The Batman's batman: Alfred Pennyworth

[http://users.livejournal.com/_alfred_/]

Alfred Pennyworth wasn't always the slim, competent family retainer we know and love. In his earliest appearances (1943), he was a new employee who was not only rotund but a bit of a comic relief character who discovered the Batcave purely by accident. The character's appearance changed in order to match an actor portraying the role in an early film appearance, and gradually he became the Alfred Pennyworth of today: the spiritual descendant of Bunter and Jeeves, a man who is carrying on a tradition of service at Wayne Manor, the most faithful retainer of this most unusual family. As hard as it is to imagine Batman without Robin, it is even harder to imagine Batman without Alfred.

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Starfire

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

If you've only encountered Starfire on the Teen Titans cartoon, boy, are you in for a shock. Starfire, along with Raven and Cyborg, was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez when the duo was preparing a relaunch of DC's Teen Titans. For a truly comprehensive look at her origins, check out her profile on TitansTower.com or visit this in-depth review (complete with scans) of her early history.

In brief, Starfire was born Koriand'r, crown princess of Tamaran. Although the second child of King Myand'r and Queen Luand'r, she was declared the heir over her sister Komand'r (later known as Blackfire) because the firstborn daughter had proven incapable of flight. This, along with some other unfortunate coincidences surrounding Komand'r's childhood, led Komand'r to harbor a deep hatred and jealousy of her younger sister. To make a long story short, Komand'r betrayed her people and arranged for Koriand'r to be taken into slavery as part of a peace agreement. After 7 years a slave, Kory finally rebelled and killed her master, even though such an act meant her own death as well as the threatened destruction of Tamaran. But before that could happen, she and Komand'r were captured by the Psions and subjected to experimentation. The Psions had intended a "test to destruction," but the destruction was their own, as the sisters both came out of the experiment with powers unlike other Tamaranians.

In addition to the ability to fly (hers since birth), Kory has been described as being as strong as a dozen human men. Her signature attack is the starbolts: explosive energy discharges she fires from her hands. She can withstand extremes of temperature and can survive in a non-oxygen environment.

Perhaps her most notable characteristic is her display of emotion. By human standards, she is incredibly brash and direct, as she was raised to trust in her initial reactions to people and situations, and does not shy from letting everyone around her know how she feels. She is honest to the point of tactlessness. Unlike many of the other Titans, she considers herself a warrior, and will not shy from using lethal force in defense of others.

In Watchtower, Starfire fell in love with hugo_clone, a story which cannot be easily summarized. Shortly after they married, while she was pregnant with their first child, she was kidnapped by pharras as part of his desperate attempt to restore social order on the new Tamaranian homeworld. She is one of the primary teachers of the younger Titans, passing on the lessons she learned from the Warlords of Okaara. She will not hesitate to put herself in harm's way, if it will mean the safety of those she loves.

She's sometimes infuriating, often blushworthy, and always enjoyable to play.