Origin
Coat of Arms is an up-and-rising young artist who appears to specialize on a super-heroic theme. Prior to her first appearance the formation of the Young Masters, she met Norman Osborn, whom she considered “the greatest art super-villain” and a major inspiration for her work. Confronted with her idol, Coat of Arms “spazzed out a little” and showed Norman a trio of paintings she had done depicting the Green Goblin, the third showcasing the death of Gwen Stacy. Norman had a spazz-out of his own, assuming the work was satirical and threatening to use his governmental powers to make Coat of Arms “disappear” before leaving in a huff. Coat of Arms was so inspired by Norman’s momentary slip into the Green Goblin persona that she found the Melter and formed the Young Masters.
Coat of Arms refers to the Young Masters as old-school superheroes, “feared and hated by those [they’re] sworn to protect.” However, her motivations lean more towards artistic expression and exploration, referring to the Young Masters’ job as to illuminate the tension between pro- and anti-registration supers, as well as other divisions within superhuman community. Her work with the Young Masters leads her into conflict with the Young Avengers, including her old friend and pseudo-romantic interest Speed, whom she knew from her time in juvenile hall.
Creation
Coat of Arms was created by Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks in 2009 and first appeared in Dark Reign: Young Avengers # 1.
Powers and Abilities
Coat of Arms abilities are derived from her Coat, once belonging to the mystical villain Tiburo, which at times possesses multiple arms used for holding multiple gadgets, weapons and other utilities; Lisa’s able to use these excess limbs as if they were her own and are usually seen wielding swords, though one of her arms is used to hold her camera. They seem to be able to come and go at will, as in one scene she is seen with all of them but in the next, apparently straight after, she is seen with her normal contingent of arms. She seems to need the coat in order to grow her extra arms. She also used the coat to generate a force field to protect herself from Speed and materialize objects. Possession of the Coat also gives her a measure of magical ability and spellcasting, as she was able to channel her own powers to aid Wiccan and the Enchantress in defeating the Sentry.
She is a skilled artist, focusing on a super-heroic theme. Besides the “scenes” she constructs in her service to the Young Masters, she paints portraits of super-humans including the Thing, Captain America, the Green Goblin and what appears to be either Quicksilver or Prince Namor.