Character Conversation #10: Ms. Metrobay

[Doctor Robo]

I can't believe that it's taken this long for me to get around to the big cheese of the Metrobay Universe: The one, the only, Ms. Metrobay!

We all know her story, from naive country sweetheart to legendary Superheroine Squad captain. But what is it about the lovely Kelly West that gets your heart all aflutter? Is it her eternal youth and beauty? Her uncanny knack for getting herself into trouble with those dastardly villains? Or does she possess other 'talents' that you find undeniably appealing? Speak up now and let your voice be heard!

Here's Ms. Metrobay's profile from the Metrobay Comix wiki: http://metrobay.wetpaint.com/page/Ms.+Metrobay

Thanks!
- Doc

[MacroLass]

I think I'm fond of Ms. Metrobay because I admire her.

Not just her looks and her impressive bust size but the fact that she IS a hero. The battle against R.O.P.E. is uphill all the way and neverending. Most likely she realizes that there will be no end to it, all she can hope for is stalemates and minor victories. R.O.P.E. is just too entrenched.

Add to that the fact that while she has the love and admiration of the city, she can look forward to regular bouts of humiliation and sexual degradation in the course of her job. Even worse is the fact that often she has to sit back and watch her FRIENDS suffer through those same torments. It can't be easy and yet she gets up every day, puts on a ridiculous skintight outfit, and puts herself on the line.

But Metrobay NEEDS her. Without the Superheroine Squad the city would be all squallor and misery with people just having to roll ever for every penny ante crook who blows into town. Sometimes I think Max doesn't know how good he has it with them.

Maybe that could be a lesson he could (or SHOULD) learn.

[dumbtime]

This is the only 5 you'll see me pick in the Metrobay Polls. I'd even give it to her over my own character, American Amazon. The reason being is she's Legendary and she's best pixellated creation of a MILF I've yet to see.

I agree with MacroLass about the overall persona of her character. She's the model of maturity for all the heriones in the SS and she continues the fight, even after months of Mind Control take her away from it. I see no retirement home for her anytime in the future.

I do want to add that I really, really, really dig her appearance as a maid, a stripper (with AA, that vision of them together was so awesome it nearly made me comatose ) and especially as a Zombabe.

I have always wondered what Max would do to her if he had the chance to do what Belinda did in Project: Metropolis. I hope the scene with her in Catatonic Kitty is a foreshadowing.

[Doctor Robo]

For many reasons, Ms. Metrobay could be considered the 'primary' protagonist of our little universe, or at least on the short list along with Pink Pussycat and a couple of others. Do you think we should have more Ms. Metrobay stories, fewer, or do we use her in just the right amount?

- Doc

[Northern Chill]

I'd like to see a Ms. Metrobay retro story that shows why she is a legend in Metrobay beyond her look....have the elements we love in her but have her front and center as the leader type.

[Akonkid]

I like Ms. Metrobay a lot.... yet at the same time, I confess I'm a bit tired of her.

Not so much tired of HER, just what she DOES. We keep being told she's this legendary heroine... but she's only legendary for her chest size. In context, she hasn't been a very good leader, hasn't really stopped too many bad guys, and hasn't done much other than fulfill a very general "big boob" fetish that everyone has.

And yet she keeps showing up in stories for the mandatory blowjob or robot scene.

I want to see others do that role; maybe Crystal Cyclone or Brown Sugar, or more Omega Woman or Alpha Woman.

Alpha Woman, in particular, is a co-leader, and yet we rarely see her interact with her mother or deal with how she feels living up to the enormous shadow her mother casts. She seems just far too well-adjusted.

I'll rant more about her later. Ms. Metrobay has a lot going for her too that I'd like to acknowledge.

[MacroLass]

Not so much tired of HER, just what she DOES. We keep being told she's this legendary heroine... but she's only legendary for her chest size. In context, she hasn't been a very good leader, hasn't really stopped too many bad guys, and hasn't done much other than fulfill a very general "big boob" fetish that everyone has.

Well to be fair to the divine Ms. M (nod to Bette ), she started her run in HIPComix in a pretty crappy place by having been controlled by Giolla for a period of some years. But yeah, most of her appearances since that haven't enhanced her reputation either.

I think part of the problem is that like a lot of "peril" heroines, she has an exotic power (her energy absorbtion) that has no or very limited offensive applications...so she can't really fight back effectively when she's snared. One could say that her main "power" is looking good (aka "The Most Common Superpower" trope) so she's sexy in bondage situations. And I think that's a shame because she could be more than that.

About a year and a half ago my boyfriend did some writeups for a few Metrobay heroines in the Champions/Hero System rules. Now obviously some of that's subjective and tailored to the needs of his game but he did communicate several times with Doc Robo...and I think it's very telling that Ms. Metrobay needed to be given martial arts (not that much of a stretch really but not in canon) to be able to handle even normal thugs with guns.

I think if her portrayal were "kicked up a notch", that if she were shown to be, say, an accomplished hand to hand fighter not necessarily on the level of Lady Shiva or Batman (dare I say ala Kat Krusader ) but well able to handle a group of thugs on her own that it'd go a long way towards making her more believable in that sense. Obviously that decision is Doc's but as more writers are allowed into the Metrobay universe I think the more obvious her inadequacies are going to become.

I agree with Akonkid. She's not irredeemable but I really think she needs to be shown justifying her place at the top of the superheroine heap.

[Tecknophyle]

I think part of the problem is that like a lot of "peril" heroines, she has an exotic power (her energy absorbtion) that has no or very limited offensive applications...so she can't really fight back effectively when she's snared. One could say that her main "power" is looking good (aka "The Most Common Superpower" trope) so she's sexy in bondage situations. And I think that's a shame because she could be more than that.

About a year and a half ago my boyfriend did some writeups for a few Metrobay heroines in the Champions/Hero System rules. Now obviously some of that's subjective and tailored to the needs of his game but he did communicate several times with Doc Robo...and I think it's very telling that Ms. Metrobay needed to be given martial arts (not that much of a stretch really but not in canon) to be able to handle even normal thugs with guns.

According to her character description, though, she can absorb kinetic energy as well. Based on what's described, she should be your classic tank/damage sponge. Moreover, while she can't perhaps channel that absorbed energy like Shield into superstrength, again according to the description it should keep her energy levels up. By all rights, she should be the equivalent of Marvel's Wolverine: no super strength or super speed, but she just keeps coming.

(Incidentally, get your minds out of the gutter, that isn't remotely what I meant...although it's probably true as well).

In essence, she'd be the superhuman equivalent of Ali's Rope-a-Dope strategy: if she's ready for you, you can keep punching her all day and all it would do was tire you out while she's still fresh as a daisy and can wait until you're exhausted.

[Trishbot]

I have a serious love/hate relationship with Ms. Metrobay. I have a lot of material to go over, so *cracks knuckles* let's get down and dirty.

I'll start with all the positives.

Ms. Metrobay is insanely professional. She's got a level of maturity that's sorely lacking in nearly every other heroine. Even top-level, popular heroines like Pink Pussycat, Valient Grrl, and Omega Woman are rather childish and immature at times. Not Ms. Metrobay. That woman is the most level-headed woman in the whole damn city, and for that alone it's easy to see how, even though she sort of got dragged into the heroine business, she's the one that had the chops to rise above and take over leadership responsibilities. With her age and experience, she acts like nothing phases her; robots, wizards, aliens, mutants, clones, mad scientists... she's seen it all.

Secondly, she's got a familial side. Her status as a mother is one that I enjoy beyond all others, and I'm actually a tad upset that's not brought up and addressed more often. Ms. Metrobay's crusade against evil isn't just an occupation she did because she had some gifts; that's what most heroines do. Kelly's leadership position is a PERSONAL thing. She's out there fighting, not because she wants to, but because her daughter is in danger every second of the day and she feels she has no right to do anything less. I'm sure she'd much rather retire quietly and spend her time with Alpha Man in his golden years; he may be a hardy man, but at his age, I'm sure every moment away from him is precious time they may not be able to make up later. But she's out there fighting anyway, for friends and family.

Her maternal instincts extend beyond that to the other heroines. As a mother, no heroine is better equipped to help young, fledgling heroines learn and grow and to nurture their powers and abilities. She's the direct mother of Alpha Woman, but you could call her the "mother" of the entire Squad, caring for their well-being, being stern when needed, and giving them the means necessary to grow as individuals. That's a vital role she performs that's rarely addressed.

But I have a few problems with her too.

For starters, and I'm going to be blunt here, as a heroine... she sucks. Yeah, she's this old, legendary heroine that fills out a costume, but in action she's done almost nothing to warrant all that praise and respect. Silver Satin has saved the day more than Ms. Metrobay has and she's just a fledgling, novice rookie. In battle, Valient Grrl and Omega Woman can bark out orders while throwing themselves at the main threats. Ms. Metrobay should be one of the most hardy heroines on the team, but it's like she doesn't want to mess her hair or break a nail. She sort of tends to show up late, promptly gets mind controlled, and does nothing, except perhaps accidentally help save the day by distracting an enemy with her big breasts or causing milk tanks to explode with her big breasts (her breasts are more heroic than she is...) I can't even name the last time Ms. Metrobay actually used her powers in any context that would be considered "heroic"...

Secondly, she may be the "protagonist"... but there are dozens of other heroines that could be used as well, many of whom I find vastly more interesting and full of potential than Ms. Metrobay. Kelly didn't even show up until after Valient Grrl, Alpha Woman, Brown Sugar, and Silver Satin were shown, to say nothing of Pink Pussycat, Clawdette, Kitten, Valiant Girl/Woman, or Nightengale. I KNOW writers like using her (and her big breasts), but she's everywhere, even in stories that could BENEFIT from having her role filled with someone else, if only for variety and diversity's sake. The fact that LISA, her robot clone, is being heavily played around right now doesn't help; it almost feels like there's twice as much Ms. Metrobay now as before and it's a little overbearing for my personal tastes (and it's one of the reasons I'm taking a break from Valient Grrl and Hypnotica stories following the completion of my own... I just NEED something new to work with).

Moreover, and this is my personal opinion, I'm still missing her debut outfit. You know, the one that actually shows off her skin, cleavage, and sexy legs. I know Ms. Metrobay changes costumes every now and then, but I definitely prefer her very first outfit compared to her current costume... which is just Alpha Woman's with a different color scheme (and even though it was retconned into Alpha Woman stealing MM's costume, as readers we saw AW's first). For a woman with such a breast-centric persona, losing that cleavage and covering up her chest was like putting fabric over Power Girl's cleavage-window or throwing jeans over Black Canary's fishnet stockings. It takes away from Alpha Woman's uniqueness and makes both outfits seem generic (maybe Alpha Woman could change outfits rather than feel like a copy of her mother in every instance.) Beyond that, and maybe I'm just jaded, but I'm just not a fan of blonde, bimbo Barbie types with big boobs (unless they have great personalities, like Snowflake); I'd much rather see more Jade Lightning, Brown Sugar, RollerGrrl, or even Super Freak going out and getting more action. I wouldn't even mind something fun like Akonkid's Gorilla Gal popping up for appearances if it meant more variety or a change from Ms. Metrobay.

Lastly, Ms. Metrobay has SO much potential. That's the criminal thing; I'm honestly eager to see something new, be it other heroines preferably, but I'd just as readily like to see something new done with Ms. Metrobay herself. She has all this history that's unexplored; a past with Omega Woman that's hinted at but never touched upon; a daughter she co-leads with but spends less time with than she does with Ted... there's so many stories that COULD be told, be it flashbacks to her adventures with Alpha Man or stories that call for her to make legitimately important leadership decisions that might cost them or just ANY story of her showing she's not some trophy heroine, going out, and getting her hands dirty. I loved scenes of Marcy kicking robot butt in "Superheroine Squad", of Valient Grrl crawling out of rubble in "Body Image" or fighting robots in "Hypnotica", of Alpha Woman scaring the beejezus out of the badguys with her powers in "Platinum Earth", of Jade Lightning and Brown Sugar learning how to fight in Duality Dame's story, and Snowflake proving her mettle in "Resort Tales". But Ms. Metrobay doesn't have any story I can point to and go "damn! She's awesome!" She's not. She's pretty. That's it. Omega Woman is flying around blasting robots with eye lasers, Mechana is calling out for Sentius's blood, Kitten is punching out scumbags, and Enchantress is using her magic to bust crime... but their grand leader just isn't acting very "super" in the "Superheroine Squad".

But I don't want too end this one a negative. I gave her a healthy 4 out of 5 because she DOES have so much going for her and she has done so much very right. She's important to the Squad, and her beauty does warrant the almost zealotry praise everyone heaps on her (I wonder if there is a "cult of Ms. Metrobay" somewhere...). She's got a huge family that's fun to visit and deal with, she's got great powers she can use, she's got a huge amount of history to read over and potential to explore. She's got class and she never fails to provide the eroticism whenever she shows up.

It's a GOOD character that makes fans wish there was more done with her. If she was a lame character, people wouldn't care or wouldn't even notice. But for Ms. Metrobay, she's in so many stories and does so much right that her flaws stand out more than most. Personally, I'd like to see more stories dealing with her absence to show us WHY she is so necessary; like, we never really got Alpha Woman's feelings on that time her mother dropped off the planet, ditched her father without a word, and left her in charge of running an entire team of superheroes... you'd think that could be addressed at some point. Or Omega Woman dealing with their decades of prior history, and how both of them can relate as women originating from a different era, one before cell phones, home computers, or even color TV. There's just such richness to her character, such potential, such promise, that I find it a shame she keeps showing up to do the same things over and over; she has much much more to offer than just being the biggest pair of tits in Metrobay.

[MacroLass]

Hear hear, Trishbot!

I'd give a +1 if we had 'em here.

That pretty much says it all.

[dumbtime]

I think you guys are arguing two sides of a coin. We want to see the big busty, vivacious superheroine that never ages, never tires, and leads the squad with her extreme maturity turned into the exact opposite of what she is. Strategically, if you take down the leader, the rest won't be as hard to handle. But we like to take it a step further in our demented little fantasies. We want her to become that mindless, slutty sexpot, completely opposite to the nurturing mother figure that she strives to be. Heck, if I was a villain, my goal would be to make her focus on nurturing MY needs all the time at my every beckon call.

That is exactly why she ranks a 5 with me. She always has the potential to fall to that level. Every time she rebounds I want to see her get knocked down again. I guess its what drives the demented side of my brain. But, I really would like to see her lose to a more focused villain.

For years, I've wanted to see what's being done to Honeydoll in Tek's story done to MM. But in a different scenario. I'm talking about facing a villain that maybe lose to her a few times early on but got away only to begin to build a deep desire to have her as his own. He studied her every move, habits, thought process. He watched and waited in the shadows. Then when he knew the times was right he confronted her in a showdown and after a long drawn out battle defeated her and took her, not as his prize but as his future companion (very much like Darkseid and WW). He wants and has the wherewithal to COMPLETELY turn her in the exact opposite of what she is - a super sexy, sinister slut that is only mindful of wreaking havoc on Metrobay and the Superheroine Squad with her master. Then we can really see her fight.

There have been a few stories that headed in that direction, but never really focused on it. Belinda caught her, but turned into a sex doll. Gothikka turned into a minion, LISA has brainwashed her into being Ted's lover. Sentius robotized her. No one has ever made her the sinister opposite. That is what I would like to see.

[Doctor Robo]

My intent with Ms. Metrobay was to have her be the administrative leader of the Squad, someone who works at headquarters and supervises operations from the command center. Alpha Woman is the field leader, and is more likely to be on the ground and personally engaging the villains. That's why we haven't seen too much of Ms. Metrobay out on the streets fighting crime. That isn't really her role. That would be like asking a four star general to pick up a rifle and take a shift on guard duty, or asking a football coach to suit up and play a few downs. They might be able to physically do it, but it wouldn't be in the best interests of the team.

I feel like Alpha Woman assumed leadership of the Squad rather reluctantly when her mother was abducted by Belinda. Now that MM is back, AW is happy to let the senior heroine handle the day-to-day leadership tasks.

As far as her powers and abilities are concerned, Ms. Metrobay probably knows enough about hand-to-hand combat to capably defend herself in a fight. She's no Brown Sugar, but after decades of superheroing she can't help but pick up a few tricks.

- Doc

[Tecknophyle]

Dammit, what clothing model is that for the old costume? I know I have it somewhere but forget its name.

[dumbtime]

Dammit, what clothing model is that for the old costume? I know I have it somewhere but forget its name.

I believe its Sphinx Armor

[dumbtime]

My intent with Ms. Metrobay was to have her be the administrative leader of the Squad, someone who works at headquarters and supervises operations from the command center. Alpha Woman is the field leader, and is more likely to be on the ground and personally engaging the villains. That's why we haven't seen too much of Ms. Metrobay out on the streets fighting crime. That isn't really her role. That would be like asking a four star general to pick up a rifle and take a shift on guard duty, or asking a football coach to suit up and play a few downs. They might be able to physically do it, but it wouldn't be in the best interests of the team.

I feel like Alpha Woman assumed leadership of the Squad rather reluctantly when her mother was abducted by Belinda. Now that MM is back, AW is happy to let the senior heroine handle the day-to-day leadership tasks.

As far as her powers and abilities are concerned, Ms. Metrobay probably knows enough about hand-to-hand combat to capably defend herself in a fight. She's no Brown Sugar, but after decades of superheroing she can't help but pick up a few tricks.

- Doc

Yeah, that is easy to see. But, what would she be like if she took those same leadership qualities and used them against the Squad?