Marvel Flipside

Hammerhead and the Trapster

I love villains like the Trapster. Here's a guy whose gimmick is an unbeatable paste fired from glue guns. Some of those snooty-type fanboys like to scoff at him, saying it's unrealistic that such a villain would turn to a life of crime when he obviously could sell his formula for adhesives and make a ton of money. Uhm. Yes, and then what? That might allow him a cushy sum for a year or two at a comfortable salary, but after that, it's back to the drudgery of lab work or an office job. And that's even AFTER the drudgery of patent filing and licensing meetings, marketing… forget about it. Might as well turn to the best get-rich-quick scheme a gimmicky scientist can just jump right into--- a life of crime!  And you get to meet the most interesting people…

But okay, so let's give in and get Trapster a more legitimate job than chasing armored cars that carry bags of money with "$" labeled on them. What's the kind of job that would require trapping people in creative ways so they would just stop for a second and stand still long enough to hand them, oh I don't know, say, a slip of paper? Yes, that's right-- meet the Trapster, New York's finest process server!



Let's have him team up with another re-invented villain-- Hammerhead. Long considered nothing more than hired muscle for the mob, this guy has one great asset, and that's his great loyalty. So much so, that when the mob runs into trouble, the only one they can count on his Hammerhead, even if it means transforming him into their defense counsel. You could go one of two ways-- first of all, let's give a boost to that metal plate in Hammerhead's noggin. Let's allow it to pick up on the empathic thoughts of others around him, perhaps even surface-level telepathy. It'll give him the edge in front of any jury, tailoring his case to fit the feelings of the room. Alternatively, there is a bit of his origin that made him awaken in a darkened alley in an injury that necessitated the plate in his head. Why not have him be a mob lawyer in the first place, and suddenly his talents are in demand again, reverting him to what he was before.

Ultimately, you have a villainous duo that can fight the heroic vigilantes in an area they are not really familiar with -- that "Order" part of "Law and Order." The new pair of process server and shady mob lawyer make a great villainous duo for pre-Shadowland Daredevil and even She-Hulk.

"These are their stories…"     DUN DUN!

Flipside Handbook: Zala Dane

Talking about Zala Dane and the High Evolutionary previously, it got me to thinking about laying the whole story out as one of these old Flipside Handbook entries. Plus, it's been a while, but I love to talk about alternate versions of Marvel characters, and I liked the way I solved the problems surrounding this character. Yeah, sure, the dilemma she posed is about 20 years old,  but, hey, sometimes it takes you a while to come up with a good response. Kinda of like getting that perfect comeback to a joke, but only getting it in the shower the following week.

PROBLEM: Lorna Dane was led to believe she was the daughter of Magneto, given a costume, and told to attack the X-Men. Turns out, the mutant Mesmero was the one behind it, but THEN it turns out the villain Machinesmith was behind THAT. Lorna Dane's true parentage (as she was adopted) was never confirmed for years. Then, 20 years later, it turns out she WAS Magneto's daughter after all, and she has a mental breakdown. Because, after all that, who WOULDN'T, right?  She got better, though, and has come to grips with her lineage.

PROBLEM COMPOUNDED: A priestess up in the jungles of the Savage Land called Zaladane (see that name-- huh, huh?) caused problems for the X-Men whenever they visited. Then, 10 years or so after that, she captures Lorna Dane, claiming she's her sister,  and it's also for this reason that certain Savage devices can transfer Lorna's magnetic powers into Zaladane herself. Pretty shortly after that, however, Magneto killed her instead of, oh, somtething about Zaladane trying to absorb all the magnetic power of Earth or something.

SOLUTION: Both are Magneto's daughters. Neither are Magneto's daughter.

Early sketches trying to come up with a look for Zala Dane's Flipside costume: Southstar. She had to look like Magneto's daughter, so I looked to make variations on alternate costumes that Magneto has worn over the years. I also tried some variations on his helmet to create some kind of similar headgear for Zala.

Here's how it worked in the Flipside universe, but I'm tweaking it enough to talk about it as if it happened in the regular Marvel U.

Close to thirty years ago, central Europe: Magda flees her husband, the man who would be Magneto. She arrives on Mount Wundagore, where she is found by Bova to be great with child. Magda gives birth to Wanda and Pietro but does not survive. The High Evolutionary allows Bova to place the children in the care of Romany people, and the two grow up to become Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

Ten to fifteen years ago, when Magneto burst onto the scene, the High Evolutionary takes notice of the sudden rise in mutants. In his research, he manages to connect the dots between Magneto and Magda and the incident that sparked their separation-- Magneto's display of power after the death of their first child. The Evolutionary manages to obtain the child's remains, and thus Magneto's lineage is exhumed for study. The resulting clone of this material is unsastifactory, however. (Meaning: powerless.) The next clone is a bit more promising, because of her green hair, and the first is abandoned, although Bova manages to sequester her away for adoption to a couple in the United States. 

The Evolutionary's interest in the second clone of Magneto's daughter, Lorna, also disappears, about the same time that the Evolutionary abandons Earth entirely for the first time. Again, Bova manages to arrange for her adoption, and arranges it so their names might be a clue to their common origin.

Years later, Zala grows to become an archeologist, researching the fantastic claims of the Savage Land before it became common knowledge. Unfortunately, her crew meets with an accident that leaves them all near dead. Zala survives, suffering and amnesiac, and is claimed by Garokk as his Sun Priestess, a role she grows into and relishes. When the Savage Land becomes more known, and excursions to the outside world become more commonplace, Zala is able to trace her origins and remember parts of her own life. Which leads her to kidnap Lorna and begin her most ambitious bid for power ever...  at the cost of her life.

But what would Magento think if he ever learned that Polaris is actually his first daughter come alive again? Would it change him? Create more sympathy between them? Or would it enrage him, remind him of his first love lost, and thus drive them even further apart?

Marvel Flipside: The End #4

 *** MARVEL FLIPSIDE: THE END ***
Featuring: the Brotherhood

The Wizard cautiously peeks out from his cowered position. So... he's not dead? Neither are Frightful and the teams of Forever Victory, the Avengers, and the delegates of the Shi'ar, Skrulls, and Kree. Their saviors? Sabretooth and The Brotherhood of Mutants! "Quick! Get the Vanisher into triage! He's never teleported so many for so far. His presence among us will be short this time..."

Sabretooth thanks Destiny for her help. As always, her precognitive powers have allowed The Brotherhood to step in at the last moment to save others from the jaws of death. In moments, however, Magneto bursts into the room-- obviously more than a little upset. What's the meaning of this?! The mutants have always took care of their own. Why must they continually be responsible for keeping Unmutants safe?!

Sabretooth welcomes everyone to Asteroid M, and hopes everyone will survive the experience.

The Brotherhood #24

Mystique and Destiny are on the trail of the missing Vanisher-- The Brotherhood take care of their own! But what strange friends must they forge to find their way to Nightcrawler, who was the villain that took down the Vanisher? And what will happen once they find him? 

The Brotherhood #23

Why is Fred Dukes in a hooded bathrobe? Why are those other frat jocks around him in hooded bathrobes? Why are they incanting some ancient verse in archaic language? For they have deemed him worthy of The Next Level, aka the Unspoken, aka ... the Hidden Eye! "Uh, cool?"

The Brotherhood #22

Even mutants of the underground Brotherhood may have to venture into the world above, even if they do so at their own peril! One shadow-shifter emerges from the darkened alley, taking with him his bag of oranges-- all to replenish the Amphitheater after the Mutant Masters' reign of terror. But there is an additional shadow that our shifter DOESN'T see. One that *mimics* him, exactly--  except for a certain murderous glint in his eye!

The Brotherhood #21

One man walks alone into the darkened alley-- the three shadowy figures at the end seen to fill him with dread and trembling. But the tall, dark imposing man in front almost... pleased by this? The fearful figure begs an audience, making the sign of The Brotherhood and demands sanctuary. Ha! He is in no place to make demands. He stands before none less than the Mutant Masters themselves-- Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Nightcrawler!

The Brotherhood #20

You can see Zala Dane in a coffee shop behind the glass window. Her face is worried, expectant. Jack O' Diamonds sacrificed himself to hold back the Mutant Masters, becoming an immoveable statue of pure diamond. This, after the Masters reversed Magneto's powers and sent him hurling away from the planet! Was Zala all alone?  She glanced once more at the two tape-triangles she put on the window-- they looked like a "B"

The Brotherhood #19

The Toad has always put on a brave face whenever life looked a little bleak, but when the Scarlet Witch keeps him on a leash and smacks him another time for simply existing, his face has become a grotesque twist of fear and self-loathing. Nightcrawler and Quicksilver, the other Mutant Masters, laugh at the Toad's patheticness, and Quicksilver proclaims that such subservience shall be the fate of anyone who crosses their path-- human OR mutant!

The Brotherhood #18

The High Caregiver holds Magneto and Southstar captive-- their powers helpless against the mental energies at the command of the Caregiver! The villain orders her army of Mutanimals to be at the ready, and to keep Jack O'Diamonds from interfering. For now-- her TESTS can BEGIN!!