His longish brown hair registers somewhere near auburn with the red highlights becoming especially noticable in the summer. He wears his hair just above shoulder length although it's hard to tell as he gels it into a pompadour predominantly.

Currently he wears an "imperial" or "soul patch" style goatee which peeves his mother to no end. His eyes are a distant ice blue. His hands are noticably calloused from playing numerous stringed instruments like the banjo, dobro guitar but primarily the bass. He has a simple black tattoo of the Japanese character for "2000" on his right shoulder.

What is the character's general appearace? Does the character stand erect or stooped? Dress anachronistically, stylishy, or inauspiciously? Look intimidating or casual? What might someone seeing the character for the first time think?

That they had just crawled through a time warp to the late 50s! Jackson Pollack, Marlon Brando, and James Dean may have pioneered the "rebel" look but they did it with Josh in mind. Simply put there is something so natural about "the total package" that Josh never looks derivative.

In a casual setting he typically wears white or black t-shirts, dark blue jeans rolled at the cuff, an equally dark blue denim jacket, and engineer/motorcycle boots to cover his lanky but muscular 6 foot, 180 lb. frame. For those times he just wants to impress it's either a black jacket, white oxford, and bolo tie or those leather pants that show off his ass.

Regardless of the setting he's never very far from a pack of Camel Filters and a lighter. Currently, he's using a 40's era "Marjorie" style zippo given to him by the Nightcrawler. The prior owner was the villainous Purple Mask who lost it in battle with the Millennium.

Where was the character born?

Lexington, KY.

What is the character's age?

Josh just turned 29. He was born on February 8, 1971.

What was the character's family life like?

Ever read any Southern Gothic? The Faulkner family history is as tawdry as any Tenneessee Williams' creation. Some of which Josh doesn't know about yet so neither should you.<g>

Jonathan (his father) and Jim (his uncle) Faulkner rarely got along with one another as they grew up but their tension exploded when both young men fell in love with Jocelyn Roberts. She chose Jonathan and helped pull him out of the dead-end life he was leading working in the mines. Jonathan was working as a police officer when Joshua was born. They were poor but relatively happy. A few years later his drinking "problem" turned into full-blown alcoholism which almost cost him his job and nearly split the family apart...but they were able to cope. Jacob was born soon after this crisis was averted.

It looked like they were on the mend too until faulty wiring burnt them out of a home and Vincent Vaughn, a contractor. swindled them out of the bulk of their meager savings. They were living in a small apartment in downtown Lexington while Jonathan divided time between "walking the beat" and re-building on their property. It was during this time that the family befriended Bernie Christian who helped ease the burden on all of them with his warm presence, helping hands, giving heart...and forgiving ears for Josh who was learning how to play at the man's side.

Unfortunately, as Joshua grew during his teen years his relationship with his father began to suffer. When Joshua graduated from High School he did not "help out" with the family business as had been planned despite the family's increasing financial burden. Instead he secretly applied to school in New York and even turned to his Uncle Jim for assistance which severly damaged his relationship with the entire family for a time. Jocelyn was the first the come around, then Jake, and slowly and secretly his father although Josh only discovered this recently after his father's death from cancer.

Josh and Jake have a very solid friendship in addition to their strong family bond although their father's death has brought some very ugly feelings up to the surface: Josh blames himself for Jonathan's demise and Jake has deep feelings of abandonment.

Has the character begun his own family?

No.

When or how was the character educated?

When Josh was 18 he left home for school in Manahattan, specifically Mannes College of the New School. Most of the tuition was handled by scholarships, grants, and stafford loans but he did have to turn to his Uncle Jim for funding. He was an undergraduate in the program from 1987 - 1993.

Has the character ever done anything else for a living?

Josh currently runs his father's bail bonds business with his brother, Jake. Josh tends to handle most of the business transactions while Jake tracks "jumpers." While in NYC he supplemented his income from gigging with a freelance job as an HTML scripter in Silicon Alley. The "shop" was located in Hell's Kitchen and the employees drank copious amounts of maragaritas.

What about the character's political and religious beliefs?

Josh is a registered Democrat with very libreal tendencies. He actually enjoys voting. In his younger days he could be found in the center of a number of left-of-center protests. He expressed many of his socio-political sentiments in the lyrics to the songs he wrote for 36-24-36, the agit-punk band he was in a few years ago. Josh understands that most politicos are corrupt but he is an optimist at heart and has some level of faith in "the system". This comes in part from the very human face he attaches to it -- a number of his close friends have dedicated their lives to public service including Police Sgt. John "Tuck" Tucker and Defense Attorney Bernie Christian.

Josh is not particularly religous. When he was very young the family attended a small methodist church near their house but that didn't last long as petty social backstabbing quickly proved to the family that a "drunk ex-cop and his hellish boys" weren't wanted. In his teen years Josh read up on a number of Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism but he didn't find what he was looking for there either. He gets by on a loosely woven personal belief system.

What is the character's moral code?

Josh is a rebel with a cause. He believes that with great power comes great responsibility. The last few weeks have seen him become increasingly dedicated toward this idea. Before he gained his powers he tried in his own way to do right and maybe even motivate somebody else out there with his music. Now that he has special abilities he can be a bit more active in righting societies wrongs.

Does the character have any goals?

Josh would love to be back on stage performing...preferably without having to depend on supplemental income but thanks to his father's death bed letter he sees the bail bonds company as a way to reaffirm his struggling relationship with his brother.

He is wholly committed to the Millennium. It's goals are his own. 

What is the character's personality?

His manner varies from calculated to jovial depending on the setting--a sharp wit is the one constant in that range. It is his humor that allows him to adapt to the curve balls life seems to be constantly throwing his way. When in deep thought he can be found tapping out a bass line from any number of songs that may relate to the situation at hand. His family life has taught him valueable lessons about responsibility. Josh also has a devil's advocate streak that runs deep. Both traits allow Josh to function as a conciliator often times in larger group situations. He's spent years learning how to control the trademark Faulkner temper.

What special qualities does the character posess? This doesn't necessarily refer to skills, but to what the character can do well. Does he get along well with other people? Is he skilled at taking care of business? Prioritizing tasks? Planning ahead?

Josh is friendly and good natured. People respond well to this and as a result Josh is rarely without friends. He's very adaptable and learns things quickly (take a look at his varied job history). He has already applied this versatility to his new found talents and has taken to pushing them further than many of the group. He has also demontrated an interest in strategy and tactics since the formation of the team.

Are there certain things the character just cannot do? Get close to people? Perceive himself realistically?

Josh has trouble backing down from a challenge...case in point his discussion with Nightcrawler and his brawl with Fury. His quick wit has been known to get him into trouble from time to time... He also has a helluva time getting up before noon on the weekends.

What does the character hate?

That nauesous feeling you get around powered villains, the 9-to-5 grind, having to make coffee in the mornings (why can't it make itself?") and for a time being back in Lexington. 

What does the character love?

Music! After hours at the office the stereo can be found playing Chris Whitley, Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, Leadbelly, Mahler, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Serge Ginsbourg with equal airtime. Joshua Faulkner can remember the first time his father (Jonathan) took him to see a bluegrass show. Doc Watson and Bill Monroe sealed Joshua's fate that humid July day. He was going to be heard by thousands of people too one day.

He has a penchant for "dressing up" too -- in high school who wore his "Stereo-Man" costume as part of his GWAR influenced band the Flannel Firing Squad. After college he wore a "Barbie Suit" in 36-24-36...and now he's a "super hero" in the need of a costume!

...and don't forget about that nicotine addiction...and add coffee ("black, hot, and in a cup") to that list too!

What is the character's full name? Nicknames?

Josh's full name is Joshua Aron Faulkner. Jocelyn was a huge Elvis fan and Jonathan managed to talk her down to Aron as a middle name in honor of "The King." It could have been worse yet...she was also a huge Tarzan buff!

How does the character perceive government? Those who are opposed to the government?

When it works it's there to take care of people...when it's not working well to hell with it. The Faulkners made it through some pretty lean times in part due to federal and state assistance and it's something he's not likely to forget. Depends on the scenario...would he help the Luminaries take hostages? No. Would he be right in the middle of a free speech protest? Sure.

How does the character interact with other members of the group? Are they protective of some members? Has the character developed a rivalry with another character? Are there any romantic interests the character would like to pursue?

All of the above! Josh is naturally protective of his younger brother Jake (aka Fury). Early on the internal group debate over the Millennium's relationship with the police caused friction between Josh and Carl (aka The Nightcrawler) of late that tension is not an issue and the two seem to be developing a mutual respect. Amanda (aka Phoenix) and Josh have recently embarked on the beginnings of a romantic relationship fueled in no small part to the number of shared interests and experiences the two have in common. It remains to be seen how he will relate with the newest and youngest member of the group, Magna-Flux.

How did the character gain his abilites? What was his first reaction? What motivates him to act as a hero now?

It's a matter that still remains unclear...what he does know is that like hundreds of other "powereds" across the globe he developed metahuman abilities on New Year's Day. He really had no time to have a reaction to his new talents as he and his brother were both discovered them during an attack by the career criminal Clement Dodge and his razor sharp arms! His sense of humor and years of living in the East Village acclimated Josh to easy acceptance of the absurd so he has adapted well to the change. It was his sense of responsibility that brought him back to Lexington in the first place...and it's also what keeps him in the costume.

Photo of James Dean copyright copyright Roy Schatt and CMG Worldwide. Photo of Chris Whitley by Tyler Boley. Image of Havok copyright Marvel Comics.

Character created by Daniel Harvey.

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