60's and 70's heros and villians

[Rob_bresnen]

I have been looking at the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Geeza Shutit! range of minis for some time, and been wondering what to do with them. I was wondering if any of you with an encyclopedic knowlage of the genre might be able to point me in the direction of some 28mm supers with a period feel?

[Heldrak]

If I understand your question correctly, the bulk of the Marvel & DC superheroes that we have today are the creations of the 60s and 70s. Obviously, there are holdovers from the Golden Age (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America), but most of the "team" superheroes that we know are creations of the 1960s (the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-men, the Justice League, the Teen Titans, etc.).

Typically, the spy genre doesn't mix very comfortably with the superhero genre (witness Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as the one is based more on stealth and quiet intervention and the other is all about loud, colorful action. Also, the 1970s (the era of "Geezers, Shut It!") is viewed by many as a low point in the history of comics (there were a lot of weak, gimmicky premises then like Spider-Man teaming up with Uri Gellar, the Avengers appearing on David Letterman and so forth (to say nothing of stupid comics about squads of CB truckers, Evel Knievel, the Human Fly, and toy franchise comics like Rom the Space Knight and the Micronauts).

What kind of genre-mixing scenarios do you envisage?

[Hat Guy]

Although it's set in the 21st Century, check out "Secret War" from Marvel. It involves Nick Fury using Heroes to infiltrate and destabilise Latveria and links costumed villains with Terror organisations. Also included in the Trade Paperback is Fury's "Backup Plan" that involves waging a Super-Powered war on the rouge state.

[Heldrak]

Although it's set in the 21st Century, check out "Secret War" from Marvel. It involves Nick Fury using Heroes to infiltrate and destabilise Latveria and links costumed villains with Terror organisations. Also included in the Trade Paperback is Fury's "Backup Plan" that involves waging a Super-Powered war on the rouge state.

That's all very well, but how does that differ from any other standard-reference superhero punch-up when played out on the tabletop...?

[Steve F]

I wouldn't be as dismissive of the 1970s superhero comics as Heldrak.  A decade that starts with the New Gods and ends with the creation of the New X-Men, with the Englehart/Rogers Batman and the best works of Steve Gerber in between isn't all waste.  The most interesting developments (2000AD, A Contract with God etc) were outside the superhero genre, but that's always the case.

In terms of appearance, most of the 1970s superheroes still looked like their 60s precursors. Some of the mid-1970s designs, like Kirby's Eternals had a bit more flare (in more ways than one), but mostly it's just down to haircuts.

[JollyBob]

Luke Cage/Powerman has pretty much got to be the embodiment of the 70s hero, essentially Shaft with superpowers. I'm fairly sure there are Clickies of him available, or there's a Reaper figure that might stand a conversion.

http://www.miniature-heroes.co.uk/browse/reaper-miniatures/chronoscope/view/50033-reaper-horace-action-jackson.html

Also, I would say a lot of kung-fu style supes appeared around then, following on from Bruce Lee mania. Ironfist, for example. Golgo Island has a few excellent martial artists in their "legends" range:

http://shop.eastridingminiatures.co.uk/golgo-island-legends-206-c.asp

and Hassslefree do some really nice ones too:

 http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/range.php?range_id=27&subcat_id=59

Those are the ones that spring immediately to mind, anyway.

[Lowtardog]

Killer B have or will soon be releasing a lot more 1970s yank stuff

[Elwood P Dowd]

Not really my expertise (just passing through...) , but with KKBB and Geeza having strong British overtones , how about some of the heroes from British comics ? Not as colourful as their American counterparts , but interesting none the less .

I fondly remember this chap as crook , then spy , and briefly superhero .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Claw

[Heldrak]

Luke Cage/Powerman has pretty much got to be the embodiment of the 70s hero, essentially Shaft with superpowers. I'm fairly sure there are Clickies of him available, or there's a Reaper figure that might stand a conversion.

http://www.miniature-heroes.co.uk/browse/reaper-miniatures/chronoscope/view/50033-reaper-horace-action-jackson.html

Also, I would say a lot of kung-fu style supes appeared around then, following on from Bruce Lee mania. Ironfist, for example. Golgo Island has a few excellent martial artists in their "legends" range:

http://shop.eastridingminiatures.co.uk/golgo-island-legends-206-c.asp

and Hassslefree do some really nice ones too:

 http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/range.php?range_id=27&subcat_id=59

Those are the ones that spring immediately to mind, anyway.

Jolly Bob makes a good point- Marvel's "Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu" lifts huge swaths of Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu wholesale (Shang-Chi is Fu Manchu's rebellious son, and he's always teaming up with Nayland Smith and elements of British intelligence to foil his estranged father's dastardly plots). That might make a more comfortable mix with KKBB or Geezers in this case.

[Hat Guy]

How the game plays is up to the people playing it, I'm just trying to help with background.

[The Gray Ghost]

I wouldn't be as dismissive of the 1970s superhero comics as Heldrak.  A decade that starts with the New Gods and ends with the creation of the New X-Men, with the Englehart/Rogers Batman and the best works of Steve Gerber in between isn't all waste.  The most interesting developments (2000AD, A Contract with God etc) were outside the superhero genre, but that's always the case.

The 70s, the Bronze Age, was the high point of comics. The companies were actually interested in just producing comics.

[The Gray Ghost]

Back to the original question I would go with Low to Medium powered superheroes.
Or even normal humans such as S.H.I.E.L.D. vs A.I.M., always liked AIM.

[TheMightyFlip]

Ms.Marvel turned up in the 70's, she was generally fighting agaisnt AIM

[Smokeyrone]

Killer B have or will soon be releasing a lot more 1970s yank stuff

THATS what I want in 70's heroes.  More funk!  Blackbelt Jones, Superfly, Shaft!

[Hat Guy]

AIM are great, back when I played Heroclix I repainted all my AIM guys blue so that they could be tha faction that rebelled against MODOK. I really regret getting rid of them.