History[]
Mr Brass (the tall one) and Mr Bland (the short one) are supporting characters from the 2000 AD strip Rogue Trooper. Mr Brass used to be a Nort party member who worked for ten years in military computers, and Mr Bland spent ten years in the Souther pay-corps. Then they met and decided to use Mr Brass' computer expertise and Mr Bland's (probably embezzled) money to work as professional body looters, roaming the battlefields of Nu Earth and scavenging whatever had a resale value. Utterly amoral and without any allegiance, save to themselves, they pretended to support either the Norts or the Southers, depending which army they encountered.
When Mr Brass and Mr Bland first saw Rogue they realised that the equipment he was carrying made him a "walking treasure trove" who could net them a small fortune, were it not for the inconvenient fact that he was still alive. Some time later they spotted him infiltrating a Nort victory rally and told the Norts, hoping that they would be paid for his exact location. Instead, the Norts told them that they could find Rogue themselves. This went about as well as might be expected, and Rogue escaped after assassinating two Nort generals. The good news for Messrs Brass and Bland was that this meant that the price on his head was now even higher.
Rogue next encountered the pair when they were on the trail of a second Genetic Infantryman who was also at large on Nu Earth. Unfortunately for them, Rogue found the GI before they did. Unfortunately for Rogue, the GI in question was Major Magnam, a dangerously unhinged and incompetent personality stored on a biochip installed in a handgun.
Nothing daunted, Messrs Brass and Bland continued their lucrative career until they met the Traitor General — the man who had caused the Quartz Zone massacre which had wiped out all but one of the Genetic Infantrymen. The pair proposed an alliance with him, because their hatred for Rogue was as great as his. They arranged for Rogue and the Traitor General to duel to the death in the Quartz Zone while they made a mint by selling the vid rights all over the galaxy.
When Rogue faked his death in the combat, Mr Brass stupidly told the Traitor General that he and Bland had, in fact, been betting on Rogue to win because they had thought that that was the wager most likely to make them a huge sum of money. This did not go down well. Rogue reappeared but couldn't shoot the Traitor General because he was using Brass as a human shield. The Traitor General escaped in Brass and Bland's craft, killing Brass just before it took off. A devastated Mr Bland, who had lost his wingman and his wager, vowed to avenge his partner's death.
Powers and abilities[]
Abilities
Knowing the price of everything; hacking into spy satellites.
Strength level
Middle-aged human males who get regular light exercise (wandering over battlefields).
Weaknesses
Being too honest about their motives.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Chem-suits; robot-pickers; robo-vator (for heavy lifting); Nort flags; Souther flag.
Transportation
Land vehicle that can bury itself; atmocraft.
Notes[]
Some time after the original Rogue Trooper series ended, Mr Brass and Mr Bland reappeared in Hunted, a series set before Mr Brass' death. It established that the pair were in the habit of selling fake goods to their customers and then using an explosive hidden in the merchandise to kill the purchasers if their fraud was detected. Caveat emptor, indeed...
Trivia[]
Mr Brass and Mr Bland's business card reads: "BLAND & BRASS: WAR SUPPLIES TO THE GALAXY!"
Links[]
- Appearances of Mr Brass and Mr Bland
- Character Gallery: Mr Brass and Mr Bland
- Images that feature Mr Brass and Mr Bland
- Fan-Art Gallery: Mr Brass and Mr Bland
- Mr Brass and Mr Bland quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: Mr Brass and Mr Bland · Morrie Brass and Mr Bland · Mr Brass and Mr Bland