Started working on a new Dark Society novel – this will be # 4 in the series. I have no idea if there’s a market for a modern-day superhero series with strong Bronze Age vibes or not, but I guess we will see, won’t we?
Got the completed cover to the 14th volume of Lazarus Gray from artist Gilbert Monsanto. It’s gorgeous! I hope you’re ready to see Lazarus go toe-to-toe with Fantomas!
Fyre
aka Kelly “Tech” Kane
Prowess 3
Coordination 5
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 3
Willpower 3
Stamina 7
Powers
Fyre can transform herself into an alemental body. In her normal form, reduce all physical attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.
*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Fire) 7 (Extras: Aura, Blast, Flight)
Specialties
Science, Technology (Expert +2 bonus)
Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Bad Luck
*Peacekeeper by nature
Background
The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.
Fyre was the one that most often tried to mediate disagreements among the quartet. Known as “Tech” by her friends, she allegedly was good at repairing and working with technology though we rarely got to see that in practice.
Watr
aka Dennis Swan
Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 3
Stamina 8
Powers
Watr can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.
*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Water) 7 (Extras: Aquatic, Blast, Flight)
Specialties
Science
Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Irrational Attraction to Protecting the Waterways
Background
The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.
Watr travels by riding a spout of water and he frequently reminds people that water can, over time, destroy even the most powerful of foes. He frequently spars with Ayre, whom he thinks is often insensitive.
Ayre
aka Baron Cotter
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 3
Stamina 8
Powers
Ayre can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.
*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Air) 7 (Extras: Blast, Flight)
Specialties
Aerial Combat, Science
Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Egotistical
*Ladies Man
Background
The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.
Ayre is possibly the most unlikeable member of the team – he’s arrogant, makes inappropriate jokes, and considers himself to be a ladies’ man. Baron is the first to call out Urth when he feel that Dwight is taking himself too seriously.
Urth
aka Dwight Godd
Prowess 5
Coordination 3
Strength 8
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 4
Stamina 12
Powers
Urth can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.
*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Earth) 8 (Extras: Damage Resistance, Blast, Flight, Burrowing)
Specialties
Leadership, Science
Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Slowly losing his humanity
*Devoted husband and father
Background
The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.
Urth has a different personality when in his superhero form – he speaks in old-fashioned language (“‘Tis a tragedy that befalls us!”) and seems to be losing his humanity as time passes. He is said to be the most powerful member of the team and often takes the lead in the field.
So I write fast. Back in my fanfiction days (yep, I used to write fanfic), that wasn’t a real problem but now… it sorta is. I mean, I’m usually years ahead of my publisher. Look at this way: I’ve written a novel called Omnium Gatherum, four volumes of Straw-Man stories, and three Dark Society novels… none of which any of you will see for god know’s how long. By the time they see print, they’ll be way in my rear-view mirror and it’s hard to get excited about it… or to feel that I’m doing good things now when nobody but my editor will read them for years.
It’s frustrating.
That’s not even counting when I contribute to anthologies that are never published because other writers never turn in their stories! It almost makes me want to do the self-publishing thing just to get these stories out there.
Dark Angel
aka Shevaun Haldane
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 4
Willpower 7
Stamina 10
Powers
1. Shevaun’s costume is actually part of the Fabric of the Universe. It is bonded to her on a molecular level and may not be removed, however she is able to store it in a pocket dimension and call it to her when needed. The costume has become a part of her and grants her the following powers:
*Flight 8
*Phasing 7
*Telepathy 7 (Extra: Mental Blast)
*Mystic Blasts 8 (Extra: These bolts ignore body armor but not force fields)
*Force Field 7
*Cosmic Awareness 10
*Dimensional Travel 8 (Extra: Thanks to her experience in doing so, she may access the Realm of Dead Superheroes automatically)
*Time Control – Travel 10 (Limit: Tiring)
*Absorption – Magical Energy 7 (Limit: Energy absorbed in this fashion is actually sent through the void which is her costume and arrives in a sub-dimension contained therein. She tries to avoid doing this too often as it can cause harm to the sentient races that live in the sub-dimension)
2. Armor – Comprised of a number of metallic devices which are attached to the Fabric that she wears, the armor provides no additional defensive bonuses. It does, however, help regulate her power flow and prevents her from accidentally using too much energy. Towards the end of the series, Shevaun dispensed with wearing the armor at all, preferring to trust her own instincts when using her powers. Without the armor, all powers gain the Limit: Burnout.
3. Graviton Phase Blaster – Blast 9, Time Control 8 (Can speed up time for a target or slow it down)
4. Gadgets 5
Specialties
Mental Resistance (+1 bonus), Occult – Hi-Tech Mysticism (Expert +2 bonus), Science (+1 bonus), Technology (Expert +2 bonus), Weapons – Guns (+1 bonus)
Qualities
Hunted by Mys-Tech
Earth’s Mistress of Hi-Tech Mysticism
Can call upon the Realm of Dead Superheroes for help
Background
Daughter of Mys-Tech board member Ranulph Haldane, Shevaun found herself orphaned after her father was killed by the demon Mephisto, who had granted Ranulph and the other Mys-Tech board members immortality in exchange for meeting certain quotas with regards to souls sent to Hell. When Ranulph attempted to circumvent this agreement, Mephisto slew the man while Shevaun watched from afar.
As the Chief Researcher for Mys-Tech, and the most accomplished Techno-Wizard on the board, Ranulph made sure that his daughter’s education in the art of Hi-Tech Mysticism was second to none. Though he kept secret from her the details of Mys-Tech’s connections to Shevaun, she felt responsible for the evil her father and his friends committed and swore that she would see Mys-Tech destroyed.
This vow was made possible by the intervention of a being known as Dark Angel, the Angel of Death. This being appeared before Shevaun and donated a fragment of the Fabric of the Universe, which attached itself to her flesh and became her costume. Contact with such a powerful element of the universe opened her mind to new possibilities and granted her enormous cosmic powers. As Hell’s Angel, Shevaun battled the forces of Mys-Tech for many months, gaining tutelage under Prof. Xavier’s X-Men and forming a close friendship with Betsy Braddock. She frequently adventured alongside a Guide from the spirit realm at this time and spent a good deal going to and from the Realm of Dead Superheroes where she sometimes gained aid.
Eventually, Shevaun came to the conclusion that Dark Angel had manipulated her and not told her certain details of her powers intentionally. As a result, she abandoned the name he had given her (Hell’s Angel) and chose Dark Angel instead. Why she’d choose the Angel of Death’s name as her own when she was, in fact, angry at the being is open to debate – the real life explanation, however is a bit easier to understand: Marvel Comics was threatened with a lawsuit from the Hell’s Angels motorcycle organization and they elected to simply rename Shevaun.
Regardless, Shevaun aided several other heroes in defeating Mys-Tech during the so-called Mys-Tech Wars and then proceeded to aid Death’s Head II in repelling the destruction of Earth. She still lives in her father’s castle in Darkmoor, England and continues to protect the Earth from threats both magical and technological.
Blackwing
aka Charley Bullock
Prowess 5
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 4
Stamina 8
Powers
*Costume – Damage Resistance 2, Gliding 4
*Utility Belt – Gadgets 3
Specialties
Aerial Combat (+1 bonus), Athletics (+1 bonus), Investigation (+1 bonus), Law (Expert +2 bonus), Martial Arts (Expert +2 bonus), Stealth (+1 bonus), Technology (+1 bonus)
Qualities
*Wants to inspire others
*Trained by Wildcat
Background
This DC Comics character appeared in 1981, and was seen but briefly. He existed on Earth-Two.This means that in his world, Batman had been a Golden Age hero who had since grown old and retired. His daughter the Huntress (Helena Wayne) had succeeded Bruce as a vigilante.
This continuity ceased to exist with the Crisis on Infinite Earths but it could be intriguing to have another version of Blackwing exist somewhere in the multiverse.
Charley Bullock grew up as a kid on the streets of Gotham City. He was searching for a direction in life in a city where the Batman was seemingly everywhere. During his teenage years, he met Ted “Wildcat” Grant, and the two subdued some local troublemakers.
Ted, as is usual for him, invited Charley to join him at his new gym, and became his unofficial mentor. This, along with growing up watching the exploits of Gotham’s premier crime fighter in his early years, greatly impressed young Charley.
These influences gave Charley’s life a purpose : helping the less fortunate. The clincher came when Charley defended a local store owner from some extorting thugs. When the owner asked Charley what could be done, particularly without Batman, it all clicked for the young man.
Attending law school, he was soon accepted as a junior partner (and top-notch researcher) to the law firm of Cranston, Grayson and Wayne. Here, he met Helena Wayne and, soon, would come into contact with the Huntress.
When the criminal named Karnage broke into the office, looking for Charley’s boss Arthur Cranston, this motivated him to pursue even loftier goals. When a shopkeeper that Charley knew was attacked by gang members of the crime boss named the Boa, Charley proceeded to make a costume and a whole new life as the costumed crusader known as Blackwing.
Unfortunately, his first (and only recorded) case proved unsuccessful. One thug ripped his glider harness with his belt and Bullock was taken captive by the Boa’s gang. However, he later freed the Huntress from the deadly embrace of one of Boa’s snakes, and had the presence of mind to record evidence that could be used against the Boa and his men.
Welcome back. In my last post I took a look at the Justice Society of America miniseries published by DC Comics in 1991. That limited series was …
It Came from the 1990s: Justice Society of America part two
Frankenstein’s Monster was, of course first seen in Mary Shelley’s classic. In the Reese Unlimited universe, he ended up frozen, entering a state of suspended animation. He remained in this state from the 18th century until 1943, when he was revived by the villainous Doctor Satan. Satan promised to heal the monster’s scarred visage but he actually used him to locate a hidden land called Vorium. In my universe, he was described as, “…nearly eight feet tall, with translucent yellow skin that barely hid the veins and muscles underneath. The stranger had watery, glowing eyes, flowing black hair, dark-tinged lips and white teeth. Birthed quite literally from death itself, the sorrowful monster had no name other than ‘the Creature.’”
After being betrayed by Satan, the creature ended up meeting Max Davies, the Peregrine. They agreed to work alongside one another to prevent Satan from stealing Vorium’s power sources. After they succeeded at this, the creature decided to adopt the name Vincent for himself.
In 1944, the Peregrine organized a strike force composed of Revenant, Frankenstein’s Monster, Catalyst and Esper. The group was known as The Claws of the Peregrine and they took part in two notable adventures in this year: a battle against the diabolical Mr. Dee and then later against an alliance between Doctor Satan and the Warlike Manchu.
In 1946, a pair of villains named Samuel Garibaldi [aka Rainman] and Dr. Gottlieb Hochmuller united — the Claws of the Peregrine teamed up with several other heroes to put a stop to them.
After this adventure, we don’t know what became of Vincent… not until he made a brief appearance in 2024! At that point, the sensitive giant was seen alongside Nature Boy, Nature Girl, Jennifer Black, the Peregrine, and Fear Devil in helping to rescue a catpured Dark Society. Will we eventually discover what happened in the missing 80 years, between 1946 and 2024? And what happens after that? Will he end up becoming a Dark Society member?
Only time will tell.
Our header image is by George Sellas. The one at the bottom is by Will Meugniot.
Barry Reese - Writer of Badass heroes 