This week’s selection: the lovely Storm. Any version!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_(comics)

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute – Storm
2. R3 Jam: Cloak and Dagger
3. R3 Jam: Loki

This time we bring you one of the UK’s National Heroes, Big Ben, a former extreme fighting champion and now defender of the realm.

Created and illustrated by Joao Marques
Origin by: Joao Marques and Thom Chiaramonte

:::

Big Ben

Name: Ben Crawford
Affiliation: UK National Hero: England

Attributes:

Melee: 40
Reflex: 20
Muscle: 55
Vigor: 35
Acumen: 40
Observation: 20
Will: 10

Life: 150
Influence: 70

Abilities:

Enhanced Physiology: Big Ben was already in perfect physical health, and a powerful fighter. The posthuman process has radically enhanced his musculature, skeletal structure and connective tissues. His reaction times have improved, his physical strength well beyond that of a normal athlete, and his body is extremely resilient, due to changes to his bone, ligament and tendon structure. He also enjoys enhanced hearing. Big Ben’s physical enhancements are reflected in his Attributes, above. In addition, he is extremely resistant to Stun/Shock, only requiring a Yellow Vigor Save to remain conscious and continue combat, regardless of the power level of the attack. He also takes half damage from blunt attacks, thanks to resilience in his skeletal system. In addition, he enjoys enhanced hearing [10 IV]. His natural resistance to physical and energy attacks is 25 AP.

Origin:

Big Ben Crawford made a name for himself in Europe’s extreme fighting championships, becoming one of the more popular regional stars at the events. He achieved the ranking of the Gold Crown, having defeated all contestants in a Europe-wide free-for-all that included, at one point, Crawford fending off attacks from five fighters simultaneously. He proceeded to defend the title for three years, traveling to events worldwide but returning home to the guard the Gold Crown in the annual matches in London. Then, on the eve of his fourth victory in the competition, he abruptly retired.

Crawford had been recruited, along with eleven others, to be potential candidates for the Crest and Shield funded posthuman program, operated concurrently with the efforts of the Northern European Achievement Initiative that was developing National Hero candidates for several European countries. After weeks of specialized combat training, and undergoing the painful, but fairly rudimentary posthuman process available at the time, Crawford was flagged by C&S psychologists on staff, during a passive screening series, as being too stubborn, strong-willed, and anti-establishment to be adequately controllable as a posthuman National hero.

The Gold Crown champion had already undergone training and physical enhancement, and was asked to stay on to assist in the training and recruit of new candidates, as most potentials are asked to do, when not ultimately accepted. However, stung by the rejection, and insisting his loyalties remained inscrutable, Crawford left the facility and quit the program. Though several guards were injured in his escape, none were seriously hurt, a point noted by C&S development staff, given Crawford’s power level and general propensity for violence.

Ultimately, the chosen posthuman candidate for the first of three UK National Hero positions, that of the representative of England, was announced at a highly-anticipated press conference, where the King of England was to introduce the hero to the world for the first time. On live feed, as the world watched, the King revealed the English hero, Royal Guardian, who stepped forward, and grabbed the monarch by his skull, lifting him above the ground, as the attending crowd gasped. Security scrambled, trying to find a suitable clear shot, but were unable to take action. Meanwhile, from within the crowd beyond the barricades, a tall figure in sweatshirt and cap stepped forward, and then launched himself through the air, over all barricades and military guard, to land on the steps of the cathedral with a deafening crash. The crowd recognized ‘Big Ben’ Crawford, gone missing months prior, as he struck the Royal Guardian in the neck with a blow that sent the posthuman hurtling backwards into the church, catching the King as he fell. Security forces quickly moved in and captured the attacker, and attempted to apprehend Crawford as well, but the King, regaining his composure, waved them off, and declared the giant man his personal protector.

Less than 24 hours later, a new ceremony was held, under tighter security admittedly, in which Big Ben was announced as the Defender of the Realm, the English National Hero. Crest & Shield would continue to have reservations about Big Ben’s unpredictable, resistant nature. But the King had made his intentions clear, and the public was again obsessed with the former Gold Crown champion. Questions remained about the attack by the Royal Guardian. The official report was that an imposter had donned the uniform, and had made an assassination attempt on behalf of Middle Eastern interests. However, the incident once again raised concerns about the mortal nature of the supernormals, and their impact on the innocent around them.

:::

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 50: Vitesse
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 53: Red Claw
3. TRDL Character Factory, No. 98: Gila

This is a piece done for the This Week Jam, the subject being Dr. Girlfriend, from the Venture Brothers cartoon on Adult Swim.

I STILL have only seen about 5 minutes of one episode (the pilot) of this show, despite having done that Molotove ___tease piece a few years ago, and having heard so many positive things about the show since then. When I look at pics of Dr. Girlfriend (I was working on a commission piece involving her, which went on hold) I’m always struck by her reaction to Monarch, and his to her. So that’s where I was going on this one.

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute – Lin
2. TRDL Tribute: Garoben + Ami
3. TRDL Tribute: Molotov Cocktease

This time we bring you The Mantid, a bounty hunter and assassin permanently encased in a symbiotic, regenerative exoskeleton.

Art and Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

:::

Mantid

Name: unknown
Affiliation: n/a

Attributes:

Melee: 35
Reflex: 40
Muscle: 20
Vigor: 30
Acumen: 20
Observation: 55
Will: 10

Life: 125
Influence: 85

Abilities:

Exoskeletal Graft: The Mantid has undergone extensive exoskeletal grafting, permanently fusing a ceramic polycarbonate armor to his skeleton through connection points throughout his body, with all fleshy tissue completely encased in a regenerative sheathing membrane, allowing him to absorb oxygen from air or water, and release fluids and carbon dioxide without restriction. He consumes a nutritional paste that the armor can generate by external processing of most foodstuffs, then ingesting of the paste through a port in his helm. The exoskeleton offers resistance to physical attacks [30 AP] and to energy and thermal attacks [50 AP], and regenerates 5 points daily. It provides Life Support for 8 hours in a vacuum, and allows for water-breathing as well. The exoskeleton includes pulse jets allowing for levitation and flight [20 IV; 20 RV] and provides a Reflex enhancement, reflected in the Attribute as shown. The multisensory helm provides IR, telescoping, thermograph and low-light visual enhancements, as well as auditory and olfactory boosts, increasing his Observation Attribute as well. When in mid-air, the Mantid can use the pulse jets to perform aerial acrobatics, such as bouncing off of moving targets and physical structures. He receives +1CS to physical Actions while airborne, and +2CS to Grapple, Dodge and Evade Actions as well.

Neurotoxin Barbs: The Mantid’s armor is riddled with barbed blades of varying length, which are mounted to orbital sockets allowing for quick extension and variable orientation at a moment’s notice, making them very difficult for opponents to evade when in close combat. The blades, along with their considerable sharpness, introduce a fast-acting neurotoxin that can cause the collapse of the target’s endocrine system. The blades are also flexible under stress loading and difficult to break. The Mantid must perform a Melee Action to attack with this weapon, causing edged damage [20 DP], halving physical Body Armor, and administering the neurotoxin [victims of the toxin must make an Orange Vigor Save or suffer halved health and require an additional Save vs. Shock, or become incapacitated. The victim will die from endocrine shutdown within 3-6 days without medical attention.] Melee attacks against the Mantid automatically trigger a separate Reflex Save in order to avoid being pricked by the barbs inadvertently. Incapacitation lasts for 1d10 rounds.

Probes: The Mantid’s rear carapace cluster houses three remote probes, which may be deployed to extend his sensory range and defensive capability. They are self-locomotive, and can maintain a sensory net with the Mantid’s multisensory helm with a range of approximately three kilometers in diameter. The Mantid may see through them, and when properly positioned, they allow him 360-degree views at range, making it extremely difficult to ambush or surprise him. The probes also have a taser weapon embedded in their tails which can stun a target that touches them. When in use, the Mantid’s Observation is increased to 75 points of Intensity. Touching a probe triggers a taser shock, causing modest damage [10 DP], ignoring physical Body Armor, and requiring the victim to make a Stun/Shock Save or become incapacitated for 3 rounds.

Origin:

The man only known as the Mantid was a successful mercenary and bounty hunter, primarily employed by the governments of Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, as one of several former military operatives in the region, using their training and experience to fill off-the-books covert action needs of rival governments politically discouraged from using conventional military means to achieve their goals. Since no one knows his true identity, it is not known from which military he received his training and early experience, though he is suspected to have been a member of a small group of mercenaries formed from the decommissioning of the Vietnamese People’s Army. Long before engaging in the program that granted him his exoskeletal armor, the Mantid was an invisible operative, never meeting clients in person, never seen by targets, and always dressed in black, indistinguishable by electronic and visual surveillance.

After his suspected, near-fatal involvement in a chemical weapons factory explosion in Brunei, the Mantid reappeared on the mercenary market encased in a permanent exoskeletal sheathing that covered his entire body and rendered his grotesque, insectoid appearance. Though some of his long-term clients were originally skeptical of his identity, the Mantid quickly proved himself and began taking on more overt contracts in the region, of both mundane and posthuman natures. He became well-known in South-East Asia, and his base of operations soon extended as far out as Australia and Russia.

As his contracts became less covert, increased sightings and recordings of the Mantid in action were distributed to the intelligence agencies in the region, as well as in Europe and America. After threatening the local interests of the European combine Crest and Shield, in a bold attack on their Sydney installation, a plan was developed to lure the Mantid into a fabricated contract, to be captured or killed by a joint Alchera/ Rampart deployment. However, the plan was compromised when an unknown party, either on one of the teams, or their support staff, leaked the impending attack to the underworld mercenary network in the area, and the Mantid, as a result, never appeared. Subsequently, his missions have returned to a more covert nature, as international interest in his capture remains high in the wake of the political slight perceived by Crest and Shield and it’s allies.

Though inaccurately believed to be a true cyborg, the Mantid’s armor has not replaced any of his internal organs, and his physiology remains that of a normal human, beneath the sheathing. Nonetheless, the specter of his image, the inhuman, metallic timber of his vocal modulator, and the seemingly impossible agility and means of locomotion used, grant the Mantid with a fearsome and unsettling presence.

:::

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 115: Finders
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 10: Knockout
3. TRDL Character Factory, No. 41: Wachter

This one is for the Venture Brothers fans… it’s Monarch’s lover and assistant, Dr. Girlfriend! This selection could be fun, seeing her don in the different styles of the participants on R3…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Girlfriend

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute – Dr. Girlfriend
2. R3 Jam: Super Girlfriends
3. This Week Jam: Trixie [Speed Racer's girlfriend]

This is a piece done for the This Week Jam, the subject being Mary Marvel.

We’ve already had Mary Marvel as a jam character in the past, and i’ve drawn her in the red outfit, the white outfit, and done a TRDL redesign… so this time, I was inspired by the recent events in DC’s Countdown series, and illustrated her as Black Mary. I’m a few issues behind in my reading, so I don’t know if this is still the case, but she got the juice from Black Adam, and now sports a sensational, exploitative black one piece in what appears to be an ultra thin glossy latex, with cheerleader uniform accents. I’ve read plenty online already disparaging the move to ‘taint’ one of the last unspoiled, positive female characters in comics or whatever, and I’m not the hugest fan of ultra-thin, high-gloss sex costumes. BUT. I really, really LOVE the design of this uniform. I don’t know exactly which artist at DC came up with it, but the uniform extending as a single piece, from ultra-short pleated mini to full gloves is super-hot. I love it. I added boots, because I couldn’t remember what they did for her in the comics, and in my case, little tabi style soles. Anyway. Enjoy!

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute: Black Mary 2009
2. TRDL Tribute: Spider-Man and Black Cat
3. TRDL Tribute: Black Panther

This is a piece done for the This Week Jam, the subject being Marvel’s Scarlet Witch.

I was floored, once again, by Joao’s piece for the jam. Not just because it’s very, very sweet as, but because it mirrors my concept almost exactly. This has happened before. We’re on other sides of the planet. It’s kind of creepy. But, I think, a positive sign. Hive mind has it’s advantages!

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute – Scarlet Witch: No More Robots 02
2. TRDL Tribute: Scarlet Witch 2
3. TRDL Tribute: Scarlet Witch

The Oslan is the crystalline, Norwegian National Hero.

Concept and Art: Joao Marques
Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

:::

The Oslan

Name: Erlend Monsson
Affiliation: Norwegian National hero

Attributes:

Melee: 30
Reflex: 20
Muscle: 25
Vigor: 20
Acumen: 10
Observation: 10
Will: 10

Life: 95
Influence: 30

Abilities:

The Oslan’s latent posthuman ability involves a specific form of matter manipulation: his skin secretes a microscopic crystalline dust, the crystallization of which he can accelerate at will, forming extremely strong, dense, ultra-light shapes that retain rigidity for several minutes before dissipating from exposure to oxygen. He can generate armor, as well as weapons, both ranged and melee, and some limited massing constructs, though the size of the construct inversely affects the duration of it’s structural integrity.

Physiological Enhancement: Along with the increased Attributes above, The Oslan enjoys +2CS vs. Stun/shock Saves. He also only requires food about once a week.

Crystallization Manipulation: The Oslan may form up to 150kgs of crystalline material per hour externally, or armor and weapons for himself continuously [40 IV]. It should be noted that he cannot do both. He may cease generating the material in order to form weapons and armor, and the existing material will remain, but he cannot generate further external material without ceasing to maintain his own protective form, in which case it slides apart in fragments. While it takes one round to generate his own protection and weaponry, he may perform an additional Action in the same round with the normal multi-Action penalty.The armor the Oslan creates offers 30 AP vs. physical attacks and 40 AP vs. energy attacks. Armor that is damaged in combat regenerates at a rate of 20 points per round, automatically. The Oslan’s crystal edged weapons cause 30 points of damage to inorganic compounds and 35 points of damage to organic material [40 DP]. Note: due to the molecular edge the Oslan can form on his edged weapons, if the Oslan’s attack results in a Red Cell, the victim’s physical and natural resistance to injury is ignored in that round. The Oslan’s crystal blunt weapons cause 30 points of damage and require the victim to make a Stun/ Shock Save with a -1CS penalty.

Origin:

Erlend Monsson was a popular extreme climber in his native Norway, who rose to international stardom after participating in a daring volunteer rescue effort to help trapped victims of an emergency helicopter crash along the face of the Jostedalsbreen, Northern Europe’s tallest glacier. He became a sports hero sensation, quickly becoming sponsored by a number of high profile consumer companies and sports broadcasting entities, and his event climbs were soon the subject of a digital film documentary, rocketing him to a level of wealth and status inconsistent with that of his lower-class upbringing. However, on the morning of his most ambitious event climb attempted, his young fiancée, the Italian actress and model Angelica, died from a heroin overdose. Emotionally devastated, Monsson retreated from public view, and retired.

The Norwegian government, however, had kept a close eye on Monsson during his attempted seclusion. He had been named as one of six potential candidates for Norway’s slot in the Northern European Achievement Initiative, which was helping to develop posthumans for the national hero movement started by the Americans and soon spread to Europe. While several Norwegians had been early candidates for the program, the NEAI being based in Svalbard and employing a large Norwegian technical staff, none had survived or successfully completed the program, to some embarrassment of the Norwegian government. The decision was made to pursue primarily sports and military recruits for the program going forward, the previous candidates being largely volunteers of various levels of physical aptitude, from within the ranks of the Svalbard law enforcement community. Among potentials, Monsson was the most desired candidate, and the NEAI scouts were given carte blanch to convince him to participate.

Monsson had been living a largely nocturnal lifestyle, working as a ranger in the Bøyaøyri estuary under an assumed name, and had managed to remain unrecognized for several months before NEAI agents visited him at his cabin. They pleaded for his participation in the posthuman program on patriotic grounds, reasoned with him that his physical aptitude was being wasted, appealed to his assumed desire for the fame and wealth he had once enjoyed, and even suggested his participation could lead to future public office. Monsson remained resolute in his desire to stay underground. Having exhausted all other options, the NEAI scouts offered a more enticing carrot: information about his fiancee’s murder. According to them, her suicide was assisted, by certain agents of other interests contrary to Monsson’s own sports hero celebrity. And the NEAI knew the identity of her murderer.

Unfortunately, the agents had not anticipated Monsson’s rage. One agent was forced to shoot the sports legend in the chest after he broke the other agent’s neck. Fearing the scandal if this were to become public, the deceased agent, Monsson’s wounded body, and all of his possessions were extracted by military action and the cabin burned to the ground, a cover story of a cooking accident planted in the local press. Later, isolated and detained while recovering from the near-fatal gunshot wound in a military prison hospital, Monsson was given a simple choice: work with the program, and have his crime purged from all records, and learn the identity of his fiancee’s assailant, or disappear forever in a military detainment facility as a terrorist captive. While the prospect of permanent seclusion appealed to Monsson’s self-loathing and guilt over the loss of Angelica, his desire to take vengeance upon her supposed killer was a greater need, and he reluctantly agreed to the government’s terms, and entered NEAI’s program upon his release from the hospital.

As the Oslan, Monsson’s identity wasn’t immediately known by the public. The posthuman process had changed his physiology somewhat, and the dynamic, eye-catching nature of his crystalline posthuman abilities was the focus of most of the early marketing about his entry on the European stage as the Norwegian National Hero. Eventually, his identity was discovered by the press, and his popularity only rose. But after repeated attempts to learn the identity of Angelica’s killer were met with obfuscation, he threatened to quit his role as the Oslan, and reveal the government’s culpability in her murder. Realizing they had to retain his commitment at all costs, the NEAI produced a fabricated background for a lifetime criminal who worked as an informant in Amsterdam, but had ties to Norway’s smuggling networks, for the story of Angelica’s murder itself had been a NEAI fabrication.

On a dark October evening, the Oslan, in plain clothes, paid this low-level thief and muscle a visit in his local watering hole in Amsterdam’s Red light District, and decapitated him before a shocked room full of drunken patrons, using an ultra-thin reed of crystalline material, which immediately dissapated. He was never recognized, and rumors began to spread of a ruthless posthuman criminal in the Netherlands who could murdered his victims with invisible weapons. The European posthuman National Hero community vowed to apprehend this assailant, and the Oslan was cleverly given the task of finding him. Eventually, this paradox would lead to one of Europe’s first fabricated posthuman Confrontation Combatant, as an entire identity would be developed around the non-existent Dutch Nightstalker. The Oslan’s secret would never be revealed.

:::

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 52: Temper
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 90: Q Suzuki
3. TRDL Character Factory, No. 53: Red Claw

This week’s character is the infamous Scarlet Witch, who’s had many problems over the years, but most recently casually wiped out most of the Marvel mutant population with a whisper. Yet, she’s still pretty hot, so we’ll let it go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_Witch

I’m having some deja vu, because I feel like we’ve also had SW in a jam before, but I didn’t immediately see it in our archives, and anyway, repeats are OK. Especially with a character like this, who’s had many looks over the years and multiverses…

The pic above is how I’ll always see her, because it’s Byrne’s piece from the Marvel Handbooks.

Ultimate Scarlet Witch

X-Men Evolution

Old timey

recent, painted

Plus, lots of odd 90s costumes, and of course George Perez’ gypsy-inspired stuff, too…

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Tribute: Scarlet Witch 2
2. TRDL Tribute – Scarlet Witch: No More Robots 01
3. TRDL Tribute – Scarlet Witch: No More Robots 02

Laurana from the Dragonlance Chronicles…

I would imagine this was Sightblinder’s selection, but I’m not certain…

Everything you need to know is here…

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Related posts:

1. This Week Jam: Lord Soth [DragonLance]
2. This Week Jam: Lois Lane
3. TRDL Tribute – Lord Soth

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