The recent cold savaging me has me laid out for a few days, so instead of a Hero Beat article, which required way too much thought for my mucus drenched brain, I decided to go with something different this week around.

I have two main inspirations for superheroes. The first is a given… comics. I read comics and figure out what I would have done instead or what I enjoyed reading. The second is music, and I concoct battles and superheroes in the sweep of songs. Music is very important to me, and there’s nothing like blasting Two Steps from Hell or Hans Zimmer on the open road, letting my mind drift to scenes of superheroes and villains. I even put together albums for players when I can, and the following are some of the songs I burned for my players based on the Heroes without Borders campaign.

SMALL CHANGE HERO: The Heavy

I heard this song when I first started watching the show: Strike Back. It seemed perfect for a superhero campaign that was showing what would happen when you mix superheroes and social media and the idea behind the Internet becoming the new baseline for fame.

GHOST: VNV Nation

The campaign began with the death of one of the last Able-Class Metas, someone who fought during WWII. This song was his eulogy in a way and mean to signify the death of a generation of heroes.

NERO: Two Steps from Hell – Archangel Album

This piece embodies both a short comic that I want to write for Heroes without Borders, and it fits perfectly for me the idea of Prodigies, the children of metas who are born into their powers. It also hold a special place for me because when I first heard it, it also embodied a tribute I would love to have done for the MMO City of Heroes.

I COME WITH KNIVES: IAMX

This was never on the original hero album, but in some ways, I can’t help but see the villain Bangarang in this song. So it’s become his theme song in my own head.

LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND: Blackhawk Down Score by Hans Zimmer

This powerful piece by Hans Zimmer is from Blackhawk Down, and it perfectly embodies the group Heroes without Borders themselves. These heroes do not embody a single country’s values, but an ethos of compassion regardless of religion, politics, culture, or creed.

NEMESIS: VNV Nation

A more action oriented piece that’s a bit of the theme song for the vigilantes… metas who use their power to pursue and punish the bad guy. It perfectly embodies taking the law into your own hands and the frustration with the current legal system that drives many metas to met out justice.

NEW FUTURE WEAPON: Billy Idol

I loved Billy Idol ever since I heard White Wedding, and I respected him when he released his “Cyberpunk” album. While not one of his best, New Future Weapon it’s perfect for a superhero campaign, especially for thrill jockeys in powered armor suits or flighted blasters.

MACHINE GUN (16Bit Remix): Noisia

So dubstep isn’t for everyone, but I enjoy elements of it. In particular, what I can only describe as Transformers-in-battle music is actually perfect for New York’s Armor Mobile Police force, a mechanized police force that apprehends and enforces the law among metas.

NO CHURCH IN THE WILD: Jay Z & Kanye West

Okay, so say what you will about Kanye West, but I first heard this song in conjunction with the accompanying video and its powerful imagery. To me, the song embodies a new type of metahuman, the libertarian who doesn’t fall into definitions of superhero and supervillain, but rather embodies the rule of self-governance and activism. The song also influenced the first page of the webcomic itself, with Anarchy Blaze and Riot Act fighting at the Zuccotti Park Riots.

ART OF CONFLICT: VNV Nation

This was the theme song for the War College. The fact that is was interspersed with Sun Tzu quotes seemed highly appropriate for the academy dedicated to training metahumans to be responsible members of society.

DECEPTICONS: Transformers Score by Steve Jablosnky

This was the villain’s theme, and while my heroes had yet to encounter him/her, they started seeing his/her influence.

THE HUMBLING RIVER: Puscifer

I first heard this song when the Transformers: Fall of Cybertron trailer premiered to this song. I fell in love with it and used The Humbling River as the “End Credits” song for my campaign. It seemed like a good end of battle, end of a long road piece.

And just because I loved the Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Trailer and the accompanying song so much, I’ll post it here.

Individual Suites

My go-to for theme music and combat music in general tends to be Two Steps From Hell and composers like Thomas Bergersen. Sure, I do go to Hans Zimmer when his pieces don’t ramble too much (as well as other movie composers), but the Two Steps crew have consistently nailed my preferences. If their music sounds familiar, it’s because they started with trailer music for games and movies, and the first time I heard them was for the Star Trek Reboot with their song: Freedom Fighter. Since then, they’ve been the lynchpin of my campaign scores from Fantasy, to Superheroes, to Steampunk.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS: Two Steps from Hell – Invincible Album

PROTECTORS OF THE EARTH: Two Steps from Hell – Invincible Album

TO GLORY: Two Steps from Hell – Invincible Album

This is one of several go to combat pieces I listen to when I’m daydreaming. It’s also triggered ideas for superheroes that end up in my books and campaigns.