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POWERNAUT 1992!

Return of the Doom Bear!

Greeting

Hello, Readers!

It's the Doom Bear vs. the world, and he hasn't failed yet!!

(signed) Scott Eiler, Publisher for Powernaut Comics, 1992.

Search the Powernaut Archives!

You're About to be Upstaged

Wikis! Christine Lassiter

Christine-Wiki Ellipsis Ellipsis-Wiki

Total Conversion

Totalcon-Wiki

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Eek, Total Conversion

I already said, the early 1990s turned out to be a power struggle among the U.S. Gov, Ellipsis, and the Doom Bear. Ellipsis came ready, with bodyguards.

Wow, Another Possession

Wiki! Doom Bear

Doom-Wiki

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! The History of Doom Bear Incursions

I have Christine as a source for what she knows. Let's get to it.

  • 1984 - 1985. The Doom Bear erupted onto our world a few times then, but briefly went away. There are lots of stories of toy heroes involved, but that seems like fandom to me.
  • 1989. The Doom Bear raided our world again, in Hollywood, California. He focused on the Powernaut, as part of his scheme to dominate his world and our own. He took totems (signatures) of Christine Lassiter and the Powernaut, so as to dominate them in future.
  • 1991. Published in what seems like a college diary, by who knows whom, maybe Ellipsis himself... The Doom Bear raided our world again. He'd followed Christine Lassiter, in a bar where she was singing, but found Stephen Wolcott (the potentialy-superhuman Ellipsis) in the venue also. Stephen had gotten Christine's autograph (thanks to his friend Captain Gonzo). The Doom Bear swiped this as a totem to use in place of the Powernaut's autograph, so as to dominate Ellipsis in future. (This was the famous "Fire and Ice" incident.) There was considerable mayhem afterward, including Ellipsis and Captain Gonzo and their superhero team The Balance vs. dominated Happy Bears, but the Doom Bear escaped with his new artifact of dominance.

After that, Ellipsis gained his full powers, got the attention of the U.S. Gov, and wound up on late-night TV to show his case. Christine Lassiter was there also... And so it happened.

What You Gonna Do About Them?

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Leo vs. Bodily Incursions

Leo would later get some bizarre bodily transformations. But he had his nose and eye transformations at the time. He was born with them. These were trimmed and airbrushed and contact-lensed at the time of his professional photos. Leo was familiar with this practice. By the time he served with the Tuvalu Defense Force, he introduced himself to the Powernaut in 2011 with his whiskers trimmed.

Throughout this episode, Leo dressed just like his teammate Crusher Joe, only with leopard-skin tights. Crusher Joe was an established professional wrestler; Leo dreamed of being one. Eventually he'd get his own path to fame, as a baseball player.

Wikis! Crusher Joe

Crusher-Wiki

Doctor Lithium

Lithium-Wiki

Leo

Leo-Wiki

Megaphone

Mega-Wiki
Scanners May Fail

Not a Wiki - a FAQ! Lucianus Autonomus

Lucianus-FAQ
A Good Naming

We're Squished

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Why Was He Squishing Things?

The Doom Bear had just retreated from Earth. Lucianus Autonomus, the greatest mage of Earth, sensed adjacent dimensions of Earth squeezing in upon it. Dangerous in any case. But... why was it happening? Either the Doom Bear was bending dimensions toward him, to bring forth final battle - or he was bending them *away* from him, so as to preserve his dominion! Alas, we'll never know which.

Destroy Them!

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Random Happy Bears

Leo and Crusher Joe in later years would bear witness to what bears they recalled fighting, but they weren't really paying attention to all of them. All they could say was, it was like walking into a Hallmark store, but some of the designs seemed off. Powernaut Comics then took poetic license. Hence, a Broccoli Bear who was actually the color of cauliflower, and a Flag Bear who was the color of the American flag but whose chest emblem was a white flag. The Doom Bear had earlier changed many Happy Bear chest emblems, and dominated them all to various extents. Happy Bear, Lucky Bear, and Lovey Bear were all thoroughly brainwashed. Flag Bear and Broccoli Bear sensed things wrong with themselves, as did Old Deadhead Bear. Old Poppy Bear didn't care.

These Still Stand Beside Me!

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! More Happy Bears

Megaphone and Doctor Lithium are gone, at least for now. (You never know, in our world.) So I couldn't interview them. But Leo and Crusher Joe both remember Slow Bear, Stupid Bear, and Suicidal Bear. Those were the only ones they recall staying behind, when Megaphone started firing. As for Senile Bear, Our Heroes have already admitted they weren't paying that much attention under the circumstances. Powernaut Comics poetic license again.

In any case, Crusher Joe eventually recognized they were all beating on creatures who just didn't care. So they moved on.

Hey, I Don't Fly!

I No Want Go Boom

You First!

Yes. You Will.

Bonus Section: 2005 Reprint Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Paean to Ellipsis

I am not usually given to praising Ellipsis. But he had just been tortured with extreme cold. He came back to inspire his team and defeat the Doom Bear. Indeed, he seems to have absorbed the same power he was storing for the Doom Bear - and then released it into Happy Bear space. Yeah, he can figure out how to do that. *And* he stood guard over his team as they took publicity photos of their victory - after they took photos of him.

I have it on good authority, though, he checked into the Dove Mercy Hospital of Buffalo-New York for recuperation. Of course, that was not publicized at the time. Backup staff, not involved in the Doom Bear fight, provided security... Oh, that's why we didn't see the whole team.

I Kil'd a B'ar

To Be Continued - in Part 2!


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.

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.


Powernaut: Home 1912 1941 1944 1945 (with Stories) 1948 1954 1955 1962 1964 1966 1968 (with Stories) 1969 1976 1979 1984 1985 1987 1988 (with Stories) 1989 1992 2005 (with Stories) 2006 (with Stories) 2008 2009 (with Stories) 2011 (with Stories) 2012 2013 2014 .
Powernaut 1992: 1 2.
The Rest of the World: Wiki Home Startup Escalation 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 The Maker .

Megaphone is a character of Bernie Lisewski. Doctor Lithium is a character of Doug Robinson. Leo is a character of Ray Conrad. Crusher Joe Corrigan is a character of Joe Fucile. The story, artwork, and all other characters in this fiction are copyright © 2021 by Eiler Technical Enterprises.