The Powernaut
Superhuman World:
Startup Escalation 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 .
Powernaut: 1941 1944 1954 1955 1962 2005 (with Stories) 2009 (with Stories) 2011 (with Stories) .

POWERNAUT 1944!

POWERNAUT AND THE POWER STARS!

Greeting

Hello, my Power Patrol! Welcome to my 1944 adventures - with guest stars!

(signed) The Powernaut!

Search the Powernaut Archives!

Here's where the Powernaut appears.

Power Stars!

Private Danger!

S.O.S.!

Galatea!

Doc Nostalgia!

Stonewater Smith!

The Secret Commando!

Zenobia!

The Diabolical Devilman!

Lass Lady!


Author's Notes:

Perhaps my artwork has improved. I fully anticipated that would happen as I moved forward from 1941 past 1954. That was part of the plan. I figured it would fit the eras. I didn't anticipate coming back to 1944. But once the artwork improves, it stays improved. At first I was worried about being better than the era. But now that I've studied old artwork, I realize I have to push to keep up.

I'm really blowing through my pixel budget, but I hope it's worth it. 1944 #2 in particular has crowd scenes like I've never done before. Plus dangling plot threads, on purpose. For instance, the mystic sponsors of at least two 1944 heroes may be back. You have seen one of them already, if you follow Superhuman World 2011.

This series contains my commentary on what happens when you declare archers and pistol-shooters to have superhuman powers and then send them into a war zone. A gaming group I was in once conducted a World War 2 superhero campaign on that basis. It lasted one afternoon. The Avengers movie should have taken notes.

Private Danger was intended as an opposite comment. What kind of character does it take to survive a realistic war campaign, in which Batman would be turned into Batstain in about eight seconds? Private Danger, at least. He already has modern-age appearances, from 2007 to 2010. Other than surviving, he was never intended to be impressive. But he's got some mojo now; he's run a gauntlet that would make even the Powernaut pause.

Private Danger has always been anonymous. Hence his media name. But the picture of him in his shredded fatigues, with his boy sidekick following, is probably the second most famous World War 2 photograph in his world. Behind Iwo Jima, of course. (Wow, he does have mojo now.)

S.O.S. was designed as a brainy kid sidekick with links to the modern age: he's unofficially the Golden Age Ellipsis. He has significant untold 1990s history, as an opponent of the Modern Age Ellipsis. (This will show up in Powernaut 1992.) He's even been published in stories, from 2003 to 2006. We will not see him after that. But he was prominent in Powernaut 2005.

Galatea is the first guest star. After much discussion with her original adaptor, it has been decided that she never impressed the Wehrmacht with an invulnerable body made of marble. For one thing, marble wasn't invulnerable by Wehrmacht standards. For another, classical sources say she was made of ivory, and ivory's just a body part. In this comic, Galatea's power is supernatural, by whatever means, and her body can take on any density from flesh to marble. Whether the Goddess Aphrodite gave her the power, or she just acquired it, is not important to a Powernaut comic. But this is a graphic representation of an ancient Greek sculptor creating an object of lust. I've tried to keep it tasteful, but the Galatea episode may need an advisory label. Still, its main attraction is Nazis vs. Classics Illustrated.

Doc Nostalgia has been put into the final slot of this series, because the world needs a follow-up series in 2009! This will start with Doc Nostalgia, whose story may well differ from what you see here. Nostalgia is like that. But then there will be the cartoon version of the Forgotten Vigilante!

(signed) Scott Eiler, 23 June 2012.


Oooh, the series is going into extra innings! The world is demanding more characters with One Minute Origins, and that's what Power Stars 1944 specializes in! The world is also probably wondering why that one guy in Powernaut 1962 is called "Stonewater" Smith. I hope to explain that here.

But there's a *lot* of controversy about any 1944 comic starring a Negro trained to fight white men. Even some of my *2013* public cartooning audience saw the drawings *without color* and said, "You have a political agenda, don't you?" I responded, "No, I'm writing this story by accident." I wish I'd added, "This isn't politics, it's history." The history of the Tuskegee airmen is fairly well known.

In our own timeline: There was a comic book about Negro heroes in 1947. There were promotional posters about Negro airmen during the war. So I'm declaring that Power Stars Starring Stonewater Smith was published with authentic black-tone coloring, because white-tone wouldn't have fooled anyone.

As for the aviation: I went to visit Boeing's History of Flight Museum while I was researching this episode. That's where I found out about the promotional posters. They do not admit to miniature planes in World War 2, any more than they admit to miniature aviators. But military forces *love* miniature planes, as witness the modern use of drone aircraft. So I've assumed a prototype mini-plane, a modified trainer, that could only hold a mini-pilot. I put a *bit* of extra effort into making the plane look inspirational instead of cartoonish, because the Army cared then too.

As for boy heroes: The combatants were enlisting people awfully young by 1944. (My own father got in at the age of 16. I am therefore one of the youngest sons of any World War 2 veteran.) In any world where there were Boy Hero comics such as S.O.S., the U.S. Army would be looking for more boy heroes. They probably lumped Stonewater Smith in with the Tuskegee pilots for convenience. They also granted him an exemption from the 20/20 vision requirement for pilots, because how hard can it be to make corrective goggles anyway.

As for St. Louis: A comment came up in Powernaut 1962 that St. Louis is not particularly threatening as viewed by the nation at large. (2014 Update: After certain riots, that view has probably changed.) However, even Detroit and Chicago did not quite have their current reputations for violence then. I've put young Mr. Smith in Chicago Bears colors, which actually *helped* him fit in to St. Louis in 1944, but not enough. I actually researched NFL franchise history to say that.

Power Stars Starring Stonewater Smith was probably not popular at the time. But I never said Powernaut comics were always popular.

(signed) Scott Eiler, 17 May 2013.


Uh oh, extra innings again! Powernaut 1969, Powernaut 2005, the LNH, and the Super Wizard from Space have each made a new 1944 character available.

The Secret Commando has previously appeared in stories from 2003 to 2006, but he may appear in any story from the American Civil War onward. Thus starts the long-threatened "Grandpa" segment of Wyatt Ferguson's web site.

Zenobia is an actual historical figure from the 3rd Century CE. She has appeared in these stories as a background character from 1996 to 2008. And yes, that's her confronting the Secret Commando in the 1920s. Her history will soon be relevant to Powernaut 2005. When I drew her adventure portrait there, I realized the world needed her to be ready for a spin-off series. So I've scrambled to bring her in. Fortunately I was then running *six weeks ahead* on inked art, not counting a break I take after big series such as Powernaut 1969. That break is often one month, but I kept it one week before the new Powernaut 1944 strips, and probably one week after. Then, watch for the new Powernaut 2005 series: Occulator Compuplex!

The Diabolical Devilman comes from Super Wizard From Space comics by Wil Alambre, and appears by kind permission. When Powernaut 1944 first recruited guest stars, Wil and I discussed an appearance, but Wil's character had some work to do first. Now he's been released for use in guest appearances, so here we go!

Of course, having this Devil-creature (or even *any* Devil-creature) in the Powernaut's storyline is going to be a continuity headache - especially since the storyline already *has* a Devil, waaay in the background. But that's part of the fun.

  • Naturally, the Powernaut's guest stars are visiting him in fractal time. So, later generations may not know they ever existed. His guests from the Legion of Net.Heroes have gone back home, and taken their history with them - along with a copy of the Forgotten Vigilante's. The Diabolical Devilman is always free to do likewise. But he could always stay...
  • The Powernaut and his allies know of a single Devil, which divides its body parts amongst its faithful to avoid being summoned. The Super Wizard has *five* Devils, each for a different level of Hell. The Diabolical Devilman rules the top level, and interacts with Earth's universe subtly but frequently. One level below him, the Super Devil rules; this Devil is more powerful, and takes some interest in the upper universe as well. Any reference to the Powernaut's Devil could be either of these two, depending on circumstance. And the activity of *two* Devils explains a lot about Diabolical Devilman comics.
  • As of 2012, most of the Powernaut's Devil has gone to bedevil the Legion of Net.Heroes. (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/page.php?fn=2012_annual.txt) This is probably a job for the Super Devil. That leaves quite a vacancy for the Diabolical Devilman.
  • By 2010, the Powernaut's Devil had a collection of former boy heroes from World War 2 - including Stonewater Smith! The story which describes this was Stonewater's first published appearance; he and the other boy heroes were basically throwaway characters. (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2010/predecessors.htm) But after that story, Stonewater stayed on; he's mentioned in the "Cauldron" story which ends 2010. He made the big time with his first Powernaut story in 1962.
  • ... anyway, now we have a Devil appearing alongside boy heroes in 1944! On the one hand, this is vaguely disturbing. On the other hand, there's a story to tell! It'll be hard to continue this current episode of the Power Stars now that the Devilman has had his word - at least concerning Europe. But Powernaut 1944 might some day have a sequel episode: Boy Brigade!

November 2014 has been declared the month of "LNH Returns!" So the LNH is returning... to Powernaut comics! Lass Lady made her debut in a Legion of Net.Heroes text story, teaming up with Doc Nostalgia - one day after the Doc Nostalgia Power Stars strip was published! (http://lists.eyrie.org/pipermail/racc/2012-June/010228.html) It's pretty amazing how well those two stories worked out together... Now, Andrew Perron is submitting her for a Power Stars story. I figure as long as I can send more characters in, so can he. He sent along enough creative input to make it clear, Lass Lady is no average World War 2 heroine. Indeed, it looks to me like she spent the rest of her career rehabilitating Japan... but that's Andrew's call now. Heh heh.


After all this, I notice a fundamental difference between my heroes and everyone else's... Aside from the Powernaut who is meant to be exceptional, everyone else's heroes are much more heroic-looking (or in the Devilman's case, villainous-looking) than mine. That's part of what Power Stars is all about. When the gaudy costumed heroes from my universe couldn't finish the job ('cause they'd been slaughtered by the Waffen-SS), the armed forces stepped up. This is normal for my stories. Before and aside from the Powernaut, my stories have always been about normal people with superior power. Most of Powernaut Comics glorifies spectacular heroics, but Power Stars 1944 is a good occasion to remember normal heroes.

(signed) Scott Eiler, 15 November 2014.


Superhuman World:
Startup Escalation 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 .
Powernaut: 1941 1944 1954 1955 1962 2005 (with Stories) 2009 (with Stories) 2011 (with Stories) .

Doc Nostalgia is used by permission of Adrian J. McClure. This adaptation of Galatea are used by permission of Andrew Perron. Lass Lady is also created by Andrew Perron and is used under public license. The Midnight Chanpion was inspired by a character of Vaughn Gross. This adaptation of the Waffen-SS and its battle tactics comes from Darryl Hunt. The Diabolical Devilman is used under public license from Wil Alambre. Other characters and all artwork in this fiction are copyright © 2012 - 2014 by Eiler Technical Enterprises.