Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1969 – Issue 16 – Grasp of the Black Hand

This story follows Issue 15 (and its B-Story) relatively soon thereafter, but how much time has passed or the exact date is not stated but it is definitely still winter in New York.

Cover: Our team caught in a massive clawed black hand (it is symbolism) with the cityscape in the background  The bottom is emblazoned with “How will our brave teens escape the Grasp of the Black Hand!?”

Opening page:  Three vampire-like creatures and six wolfmen charging out of the panel.  A city street behind them.  “What have our teen heroes gotten themselves into?  Turn the page to find out!”

Queen Magic, A Supervillain of the 1960s

Ron Randall is an experienced comic book artist who I first met back in Portland (OR) at the occasional Portland comic book shows which I used to haunt when I lived in the Pacific Northwest.  He is a skilled artist who has worked across the spectrum of comic books including Justice League International, Star Trek and more.  But he is (perhaps) most well known as the creator of Trekker, the story of Mercy StClair a trekker (a sanctioned bounty hunter) in the future which he is still creating (and you can support via his Patreon).

When I knew him, Randall was consistently willing to pass on his hard won experience in the industry in the form of advice to new artists.  I am glad to know that he is still doing well and creating things that he loves.

He did a piece of art for me, many years ago, of my Shadowrun character Rebel Belle, which is now included with this post.  More recently, he did one of the Empress for me.

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 15, B-Story – Shopping

A B-Story is a short filler story to complete a comic, this is the one in the back of Issue 15 and follows some undisclosed amount of time after that story.

Opening page:  The team in civilian clothes, Roboto thoroughly wrapped up with scarf and hat, wandering through an international Christmas market in New York City as snow falls and there is an additional person with them, Vulpix’ slightly younger cousin!  “How did we get here, turn the page to find out, dear reader.”

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 15 – Double Feature

Sometime after Issue 14, maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months, time is strange in the comics.

Cover:  A man in a tacky suit with a bow tie and a woman in a formal black dress pulling back the curtains on a movie screen showing our heroes scattered and unconscious. “Welcome to your defeat, heroes!” they say in unison.

Opening page:  Vulpix and Shadowfist in considerably fancier clothes than normal in front of a mirror.  “I am not sure if this jive is my scene,” says Shadowfist.  “It’s not mine either but if it keeps my uncle off my back for the next few weeks it is worth it, yes?” replies Vulpix.

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 14 – Part 2: Miami Fright

This is the second half of Issue 14 with our young heroes on the way to Miami . . . by dirigible.

Cover: A Question Mark divides the cover, on one side is Leonard, the airship, being attacked by sky-squids, the other side is a man in a black trenchcoat and broadbrimmed hat with Kirby dots spilling out from under the brim, a blue-skinned woman with gills in her neck wearing a white bikini and a disreputable thuggish man in a monks habit.  Across the bottom is “New Challenges for our Young Heroes!”

Opening page of Part Two:  Leonard high over the Atlantic coast, Vulpix talking on her belt radio, “But Uncle, we are on a case.  I don’t want to go to a stuffy gala.”  The rest of the team stands by.

Superheroes of the 1960s – Hexygon, the Black Cat Kid

Or, in this case, a supervillain, Hexygon, the Black Cat Kid, sidekick to Queen Magic, who is one of the major players in the New York underworld hoping to come out on top in the aftermath of the disappearance of the “Napoleon of Crime”, Mr. Magister.  In my current Masks game, she is mostly going by the name of the Black Cat Kid, and makes an appearance in Issue 4 and leaves a stuffed cat for Shadowfist in Issue 9 (and is very helpful in Issue 11, but not as her usual self).

Hexygon’s powers are enhanced speed and agility paired with bad luck generation (“black cat”) and a collection of throwing hexes, flash, shocks, smoke, and just hard rubber.   She is interested in learning magic but her training in that has just started.

Hexy is positive and upbeat, a very silver age character, just because she is a villain it does not mean she cannot be friendly!  She is happy to taunt and distract people in combat, relying on her acrobatics and the bad luck she imposed on her enemies, but she has no real wish to hurt anyone as long as they are not trying to hurt her or Queen Magic.  As they tend to specialize in thefts, there is no percentage in causing harm or wanton destruction, they just want to get in, get what they need, and get out.

The art is, of course, by the ridiculously talented Karl Kesel and David Hahn back their current Impossible Jones Kickstarter!

Notes:  Hexy was first created for a Necessary Evil campaign where she was lost in time since 1967.  Unfortunately, the Situation of 2020 put that game on infinite hiatus but playing Hexy reawoke my deep love of superheroes and superheroic RPGs and thus lead directly to my Masks – Once Upon a Time in 1967 campaign.

And, yes, really the whole post is just justification for showing off the amazing art of Hexy!

Kickstarter Sunday – Trekker & Impossible Jones

Two writer-artists I highly respect have ongoing comic kickstarters that you should look at and back if they hit your interests.

Firstly, Ron Randall’s TREKKER, is about Mercy St.Clair who is a bounty hunter (a ‘trekker’ in the setting parlance) who has gotten involved in all sorts of trouble including interfering with the plans of a powerful and secretive organization, the Council, who really want her out of the way. In the latest Kickstarter. Trekker: Blood on the Wind, this conflict hits hard. (You can learn more about Trekker here.)

If you like science fiction adventure, this is the sort of thing you are looking for, and Ron Randall’s art is fantastic (check out the Empress he did for me). The campaign ends May 26 so you have time to jump in! Eight stretch goals have already been hit so the physical book is going to look amazing!

Second, as it ends later, is IMPOSSIBLE JONES, by Karl Kesel, about a criminal who gained superpowers and now, maybe, is a superhero, mostly. The story is an unabashedly silver age sort of super world, with light-hearted hijinx and action-packed conflicts between costumed villains and heroes. This kickstarter is for Impossible 2C: Impossible Jones & Polecat Team-Up, it is also fully funded and knocking down stretch goals, the current one for an Even Steven backup story that is currently three-pages long but could stretch to six with additional backers (hin-hint). Even Steven is an amazing character, someone who believes that good will always defeat evil as long as they are playing on an even playing field, so he always matches his foe. Fantastic.

The Imp Kickstarter runs until 2 June come and join in the fun!

Images from the respective Kickstarter pages and used without permission, but I expect they will forgive me.

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 14 – Part 1: Squids and Candy

Picking up directly after Issue 13 with the dirigible Leonard calling for help!

Cover: A Question Mark divides the cover, on one side is Leonard, the airship, being attacked by sky-squids, the other side will be revealed later!  Across the bottom is “New Challenges for our Young Heroes!”

Opening page:  Leonard high over New York being attacked by three sky-squid!  “I am under attack!  I am under attack!” he broadcasts.

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 13 – The Darkness in the Light

 

Picking up directly after Issue 12, with our heroes still on Jaiipuur at the party celebrating their victory over the Gosovians.

Cover: The high spire of Jaaipuur illuminated against a dark background.  Shadowfist and 808 are super imposed in the front of it, Shadowfist’s hands on 808’s shoulders, “Your perfect wold is a lie!” she says.  808 looks shocked.   Across the bottom, “Will our young heroes survive the revelations within?!”

Opening page:  The high spire (again) with character’s face’s in circles showing where there are:

• 808, top of the Tower “Blithely enjoying the party in his honor.”
• Horizon, top of the tower, balcony, “Brooding over the damage he may have caused.”
• Roboto, top of the tower, “Not sure where everyone else is.”
• Shadowfist, basement, “Horrifed by what she learned.”
• Vulpix, ???, “Where is Vulpix?”

A Superheroic Theory of Time Travel

Or Time Travel on Earth-H!

The best works of time travel fiction generally have a clear and compelling structure for time travel, perhaps it is:

Linear Time, time moves in a straight line and where changing the past will change the future (such as in Poul Anderson’s Time Patrol stories or, mostly, in the Terminator movies).

Branched Time, where changing the past causes an entire new timeline to appear following the branch, but the events (and timeline) of the original version still exist as the original starting point for the time traveler who changed the past.

Parallel Timelines, infinite or limited, usually this means that travel in “time” is just traveling to a different timeline that seems identical to the past of the person traveling.  With enough Branched Time and you get close to the sme effect.

Immutable Time, the past is fixed, either you cannot change the flow of history or anything you did is alreadt accounted for in your present.  A variant of this is, you change the past but someone/thing steps into that hole and make the the future turn out pretty much the same.  Immutable time can be good for fiction but not much fun for roleplaying games.

There is also what might be termed “Monkey Paw” Time, which has been showing up in time travel stories recently.  Where any change to the past will cause increasingly disaterous alterations to the time traveler’s present (“the darkest timeline”) and further attempts to fix the timeline will just accelerate that downward trend.    Again, good for fiction, not so much for roleplaying games.

So, setting aside those last two, which form of time travel do the comics usually use?