Chat About the Games Part Two

Well, I rent and am happy to do so. Was never a big fan of mowing yards and raking leaves and cleaning gutters and doing maintenance when the apartment complex does all that for me.

Anyway, if you want to move here:

Home values in Raleigh, NC
Raleigh is a city in North Carolina and consists of 75 neighborhoods. There are 1,200 homes for sale, ranging from $30K to $5.5M.

$325K
Median Listing Home Price
$170
Median Listing Home Price/Sq Ft
-
Median Sold Home Price

Hot and humid days are on the way! Get a place with good central AC!

Never been to the USA. It's been on my bucket list for a while and I'd hoped to get there by the time I'm 50 (in August). No chance of that this year so holidays will be a bit less ambitious...

Have been watching 'My lottery dream home' and I'm amazed at what you can buy over there for the money but understand a lot of that stuff will be fudged for TV. Had a little look around Raleigh. Looks nice, pretty quiet (as far as I can tell on Google Earth at street level). I guess in the UK we find it hard to take in the scale of the US as it's so much of a bigger place. Or at least that's my view anyway. One day I'll get there...

Run out of time, have to hit the sack but got some of the updates done. More tomorrow when I get back from work. 4am alarm. Yay....

The further you get away from the big cities, the cheaper houses and the land are. As an example, when my mom and step-dad retired to northern Maine they got an old farmhouse with 3-4 bedrooms[one could have been a study] and 25 acres of land for about $30k. This was in the late 1980s and prices haven't gone up much there as lumber industry is still in decline and that was the major industry in northern Maine, outside of potato farming.

Henderson, which is 45 miles from Raleigh, and has its own Super Wal-Mart, so it is just big enough for one, has these kinds of prices:

Facts about Henderson, NC
Henderson Housing Market
Median List Price
$125k
Median Price per sq.ft
$100
Active Listings
153

And we start talking .25 to 8 acres in size for the home lots.

Golden Age Heroes who have connection to Egypt, Middle East, India and other parts East by summer 1940:

Dr. Fate
In 1920, archaeologist Sven Nelson and his son Kent go on an expedition to the Valley of Ur [Sumeria]. While exploring a temple discovered by his father, Kent opens the tomb of Nabu the Wise and revives him from suspended animation, accidentally releasing a poisonous gas which kills Sven. Nabu takes pity on Kent and teaches him the skills of a sorcerer over the next twenty years before giving him a mystical helmet, amulet, and cloak. In 1940, Kent meets Inza Cramer and Wotan in Alexandria, Egypt on his way back to America.[24] After arriving back in the United States, Kent begins a career fighting crime and supernatural evil as the sorcerer and superhero Doctor Fate and sets up a base in a tower in Salem, Massachusetts.[24][25]

Kent helps co-found the Justice Society of America in 1940.[26]

Kent switches to a half helmet in 1941 due to Nabu occasionally possessing him through the helmet.[27][28] Kent becomes a physician in 1942.[29] Kent later enlists in the U.S. Army and serves as a Paratrooper during World War II.[30] He resigns from the JSA in 1944 and becomes an archaeologist.[31][32]

Captain Marvel
Whiz Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940) was published in late 1939. Captain Marvel, the comic's lead feature, introduced audiences to Billy Batson, an orphaned 12-year-old boy who, by speaking the name of the ancient wizard Shazam, is struck by a magic lightning bolt and transformed into the adult superhero Captain Marvel. Shazam's name was an acronym derived from the six immortal elders who grant Captain Marvel his superpowers: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

In addition to introducing the main character, his alter ego, and his mentor, Captain Marvel's first adventure in Whiz Comics #2 also introduced his archenemy, the evil Doctor Sivana, and found Billy Batson talking his way into a job as an on-air radio reporter with station WHIZ. Captain Marvel was an instant success, with Whiz Comics #2 selling over 500,000 copies.[3] By 1941, he had his own solo series, Captain Marvel Adventures, the premiere issue of which was written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.[15] Captain Marvel continued to appear in Whiz Comics, as well as periodic appearances in other Fawcett books, including Master Comics.

The wizard Shazam was shown to be an ancient Egyptian Wizard.
Here's the link to his expanded backstory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam_(wizard)

Hawkman

A DC hero, he started out as a man called archaeologist Carter Hall, who just happened to be the modern reincarnation of prince Khufu, and it didn’t stop there, he had access to weapons at the museum which he used to fight crime.
Hawkgirl

Hawkman’s love interest and equal, and is the modern reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian princess named Chay-Ara, like Hawkman she was stabbed with a cursed knife that has her and Hawkman get reborn every time they die.

Ibis the Invincible
Prince Amentep

Ibis begins his life as Amentep, a prince of ancient Egypt who was in love with the beautiful Princess Taia of Thebes. As a young man, Amentep is given the "Ibistick", a talisman of incredible power, by the Egyptian god Thoth, who empowers the talisman after Ibis was overthrown.[3] Amentep's throne is eventually usurped – with the aid of a demonic army conjured up by the evil god Set – by a cruel magician known as the Black Pharaoh. When Taia, who is under the protection of Osiris, refuses to marry him, the Black Pharaoh shoots her with a poisoned arrow. Using his Ibistick, Amentep places his beloved in suspended animation to allow her to heal. He casts a similar spell upon himself, hoping to be present when Taia revives.[4]

4000 years later, the mummy of Amentep returns to life in an American museum in 1940 (this was later revealed to be the work of the wizard Shazam). Now called "Ibis", Amentep sets out in search of his beloved, eventually finding her at another museum.[5] Seeking to adjust to this new world, Ibis uses his vast powers to become a crimefighter

2nd Blue Beetle
In 1964, during the Silver Age of comics, Charlton revised the character for a new Blue Beetle series. Charlton's new Blue Beetle retained the original's name (adding a second "t"), but none of his powers or origin, making him a different character. This Beetle was archaeologist Dan Garrett, who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including super strength and vision, flight, and the ability to generate energy blasts) from a mystical scarab he found during a dig in Egypt, where it had been used to imprison an evil mummified Pharaoh.[22] He would transform into the Blue Beetle by saying the words "Kaji Dha!" This version, by writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico, was played at least initially for camp, with stories like "The Giant Mummy Who was Not Dead". The Charlton Dan Garrett version of the Blue Beetle ran only until 1966 before his replacement debuted.[23]

Isis
Andrea Thomas and Saturday morning television series
Joanna Cameron as Isis in The Secrets of Isis

Like the main character of the first half of the program, Captain Marvel, Isis had roots in ancient Egyptian mythology. The Secrets of Isis starred Joanna Cameron as Andrea Thomas, a high school science teacher who gains the ability to call upon the powers of the goddess Isis after finding an Egyptian amulet during an archeological dig in Egypt, as revealed during the show's opening title sequence. Fifteen episodes of The Secrets of Isis were produced for The Shazam! Isis Hour, and the character also appeared in three episodes of the Shazam! portion of the show. The Secrets of Isis was given its own timeslot in 1977, for which seven new episodes were broadcast alongside reruns from the first two seasons.

Isis later appeared in animated form on Filmation's Tarzan and the Super 7 show in 1980, as part of a segment called The Freedom Force. She later guest starred on The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!'s "Hero High" segment, though Cameron did not voice the character.[citation needed]
Powers and abilities
Isis demonstrated numerous powers that manifested when the need arose. These included flight, super speed, super strength (to a level comparable to Superman and Wonder Woman), telekinesis (the ability to move and levitate objects), geokinesis (the ability to control elements such as fire, earth, wind, and water), the ability to change the molecules of inanimate objects to allow people to pass through them, the ability to act as a human lightning rod, remote viewing, and (at her power's maximum) the ability to stop and reverse time. To activate these powers, Isis usually is shown reciting a rhyming chant (the most frequent being "Oh zephyr winds that blow on high, lift me now so I can fly!"). The medallion Andrea Thomas uses to change into Isis also gives her apparent limited powers even when in her non-Isis form, as she is shown communicating telepathically with her pet crow Tut and engaging in minor mind control even without changing. She also received superior hand-to-hand and weapons combat skills from the goddess.

Green Lama


Pulp stories first
The Green Lama first appeared in a short novel entitled The Green Lama in the April 1940 issue of Double Detective magazine. The novel was written by Kendell Foster Crossen using the pseudonym of "Richard Foster." Writing in 1976,[3] Crossen recalled that the character was created because the publishers of Double Detective, the Frank Munsey company, wanted a competitor for The Shadow, which was published by their rivals Street & Smith.

The character, partially inspired by explorer Theos "the White Lama" Bernard, was originally conceived as "The Gray Lama," but tests of the cover art proved to be unsatisfactory, so the color was changed to green. The Green Lama proved to be successful (though not as successful as The Shadow), and Crossen continued to produce Green Lama stories for Double Detective regularly up until March 1943, for a total of 14 stories.

Although appearing in a detective fiction magazine, the Green Lama tales can be considered science fiction or supernatural fantasy in that the Green Lama and other characters are possessed of superhuman powers and super-science weapons. The Green Lama is an alias of Jethro Dumont, a rich resident of New York City, born July 25, 1913, to millionaires John Pierre Dumont and Janet Lansing. He received his A.B. from Harvard University, M.A. from Oxford, and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne; he also attended Drepung College in Tibet. He inherited his father’s fortune, estimated at ten million dollars, when his parents were both killed in an accident while he was still at Harvard; he then spent ten years in Tibet studying to be a lama (a Buddhist Spiritual Teacher), acquiring many mystical powers in the process.[4] He returned to America intending to spread the doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism (to relieve suffering by removing ignorance), but realized that he could accomplish more by fighting crime, since Americans were not ready to receive spiritual teachings. He never carried a gun, believing that "this would make me no better than those I fight." Dumont was also endowed with superhuman powers acquired through his scientific knowledge of radioactive salts. Dumont had two main alter egos: the crime-fighting Green Lama and the Buddhist priest Dr. Pali. Additional alter egos included the adventurer "Hugh Gilmore."

Comic books
Golden Age comics
Prize Comics

The Green Lama's first comic book appearance was in issue #7 of Crestwood Publications' Prize Comics (December 1940).[15] The character continued to appear in the title for 27 issues (through 1943). All stories were written by Ken Crossen, with art by Mac Raboy and others. In Prize Comics #24, he teamed up with Black Owl, Dr. Frost, and Yank and Doodle to take down Frankenstein's Monster.

This version of the character bears considerable similarities to his pulp counterpart, most notably his costume design. However, this version was more of a sorcerer with the ability to travel through time, resurrect the dead and often battled Lucifer's minions. There were also minor changes to his supporting cast such as Jean "Parker" and the inclusion of a character known as Tashi Shog[16] (a Tibetan liturgic wish meaning "May prosperity be").[17]

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Green Lama "fights Yellow Peril racketeers, the Nazi femme fatale Baroness von Elsa, the ghostly Pharod, snake cultists, the Nazi agent Harlequin, and especially the occultist Professor Voodoo, 'two legged beast of prey' who surpasses 'in cunning and cruelty all the forces of evil.'"[18]

Spark Publications
He then moved to his own title, The Green Lama (Spark Publications), published by Kendell Foster Crossen, which lasted for eight issues from December 1944 to March 1946.[19] This iteration character of the Green Lama was somewhat different from his previous versions (for example, having the power of flight and wearing a skin-tight costume), although the scripts were still written by Kendell Foster Crossen, who had created the earlier pulp version of the character.[20]

Reprints of the Green Lama stories from the eight-issue Spark series are available in two hardcover archive volumes produced by Dark Horse Comics in 2008.

The Flame
Publication history

The Flame's first appearance was in Fox's Wonderworld Comics #3, dated July 1939, (issues #1 & #2 being titled Wonder Comics). The Flame gained his own title in the summer of 1940; which ran for eight issues until January 1942.[3] He was one of the titular Big 3, appearing in that periodical alongside Blue Beetle and Samson.[4] Fox Publications folded in 1942, being forced to declare involuntary bankruptcy owing its creditors some $175,000.
Fictional character biography

The Flame's secret identity is Gary Preston. When Gary was a baby, his father Charteris Preston worked as a missionary in China. The elder Preston was washed away in a flood, but managed to save baby Gary by placing him in a basket. The basket was washed downstream to Tibet, where Gary was rescued by a group of lamas. They raised Gary in the lamasery, where they trained him in their mystical ways. Through this training, Gary gained the ability to control fire and temperature, including his own body temperature. He also gained the ability to travel from place to place by materializing inside of flame (even a match flame).[5]

When he reached adulthood, Gary returned to America to fight crime as the Flame. He used a flamethrower-gun, as well as a special car, boat and plane.[6] In Wonderworld Comics #30 (October 1941) The Flame was joined by a female sidekick, Flame Girl. Flame Girl was secretly Linda Dale, who was given similar powers as the Flame when Gary Preston was injured.
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Flame "battles arsonists, dictators, German mad scientists, an enormous creature called the Beast, and river pirates."[7]
Powers and abilities

Thanks to his training, the Flame has the ability to control fire and heat. He can raise his own body temperature to the point where he can burst into flames, or melt bullets. He can control and direct any flame in his presence. He can also teleport from place to place by appearing inside of any fire source, no matter the size. The Flame's one weakness is water, which can severely weaken him.[7] In order to provide fire whenever he needs it, the Flame carries a small, pistol-sized flamethrower.



Samson
Background

Samson (he had no secret identity, although he was called "Sam" the few times he was shown wearing street clothes) was a direct descendant of the biblical figure. Like his ancestor, Samson had immense strength and endurance, but could lose his powers when his hair was cut. Samson only learned about his heritage when he was a grown man, after his mother revealed his ancestry.[5]

While in college, his friend Professor Brun showed him a new invention, an "iconoscope", which allowed the viewer to watch remote scenes without a transmitter. The iconoscope picked up the image of an eastern holy man, who was praying for a higher power to send someone to battle evil. Samson used his superpowers to visit the holy man, and agreed to be that champion.[6]

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, Samson fights "giant robots, monsters, mad scientists, thugs, dinosaurs, dictators, warmongers, zombies, and radium thieves."[5]

Kurt Mitchell and Roy Thomas write, "Pitting his superhuman strength against whole armies, Samson's feats outdid the contemporary Superman but he was far more ruthless, killing his foes barehanded without batting an eye."[7]

In issue #10 of Fantastic Comics, Samson gained a young orphan sidekick whom he named David (his real name was unrevealed). David had no apparent superpowers yet was the sole survivor of a plane crash. Orphaned after the crash, Samson took him into his care. David's role mainly consisted of being rescued by Samson after being captured by criminals.[8]
Powers and abilities
Samson, due to his relation to the Biblical character, had super strength and endurance, and invulnerability. He lost these powers if his hair was cut. These powers were restored once his hair regrew. Samson's hair grew at an accelerated rate.

The Liberator is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics. His first appearance was in Exciting Comics #15 (December 1941), published by Nedor Comics.[1] The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore for America's Best Comics.
Contents
Nedor Comics

The Liberator is the secret identity of Dr. Nelson Drew, a chemistry teacher at fictional Claflin University. He discovers an ancient Egyptian formula called Lamesis that gives him superhuman strength and speed.[2] Drew uses his powers as the Liberator to fight Nazi saboteurs during World War II.[3] The formula sometimes wears off, turning the Liberator back into Dr. Drew at inopportune moments.[4]

The Liberator debuted in Exciting Comics #15, and appeared regularly in that title and America's Best Comics (not to be confused with the later DC Comics imprint). His last Golden Age appearance was in Exciting Comics #35 (October 1944).[1]

Other than there is an ancient Rgyptian formula to make super-soldiers, not really an Eastern connected hero

Scarab (Nedor Comics)
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The Scarab
Publication information
Publisher Nedor Comics
America's Best Comics (DC)
First appearance Startling Comics #34 (July 1945)
In-story information
Alter ego Peter Ward
Team affiliations SMASH
Notable aliases Thoth
Abilities Super-human strength, flight, invulnerability

The Scarab is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in Startling Comics #34 (July 1945), published by Nedor Comics.[1] The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore for America's Best Comics.
Nedor Comics
The Scarab was the secret identity of Egyptologist Peter Ward, who decoded a secret message in an ancient papyrus scroll.[2] Ward was actually the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian high priest; by rubbing his magic scarab ring Ward would instantly transform into the super-powerful Scarab.[3] He was accompanied by Akh-Tu-Men, an intelligent black cat.[4]

The Scarab debuted in Startling Comics #34, and became a regular backup feature in Exciting Comics from issue #42-48.[5] His last Golden Age appearance was in The Black Terror #20 (October 1947).[6]


Black Condor
A Golden Age superhero who possessed the power of flight, the Black Condor was created by writer Will Eisner under the pseudonym Kenneth Lewis, and artist Lou Fine in Crack Comics #1 (cover-dated May 1940).[3] Initially alternating with the Clock as the cover-featured character, he became the solo cover feature from issues #20-26 (Jan.-Nov. 1942). Fine drew the first 24 stories,[4] and his feature continued to run through issue #31.[5]

As an infant traveling with his parents on an archaeological expedition thorough Outer Mongolia, Richard Grey Jr. survived after his family was killed by the bandit Gali Kan and his men. Rescued by a condor who raised him as her own, he learned to fly,[6] as the origin story stated, by "studying the movement of wings, the body motions, air currents, balance and levitation" of his avian siblings. A mountain hermit, Father Pierre, eventually discovered and civilized the feral child, and taught him to speak English.[7] Richard tracked down and killed the Mongolian bandits who had killed his parents and then departed for the United States where he uncovered a plot to kill United States Senator Thomas Wright. He was too late to save Wright from assassination, and so began to use his identity.[8] He adopted the guise of Black Condor to fight crooked politicians, rum-running bootleggers, and racketeers.[9]

Neon the Unknown
is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books created by Jerry Iger for Quality Comics. Neon first appeared in a story penciled and inked by Lou Fine in Hit Comics #1 and was featured on the cover.[1] His stories ran in issues 1–17.[2]

Fictional character biography

Tom Corbet is a member of the Foreign Legion. While pursuing an enemy across the desert, his entire unit dies of dehydration. Surely he would have suffered the same fate if he hadn't found a magical oasis at the last second. Corbet drinks the glowing water and is transformed into Neon the Unknown, with the ability to fly and shoot energy from his hands.[3]

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "he uses his power to kill an attacking tiger, stop a would-be world conqueror, and go on to fight crime and evil and the Germans, as well as Darmus the Wizard, the Tibetan Four Lamas, a "Batzi" scientist who drops "insanity spores" on the United States, and the scientist Fritz Cardiff and his invisibility ray".[4]

The Thin Man
is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.[1] The character was created by artist Klaus Nordling and an unknown writer in Mystic Comics #4 (August 1940), and published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the time fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.[2] The Thin Man was one of the first "stretching" superheroes, predating the more famous Plastic Man by more than a year and Mister Fantastic by more than twenty years.[3]

In his origin story, explorer Bruce Dixon climbs Mount Kalpurthia in Tibet, and finds the lost city of Kalahia, where everyone can turn themselves super-thin at will. He learns their secrets, and leaves the valley to fight crime in America, with Olalla, a pretty Kalahian girl, at his side.[4] Using his special skill, he can slip under doors and surprise criminals.[3] He made no further Golden Age appearances following his debut.


Moon Girl is a fictional character published by EC Comics from 1947 to 1949. Moon Girl is a character from the Golden Age of Comic Books and has since slipped into the public domain.[1] Her secret identity is Claire Lune, a junior high history teacher.[2]

Like DC Comics' Wonder Woman, Moon Girl was the princess of an isolated tribe of warrior women in Samarkand, and fought evil in her telepathically controlled flying moonship. Her powers derived from a moon rock.[3] Her love interest was Prince Mengu, who tried to invade her kingdom in Samarkand, but became her companion and fellow teacher in America.[4]

Cat-Man and Kitten (also Catman and Kitten)
are a pair of fictional superhero characters created by artists Irwin Hasen (Cat-Man)[1][3] and Charles M. Quinlan (Kitten)[2] with unknown writers. Cat-Man was first published in 1940 by various Frank Z. Temerson companies. Due to circumstances during World War II, an altered version of Cat-Man was published in Australia and reprinted in the 1950s. AC Comics later revived the characters in the 1980s.

Raised in the Burmese jungle by tigers and then returning to America to fight crime in the big city, the character has been described as "an odd amalgam of Batman and Tarzan."[4]
Golden Age
Publishing history

In 1940, Tem Publishing Co. (one of Temerson's several companies)[5] published a periodical titled Crash Comics. Issue #4 featured the origin and first appearance of the Cat-Man.[1]

Crash Comics was replaced by Cat-Man Comics in May 1941, although, like its predecessor, this new title was a superhero and adventure anthology merely headlined by the titular character.[6] In 1942, Holyoke Publishing acquired the character, and continued publishing Cat-Man Comics.[7]

Cat-Man Comics ran for 33 issues (12 published by Holyoke Publishing) with the last issue being numbered 32 due to some numbering inconsistencies, through 1946, when Temerson's Continental Magazines folded.[8] Eventually, the characters fell into the public domain.
Fictional character biography

David Merrywether (Cat-Man) was raised in Burma by a tigress after his parents had been killed. From living with tigers for years, he gained superhuman abilities, such as super-strength, enhanced agility, natural night vision, and the legendary "nine lives" of cats.[9] Eventually, David returned to the U.S. where he was horrified by criminals preying on the innocent. To stop this, he became a private investigator. Later, he would become an officer in the US Army. Assigned to stateside duties, he donned an olive and orange costume with a black cat-head symbol and became Cat-Man.[10]

In Cat-Man Comics vol. 1, issue #10 (#5 on the cover), Cat-Man encountered Katie Conn,[2] an 11-year-old circus acrobat who fell under the guardianship of her unscrupulous uncle after her parents died in a fire. The uncle forced Katie to steal things for him. Cat-Man intervened on her behalf and made sure her uncle was brought to justice. Since she no longer had a guardian, David adopted Katie. She tried to help him fight crime, sewing a matching red and yellow costume and calling herself the Kitten.[11] At first, David tried to keep her from helping him, but Katie eventually proved herself as his sidekick and the two became partners. As the series continued, Katie matured and David was promoted to the rank of captain.

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, Cat-Man "fights everything from jungle natives, ordinary criminals, and Nazis to the Bridge Destroyer, a lost city of the Aztecs, ghouls, and the runty Nazi crime-master Doctor Sinister."[12]

The Green Turtle is a fictional character, a superhero published by Rural Home Publications. He first appeared in Blazing Comics (1944), and was created by Chinese-American cartoonist Chu F. Hing.[2]
Character history

The Green Turtle aided the Chinese in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese invaders in World War II. He wore a green cowl and a cloak with a turtle-shell design.[3] Most origin stories around the comic say that Hing initially wanted to make him an overtly Chinese hero, but his publisher would not allow this, believing there would not be a sufficient market for an Asian superhero, so Hing never drew the character without his mask. He had a sidekick, Burma Boy, a young beggar whom the Green Turtle rescued from execution by the Japanese army.[4] He also had a manservant, Wun Too.[2]

The Green Turtle's secret identity was never revealed, and readers never saw the character's face without a mask.[5]
Powers and abilities
The Green Turtle as originally written has no special powers but is a skilled fighter and flies a high-tech Turtle Plane.[6] He wears a large, flowing cape with a green turtle emblem, and is occasionally depicted with a huge, shadowy, black turtle silhouette rearing behind him, though the significance of this is never established in the original series.

Updates later on today

Take your time. Be healthy. Be happy.

Still statting up the good guys in the Haunt/Steepljack game. Will see how I get on tomorrow.

John Carter has an interesting/confusing history or background, which seemed to change from book to book that ERB wrote.

I just really paid attention to your character sheet for him now. He doesn't really have Life Support on Mars. They have ancient oxygen factories there which is how they all continue to breath. I forget which book it is where he barely makes it to the factory just before all life suffocates on Mars, saving everyone and sending him back to Earth. second or third book?

He "died" and resurrected on Mars in a new body in his first book. He returns to Earth periodically, either by almost dying or by huge mental effort. After his second return to Mars, he seems to be able to move from one planet to the other by mental effort, though dying or almost dying seems to do it too. And he seems to have a body on both planets.

In one book, he says he is probably immortal because John Carter is just his most recent identity, that he has lived for centuries as a never aging warrior on Earth. Apparently, he sometimes dies and resurrects in a new body elsewhere to live as a warrior. Sometimes he lives for centuries without aging, constantly taking on new identities and getting involved in one war or another. I think this was in one of the last books in the Mars series.

There was hints that the Mars he went to was in the past not his present. However, in the Carson of Venus series, Carson and Earth are in contact with Mars and he learns how to make the 7th ray or whatever it was called, and builds a ship to fly to Mars. It goes wrong and he crash lands on Venus.

Confusing and somewhat contradictory history of John Carter.

So ... bored at work. Time for internet search on John Carter:

Is John Carter Immortal?
Asked 10 years ago
Active 2 years ago

In Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars novels the John Carter character seems to be immortal, never aging after some point. He can't remember experiencing a childhood and several generations of families referred to him as "Uncle Jack" and watched the family members grow old and die as he stayed young.

It seems clear that John Carter is more than an ordinary and exceptionally able human. The advantages he enjoys while on Mars are not entirely due to the difference in gravity, but also due to him being a meta-human (if you'll excuse the DC comics term for a lack of a better one).
barsoom john-carter


19

I've been researching this some:

There seems to be no actual statements that Carter is, in fact, immortal. However there is a lot of evidence that many people point out, including this passage:

"I am a very old man; how old I do not know. Possibly I am a hundred, possibly more; but I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men, nor do I remember any childhood. So far as I can recollect I have always been a man, a man of about thirty. I appear today as I did forty years and more ago, and yet I feel that I cannot go on living forever; that some day I shall die the real death from which there is no resurrection. I do not know why I should fear death, I who have died twice and am still alive; but yet I have the same horror of it as you who have never died, and it is because of this terror of death, I believe, that I am so convinced of my mortality."

This might suggest that he is immortal. But it could also be any of a number of other things. So it will have to be left up to the reader to decide. Which is probably exactly what Burroughs wanted.
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answered May 5 '11 at 14:34
DampeS8N
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I've read the John Carter books a number of times and @DampeS8N pretty much sums it up. He is never actually called immortal, yet he talks about being so old he can't remember his childhood many times. On the other hand, he remembers enough to know he is a Virginian. – Tango Dec 20 '11 at 16:21
afaik it's mentioned somewhere he stopped aging when he was first transported to Barsoom. Clearly he doesn't consider himself immortal or he'd be far more rash in taking risks but he's clearly not aging normally. – jwenting Jan 31 '12 at 6:59
The paragraph clearly suggests that while he does not age, he is quite capable of dying if, say, his head was cut off. The other "deaths" he speaks of did not involves anything like a sword through his heart, but rather "poison gas" or whatever was in the cave, etc (in the book). He is darn tough to kill and he does regenerate from minor wounds, but I would say his immortality is akin to Highlander or so - the right sword in the right place and its over. That said I did not read all ten books, so maybe he does recover from a sword through the heart?? – AJotr May 25 '12 at 23:03

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3

John Carter is never described by Burroughs as actually being immortal, which would imply that, in addition to being forever young, he would also be unable to be killed. He even states at one point that he is as susceptible to mortal wounds or violent death as any other man. Extended life spans seem to be a favorite theme of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and not only John Carter, but also Tarzan, Carson Napier of the Venus series, and both David Innes and Abner Perry of the Pelucidar series, all share that same gift. Also, the entire population of Barsoom has a potential life span of over a thousand years (and a single Mars year is almost twice as long as an earth year) with little or no signs of aging once physical maturity is attained, until the final few years of their extended life span. Even beyond that, Ras Thavis, in The Mastermind of Mars has developed a process for brain transplantation, allowing a person to change bodies whenever their current one becomes, for any reason, unusable, even to the point of being brought back from the dead if the process is performed within a reasonable amount of time.

Neither John Carter's nor the Barsoomian's extended life spans are ever mentioned in the movie, probably to avoid charges that the idea was ripped off from Gregory Widen's Highlander series, though. In fact, exactly the opposite is the truth.

Wasn't too worried about accuracy. With the characters we are using it's 'our' version of the character and stats are modelled to be on a more or less even level with others, hence weakened Dracula, Starky capped at 6 (might make that 7 actually. In fact I will.) and so on.

Can't believe it! I took a screenshot of the Vanguard game to show...



Actually up to date for a change! I have struggled at times to juggle my time to get round to updating and wondered if I'd taken on too many separate games to GM but I think I'm at my limit now for players/games otherwise my ability to update will become more compromised.

One thing I would like to suggest/try is all four current players to play in the same game at some point but that relies on everyone else's schedule and I may have to shelve one of the current games to make space but that's not a definite.

I am mindful that I don't steer the games down the route of 'super powered soldiers' so have been trying to inject more traditional four colour stuff into the games. If I need to try harder in that respect, let me know and you'll have less crunch/fighting and more chat/roleplaying. Always open to suggestions guys

One of the reasons I suggested we have Haunt and Steeplejack's mission moving forward in time was to gather all the heroes out of time and into the present. I know that the power levels are way off but if our most powerful characters don't raise their attack and defense levels but work on lower powers and skills to raise them, by the time we get through WW2 and the 50s to the 21st Century, the lower level heroes might be a bit more powerful and could at least act as sidekicks who get to fight the minions or rescue the hostage or something while the big bad heroes fight the boss.

But even with that idea, it will take a year or so to get there.

Let me throw out this idea for gadgets and see if it sticks.
Let's eliminate most of the gadget rules and adopt some of the Champion rules instead. I'm thinking primarily their Objects disads and a set time for auto repair/repowering/regeneration.

So IAF [Inobvious accessible focus], OAF [obvious accessible focus], OIF [obvious inaccessible focus] and IIF [inobvious accessible focus]
IIF is worth -1 disad
IAF is worth -2 disad
OIF is worth -3 disad
OAF is worth -4 disad

The gadgets recharge/repair/regenerate after 24 hours [15 aps of time] have passed. Someone wants their gadget to come back to full faster than that will have to take advantages to the cost. So 14 APs or 16 hours is +1 Advant, 13 APs or 8 hours is +2 Advant, 12 APs or 4 hours is +3 Adv, 11 AP or 2 hours is +4 Adv, and so on before you can use it at full power/energy/health. You cannot use the gadget until it is fully repaired, usually.
Someone wants to have their gadget incrementally repair/recharge/regenerate that's another Advantage, the plus depends on how many increments of time. So if someone wants to be able to use half the gadget when half the time is up, that's a +1 advantage. IF they want to use it at 1/4 increments of time and energy that's a +2 advantage, etc.

Example: Iron Man-type Body armor - OIF -3 disad. It repairs itself completely at the end of 24 hours for no extra disads or advants. But if someone wanted it to be fully repaired in 8 hours [+2 advant] and useable in 4 parts of time or 1/4 increments, that's another +2 advant for a +4 Advantage to have Body armor that can be 1/4 repaired and/or useable in 2 hours of time, fully useable and repaired in 8 hours time. So if it had 12 Body, fully repairs in 8 hours but can be used incrementally [25%] during those 8 hours so after 2 hours, it now has 3 Body. If it had 1 or 2 Body left before this, it can't be used until the first 2 hours are up and has 3 Body. Or the 1 or 2 Body can be used but it would still be 2 hours for this armor to repair to 3 Body.

The other gadgets built into the armor could each have their own recharge rates for different pluses in advantages. If they were all build into the armor, they would have the same OIF disad. If they were not part of the armor, say a Repulsor Gun, then it would be a different disad OAF.

I think this would be a bit less complicated than the current gadget rules. Maybe Gadgeteer and Genius and Gadget and gadget lab could speed up repairs but only if the person stays there during the whole period of repair/regeneration.

Not sure how the costing of this would go, if it would be pretty much equivalent to the price of just getting powers or much cheaper or still very costly though less of a headache to use.

I suppose our GM in his COPIOUS free time can run the numbers on a few things and see.

Continuing the idea.

Green Lantern's ring would be OIF
Captain Comet's raygun would be OAF
Sargon the Sorcerer's Ruby Gem of Life in his turban would be IAF since it doesn't glow or show up as anything unusual, it could even be thought of as costume paste jewelry, part of his magic act outfit, so it is inobvious. However, with a successful grab roll, a foe could pluck it off his turban making it accessible in combat.
Spiderman's webshooters would be or could be IIF. If he didn't talk about it, it could be assumed by folks that his webs are part of his actual spider powers, hence inobvious. They would also be inaccessible in combat since they are under his gloves.

Iron Man's armor is obviously Obvious but Inaccessible in combat. Since all his other gadgets are a part of his armor, damage would probably be distributed fairly equally among all the gadgets. Unless a foe went for a targeted attack to take out specific gadgets in his powered armor, like shooting his jet boots so he can't fly.

HOLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Dunno what that's about. Probably bots?

Updates later tonight, had a grind of five days at work, literally work, home, eat, bed, work. Got a few days off now so updates should come thick and fast (as opposed to not at all because I run out of time to do anything apart from scratch my butt, and even then...)

Updates either early tomorrow morning (about 2am when I get home) or more likely at a more civilised hour tomorrow. At work the moment and hoped to update but this laptop keyboard is iffy and sometimes doesn't egister cetain lettes.

Like the lette r (had to mash it to get that working). Grrr. (mash mash mash)

More later on. Playing catch up! Had a full packed weekend (kid then girlfriend) and work do then speaking of work they are kicking my backside this week with long rubbish shifts. Quite a shock to the system after being pretty quiet because of Covid the last few months. Looks like the holiday is over...

Still, aside from rushing about today the rest of the week I should be ok updating if not at work then in the mornings. Right, rushing off to get ready for work again now!

As you probably gathered the opportunities to update have been pretty minimal this week. Looking at tomorrow morning to update (approx 0130am when I get home) or when I get up. Been 'one of those' weeks when there seemed to be time but something sucked it up. In other new my house move has stalled and it seems just paperwork chasing but I can't help but think that the sellers are getting cold feet if they've been sat on it for over a month now...

Been quiet over the weekend because I've had my son scurrying around (get no sleep, up at the crack of dawn etc) as well as work and revising for the biannual work exam (which is on Wednesday this week). Once the exam is out of the way I can relax and catch up some. Apologies for the delay chaps, am sure you understand the pressures of real life ...

Admin wrote:Been quiet over the weekend because I've had my son scurrying around (get no sleep, up at the crack of dawn etc) as well as work and revising for the biannual work exam (which is on Wednesday this week). Once the exam is out of the way I can relax and catch up some. Apologies for the delay chaps, am sure you understand the pressures of real-life ...

Hey, mate I hope the exam went well as did all the other real stuff that gets really real at times like this. No worries, about catching up as long as you are OK.

Sj

Arrrrgh! What a week! The exam was one thing but wanting to update and get back up to speed yesterday and the internet conked out, as did my land line. Have sat at home all day (on call for work) without any online facilities (my mobile phone signal is non existent unless I'm sat in one spot on the sofa and can forget about mobile internet). It's like living in the dark ages...

It finally came back on about 20 minutes ago so stuff started happening again (gadgets started updating etc). I'll see how I get on but have a long weekend in Chester with the other half from tomorrow so will make sure everyone has at least one update before I vanish again.

On the house move front I have no idea if/when it's happening. Basically (Dave E will know this) there is a tax called Stamp Duty that has been on hold during covid and it lapses on 30th June so people face bills of thousands of pounds to complete before then. It's taken 14 weeks (so far) and the finish line is in sight. Will it complete before 30th June? I don't think so, and it may mean the chain collapses somewhere and kyboshes the whole thing. Obviously without internet/no land line and barely any mobile signal (I live in a village and reception is hopeless) trying to sort this stuff out with calls to the Broker/Solicitor/Estate Agent is practically impossible.

Right, enough of that, just so you know (David M and Dave E know this anyway) I may have unforeseen absences but this game/campaign and you guys are my 'release' from day to to day life and pressures (exams passed and ok for another two years...) but I'm not going anywhere!

Cheers, Paul

Admin wrote:Arrrrgh! What a week!

Wow-what an understatement. Seriously mate, if you don't update till next week that is fine with me - however, I can appreciate that you might well have been cooking all sorts of plans to hatch on us, and want to get them down before heading off. Housebuying, despite the advances on so many fronts, here's where something still seems stuck in the past. Talk about an unfit system. Anyway, trust things work out, though I think you're appraisal to hope for the best plan for the worst is probably best.

Thanks for the update, Paul.

Sj

My computer problems are nothing like yours! I went into the office yesterday and tried logging in and got a message telling me that me ACCOUNT had expired. Mind you, I work for a state agency and accounts don't expire. Called the help desk and they told me after trying for a half hour to get me working again to ask the agency admin to try changing my passoword and if that didn't work, call them back. Everyone's working from home so I left messages for the two agency admins I knew around 11 AM and got nothing from them all day. Now I'm home with stomach problems so will be going into work tomorrow with no computer access and trying to get someone to fix the problem so I can start arranging appointments with clients I am now able to start seeing again.


Modern technology is wonderful, ain't it?