Adversary, the - the Prince of Darkness, Evil Incarnate. Satan. A: 60

AJA - Australian Justice Alliance, the antipodean equivalent of Canada's league of heroes. A: 53

Al - photographer for the Maple Ridge Beacon. A: 20

Alpha Man - American superhero, the most powerful on Earth, and a fairly nice guy. FA: 54

Amalgo NorthWest - a large multinational conglomerate with global interests which purchased the Municpality of Pitt Meadows's debt. Actually a front organization for the Tuatha De Dannan. Subsidiaries in Australia go by the name of Amalgo Pacific. FA: 41

Amazing Splongo, the - retired superhero who now serves coffee in New York - and, judging by his one appearance, sage advice. He fought crime with a kind of super-goop called "splongo" invented by an eccentric scientist. His career came to an end when he ran out of splongo and his patron couldn't make any more. A: 56

Ambassatron - the Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa, when in its giant robot form. A: 44

Americana - bionically augmented American superhero, daughter of the famous Yankee Doodle Dandy. Highly distrustful of non-American heroes and prone to fits of violence. Superpowers include flight from back-mounted jetpack, super strength and agility, and arm-mounted weapons. A member of the Justice Council. FA: 43

Ancient Republic - political entity which spanned the galaxy early in its history. A race of humans from a planet near the galactic core were the first to achieve space-travel, and the galaxy fell under their rule for several million years. The Republic was destroyed by a series of wars led by Hans-Raoul and Karten, who feared the consequences of Mages and Elementals travelling the Multiverse. As a safe-gaurd against the mortality of their own species, the humans of the Ancient Republic had seeded numerous planets across the galaxy, including Earth, so that new human species would evolve there. FA: 36

Avalia - beautiful waitress in the Tiki Lounge of Club Kodor, where the Alternative Gods drink cocktails long into the unending night. Deuterium Boy quested across the dream lands for her, and they're now "an item". In life she was Stanley, Savadini's transvestite nephew. FA: 21

Avalon - a small town approximately two hours south of Ottawa, Ontario, and the site of the Diatomic Duo and Americana's first encounter. Based on the twisty Canadian webcomic of the same name. See Avalon A: 43

Aybabtu - 1. A lesser infernal plane described as a kind of "suburb of Hell". The destination of incompetent evil-doers, catch-phrase mongers, writers of escapist fiction, and the overflow of various other planes of Hell. 2. The arch-demon who rules this plane, Aybabtu the Wingless, Majuscule of the Unrelieved and formerly the Herald of Tiamat. Legend has it he was born in the last brood of the Babylonian dragon, and single-handedly slew his thousand siblings, losing only his wings in the process. Currently singular. FA:59

Badger, King - also known as the Badger-Man of Whonnock. Known as a Whonnockian variation of the sasquatch legend, a creature half-man, half-badger that prowls the woods of north-east Whonnock and west Mission. Formerly a human named Esteban Crumpet. A: 66, 67

Ballistier, Robèrt - see Battle Armour Bob.

Battle Armour Bob - alias fashion designer Robèrt Ballistier. Bob was once a top fashion designer, until he became convinced that mechanized body armour was the next big thing. As the Vanguard of Carnage, he seeks to impose his tyrannical sense of style on the world. See profile. FA: 26

Battle Cyborg Bob - Battle Armour Bob's "rehabilitated" form. See profile. FA: 64

Baubalieux Florilegium - a mysterious mystic manuscript constraining strange lore, eccentric recipes and knowledge that Man Was Not Meant to Know. A: 23

Baubalieux, Walter - French farmer of Cornaix, Brittany, reported to have been killed in Allied bombing, 1942. The reputed author of the Baubalieux Florilegium. A: 23

Beano the Clown - Just like every superhero needs a sensai and a female reporter, every superhero also needs a lunatic clown villain. Beano is way, way off the deep end. His plots make no sense, his jokes are vile and offensive, his puns are pathetic, and he is a Freudian analyst's wet dream. Except for point two, then, he's a lot like the author. Beano's specialty used to be killing superheroes - he has several to his credit. However, his recent attempted bombing of Maple Ridge seems to have pushed him past the point of no return, coherency-wise. He is currently sentenced to a minimum ten years in UBC Asylum. Reports indicate that recntly attempted suicide by eating his mattress. AKA The Malevolant Beano, Beano the Clown, Grand Poobah of All Pants, Larry "Beans" Horowitz. He is short and fat, and wears a red afro wig, giant red shoes, a baggy striped-and-patched jumpsuit, and somewhat alarming face paint. FA: 29

Beast, the - Maple Ridge's most famous landmark - a giant, vaguely fierce mechanical horse perched atop a clock. Every hour, it jerkily rears up on its hind legs and waggles its forelegs a bit. Proof that reality is far sillier than anything in these pages. [The original was destroyed in a high-speed chase involving Chimera, Inc., the Diatomic Duo, and the infamous Christopher Ford (q.v.). It has since been replaced. ] FA: 29

Beaujolais - city in the dream land of Ug-Mithir, ruled by the scarlet masked King Hurturbrise. FA: 21

Benavente, Clinton - Whonnock teenager, friend of Erica Holloran (q.v.). If he doesn't have a phobia about badgers, he ought to. A: 66, 67

Bennett, Tony - "The crowd- and critic-pleasing Tony Bennett (b. Queens, NY 13 Aug. 1926) first broke into pop music with 'Because of You' in 1951. Since then, he has weathered the arrival of rock and emerged with dignity and popularity in the 90's. After a string of successful albums, a Carnegie Hall concert, and several TV appearances in the 60's, Bennett focused his attention on his live act until releasing The Art of Excellence in 1986. Since then, aside from hosting holiday TV specials, he has released a retrospective box-set, tributes to Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, and an MTV Unplugged album, showing his ability to address an audience of all ages." (from the Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. website) A: 12

Bernadelli, Lionel - TFoHG's continuity editor. Fond of whips, chains, and leather. FA: 10

Big Li - loan shark, owner of the Jade Dragon Chinese Buffet and a small time hood with several muscular "nephews". Norman Kay borrowed money from him, and everyone later regretted it. FA: 46

Bingley - one of Algernon War's merc mates. Killed and then reanimated by Telus using nanites, the undead Bingley attempted to convince Algernon and our heroes to surrender. A: 15, 17

Binkerson, Tom "Mad Dog" - editor of the Maple Ridge Beacon. A: 20

Black Rose, The - villain; alias Jean-Marc Trudeau, twin brother of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. A high-ranking ICBC agent. See profile. FA: 3

Blues Flesh, Blues Bones - Sunday night band at Django Djava (q.v.). Tim "Basswalker" Renaud on bass and lead vocals; Bobby "Roshi" Aitken on piano, keyboards and harmonica; "Long" Lakshmanjoo Inayat Khan on drums and Nepalese kazoo; Carl on percussion and squeezebox; and Special Agent Jack "Charlie" Parker on guitar and backing vocals. No "Mimsy and the Borogroves", but listenable. A: 67

Boar-men, Wild - priapic demon-spawn of Aybabtu who inhabit the Valley of Anal Rape. A: 60

Bolus, Ken - a colleague of Evans' and Marcolin's at the Maple Ridge Institute of High Energy Physics. A: 1

Boynton, Dr. - Senior scientist on ICBC's Battle Cyborg Bob project. Presumed deceased. A: 64

Bradley, Chad - Mayor of Maple Ridge, who apparently showed great leadership during the Beano the Clown incident. Or something. A: 29

Cado - Helium Girl's faithful man-servant and ex-boyfriend. They first met at a party given by one of Reaper's friends, and she spent a weekend at Whistler with him while Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy had been whisked away to the Manifold. He currently shares the Salon of Solitude with her. His duties include chaffeuring and moving furniture. A: 64

Camus - villain, the business sense behind Chimera, Inc. [ Camus is a centaur. Super-powers include super-strength and super-speed. The fusion between his human and equine halves is not perfect, and he suffers from several health problems. Alias Marcus Sanders, nephew of Jonas Sanders. ] Currently serving time in the Soil (q.v), but probably not for long... FA: 46

Captain Toronto - defender of Toronto, Ontario, a member of the Justice Council, and the best known superhero in the country. Powers include flight, super-speed, super-strength. Arrogant to a fault. His powers stem from the strange properties of the Incedulinium, hyper-trans-uranium element first synthesized by Dr. Prodigio. He is critically weakened by the presence of Diabolinium, Incredulinium's radioactive twin. Occaisionally, and irreverently, referred to as the Big Blue Fromage. FA: 39

Carffee - a carbonated coffee beverage produced by Keller Beverages. Popular in San Francisco, for a short time it was available at Django Djava. Deuterium Boy was apparently the only one fool enough to drink it. See Christopher Ford, Amateur Paranormalist for further details. A: 46

Carl - the Romany proprieter of Django Djava, something like a combination between Jeeves and an old gypsy fortuneteller. FA: 46

Carter, Ainsley - celebrity chef who once had a popular CBC cooking show called "The Hypnotic Gourmet". Gradually he became obsessed with the study of certain occult cookbooks (no doubt after reading too much "Triangle and Robert") and then discovered a silver ladle inscribed with bizarre hieroglyphics that allowed permanent passage to the dream lands and the strange voids beyond. Currently he is head chef in the kitchens of King Hurturbrise of Ug-Mithir. A: 21

Castillo, Maggie - see Princess Madge.

CBIDL - ICBC's Cyborg Biotechnology and Infomatics Development Lab, located in Surrey, BC. It was at this facility that Battle Armour Bob was "rebuilt" as Battle Cyborg Bob. A: 64

Changeling - a form of Faerie automaton, left behind in the place of those whom the Faerie abduct. In most circumstances they can be indistinguishable from the original, although if the Faerie desire they might possess powers beyond those of ordinary mortals. They disintegrate into clay when killed. A: 42

Charlie - Toronto informant for the Navy Blue Sparrow, and head Securitàt (Torradan intelligence) agent in charge of Maggie Castillo's safety. Continually on the verge of an ulcer, especially since the former Princess became the Sparrow's sidekick. FA: 30

Cheese of Chandraesekhar - cheese powerful enough to collapse stars into black holes, of which Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy somehow became the unwilling keepers. [The Diatomic Duos took it on their trip to Hell, where it was swallowed by the arch-demon Aybabtu. It was revealed the Cheese can't tell the difference between stars and arch-demons. ] FA: 21

Cheung, Robyn - Hans-Raoul's secretary (or administrative assistant, as you will) at ICBC. FA: 53

Chilton, Zack - former band-leader and verbally-abused second banana on "Staying Up Late with Steve Sheldon". He currently has his own late night talk show, "Tonight's the Night, with Zack Chilton". A: 26

Chimera, Inc. - criminal Triad, an ICBC "spin-off", headed by Camus, Georges Chouinard and Kentaro Ishida. Chimera, Inc. was responsible for a high-intensity crime wave in Maple Ridge and Vancouver. FA: 46

Cho, Kim - private investigator friend of Lola Lakefront-Property's. A: 67

Chouinard, Georges - villain ; he deals with the street criminal element of Chimera, Inc. Georges is a man of many enthusiasms, the most socially acceptable being a love of 1960's rhythm and blues. Currently serving hard time in the Facility. [ Georges has the head of a dog. Super-powers include night-stalking abilities, above average strength and super-leaping ability. ] FA: 46

Cisneros, Jake - SFPD homocide detective and Ford's sidekick. With Ford, he came to Maple Ridge looking for Kentaro Ishida, and found himself mixed up in a wacky madcap superhero adventure. See Christopher Ford, Amateur Paranormalist for further details. FA: 50

Clan of the Manga Eye - ninja clan formerly employed by ICBC. Many years ago, the Blue Prowler assisted their master, Yoshipiro-sensai, in recovering the clan's Guardian Gem. FA: 37

Cloudy Falls Halfway House- estate of a former would-be chaos advocate, now a low security facility for recovering super-villains. ICBC arranged to have the Mutant Maker transferred there. A: 70

Codger, The - member of the League of Heroes (local 441). The Codger has been around practically forever. In the 1930's and '40's he was known as the Blue Prowler, and was one of the pioneering urban superheroes on Canada's West Coast. He had no actual powers, but got by on his acrobatic fighting technique - he had been a circus performer as a boy - an unusual array of equipment and weapons, swashbuckling style and an urbane wit. He hung up the costume after the War and settled into a sedate family life. Then in the late 1970's, a crime wave and the creation of the League brought him out of retirement, already a senior citizen. Today, at age 87, he is far past active duty, but is still invaluable for providing logistics and curmudgeonly advice to the modern generation of heroes. His costume is still essentially the same cape, cowl and jump-suit he wore as the Blue Prowler, albeit a bit more conservatively cut. One is apt to notice stylistic similarities both between the costumes of Hydrogen Guy and the Blue Prowler, as well as their methods and general style. There's a good reason for this - the Codger is Hydrogen Guy's maternal grandfather. Superheroics, like engineering, tends to run in families. FA: 8

Codorniz, J. Danforth - dim-witted Vice President of Welsh Guiana under General Saddam Alvares Hussientos, later President in the CIA-backed regime. Possibly South America's biggest Tony Bennett fan. A: 11, 12

Colin - a stock-boy at the Save -On-Foods^TM in Kitsilano, near Reaper's apartment. A: 24

Cosmic Pie, the - a benevolent force for good which started speaking to Deuterium Boy after his "accident" with the Molecular Restorer in the alternate 22nd century. The Cosmic Pie makes everything all right. FA: 15

Crustacean, The - villain; a super-intelligent, super-strong, telepathic, occasionally dead lobster. See profile. FA: 8

CVOL - Maple Ridge's "modern rock" radio station, AKA 93.9 the Vole ("Maple Ridge's Home of Real Rock"). Any resemblance between the Vole and any real radio stations in Vancouver or Ottawa, or their DJ's, is strictly intentional. FA: 46

Cyñru - see Welsh Guiana.

De Broglie boards - alien tech surf boards that ride on matter waves at near light speed. The Diatomic Duo uses them to travel whenever a long journey would be inconvenient to the plot. FA: 2

Dean - Native FBI agent recruited by NAFTAPOL in Alaska. A: 52

Dédelle, Rene - former Minister of Information for Rene Levesque's Parti Québecois government, and architect of the Temple of Hull. He hired Savadini, the dark mage, to help realise his plans for the ten-dimensional labrynth of the Temple; however, Savadini, under orders from Dédelle's superiors, imprisoned him in it. He remained there until the arrival of Hydrogen Guy, who he helped to recover Doug's head. He was lost when the Temple dissolved into a sea of parsley, possibly eaten by parsley sharks. A: 27, 28

Denton, Mr. - A visitor to ICBC's Cyborg Biotechnology and Infomatics Development Lab, representing Canadian Arms and Warfare, one of ICBC's corporate partners in the Battle Cyborg Bob project. A: 64

Desdemona - One of the CIA's most beautiful and dangerous agents, for several years she posed as General Saddam Alvares Hussientos's daughter; in reality she was his liason with the CIA. Hussientos gradually became less willing to go along with American interests - and eventually developed a nuclear weapons program - and so Desdemona was instructed to eliminate him. Just then, Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy showed up, with more or less the same idea. Desdemona and Deuterium Boy had a brief yet passionate affair. After Hussientos's death, she stayed in Cyñru to help the new president J. Danforth Codorniz set up an American-style government. After this, she returned to Washington DC for debriefing. While at CIA headquarters, she found Deuterium Boy's file, and discovered that he had been a CSIS deep-cover agent assigned to spy on Jim Evans. Disillusioned, she left the CIA for Tibet, where she spent two years in a monastery. When the CIA needed a new agent in Victoria, the Commander-in-Chief personally asked her to take the position. She reluctantly agreed, deciding to settle the score with Deuterium Boy at the same time. Upon arriving in Vancouver, she got mixed up in a fight between Pu Wing Fu and Lonnie "Carrot" Peel which severed her CIA connection temporarily. Her attempt to confront Deuterium Boy got them involved in the "Armageddon with A Side of Fries" affair, exacerbating the situation by creating a rift between Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy. She redeemed herself by killing the Crustacean and saving Hydrogen Guy's life. She is currently living in Victoria with Lonnie (aka Deus Ex Machinas). Also known as Secret Agent "Black Cherry" or Desdemona Hussientos; Desdemona is her middle name, her real first name is "Jennifer". About 5' 9", with a physique best described as "lithe". As the premiere Welsh Guianan debutante, she wore her hair long and blonde, and favoured diaphonous flowing dresses. Currently her tastes run towards short, black (or some more exotic colour) hair and leather-heavy "action chick" fashions. FA: 11

Deus Ex Machinas - superhero currently stationed in Victoria, and Helium Girl's acting partner. His powers include flight, firing electrical discharges from his hands, and a nearly indestructable suit of red skin-tight body-armour created whenever he puts on his wool cap. [ Alias Lonnie "Carrot" Peel. ] FA: 37

Deuterium Boy - alias David Marcolin, nuclear chemist. One of our heroes; has the powers of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. See profile and FAQ. FA: 1

Django Djava - one of Maple Ridge's most upscale coffee houses, located not far from the Jade Dragon Chinese Buffet and Ye Olde Time Arkade. Its proprieter Carl is one of the main attractions. FA: 46

Dom - A visitor to ICBC's Cyborg Biotechnology and Infomatics Development Lab, representing the Sony Corporation, one of ICBC's corporate partners in the Battle Cyborg Bob project. Presumably interested in applying the BCB technologies to developing new PS2 accessories. A: 64

Doug - alien Zen master and astrophysicist, channelled by a rubber skeleton, who is the Diatomic Duo's sensai. See profile. FA: 2

Druid - a mysterious, morally ambiguous informant. Chuck War sometimes makes use of his services (2, 47); he frequently works for hidden forces (23). FA: 2

DSEWAR - Deep Space Early Warning And Response facility. An ultra-top-secret installation which some governments are reputed to have for detecting and responding to extraterrestrial threats. You can tell this is science fiction, since most governments are incapable of keeping their own budgets secret, let alone super-advanced alien technology. A: 53

Dumnoric, Griff Pedros Pedros - villain; AKA "The Shroud", necromancer and master of dark magic. Former head of the Welsh Guianan Very Secret Police under General Saddam Alvares Hussientos. Current status unknown. See profile. FA: 11

Dürchfall, Hans - The Black Rose's teutonic henchman. A: 1-4

Eddie - hired thug for Chimera, Inc. Deceased. FA: 47

Elemental - A being with powers over a specific chemical element. Human Elementals were created as a warrior-scientist caste by the Mages of the Ancient Republic millions of years ago. The most powerful were the Hydrogen Elementals, who held command over all others. The security of the President and his/her family was the responsibility of the Deuterium Elementals. Other Elemental castes had other responsibilities. The Elementals were destroyed with the fall of the Ancient Republic, and Hans-Raoul killed the last Hydrogen Elemental personally. FA: 36

EOB 9000 - latest edition of the Hydrogen Cave Computer. Permanently flakey. FA: 40

Eutectic, Inga - Latvian ex-KGB operative who briefly worked for the Crustacean. [Currently an SHVD double-agent.] A: 25

Evans, Evan - any member of the Evan Evans Society. Specifically, 1. Jim Evans' cousin, a reporter for the London Daily Telegraph, with whom the Diatomic Duo stayed on their trip to the Metrop, 2. Evan Sion Evans, called "Old Evan", the lame-footed chapter-head. [An animorph, capable of transforming into a lame-footed pigeon, and high priest of the nefarious Cult of of P'toultru.] A: 65

Evan Evans or Evans² Society - worldwide fraternal organization of men unfortunate enough to be named Evan Evans. Jim Evans' cousin is a member of the London chapter. [The London chapter is also a front for the nefarious Cult of of P'toultru.] A: 65

Flarm - insectoid GC transport pilot. FA: 61

Floretta - bored housewife from Spuzzum who gets involved in a torrid affair with Morris, the taut-bodied refrigerator photographer. A: 16

Force Ranger - member of the Justice Council; based in Los Angeles. Nearly equal to Alpha Man in power, although he is less measured and more tempestuous. Powers include flight and a sort of telekinesis involving visible "bubbles" of "pure force". FA: 55

Ford, Christopher - SFPD homocide detective and amateur paranormalist. Pursuing Kentaro Ishida on a murder case, he was drafted by NAFTAPOL and wound up in Maple Ridge. Mayhem ensued. See Christopher Ford, Amateur Paranormalist for further details. FA: 50

Gaas, Dr. Sige - ICBC scientist responsible for Trudeau's Garner Field Generator and Opposition Man's Hawking Parliamentary Destabilizer, amoung other gadgets. Deceased. FA: 6

Galactic Customs - (abbrev. GC) agency entrusted with enforcing trade and customs regulations in the Galaxy, established by a Galactic Treaty. Part of their mandate is to quarantine pre-space flight "developing worlds", like Earth. FA: 1

Galahad - a cybernetically-enhanced parrot belonging to Vananda Prosser. He took an immediate dislike to Deuterium Boy when he broke into the Vandreskhanar-Gariepy abode. His favourite word seems to be "bastard". A: 18

Gardner, Lucas - Galactic Customs prefect at the Betelgeuse station, the first human GC agent, Chuck War's predecessor and direct superior. FA: 12

Gareth Prime - alien hunter who came to Earth searching for the Vector of Doom. He carried the mystic wepon known as Tobo, the Spear of Flaming Fire. A: 6, 7

Gash - Ottawa-based League of Heroes reservist who is completely invulnerable to any sort of physical injury. A: 44

Gauss, Sergeant Wofgang Jürgen - German army officer who disappeared in 1942 near the Breton town of Cornaix. Reappeared 1979, unaged, with the manuscript of the Baubalieux Florilegium. He vanished again shortly thereafter. A: 23

Gen X Man - member of the League of Heroes (local 441). Powers come from tapping into the zeitgeist; they include Super-Cynical Insight, Emotional Barriers, singing like Dave Matthews, and focusing his id into his fist, making it like unto a thing of irony. Gen X Man is the proverbial angry young man style of hero. He's not much of a costumer. He wears a grey t-shirt underneath a plaid flannel shirt and short grey cape, jeans, runners, and a plain black mask. He tends to get irate very easily, particularly about "suits" or people over thirty. FA: 8

Gerrad Poole - government official from Tau Corgi II. A former back-bencher who was promoted to Minister of Finance after a solar flare destroyed much of the planet. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had to deal with Kfarn Planetary Life (q.v.). A: 11-12

Geryon Club - a gentlemen's club in Ottawa, frequented by supervillains. Jean-Marc Trudeau and Griff Pedros Pedros Dumnoric are both members. A: 32

Glamour - the most important power of the Tuatha De Dannan or Faerie. It refers to the psychic ability to alter the way the subject's brain processes information, allowing the Faerie to make the subject perceive with all senses what the Faerie wishes him to perceive. Most so-called Faerie "magic" is actually an advanced psychically enduced illusion. A: 41

Golden Claw, The - militarily skilled and charismatic leader of the Zxanxi, self-styled All-Parent of the New Zxanxi Autarchy. Older Zxanxi follow him because he's shrewd and gets results; younger Zxanxi revere him almost as a mythological figure. He led an allied fleet of Zxanxi pirate clans to Earth in pursuit of the Crustacean. [The Claw was actually a telepathic super-lobster, the Crustacean's brother and a later, more powerful model. He was a rare black Peruvian lobster, with his dominant crusher claw replaced by an artificial one of a gold alloy. He was killed by Bap Nerada during a battle with the Crustacean.] FA: 62

Goodfellow, Robin - Amalgo NorthWest's VP Media and Public Relations for the Pacific Northwest. Under the guise of Puck, a servant of the Faerie king, Oberon. FA: 41

Grayhound, the - Boise's superhero defender, alias Chris Reid. An attendee at the superhero General Assembly following the Zxanxi attack on Melbourne. For further details, see The Grayhound Chronicles. A: 54

Green Gibbon - Australian superhero based in Melbourne. After an encounter with a mysterious troop of emerald apes in a Malaysian jungle - one of which, naturally, bit him - he found he had the proportional strength, speed and agility of a gibbon. Member of the Justice Council. FA: 53

Grimsword - member of the Justice Council; based in London, England. Bearer of the Grimsword, an enchanted sword which gives him his powers. A rather moody and withdrawn hero. Until the Zxanxi incident, he was thought to have perished with his arch-nemesis, Aeolus Scorch. FA: 55

H'yhy Hyh-hy - a Zarpazi independant trader, who traded three blocks of fine Urzcheese for several cases of Carffee. Partner of Kagan. A: 52.1, 52.9

Haddockery, The - a fancy seafood restaurant in the upscale West Hammond district of Maple Ridge. A popular place for off-duty superheroes to go on dates. A: 22

Hans-Raoul - interdimensional being working for ICBC (he's the VP for "Crisis Suppression") who wants the human race wiped out, Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy in particular. Our anti-hero. See profile; see also Vallene. FA: 13

Hawking, Dr. Emmanuel Lewis - mad scientist and former ICBC head of European operations. A descendant of Eric Von Vorpalstein (q.v), the Crustacean's creator. After the Clock of Radishes incident (8,9), he went into hiding in the jungles of Welsh Guiana. Pu Wing Fu sought him out to help restore the Crustacean after the lobster's resurrection. He is now currently once again in the Crustacean and ICBC's employ. Despite his name, Hawking is Torradan (his father was English, a great-nephew of Von Vorpalstein and a distant relation of physicist Stephen Hawking; his mother was Torradan), and he owns a considerable estate on the island of Baratria. FA: 8

Heffelmeyer, Clem - redneck rebel MP, former Reform Party and current Complete Annihilation Party member. FA: 6

Helium Girl - alias Yolanda St. Claire, fashion model. Deuterium Boy's partner while Hydrogen Guy was on sabbatical in Ottawa; has the super-powers of helium. See profile. FA: 26

Hess - a NAFTAPOL agent - or is he more? A: 52

Holloran - A family of four killed by badgers in Whonnock. The father, Richard Lance Holloran, owned Holloran Geological, a survey company. A: 66, 67

Hurturbrise - scarlet-masked king of the dream kingdom of Ug-Mithir. His palace is in the city of Beaujolais. A: 21

Hussientos, Saddam Alvares - military dictator of Welsh Guiana from 1980 until (12). Attempted to destroy Brazil's capital with nuclear weapons - and he would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling squids and that superhero! Deceased. A: 11, 12

Hydrogen Cave - our heroes (more or less) top secret base located deep beneath the Maple Ridge Institute of High Energy Physics. Ridiculously well-appointed. FA: 2

Hydrogen Guy - alias Jim Evans, world renowned theoretical physicist. One of our heroes; has powers of the element hydrogen. See profile. FA: 1

ICBC - the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia AKA the International Criminal Brotherhood of Canada. A shadowy organization bent on world-domination. Selling car insurance isn't just a front for them, but part of a complete corporate philosophy - of EVIL. FA: 1

ICBC Comptroller - the shadowy head of ICBC. No one has ever seen him, or knows his true identity - his personal staff are all blinded when they enter his service. FA: 38

Imperial Jelvan Star Empire - (abbrev. IJSE) a major interstellar empire located not all that far from Earth. Aside from the Jelvans, its inhabitants include the Partuuni, the Zarpazi, the Kfarn, and others. FA: 11

Ironcore, Terrier - villain; ICBC agent gone rogue and former high-ranking member of the East German and Hungarian Communist regimes. He is extremely fond of elaborate, easily escapable deaths and Soviet tailoring. Terrier Ironcore is a man with a long past and not much future. In the 1970's and '80's, he was an official in first the East German and then the Hungarian Communist governments. When Soviet Communism died in the early '90's, he defected to the West under the name Lazlo Erdos; however old habits die hard and he became an international terrorist and Director of Operations for one of ICBC's front companies, the International Cream Bakery Company. He was later down-sized by ICBC, but not without taking a substantial amount of money with him. ICBC retaliated by selling him bogus plans for an "Orbital Super-Stapler" and then bombing his island hideout. Ironcore is hopelessly out of date; he appears to have learned all he knows about supervillainy from old James Bond films. But he is dangerous to underestimate; and how much of his out of date methods are just a show is anybody's guess. In May 2001, Terrier Ironcore was arrested at the Swiss border for smuggling genetically-altered llamas. He wears impeccably tailored suits in the traditional, severe Soviet style. A heavyset man with bushy eyebrows and moustache; about 5' 10", in his late 60's, with a deeply lined face and a squishy Kissinger-esque nose. FA: 20

Ishida, Kentaro - villain; top hit-man and enforcer for Chimera, Inc. A connoisseur of expensive handguns, cars and women. His father is a high-ranking member of the Yakuza. [ Also happens to sport a large pair of bird-like wings. Super-powers include winged flight, bird-like vision (180°), accelerated healing, and the ability to issue simple commands to birds. ] Kentaro survived his encounter with Christopher Ford in Alaska, and with the help of his father's associates, located Camus and Georges in their respective facilities. He became involved in ICBC's attempts to liberate the Mutant Maker (q.v.). Currently he's heading south to get Georges out of the Facility and settle some scores in San Francisco... FA: 47

Jerry and Billy - obnoxious morning DJ's on CVOL. FA: 46

Jones, Mr. - a woman's shoe salesman from either Delta, B.C. or Nepean, Ont. Possibly an alias of the Crustacean. FA: 8

Joyful Ned - demon with a fish's tail for a head who rents out the Alpacas of Heresy to travellers in the Plane of Aybabtu. A: 59

Justice Council - body of the world's 12 most prominent superheroes, loosely associated with the United Nations. Unlike the Security Council after which it is loosely modelled, membership is by invitation and permenent. The current roster consists of Alpha Man, Force Ranger, Grimsword, the Piece, the Organ, Captain Toronto, Ogress, Americana, Valkyrie K, Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy, and the Green Gibbon. FA: 54

Kagan - a Partuuni trader and freelance navigator. Partner to the Zarpazi H'yhy Hyh-hy and extraterrestrial Carffee addict. A: 52.1, 52.9

Karten - Hans-Raoul's Viliad co-conspirator. Slightly older than Hans-Raoul, he seems to be the instigator in the plan to destroy humanity in our Universe. FA: 17

Kay, Norman Napolean - ice cream man and perennial loser. Now living in San Francisco. FA: 46

Kfarn - squid-like alien race who once ruled an extensive empire, based mainly on the fact they looked frightening. Currently members of the Imperial Jelvan Star Empire (q.v.). The Kfarn are very bureaucratic and make up a large majority of the Empire's civil service. FA: 11

Kfarn Planetary Life - a Kfarn (q.v.) insurance agency specialising in large-scale insurance policies - for instance, entire planets. They are the largest such agency in the Jelvan Empire, and have one of the largest armed civilian space fleets in this part of the galaxy. FA: 11

Lakefront-Property, Lola - investigative reporter for the Maple Ridge Beacon, formerly of the American Imperial Times of Boston. She took it upon herself to cover the city's superhero scene and probably regrets it. See profile. FA: 20

Lambert, Jefferson - obnoxious SFPD homocide detective who arrested Myron Billson. See Christopher Ford, Amateur Paranormalist for further details. A: 49

LaValle, Miranda - marine biologist and curator of the Vancouver Aquarium's crustacean collection. Apparently, she really really needs a date. Stuck ice down DB's back at their high school prom, and later donated the Crustacean's new body, a lobster named "Admiral Pete". A: 57

League of Heroes - Although superheroes have existed in Canada since time immemorial, for most of the nation's history they occupied at best a legal grey area. While law-abiding society often relied on them to counter those threats too bizarre or outré for regular law enforcement, that same law enforcement hunted them with varying degrees of vigour over the years and throughout the country. This changed on July 1st, 1967, when Parliament passed the Super-Heroes Act, which repealed most of the country's anti-superhero legislation and officially recognised the unique role that superheroes played in Canadian society. The Act also created a fledgling regulatory board and instituted a program of development grants for heroes recognised by the board - this is, after all, Canada. The League of Heroes was founded simultaneously in Montréal and Toronto in 1974 by a group of prominent Canadian heroes as both the superhero's union and as a means of coming together in times of crisis. It spread across the country - the Vancouver branch was created in 1979, and became the Vancouver-Maple Ridge branch (local 441) in 1983 - and in 1980 absorbed the regulatory board. Today, membership in the League is mandatory for all Canadian heroes. There are 17 chapters across the country, with many smaller satellite locals. It is a powerful combination of union, lobby group, legal defense fund, private club and public service organization. It's an efficient, effective organization - rather a rarity in Canada - and a model for other organizations around the world. This naturally has its governing board looking over their shoulders even more that the average superhero. The Vancouver-Maple Ridge branch (local 441) has nine members - the Diatomic Duo and Helium Girl, Chuck War, Reaper, the Codger, SuperConductor, Gen X Man, and the Rainbow Warrior. FA: 8

Light Throat - a Faerie informant who passed some interesting information to Hydrogen Guy and Lola Lakefront-Property. FA: 42

Lydia - wife of Harold, formerly known as the Red Coat. A very nice lady. A: 44

Mage - a caste of wizards/scientists/philosphers in the Ancient Republic. At the fall of the Republic, the Mages escaped into a pocket universe they call the Manifold. The powers of the Mages are limited to our Universe and the Manifold; they have no power over Hans-Raoul, philospher's wort or anything else from Out There. FA: 36

Magenta Nightingale - see Princess Madge.

Manos, Nicola "Hands of Fate" - ICBC assassin, fond of oatmeal, not so fond of yogurt. A: 24

Maple Ridge - home town of Hydrogen Guy and Deuterium Boy, a city about 45 km east of Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Vancouver-Maple Ridge together is Canada's third largest city (in HG's world). FA: 1

Maple Ridge Institute of High Energy Physics - institute where Jim Evans and David Marcolin allegedly work. Located on a bluff north of Maple Ridge; the Hydrogen Cave is directly underneath. FA: 1

Matthias - Shepherd of the 15,000 Lesser Sins (actually 14,997). Nice guy, for a demon. A: 58

Medusa Joe - alias Dr. Joseph Clingwater, a surgeon at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa and League of Heroes reservist. He can grow and shrink his hair and beard at will. Hydrogen Guy worked with him on his Ottawa sabbatical, and he teamed up with the Diatomic Duo a second time on the Americana case. A: 44

Mikey the Hydrogen Monkey - a monkey in a "Hydrogen Guy" costume. Interested in masturbation and feces. A: 40

Morris - taut-bodied refrigerator photographer touring Spuzzum county. He gets involved in a torrid affair with bored house-wife Floretta, and takes his shirt off. A: 16

Mutant Maker - alias Professor Brandin Marlowe, Ph.D. Cambridge. A Toronto-based super-villain who was for years the arch-nemesis of Captain Toronto and Dr. Prodigio. Very fat, with an unusual style of speaking. After his career of villainy ended, he was sent to the Soil. Eager to have him restore the Crustacean to full capacity, Hans-Raoul and ICBC concocted an elaborate plan to transfer him to a minimum security facility (68-71). Marlowe has largely renounced his former villainous, mutant-making ways to become aun underground mutants rights advocate. There are hints that he may be more than just a fat scientist... FA: 39

Myron - hired thug for Chimera, Inc. Last name Billson. Whereabouts unknown, presumably San Francisco. FA: 47

N - omnipotent being and Servomation Comptroller who occasionally interferes with the Diatomic Duo. [AKA Noffras, second-to-last leader of the Hydrogen Elementals of the Ancient Republic. Since his death due to hubris two million years ago, he has been serving the Mages in the pocket universe called the Manifold (36)] FA: 5

Navy Blue Sparrow - vigilante crime-fighter, formerly of Ottawa, now of Toronto. He helped Hydrogen Guy in the Doughnut Road case and in foiling Hans Raoul's plans to manipulate a Québec referendum on sovereignty. He is currently fighting crime with his sidekick and girlfriend, the Magenta Nightingale. Costume consist of navy tights, light body armour, cape and cowl. His cowl has a vaguely avian appearance, with a visor in the shape of a beak. The cape is swallow-tailed. He is small for a superhero, about 5' 10", and thin. Powers: martial arts and an impressive range of sparrow-themed high tech gadgets - including the Sparrow-Wing, a supersonic personal fighter jet. FA: 30

Nerada, Bap - dangerous bounty hunter and assassin, known for the murders of several Tonarzi politicians. Later hired as the personal bodyguard of the Golden Claw. [ Actually, Pu Wing Fu dressed in a suit of battle armour and pretending to be mean. ] FA: 59

Nereid, Katrina "Kate" - an attractive actuary that Jim Evans once dated. Tired of David Marcolin going on about Avalia (q.v.) at length, he asked her (a complete stranger) out just to prove a point. Not much happened after their first date, but Evans called her again after returning from Melbourne, and they've been going out steadily since. FA: 22

Oberon - king of the Faeries, AKA the Tuatha De Dannan. FA: 41

Ogress - member of the Justice Council; based in Mexico City. Alias Carrie Rabeles, she can transform herself into a large ogre-like creature whose most important super-power is brute strength. FA: 55

Opposition Man - Opposition Man was a strange mix of anarchist ICBC terrorist, professional wrestler, and politician. Think Pym Fortan on steroids. He was leader of the Complete Annilhiation Party, an umbrella group for people with nothing in common except extremist politics. His goal was the complete eradication of the Canadian federalist government. He could be savage and bloodthirsty, a political idealist, or a smooth campaigner. Despite his computer-enhaced memory, he was frequently stupid. He came to a gruesome end in the jaws of the Vector of Doom. Costume consists of blue tights with patterns of red streaks; over top of this he wears a mechanical harness of unknown function. His face was covered by a hideous, beast-like mask. He was nearly 7' tall, and incredibly muscled. Powers included uper-strength, super-radical politics, strong charisma. Certain parts of him were cybernetically enhanced, including his memory, and probably his muscles. Favorite beverage: the blood of the Establishment. FA: 6

Organ, the - member of the Justice Council; based in Miami, Florida. Each of the Organ's major body parts has a particular super-power, and many of them can regenerate over a relatively short period of time. In particular, his ears double as gills for underwater breathing, and his spleen doubles as a high-impact grenade (63). His major weakness is his womanizing nature. FA: 55

Otter's Dike - one of many dikes in the lowlands of Pitt Meadows, west of Maple Ridge. Otter's Dike was the source of both mundane development controversies and considerable interest to the Faerie. FA: 41

Parker, Special Agent - agent with the Super Heroes and Villains Department (SHVD) of CSIS, the Canadian intelligence agency. Frequently involved in the Diatomic Duo's cases. See profile. FA: 3

Partuuni Captain - captain of the KPL Frigate Actuary; his name is Tolbasa. The Partuuni are an old race, and skilled as navigators. A: 11, 12

Peel, Lonnie "Carrot" - former graphic artist who was sucked into the world of crime. When Hans-Raoul decided to incite a feud between the Crustacean and the organization known as the Balabanian Circle, Peel was caught in the middle; and Desdemona found herself caught between Peel and Pu Wing Fu's rocket launcher. [ N gave Lonnie a wool cap which transforms him into Deus Ex Machinas (q.v.) ] FA: 33

Peradinium - city mentioned in the Baubalieux Florilegium which was alleged to lie between the mortal and Faerie realms. It has since passed over entirely into Faerie. FA: 23

Peterson - originally a Lieutenant with the Mission RCMP detachment, drafted into helping Parker and Ford on a NAFTAPOL stakeout, which ended in a spectacular car chase, the demolition of the Beast (!), and Chuck War's arrest (50). Later transferred to the MRPD and promoted to Detective (66), where he continues to make sure that the Diatomic Duo's relationship with the regular force doesn't get too cozy. FA: 50

Philosopher's Wort - spice native to Hans-Raoul's reality. Consumption of the spice by mortals transfers an amount of Hans-Raoul's "deeper reality" to them. It confers a limited immortality and restores health and vigour in normal humans, and shuts off Elemental powers in Elementals. Immune to most magic of this reality; looks and tastes a bit like curry powder. A: 31-38

Piece of the Universe - 1. Guest author of (34), which JIM begged him to write while trying to get his thesis done. See www.pieceoftheuniverse.com. 2. Superhero based in Salt Lake City, Utah; a member of the Justice Council. The Piece, as he's most commonly known, appears as a humanoid-shaped stellar void, and his cosmological powers include teleportation, space flight, and the ability to make incomprehensible things happen to things that make them go away. FA: 55; see also The Grayhound Chronicles Ch. 2

Pomeranian, Bluden - current head of ICBC's European Theatre. A: 13

Porteiro - General Saddam Alvares Hussientos's dungeon keeper, reader of tabloid newspapers and closet fan of Shakespeare's "MacBeth". A: 12

Powell, Colin - U.S. military leader during the Gulf War, an Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration. A: 54

Princess Madge - Cathy Puskas was world-renowned theoretical physicist Jim Evans' fiancée, long before he became Hydrogen Guy. While accompanying Evans on a trip to the small Iberian kingdom of Torrado, Cathy met Princess Madge (aka Maggie). Maggie was tired of being Princess, which has never been a great job but in the latter half of the 20th century is tedious in the extreme. She wanted a normal life, the kind she saw on TV shows like "Friends" and "Suddenly Susan". Cathy, conversely, had been finding her life in Canada drab and mundane. She wanted the glamourous existence of Grace Kelly, Diana, and Madge that she saw on "Entertainment Tonight". When the two women met and realized how much alike they looked, they agreed to switch places. The scheme gave Torrado's intelligence service, the Securitàt, hives, but strangely Maggie's father King Jerome approved - as, reluctantly, did Evans. Cathy assumed the role of Princess Madge of Torrado and Princess Madge became Maggie Castillo. Maggie returned to Canada, settled some of Cathy's affairs and moved to Toronto and got a job with the GAP, which included an apartment with fellow GAP employee Yves. Both Cathy and Maggie have been kidnapped by super-villains, hoping to learn the location of the Lost Ark of Isaac Newton (which is known only to the Torradan royal family). Cathy's plane was hijacked by the Crustacean while on an official visit to Canada as Princess Madge. Although Hydrogen Guy was definitel an asset to her, she had nearly rescued herself by the time he arrived. She is currently still playing the role of Princess Madge. Maggie's captor was Grif Pedros Pedros Dumnoric, who somehow discovered her true identity. She was rescued by Hydrogen Guy and the Navy Blue Sparrow. She and the Sparrow are now "an item", and she has joined him in the superhero business as the Magenta Nightingale, much to the dismay of "Charlie", her Securitàt bodyguard. FA: 8

Prodigio, Doctor - brilliant scientist and major-domo of the Toronto superhero community. Undoubtedly far more than he appears. FA: 39

Prosser, Vananda - Reginald Vandreskhanar-Gariepy's daughter (Prosser was her mother's name), fiancée to Basil Wu and owner of Galahad the parrot. She caught Deuterium Boy breaking into her father's house and forced him to pose as her fiancée. Her marksmanship is terrible, but she clearly inherited her father's corporate raider genes. A: 18

P'toultru - the Leviathan pigeon-monster wot slumbers beneath London. Any resemblance to something with tentancles is structly intentional. FA: 65

Pu Wing Fu - the Crustacean's henchbear. An insane, homicidal panda. She is stark raving insane. Or maybe by panda standard's she's normal, but the rest can't talk. Or break out of the Toronto zoo, killing three keepers with a popcorn wagon in the process. Since then, Pu Wing Fu has been one of the Crustacean's henchmen. She seems to be entirely immune to any of the Crustacean's mental powers; he would get rid of her, but he finds her homicidal tendencies useful. Any attempt to get rid of her probably wouldn't work, anyway.After the Crustacean's death, she escaped with the Black Rose through a Tonarzi interporter. She returned to Earth with the Zxanxi, disguised as Bap Nerada, and helped the Crustacean escape the floundering Zxanxi fleet. Now that the Crustacean is fully restored, it's just like old times. Yay! FA: 25

Pumpkino - alien; real name Xxk-oikx. Renegade Thyrix hive-node, AWOL from the Thyrix fleet, that took up residence inside a pumpkin and briefly tried to assume control of Earth. He was easily defeated by the League of Heroes (local 441). A: 32

Puppyboy - sidekick to the Grayhound, alias JB Reid. An enthusiastic attendee at the superhero General Assembly following the Zxanxi attack on Melbourne. For further details, see The Grayhound Chronicles. A: 54

Quirinian Commander - the necessary "Q" entry. See the Stranger.

Radar - an antennaed, green alien who is Chuck War's GC partner. He spends most of his time at GC's Area 51 facility (53-63), though he sometimes goes on field assignments with Chuck War (1) or plays bass on jam nights at Django Djava (47). FA (as "Alien Agent"): 1

Rainbow Warrior - member of the League of Heroes (local 441). A frequently-annoying environmental vigilante. FA: 8

Rawg 40 - popular delta-wing model of sub-light fighter craft for use in space and atmosphere. In August '01, thirty of these flown by Zxanxi pirates participated in a devastating attack on Melbourne, Australia. FA: 53

Reaper - Minion of Death, adept with the mono-planar scythe; the silent type. The Diatomic Duo picked him up in the 22nd century and he's been hanging around since. See profile. FA: 15

Red Coat, The - alias Harold Cuthridge. The Yankee Doodle Dandy's (q.v.) arch-nemesis, who was awarded powers similar to the Dandy's by Coyote. After the Dandy was killed by the East German superbeing Demokrat in 1980, the Red Coat killed Demokrat and then disappeared. He currently lives, hidden from the world's superhero community and without powers, with his wife Lydia in Lockeport, Nova Scotia. FA: 43

Reservist - people with minor superpowers, often only useful in specialised circumstances, who are "on call" with the League of Heroes as specialists or reinforcements.

Ricotto, Marty - A senior software engineer on ICBC's Battle Cyborg Bob project. A: 64

Roger - holographic sprite who acts as Hans-Raoul's secretary in the 22nd century. A victim of drastic re-writes. A: 17

Room, Adrian - antiquarian and amateur necromancer. Former editor of lunatic fringe documents with the small press Cobham & Sons who became obsessed with the Baubalieux Florilegium. He found a way to open a portal into the Platonic universe that was home to the Vector of Doom; however, he was unable to control where this portal appeared. A: 45

Rucker, Tim - A senior software engineer on ICBC's Battle Cyborg Bob project. A: 64

Ruler of Elendil, the - magical 40 cm ruler carried by Hydrogen Guy. Originally forged by Blaise Pascal and associated with many great physicists and intellectuals since. Glows with a blue light in the presence of evil or danger. Unless some heavy duty dark magic is used, it can only be wielded by the pure of heart and strong of mind. How Hydrogen Guy can use it is a mystery. It greatly enhances his powers, and over the years he has forged a kind of psychic link with it. FA: 2

Salon of Solitude - Helium Girl's apartment/crime-fighting headquarters, which she shares with her faithful man-servant, Cado (q.v.). Located near Nelson and Bute. A: 64

Sanders, Jonas - trustee for Octan, the Danish petroleum company (HQ in Billund), based in San Francisco. [ When Octan and BP were building rival pipelines south from Alaska, Sanders contracted Chimera, Inc. to remove Octan's rivals. ICBC was insuring the Octan pipeline.] FA: 51

Savadini - the Dark Mage, who falsely claimed to be Belgian. In previous years, he was a dangerous super-villain. He helped Rene Dédelle build the fiendish multi-dimensional Temple of Hull, and Griff Pedros Pedros Dumnoric was his student. He has since retired to the town of Dlunt in dreamland, where he grows vegetables. The Diatomic Duo enlisted him to resurrect the Crustacean. FA: 21

Sergeanskivanoroffski, Sergeant - RCMP officer. A: 20

Servomation - catering company which, until about 1997, had the monopoly on food services at Simon Fraser University. At one time, ICBC's chief rival in British Columbia. The company's Comptroller was/is the omnipotent N. FA: 5

Sheldon, Stephen - former host of the late night talk show "Staying Up Late with Steve Sheldon", which was cancelled after the Battle Armour Bob incident. Bloody network wankers. A: 26

Smith, Rob - editor-in-chief of "The Files of Hydrogen Guy". See profile. FA: 10

SOIL - Canada's highest security prison for super-villains, the Southern Ontario International Life-Term Detainment Facility. Although treatment of prisoners, identified only by their prisoner numbers, is harsh, it's nothing compared to the Facility. FA: 68

Soong, Chief - Maple Ridge's Chief of Police. He emigrated to Canada from Korea as a young boy, and was taught English by a stereotypical Irishman. A: 29

Speed Freak and Bright - former sibling members of the Justice Council based in Houston, Texas. Speed Freak was capable of moving several times the speed of sound; Bright could travel faster than light-speed. Both were killed in the battle with the Zxanxi. FA: 55

Stranger, The - AKA the Quirinian Commander. A terminally confused alien convinced that Deuterium Boy is Captain Gaston Luc D'Accord of Space Command. Once turned Deuterium Boy into a tree sloth (12). A: 3, 12

SuperConductor - SuperConductor is local 441's official union rep. He takes his duties quite seriously, frequently to the annoyance of the others. His powers stem from a magical pocket watch, the Timepiece of Shi Djool. In addition to giving him an intuitive knowledge of the exact time wherever he is, and a way with any piece of equipment with a clock in it, it also allows him to summon an extra-dimensional train several times a day. The train takes on the appearance of a train indigenous to whatever locale he's currently in, and can be directed to take him at high speed to the location of his choice. Although not terribly powerful on his own, he's often useful to have as part of a team. Until the mission wraps up and its time to start filling out the reports, that is. His costume is that of a train conductor with a flowing white cape. The Timepiece also gives him reflective "mirror eyes", which can be quite unnerving. Personailty-wise he's a bit of a cypher, but then there's no rule that says superheroes have to be interesting people...FA: 8

Switchboard, Big Joe - the Crustacean's henchman. A rogue operator and technician, formerly of Bell Canada. He's about 6' 4" tall, heavily muscled, and pretty ugly. He's usually dressed in street clothes, and an ever-present Bell Canada cap. He has an incredible knowledge of telecommunications technology and the ability to pound the tar out of people. Over-all, though, he's not too bright. While the Crustacean was dead and/or missing, he made ends meet by threatening semi-conductor start-ups in the Ottawa valley for Nortel. Full name Joseph Wilberforce Switchboard, Jr. FA: 25

Takaya, Ms. - A visitor to ICBC's Cyborg Biotechnology and Infomatics Development Lab, representing Mishima Heavy Industries, one of ICBC's corporate partners in the Battle Cyborg Bob project. A: 64

Taziban - an elf whose name appears in the Baubalieux Florilegium as an opponent of Zwm Ap Rhys. Taziban stole the four Keys of Merlyn, and Zwm pursued him, first to Peradinium (q.v.) and then ultimately to the Realm of Asgard. Taziban was slain by the dwarf Krakka and fell into the Well of Chaos, taking the Key of Gravity with him. FA: 23

Tetrahedron - (1) three-dimensional solid with four identical faces, each an equilateral triangle (2) a large, bad-tempered entity of this shape with somewhat limited conversational ability, hailing from the Platonic realm that also spawned the Vector of Doom. A: 45

Tiffany - mysterious android probe, resembling an athletic blonde woman in spandex and roller blades, proper designation TFNE-63. She briefly assisted the Green Gibbon during the Zxanxi attack on Melbourne, after which she vanished. For further details on this model probe, see The Grayhound Chronciles Ch 9. A: 53

Tigwell, Cyrus - anal-retentive junior attaché to the ICBC Comptroller's office. A: 61

Tipler, Danny "The Squid" - ICBC agent busted by the Diatomic Duo during a bank robbery (1). [Hydrogen Guy impersonated him in a meeting with Bluden Pomeranian (13).] A: 1

Tl, Hababebabian - Kfarn insurance adjuster with Kfarn Planetary Life, assigned to assess Tau Corgi II. Largely blamed for what her KPL employers call "the Terran Incident". A: 11, 12

Tonarzi - alien race best known as merchants in high technology. Their wares are generally of good quality, but they apparently have no problems with violating Galactic Customs regulations. The Tonarzi are humanoid and generally wear full-body space suits (1). They are banned from trading in the Imperial Jelvan Star Empire (52.9). FA: 1

Torrado - a small European country on the Mediterranean Sea. Inhabitants speak Torradese, which is either a French dialect of Spanish or a Spanish dialect of French. Ruled by a King or Queen, who is the sole person to know the whereabouts of the Lost Ark of Isaac Newton. The current King is Jerome. FA: 8

Trudeau, Jean-Marc - see Black Rose.

Turdston, Dr. Dwayne - scientist with the Agricultural Physicist department of the SHVD, and an expert in exotic high-energy vegetables. Punished severely by Helium Girl for crimes against femininity. A: 29

Underpants Man - junior superhero from Portland, Oregon, alias Noel Basset. Present at the superhero General Assembly. FA: 54 canonically, but see the following.

USHA - the United States Heroes Association, the American equivalent to Canada's League of Heroes. For further details, see The Grayhound Chronicles. A: 54

Valkyrie K - member of the Justice Council; based in Tokyo. Her powers are bestowed on her by the Norse god Odin and the Hindu death goddess Kali. She possesses four robotic arms of unknown technology, and two enchanted weapons - Mjölnirsdottir, an axe supposedly created from a splinter of Thor's hammer, and the Demon Gun of Kali, a highly destructive magically enhanced energy rifle. She speaks a language nobody can understand (or even identify) except for the Piece, who finds she rarely says anything worth translating. The woman currently saddled with transforming into Valkyrie K, Sosumi Tomonaga, is actually quite normal. FA: 55

Vallene - name of Hans-Raoul's race. His world has been referred to as "the Column of Val", and his country as "Dan".

Vandreskhanar-Gariepy, Reginald - CCP, Senior Acquisitions Manager, Sector 21-colon-five, Concord Pacific. A former warlord for Con-Pac in the 22nd century, now a minor official. He embezzled a considerable amount of data from the Corp, and was planning on skipping town when Deuterium Boy and a parrot interfered. A fellow believer in the Cosmic Pie. A: 18

Vector of Doom - strange, blood-thirsty mathematical construct from another dimension. A: 5-7

Vikings - Norse marauders who terrorised Europe in the middle ages, settled Russia, Greenland, Iceland and (temporarily) Newfoundland. Also members of Tony Bennett's entourage. A: 12

Von Vorpalstein, Eric - 19th century Transylvannian-Torradan mad scientist. He created a creature he believed was an amphibious saviour of mankind, but was really a monster. When mankind rejected and destroyed his creation, he began the 100 year experiment which produced the Crustacean as his revenge. [He later discovered how to reduce the 100 years to five, and created the Golden Claw (q.v.). However, fearing he could not control him, he sealed the Claw in lead and sank him into the Mediterranean.] A: 8, 61

War, Algernon - descendant of Chuck War who helps the Diatomic Duo in a dystopian future. FA (as "Burly Man with a Large Gun"): 14

War, Chuck - human Galactic Customs (q.v) agent assigned to Earth, and one of the Diatomic Duo's closest friends. He drives the ridiculously well-armed War Rig. See profile. FA: 1

War-Crab - a mid-range destroyer class vessel, designed for interdiction and raiding. One of the primary warships of the Thyrix Empire, also used by the Zxanxi. FA: 53

Wayne - twisted assistant of Dr. Emmanuel Lewis Hawking (q.v.), and the Crustacean's first henchman. Deceased. A: 8-9

Welsh Guiana - small South American country bordering both Brazil and the Pacific Ocean. Founded in the 17th century by Welsh settlers, it was a British colony for many years until passing to Brazil in the late 1890's. It achieved independence after a short war of liberation between the First and Second World Wars. Chief products are sheep, bananas and zinc, and its capital is the city of Caernovo, population 3 million. Today the main languages spoken are Portuguese, English, and Welsh. A military coup led by General Saddam Alvares Hussientos ousted the democratically elected civilian government in 1982. Currently the country is ruled by the CIA-backed regime of President J. Danforth Codorniz. FA: 11

Wentworth-Higgins, Wesley - member of the Ottawa branch of the Addled Millionaires Club. Not actually a millionaire, but his accountants have yet to inform him that his fortune largely evaporated in the crash of '87. [One of Hydrogen Guy's useful undercover aliases.] A: 25

Wet Belt - dark nebula with a high water content, home to several inhabited water-worlds, that lies between Earth and the IJSE. The primary stomping grounds of the Zxanxi pirates. A: 52.9

Wu, Basil - ConPac security officer and Vananda Prosser's fiancé. A: 18

Xonfir the Almighty - an old and powerful traffic god, currently running a doughnut shop in Vanier, Ontario. A: 27

Yankee Doodle Dandy - alias Steve Dandey. American superhero active 1962-1980. The Dandy was the archetypal superhero of his period, loved and admired by all. His powers were bestowed on him by Californian Native trickster spirit Coyote. He was killed in battle with the East German superbeing called Demokrat in 1980. FA: 43

Yves - Maggie Castillo's drama queen room-mate and fellow GAP employee. A: 30

Z - a Mage of the Ancient Republic, and N's superior in the Manifold. He transported the Diatomic Duo to a dystopian future to warn them about the threat posed by Hans-Raoul. FA: 13

Zarpazi - inhabitants of the Imperiral Jelvan Star Empire, a race of aliens distantly related to the Partuuni. They are best known as the best cheese-makers in the known galaxy. FA: 46

ZOLTAN - the Zero-Omni-Linear Turbo Automotive Navigator, AKA Hydrogen Guy's old '87 Mustang with a De Broglie drive and various other gadgets installed. Current whereabouts unknown. A: 11-12

Zwm Ap Rhys - knight errant of 7th century Britain; he appears in some of the more outlandish stories at the fringe of Arthurian legend. He is reputed to have carried a fore-runner of the Ruler of Elendil. Hydrogen Guy was handed a section of the Baubalieux Florilegium telling his story by the informant Druid. A: 23

Zxanxi - race of crustacean aquatic aliens with a vague resemblance to oversized shrimp. Since the collapse of the Zxanxi Autarchy 56 years ago, the Zxanxi have been primarily pirates operating in and around the Wet Belt. Homeworld is Zxanxj, language is Zxanxari. FA: 53