The Bad Guys

The Bad Guys

Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.

Members:

Michael Bossman

The Trapster

Karate Spears

Krusher

Man-Killer

Kitten Girl

First Appearance:  The Bad Guys # 1 (May 2009)

During the Crisis of 2008 - 2009, many super-villains were resurrected by the New Power, though in the end, the New Power was defeated.  But the many villains were free on Earth.

Michael Bossman, a former enemy of his son Chris Kowalski aka Powerman, recruited a team of Powerman's former foes, all of whom like him had reformed.  This team became a covert team secretly funded by Bossman Enterprises, travelling the world helping people in need.

Recently, the Bad Guys found that their leader, Michael Bossman, was really a member of the inner council of the New Power, and had formed the Bad Guys in a ploy to make them his mind controlled minions, a plot that failed.  Bossman went into hiding, and the team was left in a situation where they head to decide where to go now, with their formation a ruse, their leader a villain, and their funding in question.

The team decided that regardless of how they got together, the work they do is what matters, as they continue on the road to redemption.  The Trapster, who had already been the field leader, took leadership of the team.  Shortly after, their funding was resolved as Michelle Wrigley took control of Bossman Enterprises, learned of the Bad Guys, and decided to continue funding their missions.

Comments:

The Bad Guys was one of the Super Explosion titles following Crisis.  All the members were former Powerkid/Powerman rogues who had previously reformed.

Michael Bossman first appeared in Super Bob stories in 1979 as a supporting character/sidekick.  He became an enemy of the Unknown and Detective Lebane starting in 1982, then became a Powerkid foe starting in 1984.  He reformed in 2007, though as I've mentioned, it was just a ruse.

The Trapster was an enemy of Powerkid, the Unknown, Detective Lebane, and Doctor Mystery starting in 1982.  He reformed as revealed in 2008, and was given the job of head of security for Bossman Enterprises.

Karate Spears first appeared as a foe of Powerkid in 1982.  However, when Powerkid saved his home world in 1985, the villain turned over a new leaf.  This caused the people of his world to overthrow him, now that he was considered weak, and he was imprisoned for years, until 1994 when he escaped and came to Earth, operating as a super hero under the new identity of the Interstellar Ninja.  But in 2008, he (and I) realized how stupid that name was and he returned to his original one (given to him by his creator, Chuck Spears).

The Krusher first became an enemy of Powerkid and the Powerkid Police in 1984.  For years, the heroes would stop him by giving him amnesia, but eventually that stopped working.  In 2001, though, Krusher finally gained power over his power madness, and reformed.

Man-Killer was the quickest to reform.  She first became a foe of Powerkid in 1982, but a few months later, she repented and joined the Powerkid Police.  She actually died in 1990, but was resurrected by the New Power during the Crisis.

Finally, Kitten Girl first became a foe of Super Bob in 1980, later becoming a foe of the Unknown and Detective Lebane.  Eventually, she repented and joined the Powerkid Police.  She was vaporized along with all of Orange City in 1992 by a team of villains.  She was resurrected by the New Power during the Crisis as well.

The team's adventures are sort of inspired by the Suicide Squad and the A-Team.  And it's fun to write because all of these characters bring me back to my childhood.

Crisis

Crisis was a 12 issue mini-series that ran from May 2008 to April 2009.  It had crossovers in every Super Comics title of the time period.

The New Power Organization returned with a plan to destroy all reality (the entire multiverse) and replace it with a one shaped in evil.  To do this, they needed both the Universal Transponder and the Sword of Power, and planned on increasing their chances by going into the past and the future to steal it over and over at different points.

For such a grand plan, they needed an army of villains.  This was, however, a time when most super-villains were either dead, or had been stripped of their power and their memories.  Morgoth and Satan worked with Kane on such a powerful spell that they restored the memories and powers of all living villains, and raised many of the major villains of the past 30 years back from the dead.  Then to top it off, they gifted each villain with a power upgrade, making each one more powerful than ever.

When Allorin Vonski, the Great Unknown, and Zeus learned of this, they quickly did the same thing for heroes.  They raised deceased super-heroes, and brought back retired and depowered heroes.

Then the race was on, and heroes and villains traveled to various times in the past, present, and future to obtain their prize or save it.

This series during this portion of the story ended up featuring every Super Comics character ever created.  But it didn't end there.

One such important mission needs to be mentioned, because it's impact on the mythology of the Wronskiverse.  We had learned in 1985's History of the Super Universe that at the end of time, Powerkid would fight Doctor Deadly, and the battle would destroy the universe.

Then in the series New Earth, published in 1994 and taking place in 3182, Powerman and Dr. Deadly have that battle, and are about to do the deed, when the cosmic being Barsto travels to that point to absorb the energy of the two, pursued from 1994 by Allorin Vonski.  The interference caused the four to merge into the being called Continuity.  This did end the universe.  Eventually, Continuity is killed due to the sacrifice of NighTrain, but Vonski is able to separate himself, as revealed later.

Well, in Crisis, the New Power sends a team to the future to steal the power emitted during the event to fuel the machine they are creating.  The team sent is Voltrus, Hellchild, Man-Killer, Spearon, Lightning Master, Powerlord, Dikrewop, and Nicole Barstaman.  But just as they arrive in the future, they are followed by Powerman, Powerkid, Powergirl, Zap, Zap Mom, Girl Zap, Zappette, and Krazel.  The heroes overcome the villains, but their presence interferes with predestined events, so that the universe does not end.  The universe continues to live on beyond 3182.

The bad guys do manage to get the sword and universal transponder.  The villains move their operation off the Earthly plane and into Hell.  Soon the universe and multiverse start to feel the effects of the end, and Allorin Vonski reaches out to heroes of other worlds, including Earth-0 (the DC Universe), Earth-616 (the Marvel Universe), Earth-26 (the world of Captain Carrot, Animal Town, and Mighty Mouse), Earth-818793 (the Wold Newton Universe), Earth-5 (the world of Power Woman), Kearth-K (where Powerman is evil), Earth-B2 (Powerman operated during World War II), Earth-Z (where only characters created by Phil Sheridan exist), and Earth-Prime (home of Super Comics creator Robert E. Wronski, Jr.)

The final battle was in Hell.  The Machine was destroyed, the transponder was recovered.  Powerlord maintained the Sword.  Morgoth was freed from occupying the body of the scientist Uglon for the first time in centuies.  And Satan was killed, which caused the destruction of Hell.  All heroes and villains managed to flee from Hell thanks to Vonski, the Great Unknown and Zeus.  Because Hell was destroyed, the souls trapped there returned to Earth as ghosts, and all demons became homeless and have now taken to spending all their time on Earth now.

Following Crisis, with the return of many heroes and villains, many new titles were started or returned, including National Heroes, Heroes of Earth, Forgotten Ones, and Bad Guys.

Captain Ruff

Captain Ruff

Created by Sheldon Moldoff

Real Name:  Captain Nigel Horatio Ruff

Current Occupation:  Villainous Ghost

Parents:  Unknown

Siblings:  None

Spouse:  None

Children:  None

Group Affiliation:  New Power Organization, League of Obscure Villains

Place of Birth:  England

Current Place of Residence:  New York City

First Appearance:  Action Comics # 23 (April 1940) [not reprinted]

Biography:

In the year 1800, Captain Ruff was one of the first foes of the Black Pirate.  After a series of encounters involving treasure, the Black Pirate forces Captain Ruff and his crew out of their burning ship and into the ocean where they are eaten by sharks.

During the event called Crisis, the New Power Organization resurrected Captain Ruff and his crew in ghostly form.  Ruff decided the move to New York City because he heard good things about it.  Also, he heard his old foe was haunting Opal City after being wrongfully hanged, and he felt no need to head in that direction for an encounter.

Recently Captain Ruff's haunting of a fast food seafood restaurant with a pirate theme gained the attention of a group of heroic vampires and other paranormals that loosely work together.  They managed to chase Ruff away, but as he left, he heeded a warning to beware the wraith of the League of Obscure Villains.

Comments:

Captain Ruff appeared in the first story arc of the Black Pirate, in Action Comics # 23 - 25, dated April - June 1940.

Then I decided to bring him back in my major event called Crisis in 2006.

Then just this month he appeared in Dark Tales # 220.

Why use such an obscure character?  Why not?

Adventures on Other Worlds

Adventures on Other Worlds refers to a magazine and then later a series.

Adventures on Other Worlds was published from September 1978 to November 1979.  It was independently published by Robert E. Wronski, Jr. (which is me.)

The magazine was a sci-fi anthology, with one recurring character, Krazy-El.  Krazy-El was an alien from the planet Kookoorongba who was sent to Earth to observe and report.  He had to try to pretend to be human and had trouble fitting in with Earth culture.

Though the title was cancelled, Krazy-El later appeared as a major part of Super-Bob's storyline in Super Comics, and is now Krazel, aka Space Hero.

In 1981 - 1982, one of the features of Super Comics (the comic anthology) was "Adventures on Other Worlds".  This time, it was about three teenagers who are abducted by alien women from an amazon world called Booer.  The teens escape and then for a year travel to different planets as they try to get home.  Booer and the other planets visited in this series would eventually all resurface in other Super Comics series.  And the trio of teens would themselves return in the recent Crisis.

It should be noted that Adventures on Other Worlds was the original series title for DC's Adam Strange as well, but there is no connection.