Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Easily my only favorite of Invincible,the Guardian's would've made for a fantastic jumping off point for other comic books(kind of what DC did with Infinity,Inc from JSA),but Kirkman just had to do what he did........
Thorpocalypse
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Thorpocalypse »

I loved Best Tiger and El Chupacabra. They were definitely the highlights of the book. You can tell Phil Hester plays favorites for sure. ;)

Best Tiger would be a great addition to the Gotham-verse, I think. I'd love him one-upping Batman enough for Dick and Damian to kid Bruce about it mercilessly.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Ares »

From what I understand, the concept behind Best Tiger was to take the kind of gun wielding types Chow Yung Fat use to play and turn them into a superhero. Which worked pretty well. Granted, he would not get along at all with heroes who have any codes against killing, but still, for that setting he was pretty awesome. He was really the only hyper-competent "normal" hero of the setting, which again, was pretty bland as far as superpower diversity went.
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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Thorpocalypse wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 3:13 am I loved Best Tiger and El Chupacabra. They were definitely the highlights of the book. You can tell Phil Hester plays favorites for sure. ;)

Best Tiger would be a great addition to the Gotham-verse, I think. I'd love him one-upping Batman enough for Dick and Damian to kid Bruce about it mercilessly.
Best Tiger was so much fun. I liked how he was basically the "unstoppable bad-ass Mary Sue" but somehow wasn't really annoying. Maybe it was because they didn't over-use him, and he only took out low-tier bad guys. Sort of like how Mark Gruenwald was a huge Captain America fanboy, but in his book, Cap usually only got "good showings" against idiotic villains, and the serious threats remained dominant.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Damn- just heard today that David Ogden Stiers died. He was a huge part of M*A*S*H, and was in a lot of Disney movies- Cogsworth's "Promises you don't intend to KEEP" line was an ad-lib that just SLAYED them in the recording studio, and got him the role of Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas.

Best David Ogden Stiers moments on M*A*S*H- getting Colonel Flagg fired once and for all via trickery (getting blackmailed into helping him on a "Spy mission", but leading him towards a high-level South Korean official- Hawkeye, BJ AND Potter were all impressed). Begging to find out what death was like from a dying soldier, because his brother had died while he was young ("PLEASE!!! TELL ME how you're feeling!"). A heart-to-heart with Hawkeye, who was worried about his ailing father's health ("I have a father- YOU have a DAD"). Dude made the role of a stuffy, rich, stick-in-the-mud, fun-hating asshole and made him both likeable and the equal of Hawkeye & BJ. A really, really hard role to play.
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Ken
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Ken »

And the first television Martian Manhunter. Or would've been if the Justice League TV pilot had ever aired.
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Arkrite
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Arkrite »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:07 am Best Tiger was so much fun. I liked how he was basically the "unstoppable bad-ass Mary Sue" but somehow wasn't really annoying. Maybe it was because they didn't over-use him, and he only took out low-tier bad guys. Sort of like how Mark Gruenwald was a huge Captain America fanboy, but in his book, Cap usually only got "good showings" against idiotic villains, and the serious threats remained dominant.
Maybe the trick was that most of what he pulled off was easily done by other characters... they just didn't do it with the same style and finesse.
But yeah, Best Tiger was one of the highlights of that series.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:49 amBest David Ogden Stiers moments on M*A*S*H- getting Colonel Flagg fired once and for all via trickery (getting blackmailed into helping him on a "Spy mission", but leading him towards a high-level South Korean official- Hawkeye, BJ AND Potter were all impressed). Begging to find out what death was like from a dying soldier, because his brother had died while he was young ("PLEASE!!! TELL ME how you're feeling!"). A heart-to-heart with Hawkeye, who was worried about his ailing father's health ("I have a father- YOU have a DAD"). Dude made the role of a stuffy, rich, stick-in-the-mud, fun-hating asshole and made him both likeable and the equal of Hawkeye & BJ. A really, really hard role to play.
One of the things the M*A*S*H writer's wanted to do when Larry Linville left was to make his replacement a much more believable and capable foil to Hawkeye & BJ. Frank Burns, while fun, really didn't have much depth. He was aldultrously in lust with Hot-Lips, he was a ridiculous stickler for military protocol, and he wasn't that good a surgeon. And that last one, I think really hurt the character. I suspect that Frank becoming such a caricature was a major part of why Linville left. Stiers as Charles was such a more believable foil. He was whip-smart and a fantastic surgeon. He was still set-up to be the foil, but he was a much more rounded and believable foil.

One of my favourite moments was an episode where Charles is helping a wounded serviceman with terrible stutter to become a more respected soldier. And at the episode we saw Charles listening to a recorded letter from his sister (we had frequently seen Charles recording his letters home prior), and we discovered that Honoria, his frequently mentioned sister, also has a stutter.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Conquest! Allen the Alien! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ken Levine's notes on the creation of the Winchester character: http://kenlevine.blogspot.ca/2007/10/ch ... ester.html
I talked recently about new shows making adjustments as they try to find their way. Existing shows often make mid-course corrections as well in an attempt to stay fresh. Sometimes those don’t work out. A lot Jar Jar Binx have been added to hit shows much to their misfortune and defection of viewers. LOST seems to bury alive two new cast members a season.

But when a big change works it can revitalize a series, change the chemistry, and add years to the life of its run.

One of the most successful cast changes was Charles Emerson Winchester joining MASH. Larry Linville, who had played Frank Burns decided to leave the series after year five. It was a huge loss. Larry was a brilliant comic actor, incredibly easy to work with, and provided a lot of the comedy heavy lifting. There were those who claimed the character was the most unrealistic – how could the army sanction a doctor who was such a buffoon? But this is same army that just this week inadvertently took out a recruiting ad in an openly gay website. GLEE.com didn’t seem the least bit suspicious to them?

Criticism aside, the decision was made to have the new character be the complete opposite of Frank Burns. Anything else would be a faint carbon of the original. We all decided to make him a brilliant surgeon, even better than Hawkeye, and unlike Frank, a worthy adversary. Humor would come from his ego. Along those lines, we made him aristocratic. The show had never dealt with wealthy people being forced to serve – seeing a rich, spoiled, pompous ass having to live in a tent and use an outdoor latrine seemed delightful to us.

There was no casting call for the part. David Ogden Stiers was just offered the role. Executive Producer, Burt Metcalfe had seen him guest on a MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW episode was quite impressed and we had worked with him on a TONY RANDALL SHOW episode we wrote and were also huge fans.

We met with him the day before production began and discussed the character. He asked if he should do a Boston accent. He tried it, reading a portion of the next day’s script. We said it was good but we were concerned it would be a little hard to decipher. He said, “Well, let me back it off a little.” He read the same passage again and was perfect. We said, “That’s it!” And he did that, for every episode, the accent never slipping or changing. We knew we had a jewel.

Interestingly, the first episode he was written into was not the first episode that aired. David Isaacs and I wrote “the Merchant of Korea” (where he gets involved in a camp poker game and takes everyone’s money until they discover a tell). Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum used that to help guide them in writing the season premiere that introduced him.

I remember the opening night party, saying to David Stiers that as of tomorrow his whole life was about to change. I was right, of course. Thankfully, it changed for the better.

And MASH got a great blood transfusion.

One final trivia note: In college I once went out with a girl named Honoria. I asked if she used any nicknames, like maybe "Honey"? She arched her back and angrily said, "NO. My name is Honoria!" Needless to say we didn't click. But I used that name for Charles' sister. Never give shit to a future comedy writer.
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Thoth

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

THOTH
Role:
Big Bad

-Thoth is Set's brother, and kills hundreds of thousands of people in India as a way to define his might. With the ability to steal lives in a VERY wide sphere of influence, he also kills off Kid Thor temporarily, starting his new status quo (he has to be in contact with his mystical hammer in order to remain alive). Only the arrival of his brother Set stops him.
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Supreme Leader Cho

Post by Jabroniville »

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SUPREME LEADER CHO
Role:
Evil Dictator Turned Super-Villain
PL 13 (186)
STRENGTH
16 STAMINA 16 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Dictator) 8 (+10)
Intimidation 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative 5, Power Attack

Powers:
"Dimensional Pulses"
Speed 13 (16,000 mph) [13]
Quickness 12 [12]
Movement 1 (Water-Walking) (Flaws: Limited to While Running) [1]

"Slaughters the Entire U.N." Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +3) (30) -- [31]
  • AE: "Hits Really Fast" Strength-Damage +0 (Extras: Multiattack 16) (16)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+16 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +16, Fortitude +16, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Reputation (Evil Dictator)- People hate Cho- he is considered a global threat even WITHOUT powers, and many of his own countrymen despise him.
Responsibility (Arrogant)- Supreme Leader Cho is used to being worshipped, and this leads him to easily believe that he is being given the keys to power.

Total: Abilities: 106 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 55 / Defenses: 10 (186)

-Supreme Leader Cho is given as the leader of North Korea in this universe, and was charged with created a "Metahuman Program" for his army. Unfortunately for the Guardians of the Globe, it turned out that an egomaniacal bastard like this wouldn't have given such powers to his SOLDIERS- he'd give them to HIMSELF. He effortlessly defeats most of the Guardians of the Globe, slaughters people at the United Nations, and makes a bid for a global takeover, but is tricked by the heroes into entering a room filled with a "Gravity Pulse" created by one of the scientists Cho had been torturing to give him powers. Cho is squashed like a bug by the gravity, which the scientist passes off as an error due to the device being "rebuilt under duress". I feel it's made pretty clear that this was no error.

-It's a fun little two-issue arc, as Cho is built up as an unstoppable threat, and beaten due to TACTICS instead of "MOAR PUNCHING", which is the Invincible way.

-Cho is really just a way to pump out another build- I actually did this one just now, because I didn't want to post Thragg already, and I'm running out of names :). In any case, he's extremely strong and super-fast (he's shown hitting people multiple times per second). He takes out Monster Girl, Black Samson & Immortal in basically a single round each, and since Invincible is de-powered at this point, he's damn near unstoppable until they lure him into a trap.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue May 17, 2022 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Thragg

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

GRAND REGENT THRAGG
Role:
The Big Bad, Evil Ruler
PL 16 (216)
STRENGTH
20 STAMINA 18 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Space Ruler) 8 (+12)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 9 (+13)
Perception 4 (+7)
Technology 3 (+7)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 2, Last Stand (Ignores All Damage For 1 Round w/ HP Spent), Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Viltrumite Physiology"
"Flying Brick"
Flight 14 (32,000 mph) [28]
"That Super-Speed Stuff They Eventually Started Ignoring" Quickness 2 [2]

"Flies In Space"
Immunity 3 (Heat, Cold, Pressure) [3]
Movement 1 (Space Travel) [2]

"Hard To Kill"
Immunity 4 (Aging, Suffocation, Radiation, Disease) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Regeneration 7 [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+20 Damage, DC 35)
Initiative +11

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +16, Fortitude +16, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (The Viltrumite Empire)- Thragg is the Regent to the Viltrumite throne, and takes his position seriously. However...
Enemy (Nolan & Mark Grayson)- The Grand Regent of the Viltrumites wishes to extinguish the heirs to the bloodline of the throne, and rule the universe. He believes it is unfair that two "betrayers" are the rightful heirs, and is willing to break even sacred Viltrumite laws in order to wipe them out. This causes him to turn his back on his stewardship of the Empire and the continuation of their species.
Responsibility (Viltrumite Rage)- All Viltrumites get angry very quickly, and restraining themselves in times of anger is extremely difficult.
Weakness (High-Level Sonics)- Viltrumites require inner-ear stability in order to fly, and can be incapacitated by certain degrees of sonic pulses.

Total: Abilities: 128 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 44 / Defenses: 14 (216)

Here We Are- Born To Be Kings:
-The mightiest threat, and the Big Bad of Invincible is probably Grand Regent Thragg- the de facto ruler of the Viltrumite Empire. Looking hilariously like a huge, ripped Freddie Mercury, Thragg wears the world's most bitching furry cape, and carries such a reputation for savagery that even CONQUEST cowers from the thought of failing him, begging for mercy! When we finally see Thragg in battle, we recognize the hype- Oliver is grabbed by the arm and has his face nearly punched off with one shot, and Mark's strongest punches scarcely even affect him- it's like the first stage in a Dragon Ball Z fight. During the Viltrumite War, Thragg grabs Great Thaedus by the head and then RIPS HIS SKULL OFF, then shoves his arm through Nolan's torso as well, nearly killing Omni-Man. Only the loss of the Viltrumite homeworld stays his hand, and he leaves with the other Viltrumites.

-Thragg pops up on EARTH, deciding to repopulate the decimated Viltrumites by breeding near-perfect powerhouses with the natives. He manages to threaten Mark into allowing this, then forces a detente when Allen arrives to finish the Empire off- mutually-assured destruction of a sort stays everyone's hands. But of course, we're forced to have this sword dangling over the heads of every major character in the process.

-Quickly, however, a new Status Quo is formed- Thragg learns that Nolan is the son of Argall, the former Emperor of Viltrum (who was apparently killed by Thaedus centuries earlier). Thragg, who'd been raised and trained for the sole purpose of leading the Viltrumites (which is why he's such a dominant, imposing fighter), was DISGUSTED that the betrayers were now the scions of their people, and so decided to murder them. Nolan is nearly killed, but luckily four other Viltrumites (Lucan, Anissa, Thula & Kregg) arrive, and lash out at the Grand Regent for turning his back on their policies.

Thragg's Exile & Return:
-Captured and imprisoned, Thragg suggests Nolan execute him, but Nolan decides to "show" the Viltrumites that the old ways need to change, and so spares his foe- choosing EXILE as his punishment. The idea being that Thragg be shamed by seeing the Empire improve and grow without his leadership... except this COMPLETELY STUPID IDEA (thankfully judged thusly by Allen) leaves the most powerful being in the universe free to get his revenge.

-Thragg ultimately discovers the Thraxan homeworld, breeding Flying Brick Children with the super-fecund Mantis People of that world. When Allen sends Battle Beast to execute Thragg, a horrifying battle occurs, but Thragg pulls out a final victory, slaying possibly the most beloved Invincible character. Thragg then enacts his invasion of Earth- an act that kills off scores of his own children, and many full-blooded Viltrumites, nearly finishing off their race forever. Ultimately, Mark has to fight Thragg one-on-one in outer space, killing him by biting out his throat and tossing his burning body into Earth's Sun. Mark is singed, but has killed Thragg once and for all.

-This last act for the character is ultimately kind of the "tragedy" of this villain- his disgust at what "this human emotion called love" does to the Viltrumites, his personal hatred for Nolan & Mark (whom he'd once spared because they were among the last of their kind), and his thirst for power and revenge... it basically caused him to turn his back on the very thing he'd been born to lead. Thragg could have turned power over to Nolan peacefully, or chosen to live his life in exile once he'd been banished. But no- instead he has to form an army of his own and try to grab power for himself, or just punish those who'd wronged him. His single-minded power-grab was ultimately what destroyed him, and he took both Nolan and Anissa down with him.

Thragg's Might:
-Thragg's power level can be somewhat difficult to ascertain. It's VERY clear that he's the mightiest Viltrumite seen in the series- he is so strong that even CONQUEST cowers before him, and he more or less one-punches Nolan in one of their encounters (impaling him with the "Pointy Viltrumite Hand" technique). He later easily defeats Nolan AGAIN while on Earth's Moon, but four other Viltrumites arrive and pummel him pretty badly, handily defeating him- arguably his weakest showing, except the lowest-caliber of those guys were the PL 12 Lucan & Thula. His other feats include one-offing Thaedus by tearing off his freaking head, and then defeating BATTLE BEAST in combat. As Battle Beast was arguably the single Invincible character with the most credibility by that point (never having been defeated), that is one hell of a "Good Showing". Thragg took heavy damage during the scrap (some of it from the Ragnars that were also present), but ultimately pulled out the victory.

-Thragg's final battle against Mark didn't go his way, though- Mark seemed to be using all of his Hero Points (something he more or less pointed out during the struggle- "every one of my punches has the people I love behind it", while Thragg fought for nothing but himself), and had a last-minute bit of assistance from Robot (who threw a power-suit over Mark to protect him from the Sun's terrible heat. Ultimately, both men are savagely burned, but Mark manages to tear out Thragg's throat with one final surge, then dumps his foe into the Sun, where he is vaporized.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue May 17, 2022 6:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Allen! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger! Chupacabra! Thragg!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

So....yeah....gimme the prize would be his theme song
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Allen! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger! Chupacabra! Thragg!)

Post by bsdigitalq »

HalloweenJack wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:13 pm So....yeah....gimme the prize would be his theme song
And now I am imagining Clancy Brown doing the voice for Thragg.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Allen! Anissa! Kregg! Best Tiger! Chupacabra! Thragg!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

and why not....guy voices everyone
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