SW10/WWW: Powernaut 1992 #13: What Do You Mean, Ask Paula?

[Scott Eiler]

CONCLUDED - Our Heroes come home from the Doom Bear Land!  Coming soon, 
the sequel, as Powernaut 1992 continues with Romance and Death!

http://www.eilertech.com/stories/powernaut/1992.htm#13

... Time for the Author's Notes!

The schedule has big plans for 1992. The Doom Bear comes first, because 
his story actually ends here. (For the then-foreseeable future.) This is 
no secret to the experienced reader of Powernaut Comics, because the 
2014 comic reveals this. Yet as the editor of this Powernaut Comics in 
1992, I have labeled this episode for what it is: Return of the Doom Bear!

The many hirelings of Ellipsis were inspired by their various creators. 
But they fit well into 1990s comics - and into a certain role-playing 
campaign. As I recall, there were at least seven heroes ready to 
confront the Doom Bear. I have edited out one "Super-Jew" whose powers 
were about the same as Crusher Joe Corrigan. Also, "Angora" who would 
actually have been good at breaking superhumans out from captivity, if 
only I had acknowledged that at the time. (Her replacement character for 
a high-power campaign became Vara Hosea.) Also one "Doc Help", likewise, 
but he usually declined hazards. The "wow, Another Possession" comment 
comes from the campaign, based on tournament role-playing which the 
players had just come from. (They said, "Jessica Incident".)

Leo deserves special mention... Later Powernaut Comics (though published 
earlier) show him with human form early in his career, feline features 
after his time of further transformation, and vampire features after 
that. But Powernaut 1992 shows him with feline features, because it is 
natural to draw him that way. The adventures which would decide that, 
are all unpublished. Note that Fractal Time was having an outbreak in 
1992, according to the 2005 map. With that and all the reality shifts 
he's been through, anything goes for Leo in 1992. (Short of vampirism, 
which is known to have come later.)

Likewise, the exact pictoral details of the downfall of the Doom Bear 
may differ between 1992 and 2014. Honestly, in any comic book world, it 
would be amazing if any flashback got all the details right.

The "second string" Happy Bears were inspired by the role-playing 
campaign. Megaphone had just shot one of his mega-weapons (probably the 
Fuel Air Demo which was practically his battle cry). Every bear had fled 
except for Slow Bear, Stupid Bear, and Suicidal Bear. (As Gamemaster, I 
said that in passing.) I have stayed true to that incident, only I have 
introduced Senile Bear 'cause I needed a fourth.

*  I can relate to Senile Bear now. Indeed, I colored him the same color 
as my beard, and I gave him a walking stick much like one of my own. 8{D>

*  I gave some thought to the other bears' colors too; I asked the 
Internet what colors go with Slow, Stupid, and Suicidal. They came up 
with traffic signs, a color named "Stupidity" which came close to the 
Doom Bear Realm background color for this comic, and a suicide awareness 
ribbon. Well then...! I tried to get appropriate chest symbols from the 
Internet as well: a Slow Vehicle symbol, a lack of thought, and a noose.

*  Public Service Announcement: Suicidal Bear is not some goth creature, 
he's just a different shade from Lucky Bear. He is a survivor of 
suicide, and he's not alone; not all suicides succeed. But oddly, he's 
the best adjusted bear for when evil overcomes his world. If you know 
people like Suicidal Bear, it seems to be best to occasionally share 
things they like but otherwise treat them normally. And maybe thank them 
for being alive.

*  Baby Nuke Bear is first published here, but has been around almost as 
long as the Doom Bear himself. Baby Nuke Bear just didn't make it into 
role-playing games, because those were busy enough. Hence, how the 
Powernaut takes care of that for Total Conversion.

I feel that the surprise star of this series is Christine Lassiter. She 
shines through in the final strips, sorting out some soap-opera stuff. 
Then she bows out, in favor of Paula Page for Powernaut 1992 Episode 2 - 
which is already undergoing plotting. If only I could offer her anything 
better than a team-up with Pizza Fu after that...!

(signed) Scott Eiler, 11 October 2021.

-- 
-- (signed) Scott Eiler  8{D> ------ http://www.eilertech.com/ -------

"Your Royal Highness, instead of devoting yourself exclusively
to Minerva, should, instead, rather offer sacrifice at the altars
of Bacchus, Orpheus, Venus, and Morpheus."

- Advice to Prince Duarte of Portugal.  From "The golden age of
Prince Henry the Navigator", by Joaquim Pedro Oliveira Martins.
Coming soon to Project Gutenberg.