Friday 3 June 2016

Forgotten Heroes are go!

On its launch, I was gripped by the excitement that was ‘Forgotten Heroes’, immediately signing up to be 'on board', when I suddenly became aware that I hadn’t a clue what to do!  I toyed with the idea of replicating various current celluloid superheroes, but of course that meant that, with franchising being what it is, there were already many viable options of miniatures available on the market, which didn’t seem to fit with the ethos of the event.  I decided to cast my net a little further and tried to remember comic book heroes from my youth, but tittles like Warlord and 2000AD* yielded little to work with.  Union Jack Jackson and Rogue Trooper were undeniably super, but were they superheroes?  This was getting serious, I was starting to worry that I might have to withdraw!
*Young Master Awdry’s preferred reading at the time.

I trawled around the internet for inspiration, but again was left a little bewildered by the current multitudes of squeaky clean and squared jawed defenders of justice and peace.  Deciding to go back to its source, I narrowed my search to focus on those Superheroes that were created in, what I now understand to be, the Silver Age of comics.  This was a fascinating exercise and it was wonderful to see the original incarnations of many of the now lycra or rubber clad denizens of the silver screen – different times indeed.  Eventually my research unearthed a totally new character to me and yet one that seemed to resonate with yours truly – let me introduce you to Bouncing Boy.
Bouncing Boy, created for DC Comics in 1961 by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, first appeared in Action Comics #276 and was a wholly unlikely member of the Legion of Superheroes, but all the more charming for it.  Charles Foster Taine, a 30th Century Earth scientist, accidentally drank an experimental super-plastic fluid believing it to be his sugary beverage of choice while watching a sports match.**  The fluid drastically altered his body’s cellular makeup, giving him the power to inflate into a round shape that could bounce and ricochet off walls without harm.  As Bouncing Boy, Chuck, was impervious to both physical damage, and of all things, sadness; yes, Bouncing Boy’s good humour and charming personality led him to proclaiming himself the Legion’s ‘Morale Officer'.
**Already I like this chap!
Life as a ‘Super’ seldom runs according to plan and Chuck had to prove his worth, having initially been rejected by the Legion.  Fortunately an electrically charged villain was duly dispatched, due to Bouncing Boy not being grounded, and all was well.  Bouncing Boy then had to leave the Legion when he married Duo Damsel, formerly Triplicate Girl***, settling on the colony world of Wondil IX before ultimately returning to become Headmaster of the Legion Academy.  So my unlikely choice for ‘Forgotten Heroes’ is Bouncing Boy, a round, happy chap, with a penchant for sugary drinks - me as a superhero!  I just need to build him now.
***This stuff is gold dust!

So 'Forgotten Heroes' month is finally here and for a detailed explanation of the 'rules' and an explanation of what's going on, please pay a visit to the official 'Forgotten Heroes' site, which was kindly put together by Roger Webb of 'Rantings from Under the Wargames Table' fame.

44 comments:

  1. Hilarious! Can't wait to see where you go with this...

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    1. Thank you Millsy, not entirely sure myself at the moment!

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  2. Thanks for your advice. Indeed it seems to be a very interesting source of comic nostalgia.

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    1. It just seemed that too much fun to miss out on.

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  3. Now, how you create Bouncing Boy in miniature is going to be great fun to see :)

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    1. Not entirely sure, but a blob of green stuff is favourite at the moment.

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  4. Oooh, Memory Lane
    That first adventure with Bouncing Boy (or whatever he was called in Sweden) comes back. I still remember some of the pics... That was not yesterday...

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    1. Far too long ago for all of us I'm afraid.

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  5. How did I miss this? Big laughs, can't wait to see him.

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    1. You and me both, off to rummage around the bits box soon.

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  6. Hah! What a character! Enjoy!

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    1. Should be a blast and taking inspiration from your putty pushing exploits.

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  8. Genius, never heard of him. sounds like a squash ball with a head

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    1. That is pretty much where I was thinking of going, but a tad smaller.

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  9. This will be interesting. Looking forward to more.

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    1. We are off to slow start, but we are off.

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  11. lol, can't wait to see what you come up with???

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    1. Don't hold your breath as I'm worried that this may not be as easy as I had hoped.

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  12. This has classic written all over it!

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    1. That is very kind, but not sure myself - fingers crossed.

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  13. Looks fun will watch with interest😀

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    1. Hopefully I'll have an update before too long.

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  14. That was an unexpected and quirky choice, Michael. I heartily approve! I shall be watching your progress with interest.

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    1. And youigjt want to take a look at this post, as the Baron has a character very similar to Buncing Boy, which might give you some ideas.

      http://baronvonj.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/super-battle-in-artic.html?m=0

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    2. Thank you, I was hoping he was going to be easy to put together but the more I think about it the more worried I am - it could be very small and fiddly. Thank you for the link, off to have a look shortly.

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  15. What a great project! Looking forward to see your version of the Bouncing Boy. Regards, Karl

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    1. Thank you Karl, lets hope that I can find the right bits and pieces to make it work.

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  16. Interesting choice Michael, wow we have diverse choises, and we've hardly scratched the surface, I can see Forgotten Heroes 2017 might be a goer!

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. I'll be glad just to get this one safely navigated, but the idea certainly seems to be building a head of steam.

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  17. I have added this to the Forgotten Heroes site.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thank you Roger, I was going to ask how do I go about doing that, much appreciated.

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  18. Holy vulcanized vigilante, Captain Awdry! You've gotten yourself into a real scrape with this one!

    I've full confidence you'll triumph in the end.

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    1. Well you've got to have some fun with your hobby and this did look a blast.

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  19. Forgotten Heroes? Immortal man - died a death, Sleepwalker - fell of a Roof, Antman- bugged out, Captain Britian - wasn´t so great, Dr Strange - got a bit wierd. My Favourite is Barry Brown (AKA Brown Bottle) and his side kick cider woman from the Viz Comics.

    ....an apparently, Joe´s 90.

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    1. Well that made me chuckle and that's next year all sorted out, Barry Brown and Cider Woman, perfect!

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  20. Great looking project Michael! Cant wait! Greeting:)

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    1. Thank you, just need to find the right bits now.

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  21. Watching with interest! :)

    I am surprised no-one seems to have picked any members of the team known as the Forgotten Heroes (which I enjoyed in their couple of outings): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Heroes

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  22. I think I know where the Ping pong balls are ending up. Interesting indeed Michael.

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  23. Looking forward to this "forgotten hero" Michael! Never heard of him but after this read I know him a little bit!

    Greetings
    Peter

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  24. That has got to be the most random superhero I have ever seen :) Can't wait to see what you can come up with using that material!

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