J is for Jeep and Peep

If you were around and reading comics in 1945, you may have come across Jeep Comics on the newsstands. But if you blinked, you would have missed the series... along with the publishers that released them (R.B. Leffingwell & Company and Spotlight Comics).

The stars of the three published issues of Jeep Comics were Jeep and Peep, a pair of crime-fighters and explorers of the unknown and mysterious who traveled about in a flying, jet-powered Jeep. Jeep, so nick-named because he loved Jeeps so much that he let the Army give him one instead of his discharge pay, wore a red cape everywhere he went, while teen-aged Peep dressed normally... although he probably wore powered sugar everywhere, as one story dealt with how he was getting too fat and out of shape to fight crime.

Yes... "Jeep and Peep" was a series ahead of its time. I have no doubt it would be very, VERY popular today in some circles, because it carries messages about childhood obesity and the importance of exercising, as well as of energy and natural conservation. Jeep's flying Jeep is powered by an amazing, fuel efficient jet engine he has created... it only takes two drops of lighter fluid for Jeep and Peep to fly a distance of a hundred miles or more.

I'm not sure what's going here, except that Jeep and Peep are driving on air!

Any book we release collecting the "Jeep and Peep" series will be a cherished item by anyone who wants to stop global warming, or who believed in Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign. In fact, I will probably send comp copies to environmental groups around the globe; maybe I can get it made required reading!

At any rate, "Jeep and Peep" are perfect candidates for the Complete Golden Age Oddballs series... and I suspect that you'll be able to see all the flying Jeep action collected for the first time in place sooner rather than later!

And just because I'll be writing these stats eventually anyway, here are Jeep and Peep ala ROLF!

JEEP (Male)
Brawn 18, Body 15, Brains 7
  Traits: Driver, Inventor, Honorable
  Battle Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dodge, Double-Strike, Murderous Mitts, Strike Pose
  Important Things Worn/Wielded: Super-Cape (Armor, absorbs up to 2 points of damage).

PEEP (Male)
Brawn 13, Body 9, Brains 5
  Traits: Comic Relief, Driver, Improv Master
  Battle Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Deflect, Disarm, Walking Disaster Area
  Important Things Worn/Wielded: Cheeseburger (Small One-shot Ranged Weapon, or tasty snack. Deals 1 point of damage).

I is for Invisibility

A while back, we introduced a new super power system for use with OGL Modern and other d20 System RPGs. It uses the feats and talent trees system rather than layering another set of mechanics or adding more classes to an already complex system.

Since I couldn't find an obscure superhero that I felt like adding to the NUELOW Games stable, I am instead adding the Invisibility Talent Tree to the d20 Supers system. (You can see the foundation of the system by clicking here.)

This is a bit off-the-cuff, so it will probably be revised before it finds its way into an actual product. If you want to offer input, it will be considered and appreciated.


NEW MINOR POWER: STEALTHY
You have an unnaturally developed ability to move stealthly.
   Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Move Silently skill checks.


NEW TALENT TREE: INVISIBILITY
You can become hard to see or totally invisible at will. The invisibility can be activated by a thought, and remains in effect until he wills himself visible again, or loses consciousness. The characters clothes and carried objects become invisible as well.
   Prerequisite: At least one Minor Power Feat.
   Shadowy: By taking a standard attack action, you turn partially invisible. You gain a +2 bonus to all Hide checks. This bonus increases to +6 if you are in a dark area or it is night.
   Invisible: By taking a standard attack attack action, you turn invisible. All attacks made against you suffer a -6 penalty. You can still be seen by creatures that can see invisible objects, and you can be sensed by equipment that detects body heat or movement. Likewise, if you step in a puddle, are submerged in water, stand in heavy rain, or if someone fills the air with dust or flour that clings to you, you essentially become visible
   Prerequisite: Shadowy
   Insubstantial: As Invisible, except the character becomes vapourous and become immune to damage from all damage sources except those that compress or displace air, such as extreme heat and cold. The character suffers normal damage from such attacks.
   Prerequisite: Invisible

'Science Sleuths #5' now available!

The fifth issue of Science Sleuths is now on sale at DriveThruComics, DriveThruRPG, and RPGNow. It features stories starring Jill Trent and Rocketman, but you can also get to know the King of Darkness in two stories that are being collected in one place for the first time ever. As a special treat, this issue also features write-ups of Jill Trent and the King of Darkness in the Heroes and Hoodlums RPG system... a game specifically designed for playing Golden Age comic book characters.

Click here to see previews of Science Sleuths #5, or to buy and download your own copy.

H is for the Hand

Some comic book heroes are left on the ash-heap of discarded pop culture for good reason. One of these is the mysterious, supernatural crime-fighting entity known only as the Hand. Where he (it?) came by that name is obvious.

Talk to the Hand. Art  and Writing by Bill Flinton & Bill O'Connor

I love the Golden Age of Comics, because the "rules" of what made for good story telling in the medium were still being established. All sorts of fun and crazy stories were being thrown out there for public approval, and many of the flash-in-the-pans that only appeared a few times were crazier and more fun than most/

And then there are ones like the Hand. What's more amazing than someone thinking this was a good idea is that the Hand appeared twice during 1941, in issues 12 and 13 of Harvey's Speed Comics. The same team of Bill Flinton and Bill O'Connor delivered both of the Hand's crime-smashing adventures, so they probably came up with the strip... and maybe they had pictures of the editor's mother performing unnatural acts on a water buffalo.

I suppose the Hand is remarkable because it is such a strange notion for a comic book hero. L.L. Hundal, the main editor here at NUELOW Games earmarked the two Hand stories for a future issue of Complete Golden Age Oddballs. I think she may have to get around me first, but if enough of you out there wants to give her a hand by showing support for her idea that the Hand needs to be added to the line-up or NUELOW Heroes & Villains, I may have to give in. You won't even need to acquire pictures of my mother performing unnatural acts with a water buffalo. It doesn't take much to get me to agree to something... if people want to see the Hand, I'll give them the Hand.

G is for Golden Lad & Golden Girl

Teenager Tommy Preston was helping out in his grandfather's antique shop when he found the Heart of Gold, an artifact holding the power of "the blood of a thousand martyred Aztecs." It gives him the ability to turn into Golden Lad at will while granting him super strength, the ability to fly, and x-ray vision.

Golden Boy, as drawn by creator Mort Meskin

Golden Boy was the lead feature in the series that bore his name. It debuted in 1945, and it lasted for five issues. The final issue, like so many comics magazines during the Golden Age, showed no sign that cancellation was impending. In fact, it added a major new element to the Golden Lad Universe--Peggy Shane, a love interest/stalker for Tommy who becomes Golden Girl after she triggers the same magical transformation in herself by holding a chip off the Heart of Gold.

Golden Girl transforms for the first time. Artist & Writer Unknown.

Despite the promises of more adventures of both Golden Boy, Golden Girl, and even the all-new superhero team of Shaman & Flame, Golden Boy #5 marked the end of the road not only for the series and the characters within its pages, but for publisher Spark as well. Spark opened its doors as the comic book market was going through a major contraction, and the outfit simply didn't have the market presence to survive. It's a shame, because Spark was a company that was founded by and with some heavy-duty talent, with Mort Meskin and Mac Raboy being foremost among them.

Golden Lad and Golden Girl will be receiving their own book as part of NUELOW Games' line-up of rpg/comics hybrid books. Shaman & Flame are slated to appear in a future issue of Complete Golden Age Oddballs. (Golden Lad and Golden Girl will also be given stats in both the ROLF! and OGL Modern game systems.)

F is for Front Page Peggy

Front Page Peggy is to reporters what Jill Trent is to entrepreneur inventors... in the sense that she's a successful woman in a male dominated field who can beat the living hell out of any bad guy who crosses her path. She headlined four stories (in Startling Comics #41 - 43 and The Fighting Yank #27, all during 1946) where she was seen chasing down stories and knocking out villains with a dedication that puts her male counterparts to shame. (Even when she is assigned a social page article, Peggy sniffs out a far more important story.)

The first look at Front Page Peggy. Art by Al Camy

Peggy is an example of the crusading/adventuring journalist that was a popular figure in movies, pulp fiction, comics during the 1930s and 1940s. Perhaps the best-known example of this character type is found in His Girl Friday starring Cary Grant and Roselind Russell.

The first two "Front Page Peggy" adventures were drawn by Al Camy, the primary artist on "Jill Trent, Science Sleuth." We will be including those in issues of Newshounds, our planned series collecting Golden Age comics featuring two-fisted reporters. (For a look at Al Camy's Jill Trent, check out any issue of Science Sleuths.)

Here's "Front Page" Peggy ala ROLF!:

PEGGY JENSEN (Female)
aka Front Page Peggy
Brawn 22, Body 18, Brains 7
   Traits: Improv Master, Nimble
   Battle Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Debate Philosophy, Dodge, Disarm, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Seduce
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Fashionable, yet practical, hat and dress (clothes). Purse (Small Melee Weapon, deals 1 point of damage).

E is for Electric Ray

Electric Ray had his one and only appearance in 1942, in the 26th and final issue of Centaur Publishing's Amazing Man series. Ray is working in a plant manufacturing things vital to the U.S. war effort when it becomes a target of saboteurs. While he is conducting his own investigation into the matter, he is set upon by enemy agents who throw him from the factory's roof onto a dynamo, which overloads with a spectacularly. The blast of electricity leaves Ray's body permanently charged with a lethal amount of electricity, which he can release through touching his bare skin to conductive material or other human beings.

Electric Ray is one of those characters that mostly likely couldn't exist today in the innocent form he does here. Instead of being a cheerful adventure story (with a fairly high body count, as no bad guy walks away from their encounter with Ray), I think it would swiftly turn into a Twilight Zone-esque horror story and Ray would soon be on the path to being a villain or a monster. For example, what will happen between Ray and his wife the first time they get intimate after Ray has gained the ability to light up the room in more than just metaphorical ways? And while this panel was probably intended as humorous back in the day, it seems like the sort of sentiment that would always have gotten Ray put on any number of watch lists:

Electric Ray's single appearance will be included in a future issue of Complete Golden Age Oddballs, along with some original writing that incorporates him into the NUELOW Games Heroes & Villains line-up. (And, while not much thought has been put into it yet, I suspect Ray will end up as one of the darker characters.)