Dial H for Haughty

The way New Adventures of Superboy is structured at this point, stories sort of end in the middle of a back-up so another can start and leave things with a cliffhanger. So while I'm including issue 37 in this, the characters introduced in that issue will actually show up in the next Dial H post. Last time, the evil and mysterious Master grabbed Chris' Dial, but can he use it?

Case 44: New Adventures of Superboy #36-37
Dial Holders: The Master and Vicki (not supposed to sound like an episode of Doctor Who)
Dial Type: Watch and Pendant Dials
Dialing: When the evil Master puts Chris' Dial on, it turns him into a hero who proceeds to fight his own henchmen; this hero refers to his true self as "another life". He does not, however, recognize a kinship with the other Dial holder, Vicki, and when confronted by Chris, refuses to give up the Dial and even tries to kill him.

Name: Great Jupiter (the hero Wonder Woman might call up with the wrong interjection)
Created by: Ronald V. Scott, of Perth Amboy, NJ
Costume: A muscleman ensemble with gold Roman accessories, this blond Adonis has a rough picture of the planet Jupiter on his chest and an ugly third eye that's meant to mirror Jupiter's giant storm system.
Powers: Great Jupiter has all the powers of the planet that bears his name, including great mass (with corresponding strength and invulnerability) and the ability to turn into a variety of gases which make up the gas giant's bulk. His third eye can also open to shoot a deadly force beam, which isn't something the planet is actually known for. But perhaps is most powerful trait is his immense ego, which seems to get the better of him.
Sighted: In the Master's secret headquarters fighting the Master's henchmen, and then turning on Chris King and trying to kill him. He is defeated when his force beam is turned back on him.
Possibilities: Because he mentions a link between his abilities and the planet, as if it lent him those powers, one might imagine a sort of Captain Planet set-up where the entire Solar System is represented in some kind of team. He would be the leader of these Planeteers, but not a GOOD leader. It was obviously his idea to model the group after the Roman pantheon. Jerk.
Integration Quotient: 50% (there's something Saturday morning cartoon about his concept, so in a different time, perhaps...)

Name: The Visionary (a bit too Elders of the Universe)
Created by: Alicia Shing, of Shrewsbury, MA
Costume: Simple, but classic, her white outfit with red accents (including a fake "V" neck, V for Visionary) works well with her white hair. Thankfully, her eyes are a soft blue, not red, notable for turning into "+"-like sights when she uses her powers. Not entirely memorable, but not unpleasant.
Powers: Remote viewing that allows her to see where someone or something is, so long as she can picture that person or thing (she cannot track the Master, for example, since she doesn't know what he really looks like), and then teleport to the target's location. She can also see a few seconds into the future, far enough ahead to help Chris avoid Jupiter's blows.
Sighted: In the Master's lair, helping Chris King survive an attack by Great Jupiter.
Possibilities: A utility player, the Visionary would not fare well outside a team, and even there, be largely relegated to a supporting role, tracking and moving the group around. Well, people do still like Dawnstar and Dream Girl, right? The platinum locks do remind me of the latter, so a native of Naltor? Someone the Legion crosses paths with whenever they go to that world? Dream Girl's cousin or something?
Integration Quotient: 45% (there's a place for her, but it's not a big place)

Bonus Supervillains

Name: The Blade (fairly obvious, nothing wrong with it)
Created by: John Hebert, Wynantskill, NY
Costume: A full-body suit with perhaps one color too many (purple-gray in addition to red and gold?!), this villain is covered in bladed weapons, most of them functional, though presumably, the dagger on his mask is just drawn on. The swashbuckler's saber feels a little out of place. I don't dislike the design, but it screams C-lister.
Powers: None. The Blade rather is a master of bladed weapons, both melee and thrown, and carries an inordinate number of throwing (and kitchen!) knives, axes, daggers, in addition to a sword.
Sighted: As part of the Master's henchmen, lost a fight to his boss when the latter was possessed by an H Dial and had become Great Jupiter.
Possibilities: The kind of mercenary type, equivalent to Marvel's Batroc's Brigade, we could see go up against street-level heroes like Richard Dragon, the Question or even Batman, perhaps as a member of the League of Assassins.
Integration Quotient: 75% (easy to plug in, difficult to imagine taking off)

Name: Chain Master (not Grimbor, Chain Master!)
Created by: Brent Chezenko, of Sydney, Nova Scotia
Costume: It's hard not to see the Spider-Man inspiration in this guy's red and blue full body suit, especially since the back is almost all blue with a single red chain link in the middle. Instead of webbing, it's chains, which seem to wrap around his head, some links creating the illusion of eyes, nose and mouth. It looks cool, with some shades of S&M. The yellow-colored weapon, however, sticks outs and doesn't seem to fit.
Powers: None, but Chain Master wields a heavy ball and chain which he swings at opponents. Wish there more to it, as the name implies more chains
Sighted: Also as part of the Master's goons, lost a fight to his boss when the latter was the dialed hero Great Jupiter.
Possibilities: This Cape Breton creation makes for a quite acceptable B-threat to show up early in a low-to-mid-powered hero's series for a spot of action. More? He could certainly get his own feature story, perhaps revealing he takes victims to some dungeon, but the colorful costume is better suited to superhero battles than noir crime.
Integration Quotient: 70% (serviceable, but between Grimbor and the competition's Absorbing Man, he may not bring enough that's new to the table)

Name: Kaleidoscope (a word we don't say often, I like it)
Created by: Chris and Nancy Mae Lawton, of Fall River, MA
Costume: Showing off her multi-colored and possibly crystalline skin, Kaleidoscope sports only white gloves and a white tattered bathing suit (which is why one might think her skin is rough and angular), which match her white hair.
Powers: While she claims to be able to alter reality, there's a good chance her kaleidoscopic powers are largely illusion-based, but as explained, she throws up a field of "kaleidoscope lights" that, for example, change the size of people and objects, disorient people by making them feel like they're standing on the ceiling, and deflecting weapons fire so that it misses her. Only the latter seems to affect more than perception.
Sighted: Her too, as part of the Master's goons, lost a fight to her boss when the latter was taken over by an H Dial.
Possibilities: I kind of want to link her to Count Vertigo who creates similar effects. Perhaps she's one of his subjects/subalterns, experimented on as part of a Vlatavan super-soldier program, though I would hardly team them up because their powers would overlap each other too much. For some reason, I see her going up against Hawk & Dove; it it just the color scheme? Does she remind me of characters like Shrapnel and Bombshell?
Integration Quotient: 30% (there are ways to use her, but she'd be a pain to draw and color, so is it worth it?)

Next: Sketchbook heroes come to life...