Consolidated Legion of the International Champions of Earth

[Sentinel]

The ones you started with are great.

While I don't have him fully formed, I give you the ground work for Donald "Dash" Jonston, a USMC pilot who was exposed to some "strange stuff" while flying missions in Asia (pick a conflict).
He discovered the ability to run at super-sonic speeds, and to generate hurricane force whirlwinds and mini tornadoes.
That translates as Experiment (Accidental Exposure) with the powers of Sonic Speed, Spiral/Vortex, and the minor powers of Lightning Reflexes, Heightened Sense of Awareness, and EXT PE.

[Marrowlight]

Hmm. Going to have to pull out some of my notes for "Cheese Unlimited" I see.

[Sentinel]

The ones you started with are great.

While I don't have him fully formed, I give you the ground work for Donald "Dash" Jonston, a USMC pilot who was exposed to some "strange stuff" while flying missions in Asia (pick a conflict).
He discovered the ability to run at super-sonic speeds, and to generate hurricane force whirlwinds and mini tornadoes.
That translates as Experiment (Accidental Exposure) with the powers of Sonic Speed, Spiral/Vortex, and the minor powers of Lightning Reflexes, Heightened Sense of Awareness, and EXT PE.

DOH! A speedster! I KNEW there was one missing!

I also need an alien being (last of his kind, of course) and a plucky young hero-in-training (thinking of making him a stage magician).

No, make him a Minor Hero-Mutant, with out of control powers.
He tries hard, and his heart is in the right place, but he just keeps screwing up.

Also, don't forget the Wozzy Winks type.

[Juankis]

Don't forget the guy whose powers are a joke 90% of the time

[Sentinel]

Do we have a race car driver?

Big Game Hunter?

Astronaut?

Former Street Gang Leader?

Ex-Commando?

[Sir_Spirit]

Also needed is the spell-caster who knows/uses a lot of gibberish baby talk - I mean, um, "lost ancient languages". The one who either studied in a remote monastery or was bestowed with magical knowledge by finding an artifact in an archeological dig.

Oh, and the telepath who has a host of psionic powers but mainly has to be careful about constantly shutting out the crushing weight of people's thoughts all around them all the time.

da Nerdbane

Hrmm...I think I'm aiming for an older genre, before the psionic powers became a big deal. Definitely a magic-user....but I want to combine some concepts to keep the levels down.

Someone who can say things like "Great Thoth! Even the Tentacles of Lichtalon can't hold the beast for long!"

Doctor Arcane?
The archmage of earth?
Inherited his position from a monk in a tibetan monastery he was visiting as a tourist?
(Ya gatta have a guy get his powers from a monk in a tibetan monastery!)

OOOH! you could have Doctor Arcane appear during WW2 and secretly be King Arthur, who was taught magic while healing in Avolon by the lovebirds Merlin and Morgan Le Fey!
OF course he had to go to a lost/hidden/ monastery in tibet to claim the title of Archmage form a monk there.

[acreRake]

I can't believe no one's suggested the Mighty Ruler of the Undersea People!

[Overlord Rikonius]

Yeah I was thinking about that last night. I need a name for him...he's the son of Neptune, ruler of Atlantis, with a combination of sea powers and magic.

It fits the alien/underwater/immortal and mage categories.
as well as being horribly cliche.....he even has a magic trident and blue skin.

Poseidon?

[Ectoplasmic Bidet]

I can't believe no one's suggested the Mighty Ruler of the Undersea People!

His domain should be a lake, though, just for the ridiculousness of it. How impressive is the title, King ### of Lake Michigan?

[Sentinel]

Yeah I was thinking about that last night. I need a name for him...he's the son of Neptune, ruler of Atlantis, with a combination of sea powers and magic.

It fits the alien/underwater/immortal and mage categories.
as well as being horribly cliche.....he even has a magic trident and blue skin.

Well, there is Triton (Olympian mythology).
One could also go with Proteus.
If you like Norse mythology, there's Njord.

[Sentinel]

Yeah I was thinking about that last night. I need a name for him...he's the son of Neptune, ruler of Atlantis, with a combination of sea powers and magic.

It fits the alien/underwater/immortal and mage categories.
as well as being horribly cliche.....he even has a magic trident and blue skin.

Poseidon?

No, that's just the greek name for him. I'll have to check to see if he had any sons.

He was father to a Cyclops. Polyphemus, I believe.
Some accounts make Theseus the son of Poseidon as well.

[Overlord Rikonius]

Yeah I was thinking about that last night. I need a name for him...he's the son of Neptune, ruler of Atlantis, with a combination of sea powers and magic.

It fits the alien/underwater/immortal and mage categories.
as well as being horribly cliche.....he even has a magic trident and blue skin.

Poseidon?

No, that's just the greek name for him. I'll have to check to see if he had any sons.

Oh yeah right.

Triton?

[Sentinel]

To be fair, Namor has a fairly consistant origin: his behavior may be erratic, but his background is pretty static.

Aquaman on the other hand, is almost as bad off as Hawkman at times.

[Sentinel]

Definitely has to be nobility....and he should be one of those characters that started out as an enemy first...

He needs to have an evil immortal cousin who has usurped his rightful throne.

Someone should have an artificial limb (hand, foot, etc), and there should be mystic artifacts involved.

And pirate treasure.

And the Bermuda Triangle.

[Sentinel]

Oh, somebody needs a pet....

I think Doc Danger should have a pet monkey named Solomon.
And an Indian valet named Rajah, who knows all types of ancient Hindu mystic secrets.

Where is our white guy who rules some hidden jungle somewhere?

Ka-Bar, the barbarian.

Lost in the rain forest of South America (I'm thinking Amazon), Richard "Ricky" Rankin was recovered by forest natives who raised him, and taught him the ways of their people. Ricky was named for the knife that was found on him, as he was discoved in the wreckage of the plane (the same plane crash killed his parents). The knife was his fathers', from the USMC.

[Sentinel]

Because of his red hair, Ricky is sometimes called "The Flame Of The Amazon".

Numerous Amazon native women can attest to his being straight however.

[Sentinel]

I still like the stage magician, since the young heroes actually never seemed to have any REAL powers...

What about: Toro (Human Torch), Kid Flash (Flash), The Kid Commandos (Bucky notwithstanding the rest of the kids had powers, however slight), Hawkgirl (Hawkman), and a part of me really wants to point out the Legion Of Superheroes (three kids is hardly a "legion", but they did have powers).

The formula seems to be, that what ever powers the mentor has, the sidekick will, just to a lesser extent.

However, I like the idea of a capable and canny Stage magician, who actually has more on the ball than the other adults. Don't turn him into Wesley Crusher, but he should be smart, sharp, and have a definitive style and flair: Nightwing, on a good day.

[Sentinel]

To be fair, Namor has a fairly consistant origin: his behavior may be erratic, but his background is pretty static.

Four words for ya from the 90s: "Namor, Marvel's First Mutant!"

I love that series.
The origin stays pretty much the same: Princess Fen, meets and falls in love with Leonard MacKenzie, they have a child, the marriage ends in tragedy, and Namor grows up to be the Avenging Son. He spends his early life in Atlantis, and eventually becomes the Sub-Mariner we all know and love.
Now, there are details to fill in the gaps, sure. But, those details don't change the basics.

Aquaman on the other hand, is almost as bad off as Hawkman at times.

Yes, actually, I quite agree. The cliche I was mocking is far more apt for DC's fish-man than Marvel's.

da Nerdbane

Poor,poor Aquaman.
DC just doesn't know what to do with their King of the Seven Seas. And every attempt to do the "definitive Aquaman series" has never really helped.
The blue costume, the re-worked origin, nothing seems to work. Kinda like trying to get wine and chocolate stains out of white satin.

[Sentinel]

To be fair, Namor has a fairly consistant origin: his behavior may be erratic, but his background is pretty static.

Four words for ya from the 90s: "Namor, Marvel's First Mutant!"

I love that series.
The origin stays pretty much the same: Princess Fen, meets and falls in love with Leonard MacKenzie, they have a child, the marriage ends in tragedy, and Namor grows up to be the Avenging Son. He spends his early life in Atlantis, and eventually becomes the Sub-Mariner we all know and love.
Now, there are details to fill in the gaps, sure. But, those details don't change the basics.

I was just trying to say that his genetic background went from "half-human/half-Atlantean" to "mutant". Trendy but dumb.

Nevertheless I wasn't trying to hijack this thread! Please resume the creation of pulp/Silver Age cliche-homages! It is amusing me to no end.

da Nerdbane

Actually, Stan Lee was the first to identify Sub-Mariner as a Marvel Mutant in the X-Men during his initial tenure on the series.

But yes, back to the Pulp Era and The Golden and Silver Age.

[Overlord Rikonius]

You guys need to read seanbaby's superfriends page. I can't post a link to it, but google it and you can find it.
It will have you in tears, just read the superhero write-ups.

I loved his Superfriends articles. Need to see if he updated

[acreRake]

It kind of has to be Kid Fantastic, doesn't it?

[Sentinel]

I present Nox.

Nox is an alien soldier, who specializes in Combat Athletics.
He was an attempt at creating a simple super-soldier, but the results of the experiment were far more powerful than the alien scientists could have hoped for.

Nox comes from a race of thickly-hided humanoids from a high-gravity world.

In addition to the Combat Athlete program (Aliens Unlimited Galaxy Guide), Nox possesses the following powers:

Superhuman PS.
EXT SPD.
Impact Resistance.
Energy Resistance.
Increased Leaping.
Increased SDC.

After venturing to Earth and being defeated by the resident heroes, Nox was abandoned as a failure, and schemes and seethes for vengence.
Nox is however, none too bright, easily manipulated, and prone to thinking with his fists.

Nox possesses a form of HtH fighting that is virtually identical to HtH: Jujutsu (Rifts: Japan).

[Sentinel]

Is he Phate's bodyguard and enforcer? Basically the muscle?

He could be.
He could also be remained in order to fit in for Dr. Oni.

[Sentinel]

Aw, man, don't tell me I killed this thread. I HATE it when I do that.

da Nerdbane

It's not dead: just in a restful slumber.

[Sentinel]

Sorry, first time I could get on in a while.

I like the idea. I had thought of something similar, but as a Nazi experiment.

Nazis.
I hate these guys.

[Grey Death]

Sorry, first time I could get on in a while.

I like the idea. I had thought of something similar, but as a Nazi experiment.

Nazis.
I hate these guys.

Yup. I'm pretty much of the opinion that nazi's are some of the best bad guys. Instant big time evil opponent.

[Sentinel]

Sorry, first time I could get on in a while.

I like the idea. I had thought of something similar, but as a Nazi experiment.

Nazis.
I hate these guys.

Yup. I'm pretty much of the opinion that nazi's are some of the best bad guys. Instant big time evil opponent.

Some people say the same thing about the Coalition.

[Ectoplasmic Bidet]

Sorry, first time I could get on in a while.

I like the idea. I had thought of something similar, but as a Nazi experiment.

Anyone see "SS Doomtrooper", the movie that came on Sci-Fi last Saturday night?

I didn't watch it, as the previews alone did enough mental trauma to last me weeks, but it did have a Nazi Super Soldier. There were probably so many bad cliches in that movie that it was carcinogenic.

[Overlord Rikonius]

Sorry, first time I could get on in a while.

I like the idea. I had thought of something similar, but as a Nazi experiment.

But his idea fits in with the "evil alternate universe" and bizarro cliches

[Sentinel]

Here are the pictures of the six "core" members (Triton and Ka-Bar I see more as regular guest stars)

Ka-Bar should appear in the 10th issue.

[Sentinel]

I especially like the great big "F" on the good Captain's chest ...

da Nerdbane

Yeah, cuz you need a huge identifying letter on your chest that reminds people of your name when you have superpowers, and fly around in blue tights with your underwear on the outside of your pants.....just in case people aren't sure who you are.

Well, you could always go for costumes based on:

Captain Marvel. One of my favorite costumes of all time. A cape that you won't trip over, no stupid looking mask, no trunks (outside-undies), and a cool button-over tunic.
Stylin'.

Wildcat. One-piece says it all. Nice mask (dependant on the quality and skill of the artist). Simple overall design: no big letters on the costume.

Sub-Mariner. If you have the body and the self-confidence for it, go for it.
Yes, he wears trunks, but he also spends over 50% of his appearances in the water.

Flash. The Jay Garrick version. No trunks, no letters, cool WWI "pie-pan" helmet. The elements of Mercury work well here.

Uncle Sam. Real Pants, rolled-up sleeves indicating a willingness to "get down to business", no mask, no big letters, no cape.

Sandman I. Gas mask, trench coat, slouch hat.
Stylin'.

Black Canary. Nuff Said.