Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Discuss "Metrobay Comix" and other stories with Doctor Robo!

On a scale of 0-5, with 5 being the best, how do you rate Valient Grrl?

0
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No votes
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No votes
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1
6%
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11%
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28%
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56%
 
Total votes : 18

Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Doctor Robo » February 6th, 2010, 11:54 pm

This week's "Character Conversation" spotlights one of the originals of the Metrobay Universe, Valient Grrl. Along with Pink Pussycat, Enchantress, and a couple of other characters Valient Grrl is a major part of the foundation on which the Metrobay Universe was built, and was the main character in the very first mind control story - "Rookie Mistake".

So, what do you think about the Superheroine Squad's resident powerhouse? Is she just another pretty face with a funny way of spelling her name, or is she something more than that? Let your voices be heard!

Valient Grrl's profile on the Metrobay Universe wiki: http://metrobay.wetpaint.com/page/Valient+Grrl

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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Trishbot » February 7th, 2010, 11:09 am

Image

I'll confess, I wasn't a big fan of Valient Grrl at first... superstrength and skimpy outfits aren't that new. How original could she be?

Turns out quite a bit. Kristen Thomas quickly become one of the most interesting, versatile, and original characters in any medium.

There are several things that make her stand out, foremost being her personality. She’s hotheaded and abrasive, which both helps her out and gets her into trouble. She’s one of the few heroines with any sort of real romantic relationship, which is a tenderness that contrasts her tough exterior. As a strong-arm heroine, mind control is always her biggest weakness, and thankfully villains exploit that… often.

She’s also the youngest Superheroine Squad member. She’s proven to be a talented leader and a skilled heroine, enough to become a minor legend, but she’s not experienced or old enough yet to fully shoulder all that responsibility. She tries to act more mature than she really is, like she’s trying to prove herself. Considering she’s the latest in a legacy of legendary heroines, from Valiant Woman to Valiant Girl to herself, her lineage is daunting and exciting.

Now, er, I myself might be a tad biased, but also her origin and background to me I find compelling… but those haven’t been explored much… yet. Not to shamelessly plug my “Hypnotica” storyline, but the vast majority of Valient Grrl’s origin will be explored in the next issue of “Hypnotica”, which I think may change a few people’s opinions of her, for better or worse…

… so we’ll see how that goes *crosses fingers*.

Overall, Valient Grrl is amazing. She’s a strong, beautiful Amazonian knockout that’s earned her passionate fanbase, myself included among them.
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Akonkid » February 7th, 2010, 12:13 pm

Valient Grrl. Oh wow.

I make no secret that out of the hundred of characters in Metrobay, the dozens of beautiful heroines, Miss Kristen Thomas is my absolute favorite, bar none.

Without Valient Grrl, there would be no mind control comics here. This entire website was built on the foundation of her and her “Rookie Mistake”. That’s extremely impressive.

Even if she wasn’t the progenitor of the MCComix movement, she’s still a fantastic character. I loved how Hypnotica described her perfectly, like an untamed lioness. She’s graceful, elegant, and beautiful, but when on the attack she’s frightening, powerful, and dangerous. And like other wild and beautiful women, “taming” her is exceptionally satisfying. And she usually puts up a *ahem* “valiant” fight.

What I love about Valient Grrl is also her weaknesses. She’s been called “the strongest woman in Metrobay”, so finding the chink in her armor is compelling. Foremost, she is inexperienced and hotheaded. She’s got a chip on her shoulder to prove herself and, while she’s one of the more mature girls on the team, she routinely succumbs to her emotions, such as with Mechana and Hypnotica. Her other weakness is her soft side. For all her pretenses, she’s an extremely loving woman, and will almost always sacrifice herself in exchange for others. Her feelings for Alpha Woman and others can be used against her to great effect.

And I have to mention her role in “Hypnotica”. Valient Grrl was never a boring character, but that story gave her a shot in the arm and catapulted her from my favorite character to being, well, my undisputed favorite character by a wider margin. Valient Grrl is an emotional woman, and her expected status quo shift looks like it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster for her, and I can’t wait to join her for the ride.

Valient Grrl is just great. She’s mind control-prone, fiercely independent, extremely strong yet inwardly vulnerable, and her story arc is captivating and compelling. I can’t wait for more of her.
If she would just do what I asked, I wouldn't need to use mind control!
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby ashleychloroformed » February 7th, 2010, 7:45 pm

He he I would love to see Hypnotica involve ALpha woman with her exploration of Valiant Grrl. :mrgreen:
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby dumbtime » February 7th, 2010, 9:12 pm

No room in the poll for a 4.4 but that is what I'd give VG. I love the young, tough, physical approach to things that leads to many mistakes that she seems to be prone to making; love the look she has when she's "under mind control;" love the raven hair with the skimpy outfit and love the fact that she's the hot police station secretary that sleeps with, probably, the most powerful being in Metrobay.

Don't know much about where she came from or how she came to be a super strengthed mutant so she can't get a higher score, just yet.
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Doctor Robo » February 21st, 2010, 9:19 pm

dumbtime wrote:Don't know much about where she came from or how she came to be a super strengthed mutant so she can't get a higher score, just yet.


I do believe that Miss Trishbot will be answering those questions in the coming issue of "Hypnotica", whenever she and Mr. Finister get a chance to work on them. Stay tuned!

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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Akonkid » March 10th, 2010, 11:36 pm

Doctor Robo wrote:
dumbtime wrote:Don't know much about where she came from or how she came to be a super strengthed mutant so she can't get a higher score, just yet.


I do believe that Miss Trishbot will be answering those questions in the coming issue of "Hypnotica", whenever she and Mr. Finister get a chance to work on them. Stay tuned!

- Doc


Well we certainly do now.

And as many others have observed, Valient Grrl has become a better, stronger, vastly more interesting and compelling character for it. I'm in agreement with previous comments pertaining to that story that Valient Grrl has stepped up and demonstrated true heroism in the face of adversity and has handled the bombardment of shocks and ugly truths with dignity, valor, and unexpected vulnerability.

She was my favorite character prior to her origin story, and I have nothing but strong admiration for her following it.
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby ashleychloroformed » March 16th, 2010, 8:40 am

Very hot eye opener about Valient Grrl.

Now knowing she was meant to be used for evil under villains makes her a bit more interesting as far as her origins. :mrgreen:
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby mctek » April 3rd, 2010, 1:58 pm

Valient Grrl has come alongggggg way since i first seen her in rookie mistake, seriously she's had the best character development since i found Hip comix. Lol she went from no detail to omgwtf that is some awesome stuff about her. I'm sure there be more to explore with her character, hell i'm interested to see more characters get this sort of treatment. My only real question is how the hell does that suit say on?

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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Doctor Robo » April 7th, 2010, 9:28 pm

mctek wrote:My only real question is how the hell does that suit say on?


That's a great question. I assume lots of double-sided tape is involved. :P
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Akonkid » June 5th, 2010, 11:40 pm

Valient Grrl is possibly the most widespread Metrobay heroine at the moment, and I'm surprised there's not more discussion about her. Even if she was the original Metrobay robogirl, it felt like she was just as second-string heroine compared to front-runners like Ms. Metrobay, Silver Satin, and Brown Sugar.

Thankfully, she's really carved out a wonderful, irreplaceable spot for herself in Metrobay and "valiantly" (sorry, had to) overcome the stigma of being the generic "strong" heroine.

In "Hypnotica", she recently showed just how absolutely, undeniably badass she can be. I loved Max's "what have I created?" moment when she tore through her assailants like tissue paper. Her temper was one of the first personality traits defined for her, and it was great to see it flare up again. Unlike all her companions, she alone was the one that made Max afraid, and that's pretty interesting. Also interesting was the way she's stepped up and assumed a very strong, very admirably leadership role. Even after all the emotional and mental fatigue, assaults, and twists she's had to endure, she's withstood it. Even though she's very chummy with Snowflake, she wasn't afraid to give out the orders and make sure they were followed. She was made an official Squad member for a reason, beyond just saving the rest of the Squad back in the original run, and it's shown most here, where she's competent, intelligent, and awe-inspiring in the way she evokes fear, admiration, attraction, and respect.... and with her performance there, it's not hard to see how the best parts of her "mother" were transferred to her.

In "Mind Over Magic", she's shown the same sort of traits. She's more calm and calculated, trying to sway Enchantress without the need for violence, but then fearlessly facing down a towering monster if she had to. It was also interesting to see her challenge Alpha Woman's leadership, which put an interesting spin on their professional and personal relationship and showed she's not a doormat. She's very opinionated and still wonderfully stubborn, which makes her interesting.

In "Body Image", she's shown a surprisingly soft, vulnerable side. Given her invulnerability, I find that blissfully amusing. She's the type of heroine you don't expect to ever see in a dress and who enjoys bashing badguys around, and yet when it comes to her body and being photographed, she genuinely shy and embarrassed about it. It's those little flaws and chinks in her otherwise flawless armor that makes her seem very grounded and allows her to be this superhuman amazon woman with a surreal origin story as a genetically modified clone and yet also exist as a totally normal, natural, human girl. It's great.

In "Forbidden Fantasy", I find it interesting that she exists as the new main target of Belinda's wrath. Belinda has a habit of holding grudges, but out of all the heroines she seems to hate Valient Grrl the most. Sure, Valient Grrl was the one that destroyed her lab and took Ms. Metrobay from her, but it was Belinda's involvement from the start. I think it's perhaps a bit subliminal from Mechana's rejection of her creator (possibly influenced by Valient Grrl's personality traits) and their mutually spiteful, feisty and stubborn personalities.

But that also leads to how I think Valient Grrl has the most interesting and strongly felt relationships with others. She continues to have a bit of a rivalry with Mechana. She's the lover of Alpha Woman. She's the target of Belinda's wrath. She shares an origin with Hypnotica. She's the "daughter" of Valiant Woman. The old saying is that if you don't make both friends and enemies, you're not doing something right. Well, Valient Grrl has both, and I think she's doing everything right at the moment.
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Northern Chill » June 6th, 2010, 12:27 pm

One thing I do a lot is try and second guess what lays ahead for characters and stories and in the case of Valient Grrl, I think, judging by her recent appearances, she's coming to a bit of a crossroads. Assuming nothing that has been said turns out to be "a dream/falsehood", VG has some important choices to make down the road with ramifications affecting more than a few around her. It'll be more than a little intriguing to see where she winds up as the dust settles on things.
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Re: Character Conversation #5: Valient Grrl

Postby Trishbot » January 20th, 2011, 2:43 pm

Valient Grrl is probably the busiest woman in MCComix right now, being in (and brainwashed in) no less than three on-going comics, and yet each appearance is vastly different than each other and shows off a different side of her, which is refreshing.

Let me give my feedback on her appearances (of which two of them I'm writing myself, so, you know, writer's insight. ;) )

Valient Grrl in Forbidden Fantasy. Valient Grrl has always succeeded most in drawing out the most intense feelings from everyone she comes in contact with. People she meets always come away with strong opinions and impressions of her. Belinda obviously hated her, blaming her for the loss of her lover, her lab, and her freedom, and Kristen became THE woman she hated more than anyone else. And Valient Grrl felt the same way. Belinda had stolen her, copied her, and humiliated her, and Kristen, more than ANY other heroine, knew what Belinda was capable of. It was truly a great rivalry of brains vs brawn that reminded me of The Leader vs The Hulk, but Kristen was smart too. She may not be a super-genius, but she did her best to keep watch on Belinda even inside the prison and to instruct Warden Smith not to get lax with her. Ultimately, Kristen was betrayed by someone she trusted and counted as a friend, and she was stripped of her pedestal. She was brainwashed into Belinda's slave, and her love for Alpha Woman doesn't even flicker in her mind. Honestly, I hope Kristen doesn't fully recover from this. She's had her noodle messed with so many times, but this is the one that seems like it has the potential to actually change her. Her memories and emotions deleted and modified, if she ever does get free, will she go back to normal? Or will she struggle with an identity that she feels she should know but can't identify with? She's told she loves Tina, but she no longer feels it, or she's told Mechana and her used to fight but she doesn't feel that anger towards her anymore. She's left marked and changed; she'll recover and move on with her life, but the scar tissue in her brain will always remind her that she's not quite the same woman she was before Belinda got a hold of her, and she'd need to move past it. That's the potential I see, the chance to make Valient Grrl stand alone and apart from the baggage she's been saddled with, no longer defined by what she is (a clone), who she is (Alpha Woman's girlfriend), or what she's done (many mind controlled crimes). Until then, though, Belinda should go wild with her.

Valient Grrl in Body Image. This was my attempt to focus more on Valient Grrl's vulnerable side, which I'll definitely be getting to in future issues. For a woman as strong as Kristen is, it's difficult to imagine she's still actually a young, insecure woman trying to find her place in the world. We forget that while the heroines love her as one of their own, the general public's first impression of her was that of a wild-card hothead and a brainwashed robot girl that invoked fear in the general populous as she robbed banks, destroyed property, and caused havoc wherever she went. To me, Kristen has had the additional burden of trying to regain the public's trust since then, since they view her almost as more of a threat to their safety than many supervillains. Furthermore, she's genetically super-tall and super strong, and has the most daring and revealing outfit of any Squad member, leaving her the main target of criticism from the tabloids about how she looks and dresses. She's in a constant battle for respect and struggles with self-respect. She also has to live up the legacy of the prior "Valiant" woman, of whom the papers and tabloids feel she is far inferior to. So, she has body image issues, lives in the shadow of her predecessors, and is haunted by the ghosts of her past, and then Leo, Theo, and Cleo come along and exploit her human weaknesses, enslave her again, and set out to systematically turn her into everything she feared she'd become, using her to ruin lives and to become once again a public threat. Even if she breaks free and saves the day, the damage is already catastrophic; will the public really stand by and let her freely fight criminals when the city bill is in the millions every time she screws up? How much will her friends stick up for her in the face of persecution? How loyal is Alpha Woman to her lover when the heat rises and Hypnotica comes along for competition? These will all be addressed in the issues to come and really explore not just Valient Grrl's personal problems but also how the city as a whole views her.

Valient Grrl in Hypnotica. Obviously this is a big one, since it's in the pages of "Hypnotica" that Valient Grrl uncovers her origins as an APEX-created test product. This, obviously, is going to have major repercussions on her as an individual. It's illegal to allow clones to exist, and so this proud heroine is now forced to hide a terrible secret, and also lie and cover up for her new friend Hypnotica. How far would you go to protect someone you cared about? How many laws would you break to ensure their safety? When the very person you work for and live with, Alpha Woman, is one of the individuals that helped pass an "anti-clone" law, how complicated can that relationship get? Beyond that, Valient Grrl's past and future are no longer so clear-cut. She has a mother she never knew or spent time with, and whom doesn't even know Kristen exists. She's now someone APEX and Max have rediscovered, and will they really let an expensive product like her wander free without monitoring her? Her sense of identity, of who she is, is in danger of being lost. But, this series also shows how strong she is. The revelations she uncovered would break and cripple the mind of a lesser being, but in even the hardest circumstances, she stands her ground and does what her heart tells her is right, whether what her heart tells her is right endangers her life or even breaks the law. Kristen is the youngest full Squad member, but I also see her as the heroine with the most potential to become a true legend. The people of Metrobay may hate and fear her, her past may be full of rookie mistakes and hotheaded decisions, and she may continue to defy the very laws she promised to honor and respect, but she is a natural leader, a skilled tactician, a powerful warrior, and a kind and loving soul. Unfettered, she could possibly be a better leader than Ms. Metrobay or Alpha Woman, but her own fears, self-doubts, and dependencies on them limit this, but as "Hypnotica" showed, when she's in charge, she's brilliant and terrifying. She has potential, and her actions in "Hypnotica" are just the beginning of a story arc for her that will be followed up on showing just what she is actually capable of.

Kristen remains one of the first, and best, heroines MCComix has ever produced. From her origins as a confused and reckless rookie to her gradual maturation and evolution into a triple-A heroine, she continues to exhibit enough variety and appeal to warrant those many appearances she makes. Despite everything that's happened to her, both good and bad, she's endured and will likely continue to endure. She's full of potential, and whether she ever succeeds in matching the legacy her mother Valiant Woman earned that has only grown to mythic proportions through the decades, or whether she breaks from expectations and marches down a different path, possibly one against the law or against the very Squad and friends she's spend her whole life honoring and protecting, one thing remains true of her; she follows her heart and she'll never compromise that.

And, to me, that's the mark of not just a good heroine, but a GREAT one.
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