Steve Savage
(The Balloon Buster)
Context
The Balloon Buster was a war stories character whom DC introduced in 1965. To my knowledge there weren’t that many books with him, but he still popped up during the early 1980s, as a generation of World War Two comic book stories were making their last stand.
This very old profile was done during an era where we still occasionally dusted off hard-to-find Mayfair stats (it was before easy and cheap access to used books via the Internet) with Who’s Who texts attached for context. So it’s definitely not a modern, full WORG character profile.
Background
- Real Name: Steven Henry Savage, Jr..
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: Steven Matt Savage (trail boss, father, deceased), Brian Savage (aka Scalphunter, grandfather).
- Base Of Operations: France during WWI.
- Group Affiliation: U.S. Army Air corps.
- Height: 5’11” Weight: 178lbs.
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Blond
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Powers and Abilities
While not a particularly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, Savage was an accomplished barroom brawler, and would frequently defeat his foes through sheer tenacity.
Savage was also a matchless marksman with any sort of firearm, from a simple Colt .45 revolver to the twin Vickers machineguns mounted on his canary-yellow SPAD .
As the war progressed Savage also became an accomplished pilot, handling any sort of biplane with ease.
History
Born and raised in Mustang River, Wyoming, Steven Henry Savage, Jr. was trained by his poverty-stricken father to be a consummate marksman. He was taught that the gun is merely an extension of the man who wields it. At his dying father’s bedside, he swore to make his old man proud of him by making himself worthy of the heroic legacy of his father and grandfather.
Enlisting in the Army Air Corps at the onset of World War I, Savage repeatedly disobeyed orders, breaking formation to attack and destroy the German combat balloons. This earned him his nickname as the “Balloon Buster”.
Though his commanding officer, Major Michaels, continually sought to court-martial Savage, General Talbot of High Command applauded his actions, and demanded he be kept in combat.
Savage was one of the most aggressive warriors of that “war to end all wars”. He duelled often with his enemy counterpart, Germany’s famed Rittmeister Hans Von Hammer. Whether Savage survived the First World War is unknown.
Description
See illustration.
Personality
No data.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Steve Savage
| Dex: 05 | Str: 03 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Responsibility |
| Int: 06 | Wil: 07 | Min: 06 | Occupation: Lieutenant |
| Inf: 06 | Aur: 06 | Spi: 07 | Resources {or Wealth}: 003 |
| Init: 019 | HP: 100 |
Skills:
Martial artist*: 05, Military science*: 06, Vehicles (air): 11, Weaponry (firearms, heavy weapons): 10
Advantages:
Area Knowledge (French countryside), Iron nerves.
Connections:
U.S. Army Air corps (High), U.S. Army High Command (High).
Drawbacks:
Minor Rage.
Equipment:
- Colt six-shooter (x2) [BODY 04, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 06, R#3].
- Spad biplane [STR 05 BODY 08, Flight 08, Projectile weapons: 07, R#2].
Design notes
This version of Savage uses markedly more down-to earth stats than the official one.
Source of Character: Old war comics (DCU).