Tales of the Parodyverse

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Al B. Harper
Sat Feb 04, 2006 at 08:32:33 pm EST
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Because HH and KS demanded it: KS Footnotes!
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From June 2005 till now. I hope I got them all...


Resolution Crisis War Chapter Six:


Kwatrain, Apocalyspe, the Font, Mother-In-Law Box, and the Zoom Tube: are all parodies of New Gods concepts created by Jack “King” Kirby. Kwatrain was one of the villains present in Dancer’s superlative “Far Away” series, at the end of which the master assassin was defeated and brought to Earth for war crimes. Obviously, he’s out.

And as for the reference to a “grieving relative,” that would be a “Wait and See” moment….

Harry Flask, blinded?: Probably not. I just couldn’t help including that scene as a homage to another story. Any guesses? Hint: its not Oedipus Rex, though his distaff counterpart is tangentially involved. Sort of.


Strong Suite Part Eight:
Realise

Footnotes:

Hallie/Epitome: this is the end of the romantic subplot for the two characters. Really, such a moment should probably come at the end of the storyline, but I do have something else planned for that moment instead, so it made sense to have this part take place now. I worry that the ending comes off as too contrived, even though the reasons are perfectly valid. I just don’t think my work does a good job showcasing both character’s fear of intimacy and all that other treacle that comes with a good breakup story.

The characters were never meant to be permanently together, for a variety of very good reasons, in story and out. But when Vizh hinted way back when he wanted someone for Hallie to date I mercilessly shoehorned Epitome into that spot. Hopefully that led to some good stories. I certainly liked writing the two of them together (obviously) but now its time for both characters to get out of each other’s way and move on.

Other tidbits: Mr. Epitome kept Hallie from trying to save Visionary from the "Heart of Darkness" back during the "Heart of Darkness" epic when he would not give her vials of her onw blood which could have possibly been used to kill the infection that was in Vizh. Epitome was told by the Hooded Hood that the Legion played a role in his memory loss back earlier in the series. In fact it was Dominic's old enemy/girlfriend the Idiom who is responsible, though an associate of the team, the aforementtioned Fleabot, knows she did it.


Strong Suit Part Seven:
Footnotes:

The Mad Tinkerer: is a classic mad scientist type villain with ties to the Synthetic community. Note I deliberately left his fate, and the fate of Dalrymple, the Robo American Yuki was looking for, vague, in case anyone wants to follow up on it.

Googol Volt: has been referenced a couple of times, and actually put in an appearance in the unfinished CSFB!/Epitome team up. He has electrical manipulation powers.

Grit, the Granulated Man: Brick Bassalt was a noted tomb robber who broke a mystical hourglass hidden in one of the lost temples of Egyptian necromancer Ku Ku Ka Chu, granting him the power to transform himself into living sand. First Appearance: Mr. Epitome #14.

Epitome’s training: Dominic Clancy was given his powers by Homo Maximus, a government research facility given the task of creating super soldiers. Clancy, a rookie FBI agent, was chosen from a field of candidates to be exposed to the strange energies of the Divine Spark. The MacGuffin Material within the Spark enhanced his physical and mental abilities a thousand fold. This story gives us an inkling as to what Dominic went through to learn how to master his powers.

Strong Suit Part Six:


Footnotes:

The Fourth Estate: a freelance multimedia news gathering organization that specializes in reporting on news involving superhumans. Led by the mysterious Ombudsman, the on camera personalities include the chameleon-like Ambush Journalist, his more dogged rival Pit Bull Journalist, Robo American society watcher Paige Six, and the free-floating Talking Head. Other members of the organization include the technical expert Shutterbug and online researcher Webcaster.


Alcheman #24:

http://www.mangacool.com/php/show.php?msg=parodyverse-20051204060052


The Founding Fathers: were going to be mentioned in this story even before they became a topic for conversation in a recent chat, but when that happened I had to include Dancer in the story as a homage to the person who brought them up.

Project: Oddbody: was mentioned in an old Mr. Epitome story. It was a program being run out in Area 51 in Nevada where the government was breeding human-Skunk hybrids. Apparantly Bendist is one such hybrid (among other things).

Ivan Strode: is the artist who inked the tattoos on Michael to give him his elemental powers. He is a servant to Atlas and Census Jones, two former servants to one of the former Shaper of Worlds. He is living with Alcheman after his own home was invaded by the minions of Penny Blood, who bears an as yet unexplained grudge against the Joneses. In the movie Strode would be played by Bruce Dern


Myron and Amelia “Brick” House: were present at the COPE meeting Alcheman busted up back in Issue #22. They are a long married couple whose lives were altered when Amelia was given a mysterious mark by a strange soothsayer on the Greek Isles. This Galatea Spot, when touched, transforms Amelia into a super-powered supermodel with enhanced strength, invulnerability, and flight. I figure Hume Cronym and Jessica Tandy could play the elder Houses, while Elle MacPherson could portray Brick House.

Smooth Operator: Norman Wilberforce gained the ability to transfer the texture of things he is in contact with after an accident involving an experimental after-shave lotion. He was another COPE client inspired to become a superhero by Alcheman’s speech. He wears a silver costume with items of various surfaces pinned to his belt (a Teflon frying pan, sandpaper, flypaper, and a feather duster being four examples). In the movie he could be played by Ryan Reynolds.


Holothuroidea Lad: was bitten by a radioactive sea cucumber and transformed into the shambling, leaky figure he is today. His limbs are short and nearly vestigial, and he needs to be constantly hydrated, but he has amazing regenerative abilities, can swim rapidly by forcing large amounts of water through his GI tract, and can defend himself by vomiting said tract up on his attackers. He would need some serious make up and prosthetics, but I could see Paul Giamatti playing the part.

UT 242.5 tie in:

Footnotes:

The Fearsome Foes are a quartet of costumed villains who Mr. Epitome fought early in his career. A group of Silver Age throwbacks hopelessly out of their depth when going up against a no-nonsense crimefighter like Epitome. Their only appearance was wayyyyy back in Mr. Epitome #4, where they broke out of prison and tried to kill the Paragon of Power. Coincidentally, that episode is also introduces the reader to Glory.

Armand Braithwaite, the Spring Loaded Man fought Mr. Epitome and Yo in the story “Springing Into Action.” He was quickly defeated by the pair. Now he uses his hyper extending limbs and torso as a member of the Fearsome Foes, replacing Kelvin, who was badly mauled by Glory back in Mr. Epitome #4. He retired from the villain game after Epitome reattached his severed arm and provided him with a prosthetic hand to replace the one the Dog Dynamo chewed to a bloody pulp.

Alcheman #23

http://www.mangacool.com/php/show.php?msg=parodyverse-20051123023834

DBS and Alcheman: teamed up back sometime around Alcheman #15 to fight the renegade Robo-Sapien Efficienado. The Sepia Speedster is one of the few people in the Parodyverse who know Michael Wooster is Alcheman (and one of two poster characters, the other being the Baroness). Note I left it up in the air as to Josh Clement’s own status in the Legion, as it seems possible that he is no longer part of the Lair Legion.

Chiaki Bushido: is the preternaturally perceptive Psychic Samurai. She has been employed as a bodyguard in the past, though how the Wooster twins got her number remains a mystery. Maybe it was somebody’s idea of a practical joke. Regardless, as Vizh pointed out, she could be portrayed quite well by Kelly Hu (“X-Men United”).

Varmint: is a mutate orphan of indeterminate age captured by one of those top secret super soldier programs and altered to be an unstoppable killing machine. He was able to win his freedom by petitioning the Supreme Court, provided he went through counseling and medical treatments to stifle his berserker tendencies. Terrence Stamp of “The Limey” would make a cool Wolverine. I mean Varmint.

Bendist: is a post-modern, wise-ass, stretchable crimefighter who talks like people do in real life. He is more than he seems. “The Chronicles of Riddick” star Vin Diesel could play the part.

Whitney Spheris, Pop Nebula: claims to be the physical manifestation of an entire galaxy who has come to Earth in search of someone to help her parent a new universe. In addition to being a marginally talented actress/singer/dancer, she commands the four fundamental forces of the universe (electromagnetism, gravity, and strong and weak radiation). Do I even need to say who she’s based on?

The Munitioneer: is a Marine colonel given the power to duplicate the capabilities of any piece of conventional weaponry or technology used by the American Armed Forces. He is a loyal soldier who is brutally efficient when it comes to serving his country. The criminally underrated actor Joe Morton (“Lone Star”) has the gravitas to take on the role.

Alcheman #22:

COPE: the Committee for the Occulation of Paranormal Experiences is a non-profit agency that works to mainstream people with supernormal powers back into the mainstream. Alcheman has long suspected that Cyrus Honig, the group’s director, has been part of a larger plot to rid the world of superheroes. It appears he is correct.

The Grey Eminence: speaking of conspiracies, nonagenarian Aldrich Grey is secretly the chairperson of a group of powerful business and political leaders who want to spread American values and markets throughout the world. To this end they seek to control the Parodyverse’s population of metahumans. Having once been the mentor to Mr. Epitome, Grey is now aided by several functionaries including Rex Regent, Harmanda Barriere of Special Protocols Against Metahumans (SPAM), and the Omni Competent (a ruthless, brilliant alternate reality version of Epitome).

Joy Corps: is a superhero team that also doubles as a cast for a reality television show on the Super Human Station (Cable Channel 616) in Paaradopolis. Alcheman almost tried out for the team, until he realized it was backed by COPE and was made up of some very dysfunctional figures. More on them later.

Bring on the Bad Guys Part 1:

I could have gone back and referenced every appearance for every villain that shows up in this tale, but the fact is that’s just too much effort for someone with my work ethic. I figure if anybody has specific questions they can ask ‘em. So what I did instead was come up with a roll of characters that did not put in an appearance in this or the next part of the story (and even this list is incomplete!):

Efficienado, the Scourge of the Parodyverse, Penny Blood, Pillbug, the Soloist, Cyrus Honig, the Bipolar Buccaneer, Magmire, the inmates of Herringcarp Asylum, the Apocalyspian villains (excluding Thugos and Granny Grimness), Thresh, the Magnificent Blastard, Doc Toxic, Der Puppe Macher, Make Out King, Captain Marble (aka Aggie), Disco Tech, Smellhound, Thrum, the Yakuza Spider Cult, Tech Spectre, the Nescience, Musk Ox, the Camorra Machina, Crushed Velvet, Supremacister, Guy Trebellino, and Run Gunner. And then there are the villains who were mentioned by name only, but I’m not going to be so anal as to try and catalog them. Though someday I must think of a story that uses ToFu Manchu.

Strong Suit Interlude 4:

Poison Okie: Deanna Running Water was a government researcher who developed a plant-controlling enzyme based on stolen Technopolitian technology, this woman was driven mad by her exposure to the chemicals. Now she wants to restore all of Earth to its Garden of Eden roots… and a national title for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The ‘Traitor’ in the Lair Legion: is in fact Fleabot, since he knows that it was the Idiom who caused Mr. Epitome’s memory loss and subsequent age regression by way of the M/ELTSER (Modification/Erasure of Long Term Stored Engrams Ray) back in Mr. Epitome #44.

Katarina “Kat” Allen: was a young woman abducted along with a small Louisiana town to an alien planet in Dancer’s excellent ‘Far Away’ series. She rescued an amnesiac Mr. Epitome from near death and was part of his and the rest of the memory-wiped Legion’s adventures to stop the Gods of the Apocalyspe. She and Epitome became very close during their travels, and share a bond even after the Paragon of Power’s memories were returned.

And because I love doing these, a “Side Trip to the Madhouse” Cast List:

Mr. Epitome, Visionary, and the Hooded Hood have been cast so many times by me and others already I won’t spend any more time on them, but as for the other dramatis personae in this story how about:
http://www.mangacool.com/php/show.php?msg=parodyverse-20051031115238

Strong Suit Interlude 3:
Footnotes:

Bonus points to the person who IDs the ‘Star Wars” quote.

The inmates of Herringcarp: As I’ve said before, All of these characters are new, though they are barely concealed ‘homages’ of villains in Batman’s rogues gallery:

Putty Puss is an analog of Clayface’s, though I imagined him less of a blob-like shape-shifter and more a master of disguise like Marvel’s Chameleon.

Mantikore is an analog to Killer Croc, with the exception that instead of that skin disorder where the afflicted looks like a lizard Mantikore suffered from hypertrichosis, which causes the growth of excess body hair. Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy is a famous sufferer of the disease.

Mary Prankstar is, of course, a parody of Harley Quin. Instead of her being fixated on the Joker, though, she was tormented by the closest thing the PVB has to the Clown Prince of Crime, the Crying Clown, into becoming obsessed with Visionary. I figure he did it to make Mary suffer the indignity of being consumed someone so supposedly “worthless”, though if someone can come up with a better reason have at it.

More on Poison Okie next time.

Abyssal Greye: is one of the scholarly Ghouls under Gothametropolis. He took Vizh on a historical tour of Lair Mansion in one of HH’s stories, and I believe mentioned that it and Herringcarp Asylum had some kind of rivalry going on. At least I hope so: I know the concept showed up somewhere but with my limited internet access its hard to do research at times.

Strong Suit 3:

Footnotes:

Killer Shrike II: Major Viktor Deredondo is an agent of SPAM, or Special Protocols Against Metahumans, a covert government agency whose name says it all. He is supposed to be impersonating the dead villain as part of a larger plan to secretly infiltrate the Parodyverse’s villain population. Here Killer Shrike is being used to capture Hallie for the US government, who see the AI as evidence that the Lair Legion covered for Hacker 9 when he went on his rampage circa Untold Tales #228

Viktor has encountered Sarah Shepherdson in the past, when she used her wit and wiles to close down a St@rbucks opposite the Bean and Donut Coffee Bar. Shep’s comment that Viktor is “not KS” is due to the fact that the original Shrike was under a curse that made it impossible for him to harm her. The explanation for his mysterious escape at the end of the story will have to wait for another day.

Strong Suit 1:

Footnotes:

Muffy Framlicker: former lady love of Al B. Harper, former classmate of Helen Macallister (whose engrams are part of Hallie’s own personality matrix), former Miss February, former executive of the Interdimensional Transportation Corporation, former boss of Uhuna’s former fiancée Nats, Muffy is currently a partner in the EEE package delivery company. Her slights against Hallie may be a bit understandable, given the fact for years she blamed Helen for ruining her relationship with Al B. (and lets face it, as much fun as Hallie is, she can be a bit snippy), but there is a slight “pot meet kettle” element to Miss Framlicker calling anyone “fussy.”

Illusionary: is a new character. Do I even have to point out what super-cool villain he’s a parody of?

What’s Fred Wooley spouting off about?: When I first started writing on this board, my first storyline involved Mr. Epitome setting about a regime change in the North African country of Sybia. The story was meant to parallel certain aspects of America’s military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, except instead of Al Queda and Saddam Hussein our heroes were going up against Middle Man of Metacrime Factor X and a territorial warlord named Emperor Scorpion. The story pretty much ran from Mr. Epitome #3-13.

Finding the Mark 3:

Footnotes:

Visionary’s and Glory’s heart to heart: takes place at Paradopolis University, which is the site of the Lair Legion Juniors Auxiliary Program. The topic of conversation is Hacker 9’s return foray into cyber-terrorism circa Untold Tales #229 (I think).

Artemis: born Charlotte Ouk, this young lady was rescued twelve years ago by Mr. Epitome from being poisoned by one of his old enemies, Doc Toxic. Though the Paragon of Power saved her, he was unable to prevent the deaths of her parents. He and some trusted confidants raised the illegal immigrant secretly, with Epitome training her to be his partner. The original plan for giving her super powers like Epitome’s fell through for some yet unknown reason (and now that Dominic has lost his memories, we’ll probably never know), but Charlotte refused to quit, running away from her home and traveling to Paradopolis where she uses her archery skills to fight crime.

The Ass-Raping Ninjas: the less said about them, the better, probably. : ) Hopefully Kirk will find their portrayal here (anyone else here a fan of “The Tick”?) simpatico with his own vision of the clan.

Factor X and the Mind’s Eye: having been getting a lot of screen time lately, so its probably unnecessary to go into much detail about them. Suffice it to say they are a pair of Russian entrepreneurs who provide all manners of support for the bad guys of the Parodyverse.

Musk Ox: a genetically-engineered creation of the mysterious Low Evolutionary (someday I’ll have to go back and finish up that “Lair Legion Unlimited” storyline I started with him as the antagonist), Bovus 18 left his home in the Peaceable Kingdom to challenge himself in combat against the superhumans of the Parodyverse. He is especially fixated on defeating Mr. Epitome. Monstrously strong and resistant to damage, Musk Ox can also emit deadly pheromones that can weaken or kill an unprotected target. Last time he appeared (Mr. Epitome #42, I think) Mr. Epitome and Glory made quick work of him, but that was when Dominic was prepared and had all of his faculties. Expect a much different outcome this time.

Great Parodyverse Moments 5:
Footnotes:

Not much to comment on here, except that this story solves the small mystery of who Hallie slept with when she was still organic. As mysteries go, its not exactly what happened to Jimmy Hoffa, but it seemed like a good time to tell the tale, given the theme of recent stories.

Hallie’s musings at the end of the story refer to events in some earlier posts. Hallie died and subsequently regained her digital form fighting to save Visionary from the time traveling villainy of Humboldt Vernal in “The Sepulcher of Destiny.” Epitome stole samples of Hallie’s blood in order to see if it could be used to destroy the Fairly Old Ones that have plagued the Parodyverse from time to time. Hallie learned of this deception during the still unfinished “Heart of Darkness” storyline, again, while she was trying to save Visionary. I look forward to seeing if Hallie is the one who saves Vizh from his current, er, predicament with Vermillion Vex. And lastly, Mr. Epitome was mindwiped and regressed in age in his own series by his old girlfriend/enemy the Idiom in order to stop him from doing anything especially nasty to the other heroes of the PVB (and his author was bored with the status quo of the character). To this date only Fleabot is aware of the reasons behind Epitome’s change.

Six in One:


Footnotes:

The Idiom and Count Armageddon: in a deliberate attempt to shoehorn my characters into the “Badripoor gets taken over by Science Villains” plot from Untold Tales, I had Count Armageddon kidnap the Idiom from prison and subject her to his kaos energies, which corrupted her to the point where she wanted to kill Epitome. Her true morality returned after a visit to the Happy Place, circa “Mr. Epitome #35 or so.

The Mind’s Eye: is pretty catty in this story, especially about a certain Teutonic supervillainess we all know and love. Nadya was part of the Baroness’s cadre of criminals scattered throughout time and the globe to wreak havoc as part of Madame Zemo’s still unrevealed plot against the Hooded Hood. Her petulance can probably be traced to the fact she has to do grunt work for the descendant of a Nazi, who as a group had some issues with Mother Russia in the past. There are also references to the Machine Shop and Towel Man, who Factor X has had dealings with in Untold Tales and the Hatman/Dancer Tag Team respectively.

Rejuvenation Serum: Waaay back circa Mr. Epitome #8 (??), one of the operatives of the Grey Eminence, the Tech-Spectre, stole a sample of Virgil Salvage’s stem cells. Salvage is an immortal caveman (and a parody of one my favorite DC villains, Vandal Savage. Seriously, check out how cool he is in the Animated Justice League adventure “Hereafter”- Soft-selling Shrike) and the Organization the Grey Eminence fronts was interested in seeing if they could duplicate Salvage’s abilities. Fast forward to the “Three Families” story, which features Epitome’s and Visionary’s cast interacting, but also the reveal that the Group has hired a clone of Dr. Moo to unlock the secrets of the acquired DNA. Then fast forward to now, where it appears Oiad (last name pending) hasn’t gotten much closer to getting the job done.

The Omni Competent: an alternate reality version of Mr. Epitome who became a genocidal world conqueror, he and his ravaged world were banished to an alternate dimension due to the machinations of the Hooded Hood. He conspired with an alternate reality version of Dancer to escape their prison and replace their counterparts from Parodyverse Prime (see the “Shattered Worlds” mini from last winter). The OC was beaten and taken into US custody, though the world and the Lair Legion believe he’s dead. In an interesting coincidence, the Omni Competent’s insanely powerful host body is currently in possession of… the Hooded Hood.

Rex Regent: is a new character, but fans (or critics) of a certain DC mini series may recognize who he’s supposed to parody. As of now Rex is the right hand man of the Grey Eminence, putting him in charge of the day to day operations of a Cabal of business, political, and religious leaders who use their influence over the military/industrial/entertainment complex to promote America values and interests across the globe.

If you wait by the river long enough etc…:

Footnotes:

Herbert P. Garrick is the Presidential Advisor on Superheroes and leader of the anti-mutant campaign. He is rabidly opposed to superheroes, so that doesn't help really. "Bad News Herb" is the man who controls the robotic Sentinoids, hero-hunting automatons

Clarice Grackle: was a trainee at the FBI Academy the same time Dominic Clancy was. The two had a romantic relationship, but split amicably when they graduated. Later, when Dominic was chosen to become Mr. Epitome, he requested Clarice become part of the task force that was centered around his activities as a superhuman law enforcement agent. They had an on again, off again relationship that finally ended when Epitome left the FBI to start up the Office of Paranormal Security. Agent Crackle returned briefly to his life when the Epitome Division was put under a government review for possible rules violations and she accepted the job as an investigator for the man who ran the inquiry. This, of course, is all moot now, given Dominic’s new status.

What we got here, is a failure to communicate: Glory and Epitome had developed a language that was based on thousands of verbal and non-verbal cues. But Dominic’s condition has made him forget how to understand much of the vocabulary at this point, so they are relying on the portable translator device the Dog Dynamo sometimes uses when working with the Juniors. To explain why Glory doesn’t use the mechanism all the time I just wanted to demonstrate it occasionally makes errors in its translation.

The Way We Never Were:

Footnotes:

The Incredible Secret Origin of Mr. Epitome: Dominic Clancy was a rookie FBI agent who fifteen years ago volunteered for a top secret program developed by Homo Maximus, the Super Soldier making agency. Their latest effort was to subject candidates to the energies of a strange extradimensional material discovered by and named for its creator, Dr. Avi MacGuffin. Clancy was chosen to be the first recipient of the power, and was place into the machine known as The Divine Spark. The process worked, though after the spark was powered up the MacGuffin Material vanished. It would reappear several years later, allowing Homo Maximus to subject a young Border collie named Glory to the same treatment before it disappeared again.


The Grey Eminence: is the alias of Aldrich Grey, the nearly hundred year old power broker who secretly tries to control the American government and economy. His ultimate goal is the expansion of free trade and democratic values throughout the planet, with the United States benefiting the most from these changes. Grey has had to work with some unsavory characters to keep his operation running, but up until now could always use the threat of Mr. Epitome to keep them somewhat in line.


Mr Epitome 44:

Footnotes:

Timeline: I’m going to assume this all happens after Visionary’s “Heart of Darkness” story and HH’s latest arc on Untold Tales, however long that is (long, hopefully).



The Maverix: are, as CSFB! pointed out, parodies of DC’s Outsiders. The latest (third?) incarnation has a roster of both old and new heroes, some of which I stole for my story. I don’t have any real plans for them after this, so if somebody thinks they could use them you’re more than welcome to do so. Here’s what I have on the group:

Ordnance: Real Name: Ray Hartmann. Twenty something male, blonde, athletic, former sidekick to “legendary vigilante” The Shadowy Gunman, when he went by the alias of Quickdraw or Quicky. Now the only heir to the Gunman’s estate. Wears a grey bodysuit with white trim. Domino mask. Twin .45 automatic pistols in shoulder holsters. Guns have a wide variety of payloads, most of which are non-lethal.

Poise: Real Name: Unknown. Twenty something woman. Asian in appearance. Claims to have been expelled from Amazon School. Incredibly strong and fast, with a high resistance to injury. Wears hair short and spiky (dyed orange). Wears a black crop top muscle shirt and Capri pants.

Jacinth: Real Name: Jacinth. Twenty something female with purple, bluish skin and medium length violet hair. The last daughter of the Gem Dynasty of Wizards, her powers include the ability to manipulate a purple energy for a variety of effects, including flight and force field projection. Costume is a white a green bodysuit.

Resound: Real Name: Kimmy Lassiter. Twenty something African American female. Long dark hair with blonde highlights worn in corn rows. Can alter her density from an intangible state to diamond hard levels and a mass of over 90 tons. At maximum density she has super strength and invulnerability, and her punches strike with a thunderous noise. Received this abilities from irradiated diet pills. Costume is a blue skintight catsuit with a red jacket worn over it. Matching gloves and boots.

Elemento: Real Name: Elemento. Tall, powerfully built bald man. Skin is a patchwork of browns, blues, whites, and reds. Can adapt physical properties of earth, air, fire, or water. Origin is unknown, though he may be some form of golem or homunculus of a more powerful elemental being.


That juvenile delinquent Hopkins: is, in fact, Mark Hopkins, aka spiffy. The former omni-mayor and current President of Badripoor has run afoul of Mr. Epitome in the past, though the Ferned Wonder was willing to accept the Idiom’s technical help in running the Pacific Rim island nation.


Modification/Erasure of Long Term Stored Engrams Ray: first showed up in Alcheman #17. It has the power to erase a target’s memory, the amount being determined by what setting the weapon is on. It may have other side effects as well, given the Idiom’s tinkering.

The M/ELTSER is a riff on the name of the man who wrote DC’s mini series “Identity Crisis:” Brad Meltzer. In the story it was revealed that the Silver Age Justice League would wipe the minds of various people when it suited their purpose, including fellow Leaguer Batman!


Mr Epitome 43:



Footnotes:

The Idiom (Letitia Gahagan) is a problem-solving genius who has previously fought Mr Epitome on ethical and political grounds and later became his lover. A fugitive from the US criminal system she is currently being harboured in Badripoor

The Color of Hallie: Hallie became temporarily blue in hue thanks to a miscalculation in one of Al B. Harper’s experiments. The whole, funny story can be read down the board in “Crossing the Thin Blue Line,” by poster Visionary.

The Klein Administration: Mayor Velma Klein of GothamMetropolis York, is spearheading a very hard-line anti-crime initiative in her city. Metahuman activity of any kind is disallowed there. Klein has ties to Harry Flask, the purported gangster known as the Lynchpin.

Zoxxon Oil: The petrochemical conglomerate has shown record profits recently because the wells of other companies had been contaminated by a formula that turns oil to water. They, and the consumer, have Baroness Elizabeth Von Zemo to thank for that.

Welcome to the Parodyverse, Mr. Epitome, Hope you Survive the Experience: Epitome (and one would believe, most of his cast) was brought to the Parodyverse by the Hooded Hood in Untold Tales #126: Survival. Link: http://www.chillwater.org.uk/HH/untold%20tales%20of%20ll%20126.htm

Mr Epitome #42:

Footnotes:

The Maverix are all new characters, though they may be… familiar to some comic book fans. They’ll get a full Who’s Who treatment next time.

Musk Ox (Bovus 18) is an animal/mutate hybrid bred by eccentric geneticist the Low Evolutionary to possess enormous strength and the ability to generate a powerful strength-sapping pheromone that can affect even Mr. Epitome (q.v). He looks and smells just like his namesake. He has served as a mercenary for such villains as Factor X (q.v) and Count Armageddon (q.v).

Forgotten Man was supposed to be an anti-big government terrorist type that was going to plague Mr. Epitome for a few issues. But I came up with a better idea for this kind of adversary, hence…

The Hero Feeders or Lurkers Behind, are parasites that infest the interdimensional vortex between realities in the Parodyverse, and occasionally break through to prey upon weak narratives, erasing them and the people and events contained in them from reality. In short, they feed on legends and can devour a hero and all memory of them. Some Hero Feeders are mindless instinctive beasts, while others are cunning and subtle. The Hero feeders sometimes creep into the Parodyverse proper, taking on human shapes to indulge in their hedonistic revels. Most recently they have manifested as the Heckfire Club, an exclusive and powerful gentlemans' association in Paradopolis' ritzy Pierce Heights. Inner circle members include Simonides Slaughter, the Black Emperor, Anne Salem, the White Empress, Frederick Scarfe and Professor Hammond Stein. They occasionally harvest heroes from the city they farm. Other Hero Feeders have appeared as transsexual trandimensionals, as gothic vampires, and as galactic estate agents. All modern Hero Feeders are mere shadows of the powerful creatures that once moved through the vortex though. Those terrible beings were spilled out into reality by unwise experiments of the Second Oldest Race, and were only contained by the creation of the Psychostave that Nats once wielded and by a destruction of the Second Oldest Race so complete that even their name is lost.

Al B. Harper


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