Animal Man's Arm

In Animal Man #2, Buddy "Animal Man" Baker loses an arm.

I remember the moment, having read the comic when it came out.  It was quite shocking, indeed.  

In the next issue, however, Buddy got better, as characters often do.  Unlike many characters, however, Buddy does so on panel and as a function of his superpower (the power to copy the abilities of nearby animals).

The solution is elegant and simple -- earthworms are everywhere -- and yet demonstrates how absurd and impactful Buddy's powers are (not a lot of heroes can casually REGROW an arm). 

But there is loose thread here.  One I expected the writer to follow up on at some point (instead of rambling on with post-modernistic talking foxes and the like).

Buddy's arm wasn't atomized; it was separated whole from his torso and is lying nearby.

When Buddy used the earthworm power, it seems possible that THE ARM WOULD START TO REGROW THE REST OF HIM.

Naturally, that would take longer than Buddy "just" regrowing an arm.  But it seems quite within the realm of the possibility that a second Animal Man would, at some point, turn up, the result of his severed arm doing the earthworm thing.

And yet it remains an unvisited idea, now buried under multiple universal reboots.

Heroclix Mod Mod

I'd say we're due for a Heroclix post!


Wizkids is pumping out the DC 'clix this year: The Brave & the Bold set at year's start, two
starter/collector minisets (Blackest Night and Brightest Day seven-piece sets) , and the forthcoming DC 75th Anniversary Set.






Some of the 75th Anniversary pieces have been revealed already, such as long-awaited Golden Agers like the original Mr. Terrific and Crimson Avenger, essential foes like Ragdoll and Ocean Master, boss/minions like Sgt. Rock/Easy Company, more full-spectrum lanterns, and wacky factors like Sargon the Sorceror and Detective Chimp.


But what would a DC Anniversary set be without.... gorillas?







Okay, I'm not expecting "JLApe" pieces (glorious though those would be). But I will be surprised and disappointed if we don't get something like gorilla generics for Grodd (as part of the latest craze for more functional generics that use some sort of 'minion' power that weighs heavily in favor of using them with their appropriate 'boss' figures). C'mon; you KNOW you want to be able to field a team of nothing but gorillas.


So I'm preparing. My (plastic) crack customizing team in the sub-sub-basement of the Pentagon (you know-- where they kept the Telephone Avatar?) has prepared this little gem representing one of the great One-Off Gorilla Characters of all time....

THE MOD GORILLA BOSS

For those few of you who don't already know, the Mod Gorilla Boss was a criminal mastermind who drank a "gorilla serum" (I bet you didn't know there WAS such a thing! Darn you, FDA!) and probably spent most of his ill-gotten gorilla-crime-gains at Gambi's tailor shop buying silverback-sized pinstriped zoot suits and french-cuff shirts. And he fought Animal Man. And by "fought" I mean, "tossed him around like a ragdoll until the gorilla serum wore off".

Naturally, a character this inspired belongs in my Heroclix collection. And so, behold:


I considered giving him a Special Trait that lets him use Animal Man as a permanent Light Object if he manages to kayo him. But I think I'll just keep that as a House Rule.

Next event: the Tiger Toss!

Do you remember the technique that Starman used to defeat a bear?

Well, you're not the only one who remembered...





Of course, this being the Silver Age, the target is a gorilla...