The History of A World - Part I

Today is July 4th - Happy Independence Day to my fellow citizens of the USA! 

Today seems like a great day to talk about history.

Specifically, the fictional history of the Superheroic setting of my current Champions RPG campaign 'UNITY', based on my friend William Corpening's seminal 'Age of Champions' game. Essentially, this is my present take on Will's Champions Earth-Wilcox Charlie-1. 

This variant on Will's universe is centered on Champions Earth-Alpha Delta-1A and the campaign Champions: UNITY, now over a year old, is probably my third distinct version of that milieu. 

I've always been enamored with the idea that this isn't just a Super Hero universe but a clearly Alternate Earth Super Hero universe. It's history and nature is not the same as that of our real world. Here is an overview and some highlighted differences between our own world and the one in our game. 

What follows is information known to, or at least available to, the average civilian on Champions Earth-Alpha Delta-1A. For the most part I am leaving out Superhero specific events - first appearances, battles, etc. - unless those events have a direct effect on society-at-large and the prevailing culture(s) of the Earth. References to things that the superhuman community and/or the players would know but the average world citizen wouldn't will be highlighted in pale green. 

Prehistoric

Roughly 66 million years ago, an asteroid/meteor impact altered the Earth's climate and sent a cloud of debris into its atmosphere that caused a mass extinction event, eventually eliminating 3/4 of the species on the planet (including the dinosaurs). 

It has been suggested that tied to this event was a cosmic phenomenon that eventually resulted in the world's Superpowered population. Specifics on this anomaly remain a mystery and investigation continues. 

An as yet not understood geological/seismic situation created a section of sub-surface Antarctica preserving prehistoric conditions and numerous dinosaur species in a region now known as 'The Lost World'.

Ancient World

The continent of Atlantis is destroyed by geological upheaval. A large number of it's inhabitants are saved through the use of magic, transforming them into a variety of sub-oceanic forms. 

A dissident group of alien refugees, previously of the Vilarian species, land their colony ship at the bottom of what is Earth's Atlantic Ocean today. The highly technologically advanced Vilarians kick the Atlanteans out of their homes and the latter are forced to resettle in a section of the former Atlantean continent they call Lemuria. Today's Atlanteans are descendants of the alien Vilarians and the former 'true Atlanteans' are now known as Lemurians. 

A conflict between the world's Magical entities and practitioners creates a barrier between the realms of the 'Divine', 'Infernal', and 'Arcane' that prevent access to and from the realms of the 'gods', demons, angels, and other supernatural beings. Up to the present day, no one can visit Asgard, Olympus, and other such places. Likewise, none of the gods or goddesses of myth can come to Earth. Note that while most people do not wholly believe this story, it is a common tale told in different variations in countries all over the world. It is as popular and well known as tales of Santa Claus. 

The Modern World up to the 21st Century

The general level of scientific and technological advancement on Champions Earth-AD-1A is higher than that of the real world due to the number of individuals with Superhuman Intelligence and the corporations/organizations they created. This starts to really impact the everyday life of the average person following the second World War.

1920s-1940s 'The Golden Age'

Masked heroes and villains first appear in the 20s and 30s, though rumors and folktales go back as far as the late 1880s. Most are local to particular cities with a few globetrotting types. For the most part the whole thing is chalked up to here say and urban legend, although there is great excitement over these stories among the populations of the US, Canada, and Europe. Referred to as 'Pulp Heroes and Villains', the terms Superhero, Supervillain, superbeing, and superpowers do not enter common parlance. The majority of these individuals do not have metahuman abilities but are rather people of remarkable skill. 

A group of Extraterrestrial War Machines came to Earth as the prelude to an invasion. Starting with the first craft landing at Grover Mill, New Jersey - October 30, 1938 - the alien crafts immediately began attacking locals with devastating weaponry, even though said locals attempted to make peaceful contact. Over the course of several hours, the invaders waded through conventional military responses to their presence. It wasn't until one of the aliens disembarked from their vehicle and discovered an extreme allergy to Earth's biosphere that the Humans realized their opponents were far from invincible. 

The incident was broadcast live over the radio, announced by a Orson Welles. The events and their similarity to the H.G. Wells novel 'War of the Worlds' began what would eventually develop into a massive, worldwide fear and hatred of aliens. 

The first confirmed, widely acknowledged appearances of what we identify as Superheroes and Supervillains today begins in the late 30s and early 40s, leading into and increasing with the onset of World War II: Costumed, masked individuals with powers and abilities beyond those of normal Humans. While such people may have existed before this, the more common use of telephones, cameras, and film enabled definitive documentation of their presence. 

The Axis Powers were rumored to have a mad scientist working for them who had given himself superpowers through the use of a terrible serum. He and others like him invented incredible weapons of war to use against the Allied forces. This situation prompts the Allies to assemble a team of the superpowered soldiers to fight the enemy; The Allied Champions become the first official Superhero Team known to exist by the general public. 

Supporting the Allied Champions was a newly created division of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) called the Paranormal Research and Intelligence Mission to the United States or PRIMUS. PRIMUS remains active to this day.  

1940s-1960s

Scientific advancements in the areas of chemistry, medical procedures and technology, physics, and other fields are greater advanced by the Allies' own Doctor Jean-Louise Jeanis (aka Dr. Genius) and information recovered from Axis research. Among the data recovered from the enemy was the 'Destroyer Formula', a Super-Soldier Serum with dangerous, even deadly side effects. Shared with all the Allies, the USA reworked the concoction into the 'Avenger Formula', eventually resulting in the first government created Superhero, The Golden Avenger. 

Following World War II, the United Nations was established to promote and maintain peaceful relations between its member countries. Due to a series of political conflicts between the 1950s and 1970s, some of which involved Superhumans, the United Nations was given increased powers to govern and moderate international interactions and security concerns.

In the late 50s or early 60s, the UN established the United Nations Tactical Intelligence League - UNTIL - a worldwide espionage, law enforcement, relief and rescue, and counter-terrorism agency. A large part of UNTIL's charter gives them jurisdiction over international Superhuman incidents and situations between the special security organizations of its member nations. Basically, if America's SHIELD, called PRIMUS, and the USSR's SHIELD, called Condition: RED, have a disagreement, UNTIL has the right to step in and facilitate a resolution. 

The Roswell Incident, a US government operation to recover a military weather balloon is mistaken for the crash of an alien spacecraft. The situation sparked numerous UFO and extraterrestrial conspiracy theories. Following additional investigations by independent organizations, including the questionable Extra-Solar Society, it was successfully revealed that aliens of were indeed involved. This cast doubt on government transparency and further fueled distrust of aliens.

The Dodgers never left Brooklyn and continue to play at a remodeled Ebbets Field. The Mets do not exist. New York's baseball teams are the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees (aka The Bronx Bombers). 

The world's leading airline for international transportation of both people and cargo is Pan American World Airways. Their headquarters, the Pan Am Building, is located at 200 Park Avenue in New York City, NY. In reality, the Pan Am building, completed in 1962 and having a very distinctive elongated, octagonal design, was sold to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and renamed the MetLife Building in 1981.

Logo of Pan American World Airways

The Pan Am Building

The Civil Rights Movement is both further embattled and emboldened when superbeings on both sides of the divide become involved, inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and others. At the same time, the actions and words of a number of popular superheroes directed peoples attention back to the speeches of key leader of the movement. The aftermath of this era is better in the Champions universe than it was in our own real world. Champions Earth-AD-1 is more racially accepting and balanced than our Earth is. Sadly. 

1960s-1970s 'The Silver Age'

AT&T launches the first commercial orbital satellite in 1962. In the following 5 years the number of satellites in orbit reaches over a dozen with the level of technical advancement nearly three times that of AT&T's Telstar 1.

The Scaramangler Foundation was established in the early-to-mid 1960s, providing assistance, emergency aid, housing, training, and other vital services to super powered individuals and their families. This organization was founded by Reverend Joseph Scaramangler in hopes of helping those who develop super powers without the ability to control them. Scaramangler was further inspired by his own son, a super genius intellect who designed most of the technology used by the Foundation beginning at the age of about 6.

The non-profit group is mainly paid for by it's 'sister entity' (keep reading) through the development and 'sale' of devices used by the various governments of the world to deal with Supers. A for-profit corporation called Scaramangler Industries builds tech such as superhuman containment cells, defense robots, and 'Danger Room' training facilities for various Superhero teams and security agencies like UNTIL, PRIMUS, and others worldwide. 

Scaramangler Industries has also developed advancements in personal communications and computing resulting in things like the 'S-Phone', the extremely popular and common cellular phone nearly everyone has today (which includes augmented reality, interactive holographic capabilities) (See below in the Bronze Age). 

At present, the Scaramangler Foundation is headquartered in NYC with facilities in nearly 100 countries across the planet. 

Logo of the Scaramangler Foundation

1970s-1980s 'The Bronze Age'

The United States of America landed on the Moon (officially called Luna) on July 20th, 1969. The Soviet Union landed their module in 1973. A European Union lander touched down in 1975. By 1982 the USA and EU had permanent Scientific Research bases. The United Soviet States Republic established their base by '84. China landed and established their base in '86.

At present, 2023, there are five major bases, another dozen smaller operations and outposts, and a total population of roughly 5000 consistent Human residents on the Moon. There are also 3 Space Stations in Earth orbit, including the massive International Space Station that serves as a hub for numerous spacecraft from a dozen different countries and at least a half dozen corporations.

Earth's orbital satellite network(s) received an overhaul by Scaramangler Industries and Mann Enterprises under contracts from the United Nations and various telecommunications corporations. 

The Stonewall Riots and Gay Rights Movement that began in 1969 and moved onward from the early 1970s involved a number of superhuman personalities, the most notable of which were previously labeled 'Supervillains'. Three particular individuals, Passion Storm, The Rainbow Archer ( I ), and the Red Rapier, were both extremely outspoken and made a large cultural impact that did a lot of good in the long run. Sadly, all three men experienced disappointing to downright tragic lives post the 1980s. Images associated with the three - especially Passion Storm's emblem and the Rainbow Archer's bow and arrows are symbols still used by LGBTQ+ advocates today. 

Passion Storm's emblem and the symbol of the first Rainbow Archer

While in the real world mass production and widespread use of the modern cellular phone started in the 1990s, the S-Phone goes into production sometime near the start of the 1980s. Inspired by the ubiquitous 'Communicators' in most Comic Books and Sci-Fi movies and television shows, Will predicted the cell phone by suggesting all the UNITY members had a Communicator and most regular folks had a lesser 'civilian' version.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the USA's 40th President. He served two consecutive terms from 1981 to 1989. During his time in office, the USA adds two new states to its membership and two new stars on its flag. The Washington District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are fully recognized states on Champions Earth-AD-1A.

Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the nation's dissolution and re-organization in 1987, is greatly inspired by dealings with President King to make reforms in his own country. Gorbachev became the first president of the democratic United Soviet States Republic, established following the end of the Soviet Union.

Left: The Flag of the United States of America (note the 52 stars),

Right: The Flag of the United Soviet States Republic (stars represent its 24 republics/states)

In the early 1980s the 'Silver Age' incarnation of the world's leading superhero team, The Champions, disbands after a disastrous mission against the villains Kineto and Sundown. The incident saw the hero Garrison quit the Champions prior to the event, the death of team leader Tower, and the neutralizing of the powers of member Tachyon (after his abilities overloaded while helping to save New York City.).

Following this, public and political opinion on superheroes waned considerably. The prevailing view was that they were unreliable compared to security agencies such as UNTIL or PRIMUS and/or more trouble than they were worth. While a few superheroes remained active in New York, no full time team protected the region. During this same period, California's Protectors operated with only four or five members, the British superteam 'The New Knights of the Round Table' were reduced to three active members and it seemed the entire international superhero community was smaller overall and poorly organized.

Responding to this situation, UNTIL contacted the superhero Omni - a former member of The Champions - with an idea for an emergency response network that could get superheroes to the places they needed to be as quickly and efficiently as possible. Omni liked the idea a lot and had a number of suggestions on how to improve on the basic concept. The end result, officially established in 1985, was christened UNITY. UNITY members can be contacted by UNTIL rapid response specialists and assigned to situations in need of superhero attention. Supers would be directed to emergency situation based on their location, abilities, familiarity with what is happening, and other factors. "The right hero, to the right place, at the right time", said Omni at the UNITY unveiling event. Omni convinced former superhero and teammate Tachyon (whose was still thought of positively by most people) to serve as UNITY's Public Relations agent. 

The internet, originally called the World Wide Web Network - often nicknamed 'the Web' or 'the Net' - goes online in a format similar to but somewhat more limited than what we have in the real world today. A popular website dubbing itself 'Superhero Hype' collects and covers superhuman activity and related news in the USA. 

The positive image bolstered by Tachyon and the remarkable success of UNITY's operations over the next five years completely reversed society's view of superheroes, once again making them a trusted and desirable institution. 

Two aliens of the Hzeel species on a scouting mission to Earth kidnap Joseph Scaramangler as insurance against Superhero retaliation once their presence was discovered. Tragically, Scaramangler was accidentally killed during an attempted rescue operation by PRIMUS. Joseph's son Christian, generally a recluse, enters the public eye as the new head of the Scaramangler Foundation and joins the Superheroes of UNITY using prototype technology of his own design. Christian Scaramangler is very charismatic and popular and subtly pushes an anti-alien rhetoric even as Omni, leader of New York's UNITY group, is promoted to being the Director of Operations for UNITY as a whole. 

I'm going to stop here for now and consider this Part I. Expect to see Part II very soon. 

What do you all think? Any interest in this?

It was fun for me to write this all down this way. Much of it comes from material I either wrote out in a greatly expanded fashion long ago or I've never put it to paper. A lot of it was just stuff I've kept rolling around in the back of my mind for some 35+ years.

Anyway. To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday USA!

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Barking Alien

Among The Spider-Verse

As I think I've said before, while I've always liked Spider-Man, he's never been my favorite Comic Book Superhero. He's definitely cool - great costume, interesting and unusual power set - but Spidey's down-to-earth-everyman nature, the very thing that makes him so popular, just didn't excite me. I was always more attracted to the larger-than-life cosmic adventure type characters, with my favorite comic books being Green Lantern and The Legion of Superheroes.

This all changed with the creation of Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse. In both cases, I'm talking about the Marvel Comic Books here, with Miles' first appearance in 2011 and writer Dan Slott's Spider-verse storyline that ran in The Amazing Spider-Man and throughout several tie-ins in 2014 through 2015.

Something about the character of Miles grabbed me in a way Peter Parker never did and honestly, I can't really say exactly why that is. Maybe it was getting in on the 'ground floor'; I saw his character emerge just as the rest of comicdom did. He was Spider-Man, a Spider-Man I suppose you could say, that was instantly familiar yet very different and definitely his own character.

With the Spider-Verse, well my love of that concept is likely unsurprising to anyone whose been on this blog for any length of time. I am fascinated by the idea of a Multiverse and the possibilities of Alternate Realities. Making Spider-Man the key to a saga about Parallel Universes was really engaging to a classic DC Comics guy like myself. 

In between these new additions to the Marvel Comics milieu, Margaret Weis Productions published the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game. In a demo of the game run at my friendly local game store I actually got to play Spider-Man and it gave me a new appreciation for the character. He was a fun character to play, to be for a time. Maybe I thought, he's more fun to read about and explore than I'd thought.

Fast forward to 2018 and the groundbreaking Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and my mind was blown. The movie was incredible, both narratively and visually. Absolutely incredible. With the recent release of the film's sequel, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, I was completely brought back to that moment of WOW I had seeing the first Spider-Verse movie. 

Over the decades, I have run and played a lot of Superhero RPGs and in a few of them we've had some variation of the character of Spider-Man. Now I'm not talking about someone simply playing Spidey in a game of, say, Marvel Super Heroes or Marvel Heroic. I'm talking about a PC designed to be an alternate version of the Spider-Man character. Between Alternate Earth one-shots and campaigns, a Champions campaign visiting a Parallel Marvel world, and a homage to the Spider-Verse films themselves, it turns out I've encountered quite a few Spider-Men. Spider-Mans? Spider-People?

Follow me on an RPG tour of the characters I've seen that dwell...Among The Spider-Verse.

Armored-Man (Peter Parker of Earth-GC82092)

Art by Midjourney AI and modified by me in Photostudio.

Secret Origin: Armored-Man was a pre-generated PC created by Villains & Vigilantes Gamemaster Mark Olsen for a two session run at the Gen Con Gaming Convention in 1992. The players chose their characters by blind pick and a young man got this one and ran with it. The Player created the character's backstory and I came up with the name when my own character, in-game, referred to him as 'The Amazing Armored-Man'. 

Peter Parker, a science prodigy and inventor, missed the infamous science exhibit where he would have been bitten by a Radioactive Spider when he was almost hit by a car! That car belonged to billionaire industrialist Tony Stark of Stark Industries. One thing led to another and Stark took on Parker as a intern, then an employee, and eventually a close confidant and friend. Parker helped perfect the 'Iron Man' Class Battlesuit that Stark was planning on selling to SHIELD. Unfortunately Stark never got the chance, as an attack of industrial sabotage left Tony Stark dead and destroyed the Iron Man Prototype. Only...it didn't. 

While Stark was indeed murdered, Parker managed to escape the burning facility using the Battlesuit and proceeded to track down and defeat the saboteurs. He turned the criminals over to SHIELD but kept the survival of the Iron Man Armor out of the report. It would turn out that Tony's will left a large portion of the company to Peter and the younger man continued to work on the suit in a hidden workshop below Stark Industries Headquarters. Sometime later, Uatu the Watcher would assemble a team of secret superbeings on this Earth to thwart the threat of a malfunctioning artifact known as The Cosmic Sphere. Parker was among the chosen and used his most updated suit for the adventure. Never intending to become a 'superhero' Parker simply introduced himself to his fellow adventurers by his real name. He received the name 'Armored-Man' from fellow hero Superguard.

The armor had many impressive abilities such as Repulsor/Tractor Ray Emitters, Super Strength, Computer Enhanced Senses, and made the wearer nearly-invincible to physical harm. One of its most clever features were the repulsor jets in the boots that enabled the user to fly but could also be reversed so as to pull things to him or him to things. As a result, Armored-Man could 'attach' himself to surfaces by tractor beams and walk on walls! 

The Black Spider (King T'Challa of Wakanda of Earth-71966-M)

Illustration by Me based on illustrations by Frank Cho

Secret Origin: The Black Spider, along with The Golden Age Spider Man (see below), was a PC created for a Superhero One-Shot I ran soon after seeing Into The Spider-verse titled 'Spiderpocalypse!'. This particular character was the creation of my good friend Arthur, a member of 'Dan's Group' with whom I run Star Trek Adventures and play our Hogwarts homebrew. Arthur's idea was to pose and answer the question, 'What if Wakanda's founding was tied not to the Cat God/Goddess Bast but instead the Spider God Anansi?'

King T'Challa is the ruler of the highly advanced African nation of Wakanda, a hidden utopia gifted with the blessings of Anansi, the Akan Trickster God of knowledge, stories, and wisdom. These gifts manifest in the form of massive deposits of Vibranium and a Heart-Shaped Herb that grants T'Challa the powers of 'The Black Spider'. The mantle of The Black Spider is a hereditary position passed down from the first kings of Wakanda onward to T'Challa in the modern day. The Black Spider, through a potion made from the Heart-Shaped Herb and Spider Venom, possess powers such as Super Strength, Super Agility, Super Leaping, a Danger Sense, and a number of Trickster abilities such as Merging into Shadows, Moving Silently, and an amazing ability to Disguise his voice and appearance out of costume. 

Speaking of his costume, The Black Spider's suit is a wonder of Wakandan technology. Lightweight and as flexible as cloth, the costume has Vibranium mesh and is highly resistant to attacks by kinetic/concussive force. The suit allows The Black Spider to Cling to Surfaces, generate Webs, and gives him retractable Claws in the fingertips of his gloves. 

Captain Spider (Steven 'Steve' Parker of Earth-BL2001-M)

Like the Action Figure he is based on,

I made him out of cut and pasted images

and repainted parts.

Secret Origin: Sometime around 2005, maybe earlier, I lived in NYC's Chinatown and everyday I would pass a particular store on my way to work. It sold bootleg and knock-off products - bags, shoes, toys, etc.. One day I saw this Action Figure...it had Spider-Man's head, painted blue, atop the body of a Captain America figure in inverted colors. A white spider sticker was placed on his chest as well as the center of a miscolored shield. Every day I would look at it and wonder, 'Who is this supposed to be?"

In my minds-eye this wasn't a bootleg figure but a toy representing the most popular hero of some Parallel Earth. He was, um, Captain Spider! I told my then wife about it and said, "It's only $5. If it's still there Friday, I'm buying it."

Selina, in her typical psychic fashion replied, "It might be gone." Gone? Who would buy something like that other then me? Fast forward to Friday and as you probably guessed, it was no longer there. Never saw it again. I like to think it wasn't purchased but rather it shifted back to its own dimension. 

My idea is that on Earth-BL2001-M, during the Second World War, a young army man named Steve Parker volunteered for an experiment to create the USA's first Super Soldier. A secret serum and some vita-rays later and...nothing. Nothing happened. The project was a failure...or so they thought! Some days later Parker is bitten by a spider and its venom reacted strangly with the serum in his blood. He becomes Captain Spider, the American Arachnid! The Star-Spangled Spider-Man! Give those Ratzis hell Spidey!

I got the chance to play a version of Captain Spider in our ol' Kapow! campaign with a new secret identity and slightly different backstory. 

Interesting, this independently devised backstory is remarkably similar to the one for my friend Leo's Golden Age Spider Man. (See below). 

Creepy Crawler (Eugene Enfield of Earth-WC871-M / Challengers Earth-Mu WC1)

Based on a Spider-Man illustration by Dave Williams

Secret Origin: Creepy Crawler appeared as an NPC in my friend William Corpening's long running Champions campaign 'The Age of Champions'. My specific encounter with him was in our 'Age of Chaos' era of the campaign. During a multi-part adventure titled, 'The Dark Trinity Event' (or something like that), our Champions campaign world - Champions Earth-Wilcox Charlie-1 - encountered the heroes and villains of two Parallel Earths: The DC Comics world of Champion League Earth-Delta Ceti-WC1 and the Marvel themed Challengers Earth-Mu-WC1. During this adventure, the big bads of three different Earths tried to merge their worlds and absorb the life energy of all those killed in the process of doing so.

Will likely created Creepy Crawler as a background element, a touch of local color to remind the players the universe they were interacting with was a Marvel type of universe. After all, a Marvel-like setting absolutely needs a Spider-Man. Of course with Will Corpening, nothing is incidental. No character is just an extra. Everyone you meet has a story, personality, and a reason to be there. 

At one point in the game my street level alternate character The New Yorker found himself on Challengers Earth-Mu-1 and saw a gaggle of six sinister supervillains beating up on one young hero. After falling about 20 feet onto the pavement from an aerial battle with one opponent, the black clad super-teen wasn't moving and New Yorker ran to his aid. Removing his mask, New Yorker found out he was 'just a kid', albeit one with some weird superpowers.

After a quick reassurance to the boy that everything would be alright, The New Yorker turned his attention to the six bad guys. By 'attention' I mean brass knuckles, a crow bar, hitting one with a car (driven not thrown) and a lot of face punching. I mean A LOT. Thanks to an upgrade/assist from a Champion League Earth-DC-1 hero named Fusion, the otherwise outclassed New Yorker unloaded a Yankee Stadium worth of payback on Creepy Crawler's assailants, forcing the still conscious ones to retreat. New Yorker than took the kid, who revealed his first name to be Eugene, to a nearby hospital. New Yorker waited while the doctors got to work even though Crisis on Three Earths was going on outside. The New Yorker was kind of a joke character but after this I, and the rest of the gaming group, starting treating him more seriously and with respect. 

Eugene Enfield was a sickly orphan kid from Staten Island who was raised by his Aunt and Uncle after his parents' mysterious disappearance. A genius fascinated by all things that crawled, skittered, slithered, and squirmed, Eugene collected and studied the biology of bugs, lizards, snakes, worms, and especially spiders. By the age of sixteen, Eugene was taking college courses in biochemistry, genetics, and hoped to develop a way to change his own medical conditions using the amazing advantages he'd found within the critters he loved that so many others considered icky. 

One night, while working in his home lab, a burglar broke into his family's house. His Aunt and Uncle confronted the crook who panicked and shot his Aunt. As she began to fade away right in his Uncle's arms, Eugene injected himself with an as yet untested serum that rapidly re-wrote his DNA, turning him into a hideous but powerful superbeing. While he managed to quickly and easily defeat the criminal, his appearance terrified his Uncle and Eugene was forced to run from the house with burglar in tow. Eventually he left the baddie webbed to a lamppost in a nearby town while he hid in a heavily wooded area where he tried to control his monstrous transformation. Eugene ended up passing out and waking the next morning seemingly back to normal. He returned home to discover his Aunt had gone to the hospital and his Uncle in dire straights. Believing Eugene had been kidnapped by either the burglar or the monster from the night before, his Uncle shed tears of joy upon seeing him. Then and there Eugene decided to use his new capabilities to protect the weak, defend the innocent, and scare the living crap out of the criminal element. 

Creepy Crawler is and very much isn't Spider-Man. His powers are similar: Super Strength, Super Agility, Wall Crawling, and Webs (which are biologically generated like Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man) but also near invisible Camouflage, Multi-Faceted Eyes, a Paralyzing Venomous Bite, Regeneration, and more. In some ways he's more like DC's Animal Man but limited to a group of thematic creatures. Changing abilities too quickly or too often under duress or stress causes Eugene to physically mutate, exhibiting such traits as insect eyes, lizard-like skin, and suction cup growths on his hands and feet for example. His largely black costume is designed to hide his appearance as much as possible.

That said, he sometimes purposely shows his lower face and mouth, takes off a glove, or something similar to reveal his frightening appearance when it manifests. In this way he is more akin to Batman, using fear to intimidate lesser opponents so he doesn't have to fight and hurt them. 

The Golden Age Spider Man (Benjamin 'Ben' Parker of Earth-82817)

Art by Kitbash and Modification n Photostudio 

Secret Origin: The Golden Age Spider Man, along with The Black Spider (see above), was a PC created for a Superhero One-Shot I ran soon after seeing Into The Spider-verse titled 'Spiderpocalypse!'. The character was created by my pal Leo, a member of both 'Dan's Group' and my Sunday Night Group. He plays First Officer and Chief Science Officer Mr. Solok in Star Trek Adventures, The Paladin in our Champions campaign, and as Arimus Bonaventure in our Hogwarts homebrew.

Daily Bugle reporter John Jonah Jameson and photographer Benjamin 'Ben' Parker were on assignment in Europe covering the activities of the Allies greatest heroes, none other than Captain America and The Invaders, during the height of the Second World War. A surprise attack on the Invaders left Jameson dead and Parker badly injured. In the instant an explosive device shattered their camp, Ben Parker flung himself to knock Captain America clear of danger, saving the First Avenger but at the cost of being fatally wounded and the loss of the life of Parker's long time friend J. Jonah Jameson. Captain America insisted on a blood transfusion to help save Parker, even though that might have unexpected consequences given the Super Soldier Serum in Cap's veins. Luckily, Parker lived and there were no unusual side effects. At least not right away...

Weeks later on a mission in a jungle environment, Parker was bitten by a venomous spider while tagging along with Capt. America and his team, continuing his role as wartime photographer. The spider bite reacted with the Super Soldier Serum giving Parker spectacular spider-like abilities! After a crash training course and the development of 'Web-Shooter' Pistols and a colorful costume, Ben joined the Invaders as Spider Man. 

[The Golden Age] Spider Man has the same suite of superpowers as the typical Spidey, though he seems physically stronger but slightly less agile. His pistol-like Web-Shooters can fire 'Web Bullets' that explode into a large web upon impact or he can hold the trigger to fire a long stream (for spraying or swinging for example). 

The Spider-Man (Eugene 'Flash' Thompson of Earth-AD6163-M)

Art by Midjourney AI and modified by Me in Photostudio

Secret Origin: This variant of Spidey was the creation of my friend Daniel Grant and myself as part of the backstory for his version of the Prowler [his PC in our 'What If?' Marvel Super Heroes campaign, The Sentinels.]. Dan knew he wanted to create a heroic Prowler and needed both an antagonist and a motivation for his character to become a costumed vigilante and fight crime. It only made sense, given the fact that Marvel Comics' Prowler is part of Spider-Man's rogue's gallery, to make Spider-Man the arch-enemy of Dan's character.

In the midst of bullying his classmate Peter Parker, high school jock Eugene 'Flash' Thompson was bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip to a science exhibit, developing amazing superpowers such a Super Strength, Super Agility, a Danger Sense, and the ability to Cling to any surface. Flash intimidates Parker, a brilliant young scientist, forcing him to make Thompson a colorful costume and Web-shooters. With his new look and abilities, Thompson enters an Open Match Challenge to wrestle the Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Not only does Flash win as 'The Spider-Man' but a TV producer offers to make him a star. Moments later The Spider-Man thwarts a criminal trying to steal the profits from the wrestling match. Within a very short time, The Spider-Man is a media sensation!

Never learning the great lesson of Uncle Ben, Flash Thompson thinks, 'With Great Power Comes No Responsibility'. Flash quickly becomes wealthy, popular, and even more of a jerk then he already was. His popularity is maintained through real and staged crime fighting, talk shows, and endorsing various products. One night, The Spider-Man decides he's 'too busy' to help the police stop a serial burglar in the Bronx who ends up robbing and killing the father of engineering student Hobart 'Hobie' Brown. Brown, a teenage inventor paying for Engineering School with a Window Washer job, decides to expose The Spider-Man for what he is, an attention whore and no hero. Brown creates a special suit and crime-fighting equipment and the ironic identity 'The Prowler'. 

The Prowler's encounter with The Spider-Man reveals the latter's true nature on live television. Additionally the public learns he's been continually blackmailing Peter Parker to keep Parker helping him and not going to the authorities. The fight between Prowler and The Spider-Man begins an ongoing feud between the two, with The Prowler repeatedly embarrassing and thwarting Thompson again and again. The Prowler's activities earn him the attention and respect of the superhero known as The Patriot and eventually a spot on the SHIELD sponsored superteam 'The Sentinels'.

Nowadays when I think about this character I think of a crooked version of DC's Booster Gold.

Spider-Woman (Patricia 'Patty' Parker of Earth-SC9509)

Art by Shunya Yamashita of Kotobukiya, modified by Me in Photostudio

Secret Origin: My criteria for this post was that each character had to be an intentional variant or version of Spider-Man. This one is therefore a special case. This Pre-Generated Player Character was created for a Marvel Super Heroes RPG one-shot at a gaming convention in the Fall of 1995 (If memory serves). It was not intended to be an Alternate Spider-Man but rather the traditional, classic, Earth-616 Peter Parker/Spider-Man you all know and love. Thanks to the jumbled memory of a very creative and entertaining young woman, we got this instead. 

I was hanging out with some friends between events and I happened to overhear a Marvel Super Heroes session occurring at a nearby table. Pre-generated characters were chosen or handed out and after some discussion with a friend of hers, one of the two female players said something like, "it's fine, I'll take Spider-Man. But I want to play a woman."

This confused the GM and he asked her if she wanted to change characters. He quickly looked through his notes and materials for another character but the player said, "No, no. I am playing Spider-Man. A female Spider-Man." At first this clearly irked the GM but he changed his tune after seeing the positive reactions from the other players.

Throughout the rest of the game the female player, let's call her Kate, established the personality of this PC and it was great! She had the character using wisecracking quips volleyed against the villains to hide a lack of assurance and a heap of self doubt. At the same, Kate had a weird view of Spidey's powers. She would pantomime shooting her webs with her hand out, palm down, more like a superhero blasting a ray than the typical way Spider-Man's web-shooting is depicted. She would often suggest her Spider-Woman could fly or glide. When corrected, 'Spider-Man can't fly', she would respond, "OK. Why the 'Web-Wings'?" There were other odds bits: references to her origin, background, and other elements that made me wonder, "Does this person know who Spider-Man is? Or...".

By the end of the game, Kate had made Spider-Woman, who she named Patty Parker, the MVP of the team. She also revealed that she'd never read a comic and really only knew about Spider-Man from the 1967 Animated Cartoon. It also became clear from her description that she was mixing the Spider-Man cartoon with that of Spider-Woman and Web-Woman. Her attempts to reconcile the different stories in her head resulting in this weird gestalt superheroine.

Weird, wild, and absolutely awesome. 

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Barking Alien

I hate to end on a sad note but I must acknowledge a massive loss to the Comic Book Community and particularly to Spider-Man; John Romita Sr., the legendary illustrator who took over drawing The Amazing Spider-Man in 1966 from original artist Steve Ditko, passed away at the age of 93 on June 12th according to his son, John Romita Jr. (who is also a well known and celebrated Comic Book artist). 

Rest in Peace.

Rock On!

They is, am, are, and be,

they who is and are known as

THE ELECTRIC MAYHEM!

Electric Mayhem - The Muppets Mayhem

Album Cover Art by Matt Taylor

I apologize for how long its taken me to cover the recent Disney+ Streaming Series The Muppets Mayhem, a ten episode series featuring the Muppets legendary rock band, The Electric Mayhem. 

Let me start by saying WOW! I absotively posilutely lovified this streamificated narrative of musical proportions. Heheh, channeling my inner Dr. Teeth there. Truthfully though, I am happy to say I really enjoyed it.

The Muppets Mayhem does a lot right. I would even go so far as to say it does what it sets out to do better than some of the previous attempts to 'modernize' the Muppets. How? Well, at the heart of what makes The Muppets Mayhem not just a great series but a great Muppets series is that this series embraces the fact that the Muppets are Muppets.

I...um...Say what now?

The laws of physics and other basic facts about our world change when the Muppets are around. They themselves can instantly change clothes, make items appear out of nowhere, get squashed, stretched, and of course, survive massive explosions. When Humans enter the presence of Muppets - and vice versa - the normal people become part of the Muppets' extraordinary reality. Forget that, ignore that, and you lose a great deal of the magic of the Muppets. The Muppets Mayhem doesn't shy away from this but rather embraces it. 

Well All Right!

On to a full-on Barking Alien-a-rific review...

SPOI-LERS! SPOI-LERS! SPOI-LERS!

Ha-Ha-Ha.

The GOOD

So much! The element that stands out the most to me is, as noted above, the Muppet-ness of the band and how the band interacts with the world they're in. It is both subtle and apparent and happens throughout the series. It isn't focused on but rather just happens as an aside to the scenes the Muppet characters are in. Clearly there are things that occur in the series solely because Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem are Muppets.

Another thing about the series that I loved was the detail and depth given to the characters. Each and every member of the band, including 'new' member Lips, is given time to shine and has some great moments dedicated to them. While not every character gets heavy character development, all the characters get the chance to stand out, to be distinct, to be funny, and to make the viewers feel like we got to know them. A very impressive feat given an aspect of the show that I'll discuss below (The BAD). 

I liked the Human characters, although I feel that not aspects of them were as well thought out as the personalities and traits of the Muppet characters. The thing is, if I came to the Muppets Mayhem series for the Muppets, the real life Humans had better be highly entertaining to warrant their presence in the show. I personally think that the Humans were handled quiet well in that respect. I liked when they were on screen and I really liked how they interacted with the Electric Mayhem. 

I liked the new Muppet character of Penny Waxman a lot. Not only is she a classic character type, a trope of the heyday of the 60s and 70s Music Industry, but she was also given enough unique quirks to make her memorable. I also really liked her design. 

The overall story was quite good, with the subplots given to the individual Mayhem members even stronger in many cases. Getting new reveals and realizations about these characters, some of which are nearly 50 years old, was extremely fun for a long time, die hard Muppets fan like myself. 

Finally, it was funny - REALLY FUNNY! Oh man, I found myself laughing out loud so many times throughout the season. The best part about the humor is that it wasn't all from cameos  or nostalgia - it was from the context of the narrative and the characters. That is amazing to see in modern pop culture entertainment. Yes, it had Easter Eggs. The series definitely made references to past Muppet works. All of that was simply icing on the cake. The cake definitely had a great flavor all its own. 

Oh, fer sure. Like, totally.

The BAD

There really wasn't anything I would deem bad but there were a few things that seemed off and it largely revolved around the Human characters, specifically the lead.

Nora Singh (played by actress Lilly Singh and that's not confusing) is the main Human protagonist, the assistant to Penny Waxman, owner of Wax Town Records. Her major character trait and focus seems to be her love of music, imparted to her by her father. According to references made during the show, including a specific one made by her sister, music has been Nora's life since she was little. This is why she got a job in the Record/Music Industry and why she wants to make a name for herself and Wax Town Records by getting the Electric Mayhem to cut their first album. 

OK, cool, I'm on board. Except...the writers are very inconsistent about Nora's relationship with music. In an inverse version of 'Show don't tell', we are repeatedly told that Nora loves classic rock n' roll (especially her dad's favorite song by Joe Cocker) but then gets the words to a famous KISS song incorrect, doesn't seem overly familiar with the Electric Mayhem, their history, inside info about the industry she's in, and has few if any contacts within the music business. I get it, she's young, struggling, an underdog to be sure, but she either knows music or doesn't and it's unclear which of these defining things is true. It repeatedly threw me off and I found it distracting. 

Maybe that's just me.

Huh?

The GROOVY

The music! It's actually good and some of it is very good but you don't get to hear many of the songs in their entirety in the episodes. You need to check out The Electric Mayhem - Muppets Mayhem album, available on Spotify as well as for purchase ON VINYL! Vinyl baby! 

I am particularly fond of Rock On and Gotta Be. 

Man, I am so inspired by this series to do something to honor it with my RPG, The Googly Eyed Primetime Puppet Show. Not sure what yet. Any ideas?

Mahb du da rit up oul da band stas 'em pote dem ere?

Lips, that's it! You are a genius brother. Thanks.

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Barking Alien

Hey everybody, one more thing before I split...

Could really use some help and support to keep the creative works coming as well as just get through the Summer months, which can be very tough for me and my business. If you like what I do and can lend a hand, check out my Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/barkingalien 

Thanks all. I really appreciate it.