Ahhh, Daglob, Daglob. What do we know about him except he has a name reminiscent of a B-grade movie monster? Hmm, that’s a query we here at FRP2 hope to solve right now as we shine our spotlight on this skinner that happens to like his obscure. So, how about joining us as we try to figure out if Daglob is as gooey as we are wont to believe.

FREEDOM FORCE

Before we jump into your nature as a skinner, how about you tell us how you came to learn of the game Freedom Force and its community. What made you decide to become an active member, and how did you come up with your name?

I first heard about Freedom Force on a Champions RPG newsgroup. It was described as “what the Champions computer game should have been” (that game was never completed). I downloaded the demo, loved it, and my daughter gave me the game for Father’s Day. Doing a web search for resources, I came across several link pages, and in one of these (Mad Rabbit’s, I think), I found a link to Freedom Reborn. I’ve been a member of Freedom Reborn for a lot longer than I’ve been active, though: while my computer would play the demo, it wouldn’t let me play the full game. That’s been fixed (mostly).

The Glob is a comic book character I invented when I was in the 4th grade and [was] a big fan of Plastic Man. When I started playing Champions, he was one of the characters I adapted. When I got a copy of Blue Light (a free internet service once offered by K-Mart), Daglob became my username. Da Glob has been a presence on the internet ever since.

As far as I know, and as this thread indicates, you’re the type of person that likes obscure characters, no? What’s the attraction for you, and do you find it hard to bring them to life in Freedom Force?

Well, the obscure characters are a niche I’ve kind of worked into. I’ve done my own versions of other “popular” characters that will probably never be released, what with other, better versions out there. I have a fondness for Silver Age, Golden Age, Pulp Age, and 1950s characters. Most of the mainstream characters from these eras have been done, so that leaves the lesser lights. Some of them are a scream and just have to be seen to be believed. Others are actually pretty good, and if they had been at DC/National or Atlas, we might still be seeing them guest starring in “X-Men” or “The Brave and the Bold.” I’ve also always liked quirky characters, and the obscure characters certainly have a lot of those.

Most characters can be put on the regular meshes, but it seems as time went on, the creators tried to make them more visually distinctive: The Rainbow has a cape that attaches to his helmet; Zippo wears a costume that looks like the 1960s version of the GA Atom’s costume, but has a lower-body exoskeleton that gives him the ability to run faster and jump higher; Kismet wears a fez; Blue Bolt has a reverse-cock’s comb on his helmet; The Hangman (MLJ) has one heck of a collar. To get them right, you would have to have a dedicated mesh or a scope. Scores of them, however, will go on meshes from Irrational, Bobby69, Tommyboy, The Beyonder, or others.

One problem with some of the GA characters is a lack of consistency in the colors of their costumes. I don’t think this is a change in the costume so much as it’s a sign that a different colorist worked on every issue. At other times, the cover costume looked nothing like the costume on the inside. The cover artists were usually better than the regular artists on the inside, and apparently the two seldom communicated. I have done multiple versions of the costumes for some characters, like Red Blazer, but I usually just pick the best (in my opinion) or most common versions. For Fox Comic’s Dynamo (aka Electro) I did a composite of what I considered the best features of the costumes.
Golden Age characters just BEG to be played in Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich.

As the owner of five (5) Yahoo groups, it’s very clear that skinning ignited your interest. What is it that made you gravitate so strongly towards skinning, and why did you decide to release your creations to the community?

I skin because I can’t mesh (yet).

I’ve been playing with Photoshop for 12-13 years now, so it seemed to be the best thing to do. There were several characters that I wanted to play that either did not have skins or I had just not yet found, so I did my own. The first ones were kittbashes, but as I got more comfortable with the process, I started doing most of my own work. I’ve done a couple of base skins that I use sometimes, although I most often fall back on those [created] by C6, Gryphon, or Strangefate.

Basically, though, it came down to there were characters I wanted to play [as] and couldn’t find a skin [for]; so I did my own.

As for why I released them, it seemed that there were people who wanted to play these characters also. I did a few that I just e-mailed to the people who requested them, but eventually I just put them out there for anyone who was interested.

The skinning community has some major inspirations as far as actual creators go. Do you find yourself motivated or inspired by members of Freedom Reborn?

C6, of course, and Podmark, Avalon, Laughing Paradox, Afghan Ant, Murs, Tomato, Yellow Lantern, Bearded-in-Lair, Johnny Patches, Dr. Ruina, Dr. Challenger… some with their skin work and others with facinating meshes/skopes that I wanted to skin (there are a lot of people I have not mentioned–y’all know who you are). The ones that made me think that someone else might be interested in some of my lesser well known characters were The Vigilante, Copper Age, The Phantom Stranger, Tommy Troy, Atomic Robot, and JKCarrier. They led by example.

If I’m not mistaken, you’ve dabbled a little in skoping, correct? How would you rate yourself as a skoper, and would you say it’s an easy process to learn?

Somewhere between a novice and an amateur. I’d still rather skin for someone elses’ mesh or skope than try to do one myself. It’s not that it’s really that hard to do, but that it isn’t easy to do WELL. I have skopes of the Wonder Woman from the Amazons and the GA Banshee that I still can’t get right. On the other hand, I just did a skope for Granny Goodness that was extremely easy (and extremely simple; looks good though with AA’s skin). I skoped a pipe on a Tommyboy mesh so that I could have Popeye and Poopdeck Pappy. I’m thinking of skoping a little on one of Tomato’s recent meshes to make a Bluto

Your field of skinning has jumped a little all over the place. From TV to comics, from movies to original creations, you’ve found a way to cover them all. How would you describe your process for choosing characters to skin?

Usually, if I want to play the character, I do it. There were dozens of X-Characters (not a bad thing, really), but no Popeye. There were James Bond, Dirty Harry, and The Crow, but no Men From UNCLE. There weren’t skins for Captain Nice, Mr. Terrific (TV), the serial versions of Batman, The Spider, Superman, Jetman, or Captain Avenger. I liked George Reeves’ Superman, Captain Nice, and Mr. Terrific (yes, I’m that old). One big lack was that there was not a really good Volstagg until Johnny Patches did a skope, and how can you play The Warriors Three without him? I grew up in the Silver Age, and even then there were weird and quirky characters galore. I guess I often try to let others know about this silly character with a bizarre concept that I enjoyed reading about over forty years ago. Who knows? Maybe they will track down an adventure or two on the internet and get as big a kick as I did.

I’ve stuck mainly to Golden Age characters recently because the graphics card I have wouldn’t display FF1 correctly. I’m working on fixing that, and I’ll do stuff for FF1 and be sure the skopes I do will convert. Of course, it doesn’t really matter; there are plenty of obscure Silver Age characters too. I’ve thought about donig some more recent characters too: Velvet, Chrome, Corbo, Shanghai, Shiela Trent: Vampire Hunter, Jaguar God and The Death Dealer, Donna Matrix, Syphons, Hero Alliance… yeah, I know they aren’t THAT recent.

It’s a very well known fact that if you work at something, you usually get better. How would you say your skinning style has evolved since you began?

Everything changes. I originally used blend modes along with a base skin to make muscles on a character’s costume, now I usually “paint” them on. I’ve gotten better with several Photoshop functions because I’m using them constantly. Also, although it doesn’t really relate to skinning, if a mesh needs just one little piece added, I can skope that [it] on there and improve the look. Nowadays, I usually alter the faces on a base skin to make it a little different from the original. On the meshes that I’ve done standards for, I do them from scratch. I may use a base skin or another skin as a guide, but the art should be all mine. I wouldn’t have done that in the beginning.

Many have discovered that the skills they’ve picked up from their Freedom Force projects has transferred into other areas of their lives. Is this the case with you as well? If so, how has skinning helped you?

Not yet, but I have hopes.

It seems members of the community are still hopeful that Freedom Force 3 will be created. If you had a say in the creative process of the game, what would you like to change, modify, or remove as far as the mechanics and direction are concerned?

I wish they’d fix knockback.

I liked the idea of mods set in different decades/eras. I would like to see an Atomic Horror mod set in the 1950s, for instance. (If I ever learn to mesh, I’m going to do a rutabaga monster from “It Conquered the World.”)

I’d also like a utility included that would make it easier to install SFX and voices. Then, of course, all FF1 and FFv3R materials would have to be compatible.

I also think that they should contact this community and actually incorporate a lot of the ideas for attributes and such into the game. There are some excellent people out here working on making the game better. Hire them.

Although skinning and skoping are all the rage, there are other areas of modding available to the community. Have you attempted to get into another field of modifying the game?

I have thought about doing some SFX, mostly silly stuff. I have considered doing a mod or two. I have a copy of 3DS MAX that I need to learn how to use, and if that happens….

Mods are something that really add life to a game that is several years old now. Have you played any mods, and are there any you’d suggest to the FF community?

I have started several mods, but finished very few of them. I have a bunch and hope that I will play them all to completion in the future (Long story). I love Pulp Fiction, but then again, Doc Savage and The Shadow are two of my favorite characters.

Freedom Force is a lot like The Hero System (Champions): you can play just about any genre you want. It might be fun to have a time travel adventure in which the players have to play in assorted past and future locations (including mutually exclusive futures-that would be part of the game) to try and “fix” a paradox. In the process, play as many genres as possible. Or do a game with an invasion from another time or dimension. I’m surprised no one has done a Yellow Lantern Corps mod yet. Universal Monsters would be fun adversaries. There are just so many….

The future is wholly unpredictable, especially in these trying times. What are some things you would like to happen in the community or for Freedom Force in general?

I wish FF3 WOULD come out. Then FF4, FF5…
I’d like to see more stuff from all the meshers, modders, skinners, and skopers, including stuff from NEW skinners, meshers, skopers, and modders.

MISC.

As a fan of obscure characters, I’d love to know what type of heroes/villains actually catch your attention.  Do you enjoy any of the modern interpretations at all?

I don’t know how to say which characters will pique my interest, exactly. I love Plastic Man, Spider-Man, Deadman, and Metamorpho. My favorite group of all time is the Original “Original” Doom Patrol, followed by the THUNDER Agents and Metal Men. I think Dr. Doom is my favorite villain–he is just the best villain of all when he is done correctly.
Fu Manchu and Doc Doom have a lot in common: both men are geniuses, both are utterly ruthless, but both possess a code of honor that often works against them. In may ways, Fu Manchu is an evil Doc Savage.

A lot of it has to do with “fun.” There are not a lot of modern characters that are “fun.” Before I got laid off, I found myself reading fewer and fewer comics all the time. I originally wanted to draw comics; now, it’s sad to say, there are few comics I would want to. I did read “The Phantom” and “The Lone Ranger,” and looked forward to “Zorro.” I enjoyed Byrne’s new “Original Doom Patrol” and “The Brave and the Bold.” I intend to track down DC’s “First Flight.” But, as I’ve complained before, they don’t usually write comics for me these days, and most modern interperatations leave me cold.

The best way to escape the problems in the world is to engross yourself in a good novel. What books or authors do you like to peruse?

Simon Hawke and Max Allan Collins are two of my favorite “contemporary” authors. I read a lot of pulp reprints (The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Spider, Operator 5, The Black Bat, and etc.) and a lot of fantasy and science fiction (Larry Niven, Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Lieber, Christoper Anvil, Edmond Hamilton, Gordon R. Dickson, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke to name a very few), a few mysteries (Earl Stanly Gardner, Shell Scott, Rex Stout, John Dickson Carr), some in-between stuff (Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, Dr. Syn, James Bond). I like some science fact books (astronomy, astrophysics), a little ancient history. I’ll read strange stuff like Worlds in Collision or Earth in Upheaval by Emmanual Velikovsky, or Jadoo and Strange Creatures from Time and Space by John Keel, or LO! and Book of the Damned by Charles Fort. I like cartoon collections by Charles Addams, Gahan Wilson, Peter Armo, Arnold Roth, Russel Brockbank, and others. I study art books by Frank Frazetta, Jeff Jones, John Berkley, Michael Whelan, Don Maitz,Virgil Finlay, and Burne Hogarth. I get books collecting magazine and paperback book covers, mainly SF, fantasy, pulps, and mysteries. I also study the art from comic book illustrators like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Bruno Premani, Curt Swan, Neal Adams, Gil Kane, Jim Steranko, Russ Manning, and Alberto Gioletti.

I hope to eventually get all the Showcase Presents and Essential Marvel books, so I can re-read all the stuff I enjoyed when I was a kid.

A few good movies have come out over the past few years with many more to come. What type of movies do you like to watch, and are you excited for any upcoming releases?

I really liked The Lord of the Rings movies for one; they make me hopeful that a lot of other fantasy and science fiction movies might get made. I enjoyed Watchmen and V for Vendetta, despite the changes made to them. I have liked most of the super-hero movies of the last few years, but the first Spiderman, and Iron Man, along with the second Hulk were the best.  I enjoyed The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., and Monsters vs. Aliens. My present financial situation precludes my going to a lot of movies.

I really like old movies. Casablanca is my favorite, followed by The Maltese Falcon and Duck Soup. I’m a sucker for any Bogart, John Wayne, Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, or Marx Brothers movie. I like old monster movies like Fiend Without a Face, The Killer Shrews,  Tarantula, Godzilla, Gorgo, or The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I enjoy science fiction movies, including This Island Earth, The 27th Day, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, the original The Day the Earth Stood Still, Star Wars, 2010, and It Came From Outer Space.

This past Christmas I got The Frankenstein Legacy and The Wolfman Legacy DVDs (consisting of nine classic and not-so-classic Universal monster movies). There are some “odds and ends” movies, mostly adventure movies that I like: Silverado, Swashbucker, The Cassandra Crossing, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Sting. Of course I have copies of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Rocketeer, and Sky Captain. I laugh at Plan 9 From Outer Space, The Eye-Creatures, and Bride of the Atom. I have a skin for Tor Johnson…

I don’t really like melodramas or slasher movies, and I like my horror movies to be scary, not nauseating. It depends on the western as to whether I like it or not.

Warner Brothers cartoons were the best, but Disney Cartoons were works of art. Rocky and Bullwinkle were in a class by themselves.

Lately, I haven’t been able to keep up with forthcoming movies, but I do look forward to the next round of Marvel movies, especially The Avengers.

Musical tastes can say a lot about a person and what they happen to find pleasing. What type of music would one most likely find you listening to?

James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Michael Franks, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Al Stewart, Santanna, The Nails, The Smiterheeens, Guadaucanal Diary, The Ventures, and soundtracks by John Williams or Carl Stallings. I like Spyro Gyra, The Nylons, Suzanne Ciani, Liz Story, most anything from Windham Hill, and Jeff Beck, too. I like some classical music and will listen to almost any jazz, but I’m not much [into] blues, country, or western. I also listen to old time radio shows like “The Green Hornet” and “The Shadow.”

If you were given the chance to produce or create one of your visions for either TV or comics, what would you attempt to have made?

I dunno; The Glob is too much like Plastic Man… maybe Gravedigger. He’s a pulp-type vigilante who has been “played” by several different men, giving the illusion that he is the same person in the “2000s” as he was in the 1930s. Of course, he is supposed to be a ghost. At times, he uses stage magic to give himself his “ghostly” abilities. At other times, he is a mutant who can walk through walls. He has showed up in the Skin-A-Rama thread in the Skins forum. Of course, Gravedigger is a little like The Phantom…

Everyone has a hobby, and some are more bizarre than others. What type of activities do you take up in your free time?

I run a Champions game every other weekend, I read, skin obscure comic book characters, watch movies, draw, and play with my granddaughter (I said I was that old). In the past, I’ve contributed to both Champions and general comic book Fanzines. The Champions work led to doing the illustrations for the Mutants and Masterminds supplement: “Escape from Alcatraz.” I do collect books and comics books when my finances permit it. I even own a few pulp magazines. And I occasionally play Freedom Force.

If I were to pour a bag of words on you, which three words would stick to define your personality?

I have no idea, so I asked my daughter, and she said, “Patient, dedicated, and kind.”

Finally, goals are something every person should have. If given the chance to complete one tomorrow, what do you think you’d choose?

Finish college. I’ve been a 8th or 9th quarter sophomore since 1978.

And that concludes the spotlight on Daglob. What did you guys learn about him, eh? I’ll tell you what I did. 1. He seems to be really into science-fiction, 2. He runs a Champions game, and 3. He has find a lot of novels to involve himself in. A lot. :P . If you want to grab some of Daglob’s work for yourself, you can check out his various yahoo groups (2, 3, 4, 5). Enjoy!