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Topic: A bat by any other name Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Eric Sofer
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Posted: 20 August 2019 at 8:39am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

A few decades back, DC published 100 page Super Spectaculars, and when the page count wasn't quite sufficient, they would throw in little two page items (e.g., different artists did their own wildly different takes on drawing Superman and Clark Kent.)

One of these, in a Batman super-spec, was pondering what would have happened if Bruce Wayne has been impressed by some other element than a bat. These included a shooting star, a suit of armor*, etc., complete with different names.

I thought about it recently, and wonder what the board might do with such an assignment. Take a character, and change their name (and possibly different costume and accouterments.)

For example, Steve Rogers might have felt that "Captain America" was too military for just a basic guy, and might have decided to become The Patriot instead.

Or Bruce Wayne might have been in a zoological park when considering what identity to assume, when he found himself in front of a tiger cage. Dark, deadly, and striking, without warning, Bruce Wayne decided to strike terror into criminals as - Tigerman! The Striped Crusader hunts the jungles of Gotham to protect the innocent and hunt down the guilty, his prey.**

Take a crack at it, fellow boarders. Pick a character, and put a little twist on his name and maybe outfit. Don't change the character... just a name.

*When I reconsidered this, I immediately realized that Bruce Wayne as an armor clad warrior might be known as the Night Knight. Then my wife gave me my medication and tied me into bed for the night...

**In point of fact, I sometimes wonder that Bruce chose a bat to play on crooks' superstitions and fears. There are other creatures or entities that I think would be much more frightening... for example, a tiger. Or perhaps a grey ghost. Something like that.
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Brian Hague
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Posted: 21 August 2019 at 11:51pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Tigers aren't inherently frightening to city folk. They're sports logos and service station mascots. Bats are creepy and cool, however.

Still, I think I sort of get where this coming from. Maybe. 

I'll go with Iron Man (we're only allowed one, right?) Professor Yinzen assists Tony in the building of his armor and hearing the approach of guards at the crucial moment, runs out into the hallway and dies in a hail of bullets, buying Tony the last few seconds he needs to get into the suit and activate it.

Tony comes lumbering out of his lab, an iron monster spraying flame and impervious to the bullets of his captors. We make a point of showing the other political prisoners and local people seeing his unstoppable advance and the vengeance he wreaks upon the Communist encampment. They have witnessed or heard about the Professor's death by now, a man respected by them all, and seen this... thing rise up in his place to destroy the men who killed him. 

The invulnerable mechanism is hailed as Yinzen's vengeance by those who see him. "Baofu Jiqi Jingshen" he is called or "The Avenging Machine Spirit." Tony takes the name and translates it to "Ghost From the Machine." 

Also, Bruce Wayne fighting crime clad in the lingerie of his dead mother would be the Nightie Knight.


Edited by Brian Hague on 22 August 2019 at 12:05am
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Darren Ashmore
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 6:01am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

"Also, Bruce Wayne fighting crime clad in the lingerie of his dead mother would be the Nightie Knight."

DC's next Batman special right there :D
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Eric Sofer
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 8:56am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Brian, you get the idea. Personally, if I were to run into an alley after robbing an old blind man's newspaper stand, I'd rather see a bat than a tiger. But there are plenty of choices to inspire fear. Bruce Wayne might also have made a great Spectre (not from dying, mind you...)
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Darren Ashmore
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 10:59am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Eric, I remember the actual 100 page super spec that page appeared in (was it drawn by Irv Novick? Neal Adams?, pretty sure it wasn't Jim Aparo).
Any how this is a good game so I'll join in.  

Some birds can be pretty scary, THE BLACK CROW?
NIGHT RAVEN (think Marvel has that one), DARKHAWK (ditto).

Some snakes and insects can be frightening too.  THE TARANTULA, Dr ARACHNID, SHADOWEB, COPPERHEAD, THE COBRA, BLACK BEETLE.

The ghost motif you mention could work too, (Bruce is visited by a vision of his dead parents inspiring him to adopt a spirit based identity...)

I'm sure I'll think of some others later. 
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Darren Ashmore
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 11:02am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Clark Kent decides to adopt a more patriotic uniform and identity and becomes THE UNITED STATESMAN
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 3:12pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Reed Richards decides to select a descriptive code name more in keeping with those of his teammates, and becomes... MR. ELASTIC!
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Bill Dowling
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 4:53pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

I don’t think it’s just supposed to be “oh no! A bat! How scary!” I think it’s meant to be “oh no, a bat-man, a vampire!”
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Brian Hague
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 5:53pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

I agree. It isn't the difference between a tiger and a bat in an alleyway. It's the difference between a guy who looks like a stripey Bert Lahr and a six-foot, two-inch demon with an indefinitely expanding wingspan emerging from a cloud of black smoke and hurling a fistful of razor-sharp batarangs at your face. 

I know which of these guys looks the coolest... :-)

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Peter Martin
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Posted: 22 August 2019 at 7:36pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Peter Parker decides to fight crime using a open-top two-seat roadster. He becomes... Spyder-Man.
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