Power Universe Retrospective: The New Force

The New Force was my premier “teen superhero team”, and marked a new era of the Power Universe. Just as the Fabulous Five were the foundation of that setting, the New Force signified a change in direction of actually putting more thought and effort into the characters I was making. The Fabulous Five aside, many of the early Power Universe characters were just walking powersets I would draw in plotless comics.

The New Force came about when I was trying to be more original with my ideas, and actually develop the characters and plan the stories out more. I was nearing High School about this time, and the Power Universe underwent a large overhaul, kicking a lot of the more blatant rip-off characters, going back and revising the more original characters (the Fabulous Five got most of their actual development in this time period), and doing more complicated villain plots. This was also around the time the AEP Multiverse concept started officially coming together.

The New Force was another case of taking pre-existing characters and making a new team with them, something I hadn’t actually done since the Fabulous Five themselves. Several of the characters hence already had a history to bring to the table, and the team’s formation came about in the wake of a large team-up event between the older characters, and several new characters who debuted during the event. As such, I should briefly touch on the two series that came before:

  

The ADVENTURES of HOT-HEAD and KAT

Two orphan kids with minor superpowers, Kat and Ben (Hot-Head) went on strange, low-key adventures, ultimately joining up with Kat's brother Bobby, and his girlfriend Jen. They were also joined by a cartoony character named Needleman. These adventures actually took place in the Krazy Komix timeline, but at some point, the group, minus Needleman, crossed over into the Power Universe. This was, incidentally, the group that the aforementioned Power Team encountered, but the “Hot-Head crew” had a lot more adventures I had thought up.

The group’s emergence into the Power Universe is somewhat hazy. I don’t recall the exact circumstances in which it happened. At some point, Needleman just sort of left the team, and the kids grew from pre-teens to mid-teens, and Hot-Head became an official superhero while Kat, Bobby, and Jen got less involved.

Initially, the character of Jule joined the team as a time-traveler, Ben and Kat’s daughter from a possible future. However, this was retconned that Dr. Mathworths kidnapped Hot-Head and Kat, and genetically engineered Jule from their DNA. Jule joined Ben and Kat, who were weirded out at suddenly having a daughter who was only a year younger than them physically. In any case, Jule was just as gung-ho about being a superhero as Hot-Head was, and the two continued their costumed adventures, while Kat, Jen, and Bobby basically retired from the hero scene, helping out only on occasion.

However, Hot-Head would soon find himself joining forces with…

THE AMAZING ANIMAL

What I said before about the New Force marking a change of direction for the Power Universe really started with this character. The Amazing Animal was the first real solo hero I’d made in a long time, although he would quickly amass several partners and sidekicks.

Alex Peterson was a thirteen year old kid who stumbled onto a lost lab of the mad scientist Dr. Mathworths, and was doused in mutagenic chemicals. From this, he gained many animal-like powers, though he retained a human form.

The Amazing Animal was partially inspired aesthetically by Spider-Man, Batman, and Wolverine, but ultimately, his adventures were most similar to Spider-Man, being a teen hero who found himself battling gangsters and genetic monsters and mad scientists alike. More so than any other heroes in the Power Universe, he had by far the largest roster of rogues, though admittedly many of them were not especially interesting.

He also ended up with a roster of equally lame sidekicks and partners, such as Acro (acrobat), Riplash (vertigo powers), Rabid (shapeshifter), the Prime Primate (intellgent, super strong Ape), and Mr. Mechanical Man (living robot). After a year or two, he also would meet Hot-Head, and the two would have several team-ups.

However, the Animal’s more light-hearted adventures would come to end when his arch-nemesis, the power-armored villain Mysteriok, conquered the Animal’s home city in a violent and brutal assault. Gathering all of the Animal’s rogues and introducing new minions, Mysteriok captured the Animal and murdered all his partners and sidekicks. Hot-Head tried to help, but was subsequently defeated as well.

With the city of Jacksonville now under the Reign of Mysteriok, it was up to a new group of teen heroes to step in, rescue the Animal and Hot-Head, and beat back the villain. In a final battle, the Animal killed Mysteriok and freed the city.

In the wake of this event, the teen heroes decide to form a new team to help better protect the city, and deal with a rising generation of even more dangerous foes.

THE NEW FORCE

This group of heroes had a rather fluctuating roster, as characters came and went, but there was always a core group that formed the main team. Aside from new villains, the group inherited the rogues of both Hot-Head and the Animal. Around this time, many of the sillier teams of heroes in the Power Universe fell from the lime-light, with the Fabulous Five still being the major team. As such, the two groups joined forces several times, and in-universe, Hot-Head and the Animal were inspired by the teen hero Rayman,

CORE MEMBERS

These four were the key members of the group who were always present, and were generally looked up to by the others as the team’s leading members.

HARMONY

Real Name: Erin Crie

Position: Team Leader

Powers and Abilities:

-Mach-3 Flight

-High-level sound manipulation: can control and alter sound waves

-Can create solid “walls” of sound or sonic knives/drills to cut through substances

-Building-buster sonic scream attack

-Perfect sound/voice mimicry

-Can innately detect and analyze voiceprints

-Can put people into a powerful trance using hypnotic sounds

-Echolocation

-Resistance to sound-based hypnosis, subliminal messaging, and other sound-dependant attempts at mental manipulation

-Mild resistance to psychic powers and manipulation

History: Erin was a sophomore in High School whose powers awoke during a singing recital. Shortly afterwards, the villain Mysteriok attacked her school in an effort to draw out the Amazing Animal. When the Animal arrived, Erin aided him in defeating the villain. After several more instances when Erin found herself caught up in superhuman battles, she finally decided to become a superhero herself.

During the Reign of Mysteriok, Erin found herself taking charge of the situation, as the other new heroes were scattered and uncertain what to do about the situation. Because she took so naturally to it, she was given leadership of the New Force, despite the Animal and Hot-Head being more experienced.

Personality: Erin is level-headed and quick-thinking. She’s the team leader more because she has an innate talent for it, rather than a true desire for it, but she is willing to accept the responsibility. Erin doesn’t dislike being a superhero, but she is practical minded, and takes a business-like approach to it, rather than embracing the thrill of it. When not focused on a mission, Erin is sweet and friendly.

HOT-HEAD

Real Name: Benjamin Roberts

Powers and Abilities:

-Mid-level pyrokinesis (hair appears to be on fire while powers are active)

-Mid-level telekinesis (takes the form of heatless fire extending from his hair, can create “solid fire” constructs with this ability)

-Mach-5 super speed

-Flight

-Naturally higher body temperature makes him highly resistant to disease

-High-level resistance to psychic powers

-Skill with theft and sleight of hand

-Psycho-Fire Armor – Can wrap himself in an armor of his own telekinetic flames, granting him up to Class 50 strength and durability, and burning melee attacks

History: Ben was a child who ran away from an orphanage at the age of 10, when his powers started to manifest, and he feared he would end up burning the building down. In order to make a living, he took to stealing, something he always regretted having to do. However, he soon met up with a girl named Kat, and the two formed a fast friendship and tight partnership. Shortly after, they would join up with Kat’s brother Bobby, a girl named Jen, and a living cartoon named Needleman, and go on adventures for several years.

After hearing of the exploits of the Amazing Animal and the Fabulous Five, Ben hit upon the idea to become a superhero, as a way of making up for his thieving ways. He soon teamed-up with the Amazing Animal numerous times and the two became close friends. Needleman, Kat, Jen, and Bobby would eventually settle down elsewhere, while Ben would continue his adventures, joining up with Jule. He still maintains a relationship with Kat, who very occasionally helps the team.

Personality: Ben is earnest and helpful, always striving to do what’s right, initially driven by the desire to make up for his thieving ways, but also by the thrill of it. He’s a bit on the shy side socially, but is nonetheless friendly and extremely loyal to his team and his friends.

THE AMAZING ANIMAL

Real Name: Alex Peterson

Powers and Abilities:

-Animal senses: enhanced hearing, hyper-spectral vision, telescopic vision, thermosense, electrosense, tremorsense, pressuresense, enhanced hearing, enhanced smell

-Class 50 super strength and durability

-Bullet-time speed, high-level agility and dexterity

-Echolocation

-Retractable claws

-Can change colors and create bio-luminescence

-Electric shock

-Can climb walls and ceilings using a combination of tiny spurs and sticky pads

-Regeneration, can heal a gunshot wound within a day, and regrow lost limbs, immune to nearly all forms of disease and poison

-Ink spray, stink spray, sticky webbing, slime generation, acid spit, venom bite

-Can survive a wide variety of pressure and temperature extremes

-Can breath underwater

-Moderate resistance to psychic powers and control

History: Alex Peterson was only 13 when he snuck into what he thought was an abandoned warehouse on a dare. He instead discovered one of the old laboratories of the mad scientist Dr. Mathworths, and became exposed to mutagenic chemicals being stored there. The chemicals unlocked the dormant abilities in Alex’s DNA, causing an atavistic mutation which manifested in a variety of animal-like powers. Around this same time, several superhuman criminals were making themselves known. Since the city of Jacksonville did not have any superheroes of its own at the time, Alex took it upon himself to become the first in the city, and became the Amazing Animal.

Through several years of adventures, he faced down a wide variety of villains, and teamed up with several other lesser known heroes. However, the Reign of Mysteriok changed everything, as his arch-nemesis wiped out almost all his allies, wrecked his city, and tortured him. Since then, Alex has rededicated himself to the job with a much more grim outlook and serious attitude.

Personality: Alex is a good kid, who started off as an optimistic, and even care free youth, but who eventually became more serious and reserved overtime, as the weight of being a hero took its toll. Particularly, he was forced to endure abuse at the hands of Mysteriok, a villain who seemed particularly focused on him as a rival, and this did much to rob Alex of any innocence he may have had about the job.

As such, Alex is probably the most grateful for the formation of the New Force, but the loss of his previous “team” of allies traumatized him. Despite having several years more experience than her, he was the one who really pushed for Erin to lead to the group.

JULE

Real Name: Camille Roberts

Powers and Abilities:

-Class 60 super strength

-Class 100 durability

-Class 80 destructive energy blasts

-Nigh-immunity to magic and high resistance to psychic powers

History: Jule was genetically engineered from the DNA of Kat and Ben by the mad scientist Dr. Mathworths, who was attempting to experiment with mixing different forms of genetic superhuman powers. Despite being only a few years old, Dr. Mathworths speed-grew her into a teenaged body, and used cybernetic memory transfer to implant basic knowledge into her mind. As such, Jule acclimated quickly to life, despite her lack of experience.

She was initially loyal to her creator, battling Hot-Head and his crew when they came to stop Dr. Mathworths’ schemes, but she very quickly realized he was a villain, and betrayed him. With no where else to go, she went with Hot-Head and Kat, who helped her adapt to the outside world.

Jule joined Hot-Head as his sidekick when Kat and the rest of their group decided to settle down. She was there to fight during the Reign of Mysteriok, but was defeated and driven off by Mysteriok. Although Erin was the one to lead the group, it was Jule who first alerted and gathered the teen heroes who would form the New Force.

Personality: Jule is bright, chipper, and courageous. Despite her youth, she’s rather mature for her age and quite intelligent. She has a great heroic spirit, and is in many ways one of the team’s most valued members for both her power and her ability to galvanize the others into action. If Erin is the tactical leader of the team, Jule is the spirit.

ROTATING MEMBERS

While most of the following group were long-term members, they were often part-time actives, or would drop and rejoin as circumstances demanded.

WAR CRY

Real Name: Brian Hearst

Powers and Abilities:

-Class 80 destructive plasma blasts

History: Brian was a student who kept his powers a secret, until one day he had to use them to stop a crime in progress. Mysteriok found out about this, and he kidnapped and brainwashed him, used as a minion in his service. Harmony was able to break Brian free of his brainwashing using her sonic powers. Since then, Brian has been a dedicated member of the team.

Personality: Brian was heavily traumatized by Mysteriok’s brainwashing, and he is highly driven to stop Mysteriok and other supervillains for good. He struggles to maintain a higher standard of justice instead of revenge, but he is slowly recovering his old, more level-headed self over time.

SHOCKWAVE

Real Name: Sean Conner

Powers and Abilities:

-Telekinetic Force Projection –  can be fired from any part of his body and used for a variety of tricks:

-Class 20 force blasts

-Can perform super jumps, mid-air jumps, hover, fly short distances, or slow his falls

-Can move at high speed over the ground or perform mid-air dashes

-Can create cushions of force to catch objects in free fall

-Can fire thinly projected force beams as a ranged cutting attack

-Can project a full-body wave of force to form a personal force field

-Force Nuke – Strongest attack, an omni-directional force blast capable of leveling a sky scraper; this will usually knock him out, however

-Highly proficient at street fighting, developing his own personal combat style

History: Sean grew up in the slummier side of the city. Tired of the gang violence and drug trafficking going on around him, Sean resolved to clean up his community, and fought to take down the criminal elements the cops couldn’t catch.

Personality: Sean is a courageous fighter, aggressive, but not impulsive. He is a loyal teammate, always ready to back up his comrades, even if he doesn’t get along with them.

VANISH

Real Name: Vanessa Fine

Powers and Abilities:

-Instant teleportation, global range

-Can teleport up to 100 tons of material at one time

-A subconscious form of clairvoyance gives her an instinctive sense always prevents her from teleporting into solid matter or equally dangerous conditions. If she can’t go into a place, or would be in danger doing so, her power will not activate.

-She can selectively teleport pieces of something away from the whole; she never does this to any living being in such a way that it would hurt them, and her subconscious senses always compensate to cover this concern.

History: Vanessa was another student going to the same High School as Alex and Erin. During the Reign of Mysteriok event, Vanish aided people in evacuating the city. She was invited to join the group as a scout and transporter.

Personality: Vanessa is a bit of a “valley girl.” While she’s sweet and compassionate, and her heart is in the right place, she is not very bright. While not usually gullible, she has trouble following complicated situations and can’t deal with the deceptive schemes and head games of villains and the more dubious heroes. Because of this, she’s taken a very hard-lined stance on right and wrong that often makes her refuse to bend the rules even doing so would make things easier for her teammates.

QUARTERSTAFF

Real Name: Conner Jones

Powers and Abilities:

-Expert-level marital arts, favoring the use of staff weapons

History: Conner grew up in the same area as Sean, and seeing the latter battle crime, Conner tried his hand at it. However, Conner quickly realized he was considerably outclassed in the effort, and shortly after the team formed, he had to quit due to sustaining grievous injury.

Personality: Conner was a serious-minded fellow, almost monk-like in personality.

SPEEDMONGER

Real Name: Jessica Meyers

Powers and Abilities:

-Mach-20 super speed

-Electro-shock gauntlets

History: Jessica grew up in the same area as Sean. When Sean started fighting crime as Shockwave, Jessica was inspired to help him out. Eventually, the two start a relationship, and while Sean was recovering from injuries, she filled in for him.

Personality: Jessica is friendly and has a dry wit.