Like a lot of young comic fans, I created my own comics as a kid. I had a whole bunch - Alastor the Avenger (who I spoke briefly on in my STF 1000th Issue Spectacular) was my main guy, but I created some other heroes and villains for him to interact with (when I wasn't teaming him with a real DC or Marvel hero). There was The Lynx, The Gimmick, Clay, Sonic Man and... Machine Man! I was surprised to find out a few years later that there was a real hero going by that name - with similar abilities to the ones I came up with. My guy was more of a Cliff Steel Robotman type. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
"The Gimmick" is a cool moniker. I'm curious to hear more. I'm getting this Question/Rohrschach vibe.....
ReplyDeleteThe Gimmick was an young African American hero (sort of modeled after Mal Duncan) who was basically a male version of the golden age character Merry, The Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks. His costume was one big utility belt, with a gadget for just about any situation.
ReplyDeleteYes-yes-YES!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ross, for finally giving me _any_ kind of Magnus team-up, here. I've always fantasized him going up against, say, Iron Man 2020. But, this depiction will more than suffice in lieu thereof.
Thanks, again! :-)
As a kid I created a character named Crossfire, he flew around and had a fire blast power, and had buddies like Arrowhead (a blatant rip-off of green arrow) and the agents of C.H.E.S.S. with names like White Bishop and Black Rook and together they fought the alien Damodred invasion of Earth.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - click on the Magnus label and you will find a bunch of other team-ups featuring him... and he will return!
ReplyDeleteI had Oz-Wonderland Wars in my D&D game years before Captain Carrot did the same.
ReplyDeleteCreating a character only to find it's been used by the big companies is no novelty for me, it's happened dozens of times (I have actually created over a thousand characters, some cool, others totally putrid.) like "Mant."I usually touch them up as I find out to avoid any litigation but sometimes I just drop the character completely. Still frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI've had a few namesakes show up, though generally with somewhat different abilities. Two of the most notable (with links to their pictures on my Facebook page; anyone who can't see them but wants to should just say so and I'll post another way):
ReplyDeleteMental Man is a man with an array of psychic powers including telekinesis (which he uses to fly) and telepathy. He was a fun character because he's a happy-go-lucky sort who talks like a surfer (despite hailing from San Antonio). I found out through an internet search that the name Mental Man was once used by Aquaman when he had to disguise himself.
The Night Watchman had to become Shadow Watcher after I learned about Big Bang Comics' Knight Watchman, a Batman riff who once teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Shadow Watcher is a super-brilliant gadgeteer whose only superpower other than his intellect is his super-acute senses.
Oh, to add a note: It's interesting that this cover should come up today. I was just pondering on the recent comments about Ultron and Brainiac, and someone's suggestion that those two could team up in a bid to destroy humanity. Then I thought about Mechanon, a Champions villain who is roughly the same thing (I think he was even designed as a riff on Ultron). Toss in the Terminators, and... at least one more. Then I did a bit of research and learned that Fred Saberhagen's Berserker novels are getting ready to launch in comics.
ReplyDelete(I considered the Cybermen from Doctor Who, but they're actually part organic, and seek to convert everyone else rather than destroy them.)
Keep an eye on that Berserker comic, Ross; I think there's a lot of potential in it for team-ups.
Oh, yeah. When tabletop role-playing games were still fairly new, two of my Villains & Vigilantes characters were a chess-themed hero named Checkmate (about 8 years before the DC organization of the same name) and the Cryonic Man (later used as the name of a villain in Batman and the Outsiders).
ReplyDeleteThis is majorly nostalgic, as I certainly did create my share of heroes for some very crudely composed "comic books" (drawn in loose leaf notebooks) during my very young days :-) I remember creating a team that consisted of a variety of characters from all over the place, including Stretch Armstrong, based on a very popular toy during that era. The opposing villain team I created his arch-nemesis Stretch Monster amongst its members, of course.
ReplyDeleteThis does remind me, Russ... I'm hoping heroes and villains culled entirely from the realm of toys aren't off-limits for STF! I'm dying to see you find the inspiration to team Stretch Armstrong with Plastic Man or Elongated Man. And maybe even spotlight his monstrous nemeses Stretch Monster and Stretch X-Ray (someone else here has gotta remember them too!). I always remembered thinking what a shame it was during the comic book licensing craze of the mid-'70s and early '80s that Marvel never bought the rights to publish a Stretch Armstrong comic. I doubt it would have been a big hit like MICRONAUTS, THE TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, or ROM, but it sure would have been memorable!
Toys are tough unless they had comic tie ins because usable images can be tough to find.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable comment sections yet! I love hearing about everyone's childhood creations!
As an NPC for a 'Champions' campaign that I ran back in the early 1980s, an established hero from whom the PCs could potentially receive aid, I created a flying Batman-like character named Night-Owl...
ReplyDelete(This is my first comment to this site: Enjoying it greatly...)
By the way, my collection actually includes a copy of 'Magnus Robot- Fighter' #1, from the 1960w, although unfortunately it's in a rather battered condition.
Ah man I used to love playing Villains and Vigilantes. Champions was ok too, but they were both lots more fun than either the dc or marvel role-playing games. There was something very satisfying about making your own heroes and creating a unique world which was still slightly familiar.
ReplyDeleteMy childhood "originals" were Captain Colossal (a hybrid analog of Superman and Capt. America); Capt. Elevator (a male analog of the Doom Patrol's Elasti-Girl); and Night Hawk (think Batman meets Hawkman and Green Lantern)!*
ReplyDelete*The latter was my personal favorite, as he was a crime-fighting anthropomorphic whippoorwill from outer space...with an underground base beneath Goat Island, Niagara Falls!
I just remembered another one. Back in the 1970s, I created a villain named Parallax. Other than the name, though, he had nothing in common with the DC character. I had learned the word in science class, and used it literally. My Parallax could distort his opponent's vision to make himself appear closer or farther away than he actually was, making it almost impossible to hit him in a fight.
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