#lorelei's brain literally never shuts off

[loreshark]

WMaM - Jewelry & Tattoos

Alrighty, so I’ve had a number of folks ask me for specifics on the different ways people decorate themselves in the WMaM world. As this topic is a massive love of mine, it’s gonna be long and full of photos. xD Buckle up!

What is the general jewelry aesthetic?

I took a TON of inspiration from Kuchi and Ottoman jewelers, especially the styles made in the 18th century and later. I’m also a HUGE fan of raw stone, metal, and organic designs, so I threw those in for good measure. Here are some pieces you would likely see in WMaM:

Why does everyone wear so much?

Jewelry = Money

Not in the “I’m wealthier than thou” sense, but the “I’ll trade you this bracelet for a meal and room” sense. It’s almost impossible to set up one single currency considering how many tribes and city states there are in the desert so everyone works with a barter system of different goods. Is it always fair? No, but it is pretty.

Are some pieces magical?

Absolutely! A lot of jewelry is magical, actually. It’s usually for small stuff; a necklace that changes colors depending on the incoming weather, a ring that can’t be stolen, anklets that make you lighter, earrings that whisper reminders throughout the day. The really powerful stuff is less common, not because they’re rare, but because they tend to be unpredictable. You’re either wildly strong or incredibly stupid if you try messing with the heavily magicked stuff.

Do you have details about specific character’s jewelry?

You bet I do! 😎(I’m only listing Kiri and Baku for now, cause this would become a ridiculously long post otherwise.)

Kirishima wears a lot of silver and dark wood and most of his pieces are heavy and large. Examples include:

Bakugou leans more towards the organic designs that his region is famous for, especially things like obsidian and bone. Some examples of pieces he’d wear:

What about tattoos? Are they important?

Easy answer? Hella important. 

Each region has its own customs and styles, but in general, tattooing is encouraged and usually comes bundled with SOME level of meaning. Remember, this is the desert; whether you’re nomadic or not, the world is in a constant state of flux around you. Having permanent reminders of important events, beautiful memories, or personal stories is incredibly valuable.

Are tattoos magical?

Some! It depends on the artist. Most tattoos are just plain ink, but some mages and cambions (hybrids with magical abilities) can channel their magic into their artwork. It’s not really advised because magic can be unpredictable and chaotic, but it can produce amazing results. Again, the simpler the magic, the less chance of a negative outcome.

How about some examples?

I’ll use Baku and Kiri again, but let me know if you want to see other characters’ tattoos as well!

Kirishima’s talon tats:

Bakugou’s forearm tat inspiration (both arms are slightly different):

Wow, so, yeah, that was long like I thought and I could have easily kept going. xD I hope you enjoyed it at least!

For more WMaM info, check out the master list HERE!

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #109: The Measure of a Man!

March, 1973

That feels like an unnecessary waste of a perfectly good imported bow and it seems Lil Vision agrees with me.

Also, Captain America isn’t in this issue. This cover is a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie.

So last time: The only pertinent information is that Vision learned a thing about emotions and brothers and empathy and offered Scarlet Witch a shoulder to cry on.

This time: Hawkeye is gonna ragequit the team. Its the first time and it will not be the last time. At least he put on some pants first..

So we start off with Hawkeye practicing his moves in the Avengers’ Not-Danger-Room. He’s going so fast there seems to be three of him. He could practically be an anime with speed like that.

Anyway, he’s trying to distract himself from Vision and Scarlet Witch hooking up and its just not working.

Thor is kind of watching this whole practice session. He didn’t think that Hawkeye was really so hung up on Scarlet Wanda. He thought it was just machismo. Y’know. Because she was the one girl on the team. Thor just hopes that internal dissension doesn’t succeed in tearing apart the Avengers where external foes have failed.

MEANWHILE, THE PLOT. The plot arrives riding a limo through an airport and driving onto the runway to catch a plane.

Literally catch a plane.

Because the man riding the limo is Imus Champion. And at nine feet tall apparently he can just grab a plane by the wheel and prevent it from taking off.

It’s not the dumbest thing I’ve seen in comics.

Anyway. Normally this is where someone would get in trouble for driving a limo onto the runway and preventing a plane from taking off.  But Champion owns the whole dang airline so what are the police going to do?

Something, probably. But this is comics.

It is now later and back at Avengers Mansion.

Scarlet Witch is over the moon with her and Vision’s new rapport. She has nothing but good things to say about him. Why if she hadn’t been leaning on him while Pietro has been missing, she probably would have been driven to the funny farm. Man. Vision. What a guy.

A bemused Iron Man asks if she’s going to keep calling him Vision? Not much of a pet name. She suggested he adopt the name ‘Simon’ but Vision refused. His brain may be based on the brainwaves but he is not Simon Williams. Vision is the only name he has.

Or Vision Vision if the Vision solo is to be trusted.

Iron Man is still bemused. Vision had thought himself incapable of feeling feelings just a few days ago. Remember? In issue #105? With Lorelei and the Beast Brood?

But apparently Vision and Wanda have been discussing that and they think they figured it out. Obviously Lorelei’s hypnotic effect is carried on her song which is meant to be heard by human ears. But Vision has audial receptors instead of ears! COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

So Vision is finally over his angst over not being brainwashed. Huzzah!

Iron Man decides to leave the two of them alone but secretly wishes them luck. He foresees bad things once society gets wind of this relationship. Society is jerks.

And then Hawkeye decides to rain on the parade because he’s bitter. He accuses Wanda of forgetting her brother Pietro completely.

Vision says that Hawkeye is out of line. They’ve been doing everything they can to find Pietro. And Wanda has been doing more than anyone else. She doesn’t have to get performative about it. She doesn’t have to stalk the halls weeping.

So Hawkeye slams his door shut and decides to run away from home. He’s being such a teenager.

And he’s going back to basics. Back to his pre-Goliath purple costume.

So sitting on the roof, Hawkeye mopes. Because with Vision and Wanda happy, there’s a mope deficiency in the book.

Hawkeye doesn’t even think he was in love with Wanda.

“--but it’s so freakin hard to lose again! I got kissed off by the Black Widow three times -- first to the commies, then SHIELD, and now Daredevil... Witchie won’t give me a tumble... I mean, what’s wrong with me? I’ve got looks, I’m fun to talk to... why can’t I get it on??”

This particular sentiment is not a good look on you Hawkeye. At least he doesn’t try to claim that girls only go for jerks because he’s being quite a jerk recently.

He decides to go to Central Park and try to get mugged because that way he can feel wanted (smallest violin in the world) and presumably also punch those muggers. Good way to work out frustration while also doing a public service, I guess.

But he gets interrupted by... CHAMPION.

Who Hawkeye has heard of. Since the guy is one of the 47 richest men in the world and apparently made his wad honestly.

See, Champion wants to offer Hawkeye employment. 

Hawkeye says Avengers aren’t for hire and that Champion should try ‘that Cage dude’ (sharrrrrrred universe!) but Champion wants the world’s greatest archer and he’ll pay one million dollars to Hawkeye’s favorite charity if he’ll teach him archery.

And y’know, why not? A distracting challenge is about what Hawkeye needs right now. So without so much as a goodbye, Hawkeye leaves with Champion.

On the plane ride to California, Hawkeye says Champion did him a favor by taking him away from New York.

Champion says that’s his luck. He has a gift for being in the right place at the right time. And then he gets a little intense. He also has a drive to turn out better than all the people who laughed at him over the years and a drive to live when doctors claimed that normal human muscles couldn’t support a body as large as his.

Bit of a red flag but Hawkeye isn’t particularly suspicious at this strange man offering him a lot of money.

So Champion takes Hawkeye to his retreat on the California coast. It has all the conveniences. Except telephones. Champion is a champion at retreating. And he doesn’t want his archery training sessions disturbed.

Archery is the only sport he never learned, after all.

He asks Hawkeye if he wants to write to the Avengers and assure them that he’s well but Hawkeye decides it will do them good to lose sleep over him.

Because, as mentioned, Hawkeye is acting like a teenager.

But since it would interfere with Champion’s mysterious but no doubt sinister schemes if the Avengers come around looking for Hawkeye, Champion forges a letter from Hawkeye to send to the Avengers.

For forgery is among the skills he has learned.

He also calls Hawkeye an ‘obstreperous dupe’ in his thoughts. I had to look that up. ‘Obstreperous’ apparently means ‘noisy and difficult to control.’ And yup. That’s Hawkeye. To a T.

So we have a montage of Hawkeye teaching Champion to archery. Calendar pages flying by and everything.

Finally, Champion manages to shoot three bullseyes in the same spot, splitting the first two arrows. And Hawkeye concludes that he has nothing further to teach Champion.

But that night, Hawkeye muses what to do next. He does feel like he belongs with the Avengers, especially with Quicksilver missing...

But he spots something weird and goes to investigate. And what he sees is... something very unique.

Champion has dressed up like Zardoz. Or, I guess, the Martian Manhunter? Hawkeye is confused. He was teaching Champion archery. Not how to dress weird.

But Champion’s response is very telling. “Costumes are for those who are masters of their art, and want the world to know it.”

Shine on, you wacky diamond.

Anyway, now that he has learned archery, Champion has finally become a master of all fields. He is better than anyone, at anything.

Sounds dubious but lets go with it. At the very least, becoming good at everything is impressive.

Eleven point four miles off the coast, there’s a sunken vessel that was carrying a top-secret nerve gas. Champion wants that gas but the sunken ship is in American waters. The coast guard would be all over his ass if he tried to recover it.

So clearly the solution is to put the boat into international waters in the most dramatic way ‘in keeping with my stature.’

He’s gonna trigger the San Andreas fault and drop California into the sea. As ya do.

That would kill untold numbers of people, Hawkeye protests! Meh, Champion isn’t concerned about people. All that matters is that it will create enough confusion and move the coast away from his prize.

Hawkeye points his bow at Champion and tells him its over. And also banters that what really matters is whether they make padded cells in giant economy size.

And then Champion shoots Hawkeye’s bow. See, his silly costume conceals a lot of surprises. Like Zzak!ing lasers.

And now Champion is shooting at the unarmed Hawkeye with a bow of his own.

So with the situation a bit untenable, Hawkeye jumps out the window.

ELSEWHERE and maybe when, Wanda wakes up and realizes something. That forged letter the Avengers received. It was signed ‘Hawkeye’ instead of ‘Clint.’ And apparently since revealing that he had a real name, he has been using ‘Clint’ for friendly correspondence with the Avengers. Or at least established a pattern where its weird that he would sign a letter ‘Hawkeye.’

Meanwhile, Hawkeye plummeted into the ocean. Kind of blacked out from the impact but he comes to and climbs up the cliff.

Unfortunately, Champion and a bunch of mooks are waiting for him. And Champion knocks Hawkeye the fuck out.

Hawkeye comes to fifty minutes later tied to a bomb in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Just one of a series of bombs carefully located along the length of the San Andreas fault in the area. And when Hawkeye’s bomb is set off, it will trigger the other bombs.

And because Champion is a dramatic SOB, just pressing a button won’t have enough of a sense of personal satisfaction or accomplishment. No sir. Not for his archery teacher.

No, clearly the only logical way to set off the bomb is shooting it with the archery skills that Hawkeye taught him.

Its a situation ripe with irony, man.

Oh, speak of the devil! Its Iron Man! Also the rest of the Avengers.

They interrupt the archery demonstration and start beating up the faceless mooks.

Now this is embarrassing. A huge relief but also embarrassing. Because when you run off to make your friends/parents worry about you, the last thing you want is for them to find you in a situation where you need their help.

He calls asking for Thor to untie him so he can join in the fight but Thor can’t hear him over how hard he’s trying to hammer Champion.

Unfortunately, Champion anticipated that he might have to fight the Avengers. Remember how his silly costume is packed with surprises? It includes a null-energy force field (whatever that means) that can repel Mjolnir and Iron Man’s repulsors. Some more irony, man.

The counterattack, knocks Iron Man out of the air. Meanwhile, T’Challa is beating up mooks with the greatest of ease but gets sneak-attacked from behind and knocked out. And Thor gets blinded by another mook after taking out a bunch. And Scarlet Witch too.

To summarize, the Avengers are pretty distracted right now. Which is the moment Champion was waiting for.

Vision unties Hawkeye from the bomb just as Champion is drawing a bead on it. None of the Avengers can touch Champion through his force field so this is up to Hawkeye, somehow.

I mean, I guess Vision could blow the arrow with his body. He’s good at blocking attacks by jumping in front of them.

But Hawkeye says he has this one. Champion left Hawkeye’s bow in front of the bomb. I guess to be a dick. Tied up it would have been in sight but out of reach. And even if he could reach it, the string was snapped. But Hawkeye always carries a spare.

So before Champion can release his arrow, Hawkeye restrings his bow and fires an arrow from fifty yards, snapping Champion’s bowstring. Champion’s arrow goes off course.

I guess it just goes to show. There’s always someone better.

And then before he can regroup, Thor knocks the ground out from under Champion’s feet and Hawkeye hits him with a knockout gas arrow.

Because here is the thing about force fields. They tend to let air in. And if they don’t, if you keep up an attack long enough, the person will suffocate.

Between Iron Man’s technical knowledge and Vision’s intangibility, the Avengers are going to dismantle the bombs easily. That’s the aftermath addressed.

Thor praises Hawkeye’s markmanship. He’s never seen such a shot.

“Yeah -- ne’er will they again, either.” Because Hawkeye has had his fill being poor, old Hawkeye, the stupid Avenger.

He feels that he is good but he never really has a chance to show it in the middle of the Avengers what with all their gods and guys in walking tanks. He’s going to prove he can make it on his own! Cross his name off the roster because Hawkeye is going solo!

And starting a beautiful tradition of quitting the team. In some ways, he just hasn’t been Hawkeye until now~

But there is a doylistic reason. If you pay attention to changes in creative team you can usually pick up on these things, in-book shakeups that happen shortly after production shakeups.

Steve Englehart did not like Hawkeye. He was quoted as saying “Hawkeye was never real good or real bad or real interesting.”

Five issues into Englehart’s run and Hawkeye is out. At the least though, his departure got a focus story.

He’ll be back though. If there’s anything is dependable as Hawkeye quitting the Avengers, it is Hawkeye rejoining the Avengers.

So how about the villain de jour? Imus Champion is a really cool villain. He’s everything that Count Nefaria never was in his first appearance.

He’s a physical presence on his own, good at pretty much every skill, has access to powerful technology, and is decently intelligence. He did make his fortune legitimately before he decided to conquer the world because screw you everyone who ever laughed at him.

Plus, he’s a natural born supervillain! Who else but a natural supervillain would decide that creating a natural disaster is the perfect first step of a heist?

And he made an amazingly ridiculous first impression with that plane thing.

It really is a shame he never became a recurring Avengers threat. It seems that after this, he just disappears until the 90s. Kurt Busiek gets some good use out of him at that point but he was off the board for two decades.

Champion could have been a great addition to the Avengers’ rogues gallery. I can see this guy recruiting other supervillains and doing schemes. Its hard to imagine him doing much of anything else.

It really is a waste that he wasn’t used more often.

And much worse villains get much more panel time. Like, for example, Count Nefaria.

Maybe it was the costume he chose.