High-Jinks
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
A clown-styled loner hero with a strong sense of justice, High Jinks is Jonah Patrick, a former circus acrobat whose father was killed by a jealous fellow performer.
Who Is High Jinks?
Jonah Patrick was part of the Castillo Three Ring Circus and Carnivalé, and the only child of the immediate Patrick family. His mother died of cancer when he was young which left Robert, his father, to raise him on his own.
Growing up within the circus, Joe learnt a variety of different skills, many of which would be invaluable later in life. He trained regularly over the years, honing his skills as an acrobat and contortionist. He and his father mainly performed as clowns and acrobats in their own act. Their dazzling feats of acrobatics combined with their slapstick antics as clowns wowed the crowds, and their act became increasingly popular, much to the dismay of Augustus Von Stein, the Knife Thrower, whose act was pushed to the last spot. And no one remembers the last act in a carnival.
Out of jealousy, Augustus sabotaged the cannon Joe and his father used in their performance. But instead of simply ruining their act as he meant to, the accident killed Robert. Everyone assumed it was just that - an accident, and Augustus' treachery went undiscovered. Until five years later at least.
Powers
Jonah has no superhuman abilities and relies on his keen intellect, knowledge, and training. His extremely high level of athletic prowess makes him a formidable physical opponent as well.
Jonah is an extraordinarily accomplished performer, capable of midair maneuvers to combat flying opponents. Due to his training, his agility, balance, bodily coordination, and flexibility are all higher than that of a normal human being.
In addition to being a skilled acrobat, Jonah is a practiced contortionist as well. Through years of training, his spine has become more flexible than the average persons, enabling him to contort his body into unusual positions without injury or strain.
Jonah also uses a large arsenal of specialized gadgets, the designs of which usually share a comical or toy-like motif. In lue of the traditional 'utility belt' most superheroes tend to wear, Jonah carries a purse-like satchel which may contain other devices or equipment as necessary.
Equipment
- Web Grenade - Upon impact, Jinks' web grenade expels a strong, tenuous substance that solidifies on contact with air. After a couple of minutes, the substance breaks down, loses strength and eventually evaporates.
- Exploding Pies - Though they look harmless, Jinks' pies pack more than just flavor. Packed into the pie is a layer of plastic explosives. They're best suited for explosive demolition rather than ordinary blasting as they tend to be rather.. expensive.
- Jacks - Jinks tosses these caltrops at a targeted location and spread the tiny metal spikes over a large area. They come in the form of steel, toy jacks but are sharpened slightly. They amount to a widely spread steel tripod about three inches long with another leg sticking vertically upward, so that however he throws them down, one spike always sticks up. His jacks serve to slow down the advance of not only human enemies, but speeding or escaping vehicles.
- Smoke Bombs - Jinks' smoke bombs are hollow, hand-held spheres of brightly colored clay filled with a smoke-generating composition that produces a thick cloud of smoke for up to several minutes, hindering his enemies' sight. These bombs also contain powerful anesthetics, capable of putting someone to sleep for hours on end. They also have the side-effect of making them laugh uncontrollably until they drift off. Strong-willed or otherwise super-powered foes have been known to resist the effects.
- Spring-Heeled Boots - His boots are capable of catapulting him into the air, allowing him to leap great distances and rapidly through and over a variety of terrains and urban environments. Jonah also employs the springs by launching himself at enemies and boosting the power of his kicks.
Popularity
Despite the great amount of good he's done for the city, the public still remains somewhat wary of High Jinks. Jinks has always had a rocky relationship with the media, probably from the fact that he dresses as a clown. Most people already find that suspicious, but factoring in High Jinks' track record with escaped criminals, it's a recipe for mistrust. Most of this stems from a highly publicized incident where, while signing autographs at The Paragon Tattler, he and an unnamed editor shook hands for a publicity photo. The jokester that he is, Jinks thought he'd lighten the mood with a joy-buzzer. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't switched his usual taser out for a gag buzzer. Needless to say, the incident earned Jinks the ire of the entire Tattler staff, and those in attendance. But hey, even though the editor talks with a permanent lisp now, he's in excellent condition.
Comical
Wacky and theatric are words often used to describe High Jinks. His sense of humor is greatly exaggerated when in costume. He doesn't clown around in his costume to be the center of attention. He does it because he has to. Jonah goes to great lengths to conceal his secret identity, even if it means purposefully acting like a... well a clown. In costume he can be extremely unpredictable. Out of costume and around his friends, he can be described as warm, friendly, and an occasional jokester. Finding humor in the simplest things, Jonah is fairly optimistic and hopeful.
High Jinks has a wide range of enemies: hapless thugs, mad geniuses, and even crime bosses. Though closely guarded, High Jinks has had some close calls regarding his secret identity. High Jinks had a run-in with the superpowered behemoth Beastlike, where, in the midst of a battle, his mask was pulled off. Though it's unknown if he actually caught a good look at him.
Serials
Issue #1 - "Greasepaint and Grins"
Learn how Jonah Patrick got his start under the big top and what inevitably drove him to become the hero he is today in this exciting first installment. Check it out here!
Trivia
In Character
- Jinks prides himself on having no superpowers.
- Jinks has a restraining order against him by the entire staff of the Paragon Tattler.
- Jinks swore off alcohol in the summer of '02. Seven Mojitos, three soccer moms, and a Bar Mitzvah do not a good afternoon make.
Out of Character
- High Jinks was inspired by comic book heroes such as Spider-Man, Jack-In-The-Box, and The Creeper. He's been referred to as 'Batman and The Joker's lovechild' as well, which I guess is kind of fitting.
