNz7qwNdlSaEpwgr4FXhKpq3YHkZKiHiEix8S87Y4smy2GtYBBP9hR2xpIWPa44_i7UDWV9o_xSWd6ThH9oGNBMUN0ThgOuX6fKMKJxz5XGvhdznPY8FepxWGOh3k485cwnFy5xqsFiLrcuA36uxLEVPH2n1FhA5NynYlJ0vCUG5S/w219-h320/blog6.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>The brute gets upgraded on this page to pseudo-giant, a mobstertype that appears in <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/414049/Advanced-Hideouts--Hoodlums-Mobster-Manual-Volume-I" target="_blank">the recently released Mobster Manual.</a> The throw is a very effective grappling move in the 2nd edition grappling rules - probably not enough on its own to take out a pseudo-giant, but Amazing Man may be buffed with one of the Get Tough powers to boost his damage. We also learn there are thugs present in the room (I see two of them, not counting Slick and Garlock).<div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgmRKjGf08YfbROk5UGzpWwQXdz5A3DZRhHNXJKYNUgGuDOhrO2q84ve-AKIg00JLsUCUHaSG0PT9wxQpycAlv2xqKVNXWMHqbS0Vwm0a6yyPinhMvLaZzzfkwnLqCyqe-330fkS3uc71wyJ-5CeRlAkEraBcYhcg-sme6FC10gWAoOJN9jFrUEtX/s1390/blog7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgmRKjGf08YfbROk5UGzpWwQXdz5A3DZRhHNXJKYNUgGuDOhrO2q84ve-AKIg00JLsUCUHaSG0PT9wxQpycAlv2xqKVNXWMHqbS0Vwm0a6yyPinhMvLaZzzfkwnLqCyqe-330fkS3uc71wyJ-5CeRlAkEraBcYhcg-sme6FC10gWAoOJN9jFrUEtX/w224-h320/blog7.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div>Aman can be casual about what happens to the treasure because his Editor awards xp for treasure just for taking it out of the hideout. What happens to it after that doesn't matter if you don't have personal expenses!<div><br /></div><div>But Aman is clearly gaming the system; there was no reason for him to kill those three alligators (he calls them crocodiles, but it makes sense that he did; he hasn't been in the U.S. more than six months). He obviously did it for the experience points!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZmEOMOLhTrMJPL15UDH8lMIYVuV9dAed8OD32fqsBEqylucpw1mGQunT56DH3Q010rfSu5NCh5WN0bAhnIaozZf-lBpmoDtuXGviebENorV-X0hmzEyJ77U9FkiFatQNghZtoiYn5GlakrpT04yiUVrIrW-mbN14vQzgS1D5WIanYq-gVEMgn93X/s1400/blog8.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZmEOMOLhTrMJPL15UDH8lMIYVuV9dAed8OD32fqsBEqylucpw1mGQunT56DH3Q010rfSu5NCh5WN0bAhnIaozZf-lBpmoDtuXGviebENorV-X0hmzEyJ77U9FkiFatQNghZtoiYn5GlakrpT04yiUVrIrW-mbN14vQzgS1D5WIanYq-gVEMgn93X/w223-h320/blog8.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>What I like here is that Everett gives us almost a whole page of chemistry-building between Aman and Zona. Unlike Lois' attraction to Superman's animal magnetism, it looks like Zona is going to be attracted to how thoughtful Aman is (offering her his jacket for modesty) as much as for his rippling muscles. </div><div><br /></div>This next bit of research I had done back in November for the Public Domain Heroes Facebook group, but I'll reshare it here. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had long assumed that Amazing Man's companion, Zona Henderson, had a made-up first name, or it was a nickname (short for Arizona?). According to SSA.gov's baby names by years list - <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi?fbclid=IwAR3QgjRXtySDgBTnXGmsqEDoZxKfxkWizgPKwBRx49NmxQu_GKfIGGR0KGk">https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/popularnames.cgi</a> - Zona was a real name, though a rare one, ranking 712th-820th most common baby name in the span of years I think she was most likely born.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>And, of course, we get the familiar trope of televisions being able to function like crystal balls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeGRo9jy-caLI4lOg3PwtNzNiS0hdJ0a2NZauNxa2KWDTqp78JA91ZWlchlX1TemYStQiR66AgtnAS9JTmQgcBuW38M9aRPS1kT7k4y8_LTCwh5P65rIEARlY9A1Wnh16QwUT0Z9MeCJc7qzU4WkBQqFTKsx3Njw7r_cwGFhY9zLiP0LxjTC1oYyg/s1394/blog9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeGRo9jy-caLI4lOg3PwtNzNiS0hdJ0a2NZauNxa2KWDTqp78JA91ZWlchlX1TemYStQiR66AgtnAS9JTmQgcBuW38M9aRPS1kT7k4y8_LTCwh5P65rIEARlY9A1Wnh16QwUT0Z9MeCJc7qzU4WkBQqFTKsx3Njw7r_cwGFhY9zLiP0LxjTC1oYyg/s320/blog9.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div>Chuck Hardy has moved up to second feature (which, I understand, was not generally considered the second best position in a comic book; it went first, last, and then alternated in towards the center). </div><div><br /></div><div>Frog men last appeared in Fantastic Comics #3. They turn up like bad pennies!</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=24360" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.)</div><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-14016383710513581862023-01-02T10:36:00.003-08:002023-01-02T10:36:26.213-08:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 6<p>It's hard to believe there is so much we need to go over from this one issue, but here we are, squeezing out a few more pages for a 6th post!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght-er5irrlEbSNQ9r0FX8kUS-444BewP84RudWh3G9a1zY6CtFUIBxfQH68m3OSUVXUY61Scxulf9lcm_RBrcPflEmsZaNQt0m_DwvgisZM4yHR1UCLXubSg6YFlQqkjpvCnLWzzWSYiQ94Oj522lLQcyJGwZIcsD7c-1jHCV70bwsyNKXUv-yLhA/s1879/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1879" data-original-width="1360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght-er5irrlEbSNQ9r0FX8kUS-444BewP84RudWh3G9a1zY6CtFUIBxfQH68m3OSUVXUY61Scxulf9lcm_RBrcPflEmsZaNQt0m_DwvgisZM4yHR1UCLXubSg6YFlQqkjpvCnLWzzWSYiQ94Oj522lLQcyJGwZIcsD7c-1jHCV70bwsyNKXUv-yLhA/w232-h320/blog1.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>We're still on the <i>Rio Kid</i>. I like this one story detail, where Keller has been trying to legally acquire that land all this time, but when he faces a last minute inconvenience his true nature is revealed and he tries to bully his way past it.<div><br /></div><div>I can't be certain, as I've seen that trick shot stunt in a lot of cowboy stories, but this might be the first time I've seen a <i>pen</i> shot out of someone's hand. Considering that the Rio Kid is maybe five feet away from Keller, at most, and could simpy grab the pen away, makes me think Rio is just showing off. </div><div><br /></div><div>Panel 6 is confusing, as Rio appears to be gunning down Keller, but it is just someone else wearing the same shirt as Keller, because Keller shows up again in panel 7. It also looks like Rio is shooting the bad guys in the back as they're fleeing, but it's really just that one guy who has his gun in his hand. Rio "generously" allows the others to escape because they are unarmed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Panel 7 has several examples of hard cover. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynhOGW2gmihGpYsuRoUCuKL72PlNWOZboFt6vlD7ImjHtxjVx3spAmoQqYLhOjzKX21mDGl89Ol_mExBJghQxRtolojkod26U49oj6qFAT6okWJwOh-v_4XfNC12XuQaesVh0VXC3aN_HwmQzI0pcaBYfygv3ZW8GFxtjSc2BaukKetCUbptnvb0g/s1826/blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1826" data-original-width="1315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynhOGW2gmihGpYsuRoUCuKL72PlNWOZboFt6vlD7ImjHtxjVx3spAmoQqYLhOjzKX21mDGl89Ol_mExBJghQxRtolojkod26U49oj6qFAT6okWJwOh-v_4XfNC12XuQaesVh0VXC3aN_HwmQzI0pcaBYfygv3ZW8GFxtjSc2BaukKetCUbptnvb0g/w230-h320/blog2.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I had to look up "cayuse." According to Wikipedia, "Cayuse is an archaic term used in the American West, originally referring to a small landrace horse, often noted for unruly temperament. The name came from the horses of the Cayuse people of the Pacific Northwest."<div><br /></div><div>If I was to do a cowboy-themed supplement someday -- which I've not ever fully ruled out -- I wonder if tough cowhands would need to be statted. They definitely are weaker than deputies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panel 6 confuses me. Does Kid Rio have some past with Keller we don't know about? Because it seems like <i>Green</i> has a score to settle with Keller, not Rio.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGIgURtgZmlsAp9Bi-JiYt_nWNe1BcnVVgC_8l9x_nowvSjbFzQ3PP7ZZo4Lksh832DCxy2WiRRxlJ2exkUd8wwZ-la-jF147OONOhSGXJpuOxxm4RGFQFOUc1AQhfehIQ1D3l4MV0hfZl7BH9s-UVaA-kZnZzbSXKu2joLGZiHnuhnOmS0NE61YB/s1897/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1897" data-original-width="1369" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGIgURtgZmlsAp9Bi-JiYt_nWNe1BcnVVgC_8l9x_nowvSjbFzQ3PP7ZZo4Lksh832DCxy2WiRRxlJ2exkUd8wwZ-la-jF147OONOhSGXJpuOxxm4RGFQFOUc1AQhfehIQ1D3l4MV0hfZl7BH9s-UVaA-kZnZzbSXKu2joLGZiHnuhnOmS0NE61YB/w231-h320/blog3.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Bear with me on this -- this final feature is ridiculously racist -- but it is actually the first appearance of a pegasus in a comic book, not counting the pegasus-unicorns in <i>Action Comics #6</i>.<div><br /></div><div>I like the quest - to bring back milk for undernourished children everywhere - and it seems very appropriate for a high fantasy scenario with half-pint protagonists. <br /><div><br /></div><div>I'm also willing to forgive the racism <i>on this page</i>. Assuming this is all in Marco's imagination, including Snowball, and Marco's only exposure to black people is from comic books, then it is entirely possible that he would imagine a black person looks like this.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAVColeFrVMSThZAyH1BGhQb7hEnYDz82tTw89Ij0hvY0Ijz1_UpOS3pux-OtcB76wpMon5UFOax4Jceoi4MBJiXZ9rfYoXA20m3JYfSGGUAPYFluoi7dM2W1H_umnWPMYkc9vtzUqsBgjfN9kv7QRY0y7v2s6tYtI5ReuX4cCV0nBU4IzNaIPcVQ/s1837/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1837" data-original-width="1364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAVColeFrVMSThZAyH1BGhQb7hEnYDz82tTw89Ij0hvY0Ijz1_UpOS3pux-OtcB76wpMon5UFOax4Jceoi4MBJiXZ9rfYoXA20m3JYfSGGUAPYFluoi7dM2W1H_umnWPMYkc9vtzUqsBgjfN9kv7QRY0y7v2s6tYtI5ReuX4cCV0nBU4IzNaIPcVQ/w238-h320/blog4.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>I can't resist commenting on this page. For one thing, Ice Cream Mountains is wonderfully evocative and would be a good addition to a Candyland-themed campaign setting. While the narrator calls them the Ice Cream Mountains, Snowball calls them the Tutti-Frutti Mountains. My first thought was that Snowball is using the term as a euphemism for an expletive (like "rassum-frassum"), but I see no evidence that tutti-fruitti was ever used as an adjective with negative connotations before the 1970s. Tutti-frutti, as an ice cream flavor, has been around since the 1860s.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also had to look up if there had been a particularly bad blizzard in 1899 or if that was a made-up detail.<a href="https://www.weather.gov/media/bro/research/pdf/Great_Arctic_Outbreak_1899.pdf" target="_blank"> Sure enough, it was real!</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><div>I am tempted to stat snowmen as a mobstertype...</div><div><br /></div><div>5,000 miles is just a fraction of the distance to the Moon. Not that the snowman is wrong; since we are already in the Milky Way Galaxy, you are there whether you go 5,000 miles or 1 mile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRGhga9W79mACXxwtilV_rClKQJ1IJMsyMhOM7W-CjLUyt5JrYA9tHAQGX2F3eYU-HGrIxd3WIZlXkoo_3T0fIJxrUlW16k8lEfDv5PB06d2ZFEgBJ7APwAaxAfiyiuWWZPZpPaOYwThcpmYmYgcuQwnbWYrcPO0etXAbsOVog3u-CQAtRUZuA_8Q/s1815/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1815" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRGhga9W79mACXxwtilV_rClKQJ1IJMsyMhOM7W-CjLUyt5JrYA9tHAQGX2F3eYU-HGrIxd3WIZlXkoo_3T0fIJxrUlW16k8lEfDv5PB06d2ZFEgBJ7APwAaxAfiyiuWWZPZpPaOYwThcpmYmYgcuQwnbWYrcPO0etXAbsOVog3u-CQAtRUZuA_8Q/s320/blog5.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><br /><div>The idea of an alien species that simply chooses not to age is an interesting one, more so than the Libertarian fantasy of a utopia the goat-riding baby alien espouses. Also more interesting is that the alien is riding a goat at all, which makes me think of Thor and his goat-drawn chariot.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt2n0G9mag0zaN7DDyHWQ-rld81rJOXsQMSnclO1IU_ydxf8JlARaDEjILrzttCFw4g7niRcAKtWtHn1BYV0LwiAnvUDjUDWGXPuZhUb04UE3ozrZFTC97bXQ7-evGVrLBp33f3X3hJXGPMvXwOwOqq6BjVLyNcaFcnmSmczqo4djsr39jXst-8Dz/s1810/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1810" data-original-width="1326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt2n0G9mag0zaN7DDyHWQ-rld81rJOXsQMSnclO1IU_ydxf8JlARaDEjILrzttCFw4g7niRcAKtWtHn1BYV0LwiAnvUDjUDWGXPuZhUb04UE3ozrZFTC97bXQ7-evGVrLBp33f3X3hJXGPMvXwOwOqq6BjVLyNcaFcnmSmczqo4djsr39jXst-8Dz/w234-h320/blog6.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>Final feature! Now how the robbers think thousands of dollars is "the world's richest haul." This is entirely appropriate for a non-serious scenario.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVMvluFEBheNPpG266B1naiN4M0MMznkO0ln8NhGUDdXEFXsvM4Vka3WXNcSD_mE1Pc6Bl17bYT4S-SUrNiOhqQIpZzPFBOttbo4IoZ_fy2C5ZA10cMosae2acbMbHhjVBalgbVZuirwEQcG1JmoDt_5KHIZbUSCsvXtYVq6pmVp9ZEADUwCqfuQN/s1766/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1766" data-original-width="1284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVMvluFEBheNPpG266B1naiN4M0MMznkO0ln8NhGUDdXEFXsvM4Vka3WXNcSD_mE1Pc6Bl17bYT4S-SUrNiOhqQIpZzPFBOttbo4IoZ_fy2C5ZA10cMosae2acbMbHhjVBalgbVZuirwEQcG1JmoDt_5KHIZbUSCsvXtYVq6pmVp9ZEADUwCqfuQN/s320/blog7.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>$1,000 is a very generous reward for the theft of thousands of dollars and quite the xp boost for Buddy Braver. We also learn that a box of candy costs 50 cents. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=29386" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-62746547225273860122023-01-01T10:12:00.002-08:002023-01-01T10:12:23.877-08:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmovj71l-GIOM_fOiWu6ZMSB2zBILmKlfErN2nkmUop8silJIE63fQU580XC_vCfGTT547IPjkGbLmzcjjCn1nnNnBolXKkRivfO4feAIU-w4p5uWe0QyQFdbOVIzIaviLJpK3HdyePdpEF5XiZVrGL_Oq0fJXsWATFwcggV8EPyoppJUCuRMIZKQ/s1768/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="1277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmovj71l-GIOM_fOiWu6ZMSB2zBILmKlfErN2nkmUop8silJIE63fQU580XC_vCfGTT547IPjkGbLmzcjjCn1nnNnBolXKkRivfO4feAIU-w4p5uWe0QyQFdbOVIzIaviLJpK3HdyePdpEF5XiZVrGL_Oq0fJXsWATFwcggV8EPyoppJUCuRMIZKQ/w231-h320/blog1.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>We're back, and so is <i>The Lone Eagle</i>! Here we see the Lone Eagle being overcome by four-to-one odds, which I find refreshing, even if it will not be the norm in this adventure from here. Perhaps he levels up quickly! <br /><p></p><p>Note that LE isn't placed in a deathtrap, but just left behind and they assume he's dead. Who has time to check for a pulse or watch for breathing? </p><p>Now panel 6 is a big mystery, though you might not have realized that it was Where is this "no-man's-land"? You might assume, like I did, this is France - but this was published in February 1940 and Germany did not invade France until May! In February, the world knew Hitler had his eyes on Norway, but most of the fighting in Europe was taking place between Finland and Russia. This panel is like someone wasn't paying attention to current events and just, by coincidence, predicted the future!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGmGlR-SrzR3pQsGIC71aijIRi3gkfxlEvAE7y4FxaGt9TNk0y8BHI7qiuzpJNI3T8TlNhlc9JmUFQlqAF_xUKF68oxdDLcYaWOnDYJ0Hr_xwLZtwH4DhxV4MDXb2AdRx1m7fPGYg08LZDFAsLEEU00KG_1B_i7KGBqMSe1IU3o_IeCzU2zK4RMOq/s1784/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGmGlR-SrzR3pQsGIC71aijIRi3gkfxlEvAE7y4FxaGt9TNk0y8BHI7qiuzpJNI3T8TlNhlc9JmUFQlqAF_xUKF68oxdDLcYaWOnDYJ0Hr_xwLZtwH4DhxV4MDXb2AdRx1m7fPGYg08LZDFAsLEEU00KG_1B_i7KGBqMSe1IU3o_IeCzU2zK4RMOq/w232-h320/blog2.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I'm amused how Lone Eagle, clearly an Air Force guy, is able to commandeer a tank just by pointing at it. "This isn't Hertz, Lone Eagle!" that officer should be saying (fun fact: Hertz rent-a-car goes back to 1918!). <div><br /></div><div>I'm calling shenanigans on being inside an <i><b>exploding</b></i> tank and emerging unharmed, unless Lone Eagle is secretly a superhero buffed by the Invulnerability power. I think 8-80 points of damage, for being caught inside when a tank explodes, seems more than reasonable.</div><div><br /></div><div>How did Lone Eagle catch up with Brent? If Brent was there some time ago, asking for the fastest route to German Intelligence, why is he still wandering around the battlefield? Or, if the soldiers didn't believe him and took him into custody - again, how is he now wandering around the battlefield? I feel like we missed at least three pages of Brent's daring escape from confinement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I'm again amused, this time by how Lone Eagle has a secret pocket in that jumpsuit. Come on, LE, the "secret" compartment is one of those huge, obvious cargo pants pockets above your knees, right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0FEjC02w3QEthoRuZXV167tGG7w363bMpuP2sx1Shbh1uulz1vnK3XOc-MQuROzGsWsdDiIGM6iyLI_o9tldcTDIx2HZKw8JGqga4kzrcJHQxpp-qsshkqCiyoJUcnX1y0wWLBw2SAdcmKCeTQXEk52Tc7SW84AcDGAjNbfSWEOBlVZ4clXSgV-4/s1778/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1778" data-original-width="1282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0FEjC02w3QEthoRuZXV167tGG7w363bMpuP2sx1Shbh1uulz1vnK3XOc-MQuROzGsWsdDiIGM6iyLI_o9tldcTDIx2HZKw8JGqga4kzrcJHQxpp-qsshkqCiyoJUcnX1y0wWLBw2SAdcmKCeTQXEk52Tc7SW84AcDGAjNbfSWEOBlVZ4clXSgV-4/s320/blog3.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><div>Great, thanks to this page we need to address the unpleasant subject of torture. Comic book heroes get tortured more often than I enjoy seeing. The goal is never to beat the hero unconscious, but to break his spirit and make him act unheroic. But how to handle that as a game mechanic? It might make sense to consider the whip damage subdual damage -- the hero can no longer resist if he reaches zero hp -- but LE just got over 100 lashes and I'm guessing he doesn't have over 100 hit points. I think how I would handle this is, every time the hero is reduced to zero hp, he has to make a save vs. plot or be broken by the torture. If the hero makes the save, hit points are effectively restored to full and the process can start again. </div><div><br /></div><div>But even if the hero is broken, what does that look like? Is the player forced to roleplay blubbering? A player could simply spare himself the headache of the game mechanics and chose this, as it's not really a consequence. But what if the hero lost something crucial - like experience points - if broken? There is precedent for energy draining in the game and, while it's purely supernatural, torture is a draining experience too...</div><div><br /></div><div>One can't help but wonder what the warden was doing, taking a late night stroll without guards through the prison...but before that is the mystery of how LE got out of his cell. Did he use wrecking things to bust the door down?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bxUYSW4qhIx31EvRkAEi6RM_IB_h-lgXq8YNha9z69wwOZmWy21wCXuuS-kVRN9HlJVRCPdgZkNUr6OitYkMwqk_CAKUuJIeUJa9SCRaC2CiruT43ckdLLLM-sjqkaaVAXxWxPWQ12v8EbUKgWzOWqhQhjEQ5mfBxLocLt8Izu-PtFri2eq8yNrQ/s1799/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="1311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bxUYSW4qhIx31EvRkAEi6RM_IB_h-lgXq8YNha9z69wwOZmWy21wCXuuS-kVRN9HlJVRCPdgZkNUr6OitYkMwqk_CAKUuJIeUJa9SCRaC2CiruT43ckdLLLM-sjqkaaVAXxWxPWQ12v8EbUKgWzOWqhQhjEQ5mfBxLocLt8Izu-PtFri2eq8yNrQ/s320/blog4.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>Nope, nope, nope - unless that plane was planning to drop a person onto the roof of the train, there is no way LE should be able to leap up to the plane. I can no longer ignore that LE is clearly statted as a superhero, despite his lack of a proper costume and other genre tropes. </div><div><br /></div><div>That a superhero could have so much trouble with a single pilot is very much in keeping with how I pictured the superhero class balancing out in H&H; being a relatively weak fighter when not buffed with combat-related powers. </div><div><br /></div><div>But he's not just a superhero; it seems pretty clear that he's going to win this 6:1 dogfight (spoiler from next page: he defeats three and then escapes), which suggests to me that he's at least a 3rd level aviator, in addition to at least a 1st level superhero.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do like the smart tactics of the Germans - trying to stop this unstoppable killing machine indirectly rather than continuing to approach the train with that field gun on it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmsV-5PQr0c2dYV6o6FTgnj2XkvCvGCXJhIHr44BbmrQaJnBWpKDZgsC_x_LsiKEz9Q1NwsokRwYdui3c84sElwFabJrRDbYQqJjCyvRR3oG-bNDG85IBRfBjQ1_bccC8gVmUBeaZqVF6bQAYbTI8GVE9N3hZu_t9Y8op-fMJ4CQ_wXHjHhrACRNn/s1780/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1780" data-original-width="1308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmsV-5PQr0c2dYV6o6FTgnj2XkvCvGCXJhIHr44BbmrQaJnBWpKDZgsC_x_LsiKEz9Q1NwsokRwYdui3c84sElwFabJrRDbYQqJjCyvRR3oG-bNDG85IBRfBjQ1_bccC8gVmUBeaZqVF6bQAYbTI8GVE9N3hZu_t9Y8op-fMJ4CQ_wXHjHhrACRNn/s320/blog5.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>There were a lot of comic books published around this time that proved to be prophetic, not that it was hard - during WWII, if you imagined the worst scenario possible, that usually happened sooner or later. This comic predicts a German invasion of the Netherlands three months before it actually happened. Apparently the Dutch failed to believe Lone Eagle's warning. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78-lQEx0Z_m2wh8R5j8mGCdtI6G_t_UTg4cmV3Xt67JnNMZ_Vz6wYrtcJOa1rAUbik16EHiYwQApSBWnlB3P0yNbLHUQIQ7Qy5Zupul09DMX0j4LJuWjdxInX1HKyHTHvuSFHRaQdyFDM_66TBKjfT43pZOFaS8r9KE8tMj4UWCMa7uz6ALXeJRqI/s1790/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1790" data-original-width="1288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78-lQEx0Z_m2wh8R5j8mGCdtI6G_t_UTg4cmV3Xt67JnNMZ_Vz6wYrtcJOa1rAUbik16EHiYwQApSBWnlB3P0yNbLHUQIQ7Qy5Zupul09DMX0j4LJuWjdxInX1HKyHTHvuSFHRaQdyFDM_66TBKjfT43pZOFaS8r9KE8tMj4UWCMa7uz6ALXeJRqI/s320/blog6.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Again, this story predicts the bombing of London <i>seven</i> months before it happened. It predicts the bombing of Berlin by four months, though clearly the author is wrong that bombing Berlin first stops the bombing of London.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Gee, good thing you told us not to miss, Lone Eagle! We were aiming low for a 50-50 success rate!"</div><div><br /></div><div>A 50-50 success rate is, of course, the norm for 1st-level characters in H&H.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, the British RAF did use some American planes, but most of them were British-made. The implications of this story are, of course, that the English can't save themselves withou the U.S.'s help (again, largely true), and that Americans would seem like superheroes on the battlefield with Europeans (this is just propaganda).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBh155wAYgzAc9NEKN-ApZJPXR-LysvEi1aJeSbgrgd_jx28pCYnIpP0LmlZ_4ktAs_mDad--bFSNcM-3PAe-9AIkbighUG8uWWZ6l1THS7I0b9VXSu-iB77w1pVvK_qfqacEMkDsScEN3iEO5vbItrcPWgRa10c1dXP8IohqPxZwe7LCrLCRPRIL/s1844/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="1361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBh155wAYgzAc9NEKN-ApZJPXR-LysvEi1aJeSbgrgd_jx28pCYnIpP0LmlZ_4ktAs_mDad--bFSNcM-3PAe-9AIkbighUG8uWWZ6l1THS7I0b9VXSu-iB77w1pVvK_qfqacEMkDsScEN3iEO5vbItrcPWgRa10c1dXP8IohqPxZwe7LCrLCRPRIL/s320/blog7.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>Moving on, we return to what I have long dubbed the Mythic West, a "demi-plane," if you will, that allows for "Wild West" action in the modern day. <div><br /></div><div>Nueces, Arizona, is not a real place, but is likely named after Nueces County, Texas. </div><div><br /></div><div>Panel 3 has some rather disturbing implications.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I had to look up the use of punchers here. From the Internet: "In those early days of cattle drives the cattle were not particularly eager to enter loading chutes or box cars, so the cowboys poked or punched the cattle with long poles to get them in to the cars. The term was first recorded in 1880 and soon became a synonym for all those who worked cattle." I don't think "Fork-D punchers" has any special meaning, other than they work for the Fork-D ranch...</div><div><br /></div><div>I had to look twice to verify this, but the guy in the fight at the bottom isn't the Rio Kid; he's just some guy who's about to become Supporting Cast, and is probably at least a 2nd-level cowboy, given how well he's doing in this fight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCAtzB4w4u1Q3GaJXsQy2ZYPosYtIDmeAsjJVVQw3ihpBrxObJSKTImUcDciicQPDLJsKX0WXgKaRxWPIKqMqf3czmTH325edkFms8SZv6U5Pw81c_AG5cTxxElZJBDuO3FV1DwPfN5ipSVldVEOGoNcO_a3PUaEfeRzfbLK9fLe8o1bK7_zTc3GY/s1875/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCAtzB4w4u1Q3GaJXsQy2ZYPosYtIDmeAsjJVVQw3ihpBrxObJSKTImUcDciicQPDLJsKX0WXgKaRxWPIKqMqf3czmTH325edkFms8SZv6U5Pw81c_AG5cTxxElZJBDuO3FV1DwPfN5ipSVldVEOGoNcO_a3PUaEfeRzfbLK9fLe8o1bK7_zTc3GY/s320/blog8.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div>Boy, this is one violent comic book! This page is a nice reminder, though, that not everyone in a given organization is going to be the same Alignment. Here we have a Lawful jailer having a disagreement with the Chaotic sheriff. Turn this around when you're stocking your hideouts - make sure there are the occasional Lawful hoodlums who may turn on their bosses and help the Heroes!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizK8_SHHJ3MF59mpFdEbyJwTSVEddB2QHw3oOitN1dyD2sNy6VRhowwwqyrPwA-nGX7L_vrltoAvAJU7RHaVQwsNS3_98BFLMdDNCLxm0GkEov54Y1mDxD1Ue7ZTXFMO5LA6NemL5L_YDD3BNrBapA2N-BiNznYjS3LmeDc48_p6K7U8Ir_sgHl5NT/s1840/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizK8_SHHJ3MF59mpFdEbyJwTSVEddB2QHw3oOitN1dyD2sNy6VRhowwwqyrPwA-nGX7L_vrltoAvAJU7RHaVQwsNS3_98BFLMdDNCLxm0GkEov54Y1mDxD1Ue7ZTXFMO5LA6NemL5L_YDD3BNrBapA2N-BiNznYjS3LmeDc48_p6K7U8Ir_sgHl5NT/s320/blog9.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Shooting a rope, while riding on horseback, would normally require a natural 20 on an attack roll (at least while I'm running the game) - but this is why the cowboy class, when it resurfaces in 2nd edition someday, will still need to have stunts. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tombstone is, of course, a real place. It is likely a portal site that exists in both the real world and the Mythic West, so one could leave Tombstone heading into either.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesty of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=29386" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /> <br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-60611080479525772912022-09-01T19:02:00.004-07:002022-09-01T19:02:59.339-07:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimM8u0M1lGouoqclcJD6U4-55sPSNNBKsm72FC-dYnXMzCKn1XKlSPx6FvfBQMYqVA0BsHTlT87Mt15v-x-9MCFdR_ImGhjwrnkYPqWVbDxoFm-eBHug8QlmxvPR8RpeXoIgXauFxw_O0gLRQsixvGoVieN-zPKE1v2PCrD8_zHc1DzVLRJiH8AUU/s1883/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1883" data-original-width="1371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimM8u0M1lGouoqclcJD6U4-55sPSNNBKsm72FC-dYnXMzCKn1XKlSPx6FvfBQMYqVA0BsHTlT87Mt15v-x-9MCFdR_ImGhjwrnkYPqWVbDxoFm-eBHug8QlmxvPR8RpeXoIgXauFxw_O0gLRQsixvGoVieN-zPKE1v2PCrD8_zHc1DzVLRJiH8AUU/s320/blog1.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>We're back (after a LONG time away!), still with the <i>Three Comrades</i>, though you'll only see two of them on this page. <p></p><p>Max should be statted as a guard, or maybe a beat cop. </p><p>Note that our two Heroes intentionally surrender to Von Sneer, no doubt to learn what he's up to. If they'd wanted to, they could have rushed him, even from across the room, and still gone before him if they'd won initiative (which I see happen in comics a lot!).</p><p>It's worth noting that <i>Heroes</i> shouldn't have to worry about what languages they know, but you're encouraged to take this benefit away from non-Hero characters. This is a good way to give Heroes another advantage over normal people (and here, greatly assists the plot!).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLBhHI7fZyzzaTo2OPzxb_rEtUw0RO4bQ9qYQccuXLSTlaoCkoGo62Li58aRrdAYOSLNst4YSCSdWsNybke_Kon7rAagkHFA_frcjDMzIVETDt7D_uM-ovJQ96HwpW-zUD5RKeeM0KvR9uYLA7yXTWbBqfrSlgt7FTOgrD69DLd-T16a0d5EpK54Q/s1889/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1889" data-original-width="1377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLBhHI7fZyzzaTo2OPzxb_rEtUw0RO4bQ9qYQccuXLSTlaoCkoGo62Li58aRrdAYOSLNst4YSCSdWsNybke_Kon7rAagkHFA_frcjDMzIVETDt7D_uM-ovJQ96HwpW-zUD5RKeeM0KvR9uYLA7yXTWbBqfrSlgt7FTOgrD69DLd-T16a0d5EpK54Q/s320/blog2.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>This page brings up an interesting point, because a lot of the time Heroes are tied up for deathtraps, but are almost never gagged. And they almost never yell for help either. Now, we don't expect them to because it doesn't come off as very heroic, but it is certainly the most natural reaction to being tied up. <p></p><p>I am skeptical about allowing a filing cabinet tipping over on someone to knock them out - though it will famously be super-effective against Iron Man years later - and would probably allow this to do no more than 1 point of damage. Of course, it's possible for mobsters to only have 1 hit point!</p><p>That's a really good guess as to what the oil drums are for. I probably would have guessed they were smugglers myself, but this makes for a better story with higher stakes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tVMLVWtSwqXp2_70p8F4f20J0RZPZfQmUvFXiZahFm1gHZI_TAMo4Z-rgl-7wL2IA4kbvcWZOA1j0LboknG128ktbCH1fMm2U0zi2H8RIVGEb8KXPinrFoMqZ5tzKJ8R7L1bGCxtMVK3slN_RtinsPktUcjTlq3fLyizBuNXIPqTXK-EXqjkkjSv/s1951/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1951" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tVMLVWtSwqXp2_70p8F4f20J0RZPZfQmUvFXiZahFm1gHZI_TAMo4Z-rgl-7wL2IA4kbvcWZOA1j0LboknG128ktbCH1fMm2U0zi2H8RIVGEb8KXPinrFoMqZ5tzKJ8R7L1bGCxtMVK3slN_RtinsPktUcjTlq3fLyizBuNXIPqTXK-EXqjkkjSv/s320/blog3.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>It's weird how physics work in comic books to feed the narrative. A filing cabinet tipping over knocks out a guard, but Lucky bounces down a flight of stairs, caught halfway in a barrel, and seems virtually unharmed. Two thoughts: 1) this proves that damage ranges are a thing, and 2) it makes me wonder if objects should be able to soak damage. I have ruled before if you fall on a person, you can half your damage and transfer the other half to the person you're landing on. But if we applied that to inanimate objects...then armor has to work much differently game mechanics-wise. I think we'll skip this for now.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCPKpfMfWeYVhN8FfIwUbWm0jm_uoPL0IhUUe7_MpuAJQZKb_niyN_o8jQcPCOAW6pFinN26V8vShM6tjVI0W-6BYZQJhQJQD6XDTZzllmVS7yLXst4agy_77I1UdaWEB0m4Uzq5GeuQKj4k_fQhbCKdPq5Dl1iuKZJt4lPm0xA_SwSq1q6l3fUZm/s1960/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCPKpfMfWeYVhN8FfIwUbWm0jm_uoPL0IhUUe7_MpuAJQZKb_niyN_o8jQcPCOAW6pFinN26V8vShM6tjVI0W-6BYZQJhQJQD6XDTZzllmVS7yLXst4agy_77I1UdaWEB0m4Uzq5GeuQKj4k_fQhbCKdPq5Dl1iuKZJt4lPm0xA_SwSq1q6l3fUZm/s320/blog4.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>"Attaboy, Lucky, keep 'em busy killing you!" Seriously, how is Lucky not dead, as the mobsters shoot down at him at short range and he's only moving as fast as a motorboat attempting to match to their vessel? Luckily, in the hands of a 1 HD mobster, even sub-machine guns only get 1 attack per turn. <div><br /></div><div>I am as unconvinced by that wooden beam being able to do that as I was by the filing cabinet. This is a very generous Editor these boys' players have.</div><div><br /></div><div>Using the oil seemed an ingenious move at first, but wouldn't starting a fire with it have been more effective?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl5Kny64IXk5eCe5GhVu7teI6YzoQSeBo4Vo37G6mHXS5QH2ON9JJ5yfOOnIHnhI3U95Oa4-PapwvjV4UUUbnlwMnab_UohEkeCCBuNvgjcD4iaD-EIkt5kOeG-oY0G0uNh1MQdZmFh-jr_lQ5efNTNNDJcZhDohV-q4-BlRNQRN-SOtbFPRqEIbE/s1977/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1977" data-original-width="1432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl5Kny64IXk5eCe5GhVu7teI6YzoQSeBo4Vo37G6mHXS5QH2ON9JJ5yfOOnIHnhI3U95Oa4-PapwvjV4UUUbnlwMnab_UohEkeCCBuNvgjcD4iaD-EIkt5kOeG-oY0G0uNh1MQdZmFh-jr_lQ5efNTNNDJcZhDohV-q4-BlRNQRN-SOtbFPRqEIbE/w232-h320/blog5.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>We're done with those crazy kids and moving onto the next feature, <i>The Woman in Red</i>. The violence level is pretty extreme in this feature, with a man being shown (granted, in silhouette) hanging from the rope that you see on this page on the previous page, and on this page you get a knife thrown into someone's neck (again, granted, not the first time I've seen that in a golden age comic book; it even features into Amazing Man's origin story). <div><br /></div><div>I mainly include this page for two points. One, American mansions have a tendency to be castles or have many castle-like features in golden age comic books -- and that is a good thing, because you can freely borrow castle maps from That Other Game and use them here and they fit this game. And secondly, telling the handedness of someone from how they tied a knot sounds like a basic skill check to me.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Okay, one more observation - other than having very pronounced cheekbones, there doesn't seem to be anything too terrifying about The Terror.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQajcGOilGp2Wez10IEdf0oSST2yVZnr0iyEjSTerHcz1pSb4Z-sYiNif7GzVsb8IwowHm2vo0SF3ZBW1kCrjyTomhQ_90-pik6W2IkuzSlnCiKzOCpJHLATqnoOal7qjYa65UoD-JNVb1wBsklgbVR2VVYVgaun0NSaTRMA7FsDsvVtkrGykEq5cp/s1979/blog5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1979" data-original-width="1404" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQajcGOilGp2Wez10IEdf0oSST2yVZnr0iyEjSTerHcz1pSb4Z-sYiNif7GzVsb8IwowHm2vo0SF3ZBW1kCrjyTomhQ_90-pik6W2IkuzSlnCiKzOCpJHLATqnoOal7qjYa65UoD-JNVb1wBsklgbVR2VVYVgaun0NSaTRMA7FsDsvVtkrGykEq5cp/s320/blog5.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>Since The Woman in Red and The Terror are both unencumbered and, hence, moving at the same movement rate, it's only natural that WiR fails to catch up. </div><div></div><div> </div><div>Here, we learn that you can open a secret door and still get a surprise turn after. </div><div> </div><div>A 200' drop is a very tall castle, unless this also accounts for a dry moat at the base of the castle wall too? </div><div> </div><div>It's not clear where the mysteriously handy rope is hanging from. Depending on how far down she is when she passes it would help me determine how fast she's falling and, from that, the AC to reach out and "hit" the rope -- AC 9 in the first second, AC 7 in the second second, AC 4 in the third second - by then she's fallen more than halfway. I might also require a Strength or a Dexterity check (whichever is better on the 1st second; whichever is worse on the 3rd second) to determine if she can keep a hold on the rope after catching it, or if her downward momentum pulls her past it. </div><div> </div><div>I'm puzzled by what that shape is in front of the window, as I'm not aware of that being a castle feature. I mean, it makes sense, as it makes it harder for anyone to smash through the window and fit inside, but I just don't know what that pole would be called. </div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_Nnb5x7bJhgCjNSD3T_ajtlYODF6fPynz26xi1x1MParJor6aGykVLQ_W1taqDqLXO6P3lwF-84nDt_DJkNSq_EtnlaT0H80CDGzzIkgdIXHSFhh60OnSmr_ExFI-XsxxEfLVQq8QGTp5TBGgU9na2GyYT1vZMoz7U0NmTMzjFcYY9e5KQxv-y9l/s1978/blog7.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1978" data-original-width="1455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_Nnb5x7bJhgCjNSD3T_ajtlYODF6fPynz26xi1x1MParJor6aGykVLQ_W1taqDqLXO6P3lwF-84nDt_DJkNSq_EtnlaT0H80CDGzzIkgdIXHSFhh60OnSmr_ExFI-XsxxEfLVQq8QGTp5TBGgU9na2GyYT1vZMoz7U0NmTMzjFcYY9e5KQxv-y9l/w235-h320/blog7.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>I wish I had enough detail to map this castle, because we keep getting tantalizing glimpses of how elaborate it is. So far we have a rooftop access door from a tower, multiple staircases, rooms that are only accessible by secret doors and outside windows (or by digging your way into them), and a literal dungeon with cell doors (double-barred no less) on the same floor with a library. <br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzO4WmfCcuef_0i-6X43z-nrLydi_uPselCLS4vIv6RvkjPdSzG0wuQCMjX55lFdLiSstOHpgCJepIp5dn_N7d4R2Qml47SCkM8mY0mPxEdJdZzTR76HPQTIizRWVcBp2J0KYbs9iB1iNcNV3mbJZfzquOwg5BdKII1SPOCiWhTNFmvm6jF3DmRdF/s1957/blog8.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1957" data-original-width="1430" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzO4WmfCcuef_0i-6X43z-nrLydi_uPselCLS4vIv6RvkjPdSzG0wuQCMjX55lFdLiSstOHpgCJepIp5dn_N7d4R2Qml47SCkM8mY0mPxEdJdZzTR76HPQTIizRWVcBp2J0KYbs9iB1iNcNV3mbJZfzquOwg5BdKII1SPOCiWhTNFmvm6jF3DmRdF/s320/blog8.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>More interesting points - the Woman in Red gives away her real name in order to gain someone's trust, a rare instance of a gun being used to disarm a knife, and in the Scooby Doo-esque climax we learn that the butler - that is, someone named Butler - did it.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99WIjQBUfzwLoluGHx7ufuIhtCALvHiukpT1itNvZyJPeEHlwz26_jTHj-6FQgQUmcu8fdwNPryjH9DzHXN79-HybflqfL3Lxo051dE0Nmnztmch9qzFyo8HwfXPukpf8SKvcsJ2yqn7w9M0iUWYxi9tvIHNhw3Gf0MNZoOlF6yXKdi5E7bvjMrv8/s1830/blog9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1830" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99WIjQBUfzwLoluGHx7ufuIhtCALvHiukpT1itNvZyJPeEHlwz26_jTHj-6FQgQUmcu8fdwNPryjH9DzHXN79-HybflqfL3Lxo051dE0Nmnztmch9qzFyo8HwfXPukpf8SKvcsJ2yqn7w9M0iUWYxi9tvIHNhw3Gf0MNZoOlF6yXKdi5E7bvjMrv8/w233-h320/blog9.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>Here's a quick look at the next feature, which gives us two novel twists - one, a new location to rescue a damsel in distress from, and two, a new "Macguffin" - a military code book (thank goodness it's not yet another new invention!).</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=29386" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-90096288549047633142022-05-05T17:32:00.004-07:002022-05-05T17:32:26.702-07:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v8TVYMYEGtpAMYnMrg3KrKR_CsPDQtcDHb9mXL-COd3A_8bogLo0hRgwqs3GW8fPjz--DMpRL9xJX27k1-dnUNcnYab0Y-q0TYR8uEHz-N-ipitrOJQAlrmZPeD39btk9SbQA38TzOJ1qmMHM-vjQY1K3lGFCx6dLKADzWXlCQhkYQHw3ZLm5_dO/s1924/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1924" data-original-width="1405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v8TVYMYEGtpAMYnMrg3KrKR_CsPDQtcDHb9mXL-COd3A_8bogLo0hRgwqs3GW8fPjz--DMpRL9xJX27k1-dnUNcnYab0Y-q0TYR8uEHz-N-ipitrOJQAlrmZPeD39btk9SbQA38TzOJ1qmMHM-vjQY1K3lGFCx6dLKADzWXlCQhkYQHw3ZLm5_dO/s320/blog1.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><p>Well I'll be...I called this issue #2 in my last two posts, but it's been issue 3 I've been reviewing all this time! Sorry if I confused anyone. <br /></p><p>It's been a <b>long</b> while since we last visited The Ghost, but you might recall he was tossing around Wish-level spells all over before the scenario even got started. Now that he has mobsters to fight, we get - Knock, Mirror Images, and throwing a dagger instead of casting a spell. Wow, this is what a mid-level magic-user looks like!<br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WTvXjk4H33J-mJmHy7NqNb8zEVaUS-ZNtX3HJglAWXwzO5RiDyiZ7cbUaR9mMENTXjeKfuljisz7baqx6v49_L5C1uAuu6tgW2NtcqKtDwlBnwlDRWBhqwJF8w4hrWR1gSwA8nIrhDn6ly0BJt3e-9VwLQRhNMF1OobFB-Pylz135Z-L_dQzY43H/s1919/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1919" data-original-width="1376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WTvXjk4H33J-mJmHy7NqNb8zEVaUS-ZNtX3HJglAWXwzO5RiDyiZ7cbUaR9mMENTXjeKfuljisz7baqx6v49_L5C1uAuu6tgW2NtcqKtDwlBnwlDRWBhqwJF8w4hrWR1gSwA8nIrhDn6ly0BJt3e-9VwLQRhNMF1OobFB-Pylz135Z-L_dQzY43H/s320/blog2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>In my current <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> campaign, we just had a long scene of the Heroes mixing it up with police in a precinct house, so it's interesting to see how quickly The Ghost is able to muscle his way in to see the ...Captain? Commissioner? - after just levitating a beat cop out of his way.<div><br /></div><div>That is a strange spell that gets cast mid-page. It's not a Phantasmal Image because The Ghost doesn't know what the spell will reveal. It seems closer to Object Reading, the psionic power. It's also unusual to have a golden age Hero's initial hunch turn out to be wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH26GJZhnadc-nVtRfgWUJPI9wuLTW1VRWxsp6QdqfdSHkAF1jR5onIxy6thwpX7qIHTeOx6PUMgV_r1cLqiSl8kHspxfFIUjH3vhZqFxpxGeak8lKDhTkVHuL3aMLDdwARdUfwE74eLgILwF8fj8XizqZO94cDCMoPhOJ2ozX4qgtTGnmslrjmDLo/s1923/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1923" data-original-width="1372" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH26GJZhnadc-nVtRfgWUJPI9wuLTW1VRWxsp6QdqfdSHkAF1jR5onIxy6thwpX7qIHTeOx6PUMgV_r1cLqiSl8kHspxfFIUjH3vhZqFxpxGeak8lKDhTkVHuL3aMLDdwARdUfwE74eLgILwF8fj8XizqZO94cDCMoPhOJ2ozX4qgtTGnmslrjmDLo/s320/blog3.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>Now this is interesting! Only some magic-users have ever shown Achilles Heels - like needing to be holding their wand, or needing the use of their hands - The Ghost has to be facing you.<div><br /></div><div>Wall of Force stops the car. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's interesting how The Ghost only sometimes bothers to use his "ghost" look and other times just walks around like a normal guy. I wonder how he decides...?</div><div><br /></div><div>I also wonder -- is that chair a Chair of Scrying, like a comfy Crystal Ball?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ghost uses Levitate to save himself from bullets. I find it so refreshing to see so many 2nd-level spells getting used!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPW-qfhAId7FvrfEvEREy1Yvu5-e3lTBGOidaFpeqXovygdfQJDI1xYGu012Hrq7WZ0ShU-KLjtYqMeJkS9IGVKZ7nVcasfdnHGMHIO0PwG9Q5lEKizFYBqcN9p0TH8cNm5DBblNP8-FLCJtZk0dkjs7KjdKcLijzyBraorwrugPnRd0BE6huMWg2/s1935/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="1387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPW-qfhAId7FvrfEvEREy1Yvu5-e3lTBGOidaFpeqXovygdfQJDI1xYGu012Hrq7WZ0ShU-KLjtYqMeJkS9IGVKZ7nVcasfdnHGMHIO0PwG9Q5lEKizFYBqcN9p0TH8cNm5DBblNP8-FLCJtZk0dkjs7KjdKcLijzyBraorwrugPnRd0BE6huMWg2/s320/blog4.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Hypnotism, or Charm Person spell? <div><br /></div><div>We don't know exactly how many hit points The Ghost has, but a surprise head blow can take him out.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ghost casts Wizard Eye through the door.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVXhtuPgg2pHv7HZm2l8EMXK2AbbHUJVh2jL48GTEm8TTACCwUot__oNTUrOmQlhGUoeM9qYRGny_IanFFNNd4IqWzqBOM2ISZbmixv06skyqNoUGCfcqSBIANve7-FR0akkqWj3DIXbYJ1T3UDM8pAQ26oW1mU2Va_PkC5laE8JmAYtc9wCNlgZm/s1921/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="1377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVXhtuPgg2pHv7HZm2l8EMXK2AbbHUJVh2jL48GTEm8TTACCwUot__oNTUrOmQlhGUoeM9qYRGny_IanFFNNd4IqWzqBOM2ISZbmixv06skyqNoUGCfcqSBIANve7-FR0akkqWj3DIXbYJ1T3UDM8pAQ26oW1mU2Va_PkC5laE8JmAYtc9wCNlgZm/w229-h320/blog5.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><p>I like the details of that trap; it's a trap that, if you play it just right, helps the Heroes free themselves from it. Of course, you need to have Heroes weak enough not to be able to break rope...</p><p>Normally, in a <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> campaign, exploring an entire hideout from cellar to roof could take multiple play sessions; here, we see it come to pass in a single caption. It's rather remarkable, I think, that the only clue he finds in the whole building are the pigeons on the roof. I wonder how many "secret door" rolls he failed on his way though the house...</p><p>I'm not sure what to make out of a spell that makes pigeons leave flaming trails. Some sort of Feed Jalapenos to Birds spell? Or perhaps this is just a generous interpretation of the Find the Path spell?</p><p>I believe I already have a Detect Lie spell in my game (or should if I don't). Is there any difference between Detect Lie and Speak Only Truth?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5_73vVKZDVKXpXpQWyuO10mSN3GrApmzxeVDJgA9tods4PP2fA1yGWEjtYZc_xR5zeR-UtBxe1Z9o8i9bbXz1uODbzWoYCzxOB5I1ET6KIN8Iwd1m2tLjuBB9BQmG2afiAZgGnHVorBEBBjFgYDdFQKzeR7HhXffpjksDOxActj9jVYZJ18tNo4G/s1946/blog1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1946" data-original-width="1437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5_73vVKZDVKXpXpQWyuO10mSN3GrApmzxeVDJgA9tods4PP2fA1yGWEjtYZc_xR5zeR-UtBxe1Z9o8i9bbXz1uODbzWoYCzxOB5I1ET6KIN8Iwd1m2tLjuBB9BQmG2afiAZgGnHVorBEBBjFgYDdFQKzeR7HhXffpjksDOxActj9jVYZJ18tNo4G/w236-h320/blog1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>Out of all the spells in The Ghost's repertoire, what impresses this guy is the Change Self spell. <div><br /></div><div>I've never heard of a trick gun like that, but now I think it should be a minor trophy item. <br /><p>When did The Ghost cast that spell, turning the bullets to vapor? While writing the suicide note? After grabbing the gun away? As the bullets are being shot? Possibly the first two options, if the spell was cast off-panel, but it's hard to believe Tanko didn't notice. I think he could realistically have cast it at the beginning of the melee turn before being grappled by Tanko. </p><p>Also...Tanko? That's an African name. Is it a nickname here? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO4yhFXWiJVR48mNi8UDDb7jWsOH701I2eHBbtJQGKjaZQjmnWhV0FAeM3bmdWH2AnEKB3iVY1tM-ZHLQWr_nBWpHYosvK--E_gRTxJLE3ZDDtLfK5mC7jFRZzV7O_wUGaTmz6DAWnwZLGvze5NEGXIermexK6LydWx_t-6zImag7Butw_EDftsxb/s1953/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1953" data-original-width="1377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO4yhFXWiJVR48mNi8UDDb7jWsOH701I2eHBbtJQGKjaZQjmnWhV0FAeM3bmdWH2AnEKB3iVY1tM-ZHLQWr_nBWpHYosvK--E_gRTxJLE3ZDDtLfK5mC7jFRZzV7O_wUGaTmz6DAWnwZLGvze5NEGXIermexK6LydWx_t-6zImag7Butw_EDftsxb/s320/blog6.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>Ignoring the panel where the lights go out, but we can see everything...there are some strange reactions to magic in this story. Like, the phantasmal faces trick the chief into confessing...instead of just running away?</div><div><br /></div><div>Was the matchbox ever admissible evidence? I bet it's not now, since a roomful of witnesses saw this appear out of nowhere. How do you prove it's the same matchbox? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bGEohSIOvG9CbFmYJI6BO4c57JRWuA3HcQ2dLdX8nUfHwbuxdC1M6j0J1ABBi4_TlzkSqNapNS1a-6BuQaCU21wOl8cHmmeMXJpRjBsUng2ogOkZFXlk47iRmda3HTl0Cc5J5gwnsbokcrEualq5uvvNP66EuSJqbGDMJVt2bO3264ArQt4X4bgE/s1871/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="1374" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bGEohSIOvG9CbFmYJI6BO4c57JRWuA3HcQ2dLdX8nUfHwbuxdC1M6j0J1ABBi4_TlzkSqNapNS1a-6BuQaCU21wOl8cHmmeMXJpRjBsUng2ogOkZFXlk47iRmda3HTl0Cc5J5gwnsbokcrEualq5uvvNP66EuSJqbGDMJVt2bO3264ArQt4X4bgE/s320/blog7.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>Moving on...I'm more amused than anything else by this page of the next story. For one, the "Three Comrades" are hanging out in what appears to be a middle class German restaurant, and the two German spies dressed up for a fancy nightclub aren't attracting any attention to themselves. What amuses me even more is how much Books looks like Peter Parker.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH7Za_ktgR3pyWOTpuwDfC_sMPcXeAhRZqnUbTf1-vVMKulausiZqEMHzzzgrT09TooPFElnZmIHfrQEeB9sQS7xXuJHtG8jRWLnr8647f4QXtKkwQ-3U0WzzI0Bksd96hH1jOYwbkdU-XhOv1M1JQStzBSgOUD6wvC5ScWtTmbmAORCSvm6yFJIU/s1909/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1909" data-original-width="1396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH7Za_ktgR3pyWOTpuwDfC_sMPcXeAhRZqnUbTf1-vVMKulausiZqEMHzzzgrT09TooPFElnZmIHfrQEeB9sQS7xXuJHtG8jRWLnr8647f4QXtKkwQ-3U0WzzI0Bksd96hH1jOYwbkdU-XhOv1M1JQStzBSgOUD6wvC5ScWtTmbmAORCSvm6yFJIU/s320/blog9.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>At least Cal thought the spies were suspicious. You can always count on Non-Heroes controlled by the Editor to fail to notice anything suspicious about a name like Baron Von Sneer, even though that just screams "comic book villain!" to the rest of us. <div><br /></div><div>Wow...you can also always count on European villains to have castle hideouts, even when just visiting the U.S. The caption calls it a mansion, but I know a castle when I see one...</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=30826" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> <br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-81546011710515464702022-04-13T21:29:00.004-07:002022-05-05T17:33:56.904-07:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-USwLF9YaGZpX8BiPJKoM0ytQJeeGRHkzUXNVMT0iOKTg83LWGXNvTYa5qWUA84teB3_2xHM9to2gwplwsciSYaY0t9Uo32hwWJVzDpCO2r5eF_8ejgvRXRhEjeI3rSEY2DQaTcfEdUp0ufFIPVICR0LIvMvfTmZU2eresoq-AZzlM4PvxwquctrP/s1969/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1969" data-original-width="1417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-USwLF9YaGZpX8BiPJKoM0ytQJeeGRHkzUXNVMT0iOKTg83LWGXNvTYa5qWUA84teB3_2xHM9to2gwplwsciSYaY0t9Uo32hwWJVzDpCO2r5eF_8ejgvRXRhEjeI3rSEY2DQaTcfEdUp0ufFIPVICR0LIvMvfTmZU2eresoq-AZzlM4PvxwquctrP/s320/blog1.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Here we have Dr. Strange using wrecking things, only to find his great strength "sapped." This actually happens just like that in<b> Hideouts & Hoodlums</b>, when activated powers run out and you're out of powers to activate. By waiting until the next day for his deathtrap, the villains have actually given him time to regain all his powers from the previous day.<br /><p></p><p>I'm tempted to stat wild hill warriors as berserkers. I could also make them 2nd level fighters, using the level title of warrior from That Other Game. I could also just use natives, since that's the broad stereotype being used here. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTt1w78EV63HtWuq9T_xYaRKD5HuaptdDHP60L8ElmNLTLulKkY-c33u_yxXjk-JyTJEacyGbixwE1rgwRX5S26JluQVKXG7BbJ6wkbTBiFHTrzavG1B89cThK7w2FnT18jaet1lsmyTOoK4f7DvZtzcrwzJjJVpStf_ervWT6JESNybymh9tpNMc/s1972/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1972" data-original-width="1428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTt1w78EV63HtWuq9T_xYaRKD5HuaptdDHP60L8ElmNLTLulKkY-c33u_yxXjk-JyTJEacyGbixwE1rgwRX5S26JluQVKXG7BbJ6wkbTBiFHTrzavG1B89cThK7w2FnT18jaet1lsmyTOoK4f7DvZtzcrwzJjJVpStf_ervWT6JESNybymh9tpNMc/s320/blog2.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I've never seen elephants in an arena before! Too bad Doc has Raise Elephant prepared. And a Leap power (looks like II or better) that makes escaping from an arena super-easy. <div><br /></div><div>As unstoppable as Dr. Strange seems to be, you have to wonder why he doesn't stay at the arena and take out Kong then, and sneaks back in disguise later. Maybe because there's more pages to fill...?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHgW4cIdme1RiuxcKMm1KNUMCxX8FUq-43JMrQgfku8Opp99G9mz6FenS-KGXepKJZVoLANQ-QlJk3gPMWmnX3BLL_97SQ2FKplySAQVvEroCUqdvO2tYJ0MX0Tk5v1o39ZqvujXco3NLsEUG7Vp8yVDvp_1vBkRhaXzb5QqyyRWguP0YWKWOF-QU/s1984/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1984" data-original-width="1446" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHgW4cIdme1RiuxcKMm1KNUMCxX8FUq-43JMrQgfku8Opp99G9mz6FenS-KGXepKJZVoLANQ-QlJk3gPMWmnX3BLL_97SQ2FKplySAQVvEroCUqdvO2tYJ0MX0Tk5v1o39ZqvujXco3NLsEUG7Vp8yVDvp_1vBkRhaXzb5QqyyRWguP0YWKWOF-QU/w233-h320/blog3.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>"You're fighting for freedom, men! Don't waste your shots! Keep dropping like flies - even though I could have wrecked my way through that wall for you at any time!"<div><br /></div><div>Or could he? Dr. Strange has to be at least level 3, the bare minimum for wrecking stone walls, but he could also just be rolling poorly and failing to wreck the walls the whole fight so far. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjOLReEm_b5y6k76a3UCGsfFocolZhFMB6CE09kOWEQT_W8j5gn7H8nocLGmvmJqj-hEz7qYrj26aGF2u0pjNDXe8N5hTtINEzqkci645pRCYn6tvCSBTxXoLg25xmDLAbdMbrOycNbDA3xFotRH_Ll4_a81TG4cW_G9ycyZphQ0wIHuYdN2YWj9S/s2002/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjOLReEm_b5y6k76a3UCGsfFocolZhFMB6CE09kOWEQT_W8j5gn7H8nocLGmvmJqj-hEz7qYrj26aGF2u0pjNDXe8N5hTtINEzqkci645pRCYn6tvCSBTxXoLg25xmDLAbdMbrOycNbDA3xFotRH_Ll4_a81TG4cW_G9ycyZphQ0wIHuYdN2YWj9S/s320/blog4.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Or..maybe he really did not try wrecking through the wall until now. This <i>is</i> an early precedent for a trope of the superhero genre to come, that says superheroes try to stay neutral in the course of events until something occurs that ordinary people can't deal with on their own, like a deathray. Of course, not every superhero respects this trope - like Superman himself, who almost exclusively dealt with mundane crime despite being able to do so much more. <div><br /></div><div>Is this our first evidence that Doc is Neutral in Alignment? Hmm...</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, the deathray can only affect a single target at a time. So, even though it <i>is</i> killing them like a deathray, it is also, game mechanics-wise, perhaps no different than a Magic Missile spell (with cool flavor text). <br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznGiqBNHfM0MvhVDP8xy4KZ-YPdVNS0k4kdvfH4uEDt6HGIIVFZiU1hKJJlWdO0oDRj6MMmPrExyBbqiyNARW5pNB-cCRJqUw5yQ2uQsDGGBNQS1wvThDPMURJOn3rLuj0K2bP0pAkSsp4s8rnMucGdo2OeXzCabdG-rWlCW7Pm8xGaJdC-7mqhX0/s1988/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1988" data-original-width="1452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznGiqBNHfM0MvhVDP8xy4KZ-YPdVNS0k4kdvfH4uEDt6HGIIVFZiU1hKJJlWdO0oDRj6MMmPrExyBbqiyNARW5pNB-cCRJqUw5yQ2uQsDGGBNQS1wvThDPMURJOn3rLuj0K2bP0pAkSsp4s8rnMucGdo2OeXzCabdG-rWlCW7Pm8xGaJdC-7mqhX0/s320/blog5.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>And here we've got a line-up of standard cliches - the big cat (a panther, this time) in the cage, the damsel in distress...and somehow Doc gets to the panther before it gets to the damsel? Now, I've covered many times before in this blog that random initiative needs to trump common sense when it comes to who goes first in a comic book story, <i>but</i>, Doc is wrecking things in the same turn that the panther is first attacking. So, we can only assume, then, that the panther missed with every attack on Virginia, even though it didn't even need to roll very high (reminds me of <i>my</i> rolls when I'm playing!). </div><div><br /></div><div>So, we also get the cliches of a big cat being killed (SIGH), and the villain threatening to blow himself up to take out the Hero. I bet it doesn't work...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jcQJqzej00kPxFMSSvYLiABl-AB8p3WpIfg74d-bC_mKRrzQt56QoOl4fwMvXAezc7IFDlb_PUEwzUQJe_vaqPWwrvN8uudMoroSV38Rkwz2Qpnf8-kiawl7nN94kVR4KySCLIcavrYhbAE0VKG4ZMknoxrpw-EPkFNukSrXOZZvcE1hmwTkMCAh/s2023/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2023" data-original-width="1450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jcQJqzej00kPxFMSSvYLiABl-AB8p3WpIfg74d-bC_mKRrzQt56QoOl4fwMvXAezc7IFDlb_PUEwzUQJe_vaqPWwrvN8uudMoroSV38Rkwz2Qpnf8-kiawl7nN94kVR4KySCLIcavrYhbAE0VKG4ZMknoxrpw-EPkFNukSrXOZZvcE1hmwTkMCAh/s320/blog6.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Hmm...now, if <i>I </i>was running this scenario, I would have let Kong drop the potion as a free action; that is too easily done, and not a direct attack, for it to be trumped by initiative. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, why not use Kong's raygun to revive the men, instead of experimenting with Alosun in a totally untested way (though, I suppose, Doc could argue that they're already dead, what worse could happen to them?)?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5oSbED1etUef9H8Vp0eZ-k30Nf5lcKD0xplzWVb_pzU0nXJXfO48YCPIZ5RAKEHd9voVgJ2o2qShGBWcdkYRwIk1bQKXA_5ojjJXVSiz19yfSSkX3B4r3vLVsYqr5nFFIuLRc3HJMLaTaP9eT9eBw2xEbzPAszdiDHrQW1xGJjaVQ2UAbgGMgptJ/s1907/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1907" data-original-width="1376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5oSbED1etUef9H8Vp0eZ-k30Nf5lcKD0xplzWVb_pzU0nXJXfO48YCPIZ5RAKEHd9voVgJ2o2qShGBWcdkYRwIk1bQKXA_5ojjJXVSiz19yfSSkX3B4r3vLVsYqr5nFFIuLRc3HJMLaTaP9eT9eBw2xEbzPAszdiDHrQW1xGJjaVQ2UAbgGMgptJ/s320/blog7.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Here's a new character and an interesting twist on Tarzan and the Jungle Book. Instead of the infant being raised by animals, he's raised by yogis in India. They teach him potent spells like Rope Trick and ...Wall of Force, to stop mad dogs with? That seems a bit like overkill.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBSItElknvITr7THmRi8R2GluHTfTQMoK-ryU2KmLAlM0N9kPnc5UzPlS1k2P4mwcn3sXwNCN3oUdGd6hdoz2ZOfwOpC_4ipnObq7d519c8LhGYb4mw1Tfw_cws3gOvjePjxTAZIiRYSZvOWqFdwr4HfLFlDIJjcuJ9TLmVDUQPqrfNT6kICTmnBv/s1954/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1954" data-original-width="1388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBSItElknvITr7THmRi8R2GluHTfTQMoK-ryU2KmLAlM0N9kPnc5UzPlS1k2P4mwcn3sXwNCN3oUdGd6hdoz2ZOfwOpC_4ipnObq7d519c8LhGYb4mw1Tfw_cws3gOvjePjxTAZIiRYSZvOWqFdwr4HfLFlDIJjcuJ9TLmVDUQPqrfNT6kICTmnBv/s320/blog8.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>*SIGH* ...what I wouldn't give to read a magic-user story that doesn't throw around ridiculously overpowered spells all the time. Causing a submarine to rise into space ...well, that's got to be a Wish spell. So we've already given The Ghost 17 brevet ranks! Just to get him through a wandering encounter!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSUgJEX55c-F7hhD6RcujxBKUMue5hYwQGpfHGx09brFbUGPgE0cvjIj4219Oead0vFWzE_sw-eFc8kEXa2Dm-eCUNM1W6Gd2nS0HDJQN_DURHYlZJm1TkF7QTtsF7MwDOWkAIckdNwcRZD_4w42KokQnzpnGnT07baVthNnJraos0_1F65-0n4Mj/s1901/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1901" data-original-width="1384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSUgJEX55c-F7hhD6RcujxBKUMue5hYwQGpfHGx09brFbUGPgE0cvjIj4219Oead0vFWzE_sw-eFc8kEXa2Dm-eCUNM1W6Gd2nS0HDJQN_DURHYlZJm1TkF7QTtsF7MwDOWkAIckdNwcRZD_4w42KokQnzpnGnT07baVthNnJraos0_1F65-0n4Mj/s320/blog9.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>Here we get a dose of more insanely powerful magic being tossed about haphazardly -- a Telekinesis spell as powerful as the Raise Trolley Car power, and a Teleport Sandwich spell able to reach around the world. <div><br /></div><div>Chance's only interest in fighting crime is when the man who just hired him to entertain at parties was murdered. Had the man not been murdered, would Chance have been content to be a party magician instead?</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=29386" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /><div><br /> <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-80041514507192690262022-04-09T21:15:00.002-07:002022-05-05T17:34:10.984-07:00Thrilling Comics #3 - pt. 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pTtPBNgFmw_6YS8FieO2upLLjL_QP08WgGlwBjMsvaAoiF6gc1Xq6UAxH3NR4n7Rtp9oDiPryNyLbFaIzK4qljZi_AiZKMzbWFGvYOOjBdIayHmwpU4sROjsoUmd6V3v4tp4y6GHNm0O1ExRw1AeIdP-pcjdkiwbEfgRBTzMq04dqs0tO9DAmJYE/s1991/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="1458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pTtPBNgFmw_6YS8FieO2upLLjL_QP08WgGlwBjMsvaAoiF6gc1Xq6UAxH3NR4n7Rtp9oDiPryNyLbFaIzK4qljZi_AiZKMzbWFGvYOOjBdIayHmwpU4sROjsoUmd6V3v4tp4y6GHNm0O1ExRw1AeIdP-pcjdkiwbEfgRBTzMq04dqs0tO9DAmJYE/s320/blog1.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>It's no Multiverse of Madness, but on this Dr. Strange adventure we get a trip to the Orient. Or at least as far as Chinatown, so far. Is this page worth sharing? I thought it noteworthy for three things. One, "plans for canal fortifications" felt like such a welcome relief from the upteenth adventure to revolve around a stratoplane or a new type of torpedo. Two, there's the interesting distinction between Chinese and Manchurian. Although we think of Manchuria as part of China today, and it was pretty much assimilated by China long before 1940, throughout most of the 1930s Manchuria had been conquered and "liberated" by Japan. Three, most heroes' contacts in Chinatown are "respectable" businessmen who turn out to be criminals, but this story skips over all that and reveals this guy Fang as a gang leader from the start. This is better (and less racist), as it frees up the rest of Chinatown to be represented by <i>real</i> respectable businessmen. <br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLhiTdGj0_6kz-5iowoD35f-rt1eiN9HEAqrEGxjBGCrk6FM3nl-P7lwDd8wriIRawlJyE17e0LOOF1t33MFkGKY3P3KBcMyDuYbIgvBBI_tzL9_1v3j717KeqyOqkeX01e7R_gaaTyOSRuHyR3QacGTyByCcXPj2VAvAKelmLM7xOZEYlSG6VMrf/s1966/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1966" data-original-width="1425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLhiTdGj0_6kz-5iowoD35f-rt1eiN9HEAqrEGxjBGCrk6FM3nl-P7lwDd8wriIRawlJyE17e0LOOF1t33MFkGKY3P3KBcMyDuYbIgvBBI_tzL9_1v3j717KeqyOqkeX01e7R_gaaTyOSRuHyR3QacGTyByCcXPj2VAvAKelmLM7xOZEYlSG6VMrf/w232-h320/blog2.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>That's got to be pretty embarrassing, falling for the ol' go-in-first-while-I-lock-the-door-behind-you trick. Almost as embarrassing as the collection of racist cliches in panel 3! But even that may pale in comparison to how incredibly dorky Doc looks in panel 4, with his incredibly misshapen shoulder, Don King hairstyle, and his short pants that barely reach his socks. <br /><p>That is a lot of attackers coming at Doc, but he does have a tactical advantage of bottlenecking them on the same side of the railing. </p><p>More interesting to me is the last panel, with all the hideout dressing in the corner. There's a box, a pail, a coffer, a barrel, a chest, a...couch? A drip pan for oil changes? It's harder to tell with the smaller objects.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzQfkl6SXNK-JoGeKo94r_s2CjAzgaMQUs3BRL9L2ZHRAmVDl9S6DuNkPNKhMPPq-fIM9v4VhbvYgaMmt-XUXrLZDrbsCnpFV1sIb3aOMQ9TGau9JVJc2iHfWHQvje5BNrOcMdzOXIB5eV-EzRhmVPkit703cxxpoCh5WXjqgivb_cAYkn5RYXAUk/s1995/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="1475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzQfkl6SXNK-JoGeKo94r_s2CjAzgaMQUs3BRL9L2ZHRAmVDl9S6DuNkPNKhMPPq-fIM9v4VhbvYgaMmt-XUXrLZDrbsCnpFV1sIb3aOMQ9TGau9JVJc2iHfWHQvje5BNrOcMdzOXIB5eV-EzRhmVPkit703cxxpoCh5WXjqgivb_cAYkn5RYXAUk/w237-h320/blog3.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>Trap doors with slides to lower levels? How D&D-like! A room filled with coffins? Also D&D-like! We only differ when the action moves away from the hideout to a new locale -- though cargo ships can <i>also</i> be hideouts!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjzV9D9YxDEjtxQtBJk7diynKOfN_hq21sJWpCLIgds3QUFlF_TQIkqwdBh6VwzVwZqMfyFliQEjh2k1S4jZRX2c0IkXFgQM_X9o1Ki1DaQdCQnj3A61op_v1IMZ9w5r2ltufUcHkpuXPogDCBMlHhdVwNhz68SNd2RtddxsA83m3PNpnGKAjbBDg/s1800/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjzV9D9YxDEjtxQtBJk7diynKOfN_hq21sJWpCLIgds3QUFlF_TQIkqwdBh6VwzVwZqMfyFliQEjh2k1S4jZRX2c0IkXFgQM_X9o1Ki1DaQdCQnj3A61op_v1IMZ9w5r2ltufUcHkpuXPogDCBMlHhdVwNhz68SNd2RtddxsA83m3PNpnGKAjbBDg/s320/blog4.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>I'm pretty sure Doc just killed four men with his Raise Elephant power. <div><br /></div><div>He could have wrapped up the adventure right there by capturing the men on the ship and learning from them who they worked for, but instead he <b>inexplicably</b> leaves the scene to go talk to someone, so the ship can slip away in his absence, and then has to get lucky trying to find it again. He can't track over water, so this is just a question of a lucky wandering encounter, and/or the Editor just being nice. </div><div><br /></div><div>Doc is pretty rich, owning a yacht and a plane already. We've talked many times about brevet ranks for this game. Do we need to start talking about ...brevet starting money?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarHPxjDvroRs-TgxIwReLMBM4ceqST5h13ey4VSpGGVCWo_CPPWORql_u-zojvex8DdYruTPUTQe8XUGKdPz5O-6hPjDEvmHy7xNKsYS9w1a0LiQ-SiH1VpfSVpPqUhljAohqud1YMMx3ZGHRFLACOsGD5vG11_Dyz1BAn3PvvrYns9vdXkAGkcyH/s1979/blog4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1979" data-original-width="1436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarHPxjDvroRs-TgxIwReLMBM4ceqST5h13ey4VSpGGVCWo_CPPWORql_u-zojvex8DdYruTPUTQe8XUGKdPz5O-6hPjDEvmHy7xNKsYS9w1a0LiQ-SiH1VpfSVpPqUhljAohqud1YMMx3ZGHRFLACOsGD5vG11_Dyz1BAn3PvvrYns9vdXkAGkcyH/w232-h320/blog4.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>Doc is lucky that plane isn't a rental!<div><br /></div><div>There isn't any mechanic that would determine if your foot catches in something, so that's simply Editor's Fiat.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Kicking a plane out of the water...hmm. I'm tempted to say that's Extend Missile Range with several Roman numerals after it...but since it isn't used for combat, this could just be flavor text. </div><div><br /></div><div>More important is the following panel. How far <i>can</i> a superhero swim? Non-superhumans have swam over 100 miles without stopping, so the fact that Doc swam 30 isn't that impressive. Maybe it's the speed that he swam it? But that could be measured easily with a Race the- power. Anyway, back to my original question...I'm going to say that <b>H&H</b> Heroes can swim 1-6 miles per point of Constitution they have.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hoo-hum, the old cliche of the warship disguised as a tramp! </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCDGx4DrqRZmxUSyITMInpQxl6vdLyS75zWmlhybrdjWyCeV2c1U5WrMJ1-9LVo-HGTbSLszR6HnRe1ltkKAzG_-JWHs3XzbeP61vhDFSnrlr5jklz1URU_vwllFQmq8jYgMb3PzHOlbr2uiDPVoaDSjIfiAKuXtR0Ws7rmtXYNKJAAnwac2a-j6n/s1965/blog6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1965" data-original-width="1442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCDGx4DrqRZmxUSyITMInpQxl6vdLyS75zWmlhybrdjWyCeV2c1U5WrMJ1-9LVo-HGTbSLszR6HnRe1ltkKAzG_-JWHs3XzbeP61vhDFSnrlr5jklz1URU_vwllFQmq8jYgMb3PzHOlbr2uiDPVoaDSjIfiAKuXtR0Ws7rmtXYNKJAAnwac2a-j6n/s320/blog6.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>Shielding himself from fire is easy, that's just the power Fire Resistance at work. But shielding or blocking someone else with his own body...that requires a different mechanic, one that is universal in application and not specific to a certain power -- since there are many circumstances in a <b>H&H</b> game when the Heroes might need to shield people.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am reminded of a recent time I ran Monsters!Monsters!, the Tunnels & Trolls variant where you play the monsters. In it, the <i>only</i> game mechanic outside of combat was saving throws. Need to hide? Make a saving throw! Trying to duck behind cover? Make a saving throw! Shield someone with your body? Oh! Hmm...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLxexOFcX-t1_CMzPPmH95fLmhnQLeJ3TJwGPihQzXEMmhV3LhkuspvtvsEj9I-xOSSg0fT8MZoPhTUvqqRVU3_1AcCOdi_w_1G37HSISXVK35fJtCy-3l-Ml66jfMBq1J2JMZUxVlp0QkkdmcP5oWjFVLxCzhfql2mpg4uXAV2TW338VkZ4bBuZO/s1965/blog7.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1965" data-original-width="1434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLxexOFcX-t1_CMzPPmH95fLmhnQLeJ3TJwGPihQzXEMmhV3LhkuspvtvsEj9I-xOSSg0fT8MZoPhTUvqqRVU3_1AcCOdi_w_1G37HSISXVK35fJtCy-3l-Ml66jfMBq1J2JMZUxVlp0QkkdmcP5oWjFVLxCzhfql2mpg4uXAV2TW338VkZ4bBuZO/w234-h320/blog7.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>There's some insidious history alteration going on here I should point out. Kachukuo isn't a real place, but it looks like it's based on Manchukuo. Yes, Manchukuo had a ruthless dictator, but that dictator was Japanese, not Manchurian, and he was Hirohito -- Manchukuo was a puppet state created in Manchuria by their Japanese "liberator"/conquerors, as I alluded to at the beginning of this post. Suggesting that the Manchurians themselves were the bad guys suggests Japanese sympathies which surely evaporated in December 1941.</div><div> </div><div>Besides that, there's a rare (at this point) example of a superhero punching a villain upwards into the air. The <b>H&H</b> mechanics deal with converting damage into feet pushed at a 1:1' ratio, but if that should be modified to account for gravity, I haven't done so yet - nor will likely do, honestly; sometimes realism just robs us of chances to have fun. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>The old man being attacked feels like a wandering encounter, while the twist of the "main bad guy" being so civil is refreshing, even if he's just being civil in a Bond villain-way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLs9B-cCmYaP0CkWSnk4gjUETTp9qIxLhaIpb-7RsQaFTe8danRYZprTCPwZ-SDZLjq8QO-IYiD7J64FebGNZOZSSDwyxzeQcCHS7SzQuIsz3TJz9m5hj7TYxx5pYuHg5_N_ljS3kukJ-Ko0oFZcJgd9b9nYDJPSEA2rj8WmKYNGbAVjtd6N6Idun/s1956/blog7.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1956" data-original-width="1449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLs9B-cCmYaP0CkWSnk4gjUETTp9qIxLhaIpb-7RsQaFTe8danRYZprTCPwZ-SDZLjq8QO-IYiD7J64FebGNZOZSSDwyxzeQcCHS7SzQuIsz3TJz9m5hj7TYxx5pYuHg5_N_ljS3kukJ-Ko0oFZcJgd9b9nYDJPSEA2rj8WmKYNGbAVjtd6N6Idun/s320/blog7.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>Doing random good deeds have a way of coming back to help Heroes later, like how the old man knows a secret entrance. It would have been nice to see how the secret door operated! We do get some nice hideout dressing, with the carved pillars, and the closing walls trap is a classic. </div><div> </div><div>I think it's interesting how there's guards stationed at the secret entrance. I guess Kong doesn't like to take any chances? Or perhaps they too were just wandering encounters, heading back to their guard station.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhrB4EQQUCHvXK0XN9h7S2WunrzhGNaq8Izcozt1iagih_zSf6gL53WAABfMCcZ-QdO6UWQVjhmkn7a8lOe92PwrmRTYyPmw8dtCD3pUji-wwywm3-uddVqwASdpYYu0FFqiJNQIIbk4_b8SyCfd3yj4H0juCgWG_K_b8H3xFsOv_CpEGOP_PAz8/s1970/blog9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1970" data-original-width="1463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhrB4EQQUCHvXK0XN9h7S2WunrzhGNaq8Izcozt1iagih_zSf6gL53WAABfMCcZ-QdO6UWQVjhmkn7a8lOe92PwrmRTYyPmw8dtCD3pUji-wwywm3-uddVqwASdpYYu0FFqiJNQIIbk4_b8SyCfd3yj4H0juCgWG_K_b8H3xFsOv_CpEGOP_PAz8/s320/blog9.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>It's interesting that Kong is so sure this cage will work when he knows Doc just busted through a stone wall. I wonder what the bars are made out of/what they were treated with? </div><div><br /></div><div>I also like the prismatic raygun, each color having a different power. This one is quite powerful - not for the charm ray, but the raise dead ray.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=30826" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /> <br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-44944493975389676252022-03-28T16:36:00.002-07:002022-03-28T16:36:12.868-07:00Rocket Comics #2 - pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ngd2J1B3qPsKfTrr47lTIJvfe495E5EuUh7Bu1fIXxTYmuRF53PlJ0RsNsba5WKnHnK-hv8AZrOGq2s-8eZlXoV3jaCfkgUNdJ7t4VBdvQ6JBR3Rt1uZcv1N9-QI-kc4IiCIYJDeWdysn-NCcWZ-s5_c4AbhSPeroxZjQBWy0N4bM17K6H5JBvfk/s1346/blog1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ngd2J1B3qPsKfTrr47lTIJvfe495E5EuUh7Bu1fIXxTYmuRF53PlJ0RsNsba5WKnHnK-hv8AZrOGq2s-8eZlXoV3jaCfkgUNdJ7t4VBdvQ6JBR3Rt1uZcv1N9-QI-kc4IiCIYJDeWdysn-NCcWZ-s5_c4AbhSPeroxZjQBWy0N4bM17K6H5JBvfk/s320/blog1.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>I probably shouldn't be as impressed as I am with the adventures of Buzzard Barnes, and maybe I'm reading too much into things here, but as Barnes and Andy argue over who has the most kills, it reminds me of Legolas and Gimli. In addition, we get to see some of the things you can do during aerial combat, including setting each other's planes on fire, and shooting copilots.<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrglyZS5WYVS7SXxNJ0DefAKRnNbCzEvAQ_DNY3F5yunFgRghjF0SA01IlqMSCyQ8eIvKfq08H7e7jRvyADNBEEOK_EMKko2GqpfV0fvNtlc6iU3jbEdYyjpixiZRATJP8EB0Yj49lbvj6Jly6c0-uPq37jQJdN2mySGZgL3f0ZziPl6XVx0ycAWB/s1360/blog2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrglyZS5WYVS7SXxNJ0DefAKRnNbCzEvAQ_DNY3F5yunFgRghjF0SA01IlqMSCyQ8eIvKfq08H7e7jRvyADNBEEOK_EMKko2GqpfV0fvNtlc6iU3jbEdYyjpixiZRATJP8EB0Yj49lbvj6Jly6c0-uPq37jQJdN2mySGZgL3f0ZziPl6XVx0ycAWB/s320/blog2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>Now this also intrigues me, probably being the first instance of a record being played backwards in a comic book.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73ScLBcE85HdsVcFnzyvIq_thIhfmVId3Ug1kfUmec7IuYaWmUH6GUbbwuelzGtkDczz6zr6pezKVe-GPAaY1lV7Ac3_XFqFodEVtZg79zLCqFPosYXOUTWhnyLHspct22qXWOV7uXZY1K_mvrLlmzHMU4a2OZtEDSYEVQ4-axiGvaoRSDc9LyLrm/s1367/blog3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73ScLBcE85HdsVcFnzyvIq_thIhfmVId3Ug1kfUmec7IuYaWmUH6GUbbwuelzGtkDczz6zr6pezKVe-GPAaY1lV7Ac3_XFqFodEVtZg79zLCqFPosYXOUTWhnyLHspct22qXWOV7uXZY1K_mvrLlmzHMU4a2OZtEDSYEVQ4-axiGvaoRSDc9LyLrm/s320/blog3.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>I could tell Jack Cole's <i>The Defender</i> is a blatant ripoff of the pulp novel hero, The Avenger, but an even more knowledgeable fan on Comic Book Plus tells us that this story specifically plagiarizes the third Avenger pulp novel, "The Sky Walker." <div><br /></div><div>Pittsburgh is an unusual setting for a comic book story and might actually be its first appearance in one. </div><div><br /></div><div>Drinking carbolic acid is more of a save or die situation rather than doing points of damage - though I could see it still doing damage even if the saving throw vs. poison is made.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWupjFjNcF5TlsE2mkkp0pghilSCr-lz7-vIA4Y-KYI68MiQVnHE4BfYU0CspHsv0cdi1RvwnhvridAGvo1pKPzYIDoLWMET5hY_BXJK0yKhiPE2cb0TLNBHFRpvmos-6iO6wL1eaiNAf5CMpUDKGQf_lkD2uQMHLCuYf-s7Z_7Ww0op1uBlTwyjVy/s1340/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWupjFjNcF5TlsE2mkkp0pghilSCr-lz7-vIA4Y-KYI68MiQVnHE4BfYU0CspHsv0cdi1RvwnhvridAGvo1pKPzYIDoLWMET5hY_BXJK0yKhiPE2cb0TLNBHFRpvmos-6iO6wL1eaiNAf5CMpUDKGQf_lkD2uQMHLCuYf-s7Z_7Ww0op1uBlTwyjVy/s320/blog4.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>The first invisible plane in comics? I'm not sure about that...might have to go back through the blog to check.<div><br /></div><div>It seems like the Defender is kinda' reaching here...wouldn't it be more likely that Peerless Steel just makes inferior product, than the conspiracy theory that Supex Steel is using a stolen ray from an invisible plane to damage any steel that's not theirs? Well, this <i>is</i> comic books, so...<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpRyhbCE558js6ktOkYDOcLc7qgNVZt4Y0e0E1oupylZILiIf-UR9T9HWcnJmA9C1Nq-iSkZ6m7GBAN5nSQXk7Z7z-YFn2BmhDeQWmhawfFhuE4m6SdFTcrvPkjOMBnC5MtrPGrkM3X7LhPG1OgvUxmOhc9GKETTOYpd6qPKSloxCk7jBLDbV0Y3n/s1375/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpRyhbCE558js6ktOkYDOcLc7qgNVZt4Y0e0E1oupylZILiIf-UR9T9HWcnJmA9C1Nq-iSkZ6m7GBAN5nSQXk7Z7z-YFn2BmhDeQWmhawfFhuE4m6SdFTcrvPkjOMBnC5MtrPGrkM3X7LhPG1OgvUxmOhc9GKETTOYpd6qPKSloxCk7jBLDbV0Y3n/s320/blog5.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>Here's another mad science invention for your <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> campaigns: a sound detector that can follow specific vibrations over a distance of miles, hours later (as unlikely as that seems). </div><div><br /></div><div>You'd think inventing a bulletproof airplane might have been a better use of his time...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jKkgKQSJZI7A12-5Z_yI97w9bpRIluuSg9_HCqOem2fQ2AtqHLBncANxwEw0UGTeJ6G4uHi3f4sJBR2AuqxVYAR23OjmPhTgj3rR-I49vQ09rmLgjBqm3dX8Qh70PhjlrUNPlp01hvDNi-m0b0WZ7YPyZoSRc_YJ4dvsoGlEw66EO_BOpPXjWsZy/s1337/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jKkgKQSJZI7A12-5Z_yI97w9bpRIluuSg9_HCqOem2fQ2AtqHLBncANxwEw0UGTeJ6G4uHi3f4sJBR2AuqxVYAR23OjmPhTgj3rR-I49vQ09rmLgjBqm3dX8Qh70PhjlrUNPlp01hvDNi-m0b0WZ7YPyZoSRc_YJ4dvsoGlEw66EO_BOpPXjWsZy/s320/blog6.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><p>I get why it was done this way, for story, so it would look like the villains were getting away, but I hope not too many <b>H&H</b> players will plant time bombs in enemy planes, rather than capturing the villains and turning them over to the police with evidence. Although, on second thought, this strategy keeps me from having to give out trophy planes to my players...</p><p>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69318" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.) <br /></p><p> <br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-75156412731689427292022-03-26T22:09:00.005-07:002022-03-26T22:09:50.368-07:00Rocket Comics #2 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO8pBSze36mbe5xOhE0vSjLZhwQH9hOJiWay2XbnfDpDNcgUKxmKLn8ELeXVZhgwBHuXF_6zToUVfiwzNPrAI3QZLX04_veK-RauoA7ykMmuXsAPSpoXPd6hjZ6710fPImCSUFnDAqudT6CGqHkyMB_xWgSA3pmtCnu7U-P2GR9mbDl1lk66O5IMrE=s1353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO8pBSze36mbe5xOhE0vSjLZhwQH9hOJiWay2XbnfDpDNcgUKxmKLn8ELeXVZhgwBHuXF_6zToUVfiwzNPrAI3QZLX04_veK-RauoA7ykMmuXsAPSpoXPd6hjZ6710fPImCSUFnDAqudT6CGqHkyMB_xWgSA3pmtCnu7U-P2GR9mbDl1lk66O5IMrE=w231-h320" width="231" /></a></div>We're still reading <i>Steel Shark</i>. It's a curious feature; I can't tell from this story if this is supposed to be some time in the future or if it's a more hi-tech version of 1940, so I had to go back and read the first issue's story and this is actually meant to be 1960. The widespread use of television is pretty accurate. But Flux-Ray guns that melt ships in minutes? That's a wrecking ray that didn't exist in 1960. <br /><p></p><p>Wrecking is so often instantaneous in the comics that it's interesting to read about a ray that takes over 1 exploration turn to wreck. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgofQRUq7zJBJ9utXGu4lTO3K73l05h8W3mtS7PWWYTecYZOPNixoLxgZhly_ir_EupoXhccsjbrOlTlLACdJPaZgQ-Wud211thZmW6XKujzxqos4HbLrMyY47F21NbxKuuUI4QzxI38HclsL1T6LTEqedwwWqKJ4SSPSoK3LsE6as4IKLF7HRrXaAZ=s1349" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgofQRUq7zJBJ9utXGu4lTO3K73l05h8W3mtS7PWWYTecYZOPNixoLxgZhly_ir_EupoXhccsjbrOlTlLACdJPaZgQ-Wud211thZmW6XKujzxqos4HbLrMyY47F21NbxKuuUI4QzxI38HclsL1T6LTEqedwwWqKJ4SSPSoK3LsE6as4IKLF7HRrXaAZ=w231-h320" width="231" /></a></div>"Gyro-pilot control" must mean autopilot, which is odd because autopilot had already been a thing since 1914.<div><br /></div><div>Batteries seem to work different in this 1960; I can't guess how a lurch would foul the batteries. Batteries only "foul" like that when they've been overcharged, and even then the risk is more about an explosion than suffocation, because not <i>that</i> much hydrogen should be leaking. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGmMVSo8qfHq4BTx4VBxbgXU7xEXahr3HHnSjbgP5l1dEWhQ5ThApyjqEppMLMRuyY_vR-UtGQ2NuX6taGDI1V6tXge1SzUCs1vpnO26doC8xTm14AE7rRNAaNl_hCOd7cGuJOnI09ZgZ7HxzeIUFiVlMwT_9HqxADEKPhKfHyxmFn_4-yiPFPFWgK=s1341" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGmMVSo8qfHq4BTx4VBxbgXU7xEXahr3HHnSjbgP5l1dEWhQ5ThApyjqEppMLMRuyY_vR-UtGQ2NuX6taGDI1V6tXge1SzUCs1vpnO26doC8xTm14AE7rRNAaNl_hCOd7cGuJOnI09ZgZ7HxzeIUFiVlMwT_9HqxADEKPhKfHyxmFn_4-yiPFPFWgK=w233-h320" width="233" /></a></div>We know we're not in the kids adventure genre when Tommy is sent below deck. If this was Dickie Dare, that boy would be all up in the action! <div><br /></div><div>"Aqua-vapo"? You're trying awfully hard to sound scientific when you have to come up with a new word for water vapor. Water vapor - also known as fog -- doesn't seem like it would make for concealment as well as smoke would. I might treat fog as light cover. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnduQc8eeEPiay2TxpxYxw8n0C2Ctjs-AT4tbYwjDJroUcTIZsWe6vK9ZQcCqROzu51Szxpzgm7FmP_WAD0fm2x4HAe1UaYTcSHsEN_a3oJo8gPqBJIldQlAHPF3CytVrArmIaOTvaCam95TYtsDsOo7saKmMtUUSz-Q9DQpUSF9hR4orypDIlO5jW/s1347/blog4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnduQc8eeEPiay2TxpxYxw8n0C2Ctjs-AT4tbYwjDJroUcTIZsWe6vK9ZQcCqROzu51Szxpzgm7FmP_WAD0fm2x4HAe1UaYTcSHsEN_a3oJo8gPqBJIldQlAHPF3CytVrArmIaOTvaCam95TYtsDsOo7saKmMtUUSz-Q9DQpUSF9hR4orypDIlO5jW/w232-h320/blog4.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>There are some puzzling aspects of this page and the next.<div><br /></div><div>1. What is the area of effect of a depth charge? How much in danger was Jones' sub? </div><div><br /><div>2. Again, we are told the subs are very close together, so close that the Flux-ray-guns backfire and jolt Steel Shark just for holding the controls. How do they feedback only to the controls and not the whole sub? And why would flux rays bounce back? I suppose we need to understand what flux rays are first, and I doubt we're ever going to get that information.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLXeq89mEAzeWD7okKFDfgRJqdZQM8dTJRo_QYzhKpAMoEKw7DkGmMsB_2WOq41PO-DiKy-r_wvnnkxKWehFefVeDkeHqdjTlPocHTcMTQFMztoY0X11WUsqcbHhd03eYVAQUmp5P2EF1a-rYlvauE1riRxcJ1V0zJEsdrg3NblZKfWzWEMwIEVsM/s1340/blog5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLXeq89mEAzeWD7okKFDfgRJqdZQM8dTJRo_QYzhKpAMoEKw7DkGmMsB_2WOq41PO-DiKy-r_wvnnkxKWehFefVeDkeHqdjTlPocHTcMTQFMztoY0X11WUsqcbHhd03eYVAQUmp5P2EF1a-rYlvauE1riRxcJ1V0zJEsdrg3NblZKfWzWEMwIEVsM/s320/blog5.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>Again, the science here is pretty sketchy, but we really can't say for sure that dry ice <i>wouldn't</i> counter a flux ray, since we still don't know what a flux ray is. </div><div><br /></div><div>More interesting is the fact that Steel Shark is able to observe Jones telling his crew how to counter the flux ray. Did Jones forget to turn off their closed circuit television connection? It reminds me of the beginning of this sketch, which I just happened to watch earlier today - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_Fw5oDMao">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_Fw5oDMao</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps the most interesting thing about this story is the last page, which says "Harry 'A' Chesler Syndicate" at the bottom, proving this comic was produced by the Chesler Shop for Hillman (really, from its pedestrian-ness alone I would have suspected that from this title). Since there's nothing else on that page worth seeing, you're just gonna' have to take my word on this.... </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1LpfPGWy70BuYr8HBKCgR46cd_23C90s0anihSDsOUMPf3IfTGEbOMZtY3RFMbr-Q2QygBpLYLJDEwZzmZ87ACElo2XVByVCltTqnX6aJhvv_n66AFEHxY65McBpeSHrjLYo7ELa-NdeXqTpxez6WoR1cSrnFuAb-DmDxxpRTrvjj_d4B0I8Tnoj/s1365/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1LpfPGWy70BuYr8HBKCgR46cd_23C90s0anihSDsOUMPf3IfTGEbOMZtY3RFMbr-Q2QygBpLYLJDEwZzmZ87ACElo2XVByVCltTqnX6aJhvv_n66AFEHxY65McBpeSHrjLYo7ELa-NdeXqTpxez6WoR1cSrnFuAb-DmDxxpRTrvjj_d4B0I8Tnoj/s320/blog6.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>We're going to jump into the next story now, which is <i>Buzzard Barnes</i>. There's little to see here, including the amount of cover necessary to hide behind for a successful hiding skill check. <div><br /></div><div>Past that...it's looking like this was a false lead. If Maynard was really up to something suspicious, he probably wouldn't get drunk right away, and he would try to flee rather than pick a fight. Let's see if I'm right...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit34p2Bm2tK5PcsGhE2_OhSnNxxCSOy4speOBbt1JZ1TSUNH0BD7-YMPi7C1X3pecqk5_LO5JbFWUxBDGv4AUo7vi5Jn8bx_W8RbfwhGxFYsavSuwssHtBuT7MJx4n1N4gCFSKSN02L8UHbpYjrzA7xQcig87dN5fEI4TgsFFyCfnZfN_jtbHmoSZ5/s1342/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit34p2Bm2tK5PcsGhE2_OhSnNxxCSOy4speOBbt1JZ1TSUNH0BD7-YMPi7C1X3pecqk5_LO5JbFWUxBDGv4AUo7vi5Jn8bx_W8RbfwhGxFYsavSuwssHtBuT7MJx4n1N4gCFSKSN02L8UHbpYjrzA7xQcig87dN5fEI4TgsFFyCfnZfN_jtbHmoSZ5/s320/blog7.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>Nope, I was wrong! So what was the point of the drunkenness? Was he feigning drunkenness to appear innocent, or is he just an alcoholic spy? Or is he a drunken hoodlum? That would be interesting - we haven't see one of those on the blog in a long time! <div><br /></div><div>You know, I'm also thinking how easy this scenario was: figure out who the spy is, from a list of one suspect.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3_h-WpSFdE1PViZNRFPrYymCFGhYEDOHbW26JSAyx3PtFRsF-L5rZgBp9zLAVvIVb8F01bN7MwuYtWH-5QZG-iewQ_2KCGL6ieGRc10eHCvvP0bcT5l0w6MaxwCqQMT_nDLWETAvuu7Y7SffsCM7PCDw63KB84XLpeYPYZRvwa8Dipv3RQ902vD2/s1355/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3_h-WpSFdE1PViZNRFPrYymCFGhYEDOHbW26JSAyx3PtFRsF-L5rZgBp9zLAVvIVb8F01bN7MwuYtWH-5QZG-iewQ_2KCGL6ieGRc10eHCvvP0bcT5l0w6MaxwCqQMT_nDLWETAvuu7Y7SffsCM7PCDw63KB84XLpeYPYZRvwa8Dipv3RQ902vD2/s320/blog8.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>We've seen prisoners hurt themselves before in order to wreck bonds. Now, every hero has a chance of being able to just flex their muscles and break bonds -- but not much of a chance unless a superhero. If I haven't made this ruling before, I would consider allowing a +1 bonus for every point of damage you inflicted on yourself in the process.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, how did Andy just happen to stumble across Barnes, <i>inside</i> the enemy hideout? Barnes should immediately be suspicious that Andy is also working with the bad guys.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRyIouECPAr2ptmEeClHOe5urk0LPZJ_i6qwU6UkfdYh0cVjUNEGdWahXVCd-Z7ZarUUXB9k5aKF-rdPNWCkfZMzyZ8Ic1anQIp10roiIccXBEg_RZ0z8p2zKkk4AjOmLDl2azi0Zj2wxszbj8H8_LZC3i4SPcwIMKn0cqCYyhSCi0SwrhQllOFgl/s1355/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRyIouECPAr2ptmEeClHOe5urk0LPZJ_i6qwU6UkfdYh0cVjUNEGdWahXVCd-Z7ZarUUXB9k5aKF-rdPNWCkfZMzyZ8Ic1anQIp10roiIccXBEg_RZ0z8p2zKkk4AjOmLDl2azi0Zj2wxszbj8H8_LZC3i4SPcwIMKn0cqCYyhSCi0SwrhQllOFgl/s320/blog9.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Nope, Barnes still isn't suspicious! I think we're going to have to chalk this one up as a plot hole.<div><br /></div><div>A supercharged pursuit plane sounds like a trophy item. I would say that it moves at normal speed (whatever that is for that type of plane) except when in pursuit mode (in a chase scene), and then it is always x amount of Movement rate faster. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69318" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.) <br /><div><br /> <br /><div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-68254532057456750672022-03-15T08:39:00.003-07:002022-03-15T08:39:40.407-07:00Rocket Comics #2 - pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb2zni8F_MoLcczyEVYOX_JWFoNqXkS2j65Vwd_KJbB833YzCG30iHmtJu6o-7WHiDTMcUVU2XjCJdm_iUWrAAWMkkEEL_Z2MOIdlzIRDFENWWqmVBywjz5vp_WoeDz_lcgL5klr1mIsq51o3mzHkGOCDqN3R5oBN3qMmtPNlitxV7TiBW4zh2y5pU=s1381" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb2zni8F_MoLcczyEVYOX_JWFoNqXkS2j65Vwd_KJbB833YzCG30iHmtJu6o-7WHiDTMcUVU2XjCJdm_iUWrAAWMkkEEL_Z2MOIdlzIRDFENWWqmVBywjz5vp_WoeDz_lcgL5klr1mIsq51o3mzHkGOCDqN3R5oBN3qMmtPNlitxV7TiBW4zh2y5pU=s320" width="226" /></a></div>We're still on the Phantom Ranger and so are all the bad guys. We have a Lion King-like deathtrap here, where the hero is put in the path of a stampede. Will Demon reach him in time and get him out?<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAxbW6udBJcznS_rQZgqm3upXEVHPW9W1GA0BKmEHm_tNsosT7e220WYBglx9AG8v8960D9TLVdm8rP4Us3hX3Pli2ixLi3ajH2tjCVM4M-JcnhGiz4ZFG2N_BRbXcsrBu74qrtv0S2XLxqgKyXkfUGZPLqSICPCf13ADghwTYtx6AO91QMIPVW2vJ=s1341" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAxbW6udBJcznS_rQZgqm3upXEVHPW9W1GA0BKmEHm_tNsosT7e220WYBglx9AG8v8960D9TLVdm8rP4Us3hX3Pli2ixLi3ajH2tjCVM4M-JcnhGiz4ZFG2N_BRbXcsrBu74qrtv0S2XLxqgKyXkfUGZPLqSICPCf13ADghwTYtx6AO91QMIPVW2vJ=s320" width="233" /></a></div>What a shock, he made it! There's an interesting thing about panel 2, where dragging him across the ground loosened the ropes. Did he take damage, and the damage wrecked the ropes? How much damage should it take to wreck something? I can't imagine being dragged doing more than 3 points of damage, so 3 points of damage = chance of wrecking at the doors category?<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwK18liSN73Eu6sS9FE3Wr83cbmYbe9f7ceEjni-Mwt4qmlyKbQAW9yYpjlE8q9wPnWCkVtFgeJrpjbhskxu8HVSZ5ZVaXCJk9O9cu23B8Ttrne7EEBKAXn47BNFRBaGRH3lCHcUsfDUdutz8UwxJWlBVpuRCxJdfDKvvYsnD2ucQMGUZvKGc6etk6=s1356" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwK18liSN73Eu6sS9FE3Wr83cbmYbe9f7ceEjni-Mwt4qmlyKbQAW9yYpjlE8q9wPnWCkVtFgeJrpjbhskxu8HVSZ5ZVaXCJk9O9cu23B8Ttrne7EEBKAXn47BNFRBaGRH3lCHcUsfDUdutz8UwxJWlBVpuRCxJdfDKvvYsnD2ucQMGUZvKGc6etk6=s320" width="230" /></a></div><p>Now we're jumping into <i>Red Roberts, the Electro Man</i>, where a random traffic accident leads to a startling discovery. But, in between, Red uses what <i>appears</i> to be the spell Poof! to emerge from his car, and takes down the two sailors with what appear to be four Magic Missiles. It is unclear, from both this page and the next, if Red's electricity rendered them unconscious or killed them, or if Red even cared either way. </p><p>Anyway, it's interesting to think of a hi-tech superhero being statted as a magic-user, but I think it fits because so many of the standard superhero tropes are missing, as well as his abilities being better statted with known spells than powers. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUjLvBw997-oQO7EmEnL5g2upsIi0PL3GsSGveWNIdPbHyViLdRWLplalDiIHclkPfXylA2dYVn5MkeGiYxwPC_txyu1Ui35eHHttt_iRaDwEvX0rjJUccitQQ8NCEBcNEOdIXUvMSufmLQeQtSmvd9GWUh3RG6y3RJQtwtHt1fPdszytUQ0MY_BDL=s1350" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUjLvBw997-oQO7EmEnL5g2upsIi0PL3GsSGveWNIdPbHyViLdRWLplalDiIHclkPfXylA2dYVn5MkeGiYxwPC_txyu1Ui35eHHttt_iRaDwEvX0rjJUccitQQ8NCEBcNEOdIXUvMSufmLQeQtSmvd9GWUh3RG6y3RJQtwtHt1fPdszytUQ0MY_BDL=s320" width="231" /></a></div><p>Now this one is curious. Red appears to be using Teleport through Focus, the power that heroes like the Flame use to move quickly. For the Flame, it's to anywhere there's fire, where as here it's to anywhere there's electricity (which is basically everywhere). </p><p>But there seems to be something else going on here too. There is no reason for Red to have intentionally chosen this particular room in this particular building; he just seems to show up at random right where a plot hook character is waiting for him. </p><p>So, if you're not actively trying to get to a Point B, but just <i>anywhere</i> from Point A, should that even count as a use of your power, or is that just flavor text? Because if he just kept randomly walking in any direction, eventually he could have wound up somewhere else the Editor could have placed this encounter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpQn_0XO5AyK1c3ikD5SUVH-qMI8apqx-oPF9EAyynIJytdRb5yr2jObzyRVDFWKSxon4iM3sy-PDrRtKYcUy9HR6Wi90P62pIs3qmXOlDcyhpzN5H6vmsVYpIgUtPNBm8RwjsOPT6tavZa87YN32y9gh1BHJCxrAvrSV49HKDltMUOzhOW-USwujs=s1357" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpQn_0XO5AyK1c3ikD5SUVH-qMI8apqx-oPF9EAyynIJytdRb5yr2jObzyRVDFWKSxon4iM3sy-PDrRtKYcUy9HR6Wi90P62pIs3qmXOlDcyhpzN5H6vmsVYpIgUtPNBm8RwjsOPT6tavZa87YN32y9gh1BHJCxrAvrSV49HKDltMUOzhOW-USwujs=s320" width="230" /></a></div><p>I'm going to take this first panel as more evidence of Magic Missile spells being cast. Normally it is dangerous to cast missiles into a melee situation, but if he is using the auto-hit method of the MM spell, he doesn't have to worry about hitting this girl. </p><p>Wrecking the guns seems like a superhero mechanic again, but I've already included a wrecking spell into the game for situations just like this, when a character who otherwise appears to be a magic-user is able to wreck things.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0HWreVSh5xZ3UjhJ14umNlFvhsnOCI8luJg4u5TTz7LrS6v-Pyw8Q1m1v4aCepwze8D_FcEwYqXqTKtpUAeIX4ZZvgm_41SJ_ZE3NH3amH_Xo7F5JyIMIvzewp3IR5j0lXgGx9o9tC0cBKRsKm72eoFbJ8tSegJy98syXyG9ONVDVMFP7mngfm7fN=s1367" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0HWreVSh5xZ3UjhJ14umNlFvhsnOCI8luJg4u5TTz7LrS6v-Pyw8Q1m1v4aCepwze8D_FcEwYqXqTKtpUAeIX4ZZvgm_41SJ_ZE3NH3amH_Xo7F5JyIMIvzewp3IR5j0lXgGx9o9tC0cBKRsKm72eoFbJ8tSegJy98syXyG9ONVDVMFP7mngfm7fN=s320" width="228" /></a></div><p>I like it when bad guys have names that make it obvious they are bad guys. This guy in the brown suit is Stumpy Jake, which isn't particularly nefarious-sounding, but his colleagues that you don't see pictured here are Blackie Skull and Bones Wilson. This naming convention also extends to boats, so if you ever come across the S.S. Ghost, you just know it's going to have bad guys on it. </p><p>I'm not sure, but I think we once read a story with opium stuffed in fish before. I can't verify this, but it's likely from a pulp fiction story that both comic book authors stole from.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ_dy3QPQCoZTNWEY5XYntvJgAHZlfUkbJ0AnG2b7tO68jzD_Yddfia1C8LjWFwEV5DBnS9Cm5NLfyEjmEEZUaVDF3MiswyyONv7Qyx-h3jrTY-VCHsw-Kt1tAG1Ac8U_AUnS8mOOlidzD7XSrshHg_notoI_3kyVjfHN92WImqSX_psXjpf0pEpkD=s1350" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ_dy3QPQCoZTNWEY5XYntvJgAHZlfUkbJ0AnG2b7tO68jzD_Yddfia1C8LjWFwEV5DBnS9Cm5NLfyEjmEEZUaVDF3MiswyyONv7Qyx-h3jrTY-VCHsw-Kt1tAG1Ac8U_AUnS8mOOlidzD7XSrshHg_notoI_3kyVjfHN92WImqSX_psXjpf0pEpkD=s320" width="231" /></a></div><p>To keep from embarrassing Red, I spared him from showing you the page where he's knocked unconscious by a net-full of fish landing on his head. </p><p>That alone isn't actually all that unusual for a comic book hero -- but what is really unusual is being drugged with opium afterwards. In a <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> scenario, this could solve the problem of superheroes being able to wreck themselves out of deathtraps too quickly, but here Red seems to instantly recover from the opium as soon as he regains consciousness. </p><p>The story also tosses away all sympathy we had for the Chinese prisoners when they willingly agree to torture Red for the bad guys. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiykqlAK4DUXO-6nH48g2khvnXHqtnGeC5gwIAdhqesse_7AVeFQlv_On4BYXFWp_UQa3onUMHYbYE95xYAFQudzyNgkT-Os6R2HWX-Cg5FBao8MmhXmnjLdYVm-H-EcMUvsGAIGZDggETH6jDBOtb-yJns-DSoGqkSa37miuUlqGdyoQBBrg4CG4o4=s1346" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiykqlAK4DUXO-6nH48g2khvnXHqtnGeC5gwIAdhqesse_7AVeFQlv_On4BYXFWp_UQa3onUMHYbYE95xYAFQudzyNgkT-Os6R2HWX-Cg5FBao8MmhXmnjLdYVm-H-EcMUvsGAIGZDggETH6jDBOtb-yJns-DSoGqkSa37miuUlqGdyoQBBrg4CG4o4=w232-h320" width="232" /></a></div>I kind of like how this story completely skips over the hitting that happens between panels 1 and 2. <div><br /></div><div>I'm less inclined to accept <i>this</i> use of teleport as flavor text, since it is not only an intentional destination, but bypasses the rest of the hideout around Scarface's ...living room, I'm guessing. My question is, how does Red navigate the wires? Does he have some kind of instinctive telelocation power - and does that need to be its own power? - or is he somehow able to eavesdrop on phone operators and navigate the system that way...?</div><div><br /></div><div>When your master criminal jumps out a window to his death - that's a <i>really</i> botched morale check. <br /></div><div> </div><div>And what is up with those last panels, where the dialogue takes place in captions? That's just weird and confusing to read.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_V2dYD1vvUyRP_QouXiDDVYBrj6yCSXdqNIygZk1xGebN7i_vtTpHzoSdsH_X7F9KCIseJuj6cMHK9PAuqF7FSMf-dZ50iA4Xrips4bRorgHzlhWUNhTI6zh3N3p6x3JQnXnsJx5KIfkzk1kW7K5l7wv_iF5CGhVwxo8g7MiI54TTASeT1DCrQpRP=s1366" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_V2dYD1vvUyRP_QouXiDDVYBrj6yCSXdqNIygZk1xGebN7i_vtTpHzoSdsH_X7F9KCIseJuj6cMHK9PAuqF7FSMf-dZ50iA4Xrips4bRorgHzlhWUNhTI6zh3N3p6x3JQnXnsJx5KIfkzk1kW7K5l7wv_iF5CGhVwxo8g7MiI54TTASeT1DCrQpRP=s320" width="228" /></a></div><p>Lastly, we're going to take a peek at the next story, about the villainous Steel Shark (it's one of those features named after the recurring villain). </p><p>I don't know what it was about television at the time, but it seems like most every comic book writer wanted to come up with their own name for it. Televisions already were a thing by 1940, though they had not caught on to widespread use yet. Did these writers think the word "television" wasn't going to catch on either? <br /></p><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69318" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.)<br /></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-88450171385047237162022-03-07T21:02:00.004-08:002022-03-07T21:02:45.868-08:00Rocket Comics #2 - pt. 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKU0rBoiTrpsFbOqeleO9xblqK76jtVstTpUPmXKEs-_f5fhO8YT6HoNJy2X0dlBwCfZuW4kfZedwnWzOJIq8v6PzPJbLaSzunJAwtJjb-3Mx_QohC6XfN2yAjMjBV9UQHEUtQXJwgp-AsP2hTf1WezsB4XG8Es3SUhdkEXSvZOa05Iibq2OVdIUw2=s1346" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKU0rBoiTrpsFbOqeleO9xblqK76jtVstTpUPmXKEs-_f5fhO8YT6HoNJy2X0dlBwCfZuW4kfZedwnWzOJIq8v6PzPJbLaSzunJAwtJjb-3Mx_QohC6XfN2yAjMjBV9UQHEUtQXJwgp-AsP2hTf1WezsB4XG8Es3SUhdkEXSvZOa05Iibq2OVdIUw2=s320" width="232" /></a></div>I don't recall a thing about reviewing #1 of this series, which doesn't bode well as we begin issue #2...<br /><p></p><p>We start with Rocket Riley and pals crash landing on a surprisingly solid and foliage-covered Saturn. We can't necessarily call this bad comic book science, though; the term "gas giant" didn't even exist until the 1950s. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg385Qw5S6kt05JaJyA7azsw7hSdF38XMoFvbYB1azZF3tKCcamIaZZS0kcpEnSquRUKT4SKliYMugOhmvg9hLCz6PaMIjd-bBbs6JQqYR4S39KinkRrhrAlUFLf3dck7Cpj9S85VMqvB02lPe7Ks8mnjK7vOGOeysh0wl7li_vCjYNB5BUiRxvNM8J=s1313" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1313" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg385Qw5S6kt05JaJyA7azsw7hSdF38XMoFvbYB1azZF3tKCcamIaZZS0kcpEnSquRUKT4SKliYMugOhmvg9hLCz6PaMIjd-bBbs6JQqYR4S39KinkRrhrAlUFLf3dck7Cpj9S85VMqvB02lPe7Ks8mnjK7vOGOeysh0wl7li_vCjYNB5BUiRxvNM8J=s320" width="238" /></a></div>YES! Oh, sorry, I got excited because this new alien starts with a Z, so I don't have to quickly add it to the <u>Mobster Manual Vol. 1</u>, which is just a few pages away from being completed now.<p></p><p>We don't know anything about Zarno yet except that they must fly very quickly, or have a higher chance of surprise, for it to pounce on Griselda before Rocket can shoot at it.</p><p>Sadly, the Zarno is shot dead on the first try on the next page and we learn nothing else about it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgk1zXspsP5MZpLeVqPqaV7wDVg1q8yL_EBjEpnKzHZR43ad2aFFD5joKry1TOqtWRS2pphESMQ_rqLUBQ3V9PcGmlRZ5M0WN2dd58_NVcygIfEiMTp3x7zYxEFSzmlEe0dlVmfMwpcVoo8Xn7W0-GejDp2-UN9i2dKLGne9pgP5TvFYz8LiG5R2w1m=s1332" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgk1zXspsP5MZpLeVqPqaV7wDVg1q8yL_EBjEpnKzHZR43ad2aFFD5joKry1TOqtWRS2pphESMQ_rqLUBQ3V9PcGmlRZ5M0WN2dd58_NVcygIfEiMTp3x7zYxEFSzmlEe0dlVmfMwpcVoo8Xn7W0-GejDp2-UN9i2dKLGne9pgP5TvFYz8LiG5R2w1m=s320" width="234" /></a></div>Now this is nice; the big globe with chairs in it is a sort of floating elevator that doesn't need a shaft. It's the kind of trapping that would be perfect for an ultra hi-tech hideout.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirRxwSIWkUnHDssGkir5hpMHFvY-6Vx0ZMC3gIRuR9UBCwCXI3haS_DITsxmxXx0WCgPx1qXudF6LH3QBuMnIXPbJ02fBPz_M4kFIigWYjNw1tL_CcSH1YH1jMzxBe2EbriTBc1_kDufE7fRJik3An6WFqvDttuqACT5K5Kud7Q_3p9mf2X_yOIJtP=s1318" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirRxwSIWkUnHDssGkir5hpMHFvY-6Vx0ZMC3gIRuR9UBCwCXI3haS_DITsxmxXx0WCgPx1qXudF6LH3QBuMnIXPbJ02fBPz_M4kFIigWYjNw1tL_CcSH1YH1jMzxBe2EbriTBc1_kDufE7fRJik3An6WFqvDttuqACT5K5Kud7Q_3p9mf2X_yOIJtP=s320" width="237" /></a></div>Not every villain is so considerate to tell you what you'll encounter in his dungeon before you go there. Oh, interesting, giant leeches and - WHOA! HARPY-VAMPIRES?? I've gotta see this...<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZWMnIoXHC42k4FWhO5q4nG_3wokFyTLwjel3A5PZyNa99YslSJ-Bm8C4E6k483Ei-RUK4VPtwGV_jCWV2NVGImOYi-KZKQfISd2faZmZVN5olMACUCpLQtRD1cJJhYK93rYoP67BOtkuDAb1bIhljOxOHNlVH-tbR8-tBiXB7Y0zD2MGqJtqW94eQ=s1363" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZWMnIoXHC42k4FWhO5q4nG_3wokFyTLwjel3A5PZyNa99YslSJ-Bm8C4E6k483Ei-RUK4VPtwGV_jCWV2NVGImOYi-KZKQfISd2faZmZVN5olMACUCpLQtRD1cJJhYK93rYoP67BOtkuDAb1bIhljOxOHNlVH-tbR8-tBiXB7Y0zD2MGqJtqW94eQ=s320" width="229" /></a></div>Huh, those do look like harpies. So they're harpies, and they have all the powers of a vampire? I've gotta put these in the <u>Mobster Manual</u> now. <i>Sigh</i>. More to do...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXDqkgRgCWYaxUJMr_9wRSuhinTVbRLKIioJAQU-VtvZxsX2PQ7SL2W-F_6WZev4lpo0-0VHrrVqQ4f1I4S6S6XNlzYrprN_N0hvxf_cpjdAExCtxHbGO6oqAlEV5xf7Prpo6y7T4ssobVq-sIfxkvfHIG2G26-J2kq0uCDdls8OVymutJdGoFKXXV=s1315" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1315" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXDqkgRgCWYaxUJMr_9wRSuhinTVbRLKIioJAQU-VtvZxsX2PQ7SL2W-F_6WZev4lpo0-0VHrrVqQ4f1I4S6S6XNlzYrprN_N0hvxf_cpjdAExCtxHbGO6oqAlEV5xf7Prpo6y7T4ssobVq-sIfxkvfHIG2G26-J2kq0uCDdls8OVymutJdGoFKXXV=s320" width="237" /></a></div>Oh come <i>on</i>! They're dead <i>already</i>? From an ice gun? Harpy-vampires must have some kind of special vulnerability to ice. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of ice guns...it's powered by a detonator? Was the writer thinking of batteries, but couldn't remember the word?<br /><div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1L49_43pH2gzxeyBIisDv3vZAiq8q9iLIuJN1b13XDNb16aAtncs4EYISrSZO74ucawQda3Eq7eieykKjtSZ4crEnK34qgDtn34buwnF5ZxYappId7Irpv-hZ3vcvMHx2XGRQnhaysoloJsDpGo0CXdEC_jIEOEGuITUeYdEWI54ASHknRO-6f9zi=s1309" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1L49_43pH2gzxeyBIisDv3vZAiq8q9iLIuJN1b13XDNb16aAtncs4EYISrSZO74ucawQda3Eq7eieykKjtSZ4crEnK34qgDtn34buwnF5ZxYappId7Irpv-hZ3vcvMHx2XGRQnhaysoloJsDpGo0CXdEC_jIEOEGuITUeYdEWI54ASHknRO-6f9zi=s320" width="238" /></a></div>Well, we lost the harpy-vampires already. Let's check in on the giant leeches and see if they're -- OH MY GOSH, the giant leeches are dead already too! How is he even killing them by hand? Are these some rare form of vertebrate leech and he's snapping their spines? Or is he squeezing them too hard, like a roll of Charmin's toilet paper?<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvUDQHBGuwclVa873ocqi0074hH6GZjwcvcPlevCNYFEDS5eONk0Dq48Lh2ZomGjFDXjOU9ChdNvdetdvPMONaXCZM_2-5uGcMfMMs1xwLLB3ngfN6woGY2rTndcpRG2yXKVgOqhN9cDMqEqpo7vFB4GNPzYMrrVqAwvgGsQsIXh4fOjuBXI3zFPgZ=s1381" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvUDQHBGuwclVa873ocqi0074hH6GZjwcvcPlevCNYFEDS5eONk0Dq48Lh2ZomGjFDXjOU9ChdNvdetdvPMONaXCZM_2-5uGcMfMMs1xwLLB3ngfN6woGY2rTndcpRG2yXKVgOqhN9cDMqEqpo7vFB4GNPzYMrrVqAwvgGsQsIXh4fOjuBXI3zFPgZ=s320" width="226" /></a></div>In our next story, here's a pearl that's worth a fortune, when the average pearl is going to be worth $100. Statistically, the chance of its worth doubling that many times is highly unlikely.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shadowy figures are a mobstertype since <u>Supplement V</u>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5mVgipx4yEXK9Mh5bpVVHJjeJGGEsh7NxdVMHzkf-ZpqU5Q-qko4wxqCjAuV5BBYaAd3LChmf9pu_2-tTtBPUeEFLgj4pt9jaiXta0wTtW-nXqPYAxK_vJGxTYB6UVwp7_pMbVkV3hFXxfm4n2a5G7cP92vPuTSv8YtrbERecCaybfYO55hY7mgQ3=s1374" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5mVgipx4yEXK9Mh5bpVVHJjeJGGEsh7NxdVMHzkf-ZpqU5Q-qko4wxqCjAuV5BBYaAd3LChmf9pu_2-tTtBPUeEFLgj4pt9jaiXta0wTtW-nXqPYAxK_vJGxTYB6UVwp7_pMbVkV3hFXxfm4n2a5G7cP92vPuTSv8YtrbERecCaybfYO55hY7mgQ3=s320" width="227" /></a></div>Lastly, this is a page from <i>The Phantom Ranger</i>. I'd previously added killer stallions to the <u>Mobster Manual</u>. I'll have to add a note about how lack of water and being driven crazy by heat can turn a horse into a killer stallion.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69318" target="_blank">Comic Book Plus</a>.)<br /><div><br /><p><br /> </p><p><br /></p></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-41434239042376299272022-03-01T19:10:00.007-08:002022-03-01T19:10:45.640-08:00Fantastic Comics #5 - pt. 5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvSwvtAF9MnDTF5BxrldnRk6YuhlkAhxT60Oja3qxstIrMfQTtxz1Jr7r5M7otgV2mlY76aeuOQ7xLUPNZ6h_3kkULZTWcjpTLEcS4djmrq4j44CtrSBm0xhaNYWq8srQey3iCmsSsWczVRSkNaAYpPIWSyjrTuTV53EHWFnzZF7QCbMJvaXWR5VdA=s2306" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2306" data-original-width="1660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvSwvtAF9MnDTF5BxrldnRk6YuhlkAhxT60Oja3qxstIrMfQTtxz1Jr7r5M7otgV2mlY76aeuOQ7xLUPNZ6h_3kkULZTWcjpTLEcS4djmrq4j44CtrSBm0xhaNYWq8srQey3iCmsSsWczVRSkNaAYpPIWSyjrTuTV53EHWFnzZF7QCbMJvaXWR5VdA=s320" width="230" /></a></div>Oh boy, it's <i>Stardust</i>...<p></p><div>These guys are called "crime wizards," but as cool as that name sounds for a mobstertype, their ambition of either controlling or destroying all the wealth in America makes them sound more like Republicans. </div><div><br /></div><div>We get two mad science devices on this page. One is a tornado generator that looks kind of like a tree for some reason, and the other is invisible vacuum tubes that descend out of the sky and suck people up, but that makes it look like they're just flying off into the sky.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think that last panel is to be interpreted as a collage of events occurring at different times, rather than the tubes being able to stretch that far apart at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBPa9U7dkQLFCP_rgNkKJ8aNxNXmEiGeERBJkbSRAl_YVg5w78oOxdM-lgdAbuFkpkssNAZRHuFzgRWA3mMQLdMzFPzld_58W5OiOcrjegb-vO0_40VoPMWJ-B3v6b_GBph-Or69Vwax1tgVT2EsIAECIjmEAUZo3_y57tV9WjPxK2Z7qANDo7mqph=s2318" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2318" data-original-width="1636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBPa9U7dkQLFCP_rgNkKJ8aNxNXmEiGeERBJkbSRAl_YVg5w78oOxdM-lgdAbuFkpkssNAZRHuFzgRWA3mMQLdMzFPzld_58W5OiOcrjegb-vO0_40VoPMWJ-B3v6b_GBph-Or69Vwax1tgVT2EsIAECIjmEAUZo3_y57tV9WjPxK2Z7qANDo7mqph=s320" width="226" /></a></div>The top of the Empire State Building seems like an odd place to ask them to drop off the ransom. Were they going to use the invisible vacuum to suck up the money? <div><br /></div><div>Stardust uses the 4th level power Turn Gun on Bad Guy to reflect the death rays back. Or does it have to be a higher level version to account for the range and the multiple rays reflected? Yeah, probably 7th level. I'll call it Turn Death Rays.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRyGZrkQOvLUJIfZ_qT-iAqJbkH_JA8rWA7gerEtIB8oOKr3WCV0ulOr6b9tyGd9mgB6tgq12X5IFWM_j20DkGQBiVnmmVaJpAFuUlBd_JYhnd0t33xgXUuotA7KcHcZU6tdY6-amtry7sGg-RESM06l5qoRiNaOUKcBOoXCug9O7UlIa9DTuCe-zw=s2326" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2326" data-original-width="1687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRyGZrkQOvLUJIfZ_qT-iAqJbkH_JA8rWA7gerEtIB8oOKr3WCV0ulOr6b9tyGd9mgB6tgq12X5IFWM_j20DkGQBiVnmmVaJpAFuUlBd_JYhnd0t33xgXUuotA7KcHcZU6tdY6-amtry7sGg-RESM06l5qoRiNaOUKcBOoXCug9O7UlIa9DTuCe-zw=s320" width="232" /></a></div>Here Stardust uses a Control Weather spell (he would be statted as a Magic-User/Superhero, since his abilities are all over the place). Or...could it be Dispel Science? That would be an interesting power to develop. Whichever it is, it stuns a crowd of traced faces.<br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRZDutaOcnxD0w0nXr_1VbbPe30UtfZqKlpMCKa34X-_LT-dd43d5CG-EjDv1P5bu6wZ7VbAGDZYD6MVkcLfj4vRC6RRqX_MO-C3tS3Jn0ZAtPkTUPWPmsW1p5pus60ztyzuX1D4EYRq2x3F5-USCFzf-283wbC_4r70mBgvrHEpPLK8adxbkyWGXH=s2343" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2343" data-original-width="1646" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRZDutaOcnxD0w0nXr_1VbbPe30UtfZqKlpMCKa34X-_LT-dd43d5CG-EjDv1P5bu6wZ7VbAGDZYD6MVkcLfj4vRC6RRqX_MO-C3tS3Jn0ZAtPkTUPWPmsW1p5pus60ztyzuX1D4EYRq2x3F5-USCFzf-283wbC_4r70mBgvrHEpPLK8adxbkyWGXH=s320" width="225" /></a></div>An interesting wrinkle here is that at least one of the criminal wizards actually <i>is</i> a magic-user! Since he only uses Enlarge Person on himself, he may only be 3rd level - which seems like a really light challenge for our 18+ level Stardust. Stardust counters with Reduce Person, and it makes sense that Stardust, being higher in level, would be able to reduce Wolf-Eye further than he could enlarge himself.</div><div><br /></div><div>More interesting, I think, is the throwaway reference to a "magic gland" -- which seems like perfect comic book logic for how certain people are able to learn magic and others can't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, Stardust is probably just using Teleport spells to get everyone back home.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii7O21oXFCjm2tS4feplMTc4rH7OD10mfkRoyLLBwwNIDwAd7Ttt2znDVFPKI1AXtjp1WqWzvM2_GGKnjn4sShZyxsxdw2mNlDawGCFcFf3oI2GRA7CMFV_c-IXwkUOR6PgtdD1q0g87BqXhjUPMkhPDgR3YzroIK7hgT2aqJ0xGuEYBNtoB6AWJDp=s2308" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2308" data-original-width="1660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii7O21oXFCjm2tS4feplMTc4rH7OD10mfkRoyLLBwwNIDwAd7Ttt2znDVFPKI1AXtjp1WqWzvM2_GGKnjn4sShZyxsxdw2mNlDawGCFcFf3oI2GRA7CMFV_c-IXwkUOR6PgtdD1q0g87BqXhjUPMkhPDgR3YzroIK7hgT2aqJ0xGuEYBNtoB6AWJDp=s320" width="230" /></a></div>Now here's Sub Saunders and we have two unusual rays here. The first is a Water Breathing ray, which could well be our first non-combat, non-disrupting electronics ray. The second is some kind of suction ray, which <i>could</i> be handled like high-level Telekinesis, but to pull down a full-sized submarine might mean it is equivalent to a Telekinesis spell cast by a 100th level caster. We can just keep the mechanics very specific - the ray only works on subs, or some other type of ship, and pulls them down x number of feet. It's okay to tie an item to a specific type of plot.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCcB8dGIVjGU8jlNwxATiuxSjSjmB2TpddRU-ZjvagvWkp9QElmdRJN7wyM2rkOgptRRgd2lDneIP6u3oSAcazZ8pUF9wbRAendl3teZHTj7tkkoj5PIS-f5xk3B0Wz9SLDIAjBifTfug_fXhFmHhgbigSGSCqD5Q2uZ51cM35S4EN9OpHNiJORocz=s2299" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2299" data-original-width="1661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCcB8dGIVjGU8jlNwxATiuxSjSjmB2TpddRU-ZjvagvWkp9QElmdRJN7wyM2rkOgptRRgd2lDneIP6u3oSAcazZ8pUF9wbRAendl3teZHTj7tkkoj5PIS-f5xk3B0Wz9SLDIAjBifTfug_fXhFmHhgbigSGSCqD5Q2uZ51cM35S4EN9OpHNiJORocz=s320" width="231" /></a></div>Now this is unusual - we have a new variant of mermen who are called amphibious men, but they appear to just be perfectly ordinary men except for their ability to breathe underwater (and their predilection for helmets -- ooo, could those be magical Helms of Underwater Action...?).<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO457ReHzDUE1TjyfEhYyZ--W-FlB1DSeQ20Vid2EbrK5rSht8OHtSjHk9wcfuw83sc-WMMElS6C-Dr_TogW-ZLt0rtO55xgzRmMUvYpZXRAvDbzCzBtm3ng3A9DAOYfdLPet5ewkPdd0_R_rkPKJtgCGvj4aTMrDuXCiBcBxscbnRkROCq6fNHflq=s2312" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2312" data-original-width="1669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhO457ReHzDUE1TjyfEhYyZ--W-FlB1DSeQ20Vid2EbrK5rSht8OHtSjHk9wcfuw83sc-WMMElS6C-Dr_TogW-ZLt0rtO55xgzRmMUvYpZXRAvDbzCzBtm3ng3A9DAOYfdLPet5ewkPdd0_R_rkPKJtgCGvj4aTMrDuXCiBcBxscbnRkROCq6fNHflq=s320" width="231" /></a></div>Hmm...so, on all those ships he sucked down to his ocean kingdom, not one had a map already on board? That seems mighty suspicious, and I wonder if Kelpa isn't just giving him an absurd story to see if he can get Sub to go along with it. <div><br /></div><div>I like the idea of a swordfish pit, as it's a welcome switch from the shark cliche.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=24786" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-18660909679925541102022-02-22T21:15:00.002-08:002022-02-22T21:15:34.904-08:00Fantastic Comics #5 - pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy0jVDdrcMMsBdC3PrjQO3SVhwihlm_CWhk9bkkyNj19icijRkLMTmixJI3FntWhiCnnXSa9W4sT2yiFbd6Q4OLQwlRUp-EFzb6XVLdwh3bpFsJf8GfIEDC71mgflBU_4OlwElraCpuzwDEPUqqxyicT4jq72Sl-dhBS8G2qJc4HCCVRPvARpMNIBn=s2300" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="1673" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy0jVDdrcMMsBdC3PrjQO3SVhwihlm_CWhk9bkkyNj19icijRkLMTmixJI3FntWhiCnnXSa9W4sT2yiFbd6Q4OLQwlRUp-EFzb6XVLdwh3bpFsJf8GfIEDC71mgflBU_4OlwElraCpuzwDEPUqqxyicT4jq72Sl-dhBS8G2qJc4HCCVRPvARpMNIBn=s320" width="233" /></a></div>Oh boy - more Fletcher Hanks! Let's see how the science holds up here, he says knowingly...<br /><p></p><p>Space Smith's record-setting moon run is 12,600 MPH, considerably slower than the Space Shuttle in the 1990s, that could orbit the Earth at 17,500 MPH. </p><p>Is that supposed to be a nebula...?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUAOv_8eX2FAJ4yOTdiGiktSHyqAz1djRJC1ekC8ybTXELySSM8K_lfgOZpwTcOvGxHEAPAc0eMdG3h78_8wAuZvgcOu1TxTN20ofZcmJh-CucsS7gpc9FLozpqWkqNOEttFpH6NdeX2DiyGG0MNRavQZsm06NlZYkzxihoJo5WpHPNPPegguyY1Tf=s2327" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="1649" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUAOv_8eX2FAJ4yOTdiGiktSHyqAz1djRJC1ekC8ybTXELySSM8K_lfgOZpwTcOvGxHEAPAc0eMdG3h78_8wAuZvgcOu1TxTN20ofZcmJh-CucsS7gpc9FLozpqWkqNOEttFpH6NdeX2DiyGG0MNRavQZsm06NlZYkzxihoJo5WpHPNPPegguyY1Tf=s320" width="227" /></a></div>I'm already not sure what's going on. Is it a living nebula, and a monster, or does it just seem to be alive and something else is going on? It seems more like a trap than a monster attack. Perhaps -- and I'm just spitballing with comic book science here -- but the nebula has been ...chemically treated to be drawn magnetically to what powers ship engines?<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNNpsUXsju9CYZOTPGJHNvUIAqWO2ygD1LUQaD6vtU3ovt_a13882WxD7ufb56Zs0STbDzQ6RsY5IX3Z1El-ghsvAYU1Uk8s0rXzVxQFcsyqBmz-MXpQhgww_3l3g5ByFxX5sAeF3XKXxoihOW6x3HU27tJzbOZKXCLm_BQIvw4QtM8At1NmmKArHI=s2307" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2307" data-original-width="1675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNNpsUXsju9CYZOTPGJHNvUIAqWO2ygD1LUQaD6vtU3ovt_a13882WxD7ufb56Zs0STbDzQ6RsY5IX3Z1El-ghsvAYU1Uk8s0rXzVxQFcsyqBmz-MXpQhgww_3l3g5ByFxX5sAeF3XKXxoihOW6x3HU27tJzbOZKXCLm_BQIvw4QtM8At1NmmKArHI=s320" width="232" /></a></div>Uh-oh, it looks like I found another mobster that goes in Volume 1 of the <u>Mobster Manual</u>. So I'm still not done! Hoppers have superhero-like leaping ability, and their speed and agility lower their AC to at least 4 and maybe gives them a +2 bonus to saves vs. dodgeable attacks?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hoppers are encountered in groups of 5-10.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4N_DbOj0u7eEwQslSIHOaWvtn4whN3iAp-5Nprbb4Z53djPTixaGmRDLMzmRvL9DV_reQCbUJ08zhAltLAgpAEKQcNtpwAWNienJROcwT8IN02ZpRz6ybweOs1L2Ugm6jPU4-AWZaEG5lEL3ewrRC7jWV7V7bxvILYrw4JSKnKgGh6ZPEaqsMQsAs=s2325" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2325" data-original-width="1658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4N_DbOj0u7eEwQslSIHOaWvtn4whN3iAp-5Nprbb4Z53djPTixaGmRDLMzmRvL9DV_reQCbUJ08zhAltLAgpAEKQcNtpwAWNienJROcwT8IN02ZpRz6ybweOs1L2Ugm6jPU4-AWZaEG5lEL3ewrRC7jWV7V7bxvILYrw4JSKnKgGh6ZPEaqsMQsAs=w228-h320" width="228" /></a></div>Space seems to be punching out four hoppers at once. Does this mean hoppers are just 1 Hit Die? It's so difficult to accurately stat Hit Dice from how long they last in combat, because of the "done-in-one-punch" approach of golden age stories. I think, because Fletcher's heroes are always super-powerful, we can assume the hoppers are powerful too. I'm thinking 4 HD for them.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoO7gpi3To-vIgm62GAIbJKOehfPDOLicwQRKGZuhCJufAd3j6C5zfHq00H9OhvO0cOYGyjb4AQ8hGzJiQZgqTZtbRxN_A-efodeHklK4EQhWBGMuiFFejPy00YXb64BngFbJfPHlBsqGY81Q3TO9BnTL-xD2Zh9rHdQ4ss60iuiLjAFS8ZIx8_EB2=s2328" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2328" data-original-width="1652" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoO7gpi3To-vIgm62GAIbJKOehfPDOLicwQRKGZuhCJufAd3j6C5zfHq00H9OhvO0cOYGyjb4AQ8hGzJiQZgqTZtbRxN_A-efodeHklK4EQhWBGMuiFFejPy00YXb64BngFbJfPHlBsqGY81Q3TO9BnTL-xD2Zh9rHdQ4ss60iuiLjAFS8ZIx8_EB2=w227-h320" width="227" /></a></div>That looks more like a cloud than a net before it comes down. <div><br /></div><div>Meteor gas rayguns are curious trophy weapons. The gas seems to be able to pass through walls, unless the cockpit of the ship is open the hold? That seems...a bit too overpowered to me. I may keep the meteor gas raygun, but limit the range to 150', blanket a 15' radius (affecting up to 5 targets), with a -2 penalty to save.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8we6DhtKCx8GvlRHV9Pd39uo8DPsOfI2eDqOqJ-eRwLbr3SwLfYMKOX5zpfzvbYXK-ipubwZ4pLuafnfxoTwznvCrtMcdKshgXGsyeLoxL9nJ6mdt-Pszf6-Nb3C5W3H7-5h5nwBTIRLslQp7lPVsXclFW-q-NJxX2X48flTvJr7En3JHdyo5O5E3=s2341" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2341" data-original-width="1659" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8we6DhtKCx8GvlRHV9Pd39uo8DPsOfI2eDqOqJ-eRwLbr3SwLfYMKOX5zpfzvbYXK-ipubwZ4pLuafnfxoTwznvCrtMcdKshgXGsyeLoxL9nJ6mdt-Pszf6-Nb3C5W3H7-5h5nwBTIRLslQp7lPVsXclFW-q-NJxX2X48flTvJr7En3JHdyo5O5E3=s320" width="227" /></a></div>This is the next story, <i>Captain Kidd</i>. There's a nice set-up here of Kidd coming to the jungle because of the rumors of a man-eating tree. It's not; the "tree" is the trapped entrance to a hideout. The tree's bark is studded with gems (cheap, ornamental stones, most likely), but if you try to pry one loose, a trap door opens in the side of the "tree" and drops you down a pit, which is the entrance to the hideout. It looks like maybe a 20' drop? <br /><div><br /> <br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhou75VOriWGK47SYIAY5aiD3_LHu5Q5QnA4TZ8e0U71mlHM7_SDumYuxacRgTBkNuN85jHmIe-FV6VeRFHEvyFEXGy9-mMg_ydvjdFY6EJYKZ6GbISMQfkuTKc74FaqgJwm-Kyn2yhj-tR4fe8RE9f692LzOrBTlsOhXq2IiTDjJIaHGTghcPgw6qY=s1377" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhou75VOriWGK47SYIAY5aiD3_LHu5Q5QnA4TZ8e0U71mlHM7_SDumYuxacRgTBkNuN85jHmIe-FV6VeRFHEvyFEXGy9-mMg_ydvjdFY6EJYKZ6GbISMQfkuTKc74FaqgJwm-Kyn2yhj-tR4fe8RE9f692LzOrBTlsOhXq2IiTDjJIaHGTghcPgw6qY=s320" width="227" /></a></div>Should guards come in large, huge, and giant guards?</div><div><br /></div><div>At first it appears the food is drugged with sleeping poison, but if the melon contains acid, does that mean Freddy has actually passed out from taking damage? Ingesting acid should do at least 2-8 points of damage, depending on how strong the acid was.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzTMV2Fh2IZFex_PbtIYN3bys4jOq4Wo4oDZQoniX87e7OF3sgEY5nGL6fbZ9sQboMPe8kQfKRxgaV27fmUCJMByPwLJGDYlebsmPf6Djw_oVXvXYSESmNHZgJW429nLraZmxe-rqI87IZYd43Sy_E1dOi_ThBtMdP9boQB8JDkkaJz_VAe8FX8I63=s1372" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzTMV2Fh2IZFex_PbtIYN3bys4jOq4Wo4oDZQoniX87e7OF3sgEY5nGL6fbZ9sQboMPe8kQfKRxgaV27fmUCJMByPwLJGDYlebsmPf6Djw_oVXvXYSESmNHZgJW429nLraZmxe-rqI87IZYd43Sy_E1dOi_ThBtMdP9boQB8JDkkaJz_VAe8FX8I63=s320" width="227" /></a></div>The large guard is called here both a giant and a brute. A brute is going to be a variant of thug, while "giant" here means pseudo-giant. Since he goes down pretty quickly, I'm inclined to go with the brute for statting purposes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtaPsa4vO_vuhoX7oMR2KZuY09Z3c3SrkhjOgM0rWo5DByx1wvMp_zVkmctKhZYSMNyx01_35aNMzr36Iepc_brHIDWQUGUcbEE_YJTmsj9ebQ_v_-AYosf1igq9x7XCdc1Koh7mOU8gaQP6nJnBRrzb9KhGNu7Kd15DwOIrNaeLfGPH76oAWYMBXu=s1374" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtaPsa4vO_vuhoX7oMR2KZuY09Z3c3SrkhjOgM0rWo5DByx1wvMp_zVkmctKhZYSMNyx01_35aNMzr36Iepc_brHIDWQUGUcbEE_YJTmsj9ebQ_v_-AYosf1igq9x7XCdc1Koh7mOU8gaQP6nJnBRrzb9KhGNu7Kd15DwOIrNaeLfGPH76oAWYMBXu=s320" width="227" /></a></div>We surely aren't meant to take <i>Professor Fiend</i> too seriously, but how off is the history lesson here? The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. 2.5 billion years ago was the start of the Proterozoic Era. It really was mostly water back then, as shown here, but it was scalding hot water, about 150 degrees. That might be hot enough to do 0-1 points of damage per minute of immersion.<div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=24786" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.) <div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-32561300858553163622022-02-13T19:15:00.000-08:002022-02-13T19:15:04.958-08:00Fantastic Comics #5 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxDYzlhfJZwOau5kBe-ykxLS-LEgFEGexdp-sxgygmkfaiqP2ep82F9jKjEA4xslUALjviV5pkxMWTuV5anrT4LQvh4Zvmy8XiunP71Skw0jYL529Ryv2BIK5JlQnW6VrgDzeysVxPoGUd27dk6a6mA6G2DV1Yv_v-F8o3wrMuMbGhymEpIkC35sEe=s2353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2353" data-original-width="1681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxDYzlhfJZwOau5kBe-ykxLS-LEgFEGexdp-sxgygmkfaiqP2ep82F9jKjEA4xslUALjviV5pkxMWTuV5anrT4LQvh4Zvmy8XiunP71Skw0jYL529Ryv2BIK5JlQnW6VrgDzeysVxPoGUd27dk6a6mA6G2DV1Yv_v-F8o3wrMuMbGhymEpIkC35sEe=s320" width="229" /></a></div>Welcome back to our blog, where we discuss the game Dungeons & Babes. Oops, that's not a thing? Well, you'd think it was from this page of <i>Golden Knight</i>. Because, obviously, medieval maidens went around stabbing men while dressed in modern swimsuits. I'm familiar with the phrase, "never trust a dame," but who knew dames could backstab for double damage? Is Alice a femme fatale? A D&D thief? Or just a highly effective, perhaps mid-level fighter?<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifkty6sLTvlm6GkL7M0zjzBaHxrlAxYa2BW0iXQZNMzbTqxX1xf9-O438j1qETK-SrXf3VH6YyaLbjaNp-a5hhhE8bBEaG9useTEuwFEPAa1lozDhxYXU1AmMn2y010PeiSW0Fil_fnkBI5pFktHamC2xLXoBu9-ecvo9nZ1CP85dQeAkTjbPsfQe0=s2305" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2305" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifkty6sLTvlm6GkL7M0zjzBaHxrlAxYa2BW0iXQZNMzbTqxX1xf9-O438j1qETK-SrXf3VH6YyaLbjaNp-a5hhhE8bBEaG9useTEuwFEPAa1lozDhxYXU1AmMn2y010PeiSW0Fil_fnkBI5pFktHamC2xLXoBu9-ecvo9nZ1CP85dQeAkTjbPsfQe0=s320" width="235" /></a></div>Does wrecking things get easier during confusion? I don't think so, but it allowed him to act undetected. <div><br /></div><div>Then there's the concept of "saving your strength." It actually is a <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> rule that you get +1 to hit if you take a turn to aim. What if you took an extra turn to rest for each +1 you wanted to your wrecking things roll? <br /><p>"Stay away from this fight, Alice!"<br /><br /></p><p>"What, are you kidding me? I just killed two guys on my way here, while you were being tortured so long your hair grew out!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMw_3Mwf3WEu7om1vyqY2xQO_okFiYAWQtouEfQLU5TkAaQxfALpxBVf9h9IgAcBeuNv9M2ldsxl2VGQkon-DV36wRIs1ByBNIYSYdBsZqNTRZTMu5k2eAkzDviPwBxMQZMzwQpvyiqt9zfNbsPVuxNnAmhQkEF79Syurh0IWK3uSS2dXnOVUC7GJB=s2350" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2350" data-original-width="1679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMw_3Mwf3WEu7om1vyqY2xQO_okFiYAWQtouEfQLU5TkAaQxfALpxBVf9h9IgAcBeuNv9M2ldsxl2VGQkon-DV36wRIs1ByBNIYSYdBsZqNTRZTMu5k2eAkzDviPwBxMQZMzwQpvyiqt9zfNbsPVuxNnAmhQkEF79Syurh0IWK3uSS2dXnOVUC7GJB=s320" width="229" /></a></div>"Alice! Alice! Are you hurt?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Well of course I'm hurt, you moron! You took my sword and left me with this little knife, and now you're not even using the shield I laid down for you!"<br /><p>It turns out to be a very awkward family reunion, that Alice mortally wounded the man who turned out to be her dad.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC2OoCfGENAY6XGByOijadJNKYwldF8TDw5YdbjnFv2ZeLt-8o4Wvsu6eDHDfJpj_ExYtMMZWoaxohFoQinG5Zdh0qw2WSzoaVV7mgokM5_QnffrW3PARM6c6ptYdYmLYKhP_VCkzpcks69MT6VPWRa786IUNQT0I99UA3MftZH1zJlf3tF6rJUEvr=s2362" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="1660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC2OoCfGENAY6XGByOijadJNKYwldF8TDw5YdbjnFv2ZeLt-8o4Wvsu6eDHDfJpj_ExYtMMZWoaxohFoQinG5Zdh0qw2WSzoaVV7mgokM5_QnffrW3PARM6c6ptYdYmLYKhP_VCkzpcks69MT6VPWRa786IUNQT0I99UA3MftZH1zJlf3tF6rJUEvr=s320" width="225" /></a></div>Isn't a flying torpedo a missile? </div><div><br /></div><div>I like those guard uniforms. Those will be very handy for any heroes looking to knock out a guard and disguise himself as a guard!</div><div><br /></div><div>There are real Edgewood's in Florida and Washington, but a Meadowlark Village? A real counterpart for that is proving hard to find.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9cPN4zMC_YLR-lEG05JFTcEq3rY4dCucjeBWOMeiIBEN_LBlyuz5FNwwbcq9n3CBxDCBfd0lhi7Ott6RVgl1VJFaaqPRSRLi4XqrQvYE8te8F8XobVvp_2g8IhVVElTZuwuK8YGz6i_VLJ-NfQA8oji-5_qz8a2dfWOZWNuJ2pnCABFnL_ZeIjLr2=s2317" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2317" data-original-width="1699" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9cPN4zMC_YLR-lEG05JFTcEq3rY4dCucjeBWOMeiIBEN_LBlyuz5FNwwbcq9n3CBxDCBfd0lhi7Ott6RVgl1VJFaaqPRSRLi4XqrQvYE8te8F8XobVvp_2g8IhVVElTZuwuK8YGz6i_VLJ-NfQA8oji-5_qz8a2dfWOZWNuJ2pnCABFnL_ZeIjLr2=s320" width="235" /></a></div>Waaiiit -- the torpedo has to be controlled by a two-man crew inside it? Willingly sitting inside an armed torpedo? I may have to lower the morale save number for guards -- these guys are fearless!<div><br /></div><div>"Hurry - we'll tell the Professor!"</div><div><br /></div><div>"You know, Ted...not only couldn't the Professor figure out a way to remote control the torpedo, but he didn't even give us a portable radio to contact him with. Do you suppose we weren't meant to come out of this alive...?"</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja_SQjph3FMnBkQcHz0dhWcfFTaVQEllzM7k0ArK2FY8gU6l-pQBNBGSaCSYUFveujVn4nmEhD2pMS2aw_Wmq4EjPjkztrYoJjpnISERTXIVEJelD-YAkX5sJUB8u_PZjdvKDuenu3ZQgtCTY73PmT1Ky7BeErJ3HxcoNqM7kqA-aBfexfdOqi3b37=s2357" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2357" data-original-width="1684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEja_SQjph3FMnBkQcHz0dhWcfFTaVQEllzM7k0ArK2FY8gU6l-pQBNBGSaCSYUFveujVn4nmEhD2pMS2aw_Wmq4EjPjkztrYoJjpnISERTXIVEJelD-YAkX5sJUB8u_PZjdvKDuenu3ZQgtCTY73PmT1Ky7BeErJ3HxcoNqM7kqA-aBfexfdOqi3b37=s320" width="229" /></a></div>Waaaiiiiit (again). The torpedo made no noise and there was no sign of a plane -- then how does Yank follow any trajectory back to that forest? Is he just flying randomly over hundreds of square miles until he spots something that looks like a hideout? <div><br /></div><div>And really, Professor? You're planning to blow up the country, but you can't even remember to lock the front door?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIK1jgVwdL_5enCqK7v1hnyYd_sNAtmQVZR7Bzlglhv8iM0aa5KorJsoKYWrjYjWI5cULe7LlmlnMPODrhbY7RL-xbTJl90P4ivdYyfcLhumvuEM7YIHBOv5y8ItQs7gZvjMQMm0sczWPcieiBq2wb_lVvxw6JeiW-v1KtJeBkuzdOc2dbtBMryIxe=s2324" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2324" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIK1jgVwdL_5enCqK7v1hnyYd_sNAtmQVZR7Bzlglhv8iM0aa5KorJsoKYWrjYjWI5cULe7LlmlnMPODrhbY7RL-xbTJl90P4ivdYyfcLhumvuEM7YIHBOv5y8ItQs7gZvjMQMm0sczWPcieiBq2wb_lVvxw6JeiW-v1KtJeBkuzdOc2dbtBMryIxe=s320" width="232" /></a></div>A sliding panel in the floor that catches your foot sounds like the most "1st-level" trap I've ever heard of. Would that even do a point of damage? At best, if you miss your save, you can't move during combat until a turn when you do make your save.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHYooZ9SWDmwX7vtr4bzvqVEZyD9moPh2XNQQug_KAJjepTxfRMgi2040y-URR4pWyyxJSyrOsS3Dwih92wlK9D2Uxl-2lTp9MK9GKYERZE2WPqzh3k8m-uh-Bg_5VsJUW05zj5xMlCxOLiGH3f7qYglCe0QPGxq7KnXYGVBym2rWdYfOpUCeJYazS=s2347" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2347" data-original-width="1663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHYooZ9SWDmwX7vtr4bzvqVEZyD9moPh2XNQQug_KAJjepTxfRMgi2040y-URR4pWyyxJSyrOsS3Dwih92wlK9D2Uxl-2lTp9MK9GKYERZE2WPqzh3k8m-uh-Bg_5VsJUW05zj5xMlCxOLiGH3f7qYglCe0QPGxq7KnXYGVBym2rWdYfOpUCeJYazS=w227-h320" width="227" /></a></div>Waaiiiit (third time) -- what's with this strange plane that just happens to look like the torpedoes that just happens to land outside in panel 1? Did the artist put panels in the wrong order somehow? It seems like even the author couldn't make sense of what was going on there.<div><br /></div><div>Gee, Yank, if punching them in their helmets doesn't work, maybe you should aim somewhere else? In game, Yank's player is either rolling terrible, or those uniforms are giving a much better Armor Class bonus than I would have thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>They didn't check to see if Yank was still alive? Classic villain blunder there. Maybe a villain should have to save vs. plot before he can check.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the "heart of the country" is the continental geographic center of the country, then we're in Kansas, near Lebanon (or Lebanon has been renamed Edgewood). If "heart of the country" means its governmental heart, than Edgewood means Washington, D.C. -- though that doesn't make much sense (but what in this story does?).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfI30i0noCWHbdLnk4wlLLdqT2QVkHit1tDQ7RERkzXcJjX14zNV5G16hSB6DJW7nsef4uwoN-0eUOI5ais_JOpAceFVHNCLiypr4FDx5Qi6kMiQeH32HDy9UtPpcXqB4SyrkobW6QQ4o3AkN3XFh8NzehhIwBrSjDZbuL5N7cgDHJFmPb3Hz2AbQe=s2340" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="1648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfI30i0noCWHbdLnk4wlLLdqT2QVkHit1tDQ7RERkzXcJjX14zNV5G16hSB6DJW7nsef4uwoN-0eUOI5ais_JOpAceFVHNCLiypr4FDx5Qi6kMiQeH32HDy9UtPpcXqB4SyrkobW6QQ4o3AkN3XFh8NzehhIwBrSjDZbuL5N7cgDHJFmPb3Hz2AbQe=s320" width="225" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Waiiiiittt (gah!). Yank is hitting the percussion caps on the nose of the torpedoes with a length of chain? This means the crews aren't arming the torpedoes just before bailing out, but well in advance for some reason and -- what really bugs me -- Yank's plane is somehow always able to zoom out of range just before the torpedo blows. Why is there that long a delay? Whhyyyy?<div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=24786" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-11023083096821066562022-02-07T19:25:00.002-08:002022-02-07T19:25:33.932-08:00Fantastic Comics #5 - pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtCvi88Fi7i3nz1P5QgoRaiXsNcIi0u3bNCG4QSaqS5hRCzvPVWk1Qb5rss1FOCCfkMfs0JuyX4ijJ1J-Yv72QhHsPH8WH8T5YxK1PRawWasarRprBKEj9o9uW5LTwpLTmPpZS6rnAEkpLMhd5lBualEuM7CZq_ByzGRsGz0gVdeJwHIOKnk9pbqEL=s2300" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="1704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtCvi88Fi7i3nz1P5QgoRaiXsNcIi0u3bNCG4QSaqS5hRCzvPVWk1Qb5rss1FOCCfkMfs0JuyX4ijJ1J-Yv72QhHsPH8WH8T5YxK1PRawWasarRprBKEj9o9uW5LTwpLTmPpZS6rnAEkpLMhd5lBualEuM7CZq_ByzGRsGz0gVdeJwHIOKnk9pbqEL=s320" width="237" /></a></div>We're back for round 2 of Samson vs. Eelo! Although he doesn't look like your "traditional" merman, I'd already decided last time I would stat Eelo as a merman. So panel 1 is either proof that mermen have great swimming movement rate, or this is the first clue that Eelo is actually a supervillain buffed with the Race the Train power.<p></p><p>I've seen some interesting rayguns in golden age comic books, but an underseas gun is a new one. A heat ray shoots heat. What is this one shooting out? Underseas? Is it just a water pistol?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgXL4UDCjoqN59yYvxj-OzRVsqiT32OQ-yDvlzF7O7mTCqjOhwxDlan5Dp3jdcH-9WoekD2Cuqju5yH33IOTsedpT8McussNJARxuhavwj9NtwXmf5KypyGhltXvt7MXEp5cycami2dnW4D3e3uv4ACUfpSoPDB-bprTvS53aauU4joPuTkaAP-YIh=s2338" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2338" data-original-width="1661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgXL4UDCjoqN59yYvxj-OzRVsqiT32OQ-yDvlzF7O7mTCqjOhwxDlan5Dp3jdcH-9WoekD2Cuqju5yH33IOTsedpT8McussNJARxuhavwj9NtwXmf5KypyGhltXvt7MXEp5cycami2dnW4D3e3uv4ACUfpSoPDB-bprTvS53aauU4joPuTkaAP-YIh=s320" width="227" /></a></div>That is some significant wrecking going on there. A submarine weighs a couple of thousand tons, so we're talking battleship category. <p></p><p>But a hero shouldn't have to do everything; eventually moping up the enemies gets to be rote, or antic-climactic. It's good, then, to have the "cavalry" come in and mop up the remainder, or the remaining sub in this case.<br /> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYb4lu-NlRlqTk8eMjDZwUWc3SxjXdh8XmYeR49i1pO5GdJTT5gqvh3I7uVYG1C9ft8sv2Y-lpLSExanpIbRnC5GxtHblbcdOVVoMsChKuqOnu9lPTA5te5yhRxSUGJQylOE7lMxWQxRkxteja1QqCcob6muLH7ldWKahelFPcA-ikPI9wR0bmPGcr=s2320" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="1689" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYb4lu-NlRlqTk8eMjDZwUWc3SxjXdh8XmYeR49i1pO5GdJTT5gqvh3I7uVYG1C9ft8sv2Y-lpLSExanpIbRnC5GxtHblbcdOVVoMsChKuqOnu9lPTA5te5yhRxSUGJQylOE7lMxWQxRkxteja1QqCcob6muLH7ldWKahelFPcA-ikPI9wR0bmPGcr=s320" width="233" /></a></div>I like most of this page. Samson, stoically guarding the two reunited lovers...Eelo, almost heroically, pulling himself up for one more contest with Samson (Eelo <i>must</i> be a supervillain with a few more powers at his disposal, to think he has a chance here)...<div><br /></div><div>And then Samson just hits him and kills him. Ugh. Death-Dealing Blow needs to be its own power. It would be more powerful than Super Punch because Super Punch just does a bunch of damage to knock out virtually any foe, whereas Death-Dealing Blow must make you save vs. plot or die. So, a level 5 power? Maybe level 6? At this point, Samson only should have enough XP to reach 2nd level, so he's either been gifted <i>more</i> brevet ranks, or he's had more all this time and was actually holding back.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Like with ultra-powerful magic-users in the comics, one could ask me, Scott, if superheroes are this powerful, then don't you need more power inflation in even the early levels for <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b>? Good question, random stranger, but two explanations for this: 1) the superhero class is based on the first year of Superman stories, before all this power inflation happens, and 2) there are certainly elements I don't <i>want</i> to emulate about the early comic books because I just don't like them. These include done-in-one-blow fights and grossly overpowered heroes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkYpHZ8B3unZvVN6hPnefIbSmc4gdx4hCmpnYmrAjfXQ2Qn6AYq6EvZCUuIEFQ6lsbK9woZTNYLOmXn8rLO_FwLplianODdHSBQhsO2BBE2v8Dh6D_DOUcoiom17_Hjlvn9wwWypa2aDRJ3naWAJw56_Of1XQLMzZEYxocHSEdaFkQeL6Pg8FPpnHK=s2330" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2330" data-original-width="1675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkYpHZ8B3unZvVN6hPnefIbSmc4gdx4hCmpnYmrAjfXQ2Qn6AYq6EvZCUuIEFQ6lsbK9woZTNYLOmXn8rLO_FwLplianODdHSBQhsO2BBE2v8Dh6D_DOUcoiom17_Hjlvn9wwWypa2aDRJ3naWAJw56_Of1XQLMzZEYxocHSEdaFkQeL6Pg8FPpnHK=s320" width="230" /></a></div>"Mercury is getting closer to the Sun every year. Eventually it will be destroyed by the - ah, I'm just kiddin'. Mercury is in a stable orbit and is gonna outlast both of us, baby." Apparently Flip just likes to periodically test how gullible Adele is.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now <i>I'm</i> being flip, but this science is so bad it actually makes me mad that anyone would write it in a book children would be reading. What if they repeated this nonsense in class?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSoCGUTFBPvDLKKRHhMrWyOBEq8s46OsT4Shj67-FGm0l3R8-MFSDqi_vXMT5GL5oDTxvN59b-1RVX14jlfgvg8QXaaR9BEyCBdCwyoCUk8yME31wLUU09sYFU9klo7hEzjNLllRv-yiyZvGMq6O6UznV3WPdUKcRyT-45tdMooLvGopyLJMHpihag=s2290" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2290" data-original-width="1704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSoCGUTFBPvDLKKRHhMrWyOBEq8s46OsT4Shj67-FGm0l3R8-MFSDqi_vXMT5GL5oDTxvN59b-1RVX14jlfgvg8QXaaR9BEyCBdCwyoCUk8yME31wLUU09sYFU9klo7hEzjNLllRv-yiyZvGMq6O6UznV3WPdUKcRyT-45tdMooLvGopyLJMHpihag=s320" width="238" /></a></div><br /><div>You know...you'd think someone brilliant enough to invent a fourth-dimensional projector would figure out a way to put two separate seats into it. I suspect Flip just uses this as an excuse to get all hands-on with Adele.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't even know what I'm looking at with those aliens. Are they giant pigeon angels with halos? Are those beanie copters?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQfw7YERqDmRhdkraA_ngCLHJETKopFAhZIQv7DiNBzoL9dljK1P6rpZZWFQ9zrlxLf7D5h_pyTKoRpwAge4WEA2FYKHahHxMe0eUO45IGmJSY7aXdJUVGW3bCOJ16wkwyie3SlS3srNHE1HOtHF3aVlIavNo3vJ1_sD1L4EHI4mJTJYZcnEZaIS7f=s2357" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2357" data-original-width="1668" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQfw7YERqDmRhdkraA_ngCLHJETKopFAhZIQv7DiNBzoL9dljK1P6rpZZWFQ9zrlxLf7D5h_pyTKoRpwAge4WEA2FYKHahHxMe0eUO45IGmJSY7aXdJUVGW3bCOJ16wkwyie3SlS3srNHE1HOtHF3aVlIavNo3vJ1_sD1L4EHI4mJTJYZcnEZaIS7f=s320" width="226" /></a></div>Darn, I was just getting excited about statting Mercurian pigeon angels, but those are just thought-wave helmets. <div><br /></div><div>Whoa, I thought the misogyny in this issue was just going to be subtle, but this just got way over the top. Not cool, giant pigeon angle impersonators! But what do we think about Flip now? Is he off the hook for sparing her feelings, or should he be honest and tell her that the aliens are women-bashing in front of her? </div><div><br /></div><div>A thought about the architecture: at first these look like Earth skyscrapers, but if the natives are birds...what if these "buildings" are actually solid perches for the natives to roost on top of?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJvVnkGBWcuGK6QYuu0WiVGA_gwdQDqADn6oQBLFYvRtRfyjZIAZWeNoJWyn35Zpwj01kFiPQgr7fOu8SQsgH6Iz7UwPnDdHOzRpDp3hKFXE1SbYAgsDLx7mgAs4Si5maY17rb0k2I-Ylgv5Ap8F_XLK805ZbEx-gzbrG1etU1q1liULh9dP1l0dzS=s2311" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2311" data-original-width="1703" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJvVnkGBWcuGK6QYuu0WiVGA_gwdQDqADn6oQBLFYvRtRfyjZIAZWeNoJWyn35Zpwj01kFiPQgr7fOu8SQsgH6Iz7UwPnDdHOzRpDp3hKFXE1SbYAgsDLx7mgAs4Si5maY17rb0k2I-Ylgv5Ap8F_XLK805ZbEx-gzbrG1etU1q1liULh9dP1l0dzS=s320" width="236" /></a></div>Nice...looks like I'm getting something cool for the <u>Mobster Manual</u> after all out of this issue. Heidites are D&D basilisk-like monsters, but instead of having a petrifying gaze attack, they exude green slime from their skin! From a D&D context, this potentially makes them even more dangerous than basilisks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Heck, I'm so excited, I just added it into the manuscript now! *sigh* Now to fix all the layout of the book after it...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnbOfxTaBGrfQWKi4CjtDV8Ee-hf4Gf97kC5rBsTNBQPA1qXp5PPhrxBVniQ1A0Nl0qzs1e6G98bhjMT6YHa7FPD6u7xUIfMD6FNS1DqkEmzFLjB93reUfKlmICW4dU3OoNwWXjte14RZsPxFzertLT_o81t_bQHAYTAdQFIn0e6CocPqTEp4vS9_a=s2304" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnbOfxTaBGrfQWKi4CjtDV8Ee-hf4Gf97kC5rBsTNBQPA1qXp5PPhrxBVniQ1A0Nl0qzs1e6G98bhjMT6YHa7FPD6u7xUIfMD6FNS1DqkEmzFLjB93reUfKlmICW4dU3OoNwWXjte14RZsPxFzertLT_o81t_bQHAYTAdQFIn0e6CocPqTEp4vS9_a=s320" width="233" /></a></div>Jumping ahead to <i>Golden Knight</i>, we have a lot of people in chainmail here. Except the girl, of course, who is for some reason in a 20th century bathing suit instead of even a dress. The chainmail is AC 5, but it exists almost as flavor text -- if you hit the target, you can stab right through the chainmail as if isn't there.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKrG5UoghzkCTfsaHEZQeeMOqi-a7ckhd1X2Kc8dZgERG8ZOGhJzQYaGE6CzwtX6QiCZof02Uuz7qSuU3J2VCKGU-EI-pVPNC-VtCKDfoAxU4VMzYALrezf-FLBobg3vobEMstBzKYyjDPPIdlfSG0hvWlkg8KyTb8eq30ZYEe_B5EkNtQBevF_QT/s2355/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2355" data-original-width="1666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKrG5UoghzkCTfsaHEZQeeMOqi-a7ckhd1X2Kc8dZgERG8ZOGhJzQYaGE6CzwtX6QiCZof02Uuz7qSuU3J2VCKGU-EI-pVPNC-VtCKDfoAxU4VMzYALrezf-FLBobg3vobEMstBzKYyjDPPIdlfSG0hvWlkg8KyTb8eq30ZYEe_B5EkNtQBevF_QT/s320/blog9.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>I had commented recently on a Facebook post about monster tactics in D&D that the DM has to have some latitude for deciding how advantageous to make those tactics, that the Editor had to stop short of making them so advantageous that the players will switch to the same tactics.<div><br /></div><div>Here, we see entangling with nets giving great advantage. The Golden Knight, despite having a sword in hand, can apparently not cut his way out, or stab through the nets. Now, if this is simply a failed saving throw, and the player knows it, maybe this won't become his next character's main tactic. But if nets work like this every time? Then he will, and he'll expect it to always work for him too, and should. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other than that, what bothers me most about this page? The spaghetti straps on The Golden Knight's tabard? The Gothic style of the castle in medieval times? The fact that the castle is brightly painted all over? Okay, it's actually all three.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=23943" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.) <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-63182978264923318682022-02-04T13:04:00.004-08:002022-02-04T13:04:32.676-08:00Fantastic Comics #5 - pt. 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj96HVncMqrRSAVIGb8l3yd0RNDy2nWopkzQEfxa5b6ZCubfYBraXvWCJURbBb1mWkl2xb2xbRUHDMraw_aAhwAI_ZsGJ82joa7nzWzdjT-cMWfHoWXg2xGfna1xMvRzSMIUYUhqXplaWL17R7rU063QlPe1cowYLbQRG_S6WAt2QDYevtdtIuh_qt8=s2291" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2291" data-original-width="1704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj96HVncMqrRSAVIGb8l3yd0RNDy2nWopkzQEfxa5b6ZCubfYBraXvWCJURbBb1mWkl2xb2xbRUHDMraw_aAhwAI_ZsGJ82joa7nzWzdjT-cMWfHoWXg2xGfna1xMvRzSMIUYUhqXplaWL17R7rU063QlPe1cowYLbQRG_S6WAt2QDYevtdtIuh_qt8=s320" width="238" /></a></div>That's one big Samson! And this is one nice opening page, establishing our hero, our villain, and the setting, as the scenario gets quickly rolling along. <p></p><p>Zanbar is just a lazy substitute for Zanzibar, which is also an island in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>There was a time when I would have statted Eelo as a merman...but now we have fish men in the <u>Mobster Manual</u>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlI5rnMDbx9Zk-EJjYtB9iLX5RdidZu5RBkxp7VwP3BJIPjXmNO9iUzYNDIUPKdaiS6YeAO1Q9BynHACkeG3Hb8VBO1vNcipPg3xNknBHU7QX8_sox5hSLI3xWc_rBrzVtEJq0XUIda8gFFBaJGUsOkXAKLTfJ3_fQg8no0x6oPdkgT4flG4bzpcX_=s2350" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2350" data-original-width="1651" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlI5rnMDbx9Zk-EJjYtB9iLX5RdidZu5RBkxp7VwP3BJIPjXmNO9iUzYNDIUPKdaiS6YeAO1Q9BynHACkeG3Hb8VBO1vNcipPg3xNknBHU7QX8_sox5hSLI3xWc_rBrzVtEJq0XUIda8gFFBaJGUsOkXAKLTfJ3_fQg8no0x6oPdkgT4flG4bzpcX_=w225-h320" width="225" /></a></div>But already, on page 2, the fictional geopolitical landscape gets a little confusing. Zanzibar was a British protectorate, so Malajaca is either the name of the British colony there, or maybe it's the name of a neighboring island and Marie is just vacationing on Zanbar/Zanzibar. <div><br /></div><div>The amphibian henchmen are likely the same race as Eelo -- but not necessarily! I could see an underwater hierarchy where Eelo is a merman, but he can boss around fish men. </div><div><br /></div><div>That Eelo thinks he can interbreed with surface humans further suggests to me he is a merman, since we already have precedent for Namor (admittedly from another company) being half-merman.</div><div> </div><div>You'd think Eelo would be able to grapple at least one of those girls before they all escape through the window, but he might be waiting for his wedding night to touch them, and his henchmen are all out of range. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPqa83XbqxTjvjqr6NgXjGypNTFmjt2e2y3UfcNT-Z8NZsAxF9xUJbY4MBJeLka8fWksO9dU0UwuyW20VEnKfr3zfdyssYewN6trte1XYJ0bV6H0G_Ny0U4lMTtDUr9Fi7YhQdEKKlBT7CxnJ_SoO_wsvZdIwKvX6Wdop9FjF1IFTahPom-Pi_fqlS=s2303" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2303" data-original-width="1643" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPqa83XbqxTjvjqr6NgXjGypNTFmjt2e2y3UfcNT-Z8NZsAxF9xUJbY4MBJeLka8fWksO9dU0UwuyW20VEnKfr3zfdyssYewN6trte1XYJ0bV6H0G_Ny0U4lMTtDUr9Fi7YhQdEKKlBT7CxnJ_SoO_wsvZdIwKvX6Wdop9FjF1IFTahPom-Pi_fqlS=w228-h320" width="228" /></a></div><br /><div>So, islands don't just float on the surface of the water like that. In all but the cartooniest of <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> campaigns, I would refrain from messing with geology like that.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's my second clue that the three girls are vacationing on an island not their own. If her father was on the same island, and the islands is that small, you wouldn't need a telegraph to reach him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The surface area of Zanzibar is 2,654 sq. km, so that island cannot be Zanzibar after all. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ7pDTDzLNUwSJ29UqjXZPU1JvwMlt0sYIvPSmVAaxApM4Yo2vZbH3qJTrvnR4AWi2vVOwK3vIBeiWucd1klR4HSO2Os0H566OlecQN7DH5TwReIXfvdSNCYqXthNXkjQ9afZnrGZy6SHku7KC2DAgwX5Wk9AgrRBaFqcSUWxRyK8OG0qFQBf3JEgV=s2298" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2298" data-original-width="1665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ7pDTDzLNUwSJ29UqjXZPU1JvwMlt0sYIvPSmVAaxApM4Yo2vZbH3qJTrvnR4AWi2vVOwK3vIBeiWucd1klR4HSO2Os0H566OlecQN7DH5TwReIXfvdSNCYqXthNXkjQ9afZnrGZy6SHku7KC2DAgwX5Wk9AgrRBaFqcSUWxRyK8OG0qFQBf3JEgV=s320" width="232" /></a></div>Eelo seems to be an overreactor. Girls jilt him? He sinks their island. To punish the girls...he puts them in a trap that looks like it could kill them? <div><br /></div><div>That is an amazingly accurate teleporter, able to sit Samson down in a specific boat in an entire ocean. How does the Brun know where the boat is? It's probably best not to question things like that...though it's always possible that the seismograph is so sensitive that it can sense where boats are displacing water?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoeHR1DEMWICySHrPCTm_A5UY3SkDxhIG6rFj1CvxFwBfnPmZwazZzM7x0T3822X5WEF_yt16LL_hCHH-U61Wd243J0tQBAVbdaTGU-cYPpzFZkBasNZGLy2rsp0WP6r0z36bY4CHsdMz3ZoAGTkC4QXMav3Fu_SNstoZxMFImdzH9orll1vvReRd-=s2292" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2292" data-original-width="1675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoeHR1DEMWICySHrPCTm_A5UY3SkDxhIG6rFj1CvxFwBfnPmZwazZzM7x0T3822X5WEF_yt16LL_hCHH-U61Wd243J0tQBAVbdaTGU-cYPpzFZkBasNZGLy2rsp0WP6r0z36bY4CHsdMz3ZoAGTkC4QXMav3Fu_SNstoZxMFImdzH9orll1vvReRd-=s320" width="234" /></a></div>I find it very interesting that Samson has a blanket around him in panels 2, 3, and 5. What happened? Like the Teleport spell, is there a chance of failure and Samson appeared in the water <i>next</i> to the ship? Did he ask for the blanket so the crew would not get jealous of his amazing physique? </div><div><br /></div><div>Ceylon is what Sri Lanka used to be known as, so it's especially interesting that we've had fictional or half-fictional country names so far, and yet here we get a real one.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's really no reason why the underwater pressure should be sapping Samon's strength, but not the amphibians, and no weakness to water pressure ever comes up again, but this is the beauty of game mechanics with unpredictable, random results -- that when the unexpected happens because of bad dice rolls, you have to explain/rationalize it in-game.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZMq3EN1aZdsFXN7oclk_jmZ8UTX_wCO6IbEKskwQq1QIQUhj8ivQ5J-w6eo7_hD6VkShdEBQ-MN53g-N8XOYXhZlEq7a6ci6MhJM_Klblh1U5KTYgogdE4t0HugDb3O7SCykOUMJZ_TjP1aIDY0xJfhMAwweBUMP5c5Qo4F4c77Jf1oPwSKiWx7qw=s2323" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2323" data-original-width="1690" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZMq3EN1aZdsFXN7oclk_jmZ8UTX_wCO6IbEKskwQq1QIQUhj8ivQ5J-w6eo7_hD6VkShdEBQ-MN53g-N8XOYXhZlEq7a6ci6MhJM_Klblh1U5KTYgogdE4t0HugDb3O7SCykOUMJZ_TjP1aIDY0xJfhMAwweBUMP5c5Qo4F4c77Jf1oPwSKiWx7qw=s320" width="233" /></a></div>I really like Alex Blum as an artist, but I like him best for his layout work on inspired pages like this one. Panel 1 reveals so much about the characters from their stances. Eelo's dramatic posing in panels 1 and 2 remind me of 1960s Marvel Comics. Samson looks incredible powerful in panels 6 and 7 as he tears the torture apparatus apart and then stands over its wreckage, but the highlight of the page is being dropped down a chute into the deathtrap, as the deathtrap is slowly closing. <br /><br /></div><div>Also note this implies a multi-level hideout.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYut1luUjPgVORUa4vogl5zo-QloOAbwm0QlnyE5utshW7b1ldiLE7feQejjAp2s0oivyv1Xyl5LCdOR2-ve4nEBMegxSa5my_KQboq9cbthKcesEyRul5mqsDrGW4e0CRYK758g1yELYD2HlcvCXGT59Zx7ts7cNMkm1s5uIpEhazqh8ndiWMlYY=s2287" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="1703" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYut1luUjPgVORUa4vogl5zo-QloOAbwm0QlnyE5utshW7b1ldiLE7feQejjAp2s0oivyv1Xyl5LCdOR2-ve4nEBMegxSa5my_KQboq9cbthKcesEyRul5mqsDrGW4e0CRYK758g1yELYD2HlcvCXGT59Zx7ts7cNMkm1s5uIpEhazqh8ndiWMlYY=w238-h320" width="238" /></a></div>I don't normally spend this long on admiring the artwork, but look at how panel 1 here zooms out from panel 7 of the previous page. Look at how practically Steranko-esque that 2nd panel is! Look at how panel 5 only exists to show a change of scene, in an age when many comic book panels were background-less. Admire the detail-planning that went into establishing that Eelo's machine has to be started with a key before the levers work. Admire the dynamics of Eelo leaning back, to show us he is about to pull the lever, instead of showing us a moment earlier when he was simply grasping the lever. Observe how the waves of pressure are illustrated in panel 8. </div><div><br /></div><div>Game mechanics-wise, I'm not sure how to handle thrusting one's way against pressure, except maybe by Strength checks.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDe2kQft-WCYWHWSiRn_ChlV05N7I7p6YnQTRpQuSj-anulO9Ew0fyyWSuYSBJz_V_e4mCLS4z2XYYFuxNKE-BBxJu3JUI-OQj8gh-SdEauPASNc8PcLufCSOPkKH_XpWIuRx0L1QhldV2GjVD0OsG53-kPcd3vljthRrdUu5NP7_Ldgxk1YbOGvtH=s2324" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2324" data-original-width="1653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDe2kQft-WCYWHWSiRn_ChlV05N7I7p6YnQTRpQuSj-anulO9Ew0fyyWSuYSBJz_V_e4mCLS4z2XYYFuxNKE-BBxJu3JUI-OQj8gh-SdEauPASNc8PcLufCSOPkKH_XpWIuRx0L1QhldV2GjVD0OsG53-kPcd3vljthRrdUu5NP7_Ldgxk1YbOGvtH=s320" width="228" /></a></div>I really don't get how the pressure creates a pathway to the sub, or what that even means. <div><br /></div><div>I have been grappling with where the "Maljacan fleet" comes from, but I think I've finally figured it out - Maljaca is Malacca, a small (at that time) British protectorate on the Malay Peninsula. I don't know why we're back to fictionalized names again. Now this makes sense, as the British Empire did have a formidable navy that would give even Eelo pause.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXHyGoTrltlh2InAEZe8upAvJ3JYLGB-jBb63xSsFOf2KGkxOPhsS69cNs0jokU3mS7eBfivVHU2atHOmjIcphJceqnU6aEhdBDaFiVXwuJgg_mW6l3sY_nDA7ux3Wvg6Erg0ZB1IfF52tiW0xix6OQeeNz5zGNrIMxAg8P76CR4vVVyAet1VgwPHW=s2298" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2298" data-original-width="1693" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXHyGoTrltlh2InAEZe8upAvJ3JYLGB-jBb63xSsFOf2KGkxOPhsS69cNs0jokU3mS7eBfivVHU2atHOmjIcphJceqnU6aEhdBDaFiVXwuJgg_mW6l3sY_nDA7ux3Wvg6Erg0ZB1IfF52tiW0xix6OQeeNz5zGNrIMxAg8P76CR4vVVyAet1VgwPHW=s320" width="236" /></a></div>Samson sure gained on the sub quickly. He is likely boosted here by the Race the Train power. But how does movement translate underwater? I've never published specific rules on this, I don't think. <div><br /></div><div>Swimming speed should be 1/3 land speed...though I would be willing to consider it if a player argued that the Race the powers do not consider terrain. </div><div><br /></div><div>Turning the torpedo around sounds like the 4th-level Turn Gun on Bad Guy power. I've previously established <a href="https://hnhlexicon.blogspot.com/2018/05/fantastic-comics-2-pt-1.html" target="_blank">that Samson started with five brevet ranks</a>, so this should come as no surprise.<br /><div><br /><div>(Scans courtesy of <a href="https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=24786" target="_blank">Digital Comic Museum</a>.)<br /> <br /><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><p><br /><br /></p><p> </p></div></div></div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-11729598717310049232022-01-27T20:17:00.000-08:002022-01-27T20:17:02.946-08:00Mystic Comics #2 - pt. 5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC1iqvJ8V4uHEcjMG-yr88BwbKWveLR1wJx0o8m9ov08-mxgGn8a1CAV6Ap6oU6WjR5K5JZyJbh37Nk_kNcDpIa4hBPsjcaM6z9tL9ChvzURZg9aFqoQyc-ffXk2qT7o6Qal8HwhXWk-vKzaknIBqgpl8Kk2IlRnkuNt02ku-y_p--zuFGYn-XeLSI=s277" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="200" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC1iqvJ8V4uHEcjMG-yr88BwbKWveLR1wJx0o8m9ov08-mxgGn8a1CAV6Ap6oU6WjR5K5JZyJbh37Nk_kNcDpIa4hBPsjcaM6z9tL9ChvzURZg9aFqoQyc-ffXk2qT7o6Qal8HwhXWk-vKzaknIBqgpl8Kk2IlRnkuNt02ku-y_p--zuFGYn-XeLSI" width="200" /></a></div>We're back with <i>The Invisible Man Known As Dr. Gade</i>, which is admittedly a really unwieldy title and perhaps one reason why Gade literally disappeared from comics after this. <p></p><p>While visible, Gade is no better at fighting than an ordinary person, which makes me wonder if he isn't a Magic-User with some brevet ranks at all, but should be statted as a 1st-level Mysteryman given a powerful mad science trophy item by his Editor. </p><p>Gade also has a disintegrator - and not just any disintegrator, but an "old disintegrator" - like he'd invented it ages ago and then lost interest in it. Maybe it didn't work proper, because Gade has to throw his enemy into it and make it explode to kill the man.</p><p>I think I'm more turned off by heroes who kill now than I was a few years back, as I'm only giving that story a B+ now.</p><p>The next story is <i>Zara of the Jungle</i>, a Sheena clone (but with dark hair). It starts with Captain Jeff Graves, heading out into the jungle to try and stop the local tribes from fighting. He has a wandering encounter with a lion that he ... *sigh* kills with a single bullet. </p><p>The native tribes are drawn...really weird. I've seen a lot of racist depictions of black people in these early comic books, but these guys look almost like aliens. </p><p>Jeff is captured after falling into a concealed pit (even though it doesn't look even 5' deep). Zara rescues him, first by shooting the natives who are about to execute Jeff with her bow, and then by shooting the ropes off of Jeff -- which would be a near-impossible trick shot for anyone but maybe a Mysteryman using a stunt. So Zara is a Mysteryman instead of a jungle Explorer? </p><p>Again more racism -- it is implied that Zara is able to stop the tribes from fighting just by the "white goddess" showing up on the battlefield. But I wonder, would they have stopped fighting if a pretty woman of <i>any</i> color had shown up? And if so, this speaks to the power of a having a high Charisma score.</p><p>The last story is <i>Dakor the Magician</i>. Dakor is unusual in that he has a personal secretary. He also needs to cross the Pacific by plane instead of magic. To rescue a British consul from Chinese bandits in Singapore (quite the international adventure!), Dakor disguises himself as Chinese, apparently using makeup instead of magic, and pretends to be a pistol peddler to win the bandits over (instead of just charming them). When a guard catches Dakor at the consul's cell, Dakor punches him out instead of using a spell. </p><p>The spells don't start until page 4, at which point Dakor Polymorph Weapons (3 spears into cornstalks; I think I've talked about needing this spell before). He then creates magic scissors that cut the ropes binding him, which could be flavor text for a Knock spell? Then he casts Knock again for sure on the cell door, with the added wrinkle being that he can make the door swing open so hard that it hits a bandit enough to hurt him (a freebie from the Editor? An extra-strong Knock spell?). </p><p>The biggest takeaway from here should be that Dakor can cast spells with his arms bound, proving that <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> magic-users need to be flexible in what disrupts their spellcasting. The second biggest is that Dakor casts the same spells twice. I have long toyed with the notion of a mechanic that would give magic-users a chance to retain a cast spell...and it seems that Dakor has that, unless he just happened to memorize the same two spells twice. Actually, three times with Polymorph Weapons, as soon he's changing a thrown knife into a bird. </p><p>I have serious issues with Dakor being able to cast a spell, while falling into a pit trap, to polymorph the spikes at the bottom into springs. Casting a spell in melee is one thing -- he could have started casting that Polymorph Weapons spell before the knife was thrown -- but he doesn't know about the pit until he's already falling, and it should only take 1 second to hit bottom in a pit that shallow, which is way too little time to cast a spell. The only other suggestion I have is that maybe one of these polymorph spells has a duration and he can change anything at will during the spell duration.</p><p>The last spell he casts makes a giant net, but ...man, that <i>sure</i> looks like a Web spell to me!</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-72266597931895464942022-01-23T08:52:00.002-08:002022-01-23T08:52:34.961-08:00Mystic Comics #2 - pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBtPjJARudhAWTBZX8_81G9PWyEcWFJGHLIx-VofqE6TQhqP-ZV1kgwoslgabmefJCHfmagZ-Tu_XP80DmPE2XOwUFWQ_GjKD7C00RF0jgJLjaIiomDm201VqXzLmZpCkze68KmaCsD3pVjiZIaZbBvCBFdfXxi_qMaytIydUqR-mPdlnPO2b-AtPi=s277" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="200" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBtPjJARudhAWTBZX8_81G9PWyEcWFJGHLIx-VofqE6TQhqP-ZV1kgwoslgabmefJCHfmagZ-Tu_XP80DmPE2XOwUFWQ_GjKD7C00RF0jgJLjaIiomDm201VqXzLmZpCkze68KmaCsD3pVjiZIaZbBvCBFdfXxi_qMaytIydUqR-mPdlnPO2b-AtPi" width="200" /></a></div>Back to <i>Blue Blaze</i>! A sudden cave-in forces Blue Blaze to break out his higher level Raise powers and we observe blue flashes radiating from his body, flavor text any player can choose, but then has to be consistent with.<p></p><div>There's an odd plot hole where Blue Blaze learns the man who just walked out of the room was the bomber, but instead of just walking through the door and capturing him, BB ignores the man and speeds off to the next mine the bomber had threatened.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second plot hole: Even though Blue Blaze's speedster has unlimited speed, Barko (a terrible name for a villain, by the way) somehow gets ahead of him on the way to the mine. Does Barko have a speedster with even <i>more</i> unlimited speed?</div><div><br /></div><div>Blue Blaze's Raise power might still be active from earlier, allowing him to catch a heavy boulder. If the boulder missed him then he didn't <i>need</i> to lift it, but if it hit, I'm hesitant to let the Raise power thwart it...and yet...I have to admit that the Raise powers are currently of limited utility except when you need to lift something heavy, and that's seldom going to be important during combat. This warrants more thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next Barko shoots out one of BB's car's tires and makes him swerve, but a skill check helps BB regain control. So how does Barko follow that? He sics two dogs on BB. BB chokes the dogs to death. Not cool, BB! </div><div><br /></div><div>Barko has a pair of ice guns that put BB in a block of ice. Hold Person with flavor text? BB is only faking so he can get taken to Barko's hideout, which is sound strategy, or would be if he didn't let Barko leave, just so he can chase him to the next mine. If he really wanted to stop the mine attack, he could have just knocked Barko out sooner. At the mine, BB punches out two thugs working for Barko first before taking out Barko, following the <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b> rules about taking out underlings before you go after the main bad guy (just like in the <b>H&H</b> play-by-post game I'm running now!). </div><div><br /></div><div>The next story is <i>Taxi Taylor and His Wonder Car</i>. It's your typical story of a mechanic who invents a car that can do anything, tries to gift it to the U.S. government, he gets laughed at, out of spite, he keeps the car without even showing them what it does, he becomes a taxi driver with the car that can do anything, until he just happens to overhear spies in his backseat one day. So what is "anything"? It can intercept radio messages, like most radios can. It can transform into a plane, though it isn't the first car-plane in comics. It can also transform into a sub - also not the first car-sub in comics. It can fire "contra-magnetic electric rays" that can neutralize magnetic mines, and now we're finally in new mad science territory. </div><div><br /></div><div>The German spies are called Swastikans, by the way - perhaps the most obvious stand-in for the word Nazi ever in a comic book. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, the wonder car has 6" steel plates all around it, so acetylene torches can't cut through it. That's a difficult game mechanic to rationalize because armor normally only makes something harder to hit, not more resistant to energy attacks. Perhaps this is special steel plating that confers fire resistance.</div><div><br /></div><div>Taylor isn't reluctant to cut air hoses and kill underwater Nazis. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to mad science, the wonder car can emit gas bubbles underwater that cause enormous suction, enough to pull a ship underwater. That is also hard to rationalize with game mechanics. Maybe some kind of wrecking things? </div><div><br /></div><div>The wonder car has a collapsible ladder that can project out of the top of the car. There is a belt and rope attached to a winch that will automatically reel back in in two minutes. There is a trampoline-like net that pops out of a hatch in the top of the car, and I don't even know how Taylor activated that before falling towards the car. The car also has two revolving chemical water jets for putting out fires. Taylor even has a fireman's hat in his car, just in case he has to put out fires. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is a nice trap in the spies' HQ. When the wall safe is touched, electricity causes one's hand to be stuck to it. Raising the stakes of the trap is that the building is on fire and a temperature-sensitive bomb (controlled by a thermometer) is rigged to go off nearby. Taylor takes maybe 2-7 damage from being pulled away from the electrified safe, but is still only lightly injured. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next up is <i>The Invisible Man Known As Dr. Gade</i>. When I first read this story a few years ago I graded it with an A. Will it hold up as well this time?</div><div><br /></div><div>In his origin story, Gade is working in front of an open furnace in his lab when an assassin comes up behind him and pushes him in. Now I'm interested in giving assassins a backstab ability so they can increase their damage from behind, but then transfer those points of damage into pushing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Soaked in chemicals he was pushed into, and then set on fire, the strange reactions transform him into a ...magic-user? Because what he demonstrates when he comes out is is Invisibility and Resist Fire. Well, not normal Invisibility, because Gade is still invisible after punching and grappling, so it must be Improved Invisibility. </div><div><br /></div><div>Gade is not a live and let live kind of guy. Just for trying to kill him, Gade knocks the thug/assassin from earlier out a 40th floor window. As the two guys who hired the assassin wait to shoot Gade once he becomes visible, he forces one of them to shoot the other by moving the man's hand. That's not something the game mechanics of <b>H&H</b> is really set up for, and I'd be inclined to say that the Editor rolled to hit Gade, but rolled so badly that he accepted the player's suggestion that the bullet hit an unintended target. </div><div><br /></div><div>Although Gade is angry for being initially given his powers, apparently they were only temporary and wouldn't have lasted, so Gade had, between scenes, invented a ray that bathes him with the same energy and renews his powers. For some reason that's not clear to me, he can't turn visible easily on his own, but he's wearing some kind of a belt or harness with a button on it and when he presses it, the device...maybe dampens the energy field that render Gade invisible? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4446448007631797149.post-48369620252688626152022-01-15T21:00:00.001-08:002022-01-15T21:00:10.842-08:00Mystic Comics #2 - pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6OF2ZL5-6elBd_hpLYoCY-p6J3vG_ECDRfwDKZZzQnY7DPOkHJz1tn2blGyQqjh8w0pluVn2HxG_VzWMSfcXVmlvbIzOG-DrsSa38p2t37iiDIbl6DYfOEgjZxtI00QkQDATeofZEcdcnJ0yEjooeFn_h52Oz4k6W_RmaBM4MISqd8dygRWUFMgEG=s277" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="200" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6OF2ZL5-6elBd_hpLYoCY-p6J3vG_ECDRfwDKZZzQnY7DPOkHJz1tn2blGyQqjh8w0pluVn2HxG_VzWMSfcXVmlvbIzOG-DrsSa38p2t37iiDIbl6DYfOEgjZxtI00QkQDATeofZEcdcnJ0yEjooeFn_h52Oz4k6W_RmaBM4MISqd8dygRWUFMgEG" width="200" /></a></div>Let's resume with <i>Dynamic Man</i>, just as DM is surprised by a headblow that knocks him out for 1 whole hour. When he comes to, he's in one of those cliche deathtraps where the spiked walls are closing in on him. Rather than fretting, he simply wrecks his way through the ceiling and escapes. This is a problem I have in <b>Hideouts & Hoodlums</b>, where it is hard to stick superheroes in deathtraps if they can just wreck their way out, but I'm glad that the earliest superhero writers seemed to be grappling with this problem too.<p></p><p>It's important for mobsters to leave clues behind in their desk drawers. I'm amused that the ship they plan to sabotage is called the Batavia, as there's a town near here called that. It's odd, though, that Dr. Vee goes along personally to sabotage the Batavia, but stayed in his hideout when the train was to be sabotaged. Maybe Vee just doesn't like trains?</p><p>One punch from Dynamic Man sends Vee flying off the ship and, it appears, Vee goes sailing pretty far through the air. We're told he survived, but it's hard to imagine an old man being able to take that kind of punishment. To have punched him so far, DM must have been using the power Super Punch power, which means Dynamic Man has access to a 4th level power. </p><p>Lastly, I think it's interesting that DM loses interest once the master criminal is defeated and lets the police mop up the lesser spies.</p><p><i>Space Rangers</i> is set in the year 2300 and it's a future where just about everyone has spacecraft that you can crisscross the solar system in and space rangers dress like 1940 police officers. New elements have been discovered, and "plinium" ore is the "only substitute for radium" -- which is a really unusual thing to say. Has all of the radium in the solar system been used up by 2300? This is a pretty forward thinking sci fi strip if it's thinking about the depletion of natural resources already in 1940. </p><p>Space rangers' ships can travel from Earth to Mercury in two days, and they need to find the space bandit Black Hawk. It's hard to take Black Hawk seriously since he wears pointed shoes and what looks like a bathrobe. </p><p>The rangers, Bob and Nibbs, are overwhelmed by at least 11 bandits, probably more. For some reason, they don't have a weapon more hi-tech than wooden clubs among them (even for missile weapons all they have is wooden clubs!), but that's okay because Bob and Nibbs have lost their guns, somehow, between panels -- but we're reminded twice that they lost them! We're left to imagine what their handguns could do, but the weapons on board the spaceships can paralyze and disintegrate. </p><p>And it's not just weapons that are low tech on Mercury; once they captured Bob and Nibbs, the two rangers are tied up with simple hemp rope. And they don't even tie good knots!</p><p>Moving on to the next feature, that's <i>Blue Blaze</i>, the super hi-tech zombie. When I saw this scenario was about sabotage at an anthracite mine I was expecting something hi-tech, but that's just a fancy word for hard coal. The hi-tech comes in Blue Blaze's new car, a "supercharged speedster capable of unlimited speed." Infinite is awful fast for a Movement rate, though comic book captions are notorious for hyperbole.</p><p>Reaching the mine super fast, almost like he's teleported there (hmm...), Blue Blaze searches the wreckage and his "superior knowledge of science" helps him identify bomb parts, which sounds like a successful Intelligence check to me.<br /></p><p>(Read in <u>Marvel Masterworks: Mystic Comics Vol. 1</u>)</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175512698266614039noreply@blogger.com1