Punk Mambo (Icons Writeup)

Punk Mambo
aka Victoria Greaves-Trott

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Willpower 8

Stamina 12

Powers
*Voodoo Magic 7 (Punk Mambo has mastered the following spells and may use them without the Performance Limit: Astral Projection, Blast, and Illusion)
*Immortality 1
*Ghost Lantern – Binding 7 (Limit: Only works on spirits and demons)
*Gris-gris – Magic Resistance 6
*Ring of Solomon – Dimensional Travel 10 (Limit: Only allows Punk Mambo to travel to and from a pocket dimension located within the ring. She may use it in conjunction with the Ghost Lantern to bind spirits and then dispatch them into the Ring)
*Various voodoo talismans and trinkets – Gadgets 5
*Punk Mambo can summon, control, and ride the Loa Ayezan, granting her the following powers and abilities while utilizing the Loa:

• Dimensional Travel 7 (Limit: Deadside Only)
• Flight 5
• Force Field 8
• Servant 6

Specialties
Investigation, Mental Resistance, Occult – Master (+3 bonus)

Qualities
*Rude, Crude, & Socially Unacceptable
*Mystical Mercenary
*Voodoo Priestess

Background

Victoria Greaves-Trott is a Mohawk-sporting, voodoo priestess. Dwelling in the Bayou outside New Orleans, Punk Mambo helps the wayward, troubled, and damned remedy what afflicts them for a price.

As a teenager in 1970s London, young punk rocker Victoria was abducted by Houngan, a lecherous voodoo priest. Much older than his youthful appearance suggested, the houngan- then operative under the name Joe Mayhem- collected Victoria and other young souls like her, forcing them into debauched rites and practices that fueled his immortality. Victoria observed Joe’s rites closely, and on breaking free, used their power for herself. Years later she would return to London to exact her revenge on Joe Mayhem and so-called friends who had placed her in his power. Ever the rebel, Punk Mambo left Mayhem humiliated, but alive.

It was Punk Mambo who Jack Boniface turned to when he was trying to rid himself of the loa that gave him his powers of Shadowman. And when MI-6 needed an occult expert to guide a team into the Deadside, they naturally turned to the most mystically accomplished British national they could find. When this team went missing, Punk Mambo would enter the Deadside side-by-side with Ninjak to retrieve them. There, the two of them faced a Shadowman slaved to the will of the villainous necromancer Master Darque. Ninjak and Punk Mambo subdued Shadowman and returned the lost team and the fallen hero into the hands of MI-6. Since then, she has worked alongside other heroes such as Doctor Mirage, though she hates being drawn into world-saving adventures, preferring to operate on a more personal level.

The Jaguar – New Crusaders (Icons Writeup)

The Jaguar
aka Ivette “Ivy” Velez

Prowess 6
Coordination 6
Strength 6
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina 10

Powers
All of Jaguar’s powers stem from the Helmet of Ai Apaec. Without it, her Prowess, Coordination, and Strength are all reduced to 3, and her Stamina is reduced to 7.
*Claws – Strike (Slashing) 6
*Enhanced Senses 2 – Hearing, Smell
*Damage Resistance 4

Specialties
Science – Zoology, Stealth

Qualities
*”Glorious battles” for Ai Apaec!
*Legacy hero
*Split personality

Background

When zoologist Ralph Hardy discovered the Belt of Varigon, which granted him the powers that made him the heroic Jaguar, he initially thought the mystic totem was unique. But in time he learned it was just one piece to a set of armor, one of a number of Jaguar Artifacts, each representing a unique power… a living force allowing the wearer to channel the abilities of what some ancient civilizations dubbed as “gods”. Of these he also recovered the Helmet of Ai Apaec. He kept his work searching for mystic artifacts a secret, known to most as only Dr. Ralph Hardy, zoologist. It was in that role that he came to know young Ivette “Ivy” Velez.

Ivette had a hard childhood, with both her parents dying while she was still an infant. Growing up in an orphanage, Ivette became extremely shy and timid, but also gained a great love for zoology. After earning a job at the zoo in the city of Red Circle, she formed a close bond with her supervisor, Ralph Hardy, who took her under his wing as her mentor. Despite her shy nature, Ivette longed to make new friends, and accompanied Hardy to a reunion of his old friends – actually his old superhero friends. When the Brain Emperor attacked the reunion of the original Mighty Crusaders, Ralph was apparently killed, but Ivette was saved by her mentor’s old teammate The Shield, as were the five other teenagers that had been at the party. From this old hero Ivette learned the truth about her mentor, and learned that Ralph had left the Helmet of Al Apaec to her in his will, entrusting the Jaguar legacy to her.

Upon donning the helmet, however, Ivette’s consciousness was mystically projected into the realm ruled by the fearsome, bloodthirsty, and powerful Jaguar-god Ai Alpaec. As the embodiment of battle and carnage, Al Alpaec had nothing but contempt for Hardy, the god Varigon, and most of all Ivette, who he terrified into fleeing his domain, screaming insults at her so loud his entire firey world shook. Inspired by watching her new friends overcome their own fears, however, Ivette confronted Ai Apaec once more, standing up to his taunts and promising the god that if he empowered her he would have the “glorious battles” he craved. Seeing that she might have some use to him, Ai Apaec bestowed Ivette with his power. Ivette became the new Jaguar, and joined the New Crusaders.

Ai Apaec’s power did not come without a price, however, and Ivette soon realized that he had not just lent her his power, he had filled the normally-meek girl with his dangerous thirst for battle and carnage as well.

The Shield – New Crusaders Era (Icons Writeup)

The Shield
aka Joe Higgins

Prowess 6
Coordination 5
Strength 6
Intellect 5
Awareness 5
Willpower 6

Stamina 12

Powers
*Leaping 2 (Limit: This ability is boosted by his suit, which is specially formulated to work with his altered metabolism. Without the suit, Joe’s Leaping is 1. If anyone else wears the suit, they only have Leaping of 1 since it won’t work with their metabolism as well).
*Damage Resistance 6 (Limit: This ability is boosted by his suit, which is specially formulated to work with his altered metabolism. Without the suit, Joe’s Damage Resistance is 4. If anyone else wears the suit, they only have damage resistance of 2 since it won’t work with their metabolism as well).
*Super Senses – Enhanced Vision 3

Note: During his prime, The Shield had Strength 7 and Stamina 13

Specialties
Athletics (Expert +2 bonus), Investigation (+1 bonus), Leadership (Expert +2 bonus), Martial Arts (Expert +2 bonus), Mental Resistance (+1 bonus), Military (Expert +2 bonus), Science (+1 bonus), Wrestling (+1 bonus)

Qualities
*Get off my lawn!
*America’s First Patriotic Hero
*“Don’t let up!”

Background

Joe was the son of Thomas Higgins, a government biochemist and member of the Burning Hand – a secret society formed to protect America. Thomas was attempting to recreate the powers of the legendary Shield (a hero known throughout the centuries as a defender of America and embodied in the current day by Victoria Adams) when he was killed by Axis-allied spies.

Joe completed his father’s research and applied it to himself, becoming the Shield. After WWII he became an F.B.I. investigator, using his intel and super-powers to combat organized crime.

At one time, the Shield was frozen in suspended animation due to the Eraser’s “Ion Weapon.” His son, Bill Higgins, found a spare uniform and continued his father’s legacy, though without his dad’s full range of abilities. Bill fought alongside the Mighty Crusaders as a hero, but his civilian life was difficult, as he would often shuffle from job to job, and never felt worthy of following in his father’s footsteps.

When Bill finally asked for help to “cure” his father’s condition, the Comet used his “Altroxian Science” to reverse the Ion Weapon’s effects, and the original Shield came back to life. With his father in action again, Bill retired his Shield identity and joined the Armed Forces. Joe joined the Crusaders at this time – many people assume that the Joe Higgins and Bill Higgins Shields were the same person but it was in fact Bill that helped found the Crusaders and his father joined later.

After many years passed, the Brain Emperor reappeared, having gained power over the mysterious Blue Ribbon. With his new powers the Brain Emperor ambushed his old foes (now retired and raising families) at a reunion, using his new powers to apparently kill Fly-Girl, Comet, Fireball, The Web, Pow-Girl, Jaguar, and Steel Sterling. Joe Higgins, however, succeeded in saving the children of Steel Sterling, Fly-Girl, Comet, Pow-Girl, as well as Fireball’s nephew, and Jaguar’s protege. Joe followed his agreement with his old friends, becoming The Shield once more to protect their young. Following protocols set up by the Crusaders earlier to give the teens the abilities they would need to protect themselves, Joe gave Alex Tyler, Greg Dickering, and Johnny Sterling treatments to give them the powers of the original Fireball, Comet, and Steel Sterling. Kelly Brand received weapons and gear replicating the powers her mother had possessed as Fly-Girl, Ivette Velez was given a powerful mystic artifact that had been found by the original Jaguar, while Wyatt Raymond received a super-suit based on The Shield’s own, enabling the young boy to become a new Web. Joe clearly struggled with dealing with his young charges, however, unused to interacting with teenagers. Nonetheless the youngsters decided to allow him to mentor them as they followed in their elders’ footsteps, becoming the New Crusaders and swearing to bring the Brain Emperor to justice.

In the final battle with his long-time nemesis, the elite assassin Eraser, Shield was severely and irrevocably injured. With the return of the Shield (Victoria Adams) that first inspired his father’s work, Joe opted to finally step down from command and lead the M.L.J. He currently operates from behind a desk, offering counsel to Victoria and the rest of the team as needed. This writeup is based upon The Shield as he was when leading the New Crusaders, before his injuries sidelined him for good.

Jaguar – Original (Icons Writeup)

Jaguar
aka Ralph Hardy

Prowess 5
Coordination 6
Strength 8
Intellect 6
Awareness 6
Willpower 5

Stamina 13

Powers
All powers can only be used while wearing the Jaguar belt (aka the Belt of Varigon) and after saying the word, “Jaguar.”
*Aquatic 8 (Limit: While underwater, Coordination is raised to 8 but his Strength is unaffected)
*Burrowing 8
*Flight – Rocket Jets 8 (Extra: Spaceflight)
*Life Support 4 (breathing, cold, pressure, and vacuum)
*Damage Resistance 7 (Limit: Halved against electrical attacks; Limit: A trick shot that targets his eyes can bypass Damage Resistance entirely)
*Telepathy 8 (Limit: animals only)

Note: Without the belt, Ralph’s stats are reduced to: Prowess 3, Coordination 3, Strength 3, Intellect 6, Awareness 4, Willpower 5, Stamina 8

Specialties
Aerial Combat, Scholar – Peru (Expert +2 bonus), Science – Zoology (Expert +2 bonus), Underwater Combat

Qualities
*Servant of the Primal Powers
*Member of the Crusaders and the Terrific Three
*Goody Two Shoes Hero

Background

While fleeing from a giant dinosaur released by an earthquake in Peru, Hardy entered an ancient Quechua temple. There he found a jaguar-skin belt. He would later learn that it was made by one of the great Primal Powers, gods who ruled the animals of Earth before the coming of humankind. In time, he would learn that this was the Belt of Varigon.

An inscription on the reverse side of its flying jaguar buckle read, “To be transformed into a human jaguar with supreme power over animals everywhere in the universe, the wearer need only say ‘The Jaguar’.”

Donning the girdle, Hardy uttered the magic words, became the Jaguar, defeated the dinosaur, and said his own name to turn back into Hardy. Thereafter Jaguar went on to become one of the premiere heroes of his world – in fact, during the Silver Age, he was pretty much the Superman of the Mighty Crusaders’ universe.

While wearing the Jaguar Belt and uttering the word “Jaguar”, not only can Hardy communicate telepathically with animals, but he:

• Becomes as tough as “a rhinoceros’ hide intensified a thousand times”.
• Has “the strength of a million elephants”.
• Has the battering power of “thousands of buffalo”.
• Can endure cold like “a hundred polar bears in one”.
• And has “a thousand times the swimming skill of the otter”.

Samuree (Icons Writeup)

Samuree
aka Darryl Sheppard

Prowess 6
Coordination 6
Strength 5/6
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina 9/10

Powers
*Sword – Strike 4
*Sai – Strike 4
*Ability Boost – Increases Strength to 6 (Limit: Uncontrollable, berzerker rage)
*Trance State 5 (Extras: Regeneration, Life Support – Heat, Cold, Hunger; Limit: Concentration)
*Ropes – Swinging 3, Binding 3
*Gadgets – 3

Specialties
Athletics (Expert +2), Martial Arts (Expert +2), Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Weapons – Edged (Expert +2), Wrestling

Qualities
*Member of the Revengers
*Mistress of the Martial Arts
*Sense of Honor

Background

Darryl Sheppard was only a young child when the U.S. Air Force transport plane she was on crashed down on a small island to the north of Japan, leaving her the sole survivor. The locals took the youth in, and raised her as a member of their community, complete with their devotion to the martial arts. Samuree was trained in a broad array of Eastern martial arts (her adoptive island was a centuries-old polyglot of martial artists and warrior cultures) and is one of the deadliest martial artists on Earth. Then her adoptive home island was invaded by a corporation with US military ties who proceeded to perform hideous experiments on the islanders they did not immediately execute for fighting back. The experiments conducted on her as a child included super-steroids to induce greatly-enhanced musculature.

Eventually she was found and adopted by a U.S. Air Force Captain, Gideon Pierce. She grew up to be a strong willed woman with a desire to do right, and when terrorists took control of New York’s Museum of Natural History, she teamed up with the Revengers (Megalith, Armor, and SilverStreak) to stop them.

Baron Karza (Icons Writeup)

Baron Karza
aka Hraal Karza

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 7
Intellect 7
Awareness 5
Willpower 6

Stamina 13

Powers
*Battle Armor: The Baron wears modular battle armor that provides him with several potent abilities. Among the powers it grants him are – Energy Blasts 7, Damage Resistance 6, Interface 6, Life Support 10, Gadgets 5. Without the armor, Karza’s Strength is reduced to 5 and his stamina drops to 11.
*The Body Banks: The Baron has invented a procedure that allows the harvesting of body parts for the citizens of Homeworld, granting them virtual immortality by changing out damaged or missing body parts. His Dog Soldiers make frequent use of the Banks to repair damaged parts and the Baron himself gains Immortality 2 due to his access to the Body Banks.
*Centauroid Transformation: The Baron can use the Body Banks to merge with his steed, becoming a powerful centaur. In this form, he has the following abilities – Prowess 5, Coordination 4, Strength 6, Stamina 12; Energy Blasts 8, Force Field 8.

Specialties
Leadership, Military (Expert +2), Science – Biophysics; Genetics (Master +3), Weapons – Battle Armor (Expert +2)

Qualities
*Undying evil
*Craves ultimate power
*Arcturus Rann, my former pupil…

Background

1000 years ago, Baron Karza was the head scientist of the royal academy of Homeworld in the Microverse. He was one of the first instructors of Prince Arcturus Rann, and helped him prepare for his 1000 year mission to explore The Microverse. In the intervening years while Rann was away on his mission, Karza killed Rann’s parents King Dallan and Queen Sepsis, and used his super advanced technology to completely subjugate Homeworld and a good portion of the Microverse. Karza’s creation of the Body Banks allowed him to harvest limbs and organs, recycling corpses and living beings alike to extend the lifespan of anyone who was willing to pay. He created a military force of Dog Soldiers to enforce his will and to help maintain order within his empire. Over the years Karza has proven himself a master strategist, and a source of pure unadulterated evil that has a nasty habit of turning up again just after it seems everything is recovered from his last resurrection.

New Straw-Man Review

Longtime reader therealtony posted a new review of The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume 14 on Amazon. He gave the book 5 stars and titled his review hero? maybe… interesting character? totally!

Here’s his review:

Another interesting character from the mind of Barry Reese!
The Straw-Man reminds me of those great 1970’s Marvel horror comics, action, drama and super natural action…read this book!

Thanks, Tony! You really nailed my inspirations with your reference to the Seventies Marvel horror — I wanted to recapture that feeling of a hero caught between worlds and with multiple threats all around him. Glad it worked for you!

Marionette (Icons Writeup)

Marionette
aka Mari

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 3
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 7

Powers
*Laser Pistol – Blast 4
*Sword – Strike 4
*Glider-Pack – Flight 2
*Immortality (Slowed Aging Only) – 1

Specialties
Athletics, Leadership, Martial Artist, Pilot, Weapons – Guns, Weapons – Edged Weapons (Expert +2)

Qualities
*Princess and Rebel
*Well-versed in royal protocol and interplanetary xeno-diplomacy
*They came from inner space!

Background

Princess Mari of Homeworld, along with her brother, Prince Argon, were the only survivors of the slaughtered figurehead royal family just before Rann’s return. They had the hapless job of initiating a rebellion against Baron Karza. Argon, who became Force Commander after his alteration in Karza’s Body Banks, eventually died after being the temporary host for a resurrected Karza. Marionette called the Micronauts family and Commander Rann her love. She served as nominal leader of the Micronauts during a brief, trying period when a demoralized Commander Rann removed himself from active duty following a major defeat. Strong-willed and independent while still warm and generous, she showed no mercy to those who willingly served Karza’s evil. But she would risk her life to persuade any who serve Karza because they saw no other hope that there was an alternative. Her hand of friendship brought one of Karza’s former creatures, Huntarr, into the fold.

Bug (Icons Writeup)

Bug
Real Name Unknown

Prowess 4
Coordination 6
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 6

Powers
*Wall-Crawling 5
*Danger Sense 5
*Leaping 2
*Rocket Lance – Material 4, Blast 4, Flight 1 (Bug can ‘fly’ by holding onto the Lance and projecting a continuous plasma burst out of the back end)
*Glider-Pack – Flight 2

Specialties
Athletics (Expert +2), Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Weapons – Guns, Weapon – Rocket Lance (Expert +2)

Qualities
*Whoopee! We’re a –tik– team again! There ain’t –tik– no way Karza can –tik– stop us now!
*Guardian of the Galaxy
*They came from inner space!
*Water?! –tik– Yuck!

Background

Bug is an Insectivorid master thief and adventurer from the planet Kaliklak in the Microverse (a.k.a. Inner Space), a “sub-atomic” realm actually accessed via the energies of shrinking. Known as a humorous, lighthearted flirt, he is also a charismatic leader and adept warrior. Bug was raised on Kaliklak during the tyranny of the near-immortal evil Baron, and he trained under a master thief. He eventually rose to lead a gang of rebels, running raids against Baron Karza’s forces, before joining forces with the Micronauts. He formed a close friendship with Acroyear despite their vastly different personalities and was romantically involved with Marionette for a time. Bug later escaped the Microverse and served as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy before returning to the Micronauts (also known as the Microns in current Marvel continuity).

Note: Bug’s speech is interspersed with a “tik” sound due to an Insectivorid’s chitinous membrane in the throat. Bug also has an aversion to water.

Commander Rann (Icons Writeup)

Arcturus Rann
aka Space-Glider aka Captain Universe

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 5
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 5

Stamina 10

Powers
*Telepathy 2
*Pressure Suit – Resistance (hostile environments) 4
*Glider-Pack – Flight 2
*Laser Pistol – Blast 4

Enigma Force – Rann is the vessel for the Enigma Force, a cosmic power from the microverse which creates Captain Universe. When empowered by the Enigma Force, Rann has the following abilities: Cosmic Power 9 (Extras: Blast, Flight, Force Field, Telepathy, Cosmic Awareness)

Specialties
Aerial Combat (Expert +2), Athletics, Leadership (Expert +2), Martial Arts, Military (Expert +2), Pilot, Science (Physics), Stealth, Weapons – Guns (Expert +2)

Qualities
*Human vessel for the Enigma Force
*Time-lost hero
*They came from inner space!

Background

Commander Arcturus Rann is a Micronaut who went aboard the HMS Endeavor on a 1,000-year journey throughout the Microverse in search of alien life. When he returned, he found that the alien life he had discovered had also been discovered with warp technology while he was gone and had already come to and populated Homeworld. Upon his return, he was captured by Baron Karza and thrown in the Body Banks. There, he befriended Acroyear and Bug, and with the aid of the Time Traveler, escaped along with his companion Biotron, Princess Mari and Microtron. His parents are Homeworld’s deities Dallan and Sepsis.

“One of the first of the space-gliding Micronauts–adventurer/explorers dispatched in suspended animation 1,000 years ago to the farthest reaches of the Microverse–Rann has returned to a Homeworld vastly changed from that which he knew! Yet he has spent ten centuries telepathically probing the unknown and never much cared for the predictable, anyway!”

–Micronauts, Vol. 1, No. 1