Animated chalk corpse outline (Night Man character)

Chalk

(Tommy Kwan)


Context

This obscure character appeared in Night Man, an Ultraverse book. The Ultraverse was one of the new super-hero settings that emerged during the early 1990s, then disappeared within but a few years to buyouts and the collapse of the comic books speculative bubble.


Background

  • Real Name: Tommy Kwan.
  • Marital Status: N.A..
  • Known Relatives: Gale Yee (fiancée).
  • Group Affiliation: None.
  • Base Of Operations: San Francisco.
  • Height: 5’9” Weight: None
  • Eyes: None Hair: None


Advertisement


Powers and Abilities

Tommy Kwan is a flat ghost. He can only be hit when he’s facing his opponent, can slip through tiny cracks in walls, and his chalk-like outline is stretchable and malleable.

He’s a better fighter than even the Night Man, and hits like a mule.


History

Tom Kwan was one of the persons on the tram in San Francisco that was hit by blue lightning. This “jumpstart” gave all passengers on the bus ultra powers.

Like most of the passengers, Kwan didn’t realize he now had powers. However, he was shaken by the event, and decided that he should go straight and leave his life as a Silver Daggers gang member behind him.

That didn’t pay off. He ran afoul of his gang, which ended up murdering him in a closed amusement park under the very eyes of Gale Yee, his fiancée. The police took photos, drew the outline of the corpse and asked questions. But the locals were too afraid of the Silver Daggers.


Advertisement


An outline

However, the outline of the corpse back in the deserted amusement park animated itself and walked away. The Night Man, whose base was in the park, confronted it but was outfought. Afterwards, he pieced together the origin of that strange creature, and went to Tom Kwan’s fiancée apartment.

The Silver Daggers saw him and went in to kill Ms. Yee after the hero left. But the Night Man “heard” their murderous thoughts and went back in just in time to stop them. There, he fought along with the corpse outline to defend the young woman.

Feeling a kinship with the mute, animated corpse outline, the Night Man lured Mr. Kwan’s murderer to the amusement park. The outline attacked and killed its murderer, leaving the Night Man to ponder whether he had made the right choice.

Burnt

The Night Man encountered Chalk again when he dated Gale Yee in his civilian identity. Yee bore a strong hatred of metas, and Chalk attacked the Night Man, since his fiancée hated him.

During the fight, the Night Man discovered Chalk’s outline burned like real chalk, and Chalk retreated. He was apparently destroyed by Loki during this retreat.


Description

See illustration.


Personality

Hard to say, as it cannot communicate.



Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

Chalk

Dex: 08 Str: 06 Bod: 08 Motivation: Justice
Int: 03 Wil: 05 Min: 03 Occupation: Ghost
Inf: 03 Aur: 03 Spi: 03 Resources {or Wealth}: 000
Init: 014 HP: 030

Powers:
Dispersal: 04, Duo-dimensional: 02, Stretching: 01

Bonuses and Limitations:

  • Duo-dimensional is Always On.
  • Dispersal and Stretching are Contingent on Duo-Dimensional (-1).

Skills:
None demonstrated.

Advantages:
Life Support (Full).

Connections:
Street (Low).

Drawbacks:
Guilt, Strange Appearance, CPR (cannot communicate), Attack vulnerability (-1CS OV/RV open flames).

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Ultraverse.