Characters I Want To Write! Four to Grow On!

Of course we'd all like to be writing comics, when in reality we'd rather be drawing comics. Perhaps I might have had the latent talent to draw, but not now. Writing is an arduous process, denying one the hope of ever being confident in your chosen craft. I'd rather be a metallurgist or something viable like that.









Characters I'd love a chance to create stories for, in some kind of way...here's four of 'em.









Frankly I find it almost offensive there isn't a regular monthly SAVAGE SUB-MARINER comic available. Here's one of the cornerstones of Marvel Comics, a character who's been around since the 1940s, relatively unchanged to this day. He's the inspiration (and superior) to Aquaman. One of the first legitimate "anti-heroes" in comic book history, Namor has fought hero and villain with equal ferocity in his existence. The Avenging Son has pasted every major Marvel character in the kisser at least once, which has to be some kind of precedent.









I think the thing to remember about Namor as a character: he's just not going to do what anyone thinks he should do. Namor needs to be arrogant and proud, uncompromising, and to that end he should be teamed up with other characters. A nice, simple unit of secondary characters would offset Namor's belligerence, if that's the sore point for "today's" readers.










The Creeper is a character I've gotten wood for, and the connective tissue for me if the Creeper's mishmash of influences, all of them cool. If you took the Shadow and turned him into a Steve Ditko Spider-Man with an ape-sh*t color scheme, then you have the Creeper.





I think, as you can see, the Creeper wasn't designed to be a "clown" character. He's crawling down walls and laughing like a maniac, but it's all an act. What isn't an act is how he scares the hell out of everybody. Frankly, if you think of the Creeper running on all fours at you, I think you'll understand my meaning.

Here's another yellow-garbed character who really gets yanked through the smarmy "too cool" school of comic book fan. Known as "The Whizzer", this character was also created in the 1940s, with the unbelievably Pulpy/comic book origin of gaining his powers, as a child living in Africa, from an injection of mongoose blood. That's right, folks. Super-speed from mongoose blood. The cool thing is, I like the origin. You could do something with the origin, whether you know it or not. It's downright entertaining. But here's the deal: Robert Frank is a speedster, and the good thing about him is there's no "Speed Force" at Marvel (that's right, the "Speed Force"...which is supposed to explain why there are so many speedsters at DC Comics, as they all "tap into" this "Force." Sounds kind of like something else that a bunch of mid-late 30s age men fondly recall from a certain Blockbuster Movie of their early childhood.) What I'm saying is, the Whizzer is like any other character: he could be cool. He could be awesome. Somebody just has to see him that way. And that would be yours truly.














The Question is a woman nowadays, but back in the 1960s he was a man (created, as was the Creeper, by artist Steve Ditko) who expounded the black/white worldview of Objectionism. Reporter Vic Sage's quest for justice enabled him to wear a special featureless mask designed by his friend Professor Rodor. The Question is a character with two fists and a very clear, very defined sense of right and wrong. "A is A." There is no middle ground, there is no "gray area" where it concerns morality and ethics. Either you ARE a criminal, or you are NOT a criminal. You make the choice.





I love the Question, his spooky visual, his even more disconcerting judgement. What the Question does is remove any notion of chance or Fate...you are what you are. And you must face the consequences for your choices. Often as not, the cowards who cannot face themselves end up dead by their own hand, or while trying to escape. The Question continues on.

Characters I Want to Write! THE FACE!

Created by artist Mart Bailey in the 1940s, The Face is one of those time-and-place concepts that gets snickered at by the modern reader.

A reporter-type guy named Tony Trent puts on a scary rubber mask, a visage so terrifying that criminals sh*t their pants instead of shooting Trent in the Face. This hesitation on their part leads to Trent, as The Face, cleaning their clock for them.

The original series of stories are actually really well-done, art-wise. Bailey had that clean, smooth style we associate with Wally Wood or Al Williamson. Of the stories I've seen, most have been highly entertaining pieces.

The Face, as an intellectual property, has fallen into the Public Domain. Thus, anyone can create stories based on the original version of The Face, created in the 1940s. And recently, Alex Ross and the Dynamite Comics machine has seen fit to reinterpret the character for their PROJECT SUPERPOWERS series. Unlike the original (which no one is bound to...only Alex Ross' version of The Face will be protected by his copyright,) Ross' Face has a supernatural ability to illicit terrifying hallucinations when criminals stare into his kisser.

Eh. Whatever. I mean, it would explain why The Face was so terrifying in the first place, but really I don't care much for the whole of PROJECT SUPERPOWERS so...I disparage it.

My version of The Face, I've been thinking, would have a great secret about him, something he keeps hidden. I've wondered about the whole idea behind Tony Trent in relation to other heroes who illicit revulsion, like The Creeper and The Question (both Steve Ditko creations, and Ditko himself has worked on The Face, illustrated here,) and Trent psychologically destroys his prey. I wonder what would happen if Trent's real face began to destroy his Face persona. What if Tony Trent was the thing that scared The Face most in the world?

Literalizing this would require some Pulp intervention, particularly in regards to something called "the Bultugin." This is a word in parts of Africa which supposedly means, "I change into a hyena." Literally. The idea of the were-hyena is actually a strong legend in Africa, a boogeyman who haunts many nights there. I keep looking at The Face and connecting "Bultugin" to it. I find there's something there...something relevant and terrifying.

All in all, I'd feel like a crumb "taking" The Face and altering Mart Bailey's creation to suit my desires...at the same time, the character is compelling and visually striking, and it's unfortunate to see The Face unused, unappreciated, by a modern audience.

Characters I Want to Write: THE BEETLE!

I've been meaning to put down a post on one of my favorite characters, Abner Jenkins, the bombastic Beetle!

Now this character has been around for a long time, since 1964 in fact, which is a looooong time ago, folks. He's had different iterations since then, as Jenkins has upgraded his Beetle armor over the years. He's gone from loser thug to just loser-joke to giving up the criminal life to become part of a superhero team called the Thunderbolts, under his new identity as Mach IV (at this point; I guess he will continue to become Mach V, Mach VI, and so on as long as anybody interested in another version of Jenkins' character's look.)

The Beetle is a pro heist-man kind of character, who carries out robberies with planned precision. He's fought a bunch of Marvel Comics' superhero types, usually on the receiving end of a trouncing by Daredevil or Spider-Man or Iron Man, or whatever new character might need some instant street cred. The Beetle deserves better...hell, he was at Reed and Sue Richards' chaotic wedding in 1965! He's a definitive part of the Marvel U.

(Origin sequence for the original version of the Beetle!)

This gives me a chance to bemoan one series Abner Jenkins starred in, from the early 1990s sometime around the time I was damn near crying when my beloved Houston Oilers blew the biggest lead in NFL Playoff history against the Buffalo Bills...man, I need to let that go. The series was called THE DEADLY FOES OF SPIDER-MAN, and it was a four issue mini-series written by Danny Fingeroth, with pencils by Kerry Gammill and old pro Al Milgrom.

This series is pretty damn frustrating, with good stuff submarined by overwriting, and then the retarded ending, at least in character assassination. The premise is that the Beetle leads a heist team made up of Spider-Villains working for the Kingpin of Crime. Jenkins owes the Kingpin for his new Beetle armor. The Rhino, Boomerang, Speed Demon and Hydro-Man make up the heist "string." The Beetle gets to pulling off those jobs, and doing a good job of it, even taking out Spider-Man with his team. As the story progresses, Boomerang is captured and Jenkins and the others think he might turn over on them. The Beetle is torn about either springing Boomerang, killing him, or setting him up for a long prison term. This is when I thought Jenkins was written well...Fingeroth touches on the idea of Jenkins being a professional criminal...as such, Jenkins knows something has to be done to prevent his team from getting apprehended. But there's also an unspoken loyalty, the idea that Boomerang has an integrity that won't allow him to turn State's Evidence. Fingeroth's story goes friggin' nuts, though, and the Beetle seems hardcore but screws up enough that one-half of the team, including Rhino, Boomerang and a chick using the Ringer's ring-weapons take on Hydro-Man, Speed Demon and the Beetle in a revenge melee.

Now, up until this time, the Beetle was played fairly straight as a professional, albeit one with a heart. Suddenly in the last act he turns into a complete snieveling coward; he spends most of the melee crying not to be killed by the Ringer chick. Spider-Man saves Jenkins from his fate as a corpus, but not from being a whining coward. This is the all-time low for Jenkins, at least that I've read. Fingeroth bunged up a neat SUICIDE SQUAD/SECRET SIX type dynamic by making Jenkins interesting and then deciding that, yes, villains really do blink their eyes. That gets a big double middle finger from me to Fingeroth.

So, as is usually the case, a character no matter what their "level" can be awesome (see Gail Simone's Catman over the last half-decade, for instance) if written well. They can also become a joke, if not. The Rhino and Boomerang and the Beetle certainly had their share. At least Speed Demon recently got to be part of the NEW THUNDERBOLTS, assuring him of a high point in his fictional existence.

The Beetle as we understood him is still "a joke." Even when Jenkins donned the old Beetle armor again in recent years, for a couple of issues of THUNDERBOLTS, he was pretty much mocked for it.

The problem is, ever since Jenkins became "Mach I" in THUNDERBOLTS, he's been a rehabilitated criminal trying to do the right thing. Which is fine, but I'm not crazy about "Mach I" or whatever since Marvel already has Iron Man and half a dozen knock-offs related to Stark Industries besides. In another case of a character being "deuniqued" by the shills, Abner dumped the Beetle moniker, color scheme, and theme for a basic generalized armor look that frankly isn't very exciting.

Personally, as much as I like Abner Jenkins, I'd give a stab at having the Beetle become someone else. Not a new character necessarily, but someone recognizably non-superpowered. And someone with a Parker mentality, the mentality of the hardcore heister. A man with his own moral code who you don't want to mess with or get in the way of, but not a psycho or whatever passes for "criminal" in most comics. Just because someone is a "bad guy" doesn't mean they can't be respected. The reader will follow the character of the Beetle because, frankly, he's riveting. He's not going to fold under pressure. He's a man using an armor who will do whatever he has to to pull off the "job."

The primary thing about the Beetle is the thematic motif, the Beetle. There's a surprising number of beetle/insectoid characters out there, but this Beetle uses the basic natural characteristics of the beetle to augment his skills. He's tough, he's strong, he's fearless, and in a lot of ways, the Beetle is necessary.

Why?

Well...if nothing else, the Beetle should be a fierce individual. He's not going to fall in line with some stupid crapfest Event cooked up by the comics companies. He might take advantage of the chaos and confusion, but he won't be a joiner. In fact, "joining" means being made vulnerable to superheroes or other villains or the Authorities, and a "real" professional like the Beetle who's whole modus operendi is stealth and efficiency won't take that chance. I could see this Beetle killing anyone who tried to "subvert" his individuality. This Beetle, in particular, is no joke.

You have been warned, by the Beetle!

Characters I Want to Write: HAWKMAN!

Here's the "other" convoluted character whom no one can seem to sustain over a long period of time, at least in the eyes of the public.

Hawkman's had just as many variations as Aquaman, or nearly, and in collating those histories and various "looks," the character has become schizoid. Writers James Robinson and Geoff Johns took all the different Hawkman conceits (at one time Hawkman's real identity was Carter Hall, archaeologist and reincarnated Eygptian Prince...then he was Katar Hol, an alien called a Thanagarian, a policeman studying our crime-prevention methods, and later refined as a policeman pursuing a deadly criminal to Earth, and so on) and smashed the ideas together, which is perhaps the last time the character has been rebooted for a modern audience.

Hawkman's persona has ranged from stoic leader to barbarian warrior. He's been intelligent, he's been salt-of-the-earth, he's been conflicted. He's been benign, he's been malignant. His costume has ranged all over the place, with the primary difficulty in presenting a man with big (fake) wings being less visually clumsy and more workable.

I think the thing with superhero comics, and superheroes in general, is a combination of persona externally represented by the costume...meaning, the best superheroes act like they look.

Most writers will give you the Bad. "Bad" is how us 1970s kids would describe something that today is "cool." Cool used to mean how somebody acted...the Fonz was cool, nothing rattled him. "Bad" was usually said as "He is Baaaaaaad." Meaning, usually, tough. Especially in a fight. If you were "baaaaaaad," you didn't have to worry about anything.

Comic book writers in general will give you plenty of "baaaaaaad" but surrender the common sense and internal logic of the characters to do it. Batman has suffered mightily because of this preoccupation. And a psycho-anal world of soft-guts says that to be "bad" one also has to be "disturbed." Batman becomes a bit of a loon to justify kicking criminals in the face. This characterization becomes rote, eclipsing the more structured and balanced notion of the "Dark Detective" which the character fostered post-1950s until the 1980s. Basically, Batman lost his "cool" and kept up the "bad."

Hawkman flies using "Nth Metal," a Thanagarian alloy which allows anyone wearing it to defy gravity. This also provides somewhat superhuman strength. The Carter Hall archaeologist version is conversant with ancient styles of warfare and weaponry. He enjoys hitting people with a big spiked mace. Who wouldn't?

That's Hawkman's "bad" right there. He's a reincarnated man from all different eras of history. He's fought in every conceivable war, he's experienced every unconceivable heartbreak. He's also got a woman, his Hawkgirl, usually reincarnated with him in whatever era Carter Hall is in. At some point, the two of them are murdered and will once again be reincarnated, this cycle to occur over and over as the two lovers are forever cursed.

It's a bit heavy, especially for your "new" reader...various writers over the years have sought to remove the unwieldy aspects. Like Aquaman, Hawkman suffers from audiences who really shouldn't have that much of an influence on his comic book. I'm speaking of adults who have clung to the various Hawkman versions and refuse to acknowledge any Hawkman that doesn't represent, in some way, their Hawkman.

Way to murder the future of comic books, fellows.

I never really thought much about Hawkman when I was a kid, but I wasn't that smart as a kid. From the viewpoint of new readership for comics, and my current affection for the character, I'd probably get rid of a couple aspects of the overall character, like the curse thing (which may have already been solved.) Also, I'm not a big fan of the Hawkgirl dynamic. I can't help it, but knock-off versions of male characters grate on me...they're rarely able to step out of the shadow, and since there's so few really good original female characters...well, Hawkman wouldn't have Hawkgirl.

The other point: Hawkman's environment is off. Currently, or at least as of the last of his solo series a couple years ago, Hawkman lived in the DC Comics version of New Orleans, a place called St. Roch. Fine and good, except when you look at Hawkman, or when I look at Hawkman rather, what you see is a character who makes much more sense in exotic locales. He's been in a Science Fiction setting, he's been in the big city, he's been stationed on a satellite in space...where Hawkman works would be a kind of Indiana Jones world of international intrigue. Carter Hall should be a fairly nondescript dude, like Indy Jones in his civilian life, but once he's Hawkman, he's in the deserts of Cairo punching Nazis into airplane propellers.

Unlike Tarzan, who actually works better outside of the Jungle, Hawkman would be perfectly suited to life in a unpredictable Savage Land, preferably packed with hyena-men and wicked monsters. But yet intricately connected to "our" dimension and reality...Hawkman would rule Monster Island while having no idea of what was around the corner. A Hawkman who has never seen this landscape has to survive in it.














To me, that's the core of Hawkman according to his external motif: he's a survivor, a fierce predatory survivor in point of fact. He should be one of the most savage, and adaptable, superheroes in comics.

Characters I Want to Write: AQUAMAN!

Me, your mother, your great uncle, we all want to write Aquaman.





I think the character survives on Saturday Morning Cartoon nostalgia, for the 30 going on 40 generation who caught "Super Friends" on the television. That Aquaman had the cool sound effect when his little sonar concentric circles commanded the creatures of the sea to battle evil with (for) him. Thus was Aquaman coined as a passive character for all the generations to come, a character who needed to be in the ocean, who could only operate in that realm.




Aquaman in the comics when originally conceived wasn't an Atlantean, of half-Atlantean, but a regular kid whose scientist father acclimated him to the ocean. Arthur Curry could survive in the Deeps, and like Tarzan, developed the strength and stamina one would associate with a man able to operate under the ocean's crushing fathoms.




Soon this iteration gave way to the updated version, who had been the product of an Atlantean and a human. Unlike the other Atlanteans, Arthur didn't have blue skin. He had his water-bourne powers and his WASP features to get by on. The orange shirt and green fin pants are righteous, but worn by a generic bohunk. Not that there's anything wrong with a bohunk, at all, but Aquaman is too nonspecific in appearance.




Peter David, writer of the Aquaman comics of the 1990s, decided to "Namor-up" the character. Make him brutal and savage and gruff and dangerous, pretty much the formula for established character "revisions" across the board during the era. Aquaman had his hand eaten off by pirhana and arbitrarily rammed a vicious harpoon hook onto the stump, as his emblematic weapon. Arthur grew a beard and long hair, and turned into an undersea Conan the Barbarian. Aquaman wasn't boring, that was for sure, but something was lost in the translation. Arthur had been turned into an a**hole.





There's been more variations on Aquaman as a character than I've read, so I can't comment on them all. Tons of writers and artists in comics have failed to reenergize the character for the modern audience. Some say it cannot be done. And I think most people who are drawn to Aquaman sense the futility of the attempt. This is why they are so eager to try. Aquaman seems ripe to become an icon, and yet is sneered upon in the next breath by the fans who still welcome his presence as a guest star in some higher-profile mag.




There's several ideas I think would work, because I'm superficially drawn to the character...I don't like anything about Atlantis. The fabled city works better as ruins, and Arthur is no more a King than I am. Or, the connection is tenuous at best, as was first the case during the 1940s. Arthur discovered Atlantis as a dead city, seeming to perceive the possibility of a unique rapport with the underwater metropolis and its ancient artifacts.




An entire generation of stories has concerned themselves with Arthur's political problems, his King Arthur equivalency, but I reject them. Arthur is much better seeking out the answers to the secrets of Atlantis. So yes, Atlantis is not populated in this "new" Aquaman universe...or rather, it may be, but by isolated beings or outright monsters who aren't so friendly about their territory being invaded.




The other factors concern Arthur's personality, but good character writing in this case isn't really a problem. That is, Arthur is a survivalist of the ocean depths...he's not brutal because he's angry, he is violent as a response to death. If Arthur encounters a beast in the waters who wishes him ill, he will kill it and, depending, probably eat it. I mean, why waste the food?



In appearance, Arthur should look as if he's lived in the ocean all his life. That being the case, his skin is going to be tougher than leather, craggy and probably a sharkish gray. I think his costume would have more fin-like stuff on the arms and legs, made by Arthur to propel him more easily. His belt will hold stuff like squid ink to release into the ocean around him, throwing enemies into a darkness they may never emerge from.




I think, if you've noted large fish and sharks and manta rays and whatever else in aquariums, you'll note how curious they are. Always probing, moving and probing. I think Arthur does that too, he's inquisitive about a human world and the beings in it. He's not stupid, when on land, but he's about as comfortable there as a whore in church. He can live easily out of water, but psychologically he's attuned to the waves. His lungs grow tight on land from the same panic we experience when drowning. Arthur's adventures on land are driven by a need to conquer his fear. Meanwhile, being human requires more from him than he has ever learned. And on and on.



Also, forget calling the comic AQUAMAN. Seriously, it's a death-knell, and it doesn't even make much sense. He's not a man made of water. Still, the name is a "brand" and should remain with him. The comic itself should be called something else, but not Aquaman.




The best case? Revive the old SEA DEVILS comic with the "new" Aquaman and the team operating out of an island base in the Pacific. In fact, the Sea Devils probably are the first humans to actually encounter and communicate with Arthur. And after Arthur inadvertantly wounds one of them in the confusion of their first encounter, he has a lot of make up for. Something like that, you know?

Characters I Want to Write: MR. ELEMENT!

There's a real dirth of information on Mr. Element.








I mean, Dr. Alchemy (who is Albert Desmond, who is also Mr. Element) sure. But unless you've read the original Fox/Infantino THE FLASH, you will find it hard to find stuff online about Mr. Element.

Not that that's gonna stop me from being in love with the character and wanting to write him.

I think the one cool aspect of Mr. Element is that he's a "Science Villain" for a "Science Hero" in the The Flash. Both characters operate under physical laws, but those laws found in comic books. Which isn't to say the physics aren't accurate, but someone far more intelligent can and probably has argued the point.




Albert Desmond was a chemist (like Barry Allen aka the Flash) who suffers a split personality.

His dark half becomes the criminal Mr. Element, who develops technology to use elements as a weapon. He's an enemy of the Flash for a while, and then he finds DC Comics' version of "the Philosopher's Stone." This is a supernatural stone which can transmute alchemically. Thus, does the Science Villain become the Druid of Crime, Dr. Alchemy. This, in fact, turns out to be Al Desmond's third persona. So much so that using the Philosopher's Stone, the mad Desmond creates an identical twin of himself to carry on as Dr. Alchemy, named "Alvin."




After that, Albert becomes Mr. Element to combat "himself," as Dr. Alchemy. The two are obviously natural enemies. Soon, the "second" Desmond is destroyed, and Albert once again became Dr. Alchemy. Or something like that.












Mr. Element, proper, is a pro heist man who uses the elements to pull off crimes and make his getaways. I'd love a shot to turn Mr. Element into the "Parker" of the DC Universe, a hardcore and dangerous criminal with his own moral barometer. An anti-hero with a very strict and vicious code, uncompromising and all business.







And Albert Desmond himself? Well, Al surrendered to the Mr. Element persona completely. But Dr. Alchemy is still out there, still muddying the waters with his "magician's tricks" as Mr. Element would put it. So who is this Dr. Alchemy? Is that the construct from the Philosopher's Stone? Or is it Albert himself, still playing both sides?



Well, dig it, I don't know where this could all play out, but I know you readers would appreciate it. Just imagine the man-bro crush between Metamorpho the Element Man and Mr. Element! There's two guys with a lot to talk about.

Characters I Want to Write: THE 3D MAN! Obviously!

There's a fascinating allure to the 3D Man that I simply cannot ignore.

Readers in general don't seem to get what the deal is, how Roy Thomas managed to get such a concept published. Well, Roy Thomas was a pretty influential guy at Marvel Comics and a huge Golden Age Hero fan. Melding his love of movies from the 1950s with this conceit, Thomas created a character who is still kicking today, albeit in an altered form. Kurt Busiek got rid of the original version of the 3D Man for his own, and there's probably good reasons for that.

However, I'm proposing to return to the conceit which truly entrances me about the 3D Man. Namely, he's not just one dude, he's three.

Now, originally the 3D Man was two brothers, one a tough guy pilot type named Chuck Chandler, the other Hal, who is crippled. During the 1950s, an evil alien race called the Skrulls invaded Earth, to conquer it. Chuck was abducted by the Skrulls during a test flight, perhaps to be replaced by one of them, via the Skrull's natural shape-shifting ability. The panel above shows Chuck being confronted by three Skrulls. This is interesting to me as a plot point.

Chuck is a man's man, and manages to break free. His battle with the Skrulls inside their spaceship causes the whole thing to explode. As he's escaping in the experimental NASA rocket, Chuck becomes erradiated by the explosion. By the time he crashes the rocket, and nearly reaches his brother Hal waiting for him, his body explodes before Hal's eyes.

Chuck is dead, but Hal discovers the last image of his brother has been blasted onto his glasses, in red and green.

Goofy? Sure. Pure comic book delight. Absolutely.

So Hal is sitting around thinking hard about his brother Chuck when he slips into a trance and the 3D Man leaps out of Chuck's eyeglasses!

Now, the thing to remember here is Hal and Chuck shared their fusion. Hal lived vicariously through Chuck's superior physicality, and their fusion gave them a physical Third Man. Thus, the speed, strength, stamina and healing ability of three men in one. Chuck's mind, as the 3D Man, controlled the "body." Hal's mind sort of "rode along."

I was first exposed to the 3D Man via Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, in the issue cited above, in the story "Whatever Happened to the 3D Man?" Mantlo wasn't the most original or versatile writer who ever worked, but he loved these second bananas. He dug the 3D Man enough to throw him up against the Incredible Hulk. A mismatch of massive properties, in which Hal Chandler, middle-aged in the "1980s" of comics, had long retired with his wife and children from any adventuring "as" the 3D Man. Living in suburbia, Hal encounters a half-naked unfortunate who needs a helping hand. This kind man is learned and appreciative of Hal's family, and during the night Hal calls the cops. There's no flies on Hal, and he knows the stranger is Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk. Like everyone else, Hal thinks the Hulk is a killer, and dangerous. Hal calls up the 3D Man for the first time in decades, to presumably hold Banner until the authorities arrive.

As you can see, that turns out to be mere folly!

Eventually things went back to normal. The 3D Man realized the Hulk wasn't going to really hurt anybody unless provoked, and the Hulk hated everyone and jumped out of the story.

My idea is to have a 3D Man which incorporates the idea of three men in one. Each of their personalities will actually take part in creating this 3D Man, who is neither yin nor yank.

Reader disparage having "triple powers" in a world of superheroes. Pfft. I'll take triple powers any day. In my scenario however, the 3D Man is a bit more tragic. See, he doesn't exist without those other personalities, and neither of the primary personalities can do what they can as the 3D Man. Meaning, have powers, and be able to do real good in the world.

Which of course means smacking supervillains around and kicking the hell out of punks robbing old people on the streets.

Aside from darkening the colors a bit, to avoid the "hey, he has Christmas colors!" schtick, the 3D Man costume remains the same. What I liked about the original version is that the "costume" isn't a costume but part of the 3D Man. He's one with it. The goggles are his freakin' eyes, man.

I mean, that's my speculation. The 3D Man is, like, a ghost who can speed punch you right in the groin.

As far as the humans who make up 3D Man in this fusion, I've always been intrigued by the idea of the two men in love with the same woman. Only, neither have a chance with her. And she's enarmored with the 3D Man. Takes all kinds, right?

Characters I Want to Write: WILDCAT!

Yeh, I know what the world needs. Maybe not as much as the world needs our current Commander-in-Chief, but it wouldn't hurt: a Wildcat comic book. Starring Ted Grant, the Wildcat. All about Wildcat. Fists by Wildcat. Love-makin' by Wildcat. And, shocks galore, most of it wouldn't happen inside a boxing ring.

See, Ted Grant was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Now, most everyone will point out he was Champ during the 1960s, which is fine. For my purposes, and bringing a healthy, middle-aged Ted Grant to comicdom, we go with the old "timeless times" of comics. What that means, comics used to not be confined to their "era." They obviously reflected their times, especially in the 1940s and 1970s, but to specify that Captain America shucked the Flag and Shield for his Nomad costume "in the 1970s" is to "date" the characters. Then some OCD writer guy comes along and decides Ted Grant, the Wildcat, is too old to play superhero games. He's a geriatric and needs to be "replaced" via his "legacy" being passed down, name and all.

I'm looking at you, Geoff Johns.

What you get with Ted Grant is a chance to tell two-fisted stories with a non-PC, non-affiliated, non-commercialized Pulp derived hero. In the 1970s he rode around on a Cat-O-Cycle. If you can't appreciate the Cat-O-Cycle, you just don't have it in you to love Wildcat.

I love me some Wildcat. Not many people can write a great Wildcat. Beau Smith (see "Busted Knuckles" webspace) can write the hell out of some Wildcat. I won't pretend to have Beau Smith's hand at it. But Wildcat reflects everything I love in a good two-fisted hero: he doesn't back down, he's uncompromising, he loves to fight.

The writers today can't let go of his boxing background. It's all fine and good, Ted Grant is a boxer with a hell of a left hook. But you gotta leave the boxing stuff alone. The character does represent the Sweet Science only marginally, actually. Say, if Matt Murdock's dad hadn't been killed by those gangsters, he could've become Wildcat. Ted Grant doesn't need an excuse for what he is. Punch first, ask questions later.

A lot of writers think a guy like Wildcat, who is just a man, with a man's courage (Queen's "Flash Gordon" of course) is somehow limited to his default "environment." Well, false on that. Wildcat should be as rootless as a boxer, long trained to not have a home, "performing" much like a carnival act. Ted loves to show off his physicality, it's his Bach, his Jack Kirby. Ted doesn't want to be adored for being a former Champion, he wants to knock you out to prove he's better than you.

So, psychology aside, Wildcat should be roaming everywhere getting into crazy sh*t with wicked villains super or not and monsters and dames who dig his love handles and his beefy thighs. That's Ted Grant, and that's what I propose.