Superheroes and the NaNo

[Phyrebrat]

The way you write/think it’s a no brainier to me. Go for quirky powers. Especially fun if they’re at odds with what the characters want to do with their lives. Eg an introvert with powers that are needed by society but means he/she has to be put in hyper sensory scenarios

pH

 

[The Big Peat]

The superpowers are usually the least interesting part to me. I'd say either make them straight forwards, so you can get to the meat of how being superheroic changes a person without farting away words about the exact nature of the super powers, or make them quirky, so you've got a very specific change to the person. Stuff like elemental powers are, imo, an uncomfortable halfway house with the added problem that we've seen it done.

I like pH's idea. Could go well with one 'ordinary' superhero and one 'quirky' superhero. The ordinary one might envy the ready-made purpose of the quirky superhero, the quirky one the ordinary for having more freedom on how to act.

 

[Parson]

One of the most interesting Super hero powers I've run into is a person with the power to multiply someone else's power. So, no good by herself, but if she can team up with someone with even a weak power they become a force to be reckoned with. This would allow for some interesting character development and negotiation between our hero and who she multiples.

 

[Dan Jones]

One of the most interesting Super hero powers I've run into is a person with the power to multiply someone else's power. So, no good by herself, but if she can team up with someone with even a weak power they become a force to be reckoned with. This would allow for some interesting character development and negotiation between our hero and who she multiples.

This sounds like an really good basis for a "buddy" story where the two principal characters start off at odds with one another and end up realising they need each other to become more than the sum of their parts.

 

[Conor Skerritt-Morgan]

I haven't read it, but it sounds like "Worm" might be a good fit for you.

I think you're right there - Worm's got plenty of great examples of quirky, interesting powers. Best part is the imaginative way in which these powers are used; abilities you'd think next to useless often end up being applied really creatively (won't give examples, not spoiling it for anyone who hasn't read it).

 

[Abernovo]

Oh, you could go with completely random! My son loved Ben 10 (the original show) when he was little, so I used to watch it with him all the time. Ben had the omnitrix, which gave him alien powers, but it didn't always work properly, and often he got an alien which wasn't the one he wanted, but ended up being the one he needed (or he had to be extra clever to get around it). So, what if your character had a set of powers, but never knew which one was going to manifest at a given time?

The way you write/think it’s a no brainier to me. Go for quirky powers. Especially fun if they’re at odds with what the characters want to do with their lives. Eg an introvert with powers that are needed by society but means he/she has to be put in hyper sensory scenarios

pH

I like both these suggestions could be combined. If your hero had powers that were limited in some way, either by elements in the Earth's atmosphere (imagine if Kryptonian's had all their powers, but 20% also suffered allergic reactions to Silica sand making beaches (and deserts) difficult for them), or by their own personalities. You could have a superhero with a complex health issue, or reliant on tech which is not working efficiently.

Alternatively, you can have a mild mannered janitor, working in basement of a police office...oh no, been done. Eric, who eats, no, slips on a banana and gains mysterious powers?

One of the most interesting Super hero powers I've run into is a person with the power to multiply someone else's power. So, no good by herself, but if she can team up with someone with even a weak power they become a force to be reckoned with. This would allow for some interesting character development and negotiation between our hero and who she multiples.

Parson, are you describing yourself here? ;-)
Basically, every good counsellor and advocate* (secular or spiritual).

*Advocate, as in speaking for someone's rights, rather than the job title of a lawyer.

 

[Ihe]

There was a battery-like guy in the series Heroes that would boost other powers, IIRC.

 

[Parson]

Parson, are you describing yourself here? ;-)
Basically, every good counsellor and advocate* (secular or spiritual).

More likely in my dreams than in reality.

 

[Mouse]

There's (and @Juliana will know this) the Mas y Menos characters in Teen Titans who are pretty useless separately but once they touch they charge each other up and have super speed.

Thanks, gang! I can feel the ole brain cogs kinda turning now. Slowly.

 

[Juliana]

There's (and @Juliana will know this) the Mas y Menos characters in Teen Titans who are pretty useless separately but once they touch they charge each other up and have super speed.

I love Mas y Menos! The Wonder Twins are another example (though not as cool as anyone in Teen Titans.)

 

[Ihe]

The Wonder Twins are another example (though not as cool as anyone in Teen Titans.)

The Wonder Twins are the opposite of cool. Gosh, that hairstyle...

 

[Juliana]

Gosh, that hairstyle...

Yeah...
But I remember them in really badly dubbed Portuguese from when I was a kid in Brasil, so sentimental value I guess. "Super Gêmeos, ativar!"

 

[paranoid marvin]

I really liked the Watchmen film, which deals with the consequences of people with super powers and the political establishment. It also helps to prove the point that power corrupts and super-powers leave you super-corrupted.

How about a story about a person with super powers that wants to find a way of getting rid of them? Or a superhero who is used by his government to achieve their ends, or perhaps a superhero who , every time he/she uses their super power, there is a significant negative consequence.

Or perhaps the hero only has a finite amount of power, and when its gone its gone forever. Do you save the life of one person using your power or save it for when there's a more significant number of people? How does choosing wo lives and who dies affect this person? Or perhaps each time they use their power they age - do you use your power at the cost of your own lifespan?

 

[Shorewalker]

Given that my day job involves flogging comics, I'm fairly au fait with the genre. I've got a number of favourite storylines, but none that really fit into quirky/humourous. However, I've always been fascinated by those characters who don't really have control of their powers and how they - for all their good intentions - end up screwing up just as often as they save the day.

A possibility that would lend itself to humour is a character who has a minor power...x-ray vision, the ability to read minds...that finds that he/she has no control over when it manifests itself, leading to a number of embarrassing scenarios. Finding himself/herself shunned/reviled even by those closest to him/her, the struggle will be for your protagonist to finally find a way to use the talent to do good.

 

[Mouse]

Thanks, guys, so many ideas!