Neon Beam
Briscoe Trevor Wheelock (a.k.a. Neon Beam)
In the neon-drenched desert town of Monte Rodeo, crime both supernatural and mundane stalks where the glow of the casinos dares not touch. In these dusty alleyways, a scintillating avenger stalks the night in search of the truths others might overlook. By day a simple and unassuming glassworker, Briscoe Wheelock takes to the night to wrangle up the city's evildoers in the guise of the telekinetic cowboy detective: Neon Beam!
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
The numerous cuts Briscoe sustained from flying glass as a result of his origin story (see Special Abilities) have scarred over, though most of these are across his back and upper arms and can thus be concealed by regular clothing. Other such marks on his hands and face can be justified as a result of his profession so as to maintain his cover identity.
Special abilities
Briscoe recieved his powers as a result of his presumed death at the hands of the mercenary pyrokineticist Fortunate Sun. Flung through a decorative neon display on a church's grounds when he stepped between a construction worker and Fortunate Sun's flame blast, Briscoe was transfixed with shards of glass tubing and lethal arcs of electricity. Instead of dying, though, the psychic resonance generated by generations of religious belief in the area suffused his body in that desperate final moment, reanimating his body and allowing him to limp away apparently no worse for the wear. The changes wrought by this psycho-spiritual experience permanently altered Briscoe's nature, however, granting him the abilitiy to manipulate and subsist upon light itself. This incident also cemented Fortunate Sun - as well as the mercenary's erstwhile employer, the powerful and enigmatic telepath Doctor Gaslight - as Briscoe's arch nemeses.
Neon Beam's most visible abilities focus around the creation and telekinetic manipulation of hard light constructs resembling objects stylized as neon tubing. For example, a force bull-rushing a foe off his feet might manifest as a short-lived blue and white curl of energy resembling a stylized wave, a telekinetic barrier used to deflect bullets might look like a roulette wheel flashing in alternating colors to emulate rotation, and a lifting force might resemble a purplish Roman column rising up from the ground. Neon Beam absorbs ambient light and stores it in his body to power these abilities; the color of light absorbed has some impact on the colors he can infuse into his powers, so he prefers environments with lots of bright, colorful signage.
As an investigator, Neon Beam is much more competent at forensics than he is at interrogation or persuasion as a result of his naturally introverted nature. Neither are stealth or guile his strong suits, as Neon Beam's titular powers are rather ostentatious when in use; it falls to Briscoe, not Neon Beam, to surreptitiously tail targets, only slipping into his superhero guise when the final confrontation with can no longer be avoided. One thing Neon Beam is good at is tracking a target based on seemingly inconsequential spoor, especially if the target has psionic powers like he does. Neon Beam's ability to manipulate light augments his already excellent investigative senses, allowing him to pursue hidden targets even in perfect darkness.
Less obviously, Briscoe can go for extended periods of time without sleep, food, or water so long as he can expose himself to light - a useful ability to have for one with such nocturnal crimefighting habits. This ability has significantly reduced Briscoe's bills and, therefore, has allowed him to become an independent glass artist rather than continue to be stuck working at the commercial signage factory to make ends meet. By extension, Briscoe has the liberty to work for long periods in private and will not arouse suspicion if he slips out of his artist's loft at night to 'seek inspiration' - in other words, to fight crime.
Apparel & Accessories
Briscoe's Neon Beam costume is cowboy-themed out of respect for Monte Rodeo's 'old west' roots and features flourescent-doped piping that flashes to life when his powers are in use. When acting as his alter ego, Briscoe's attire still features some nods to cowboy culture, including a stylish hat and a leather jacket, but he tries to keep things subtle so as not to blow his own cover.
Mental characteristics
Mental Trauma
Briscoe is accutely aware that he should have, by all rational standards, perished in the event that granted him his powers. Ever since, he has been prone to bouts of existential crisis wherein he questions his own nature and the purpose of his ongoing existence in the world. This is not to say that Briscoe is depressed, but that, deep down, he worries that some subconscious exertion of psychic energy is the only thing still tethering him to the world of the living and that, should he ever let himself relax back into a normal existence, he might perish for the lack of that exertion. In other words, he worries that the continued survival of Briscoe Wheelock as a person is conditioned on the continued efforts of Neon Beam to solve mysteries and fell evildoers even when that responsibility gets in the way of gaining the life, carreer, and family he had once aspired to.
Social
Religious Views
Briscoe is Christian in overall outlook but doesn't ascribe to a specific denomination. Though not particularly religious before the events leading to his transformation into Neon Beam, Briscoe believes that God saved him that day and wants to know why. The psycho-spiritual field that empowered Briscoe also amplified his own inner desire to seek out the great truths of the world, including spiritual truths. The concept of a Jungian collective subconscious underpinning religious belief seems increasingly plausible to Briscoe as he encounters more and more opponents granted psionic powers or twisted into villains by the manifestations of their archetypes.
Briscoe's faith is part of what makes him a hero because it encourages him to study the psychology of his rogues gallery and either seek to redeem them or subdue them for rendition to the right authorities - for what good is temporal power if it doesn't go hand-in-hand with moral virtue? At the same time, Briscoe's faith-based ideals also put him at odds with some tech-based heroes (i.e. Sir Circuit), who often see his faith as naive in the face of the accomplishments of science and reason, as well as with vigilantes who would rather see the worst villains killed off for the safety of the community (i.e. John Freight) or whose quarry are involved with the corruption of the law itself (i.e. Panaudicon FM).
Social Aptitude
Briscoe Wheelock is not altogether human anymore, his physiology warped by exposure to raw psychic energy at the moment of his transformation into Neon Beam. Even mundane people can sense an air of the otherworldly around Briscoe, and, for those with latent psionic or spiritual powers, this sensation often gives way to a sort of primal fear akin to what a prey animal might experience crossing the hunting grounds. Though good-natured, Briscoe is unable to supress this 'aura' and, as a result, has poor luck in casual social settings.
Briscoe Wheelock likes women, but is pretty much hopeless when it comes to securing dates - not that he was any better at overcoming his shyness before the incident. Neon Beam, on the other hand, gets all the feminine attention he could ever want but can't very well commit because of strictures of his work. Lady heroes often take a shine to his shy cowboy routine, and he has had flings with the likes of Hourglass and Cordelia Bright in the past.
Speech
Neon Beam affects a folksy country drawl and cowboy mannerisms as part of his superhero costume.
Alignment
Lawful Good
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Age
26
Children
Sex
Male
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Brown
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale
Height
5'10"
Weight
180 lbs
Belief/Deity
Christian
Character Prototype
Show spoiler
Like Batman, but if Gotham was founded in Nevada instead of New York
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