Anubis' "How would you do it?" Thread.

[Dread]

I collected the entire Iron Fist series that was just out, and I agree it was just a seeming waste of an effort. The story was mediocre at best, and while in one way the manga-esque art fit the character, on the other hand it was often bland. And Fist was basically fighting a bunch of minions most times, or nameless combatants. Who cares? I didn't.

Again, the only way anyone is going to be impressed with Iron Fist is if he takes on some more well known, popular, and/or powerful characters. Taskmaster sounds like an interesting match-up, although given Taskmaster's acquired skills/weapons, Rand may not be able to really "take" the One-Man Avengers. Of course, DC's Deathstroke is capable of taking on the Teen Titans and the JLA, yet Nightwing is capable of holding his own with him solo, so, that says something. Deadpool could be interesting, especially since they DID once team up on a mission in the last Heroes for Hire series in '98. Wade basically helped save the day AND laughed at Fist's ballet slippers. Alas, during that storyline, Iron Fist was basically defeated by The Cat, who's pretty much a D-List Shang Chi also-ran.

Perhaps it would be interesting if Rand decided to maybe do some professional fighting on the side to help finance his comeback, and of course winds up fighting some more notorious takers, since being able to take the once-legendary Iron Fist seems to be bragging rights. Things like a rematch with The Cat or even fighting Mister X (who battled Wolverine a while back) could be interesting. The key is to basically amp him with spectacular battles against worthy foes, not nameless extras. No one's impressed if Fist can punch a robed minion through a tree. Now, if he punches Hobgoblin through a tree...

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

They should have gotton Chuck Dixon to write Iron Fist. I liked his recent Richard Dragon mini.

 

[Dread]

And now for yet ANOTHER idea from me. See how many I have? And trust me, these are only ideas that fit the topic title! They're not, say, general Spider-Man fan-fic ideas or something (I also have a Taskmaster/Mystique thriller idea).

"How would Dread do..."

Frogman: As in "The Fabulous" Frogman. I must admit that I came up with this idea about 2 years ago at least, but after Dan Slott's recent work in Marvel (She-Hulk, GLA), it is going to seem MUCH lamer and less original than it would have beforehand. Oh, well.

To start off with, while another "lame" teenage hero, Squirrel Girl, is one I planned to take seriously (sort of) in another idea, right off, Frogman is not meant to be completely serious. The idea was for it to try to capture some of the adventure/slapstick appeal of Lupin The Third anime. The few who know of it may get the idea.

The Frogman idea is basically an adventure parody, and pretty much runs with what we could call a "relaunch" or "revamp". Eugene Paul Colorito Patilo (whatta mouthful) is still the son of the villianous but lame Leapfrog, and he has aged to that of an older youth, 21. Since his time in limbo, he has gone through major changes. He won second prize in the lottery, but unfortunately, he quickly spent all of the money on his make-over. He dropped at least 50 lbs and went to the Orient, tracking down the one man who knows "Frog style" kung fu (there is a style for every animal). He gets some cosmetic surgery done and is now a bit lean (Spider-Man lean). And lastly, while he retains some of his old gadgets, Eugene decided that there are just too many superheroes in this 'burg for him to have much success at being one, so he decides to be a private investigator, who naturally will become involved in some super-efforts.

In terms of costume, he no longer wears one. He has his specialized "electric leaping coils" that allowed him to leap amazing distances installed in boots. He wears a green jacket and clothes, even has his hair a shade of spikey green now, and shades. He carries a "tongue whip", which is a whip that is colored like a frog's tongue, that is elastic and able to reach long distances and stick to surfaces at the tip, for swinging/disarming manuvers. He drives a green car he calls a "Frogmobile", and various "frog-themed gadgets". From a Tranq-Gun that has Poisonous Frog-Serum (from African frogs), to "Frog Gas" (putrid, made from many burned, dead frogs), you name it, he has a frog-themed weapon somewhere, colored green and with his trademark. The purpose is, of course, to mock Batman and other heroes who have gadgets for everything. He changes his monniker to Paul Patilo, a.k.a. Frogman, and with the Sensational Spider-Kid as his tech-maker and contact, he naturally goes off on cases that usually involve other D-Listers. As for supporting cast, the only one so far was fellow P.I. Dakota North, whom Frogman mocks because her name is "North Dakota" backwards, yet is attracted to.

He's a nerd trying to make up for lost time, so he's a bit horny. And while this is a parody series, Frogman also uses some of the ridiculousness of his universe to his advantage. For example, if a villian literally explains their powers to him, Froggie would say, "Thanks a lot!" and use it to defeat them. The main point would actually be that Frogman actually has become capable enough to fight people.

The series would pretty much be strings of cases strung along with a few reoccuring characters.

The first one involved a mock Playboy mansion, Silvermane the Geezer Cyborg (and his Maggia cronies, Hammerhead and Man Mountain Marko, now calling himself "Triple M"), a new Rose, White Rabbit and Walrus (of course) and some other crime figures in the search of missing amulet.

The second involved Frogman sent to find a teenage girl, who has been turned into a vampire against her will, and now has Blade insessently stalking her and wishing to stake her. Froggie must keep her around, figure out a way to revert her to normal, and keep from being taken out by the overbaring Blade. The running joke would be that constant titles of Wesley Snipes movies would be used as dialogue.

Another involved Froggie becoming involved with The Hypno Hustler, who now wants to mind-control people with legitimate music on sale. Only now, he's embraced the rap style as "H.H. Diddy Hust", which, of course, climaxes in a bizarre dance number and lesiure suits.

Another involved some plot that led to the Hellfire Club, only because a gang of British mutants that dress in colonial wear really can't be taken seriously all the time.

And the last idea involved the alliance of Mangaverse Spider-Man, NFL Superpro, Slapstick, TEAM America and so on as....The Fadz.

Truly a bizarre idea. But there it is.

 

[Shawkur]

I hate to say it, but the costume definitely needs some serious tweaking too. I know long-time fans have become attached to it but no new fan is going to see a character in lime green highwater jumpsuit with yellow slip-ons and a disco collar and say, "damn I want to read that!" The mask can stay though.

 

[Anubis]

And now for yet ANOTHER idea from me. See how many I have? And trust me, these are only ideas that fit the topic title! They're not, say, general Spider-Man fan-fic ideas or something (I also have a Taskmaster/Mystique thriller idea).

"How would Dread do..."

Frogman: As in "The Fabulous" Frogman. I must admit that I came up with this idea about 2 years ago at least, but after Dan Slott's recent work in Marvel (She-Hulk, GLA), it is going to seem MUCH lamer and less original than it would have beforehand. Oh, well.

To start off with, while another "lame" teenage hero, Squirrel Girl, is one I planned to take seriously (sort of) in another idea, right off, Frogman is not meant to be completely serious. The idea was for it to try to capture some of the adventure/slapstick appeal of Lupin The Third anime. The few who know of it may get the idea.

The Frogman idea is basically an adventure parody, and pretty much runs with what we could call a "relaunch" or "revamp". Eugene Paul Colorito Patilo (whatta mouthful) is still the son of the villianous but lame Leapfrog, and he has aged to that of an older youth, 21. Since his time in limbo, he has gone through major changes. He won second prize in the lottery, but unfortunately, he quickly spent all of the money on his make-over. He dropped at least 50 lbs and went to the Orient, tracking down the one man who knows "Frog style" kung fu (there is a style for every animal). He gets some cosmetic surgery done and is now a bit lean (Spider-Man lean). And lastly, while he retains some of his old gadgets, Eugene decided that there are just too many superheroes in this 'burg for him to have much success at being one, so he decides to be a private investigator, who naturally will become involved in some super-efforts.

In terms of costume, he no longer wears one. He has his specialized "electric leaping coils" that allowed him to leap amazing distances installed in boots. He wears a green jacket and clothes, even has his hair a shade of spikey green now, and shades. He carries a "tongue whip", which is a whip that is colored like a frog's tongue, that is elastic and able to reach long distances and stick to surfaces at the tip, for swinging/disarming manuvers. He drives a green car he calls a "Frogmobile", and various "frog-themed gadgets". From a Tranq-Gun that has Poisonous Frog-Serum (from African frogs), to "Frog Gas" (putrid, made from many burned, dead frogs), you name it, he has a frog-themed weapon somewhere, colored green and with his trademark. The purpose is, of course, to mock Batman and other heroes who have gadgets for everything. He changes his monniker to Paul Patilo, a.k.a. Frogman, and with the Sensational Spider-Kid as his tech-maker and contact, he naturally goes off on cases that usually involve other D-Listers. As for supporting cast, the only one so far was fellow P.I. Dakota North, whom Frogman mocks because her name is "North Dakota" backwards, yet is attracted to.

He's a nerd trying to make up for lost time, so he's a bit horny. And while this is a parody series, Frogman also uses some of the ridiculousness of his universe to his advantage. For example, if a villian literally explains their powers to him, Froggie would say, "Thanks a lot!" and use it to defeat them. The main point would actually be that Frogman actually has become capable enough to fight people.

The series would pretty much be strings of cases strung along with a few reoccuring characters.

The first one involved a mock Playboy mansion, Silvermane the Geezer Cyborg (and his Maggia cronies, Hammerhead and Man Mountain Marko, now calling himself "Triple M"), a new Rose, White Rabbit and Walrus (of course) and some other crime figures in the search of missing amulet.

The second involved Frogman sent to find a teenage girl, who has been turned into a vampire against her will, and now has Blade insessently stalking her and wishing to stake her. Froggie must keep her around, figure out a way to revert her to normal, and keep from being taken out by the overbaring Blade. The running joke would be that constant titles of Wesley Snipes movies would be used as dialogue.

Another involved Froggie becoming involved with The Hypno Hustler, who now wants to mind-control people with legitimate music on sale. Only now, he's embraced the rap style as "H.H. Diddy Hust", which, of course, climaxes in a bizarre dance number and lesiure suits.

Another involved some plot that led to the Hellfire Club, only because a gang of British mutants that dress in colonial wear really can't be taken seriously all the time.

And the last idea involved the alliance of Mangaverse Spider-Man, NFL Superpro, Slapstick, TEAM America and so on as....The Fadz.

Truly a bizarre idea. But there it is.

Tripple M. hilarious.

 

[Anubis]

I hate to say it, but the costume definitely needs some serious tweaking too. I know long-time fans have become attached to it but no new fan is going to see a character in lime green highwater jumpsuit with yellow slip-ons and a disco collar and say, "damn I want to read that!" The mask can stay though.

I liked the suit they gave him in that Exiles arc. It stayed true to the old suit, but was more updated, and didn't have the slippers. bad place, what he had on in the recent solo wasn't that bad either.

 

[roach]

Im working on my How I'd do Captain America...to be posted soon

 

[Anubis]

I need to get off my ash and get that Ultimate War done.

 

[Dread]

I liked the suit they gave him in that Exiles arc. It stayed true to the old suit, but was more updated, and didn't have the slippers. bad place, what he had on in the recent solo wasn't that bad either.

I haven't seen the Exiles costume.

Fist donned a new costume from the last Heroes for Hire in 1997-1999 which wasn't bad.

And technically, Rand never actually donned that costume in his latest series (the 4th attempt at an Iron Fist solo series). He only wore it on the cover, while inside he never did. Kind of like how Wolverine can appear in issues of New Avengers and Uncanny, yet not actually appear inside.

Some limits/stats for the "iron fist" are actually hard to find. The effect seems variable. I mean, it can smash through robots, demolish a vehicle speeding towards Rand, and even known Hercules down (of course, he was drunk when he got hit), but a set number would be nice.

 

[Anubis]

You know, I haven't looked at those issues in so long. I just kinda gave them away to my cousin and never looked back. He looked like he had a mullet in that too if i'm not mistakin.

So what power level would you like to see him at? knocking out gods or destroying sport utility vehicles? Thing about martial artists is that they can pretty much do anything. Take somebody like Karnak for example. He has the super computer brain that can spot any flaw, so he can topple mountains if he hits it in the right place. I'm not saying Rand should suddenly be at that level, but being as good as he is supposed to be, he should at least be able to topple a few low level heavy weights. Like Rhino, Or Sasquatch, bad place, I'd like to see him take one of the size changing dudes down. I could see iron Fist dropping a 60ft tall Atlas or something. Well, maybe Hank Pym. I think Atlas is on a whole other level at this point.

 

[Dread]

Past fashion trends, whether costumes (trenchcoats over spandex) or hairstyles (mullets) tend to die very slowly in comics. Especially if they become "attributed" to the character. Nightwing took forever to lose the mullet, I think. Longshot still has one (but he was the personification of an 80's fashion character; had the black tight leather, big hair, man-purse, etc), and so on.

Technically in that Heroes for Hire comic, Rand only knocked Herc DOWN with his "iron fist", and Herc had lost his immortality, and was drunk to boot. On the next page he was sitting upright and all.

I am aware that in comics, martial artists are very potent. bad place, Elektra has been capable of kicking open steel doors, and there are tons of martial artists in Marvel that either match or surpass her. Iron Fist should be one of them. Of course, he can use his "chi" for more than the "iron fist" attack. He can augment his strength, speed, stamina, etc. to peak human (Cap) levels with it, as well as use it to heal the injuries of himself or another. He has very occasionally been capable of absorbing energy from outside sources to tap into his "chi". Not to mention being able to physically attune his body so that he is not overwhelmed by natural elements (or at least can withstand them better than a normal man).

I've been to forums where they have agrued that Taskmaster could be almost invincible BECAUSE of these laws of comic martial arts (at least when fighting most non-uber heroes).

Usually in stories, the "iron fist" is like many powers, its potency rises and falls depending on what the story requires.

 

[Anubis]

Iron Man Disassembled tie in.

Now one of the problems I had with disassembled was that for the most part, none of the tie ins really had anything to do with what was going on. They just vaguely mentioned it. So, my idea of Iron Man Disassembled is based off of my earlier idea for how I wanted Avengers Disassembled to go. (See first post)

This takes place after disassembled; Tony's legs are gone. He and the Maria Stark Foundation are being sued left and right by victims of the tragedy and their loved ones. The UN and United States force him to disband the Avengers as well as forcing his resignation as Secretary of Defense. And the press is having a field day tearing him down and saying how this is all his fault for allowing this unstable Mutant to join the team in the first place. Tony withdraws. Rumiko leaves him, and the bottle is looking pretty damn good by now. Of course he can't really get drunk anymore (another little thing Bendis forgot) because of his robot heart. Right now all he's got is Jarvis. He can't even get out of bed anymore due to his depression. He didn't even finish the new armor he was building to help with his new handicap. As far as the world is concerned, Iron Man is no more. It's then that Jarvis organizes an intervention of sorts for Tony. All his closest friends come and share stories about Tony and how he has pulled through some pretty messed up moments. So that’s Cap, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Pepper and Happy, Jim Rhodes, Wasp, and others. This of course gets Tony off his @$$. He finishes the Armor, at the end and presents it to the world. Saying that he is giving up on being Iron Man. With his injuries, he can't do it anymore, but of course; we all know he is just going to keep doing it. Dudes got something to prove now. To his friends and to himself. He has taken back his secret ID. Of course now it's a much more believable one seeing as he's freakin crippled.

As for what comes next, I think that there should be somebody who should be out to prove that Stark is still flying around in the armor. Maybe a reporter for the Globe, trying to expose him. Well, that’s how I would do it anyway.

 

[Dread]

Interesting idea. What would be your thoughts on some upgrades to Iron Man's armor? Both Ellis and Bendis have claimed he needs to be upgraded to the 21st century, so, any ideas?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The outdated repulsor rays must be replaced by a cell-phone ray that creates tumors on villains' ears!

 

[roach]

ok this is a radical Black Panther Idea I had that I know Marvel wont do but I had a way to make BP more accessible and realistic. The story would take place in the days of slavery as the Wakandan people are conquered and sent to the americas as slaves. There we meet T'chaka in a sailing ship on it's way to america. He is the Black Panther but has been beaten and subdued. T'chaka breaks free in america and begins to free his bretheren. he actually leads a revolt in his BP costume and starts a legend about the cat-like freedom fighter. Through out the years where trouble has reared it's head the Black Panther has been there. Fast forward to modern times Isaiah Davis lives in Los Angeles and denies his birthright as the next Black Panther...until the Rodney King incident sparks the riots. It is during this time that Isaiah undertakes the trial to become Black Panther. BP takes to the streets and begins to calm the crowds down. Now realizing his place and responsibility he fight injustice where ever his help is needed.

 

[Anubis]

Sounds like a pretty good what if. I wouldn't Retcon it into the 616 universe, but this could be one kick@$$ out of continuity Graphic Novel.

 

[Anubis]

Interesting idea. What would be your thoughts on some upgrades to Iron Man's armor? Both Ellis and Bendis have claimed he needs to be upgraded to the 21st century, so, any ideas?

I recall a few years ago, they had some sort of liquid metal thing going on with his armor. I believe it was around the time they introduced Rumiko and the Sentient Armor showed up. Well, I would expand upon that. Forget a box he has to have shipped around and calling it a car. I always thought the briefcase bit was a bit silly too. This stuff should be a part of him. Adapting some of that tech they used to make the super sentinels in New X-Men. The suit learns, and develops defenses on it's own. You know, can't be injured twice by the same thing. Enhanced force fields. Instant radio telepathy. Maybe even have something like that Tech pack thing that the Fixer uses. Instant creation of complicated devices. I don't know, maybe that would be too powerful. I would like to have him place the Vision’s personality matrix into his armor. A sentient artificial intelligence you can trust...some of the time, running the basic functions of the suit. And all this liquid metal makes up his artificial legs. SO it kinda envelops his body in a sleek, new design. Something that stays true to the original, but just looks cooler.

 

[RockSP]

ok this is a radical Black Panther Idea I had that I know Marvel wont do but I had a way to make BP more accessible and realistic. The story would take place in the days of slavery as the Wakandan people are conquered and sent to the americas as slaves. There we meet T'chaka in a sailing ship on it's way to america. He is the Black Panther but has been beaten and subdued. T'chaka breaks free in america and begins to free his bretheren. he actually leads a revolt in his BP costume and starts a legend about the cat-like freedom fighter. Through out the years where trouble has reared it's head the Black Panther has been there. Fast forward to modern times Isaiah Davis lives in Los Angeles and denies his birthright as the next Black Panther...until the Rodney King incident sparks the riots. It is during this time that Isaiah undertakes the trial to become Black Panther. BP takes to the streets and begins to calm the crowds down. Now realizing his place and responsibility he fight injustice where ever his help is needed.

Not trying to flame you or anything...just wondering: Why do you think BP isn't accessible now? Why should he be "more" realistic?

 

[roach]

What separates DC characters from Marvel characters is that you could be them. Spider-Man has the same problems as we do. Same as the X-men. I dont think that Supes or Bats have a problem that at any time I could relate to. That is what makes Spidey and the Xmen popular because we can relate to them. Now with the Black Panther you have a character who runs a country and is the best warrior this country has to offer....I wrack my brain coming up with good excuses why he comes to the states? I like what Priest did but there are only so many times that this guy will be kicked out his country or he comes to the states to solve a problem....and I didnt take it as a flame just a good question.

 

[Anubis]

point.

 

[Dread]

I actually like that Black Panther isn't as "urban". Most black characters from Luke Cage to Night-Thrasher and even Rocket Racer and Falcon have that "grew up on the streets, have street-cred, get involved in civil rights stuff" issues that come up with them. Not that this isn't valid, but, it makes them as predictable as Cap, Hank Pym and Hawkeye without masks (clue, they all look simular). I saw Black Panther as being a lot like Namor, someone who leads a nation and would be arrogant and out of his place in the city. I've never been too interested in him enough to read his series, but I thought he had a unique origin.

As for Anubis' Iron Man ideas, the liquid metal (nanobot?) ideas sound interesting, would make the name make more sense. I'm not sure about the sentient armor thing, but a simple AI with voice commands could be interesting.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He already had sentient armor. It tried to kill him.

I don't think I'd like sentient armor too much myself. It gives off too much of a Knight Rider vibe, and Hasselhoff's already corrupted one staple Marvel character.

 

[Anubis]

The thing is, I do see roach's point about BP. He isn't the kind of character that you can relate to, unless your Prince William or something. And in that sense, yeah, I understand where roach is coming from. But I dig the way that DC has these Icons. These characters you should aspire to be. And thats the way I feel about BP. As a black man, there are so few characters in comics that you can really hold up and say, Icon. (And not even the character "Icon" lived up to that standard) BP is that Iconic black character in my eyes . Thats why, I wouldn't want to see him changed into a reluctant african american hero, and having that be THE Black Panther. But the idea for the story is a good one. And like I said, it would have been a great What If?, or Graphic Novel. Or even a new charcter in genral.

As far as the Sentient Armor thing, I figured that, if something ever happened to Vison, I thought that him working with Iron Man, would be a great idea. Maybe him actually helping to control the suit isn't all that great an idea. Even I question it. Because then it would be Iron Man and Vision, and if you got basically a super AI running the suit, then whats the point of having Stark? So, yeah, thats a bad idea.


I would like to adapt some of the stuff from the Enginer of the Authority. The ability to create weapons at will. But I think it should be more of a database of weapons. A digital Armory of weapons that the suit can create on the fly. Kinda like how Kang's got his temporal armory and can summon forth some truely devistating weapons at will. I would also go ahead and bump him up to Class 100 Strength. (even though I don't believe in the Marvel Class system.) The thing is, I don't know if this would make him too powerful. The ability to create weapons as he sees fit, coupled with his briliant mind, might make him waaaay too powerful, but then again, I think Iron Man should be one of the most powerful heros on the planet.

 

[roach]

and please dont get it wrong that I dont like Bp because he is one of my faves.

 

[roach]

anyhow im in the middle of writing a miniseries based on Captain America. It fleshes out Cap's origin and answers some questions like who trained Cap. We see him not only go thru the physical training but the mental tactical training. It'll also update Bucky....it gives a real concrete reason why Cap would take him into battle. I am alos working to place Cap's origin within real events. The Red Skull would become Hitler's Darth Vader. I'll deal with Caps first costume and shield and why he changed them and I'll also touch upon the events of Truth.