Comrade Hero Needs Your Support!

Thanks for posting all this info up Comrade. Alas I am not on "teh facebookz" and so cannot support you in this fashion but it makes for interesting reading and is good for future reference.

P.S. You never mentioned what Captain America and Shang-Chi were skilled at but I'm guessing Fighting?

One --> Artz Giveaway <-- To Rule Them ALL!

I will settle this. ORANGE FTW! - Ex Libris

January 19, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Breaking down the Powers I

I was asked to list Comrade Hero’s Powers. So I will diverge from my original train of thought for the next few Fact Posts.

As you have asked, so shall it be…

Keep in mind that this is Comrade Hero based on my original character conceptions using the Marvel Superheroes RPG, rewritten material for my script work in the Diploma in Creative Writing, and the influence on Comrade Hero’s development based on six years of playing City of Heroes.

In the second part, I will cover the powers that are derived from exposure to cosmic rays/radiation.

In the third part I will go discuss both sets of powers and how they have changed over the years. Along with the further changes to come in line with my Comrade Hero Project vision.

Comrade Hero has been 'recreated' using the following books:

Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Players Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Judge's Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers List authored by Marvelmaster
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Talents List Version 2.0 by Michael T. Dismuke
Marvel Superheroes 'Who Was That Masked Android?' - How to Keep a Super Hero's Identity a Real Secret! by Marcus L. Rowland

The following is a breakdown of Comrade Hero’s powers that are derived from his unique physiology.

The format is written along the lines of the hero and villain profiles found in Marvel Superheroes RPG.

KNOWN POWERS

Aleksandr Alexandrovich Biryukov was born with latent metahuman potential but this did not manifest until he was in his mid-thirties.

Aside from being slightly healthier and fitter than most men his age, there was no indication that Aleksandr was anything other than a normal human.

It took massive exposure to lethal cosmic rays and radiation, exposure to the extreme environment of space, re-entry into Earth's atmosphere from Low Earth Orbit, and crash landing in Antarctica, to activate Aleksandr's metahuman potential.

As Comrade Hero, Aleksandr's Powers are derived from his unique metahuman physiology and the unknown cosmic energies surging within him.

Metahuman Physiology:
Comrade Hero's metahuman physiology provides him with extraordinary levels of agility, strength, endurance, speed, and reaction time. In addition, his metahuman physiology provides him with the following Powers:

Hyper Speed:
Comrade Hero is fast. He possesses Hyper Speed at Amazing rank.
He may:
Substitute for Fighting for multiple attacks and evading. May make up to 3 combat actions per round.
Substitute for Agility for dodging and catching projectiles.
Substitute for Intuition for initiative.
Reach maximum flight, swimming, or ground speed in one round and has no penalties making high speed maneuvers or starting or stopping suddenly.

Regeneration:
Comrade Hero has Amazing regenerative and recuperative capabilities, enabling him to rapidly recover from any form of harm at a rate fifty times faster than normal. With time, Comrade Hero can regenerate large areas of lost tissue, organs and limbs.

Comrade Hero's regenerative and recuperative capabilities are strong enough to repair fatal damage and eventually return him to life if he is ever killed. Comrade Hero is immune to disease, illness, and the effects of aging.

Self Sustenance:
Comrade Hero does not require air, food or water; and his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance. Bodily wastes are internally recycled back into usable materials. Comrade Hero can go for weeks without sleep; however he will eventually tire and require rest.

True Invulnerability:
Comrade Hero is capable of operating freely in the vacuum of space, in the crushing depths of the oceans, and surviving extremes of temperature and other hostile environments.

Comrade Hero has Class 1000 Resistance to Fire, Cold, Radiation, Toxins and Corrosives. His body's cells protect him internally as well, so even his insides wouldn't be melted by drinking a vial of acid.

Comrade Hero's skin, muscles, bones and cellular structure are far denser and durable than those of a normal human providing him with Unearthly protection from Physical and Energy attacks. Comrade Hero is considered a CL1000 obstacle when it comes to trying to block, lift, knock down, slow or stop his movement. Comrade Hero cannot be stunned or slammed, regardless of what Martial Arts or Attack Column is used.

Comrade Hero has an Amazing degree of protection against all other forms of harm.

To be continued in Part II...

January 20, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Breaking down the Powers II

In the real world prolonged exposure to Cosmic Rays and Radiation tends to cause all sorts of unpleasant side-effects on most living things, you and me included.

But in those four color pages, there's a chance that you can not only survival normally lethal doses, but may actually come off better for it.

Of course I don't recommend that you go out and start brushing your teeth with Doramad Radioactive Toothpaste after eating Burk & Braum Radium Chocolate. (Think this is far fetched, check out 10 Radioactive Products That People Actually Used http://bit.ly/9KVIJx)

In my second part of an examination of Comrade Hero's powers, I'll discuss the benefits that being bombarded with Cosmic Rays and massive exposure to Cosmic Radiation had on Comrade Hero.

Keep in mind that this is Comrade Hero based on my original character conceptions using the Marvel Superheroes RPG, rewritten material for my script work in the Diploma in Creative Writing, and the influence on Comrade Hero's development based on six years of playing City of Heroes.

Comrade Hero has been 'recreated' using the following books:

Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Players Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Judge's Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers List authored by Marvelmaster
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Talents List Version 2.0 by Michael T. Dismuke
Marvel Superheroes 'Who Was That Masked Android?' - How to Keep a Super Hero's Identity a Real Secret! by Marcus L. Rowland

The following is a breakdown of Comrade Hero's powers that are derived from Cosmic Energy.

The format is written along the lines of the hero and villain profiles found in Marvel Superheroes RPG.

Cosmic Energy:
Massive exposure to cosmic radiation permanently affected Comrade Hero at a cellular and genetic level. He is constantly absorbing and storing energy and radiation that is used to support a variety of Powers:

Cosmic Energy Emission:
Comrade Hero can harness his cosmic energy to attack opponents in the following ways:

Energy Melee:
Comrade Hero can direct up to Unearthly intensity cosmic energy attacks through his hands in unarmed contact. Range is limited to touch.

Energy Beams:
Comrade Hero can fire concentrated beams of up to Monstrous intensity cosmic energy through his eyes up to a maximum distance of 1 mile.

Enhanced Vision:
While the normal human eye can see within a very narrow spectrum of visible light, Comrade Hero has the Amazing ability to see right across the Electromagnetic Spectrum. So far Comrade Hero has demonstrated the ability to see in Thermal, Infrared, Ultraviolet and X-Ray vision.

Comrade Hero operates without penalty in complete darkness or in extreme light conditions. He also has the ability to detect and see through visual based illusions and holographic projections.

Enhanced Awareness:
Comrade Hero has the Amazing ability to detect and identify various types of energy and radiation related phenomena within a range of 1,000 miles.

Comrade Hero has the Unearthly ability to detect and identify cosmic radiation and related phenomena within a range of 16,000 miles. Both types of Energy Detection are always active.

By concentrating, Comrade Hero can detect the presence of life and identify the nature of that life within a range of 3 miles. This is a practiced Power Stunt and has to be activated.

Invisibility:
Comrade Hero has the Amazing ability to become completely invisible. Comrade Hero is effectively rendered undetectable in the light and energy spectrum, and is exceedingly difficult to track once invisible. He can remain invisible and undetectable for extended periods of time.

Power Boosting:
Comrade Hero can direct his bodies energies into his Fighting Agility, Strength, and Psyche raising them as high as +2CS. It is an instantaneous boost and will be used when the challenge calls for it. He would normally raise +1CS, then +2CS if the initial boost is ineffective. To activate an increase he must make a Psyche FEAT.

Resistances:
Comrade Hero has Unearthly resistance to Power and Energy Manipulation and Vampirism attacks.

True Flight:
Comrade Hero can defy gravity, hover freely in space, and fly at Shift-Z airspeeds in atmosphere and Class 3000 speeds in space. Comrade Hero is a superior pilot and aerial combatant, and his Agility and Fighting automatically increase +2CS whilst in flight.

To be continued in Part III...


And apologies for my delays in replying. Tech Support is still trying to figure out what's going on with not being able to access the US City of Heroes website (apparently the issue is affecting others as well)

Regards,

James

January 21, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Breaking down the Powers III

In the first part, I covered Comrade Hero’s unique Metahuman Physiology, and the Powers this has granted him.

In the second part, I covered the Powers that Comrade Hero gained as a result of exposure to Cosmic Rays/Radiation.

In the third part I will go discuss both sets of powers and how they have changed over the years. Along with the further changes to come in line with my Comrade Hero Project vision.

I received a question from a reader with some knowledge of Marvel-verse lore and a self-professed X-Men fan.

The question asked was this.

Is Comrade Hero a Mutant or a Mutate?

I’m pretty familiar with Mutants in Marvel Comics but I’m not terribly familiar with the term Mutate.

Google being my friend (and apologies to any Marvel experts in advance if I get something wrong) I will use the definitions described here: http://bit.ly/ueOcv

Mutant (**** sapiens superior): an individual born with a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows them to develop superhuman powers and abilities, usually manifesting in around puberty.

Mutate: an individual who develops powers only after exposure to outside stimuli or energies.
So what is Comrade Hero and what came first - the Mutant or the Mutate?

Comrade Hero was born a Mutant, but the powers associated the X-gene potential were not activated until he was an adult. Comrade Hero’s unique Metahuman Physiology is his mutation.

The Cosmic Energy powers of Comrade Hero were caused by exposure to Cosmic Rays/Radiation. These powers mark Comrade Hero as a Mutate.

I know there’s Primary and Secondary Mutations in the Marvelverse, but with Comrade Hero his powers are split between the Physical and the Cosmic – and originally his powers were mainly Physical.

The influence of City of Heroes led me to add the Cosmic powers (derived from the in-game power sets of Energy Melee, Energy Mastery, Concealment and Fitness) to Comrade Hero.

But which came first you ask?

Comrade Hero gets exposed to Cosmic Rays/Cosmic Radiation and his Mutant X-gene starts to kick in, activating his latent Physiological powers.

All the while Comrade Hero is being exposed to massive doses of Cosmic Rays/Cosmic Radiation.

During the Mutant ‘transformation’ process something goes slightly astray at the genetic and cellular level. Comrade Hero not only begins to absorb the Cosmic Rays/Cosmic Radiation, but he becomes a living reservoir and conduit for Cosmic Energies.

Although he was nearly killed after plummeting to Earth, Comrade Hero miraculously survives. A near Indestructible man infused with Cosmic Energies!

Sounds peachy but there are a few drawbacks.

Comrade Hero is legally blind. His lovely gray-blue eyes are no more. Instead there are empty eye sockets filled with crimson energy that mimic the appearance of circular orbs. Comrade Hero ‘sees’ perfectly well, but he doesn’t see the world quite like the rest of us does.

Comrade Hero suffers from extreme Tactile Anesthesia – he does not have the ability to feel pain or any touch sensations. While this would seem like a great ability to have, losing the sense of touch causes quite a few problems. If you can’t distinguish between a kiss on the cheek and a right hook to jaw then you’re going to get hurt sooner or later, or in Comrade Hero’s case most likely wind up unintentionally hurting other people and probably not even realize it.

The third and most significant drawback is that Comrade Hero doesn’t have many of the ‘normal’ markers that define a person as being human. No detectable scent or body odor, no discernible heartbeat or pulse, and most puzzling of all is that Comrade Hero apparently has no mass, heat, or radiation signature. For all intensive purposes Comrade Hero doesn’t exist – but yet he does...

Curiouser and curiouser...

The Proving Ground Week #4: Comics Need Pictures

Check out Steven Forbes critique of my Comrade Hero Project Script.

Brutal but honest assessment and feedback.

January 22, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Fire In the Sky?

Before I discuss Comrade Heroes Attributes and Talents, Dave from deviantART posed a question to me regarding possible origins for Comrade Hero's powers. Now that I have the 'Breaking down the Powers' posts out of the way, I thought I would revisit Dave's questions that were sent to me five days ago.

Dave raised the possibility of the Tunguska Explosion (or event) of June 30, 1908 having a lasting impact on Comrade Hero. Perhaps one of Comrade Hero's grandparents was a member on one of the expeditions that were sent into the remote Siberian wilderness to try and discover what really happened at Tunguska...

There are many theories as to what happened at Tunguska. Asteroid, meteoroid, or comet explosion tend to be forwarded as the most likely scenario. More exotic theories include an alien spacecraft explosion, an Antimatter event and a micro-singularity (black hole). No one can say for sure as to what caused the mass explosion in 1908.

What we do know is that the Tunguska explosion devastated approximately 2,150 square kilometers (830 square miles) of forest. The explosion was 1,000 times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. It is theorized that the explosion at Tunguska took place in the skies, as no impact crater has ever been found.

The shock wave generated from the Tunguska Explosion was heard and felt hundreds of kilometers away from Tunguska, and was registered on seismic stations right across Europe. Over the next few nights the skies in Europe and Asia were aglow.

Dave suggested that one of Comrade Hero's grandparents found an interesting small stone at Tunguska and decided to keep it as a souvenir. This later came into the possession of Comrade Hero who decided to have the stone incorporated into a ring or amulet. And of course if Comrade Hero believed the stone might have come from space, then he would be more inclined to take it with him on missions, as a sort of good luck token.

But this good luck doesn't hold. For whatever reason, once free of Earth's atmosphere and out in space, this little stone takes on properties that – by accident or design – are responsible for the accident that exposures Comrade Hero to Cosmic Rays/Radiation and sends the poor Cosmonaut plummeting back to Earth!

That's actually a great train of thought that Dave outlined, and I don't mind sharing this with you as I like to receive this sort of creative input and feedback from interested readers and supporters.

So what is the likelihood that the Tunguska Explosion has impacted on Comrade Hero?

In the real world no traces of unusual radiation or exotic material has ever been located at Tunguska. The area itself is a swampland with dense forests and is inaccessible for most the year due to the Siberian winter. So the chances of finding any concrete evidence in the form of rock or stone fragments are very slim. However... this isn't the real world we're dealing with, but that splendid four color world of superheroes – where the mundane and the mysterious collide on a regular basis.

It's certainly possible that one of Comrade Hero's grandparents or great-grandparents (the Tunguska explosion took place over a century ago) took part in the early expeditions to the region.

And they could have been exposed to something otherworldly, or come across a seemingly benign piece of small stone that looked interesting, but was apparently worthless.

This is an interesting What If?

If no-one in Comrade Hero's family has the Mutant X-gene then where did it come from? Is Comrade Hero the first in his family to develop the Mutant X-gene, or has something else caused the Mutant X-gene to develop - something that was tied to the Tunguska Explosion of 1908?

To be honest, I haven't gotten to that sort of character background detail. But it does beg the question...

So if you have any ideas or suggestions as to how Comrade Hero could have become this little Mutant in waiting, I'm all ears (and eyes).

16 days to Voting!

Support and Vote for Comrade Hero in Create a Superhero for the Stan Lee Foundation! Would you like to know more?

Whether Tunguska had an influence, or not, I like the concept of this little cometary fragment acting as an antenna and amplifier during the cosmic ray event, possibly attracting more mass to itself, and then Perhaps being disintegrated in the second re-entry and infused into the hero's make-up. I can see his newly-awakened regenerative powers incorporating the energy-amplifying material, rather than rejecting it, in the struggle to keep the man alive.

I also like the idea of growing into his powers and sacrificing some aspects of his humanity under the exigencies of developing and accepting those powers. A (super)man is responsible for what he creates, promotes, and allows in his life.

Be Well!
Fireheart

January 23, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: The Renaissance Man I

In the Marvel Superheroes RPG by TSR, Inc. characters not only had amazing superpowers but they also had Attributes (Physical and Mental) and Talents (education, training, skills etc.)

In this first part I will look at the Attributes that make Comrade Hero the hero he is today.

Comrade Hero has been 'recreated' using the following books:

Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Players Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Judge's Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers List authored by Marvelmaster
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Talents List Version 2.0 by Michael T. Dismuke
Marvel Superheroes 'Who Was That Masked Android?' - How to Keep a Super Hero's Identity a Real Secret! by Marcus L. Rowland

In the Marvel Superheroes RPG Attributes are categorized as follows:

Fighting - a measure of the character’s skill and expertise in combat. Fighting is used to determine effectiveness in unarmed combat.

Agility – a measure of the character’s ability to move freely through the environment and to defend themselves in combat. Agility is also used to determine effectiveness in ranged combat.

Strength – a measure of the physical lifting ability of the character. It is also determines the damage that a character inflicts in unarmed combat, and success in tasks like lifting, breaking, and bending.

Endurance – a measure of the characters resistance to physical damage, and a measure of their stamina in prolonged actions like fights, flying and running.

Reason – a measure of the character’s intellect and knowledge, used to measure success with tasks involving such things as understanding, operating, and modifying technology, and even creating new items.

Intuition – a measure of the character’s situational awareness, perception and instincts.

Psyche – a measure of a characters mental fortitude, willpower and endurance. Essential for both psionics and magic wielders.

The first four are Physical Attributes and are added together to determine a characters Health.

The last three are Mental Attributes and are added together to determine a characters Karma.

Health is used in combat. When you are attacked any damage you sustain tends to be subtracted from your health. Certain Powers, items and equipment lessen or even negate the damage that would be subtracted from your health.

While Karma is can be used to affect the outcomes of dice rolls and attempting Power Stunts. Karma is also earned like experience points and with enough Karma you can advance your character’s existing Attributes, Powers, or Talents or even purchase new ones.

This is Comrade Hero as of January, 2011. Keep in mind that this is Comrade Hero based on my original character conceptions using the Marvel Superheroes RPG, rewritten material for my script work in the Diploma in Creative Writing, and the influence on Comrade Hero's development based on six years of playing City of Heroes.

ATTRIBUTES

Fighting: Amazing
Agility: Amazing
Strength: Unearthly
Endurance: Shift-Y
Reason: Incredible
Intuition: Amazing
Psyche: Amazing

So how do these Attributes apply to Comrade Hero? Using the Attributes listed above let’s comrade Comrade Hero to some familiar examples from the Marvel-verse.

Fighting: Amazing-rank Fighting is the maximum human potential e.g. Captain America and Red Skull.

Agility: Amazing-rank Agility is a super-human sense of dexterity e.g. Spider-Man and Black Cat.

Strength: Unearthly-rank Strength enables a character to press up to 100+ tons e.g. Hulk and Abomination.

Endurance: Shift-Y-rank Endurance grants formidable reserves of stamina and endurance to draw upon e.g. Silver Surfer and Apocalypse.

Reason: Incredible-rank Reason enables a character to understand advanced technology, including technology of non-terrestrial origin e.g. Beast and Mad Thinker.

Intuition: Amazing-rank Intuition enables a character to have extraordinary situational. The character is in touch his with surroundings, is difficult to surprise, and is highly perceptive e.g. Captain Mar-vell and Sabretooth.

Psyche: Amazing-rank Psyche indicates a character with indomitable willpower and mental resolve e.g. Cable and Doctor Doom.

Take note that the Attribute ranks and example heroes/villains are subjective as the Marvel Superheroes RPG was published back in 1984 and updates to the game system has primarily been driven by fans over the past twenty years, from updating character sheets of heroes and villains to producing new supplements.

January 25, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: The Renaissance Man III

In Part I we looked at the Physical and Mental Attributes of Comrade Hero.

In Part II we looked at the Abilities derived from these Attributes.

In Part III we will take a look at more 'mundane' aspects of Comrade Hero – his skills, knowledge and expertise, or described in the Marvel Superheroes RPG by TSR, Inc. - Comrade Hero's Talents.

I'll also look at the Contacts that Comrade Hero has and his Secret Identity. (or lack thereof!)

This is Comrade Hero as of January, 2011. Keep in mind that this is Comrade Hero based on my original character conceptions using the Marvel Superheroes RPG, rewritten material for my script work in the Diploma in Creative Writing, and the influence on Comrade Hero's development based on six years of playing City of Heroes.

Comrade Hero has been 'recreated' using the following books:

Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Players Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Advanced Set - Judge's Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book PDF Version 1.1
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers List authored by Marvelmaster
Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Talents List Version 2.0 by Michael T. Dismuke
Marvel Superheroes 'Who Was That Masked Android?' - How to Keep a Super Hero's Identity a Real Secret! by Marcus L. Rowland

TALENTS

Comrade Hero is a retired Colonel of the Russian Air Force and Russian Federal Space Agency. He is a highly trained and experienced fighter and test pilot, cosmonaut and aviation, aeronautical, and astronautical engineer. He receives a +1CS bonus in these fields and related construction projects cost -1CS.

Comrade Hero's Reason is considered Amazing in the fields of astronautics, stellar cartography, physics, computers and electronics.

Comrade Hero is familiar with Russian, Ukrainian, U.S and International Law (primarily as it pertains to super hero actions). He gains a +1CS to all FEAT rolls involving the law, including correct legal procedure.

Comrade Hero is trained and experienced in military and civilian small arms. He is intimately familiar with fighter aircraft weaponry, equipment, tactics, and operation. He can fire such weapons and operate aircraft at +1CS.

Comrade Hero is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Comrade Hero incorporates techniques and elements from a variety of martial fighting styles including Boxing, Pankration Wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Systema, and Krav Maga.

Comrade Hero can Stun or Slam an opponent regardless of their comparative Strengths and Endurances.

Comrade Hero receives +1CS to Fighting ability when engaged in unarmed combat, +2CS to his Strength for Grappling attacks (including damage) and +3CS to hit in a Grappling attacks, a + 1CS to Strength for Escaping and a +1CS to Agility for purposes of Dodging and Evading.

Comrade Hero is fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Mandarin Chinese.

Comrade Hero also has the First Aid Skill.

CONTACTS

Comrade Hero maintains excellent relations with the Russian Air Force and Russian Federal Space Agency.

Comrade Hero has contacts in the Russian Federal Security Service, the Russian Interior Ministry, and Russian Main Intelligence Directorate.

Comrade Hero also has contacts amongst local law enforcement agencies in Russia and the United States.

SECRET IDENTITY

Disguise:
Comrade Hero's wears a distinctive green and red layered soft armor uniform with a bright five pointed yellow star emblazoned across his chest. The uniform is completed by black boots, gloves, a small face mask, and a tactical belt around his waist with a distinctive metal Soviet belt buckle. The most notable feature is Comrade Hero's glowing red eyes. His eyes never blink or waver in their gaze.

Precautions:
Comrade Hero's superhero and public identity is widely known in Russia, the Ukraine, and to a lesser extent in the United States.

Confidants:
The exact nature and strength of Comrade Hero's abilities and powers is known to a handful of individuals.

Profile:
Comrade Hero is a celebrated national figure in Russia and the Ukraine. His fame and recognition is somewhat diminished in the United States where superheroes are more prolific.

Concealment: Comrade Hero makes little attempt to hide his normal and superhero identities.

Effects of Secrecy:
The police, intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement organizations know both of Comrade Hero's identities. This information can also be uncovered by any competent researcher.

My very first attempt at Flash compiling. It ain't flash and it ain't pretty but the idea is to show how you can deconstruct the sequential pages and then reassemble them in Flash. The next step would be to reintroduce the lettering and a vocal track, sound effects, and music.

Some more tomfoolery with Flash.

Testing background images, captions, titles and transitions.

January 26, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Interview with a Hero

That's enough facts and figures now from the Marvel Superheroes RPG by TSR, Inc.

No more number crunching, die counting, and stat checking.

I've had a few notes and emails asking some character related questions about Comrade Hero that I'll answer tonight (apologies to those I kept waiting).

The three questions I am most frequently asked are:


Why a Russian Superhero?

Why not? Although I'm both Tangata Whenua and a New Zealander, I don't feel the need to create a superhero based on my ethnic identity or my citizenship. There are elements of both that are introduced into my Comrade Hero Project storylines, both geographically and in terms of characters.

But I wanted Aotearoa/New Zealand to be seen through the eyes of an immigrant – and Comrade Hero isn't an atypical immigrant to our distant shores, and he happened to fit within my creative vision as it unfolded during the time I spent working on my Diploma of Creative Writing at Waiariki Polytechnic from 2008 to 2010.


Is Comrade Hero a Communist?

The basic answer is yes. Soviet-style Communism was a political and social system that Comrade Hero grew up under, and while he witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Russian Federation, the impact of this transition didn't really affect Comrade Hero. The uniforms mainly stayed the same, the old anthem was given a new makeover, and the Russian people still preferred a strong, authoritarian leader to be in charge. At hear Comrade Hero isn't a staunch Marxist-Leninist, or a Stalinist – but a socialist who believes in the people having a vocal democratic stake in how state and industry are run, from the local to the national level.


Is Comrade Hero an Atheist?

No. Comrade Hero identifies himself as a member of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate. That said, Comrade Hero is more a lapsed member of the Church, and his attendance at services is irregular due to the nature of his duties.

Comrade Hero animation by Santiago Cerillo Panes II.

It's in SWF, so I post it directly here - but follow the picture link below.

January 27, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Comrade Hero in Prose

Here's a question that had me scratching my head and wondering exactly what I should post. Some inquisitive person wanted to see – well read – some of the prose that I wrote about Comrade Hero before I made the shift to writing a manuscript.

I'll warn you now. It's not particularly fancy, or pretty. But here are a few excerpts from when I was working through my Certificate and Diploma in Creative Writing at Waiariki Polytechnic. This is circa June 2009.

The character speaking and narrating is like a kind of makeover specialist for costumed heroes. He's recalling his first encounters with Comrade Hero:


"You're a freaking man mountain, but you're still a man. Nobody is going to believe you're a hero with a capital H. You have the physique, but you're positively ancient. So what? It's not the end of the world. Nobody really expects to see hero over the age of twenty, so we'll give them something else.

"I can work with the accent. If that Austrian can go from bodybuilder slash actor to politicking governor without learning how to pronounce his p's and q's then I don't see a problem with you sounding like a clichéd Red Ivan.

"The Austrian got his big break playing a machine. Didn't have to say much, just look mean and move like a robot. Flex a muscle here and there, shoot off a couple of dozen or two hundred rounds at anyone who gets in his way, and deliver a sweet one-liner or two. That could work for you.

I think we got something there, Comrade. What do you think? A Russian man of steel - a Comrade Hero. Has a nice ring to it. You like guns? I'm just saying we got to get you some kind of hand cannon, and a couple of sweet one-liners. Okay, okay. Ditch the guns. I got it. The one-liners we can work on. Yeah, I can see it now. You got a great future ahead of you, Comrade Hero."


Heroes are made. It's all about image and style. It's about making the citizens believe they've got a powerful friend looking out for them, and making criminals and villains think twice about trying to put a bullet in your head - if only for a moment.

It's also about substance. Nobody is going to take a hero seriously if he looks like, talks like, and acts like a jackass. The costume only goes so far. It's all about respect and fear. You know who the real dangerous heroes are? The costumed guys and gals that get the job done discretely, with the minimum amount of exposure and the right amount of controlled violence. They leave the media questions to the PR representatives, and exit the scene quietly, allowing local law enforcement personnel and city maintenance teams to clean up.

The loudmouths and braggarts that chase the limelight only end up making themselves a more appealing target for any gangbanger with a grudge against the supers, and a stepping stone for any world conqueror looking to establish a reputation.

I used to work with a lot of heroes. All of them looking like they stepped out of Victoria's Secret catalog and with bodies that might as well have been sculpted from marble. Cookie cutter Ken and Barbie types, all of them. Check that. Not all of them are cut from the same mold. I got to work with this one guy who was the exception to the rule. I hate that saying, but yeah he was the exception.

He wasn't young, or particularly handsome, and his body looked like it had been carved from weathered granite than marble, complete with signs of aging and a lifetime's worth of faded scars. Oh and he was tall, at least a good half-meter over most of the other heroes and villains out there plying their trade-craft.

And his name? Well, I thought it was pretty cool - at first. Didn't realize that it would eventually be used in a less than complimentary light. But hey, I knew the first one - before everyone from the East got stuck with the label. The original Comrade Hero...

January 28, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Comrade Hero in Prose II

Another excerpt from when I was working through my Certificate and Diploma in Creative Writing at Waiariki Polytechnic. This is circa June 2009.

This time it's Comrade Hero himself talking about the 'joys' of being a Hero who can soar through the skies...

You don't see many flying Heroes these days. Those that do get permission to patrol tend to fly fast and keep low, rarely traveling any great distance in a straight line, and always darting in and out of cover to avoid a direct line of sight. Hard lessons learned when every aspiring flying Hero wanted to own the skies and nobody wanted to stop and think about the risks, and the consequences.

You cannot argue with the realities that were faced and the lesson passed on from the time our ancestors took to the skies over France in 1914. Brave young men taking to the sky in motorized vehicles made from thin strips of wood, wire, and linen.

The average life expectancy of the World War I fighter pilot was around several weeks. In terms of flight hours, a fighter pilot average around 40 to 60 hours of flight combat before being killed. And most of the men who flew in those primitive machines died before the age of 25. Making it to 30 was almost unheard of.

A world away from the hours I spent at instruction from veteran pilots and studying in classrooms, and countless more hours spent in flight simulators and combat trainers. At the age of 21 I had graduated with honors from the Kharkov Military Aviation School for Fighter Pilots. By the age of 25 I was a veteran pilot, and flew combat missions during the Fifth Taiwan Strait Crisis against the American led Coalition. And at 29 I stood before the President of the Federation and was honored with the Hero of the Russian Federation, and Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.

No-one could have foreseen the eventuality that one day a person could soar through the skies unaided, without being encased in a hard shell of metal and carbon, and guided by a network of computerized flight systems. There had been experiments and projects of course; portable jet packs and micro-fliers were a reality long before Hollywood movies made them popular. These devices, as useful as they are, were not meant for sustained flight, or combat sorties. Too fragile, too unwieldy, and very expensive to produce.

When the first Heroes took to the skies they abandoned over a century's worth of knowledge and experience gained by pilots and cosmonauts. These new pioneering aviators believed they could fly with impunity, without a care, and without consequence. They were wrong.

This new generation of fliers tried to ignore the basic principles of physics, biology, and aerodynamics that applied to flight. All too often these fliers would fall from the skies like the proverbial Icarus whose wax wings had been torched. Heroes crashed ignominiously not because of any threat that opposed them, but because of their own ignorance and folly. The uniqueness of our kind made it possible to bend some of the rules that had governed flight for almost a century, but ultimately most of us cannot break all the rules.

As with manned flight, the most difficult maneuver for flying Heroes to master proved to be landing. Landing is similar to that of the parachutist approaching the ground - keep your eye fixed on the terrain, and use to learn to full strength and flexibility of the lower body to ensure that you land safely, minimizing the risk of injury. Miscalculate the speed of decent and the angle of approach and at best you end up breaking the bones in your feet and legs, at worst you end up as a crimson smear.

I don't know many of us who can hover without some sort of technology to stabilize them in place. Hovering sounds like it should be relatively simple, but it isn't. Most aircraft need a decent stretch of runway to get airborne. Military advances provided solutions - aircraft carrier STOL (Short Take Off and Landing), and jet thrust vectoring VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) for example. And one of the first tasks of the helicopter pilot is to learn how to hover at various altitudes.

Perhaps it's the specific nature of my abilities, or my own specific background and training, but I've personally never had a problem flying, landing, or hovering. I still find it rather exhilarating, and more than a little terrifying but I enjoy soaring through the skies. And unlike most of our kind, my physiology can handle the rigors of flight.

Still, flying for our kind still a very risky proposition and as I said earlier, you don't see a lot of flying Heroes these days. Aside from the physical practicalities of taking to the sky, there's another aspect of flying just as dangerous.

Soar too high and you get targeted by armed aerial drones, or blown out of the sky by missile delivery platforms; fly too slow and you'll get picked off by large caliber sniper rifles and shot down by ground based flak cannon arrays. And as amusing as it may sound, I am dead serious when I say that many a would-be-flier has had their career cut short by bird strike, insect swarm, or a lack of basic flight survival training.

I'm not afraid of getting shot down. I conquered that fear in combat engagements over Central Asia, the Taiwan Strait and the Indian Ocean years before my rebirth. And trust me on this - surviving an uncontrolled free-fall from low earth orbit tends to remove any lingering doubts about one's mortality.

And, I already know the risks associated with flying and flight combat. Lessons drilled into me over countless hours in the classroom, in simulators, and in the air, by flight instructors, cosmonauts, engineers and scientists. I know what my body can cope with, and what my mind can handle. Not that I haven't had my share of accidents. But I managed to walk away from every one, and learned from the experience.

When I was at the Aviation School for Fighter Pilots in Kharkov the instructors made it clear that the pilot should focus on flexibility, agility, and power - in that specific order. It takes a great deal of discipline and control to achieve mastery of all three focuses. And the greatest mistake that any pilot can make is to focus exclusively in the power of the machine that they command.

I rarely tell anyone how high I can fly and how fast. To me such details are on a need to know basis. I know, and you don't need to. Besides, making such details public would earn me incredulous scorn from my peers, and unwanted interest from others. Believe me, there are very few of our kind around who can't resist bragging about what they can do, and what they think you can't.


January 29, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Comrade Hero in Prose III

Final excerpt of Comrade Hero prose that I worked on as part of my Certificate and Diploma in Creative Writing at Waiariki Polytechnic.

Comrade Hero wasn't a particularly upbeat and optimistic sort of fellow...


Forget altruism. Very few people have ever done anything without furthering one agenda or another. That is as equally true of our kind as it is of the rest of humankind. When individuals arise with abilities and gifts that are considered miraculous, then people tend to assume that miracles will follow. And the miracles did come, but with a price.

You call me a hero, but that doesn't automatically make me a nice person. I'm a hero that gets things done. A hero that occasionally has to do bad things to some very bad people. No one said this business was simple, easy, or clean. There are times when I don't like myself very much because of what I have to do, but I live with it. Sometimes you get to save the day, but most of time just getting through the day in one piece is its own reward. I don't smile so much on those days, but I take comfort knowing that you will sleep a little safer tonight. And trust me, you really don't want to know what some of the other heroes take comfort in.

Just once I'd like to get handed an assignment that doesn't have the words 'extreme' and 'prejudice' in the same sentence. These contracts have one very simple objective. Put the bad guy in the body bag (if there's anything left to bag and tag) by any means necessary. A lot of law enforcement officers pretend to look solemn and concerned as they keep any civilian onlookers out of harm's way, but the men and women in blue privately cheer when they see a notorious mass murderer ignominiously tossed off the rooftop of a building, or a reviled cop killing gang banger take a semi-truck trailer to the face. Dead villains rarely get the opportunity to come back and hurt another innocent civilian.


Rule Number One: If you want to win then you have to be prepared to lose.

For every civilian life saved, for every villain stopped, there's always the sobering realization that somewhere else, someone will have been hurt or killed, and the villain managed to pull off their scheme and got away with it. You simply can't be everywhere at once. The hardest thing about being in the hero game is that you learn to prioritize your objectives in the same way that the battlefield doctor decides which soldier will receive medical treatment and which soldier will be given a few encouraging words and a parting shot of morphine to deaden the pain.


Rule Number Two: Get the job done without making the evening news.

Why make yourself an even bigger target by posing for the cameras? Better that the public and the press are kept guessing about what happened and who did it. Slip in on the quiet, deal with the problem at hand, and exit just as quietly without anyone being the wiser for it. When you do things right then they won't know if you've done anything at all. Skip the flashbulbs, and avoid the film crews. Let local law enforcement officers deal with cleanup and working the media.

A lot of heroes and villains fall victim to their own inflated sense of ego. It's the cult of celebrity rearing its ugly head amongst would be gods. If you've got it, then you must flaunt it - be that power, fame, wealth, or beauty - or any combination thereof. Thankfully, I don't quite fit into three of those four categories. Leave the media grandstanding and posturing to the aspiring world saviors and would-be conquerors. That's fine by me. I already have a large enough target emblazoned across my chest.


Rule Number Three: No matter how good you are, there's always someone better.

Sooner or later you will fail. Probably sooner if you try and ignore the simple reality that no matter how fast, how strong, or how tough you are, there is always someone out there who will be faster, stronger and tougher than you. If you're lucky, you'll manage to crawl away from whatever beating that was handed to you - somewhat the worse for wear - but having learned something. If you're foolish or brave (or both), then you'll wind up as a bloody warning to the rest of us that even gods can be killed.

There are plenty of aspiring heroes out there already looking to make the front page of the morning paper or secure an interview on the evening news. That's not me. I know it's a cliché, but in this profession it really is a case of 'only the good die young.' And those heroes that tend to get taken out first are those who are more interested in media coverage than their own self preservation. There's some truth that the hero game is about image and style.

Personally, I want to walk away from this one day and take a well earned and extended vacation on a little slice of paradise far, far away. I don't want to be prematurely retired because of obsessive fans, overzealous paparazzi, or hero or villain looking to increase their own fame or notoriety.


January 30, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: What's in a name?

This is most frequent question I get asked. What does the name Comrade Hero mean?

Both words – Comrade and Hero – have separate political and cultural connotations and while the application of the words may vary between countries and across continents, there is a common understanding of what the words mean.

I'll give my understanding of what I believe the words, and the term Comrade Hero, means.

A Hero is any individual or group of individual who through selfless thought and action go out of their way to try and prevent risk of injury or potential death to another person(s).

The word Comrade has generally come to be used as term of scorn and ridicule by some, and conversely as a unifying identifier by others. This duality is because Comrade has both political and non-political use meanings – and it's often difficult to separate the two.

In the political sense, Comrade is used as a term to imply solidarity and equality. In the non-political sense Comrade is used in a fashion to calling someone your friend. Despite the association with socialist and later Communist movements, the term Comrade was inspired by the abolishment of titles of nobility during the French Revolution of 1789-1799. Revolutionaries took to referring to one another as citizens.

Comrade Hero can be seen as a title that has both political and non-political meanings, depending on what you choose to believe. Is the Comrade Hero a Hero of the People, a Hero for the People, or both?

Of the people, by the people, for the people... sound familiar?

I will leave that one for you to decide.

January 31, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Spotlight on Comrade James

Today's post is about that creative dissident behind Comrade Hero - moi!

I got asked a pretty relevant question considering I've entered Comrade Hero in the Create a Superhero for the Stan Lee Foundation.

What was my first exposure to comic books and graphic novels?

The first comic books I read weren't by any of today's major five publishers, or any of the independents.

The first two I remember reading were Davy Crockett and Robin Hood. They were graphic novel style comic books that came with a cardboard 45LP. You played the record, and followed along with the comic book as you listened to the narration and voice acting. Pretty amazing stuff to a young kid!

The comic books and graphic novels that I read growing up were The Adventures of Tintin series created by Hergé, the Asterix series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Garfield created by Jim Davis, Footrot Flats created by Murray Ball and Commando Comics published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.

If you were to ask me what were the first Marvel Comics I ever read, I would be hard-pressed to name them off the top of my head – but I remember the stories and the characters.

I had to go digging to get the exact names of the Marvel Comics in question but these are the first two I ever read as a kid.


Marvel Team-Up #131 (July, 1983) - "The Best Things In Life Are Free...But Everything Else Costs Money!"

Spider Man and the Fabulous Frog-Man team up to take down White Rabbit who is on a rampage robbing fast food outlets.

Why does an aspiring super-villain begin their career robbing fast food outlets? Beats me, but I guess you have to start somewhere. Oh, and did I forget to mention that White Rabbit is slightly insane. A memorable issue with the rather inept Frog-Man trying to play hero and having to be rescued by your friendly neighborhood Spider Man.


The Incredible Hulk #104 (June, 1968) - "Ring Around the Rhino!"

Okay I wasn't born when this came out, but I remember reading a reprint of this in a collection of Hulk stories that also included a reprint of What If? #12 (December, 1978) - "What If Rick Jones Had Become the Hulk?"

"Ring Around the Rhino" is an epic confrontation between Hulk and Rhino that is truly amazing. Both Hulk and Rhino refuse to back down. Well, the Hulk does temporarily turn aside to do his usual get Betty out of harm's way, and make sure the puny humans - I mean innocent civilians - aren't caught in the brutal battle that takes place.

Rhino has every opportunity to back out of this fight, especially once it dawns on him how hopelessly outclassed he is. There is a particularly memorable last panel in this story that sees the victorious Hulk standing over the badly beaten and apparently mortally wounded Rhino. The Hulk issues a particularly chilling line as he holds one fist raised - 'Say it before you die, no-one can defeat the Hulk.'*

*I may have misquoted that – 'no-one can defeat the Hulk' or 'no-one is stronger than the Hulk.'

February 1, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Spotlight on You!

This is the final week before voting starts on February 8, 2011 for the Create a Superhero for the Stan Lee Foundation Creative Invite.

So instead of keeping the Spotlight on Comrade Hero (and me), I’m going to shine it on you, dear readers, just this once.

Come what may - be that victory or defeat for Comrade Hero - I thank each and every one of you who has provided support, encouragement, and feedback over the past few weeks.

I’ve been saying it rather frequently, but the only bad publicity is no publicity. Yes it’s a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true!

I’m very encouraged with the response I’ve received not only to Comrade Hero himself, but the namesake comic book Project I’ve been developing to promote literacy skills development and encourage language exposure.

Winning this Creative Invite would be a bonus, but the challenge for me will be to sustain your interest and to realize my creative vision of bringing my Comrade Hero Project to print and digital publication in 2011.

On February 8, 2011 show your trust-confidence in Comrade Hero with your vote!

And in the meantime, I'll continue working towards making my Comrade Hero Project a reality!

Urah!

February 2, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: What's in the Belt?

Typically I get a lot of questions related to Comrade Hero's character, powers, history and background. And if they are about Comrade Hero's uniform the questions tend to be about the choice of colors and the Communist/Soviet-era symbolism.

However I did get a question about Comrade Hero's uniform that gave me pause.

What's in the belt?

More specifically what's in the pouches on the belt that Comrade Hero wears?

The belt Comrade Hero wears is modeled on real-world tactical belts worn by law enforcement personnel, minus the weapons and equipment typically attached to such a belt - holstered sidearm, handcuffs, baton, mace etc.

And because Comrade Hero doesn't carry a sidearm (and there's no concealed weapons hidden on his person), the pouches on his belt don't contain ammunition for a pistol or revolver.

There's at least three pieces of equipment on Comrade Hero's belt that are similar to those of law enforcement personnel in the real-world - handcuffs, a flashlight, and a notebook and pen.

Not metal or synthetic polymer handcuffs but flexible plastic handcuffs. Lightweight, easy to carry in quantity, and very strong.

Comrade Hero also has a dependable pen flashlight. Why would Comrade Hero needs a flashlight given that he can see perfectly like complete darkness? Because not everyone else can.

And Comrade Hero may be a superhero, but he's not a super-genius. There may be times when having a humble notebook and pen can be very useful. Just ask your average Police Officer who goes about their business every day.

Aside from these three items, some of the other pieces of equipment and kit that can be found stashed inside the belt pouches include an emergency first aid kit, a multi-purpose tool/knife, compact glow sticks, and military style food and water rations.

The list is not extensive or exhaustive, but the belt pouches certainly aren't bottomless containers of convenient expedience for Comrade Hero!

Thanks for asking me a question that actually made me research the possible items that Comrade Hero could have in the belt pouches. Even after all this time working on this character, there are still things that even I have yet to discover.

Good luck CH

February 3, 2011

Interesting Facts about Comrade Hero: Greetings from Comrade Hero

Privyet,

Ot vsey dushi pozdravlyayu i zhelayu vsego nailuchshego!

Our mutual friend Comrade Hansard has asked me to say a few words in support of his entry in the Create a Superhero for the Stan Lee Foundation.

While I am not comfortable with the idea of high-profile self promotion of one’s accomplishments and achievements, I appreciate that Comrade Hansard is doing this to raise awareness of his Comrade Hero Project.

This worthy Project is dedicated to literacy skills development and to encouraging language exposure. Knowledge is a power that is as formidable as my own ability to accomplish superhuman feats of strength, endurance, agility, and speed.

Knowledge brings confidence and appreciation, understanding and awareness. Knowledge often unlocks potential, fosters dreams, and helps realize new goals and ambitions.

To bring the gift of knowledge to the People is a worthy goal and Comrade Hansard has my unconditional support in this endeavor. I ask that you, my friends and compatriots, show your support for Comrade Hansard on February 8, 2011.

A vote for the Comrade Hero is not just a vote of confidence in me, but an endorsement of the vision Comrade Hansard has of helping the People through his Comrade Hero Project.

Spasibo!

S uvazheniem,

Comrade Hero