Dial H for Hypnosis

Three short stories per issue and almost a dozen characters per issue means I'll continue to split Adventure Comics into two posts, which will just make the fun last twice as long, right?

Case 21: Adventure Comics #480
Dial Holders: Chris and Vicki
Dial Type: Watch and Pendant Dials
Dialing: Chris and Vicki's transformations are sometimes accompanied by loud noises (like BOOM!). An energy-guzzling villain can sense the power inherent to the Dials apparently from a continent away, and his analysis reveals them to be "mystical". The Dials confer skills as well as powers, so that for example, Molecular Maiden can understand the physics required to create "cosmic fuel" out of free atoms.

Name: Mister Mystical, Master of Magic (alliterative!)
Created by: Jeff Anderson, Age 13, of Alpena, Michigan
Costume: The red and yellow color scheme works, and though the chest area is a bit over-busy, the red helmet gives Mister Mystical an interesting look, not unknown among DC's mystical heroes. The mystic flame coming off of it is a big plus.
Powers: Mister Mystical can conceivably create any effect with his magic. In the story, he creates mystical bonds and a magical spaceship (albeit one that requires fuel from another source).
Sighted: In Fairfax, fighting a the Sphinx. In the end, he creates a spaceship to help the Sphinx return home.
Possibilities: As a recurring character, he might have been appealing, if only to keep readers thinking about what's under that helm. Is his head on fire like Dormammu's? The idea of a helmed magic hero connects him to Dr. Fate, and that connection could be mined to create a more coherent magical family of characters.
Integration Quotient: 60% (I'd use the Dr. Fate connection for all it's worth)
Name: Molecular Maiden (very Legion reject)
Created by: Dennis Trachim, age 12, of Winnipeg, Canada
Costume: With those long boots, Molecular Maiden is just knee-holes away from Supergirl, though the similar gloves make he look like one of those stretchable toys, tiny in the center and long everywhere else (including the hair). Not ugly, but pretty generic.
Powers: M.M. can manipulate matter at the molecular level, though the limits of her powers are not well-known. She can excite air molecules to let her fly, and creates "cosmic fuel" that will allow the Sphinx to get home.
Sighted: In Fairfax, fighting the Sphinx. In the end, she creates fuel for the Sphinx's spaceship and waves him home.
Possibilities: Sometimes, I like to think the Dial H heroes spend all their time protecting their creators' home towns, especially when those places are in Canada. In the Marvel Universe, Canada has Alpha Flight. In the DCU, my country might have those Dialed heroes. Thank me later, Winnipeg.
Integration Quotient: 15% (pretty slim possibilities because she's just too generic)
Name: Hypno-Girl (very Legion, this one, or even Hero of Lallor)
Created by: Elliott Buchholz, age 16, of Fords, New Jersey
Costume: Borders on the fashion nightmare. The Lone Ranger mask. The two red buttons on her front (one a buckle, the other whatever the Dial transforms into). The strange hanging chad cut on her shorts. The way the gloved sleeves turns make her arms a bit claw-like.
Powers: Hypno-Girl fires a beam from her head that puts people in a hypnotic trance (limited to 2 or 3, it seems). She can put them to sleep or to work fighting for her.
Sighted: On Thunder Axe's private island HQ. She helped defeat the villain and rescue wealthy socialites (including Vicki's own parents).
Possibilities: Mind control is not the most valorous or interesting of powers for a hero, and Hypno-Girl's got an ugly costume and dated name besides. I think I probably hit it right on the head when I mentioned the Heroes of Lallor. She might fit in there.
Integration Quotient: 10% (oh, I'm sorry, you don't remember the Heroes of Lallor?)
Name: Star Flare, the Human Missile (hardly representative of his abilities)
Created by: Terrence Mohammed, age 15, of Jackson Heights, New York
Costume: Star Flare looks a lot like a science fiction barbarian might. Think Killraven or a very comic booky John Carter. The asymmetrical chest piece even has a Kirbyesque vibe to it (though it's not quite drawn that way inside the book where all you notice is the fat piping). Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward attire.
Powers: According to Hypno-Girl, Star Flare "makes his own energy", whatever that means. He can fly and is a skillful fighter, especially with his Star Sword, which can slice through anything, including Thunder Axe's axe.
Sighted: On Thunder Axe's private island HQ. He defeats the villain and destroys his unique weapon.
Possibilities: Star Flare's incongruities might make him a potable New God, but he could conceivably have sustained a short Sword & Science series like, say, the original Starfire's.
Integration Quotient: 45% (the sword gives him a niche to exploit, but I don't think he'd last very long)

Bonus Supervillains
Name: The Sphinx (Marvel has a Sphinx, of course, but the wider DCU too - it was the name of a couple of Quality Comics villains, and the French name of the Riddler on television!)
Created by: David Wile, age 18, of Nova Scotia, Canada (no town?)
Costume: The yellow and black give the Sphinx a golden look, one that reminds you just enough of his sculptural namesake, with his pharaoh headdress. The V-shaped antennae possibly sell his alien origins, but are the weakest part of the design.
Powers: The Sphinx has massive mental powers, but they seem dependent on the amount of energy he can drain from living beings and technology alike. He survived for five millennia buried in Egypt and influenced the minds of the natives to build the Sphinx statue (he was trying to make them excavate though). He can fly at untold speeds, and senses great energy sources from far away (from Egypt to New England). In addition to draining energy from people and machines, he can throw tractor beams to move those energy sources about.
Sighted: An Osiran, his craft crashed in Ancient Egypt more than 5000 years ago and he was buried under the ground where the natives were influenced to build a statue that looked just like his craft. When somebody started drilling for oil right next to the Sphinx(es), it awakened him. He flew to Fairfax to drain the power from the H Dials, but Chris and Vicki decided to help him and create a spacecraft that would return him home.
Possibilities: Though apparently a homage to Sutekh from Doctor Who's Pyramids of Mars, the Sphinx's ties to both outer space and Ancient Egypt gives him a lot of potential for recurring appearances. His influence might have been felt back in time by Nabu, Black Adam or Hawkman, for example.
Integration Quotient: 90% (clean look, good name, and an origin story with a lot of interesting baggage)
Name: Thunder Axe (fairly cool, but it's also the name of his weapon)
Created by: Joe Johnson, age 14, of Long Mont, Colorado
Costume: Thunder Axe looks vaguely like a Spaceknight, but the pink gloves have got to go (his henchmen are primarily pink, so they must've been desperate). The face plate has some intimidation factor, but the triangular ears are rather silly. And the axe/lightning motif on his chest looks like he's trying to hard. There's too much going on there, especially with the four pink dots surrounding it. The featureless axe is also devoid of interest. All in all, Thunder Axe looks better on the cover where he gets nice blue highlights are more decorative armor.
Powers: Thunder Axe is an able, armored fighter, but he's nothing without his thunder axe, which can be thrown great distances (miles, even!) cut through anything, and always return to his hand (after hooking a suitcase full of money if need be). Thunder Axe also has a hydrofoil and a private island HQ.
Sighted: Off the coast near Fairfax. Thunder Axe attacked a cruise ship and captured various socialites to ransom them for millions. He was apprehended by the Dial heroes, which makes it at least his second arrest.
Possibilities: A fair generic villain with an axe that acts a lot like Thor's hammer, the fact that I can't immediately name a superhero to match him against works against him. Aquaman, I guess? Aquaman always needs new villains to fight in or near his native environment.
Integration Quotient: 40% (ultimately boring, his future appearances are severely in doubt)

Five more characters YOU invented in the issue's third story, but you'll have to stay tuned to the SBG!