by ·0 Comments

Since the Ghost Rider movie comes out next Friday (Feb. 16), I thought I look at a few Ghost Rider villains. What I found wasn't pretty. I'll update one a day (Mon-Fri) until the movie comes out.

First up is the Water Wizard. Since he can control water, he might be a good match for a hero with a flaming skull. It looks like at some point in his career his decided to stop using the "worse than Water Wizard" name Aqueduct. Just remember, although he can control water and make creatures of water, he can't "control the temperature of water or combine hydrogen and oxygen to create water." Meaning he's out of luck if he's surrounded by ice or steam. Come to think of it, unless he's near a body of water or in the city near a water main, he's out of luck.

Water Wizard - Lame Ghost Rider Villain

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Real name: Peter Van'Zante
Other current aliases: Aqueduct
Former aliases: None
Dual identity: Known to the authorities
Current occupation: Professional criminal
Former occupation: Soldier
Citizenship: United States of America
Legal status: Criminal record in America
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: None
Known confidants: None
Known allies: Enforcer (deceased), Moondark, Force of Nature
Major enemies: Ghost Rider I (Johnny Blaze), Arabian Knight, Justin Hammer
Usual base of operations: Mobile
Former bases of operations: Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois
Current group membership: None
Former group membership: None
Extent of education: High school graduate

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Other distinguishing features: None

POWERS AND ABILITIES

Intelligence: Normal
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Athlete
Fighting skills: Military training
Special skills and abilities: None
Superhuman physical powers: None
Superhuman mental powers: Water Wizard can psychokinetically control all forms of liquid within 500 feet of himself for a variety of effects including rainstorms, floods, and mobile animated water-creatures.
Special limitations: Water Wizard cannot control the temperature of water or combine hydrogen and oxygen to create water.
Source of superhuman powers: Power surge in an experimental cell stimulator while out at sea.

PARAPHERNALIA

Costume specifications: Synthetic waterproof stretch fabric
Personal weaponry: None
Special weaponry: None
Other accessories: None
Transportation: Different vehicles constructed from water
Design and manufacture of paraphernalia: Inapplicable

BIBLIOGRAPHY

First appearance: GHOST RIDER Vol.1
Origin issue: GHOST RIDER Vol.1 #23
Significant issues: GHOST RIDER Vol.1 #23 (robbed brokerage house, contacted by the Enforcer, assigned to kill the original Ghost Rider, failed); GHOST RIDER Vol.1 #24 (salvaged the Enforcer's disintegration ring from San Diego Harbor, battled and was defeated by Ghost Rider); GHOST RIDER Vol.1 #59 (contacted by Moondark in Chicago, sent to battle Ghost Rider again, burned by Ghost Rider's mystical flames again, went into shock and was institutionalized): GHOST RIDER Vol 1 #61 (broken out of the institution by Ghost Rider to help drought-ridden town); GHOST RIDER Vol.1 #62 (traveled to Saudi Arabia, learned he could control other forms of liquid than water, battled the Arabian Knight and Ghost Rider): IRON MAN #126 (hired by Justin Hammer): IRON MAN #127 (ran away during battle with Iron Man earning Hammer's enmity); CAPTAIN AMERICA #320 (discovered the 17 victims of Scourge at the Bar With No Name, alerted Captain America for protection); FANTASTIC FOUR #336 (encountered Hydro-Man while attacking Four Freedoms Plaza), NEW WARRIORS #7-9 (first appearance as Aqueduct, member of Force of Nature, employed by Project: Earth to prevent rain forest razing, battled the New Warriors).

by ·0 Comments

MODAM

I finally found a good OCR program, so I think it's time to start sharing these gems of entries from the old Marvel and DC Comics character handbooks. First up, the strange looking M.O.D.A.M.

If M.O.D.O.K. was a good idea, then why not have MODAM was probably the consensus around the Marvel Comics offices when this character was created.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Height: 12'
Weight: 2750 lbs. (without life-support harness)
Eyes: White
Hair: Brown
Other distinguishing features: Modam's head is grotesquely enlarged, requiring artificial support.

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Full name: Mobile Organism Designed for Aggressive Maneuvers
Real name: Unrevealed
Other current aliases: Maria Pym
Former aliases: Sodam
Dual identity: None
Current occupation: Weapon
Former occupation: Unrevealed
Citizenship: Unrevealed
Legal status: Unrevealed
Place of birth: Unrevealed
Marital status: Unrevealed
Known relatives: None
Known confidants: None
Known allies: Advanced Idea Mechanics
Major enemies: Hawkeye. Dr. Pym, Quasar
Usual base of operations: Mobile
Former bases of operations: An unspecified laboratory of the subversive organization AIM
Current group membership: Servant of AIM
Former group membership: Unrevealed
Extent of education: Unrevealed

POWERS AND ABILITIES

Intelligence: Genius
Strength: (without artificial aids) Below normal, (with artificial aids) Enhanced human
Speed: (without artificial aids) Below normal, (with artificial aids) Enhanced human
Flight speed: Equivalent to natural winged flight limit
Stamina: (without artificial aids) Below normal, (with artificial aids) Enhanced human
Durability: (without artificial aids) Below normal, (with artificial aids) Superhuman Agility: (without artificial aids) Below normal, (with artificial aids) Enhanced human
Reflexes: Normal
Fighting skills: Minimal capacity for hand to hand combat
Special skills and abilities: Unrevealed
Superhuman physical powers: None
Superhuman mental powers: Super -human intellect; ability to project psionic force for a number of effects, including concussive energy, generation of heat, and protective fields; limited telepathy and imposition of will.
Special limitations: Modam's muscu�lature is atrophied, while her head has been freakishly enlarged. Thus she is physically dependent on the exoskeleton provided by her hover-chair for physical support and movement. If any of the chair's systems malfunction or are disabled she would be extremely vulnerable.
Source of superhuman powers: Artificial acceleration of brain tissue growth by means of mutagenic chemicals and radiation, plus cybernetic implants.

PARAPHERNALIA

Costume specifications: Modam is permanently encased within an exo-skeletal shell of life-supporting machinery which augments her musculature, provides mobility, and performs various bodily functions. Sensors equipped throughout the exoskeleton monitor both her body's functions and the system's mechanical functions and transmit this data telemetrically to AIM headquarters. Thus they monitor both her blood sugar level and her rocket fuel level.
Personal weaponry: Modam's headband contains equipment which aids her in the focusing of her psionic powers.
Special weaponry: Modam is equipped with two telescoping tentacle-like arms within which her own arms fit. Each terminates in a pronged "hand". Maximum elongation of arms is 15 feet.
Other accessories: Unrevealed
Transportation: Modam's "hover-chair" contains anti-gravity generators enabling it to hover and chemically fueled rocket boosters to propel it. Its maximum speed is approximately 230 mph, maximum lift approximately 1000 lbs., its flight ceiling is approximately 19.000 feet and the fuel pods carry sufficient fuel for approximately 2 hours of conservative use. Modam also employs various AIM transport carriers.
Design and manufacture of paraphernalia: Advanced Idea Mechanics

BIBLIOGRAPHY

First appearance: (as "Maria Pym") WEST COAST AVENGERS #36, (as Sodam) SOLO AVENGERS #16, (as Modam) QUASAR #9
Origin issue: Modam's origin is as yet unrevealed.
Significant issues: WEST COAST AVENGERS #36 (claimed to be Henry Pym's deceased wife Maria): SOLO AVENGERS #16 (mutated further, opposed Hawkeye and Dr. Pym); QUASAR #9 (given first assignment as Modam–acquiring Quasar's quantum-bands)

by ·0 Comments

This past Wednesday, Marvel Comics relaunched their series Thunderbolts with issue #110. The relaunch has a team of villains led by a newly pardoned Norman Osborne (Green Goblin) tracking down super-heroes who have not registered with the government.

Evidently the comic features a page that "shows" a TV commercial for Thunderbolts toys. When I saw a scan of it, I got a kick out of the manufacturer mentioned. Seems that the writers are a fan of the show "Lost." The toy company is Mittlewerk, which is the name of the character on "Lost" that eventually took over the Hanso Foundation.

Either that, or it could be a vague reference to the facility the Nazis built. Here's the definition of the "Lostpedia" entry on Thomas Mittlewerk.

"Mittelwerk was a large underground facility built by the Nazis that was staffed with prisoners transferred from concentration camps. The conditions were horrific and thousands of prisoners died due to malnutrition, disease, exhaustion or hanging (by camp guards). The site is where Hitler ordered the V-2 missile to be built, it being the first missile or vehicle to pass the sound barrier."

Considering the toy commercial portrayed in the comic book shows the Thunderbolts based out of a underground mountain lair, this could also be a possibility.

by ·0 Comments

If you look at my comics list on the site, you’ll see that the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and DC Who’s Who are some of my favorites. There’s something about having all of that information in one place. The bad thing about them is they become outdated even before they are published.

You can find entries on popular heroes on Wikipedia, but noting exhaustive. I once had a friend that asked me about setting up and online version of those old books, but we never got around to it. As I started messing with some Wiki software, I thought that would be a great project for it and it looks like someone else did too.

Check out the DC Database Project and the Marvel Database project. Browse all the cool entries or contribute if you have the knowledge. Definitely going into my bookmarks.