Amazing-Man appreciation thread!

[DrNewGod]

I kind of wish Thomas had given him the original A-Man's power set. Is there a chi-powered black superhero anywhere out there?

Still, loved his look and his backstory. In some ways, he was almost the All-Star Squadron's Namor-esque character. Allied with the group, but definitely with is own views of kinds of injustice needed fighting.

[j9ac9k]

I kind of wish Thomas had given him the original A-Man's power set. Is there a chi-powered black superhero anywhere out there?

Still, loved his look and his backstory. In some ways, he was almost the All-Star Squadron's Namor-esque character. Allied with the group, but definitely with is own views of kinds of injustice needed fighting.

Marvel's new Power Man's powers were chi-based, so he was like a combo of Luke and Danny.

[Shockingjustice]

I'd f**king love a JSA series set in the 40's. I'm a big fan of pulp and I feel like we'd get a healthy dose of that in a WWII era JSA.



I gotta agree with dropping the lightning/magnetic powers. It seems like every black man in comics either has a suit of armor or electric powers. Plus, those don't really mesh with the standard "matter copying" abilities of Amazing Men.

I'd totally support AM being able to mimic non-solids (like some versions have done) because otherwise you're largely limiting yourself to "brute" abilities; strength and durability, etc. You could get more variety out of it, copying copper for it's ability to conduct electricity and whatnot, but writers will almost never put that kind of thought into it, it'll just be "he copies a rock, and gets strong and tough."

My kingdom to see Amazing Man get his hands on some Nth metal though.



Agreed. I haven't read DCeased, and have only read a few issues of Injustice, but what I've seen makes it look like Taylor was handed a dog's dinner of a concept and he still managed to make it work. If he can make a flawed premise like Injustice a enjoyable story then he can write whatever the hell he wants as far as I'm concerned.

Honestly I feel like you would have to add in the ability for him to mimic solid, liquid, and gasses as well as allowing him to mimic energy and plasma for him to be a high tier hero. As much Justice League media I've consumed, which is admittedly not a lot, I'm coming to the conclusion that you can't gey by with mediocre powers. Each member of the JL by themselves are super powerful and deal with things way above low level threats. They're not a team where everyone with low level can be equally useful. Even Cyborg is suppose to be this ultimate human/tech hybrid and gets ripped apart daily. If he didn't get those abilities then he's just going to be cannon fodder (he will probably be that anyways, but it would be pretty cool to seem him absorb Darkseids omega beams). And he can still fit the low level/street level stories this way while still being a threat if something big comes his way.

Besides if he doesn't get those powers then people will call him an inferior Metamorpho. People already think Vixen is a discount Animal-Man.

I think it would be best to give him high strength and durability than a regular person while he is in "human form". Not anything near Superman level, but at least to the point where he can flip a tank or two over otherwise he's just a normal dude whose skin changes properties. So while he's not mimicking matter he could still take a punch that would knocked the toughest body builder/boxer/martial artist. I would make him just above Captain America's level, which is considered peak human.

Speaking of martial arts I like to imagine him having a fighting style like Tony jaa. It would be devasting having a dude who can mimic metals using a fighting style that involves some of the hardest parts of your limbs to strike.

[Robotman]

He’s already an Olympic level athlete but I agree that having him be just generally beyond peak human would be good. Maybe Spider-Man level strength. Spidey can lift 10 tons but isn’t totally bulletproof. So Amazing Man having some super strength but needing to absorb metal to be invulnerable would be cool.

[Ascended]

He’s already an Olympic level athlete but I agree that having him be just generally beyond peak human would be good. Maybe Spider-Man level strength. Spidey can lift 10 tons but isn’t totally bulletproof. So Amazing Man having some super strength but needing to absorb metal to be invulnerable would be cool.

I'd be down with that. Maybe not full-on Spidey strength, because ten tons is a lot, but maybe 5?

I want AM to be able to copy any state of matter, including gases and liquids, and/or energy (something more than just solids) but I really like the idea of him being a dude who is amazingly well prepared; I want him using martial arts like Shockingjustice suggests, I want him to carry a "matter samples" utility belt with a bunch of different things he can copy so he's never left without options, I want the dude to know how to fly a plane, build a radio....just all kinds of skills and knowledge that could come in handy for a hero.

Like, I want this guy to be sorta the McGuyver of heroes; throw him in any situation and he'll have something useful to bring to the party.

Is anyone reading Injustice 3, or whatever Taylor's new book is called? Is Amazing Man in it yet, and if so how's he been written?

[Shockingjustice]

I'd be down with that. Maybe not full-on Spidey strength, because ten tons is a lot, but maybe 5?

I want AM to be able to copy any state of matter, including gases and liquids, and/or energy (something more than just solids) but I really like the idea of him being a dude who is amazingly well prepared; I want him using martial arts like Shockingjustice suggests, I want him to carry a "matter samples" utility belt with a bunch of different things he can copy so he's never left without options, I want the dude to know how to fly a plane, build a radio....just all kinds of skills and knowledge that could come in handy for a hero.

Like, I want this guy to be sorta the McGuyver of heroes; throw him in any situation and he'll have something useful to bring to the party.

Is anyone reading Injustice 3, or whatever Taylor's new book is called? Is Amazing Man in it yet, and if so how's he been written?

I wouldn't mind one of the Amazing-Mans (isn't there four) being an adventure character like Idiana Jones. Make it sort of like Adam strange, visiting different places and planets.

Though if they stick with him being on the JSA or JL he would have to be overpowered other he's just another Cyborg, a guy who's just there.

[Ascended]

I wouldn't mind one of the Amazing-Mans (isn't there four) being an adventure character like Idiana Jones. Make it sort of like Adam strange, visiting different places and planets.

Though if they stick with him being on the JSA or JL he would have to be overpowered other he's just another Cyborg, a guy who's just there.

Eh, power level has nothing to do with it. Batman doesn't have any powers beyond "capitalism" and DC treats him like a god. Cyborg is literally a New (demi)God and DC treated him like a taxi.

Aquaman is solidly mid-tier in power and he's a League staple.

If you want to get good treatment in the JL book you have to be a big A-list character before you join. That's not a book that creates A-listers (as we learned with Vic) it's the book where the A-listers hang out, and everyone else is just party crashing. Vic is theoretically more powerful than any of the Big 7, including Clark, J'onn, and Diana, but he's not a big name A-lister so DC made him a yellow cab.

Amazing Man *could* be a great fit in JL. He's got more than enough power and utility to hang with those other guys. He'd be more useful than Aquaman in most situations, at the very least (and I love Aquaman). What Will Everett doesn't have is the high value profile, and in the JL that's the only power that matters.

He's probably better off in a JSA book or League B-team or something. Such a title won't sell as well as JL so Everett would get less exposure, but he'd likely get better characterization and more panel time, and that's far more important. Unless a JL writer was a big fan of Amazing Man and really invested in developing him, Everett would probably get sidelined just like Vic did, no matter how powerful or useful Everett is.

[Shockingjustice]

Wouldn't mind seeing more of these guys. Especially because there can be one from almost every generation

[lemonpeace]

I am praying for the day DC gives Amazing-Man a rebirth! I think in the write hands, there is a chance to craft out a very rich legacy and mythology from the the Amazing-Man/Everett clan.

I remember reading a theory one time that Joshua Clay from Doom Patrol is somehow distantly connected to the Amazing-Man, what's that about?

[Ascended]

I am praying for the day DC gives Amazing-Man a rebirth! I think in the write hands, there is a chance to craft out a very rich legacy and mythology from the the Amazing-Man/Everett clan.

Damn straight.

I don't know why, but in my head I keep coming back to the "generational conflict" with the Everett family. Y'all remember how in the original Icon series, he and Rocket would argue about social issues and politics? I feel like you could get a really interesting story out of using the Everetts to explore a similar dynamic, comparing the views of the older generations to that of the younger.

But maybe this is just because I have been consuming *way* too much politics lately, and marveling at the fact that pollsters are *just now* starting to realize that the "black community" isn't a monolith who all share the same opinions.

I remember reading a theory one time that Joshua Clay from Doom Patrol is somehow distantly connected to the Amazing-Man, what's that about?

First I've heard of this, but I'm not a big Doom Patrol guy. I always thought if Amazing Man was going to be tied to another character/franchise it'd be the Firestorm matrix. I could easily see the Everett's powers being an application of the nuclear/molecular matrix. Not that I want it to happen, a franchise should stand on its own two feet without having to lean on unrelated characters. But if you *had* to build a connection to another IP, that one would make sense to me.

[Sutekh]

I want AM to be able to copy any state of matter, including gases and liquids, and/or energy (something more than just solids)

Totally agree there. Just copying different solids is kinda dull, since there's little reason to ever go anything other than metal, except for a few rare cases where you might want to go something exotic, like rubber to resist an electrical discharge or something.

But being able to turn into air, or light? Then you can fly, and pass through grates, or even glass windows. Lots of fun potential there, and so much more versatile than just rock/brick/metal/wood or whatever.

[Johnrevenge]

I want AM to be able to copy any state of matter, including gases and liquids, and/or energy (something more than just solids)

That would be totally cool.

[Robotman]

Has Amazing Man done anything interesting or cool in Injustice: Year One?

Totally agree there. Just copying different solids is kinda dull, since there's little reason to ever go anything other than metal, except for a few rare cases where you might want to go something exotic, like rubber to resist an electrical discharge or something.

But being able to turn into air, or light? Then you can fly, and pass through grates, or even glass windows. Lots of fun potential there, and so much more versatile than just rock/brick/metal/wood or whatever.

So he'd basically be Metamorpho.

[lemonpeace]

how would you guys Rebirth the Amazing Man lineage for the current continuity (I don't know how much if any of the Amazing-Men have been brought up)?

[Sutekh]

So he'd basically be Metamorpho.

Without all the shapeshifting / elastic man stuff. Just a humanoid figure made out of steel, brick, air, water, light, etc.

No need to copy Metamorpho, who adds a dash of Plastic Man to the equation (and doesn't need to touch anything to transform, he wants to be magnesium, poof, he's magnesium, which I don't Amazing Man would want to fondle...).

And since it's stuff he is touching, light and air (and whatever the ground is made of, where he's standing) would pretty much always be options. Perhaps certain metals, if he's wearing them as bracers, earrings, rings, whatever. But he couldn't just 'Form of Uranium!' or 'Shape of Nerve Gas!' since he's super-unlikely to be touching any of that stuff!