Ugly Ghost Squad #26 recap
Oct. 21st, 2016 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrierUgly Ghost Squad #26
"Battle Above the Earth"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Capellans and their allies:
Enchantress
Quakemaster
Sizzler
Sunburst
Terra Man
Prisoners of the Extra-Terrestrial Holding Facility:
Faceless Hunter
Replikon
Starbreaker
Thunderer
Vartox
Other NPCs:
Perry White
Lois Lane
Jimmy Olsen
Old Jed
Capellan Officer Karn
Ruby Ryder
Adventure Modules Used:
Villains and Vigilantes: "Battle Above the Earth" by Steven Crow
Villains and Vigilantes: "From the Deeps of Space" by Stefan Jones
Synopsis:
Perry White, famed editor of the Daily Planet, asked the Ugly Ghost Squad to look into the disappearance of reporter Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy had been investigating the legendary "Wisconsin Lizard Man", but had vanished without a trace. Accompanied by Planet reporter Lois Lane, the team headed for the town of Big Rock, Wisconsin, where Jimmy was last seen.
The eponymous "Big Rock" was a black stone boulder perched in the middle of the small town, allegedly an object of worship by the local Indians in centuries past. It was also tied to the local legend of the "Lizard Man", a monster that protected the tribe and supposedly still prowled the surrounding woods. The townsfolk were divided over whether the Lizard Man was a real thing, or just something made up to attract tourists.
Examining the rock, the Martian Manhunter was fairly certain it was not native to Earth, but couldn't pinpoint its origins beyond that. He detected a low level of some type of energy...the rock may have been highly radioactive at some point, but it's emanations had diminished over the centuries to almost nothing.
Searching the woods, the heroes were unable to find Jimmy, but they did stumble across his distinctive "Signal Watch", which he often used to summon Superman in times of trouble. The watch had been broken, which explained why he hadn't called for help. Thanatos' spirits believed that Jimmy was still alive, since they couldn't detect his ghost anywhere on Earth or in the spirit realms.
Talking with the locals, the squad met Old Jed, a friendly but intense fellow who firmly believed that the Lizard Man had taken Jimmy. He pointed out to the team that "stomping through the woods" was no way to search, because the Lizard Man could easily avoid them. The trick, he insisted, was to travel silently via canoes on the Big Rock River.
Taking his advice, the heroes (along with Lois) allowed Jed to lead them down the river, towards the site of an ancient Indian burial ground where the Lizard Man supposedly hid out. Along the way, the squad was ambushed by a group of alien Capellan soliders armed with energy-rifles. The soldiers were no match for the team, and as they fell in battle, the Capellans disintegrated into piles of ash. A mile or so away, they saw a Capellan spacecraft rise out of the woods and streak off into the sky.
Jimmy Olsen was found nearby, heavily tranquilized but unharmed. When he came to, he revealed that he had been captured by the aliens while searching the woods for the Lizard Man. While being held on their ship, he overheard that they were there to investigate the Big Rock, which they felt was somehow the key to defeating some other alien race they were in conflict with.
Remembering that the Capellan policeman Karn (see issue #6) was still in the custody of the United Nations, the heroes traveled to the top secret Extra-Terrestrial Holding Facility where he was being held (along with various other "alien enemy combatants"). By the time they arrived, Karn had already heard about their skirmish with his fellow Capellans, and confessed that their presence was likely his doing. As his spaceship had passed Earth, his instruments had detected the waning energies of the Big Rock, and he had sent that information to his superiors before his ship had been shot down. The black rocks were legendary objects of power in Capellan mythology, although Karn wasn't clear on exactly what they were supposed to do. He also speculated that the Capellan ship probably hadn't left Earth entirely; they weren't likely to give up that easily.
Right on cue, a powerful missile slammed into the side of the facility, targeted on Karn's holding cell. If he hadn't been in the visitor area with the heroes, he'd have been killed instantly. As it was, several nearby cells were damaged, and the prisoners went on a rampage: the electric-powered Faceless Hunter, shape-shifting Replikon, energy-sucking Starbreaker, disintegration-blasting Thunderer, and power-blasting Vartox. The squad rounded up the escaped E.T.s and returned them to custody, all the while wondering what the Capellans' next move would be.
They didn't have to wait long to find out. The next day they got a call from their patron, Ruby Ryder. She told them that Space Lab One, an orbiting research laboratory that she helped finance, had been taken over by parties unknown. Apparently, several of the invaders had infiltrated the crew and then struck from within. The team rocketed into space to liberate the station.
Ghosting on board the station, the heroes ran into more Capellan soldiers, as well as the Earthling mercenaries they'd hired to infiltrate and compromise the ship: the mystic Enchantress, the earth-shattering Quakemaster, the living energy-being Sizzler, the fiery Sunburst, and cosmic cowboy Terra-Man. The fierce battle rocked the satellite, but eventually the squad was triumphant. They learned that the Capellans had planned to install a microwave cannon on board the satellite that could sweep across the surface of the Earth and decimate the population, making an invasion much easier. One of the defeated Capellans commented ominously that "There's a war coming...and you Earthlings had better figure out what side you're on!"
Memorable Quotes:
"Lightning bolts are ok, power blasts are ok, but I am not putting up with lasers!" - Black Panther, after taking out the Sizzler with a x6 multi-attack.
Sources and References:
Capellans:
These lizard/wolf-like aliens keep popping up. You met Karn the space cop back in issue #6, and unearthed one of their old spaceships in issue #17. Count on seeing more of them in the future.
Daily Planet:
The great Metropolitan newspaper where Clark (Superman) Kent works, alongside fellow reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and editor Perry White. The versions here were drawn from the 1978 Superman movie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Planet
Enchantress:
Artist June Moone attended a Halloween party at an allegedly haunted castle. She stumbled into a secret chamber, where a weird mystical being called Dzamor granted her the magic powers of the Enchantress. At first, June used her powers for good, but slowly became corrupted and turned into a villain, fighting Supergirl and Superman, among others. She was portrayed by Cara Delevingne in the recent "Suicide Squad" movie.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/June_Moone_(New_Earth)
Faceless Hunter:
Hailing from a sub-atomic universe, Chun Yull the Faceless Hunter made several attempts to conquer/destroy the Earth, only to be thwarted each time by a couple of ordinary highway patrolmen. Gotta love the '60s.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Chun_Yull_(New_Earth)
Quakemaster:
Architect Robert Coleman fell on hard times when one of the buildings he designed collapsed in a hurricane, and he was blamed. He created a portable earthquake machine and set out to prove that none of the other buildings in Gotham City could withstand a "disaster" either. Needless to say, Batman was not impressed with his attempts at "urban renewal".
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/quakemaster/4005-12392/
Replikon:
The last survivor of his race, Replikon decided to re-make Earth into a duplicate of his destroyed home planet. The fact that all humanity would die in the process was an unfortunate side-effect. A shape-shifter, Replikon copied the powers of several members of the Justice League, but Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary still managed to defeat him and exile him back into space.
http://greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Replikon
Sizzler:
An artificial being created by the evil Professor Snakelocks, the Sizzler turned against her creator and became an ally of the heroic Metal Men. Then, in the most abrupt plot-twist since "Suddenly the animator had a heart attack!", the Sizzler got blown to pieces in a laboratory accident a couple of issues later.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Sizzler_(Earth-One)
Starbreaker:
An ancient space vampire, at his peak he was capable of laying waste to entire planets with his energy-absorbing powers. He's been defeated several times by the Justice League of America
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/starbreaker/4005-4605/
Sunburst:
Oil company executive Omar Pairut used a mystical artifact called the Sun Stone to become a fire-powered supervillain. His goal was the recreate the ancient Persian Empire (that's right, he was trying to make a new caliphate decades before those Isis jerks came along), but Aquaman intervened. Using a mirror, he reflected Sunbursts' blasts back at him, destroying the Sun Stone and returning him to normal mortal form.
http://aquaman.wikia.com/wiki/Sunburst
Terra-Man:
Toby Manning was just a kid when he was kidnapped by an alien space-pirate. He learned all the alien's tricks and technology and became Terra-Man, the space cowboy. He committed crimes all over the galaxy with high-tech weapons disguised as Old West gear. But when he returned to Earth, his crime spree was ended by Superman.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/terra-man/4005-13706/
Thunderer:
This pint-sized alien packed a big punch -- he threatened to destroy the world if we didn't surrender to him. But luckily Metamorpho was able to defeat him with a guitar that shot laser beams. As you may have guessed, this wasn't the most serious story ever written. In fact, it's a direct parody of Marvel's Galactus, who first appeared the previous year.
http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2006/01/blue-blazes.html
Vartox:
Originally the hero of the distant planet Valeron, Vartox seemed to run into tragedy wherever he went. His first wife turned out to be a criminal, his second wife was killed, the planet Valeron exploded, and then the new planet he settled on wanted to sacrifice him to a space-monster. The cumulative effect of all this left him a little less than stable, and he often found himself at odds with Superman whenever he visited Earth. Vartox's appearance was modelled after Sean Connery in the cult sci-fi classic "Zardoz".
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/vartox/4005-13078/
https://youtu.be/kbGVIdA3dx0
"Battle Above the Earth"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Capellans and their allies:
Enchantress
Quakemaster
Sizzler
Sunburst
Terra Man
Prisoners of the Extra-Terrestrial Holding Facility:
Faceless Hunter
Replikon
Starbreaker
Thunderer
Vartox
Other NPCs:
Perry White
Lois Lane
Jimmy Olsen
Old Jed
Capellan Officer Karn
Ruby Ryder
Adventure Modules Used:
Villains and Vigilantes: "Battle Above the Earth" by Steven Crow
Villains and Vigilantes: "From the Deeps of Space" by Stefan Jones
Synopsis:
Perry White, famed editor of the Daily Planet, asked the Ugly Ghost Squad to look into the disappearance of reporter Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy had been investigating the legendary "Wisconsin Lizard Man", but had vanished without a trace. Accompanied by Planet reporter Lois Lane, the team headed for the town of Big Rock, Wisconsin, where Jimmy was last seen.
The eponymous "Big Rock" was a black stone boulder perched in the middle of the small town, allegedly an object of worship by the local Indians in centuries past. It was also tied to the local legend of the "Lizard Man", a monster that protected the tribe and supposedly still prowled the surrounding woods. The townsfolk were divided over whether the Lizard Man was a real thing, or just something made up to attract tourists.
Examining the rock, the Martian Manhunter was fairly certain it was not native to Earth, but couldn't pinpoint its origins beyond that. He detected a low level of some type of energy...the rock may have been highly radioactive at some point, but it's emanations had diminished over the centuries to almost nothing.
Searching the woods, the heroes were unable to find Jimmy, but they did stumble across his distinctive "Signal Watch", which he often used to summon Superman in times of trouble. The watch had been broken, which explained why he hadn't called for help. Thanatos' spirits believed that Jimmy was still alive, since they couldn't detect his ghost anywhere on Earth or in the spirit realms.
Talking with the locals, the squad met Old Jed, a friendly but intense fellow who firmly believed that the Lizard Man had taken Jimmy. He pointed out to the team that "stomping through the woods" was no way to search, because the Lizard Man could easily avoid them. The trick, he insisted, was to travel silently via canoes on the Big Rock River.
Taking his advice, the heroes (along with Lois) allowed Jed to lead them down the river, towards the site of an ancient Indian burial ground where the Lizard Man supposedly hid out. Along the way, the squad was ambushed by a group of alien Capellan soliders armed with energy-rifles. The soldiers were no match for the team, and as they fell in battle, the Capellans disintegrated into piles of ash. A mile or so away, they saw a Capellan spacecraft rise out of the woods and streak off into the sky.
Jimmy Olsen was found nearby, heavily tranquilized but unharmed. When he came to, he revealed that he had been captured by the aliens while searching the woods for the Lizard Man. While being held on their ship, he overheard that they were there to investigate the Big Rock, which they felt was somehow the key to defeating some other alien race they were in conflict with.
Remembering that the Capellan policeman Karn (see issue #6) was still in the custody of the United Nations, the heroes traveled to the top secret Extra-Terrestrial Holding Facility where he was being held (along with various other "alien enemy combatants"). By the time they arrived, Karn had already heard about their skirmish with his fellow Capellans, and confessed that their presence was likely his doing. As his spaceship had passed Earth, his instruments had detected the waning energies of the Big Rock, and he had sent that information to his superiors before his ship had been shot down. The black rocks were legendary objects of power in Capellan mythology, although Karn wasn't clear on exactly what they were supposed to do. He also speculated that the Capellan ship probably hadn't left Earth entirely; they weren't likely to give up that easily.
Right on cue, a powerful missile slammed into the side of the facility, targeted on Karn's holding cell. If he hadn't been in the visitor area with the heroes, he'd have been killed instantly. As it was, several nearby cells were damaged, and the prisoners went on a rampage: the electric-powered Faceless Hunter, shape-shifting Replikon, energy-sucking Starbreaker, disintegration-blasting Thunderer, and power-blasting Vartox. The squad rounded up the escaped E.T.s and returned them to custody, all the while wondering what the Capellans' next move would be.
They didn't have to wait long to find out. The next day they got a call from their patron, Ruby Ryder. She told them that Space Lab One, an orbiting research laboratory that she helped finance, had been taken over by parties unknown. Apparently, several of the invaders had infiltrated the crew and then struck from within. The team rocketed into space to liberate the station.
Ghosting on board the station, the heroes ran into more Capellan soldiers, as well as the Earthling mercenaries they'd hired to infiltrate and compromise the ship: the mystic Enchantress, the earth-shattering Quakemaster, the living energy-being Sizzler, the fiery Sunburst, and cosmic cowboy Terra-Man. The fierce battle rocked the satellite, but eventually the squad was triumphant. They learned that the Capellans had planned to install a microwave cannon on board the satellite that could sweep across the surface of the Earth and decimate the population, making an invasion much easier. One of the defeated Capellans commented ominously that "There's a war coming...and you Earthlings had better figure out what side you're on!"
Memorable Quotes:
"Lightning bolts are ok, power blasts are ok, but I am not putting up with lasers!" - Black Panther, after taking out the Sizzler with a x6 multi-attack.
Sources and References:
Capellans:
These lizard/wolf-like aliens keep popping up. You met Karn the space cop back in issue #6, and unearthed one of their old spaceships in issue #17. Count on seeing more of them in the future.
Daily Planet:
The great Metropolitan newspaper where Clark (Superman) Kent works, alongside fellow reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and editor Perry White. The versions here were drawn from the 1978 Superman movie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Planet
Enchantress:
Artist June Moone attended a Halloween party at an allegedly haunted castle. She stumbled into a secret chamber, where a weird mystical being called Dzamor granted her the magic powers of the Enchantress. At first, June used her powers for good, but slowly became corrupted and turned into a villain, fighting Supergirl and Superman, among others. She was portrayed by Cara Delevingne in the recent "Suicide Squad" movie.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/June_Moone_(New_Earth)
Faceless Hunter:
Hailing from a sub-atomic universe, Chun Yull the Faceless Hunter made several attempts to conquer/destroy the Earth, only to be thwarted each time by a couple of ordinary highway patrolmen. Gotta love the '60s.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Chun_Yull_(New_Earth)
Quakemaster:
Architect Robert Coleman fell on hard times when one of the buildings he designed collapsed in a hurricane, and he was blamed. He created a portable earthquake machine and set out to prove that none of the other buildings in Gotham City could withstand a "disaster" either. Needless to say, Batman was not impressed with his attempts at "urban renewal".
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/quakemaster/4005-12392/
Replikon:
The last survivor of his race, Replikon decided to re-make Earth into a duplicate of his destroyed home planet. The fact that all humanity would die in the process was an unfortunate side-effect. A shape-shifter, Replikon copied the powers of several members of the Justice League, but Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary still managed to defeat him and exile him back into space.
http://greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Replikon
Sizzler:
An artificial being created by the evil Professor Snakelocks, the Sizzler turned against her creator and became an ally of the heroic Metal Men. Then, in the most abrupt plot-twist since "Suddenly the animator had a heart attack!", the Sizzler got blown to pieces in a laboratory accident a couple of issues later.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Sizzler_(Earth-One)
Starbreaker:
An ancient space vampire, at his peak he was capable of laying waste to entire planets with his energy-absorbing powers. He's been defeated several times by the Justice League of America
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/starbreaker/4005-4605/
Sunburst:
Oil company executive Omar Pairut used a mystical artifact called the Sun Stone to become a fire-powered supervillain. His goal was the recreate the ancient Persian Empire (that's right, he was trying to make a new caliphate decades before those Isis jerks came along), but Aquaman intervened. Using a mirror, he reflected Sunbursts' blasts back at him, destroying the Sun Stone and returning him to normal mortal form.
http://aquaman.wikia.com/wiki/Sunburst
Terra-Man:
Toby Manning was just a kid when he was kidnapped by an alien space-pirate. He learned all the alien's tricks and technology and became Terra-Man, the space cowboy. He committed crimes all over the galaxy with high-tech weapons disguised as Old West gear. But when he returned to Earth, his crime spree was ended by Superman.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/terra-man/4005-13706/
Thunderer:
This pint-sized alien packed a big punch -- he threatened to destroy the world if we didn't surrender to him. But luckily Metamorpho was able to defeat him with a guitar that shot laser beams. As you may have guessed, this wasn't the most serious story ever written. In fact, it's a direct parody of Marvel's Galactus, who first appeared the previous year.
http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2006/01/blue-blazes.html
Vartox:
Originally the hero of the distant planet Valeron, Vartox seemed to run into tragedy wherever he went. His first wife turned out to be a criminal, his second wife was killed, the planet Valeron exploded, and then the new planet he settled on wanted to sacrifice him to a space-monster. The cumulative effect of all this left him a little less than stable, and he often found himself at odds with Superman whenever he visited Earth. Vartox's appearance was modelled after Sean Connery in the cult sci-fi classic "Zardoz".
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/vartox/4005-13078/
https://youtu.be/kbGVIdA3dx0
