NAME: SAM STARKEY
SECRET IDENTITY: TRICERAMAN
PREVIOUS: TRICERALAD, TRICERATEEN
AFFILIATIONS: BOOKS ‘N SUCH
PREVIOUS: PTERODACTYL, THE UPSTARTS
ASSOCIATES: TERRY DACTAL (STEPFATHER), LILY DYLAN (GIRLFRIEND),
MAURICE (ROOMMATE)
Loving, attentive boyfriend. Champion of justice. Loyal friend. Dutiful son. None of these descriptions fit Sam Starkey in the least. Scarred by a childhood in the spotlight as TRICERALAD, the chipper kid sidekick to America’s most beloved nocturnal vigilante, the PTERODACTYL, Sam survived some rough rebellious teenage years and is currently staggering uncomfortably toward his 30s. He works a few days a week at a bookstore and still fights crime as TRICERAMAN when there isn’t anything good on television.
Sam’s nighttime alter ego has done a lot of growing up even if Sam himself hasn’t. Wearing a costume for the majority of his life and numerous past memberships with different teams has made Triceraman connections with nearly every hero and villain in
Paradox City. True, most of them assume he’s either retired or dead, but a shared history is still a shared history.
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NAME: LILY DYLAN
SECRET IDENTITY: NONE
AFFILIATIONS: BOOKS ‘N SUCH
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (BOYFRIEND)
Sam’s longsuffering girlfriend Lily Dylan is working towards a doctorate degree in literature, sews her own dresses and works with Sam part-time at BOOKS ‘N SUCH. She’s in the dark about his double life as TRICERAMAN, so believes she is simply dating a surly, forgetful layabout and not a surly, forgetful layabout who puts on a costume and runs around on rooftops. Why she loves him anyway is anyone’s guess and a topic of much heated discussion among her friends when she’s not around.
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NAME: MAURICE
SECRET IDENTITY: NONE
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
PREVIOUS: PTERODACTYL
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (ROOMMATE)
Sam’s roommate and best friend was mutated into his current condition as an 800-pound slacker by an evil biology professor with an ax to grind. He actually used to be the cute simian mascot for PTERODACTYL and TRICERALAD, added after the buzz had slowed on their popular reality TV show and ratings had begun to dip. Little Maurice went on missions, helped out around the garage and provided much-needed comic relief. Wore a little matching outfit and everything. Seriously. There’s pictures. He tries not to let that wreak his swagger, though, ‘cause a playa is always a playa, no matter the game.
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NAME: TERRY DACTAL
SECRET IDENTITY: PTERODACTYL
AFFILIATIONS: THE ALLIANCE (RESERVE MEMBER)
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (STEPSON)
Terry Dactal – if that is his real name – was a millionaire playboy who gave up a life of luxury and a little bit of his sanity to answer a higher calling and become the scourge of eccentric evildoers everywhere known as the PTERODACTYL. A pioneer of reality television in the 1980s, a camera crew chronicled his crime-fighting adventures. The idea was a smashing success, propelling the hero and his sidekick TRICERALAD into international superstardom. But being the most sought-after commodity in the world, along with the demands of an adoring public and the constantly rolling cameras took its toll, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy in Terry’s world. Sam’s stepfather and legal guardian throughout his formative years, Terry has done his best to do right by the boy. His mind may be slipping and his reflexes might not be as sharp as they once were, but his love for Sam is genuine and his actions as a hero are never less than sincere, even if he’s not always sure where he left his pants.
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NAME: BELINDA VAN HAUTTE
SECRET IDENTITY: COUGAR
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
PREVIOUS: EXTINCTIONEERS (DISBANDED)
ASSOCIATES: PTERODACTYL (ARCHENEMY)
A master thief, Cougar was a founding member of the EXTINCTIONEERS, the group of high-profile villains sworn to destroy the PTERODACTYL. Her devotion to crime tended to waver, however, leading to an on-again, off-again relationship between the two longtime nemeses. On the whole, Cougar tends to treat villainy as a game and men in costume as her playthings. This has given her a bit of a reputation within the hero community, if you know what I mean. Her advancing age hasn’t toned down her antics in the least, seeming instead to have revved her engines to run even hotter than in her younger days.
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NAME: JUN YU
SECRET IDENTITY: TRICERAMAN II
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (MENTOR), BAO YU (MOTHER)
Born in Paradox City to Chinese immigrant parents, JUN YU grew up worshiping costumed heroes and trained himself to become an abnormally gifted athlete. Having the famous WHITE JADE as a mother allowed him to mingle in some of the same circles as his idols and the boy emulated them all as best he could. But his favorite was always TRICERAMAN. (Yet another reason young Yu was a disappointment to his parents.) He loved the former sidekick so much that he crafted his own updated version of the Triceraman costume and took to fighting crime in his name. Imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, and Sam tries hard not to let on how good the kid’s admiration makes him feel.
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NAME: UNKNOWN
SECRET IDENTITY: TRICERALORD
AFFILIATIONS: UNKNOWN
PREVIOUS: EXTINCTIONEERS (DISBANDED)
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (ARCHENEMY)
Next to nothing is known about TRICERAMAN’s most vicious enemy. He has haunted the hero most of his life, a dark specter appearing when Sam least expects him. His identity is as unclear as his motives, and the only known associates he’s ever grouped himself along with are the motley crew who make up THE EXTINCTIONEERS. Triceraman has defeated him time after time, but never decisively, and Sam lives his life looking over his shoulder, wondering when he’ll strike again… seemingly just how Triceralord likes it.
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NAME: BAO YU
SECRET IDENTITY: WHITE JADE
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
PREVIOUS: THE ALLIANCE (RESERVE MEMBER)
ASSOCIATES: JUN YU (SON)
One of the most respected heroes the world has to offer, WHITE JADE has spent the last two decades since immigrating to America building an exemplary record of service to her fellow man. Her only son, JUN YU, is nearly grown, and won’t seem to give up on his dream of following in her footsteps. He’d make a fine doctor or businessman in her estimation, if the boy would only get his head out of the clouds. With flight, speed, strength, smarts and the ability to wield vast amounts of energy, White Jade’s power ranks off the charts. But while her body may burn hot, her temperament is often cold and she’s known to have very little tolerance for anything less than perfection.
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NAME: ARNOLD GROFF
SECRET IDENTITY: GLACIER
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
PREVIOUS: EXTINCTIONEERS (DISBANDED)
ASSOCIATES: PTERODACTYL (ARCHENEMY)
Longtime foe of THE PTERODACTYL, THE ALLIANCE and just about anyone else on the side of law and order, GLACIER is a formidable criminal, but never could figure out how to move into the upper echelons of villainy. Though a founding member of THE EXTINCTIONEERS, Groff has never advanced beyond a second-string hired gun. Keeping his body in a frozen state and able to instantly solidify the water molecules around him into deadly shards of ice, his power has always been considerable. But after working so unsuccessfully for so long, taking orders from the highest bidder, one must wonder if his heart is really in it anymore?
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NAME: MINDY MARVELOUS
SECRET IDENTITY: MARVELOUS WOMAN
PREVIOUS: MISS MARVELOUS
AFFILIATIONS: THE ALLIANCE
PREVIOUS: THE UPSTARTS
ASSOCIATES: MARK MARVELOUS (HUSBAND), TEDDY MARVELOUS (SON), SAM STARKEY (EX-BOYFRIEND)
Initially known as MISS MARVELOUS in her younger days with the teen team THE UPSTARTS, MINDY MARVELOUS was Sam’s first love. Their relationship was heated and passionate and ended messily. Mindy graduated to the major leagues and a prominent place in THE ALLIANCE. She recently married SUPERMARVELOUSMAN and had a baby named TEDDY. She hasn’t spoken to Sam in over four years. (Not that he’s counting.) Her abilities are based around the always-present, impenetrable force field that surrounds her body, which she can control the density of and expel outward as an offensive weapon.
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NAME: WYATT TURNIPSEED
SECRET IDENTITY: NANOMYTE
PREVIOUS: MACROKNIGHT
AFFILIATIONS: THE ALLIANCE
PREVIOUS: THE UPSTARTS
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (EX-TEAMMATE), BOB (EX-TEAMMATE)
NANOMYTE first hit the scene as a teenage member of THE UPSTARTS. He controls his body’s atoms, allowing him to either shrink or grow, but was too self-conscious as a young man to be anything but large and in charge. So he went by MACROKNIGHT and ignored some of the subtler uses of his powers like increased density and speed in favor of getting huge and stomping on stuff. He’s way more confident as an adult, knowing full well that size doesn’t matter. The youngest and most recent of the current roster to join THE ALLIANCE, he doesn’t feel as close to his superstar teammates as he did the scrappy kids in The Upstarts, but enjoys the perks of celebrity and is the coolest guy Sam knows by far.
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NAME: BOB
SECRET IDENTITY: ROBE.R.T. (Robotic Environmental Response Tech)
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
PREVIOUS: THE UPSTARTS
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (EX-TEAMMATE), NANOMYTE (EX-TEAMMATE)
Bob has evolved in both looks and priorities over the years, but never in attitude. He doesn’t talk much about his creation or life before joining THE UPSTARTS. Able to morph his robotic structure to create various devices both high- and low-tech, an array of tools and even complex machinery, he was an invaluable asset to his young team and a stalwart, ever-steady presence whenever things got angsty. When The Upstarts disbanded, he quit the life in order to settle down and raise a family with a human woman. Today, he works a boring 9-to-5 job as an I.T. specialist and has never regretted his choices, though he isn’t averse to meeting up with the guys to feign nostalgia and reminisce with them about the good old days.
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NAME: PRESTON GREENGRASS
SECRET IDENTITY: NONE
AFFILIATIONS: BOOKS ‘N SUCH
ASSOCIATES: SAM STARKEY (COWORKER), LILY DYLAN (COWORKER)
A recent hire at BOOKS ‘N SUCH, the chain bookstore where SAM and LILY both work, Preston stands out from the crowd with his keen fashion sense and hip lingo. Good-natured and pleasant in all weathers, his hobbies include world travel, yoga, poetry that doesn’t rhyme and being frustratingly perfect. Of course, Sam assumes he’s keen on stealing Lily away from him, but so far Preston has been a perfect gentleman and a model employee.
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NAME: DR. DEREK CALDWELL
SECRET IDENTITY: THE SHRINK
AFFILIATIONS: NONE
ASSOCIATES: NANOMYTE (ARCHENEMY)
A psychiatrist by trade, Dr. Derek Caldwell suffered his own break from reality and became the costumed villain known as THE SHRINK after synthesizing a substandard batch of the size-changing chemicals that originally gave NANOMYTE his abilities. While he went on to battle several members of THE UPSTARTS during their prime, his main nemesis remained the hotheaded young giant, MACROKNIGHT. While Macroknight would eventually mature into his more famous incarnation, Nanomyte, The Shrink never seemed to change his shtick. His whereabouts are currently unknown. And by that, I mean no one has bothered to keep track. He is very tiny and hardly seems worth the effort it would take.
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