Archive for November 6th, 2010
#6 – TYLERMAN!
Tyler Choe suffers from autism. Aside from that, he is superhuman in most respects. He is impervious to physical harm, and his strength can be compared only to a towering crane – a big one.
The only real connection to the outside world is Tyler’s fascination with superheroes. In his mind he has created the persona of TYLERMAN, and he will only wear clothing with his insignia, a diamond shape with a capital T inside.
Blindsight encounters Tyler during a fire in the sanatorium he spends his days in. Tyler helps Blindsight free a few people from the fire, before he drops back into his dreamworld again.
When Simulacrum joins the team, Blindsight decides to add a strongman to the lineup, so that someone would be able to use the objects Sammy turns into, someone able to wield a 140 pound sword. However, no superstrong hero is willing to join the ranks of the “limited power”-team, and so Blindsigt decides to give TYLERMAN a chance.
Tyler ultimately only agrees because he likes the coincidence that Blindsight is also called “Ty”, and often will make jokes about “big Ty” and “tiny Ty”.
TYLERMAN cannot cope with the world as it is. He is easily overwhelmed by exterior sensations and will then withdraw into a catatonic state. In order to fix that, Nevermind is brought on the team to aid Tyler in processing the sensual input, and ultimately showing him how to interact with the world.
On the downside, as Tyler is eventually cured of his condition through Nevermind, he chooses to leave the team because he reasons that as an invincible hero who can function without the team, his presence would destroy the team, since he would soon become dominant. With him gone, the team quickly has to say goodbye to Nevermind as well, and other heroes along with him.
#5 – Careen
Another day I didn’t manage to upload my picture… this challenge is more challenging than expected. I spent half my day running around looking for a connection cable for my new Cintiq. And when I finally got one and plugged it in, I found out it was broken! So I though today would have been the right day for Careen, the fastest member of the Marginal Men. I should have her do my errands!
Careen is actually Kareen Amidou, an assistant tax consultant from New Orleans. During a tax inspection of estranged scientist Thierry Lamont, a freak accident bestowed upon her amazing powers, which seemingly enabled her to move at incredible speeds.
Kareen and Dr. Lamont decided to work together in an effort to understand the exact nature of her powers. Kareen adopted the identity of masked crimefighter Careen (another slang word for moving fast, I know…) and donned a costume that is specifically meant to look like it has to withstand extreme velocity and friction. It is, however, basically a cheap cosplay made of cheapest materials, and Kareen keeps a dozen or so of them in her appartment. The only real part of the costume is the oxygen tank around the back of her waist.
Careens exact powers are temporal. Due to the accident, she is able to build up a “time dilation field” which removes her from the timestream. Since it is an emitted field, it grows weaker with distance from her, enabling her to move and interact with the world instead of being completely removed from our timescape and simply vanishing from existence.
While her powers are active, Careen appears to move at speeds near lightspeed, while she herself notices no difference at all. If she is sent across town, she still has to run across town and will be running for – what appears to her – hours.
The dissipating time dilation field around her also has severe side effects:
Careen has almost no air within her “time bubble” and needs an oxygen tank for respiration. She cannot touch things, because the field pushes everything back, even beneath her feet. So basically, Careen is constantly floating, and cannot stop running, or she will literally vaporize the floor beneath her. Even while running, the floor takes noticeable damage wherever she treads. She cannot take larger objects or persons with her into the field.
Careen is able to deliver hard blows by just slowly approaching targets with her fist. A quick blow will result in death and destruction, since the destructive effect of the field increases radically with proximity to Careen.
Careen has been training her condition and running speed constantly since the accident, but still her effective range is limited tothe amount of oxygen she is carrying with her and the distance she can cover on foot without her powers. Careen can cross smaller bodies of water, but will sink immediately if she stops. Running to China would be entirely impossible for her. Sending her to Alaska would mean that she would have to run the entire distance like a normal person. It’s just that nobody would notice, except for her accelerated aging while she was gone.
In order to be accepted into the superhero community, Careen decided to keep these restrictions a secret. She joins Blindsights team after a shared adventure with Xroma, who convinces her that superheroines are at a disadvantage anyway, and she should establish herself as part of a team in order to be taken seriously.
#6 Deadeye
Do spies ever retire? Surely they all don’t get bumped off or disappear, etc. I always wondered that about James Bond when I was a kid. Eventually, he’s gonna be too old to chase international villains, drive fast cars and seduce every woman he meets, right? This is where my idea for Donovan Drake, AKA: Deadeye came from. It’s not a new, brilliant story but he’s my answer to the that adolescent question. I went a different direction with the art this time. He’s a very 60’s flavored type of character. Equal parts Bond, Nick Fury, Man from U.N.C.L.E. so I went for a 60’s styled rendering to match. I think it’s pretty successful!
#6 Mayor Randolph Nichol
From Lilly’s Blog
The hilarious thing is that he almost always runs unopposed. Elections in Ephton Valley are determined by who actually cares enough to run, more than by who is actually qualified. And no one I have ever known cares about running for mayor. In a town this small, where very little changes and the biggest crimes are underage drinking, there’s not really much to do. Yet Mayor Nichol seems constantly terrified that he may lose his office.
In the early 2000’s Mayor Nichol read about the New York City mayor who takes the subway to work every day like an “average citizen.†Inspired, Nichol decided he too would stop taking his city-provided car to work. But there is no public transportation in Ephton Valley, so he began walking. It’s particularly funny to see him during the hot summer days, dressed up in his suit, waddling down the block, handkerchief in hand, wiping the sweat off his brow while the goofy, nervous smile never, ever leaves his face.
Mayor Nichol really just wants to be a great mayor. He wants to work hard and make Ephton Valley a better place. The problem is he’s just not a very intelligent person. The result is a frightened little man, incapable of making decisions. I imagine him in front of a mirror every morning making self affirmations and promising himself that, if he gets re-elected, he really will make some serious changes and improvements to this town.
Unfortunately, that lack of self confidence also makes him particularly easy prey for those would would want to take advantage of what little power he does have. When a man like Blake Lewis comes back to Ephton Valley with promise of riches, Mayor Nichol perks up. And when Lewis pretends to be at his service, well you can bet Nichol will jump on the opportunity.
Mayor Nichol was the first person Lewis visited upon his return. He showered the mayor with compliments. Lewis told Nichol everything he had ever wanted to hear: “you are doing a great job, I respect your position, I respect you. I want to help Ephton Valley grow even more but I cannot do it without your support.†Look up news footage of the press conference in which Nichol tells the story and you can see the childlike giddiness in his face.
In his sad mind, Mayor Nichol believes he is responsible for Lewis’s radical transformation of Ephton Valley. And in a way, he is. His weak will made him the perfect target for a con. He may be a very nice man, but next election day, do not vote for Randolph Nichol. He means well, he really does, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
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Tepeu o Falcão
Tepeu was part of a small group of flying men who are believed to still live quite secretly in the high peaks of the Peruvian countryside. It is believed that his people still reside in small numbers in the remote Oconeque region, where they were believed to migrate as human populations began to expand. Sightings of these half bird men are still relatively common in Peru, partially due to the prevalence of superstition in some of the ancient cultures that remain. Stories are told that these creatures are responsible for the popular Nazca lines, as they are one of the few comparably intelligent creatures from ancient history. This would account for the scale of the images that can only be seen from the air.
#6 The Verdant Emperor, Omnipotent Master of a Thousand Small Green Leaves
Name: The Verdant Emperor, Omnipotent Master of a Thousand Small Green Leaves
Species: Deity
Age/Sex/Race: 3428/Male/N/A
Main Goal: To maintain his status as ruler of Xinocel.
Occupation: Emperor of the universe of Xinocel.
Motivation: Power, Greed, Arrogance
Inner Need: Greatness, status, influence.
Flaw: Arrogant, unforgiving, extremely short-tempered.
Good/Bad Habits: Rules fairly, unless angered, in which case he is very cruel.
Secret: Was supposed to relinquish his post as Emperor over 200 years ago, and he banished his rightful successor, Jinshu Dabhail, to the bottom of the sea.
Skills, Knowledge, Props: Immortal, an extremely knowledgable alchemist and sorcerer.
Quirks: Goes everywhere with at least two floozies and always smokes from a jade hookah.
Attitude: Jolly
Dialogue Style: Fast, extremely eloquent with the occasional slip of surprising casual terminology.
Backstory/Description: The universe of Xinocel is ruled by the thousands of gods in Heaven, who are in turn ruled by an emperor. This emperor is aligned with one of the five elements (wood, metal, fire, water, earth) and rules for 1000 years. The Verdant Emperor, aligned with wood, has ruled for 1238 years. When he came to power, he decided that he was the best person to rule the gods, and set up a network of spies and secret police to better control Heaven. When it came time for him to resign, he had his rightful successor, Jinshu Dabhail of Metal, arrested by his secret police and banished to the bottom of the sea. He then threw a lavish party to announce that he would be emperor forever, and since he was well feared, no one opposed him. He now rules Xinocel efficiently and relatively fairly, but any opposition is immediately silenced by his secret police and banished from Heaven.
And with this one I’m all caught up. I thought of this setting/character when I started reading Journey to the West, that ancient Chinese novel. This setting was conceived as a mix between Celtic and Chinese mythologies, and I thought about making a Mutants and Masterminds campaign out of it. That would be pretty bad ass…
#5 Kamau “Longhorns” Okeke
Name: Kamau “Longhorns” Okeke
Species: Human
Age/Sex/Race: 29/Male/Black
Main Goal: Destroy all of the Tall Ones once and for all.
Occupation: Hunter/Gatherer/Superhero
Motivation: Survival
Inner Need: Glory
Flaw: Rash, slightly arrogant, careless
Good/Bad Habits: Willing to help those in need, but rushes into things without thinking too often.
Secret: That he is the superhero Longhorns and how he got his powers through grave robbery.
Skills, Knowledge, Props: A decent hunter/gatherer, knows how to make crude explosives and smoke bombs, super-human strength, speed, and jumping ability.
Quirks: Collects spears and always has one on his person.
Attitude: Jovial
Dialogue Style: Casual, not very eloquent, several jokes of varying levels of lameness.
Backstory/Description: The people of the Majani Grasslands live in fear of the Tall Ones, giant monsters of dizzying variety that all come from the West somewhere to terrorize them. Kamau Okeke was just a simple hunter/gatherer on the Majani Plains until, dissatisfied with his demanding way of life, decided to try supplementing his income with grave robbery. He would dig up the few bits of gold and copper jewelry people were buried with until he thought he’d try exhuming the grave of a long-dead shaman. In it he found a strange, horned head dress and tried it on. He found it gave him super strength, super speed, and the ability to make incredible leaps in the air. Armed with the magic head dress, his collection of spears, and the knowledge of crafting explosives he’d learned from a travelling merchant, he became the hero Longhorns, devoted to slaying the Tall Ones and protecting his people.
Yeah, how you like that? I missed posting yesterday, so this is the first of two. I’ve always liked the idea of superheroes in other cultures than American, so here’s a superhero in a pseudo-African setting fighting giant monsters. Yay!
#6 Eve Schuzengel
Eve is a sweet girl who finds herself caught in the droid conflict. A simple contractor for the forsaken colony, Addison-Prestwick, Eve begins our story being held hostage by the droids. When Eve finally makes her way to the arms of safety, she finds that there were greater implications to her robotic hostage crisis than just dehydration.
#6 – Fly Ball
This insect has a fairly tame flight pattern: vertically up 100 feet, then vertically down, generally landing in a leather woven nest. This organism shares a subphylum with the pop fly as well as the much more complicated and confusing infield fly. The fly ball has a speedy enemy known as the center-fielder. While the it does not generally eat the fly ball, the center-fielder will return the fly ball back to it’s original habitat, a dirt mound.
#5 Rosemary
Rosemary is a normal Catholic school girl, who just happens to be the Devil’s daughter. Hey, he wanted her to have a good education like everyone else!! She’s got boy problems, she texts to much, she likes the mall, and she fights on the unearthly plane every so often with her demon powers!
#3 Scystera of the Serpae clan
(Note – I’ve had a really busy week out of nowhere and got a bit behind, never a good thing in a challenge like this, however, I think I should be able to get back in it this weekend. Got a 4th I’m about to post too.)
So, onto Scystera. The Serpae are a breed closely related to the Gorgon family. While not as ugly as Gorgon’s, namely her great great great aunt, medusa, Serpae does have the power to create partial paralisis in those unfortunate enough to come across her. However, the power to turn to stone is reserved for her more foul relative. Primarily found on some of the smaller islands in the Mediterranean, Serpae are a relatively reclusive clan, not nearly as aggressive as their predecessors.
Day 6: Angel Dust
Angel Dust blows her psychotropic drugs in your face. She’s often invited to Raves, but she’s susceptible to a double fine if she’s on school grounds.
I came up with the idea for Angel Dust after talking about old WWF with some friends. I always thought it looked so cool when Mr. Fuji blew salt in peoples faces. Also, I remembered this girl my cousin “dated” and she claimed she was a witch. She would do the weirdest things, like put her hands up to her face and pretend like she was blowing stuff at you. Then of course angel dust played it’s roll. When I was a kid, angel dust was the worst drug you could possibly do. We would hang out in the park and talk about all of the stories we heard about what people did while they were on angel dust. Angel Dust is PCP, which isn’t a psychotropic drug, but she’s make believe, so I don’t think it’s imperative that she actually blows PCP in your face. It’s more fun if she blows drugs in your face that make you crazy to the point where you think you can fly!
Day#06 Rain Reeves
Rain Reeves is best friends with his next-door neighbour, (#05) Sarah Sorry. His favourite colour is pink, he hates sports, enjoys playing with dolls and doll houses, loves reading books, computers, and animals, and wants to grow up to cure cancer.
His parents think he will become an interior designer, but they love him and encourage him to be himself. Sometimes he can be opinionated, and friends and family use the phrase “Right as Rain” with a wink, when he verges on the pompous.
They don’t worry too much about the possibility that his apparent effeminate ways could bring the bullies down on him, since he has a great protector in the more aggressively active Sarah Sorry –and of course his little pet dog, Growl (#07)
I’m not that happy with the way this one turned out. Created in Manga Studio Ex4 White background made transparent in Gimp2, and Coloured in Photoshop. I was thinking of making a “statement” about gender issues with these guys, perhaps a childrens book aimed at parents –lol– but at the moment I’m not excited about the idea. Maybe later.
#6 – Beverly
Character was designed as an “extra” for a pool of background or random characters for my main webcomic, P.S.I.: A Pessimistic Sense of Inadequacy.
#6 – “Engine” Brock
Brock is the big brasher of the Mechanic Squad. He’s not too bright and likes to fight. He’s good for moving heavy things around
#6 ScareWolf
It was a full moon the night Louis Pine was born, but maybe that was just a coincidence.
Then again, maybe not.
Either way, 38 years later, Lou was a down on his luck divorcee, barely able to hang onto his lousy job as a high school janitor. But then one night, Lou was attacked…by a werewolf! He would have been killed too, had it not been for the intervention of the mysterious mystic Occultus: Slayer of the Supernatural!
Lou’s bite was deep, insuring he too would succumb to the curse of the werewolf, and Occultus moved to kill him. Lou pleaded with the slayer, begging him to spare his life. He had a little girl who needs her father, despite what his ex-wife might say. Occultus, having had his own fair share of domestic squabbles throughout the millenia, sympathized with Lou and relented. Insted of killing him, he gave Lou an ancient charm, one that could not prevent his transformation into a werewolf, but would allow him to keep his wits and intellect about him during the transformation so long as he was wearing it.
Lou has turned this curse into a gift, and is now the happiest high school janitor in the world. Because once a month when the moon’s on full, Lou dons a costume and transforms into SCAREWOLF: Superhuman, Supernatural Savior of the Night!
#6 Ciara
Next is Ciara, the Chief of An Forse Cosanta on the Cuchulain. Basically the military liason.
Again, costume is in flux.
What do you think?
#6 Ribbon Master
Need help wrapping a birthday gift? Christmas is right around the corner. Do your fingers ach from all of that bow that need tied ? Never fear The ribbon master is here!
#5 Ironthorn
The sky bled trickles of blue fire. He made his way to the Gates of Gruumsh to claim his birthright, his mother’s blood drying under his nails. Through the rapidly melting first snowfall of the year, he trudged through the mountains, scorching rock where his feet and tail touched. In his path, both leafless oak and needled pines became husks of wood not even fit to burn. A lone T’Karran elf stood sentinel over the gorge where
the army had travelled not three day before. In the light of the dying sun he saw the six lights. Pink as a preternatural sunrise, yet unsettlingly arcane. Six eyes, placed in a head that had been obscured by its own sickening countenance. He realized the creature’s eyes could not see him, for its gaze was fixed on the horizon and surely it must have stood as tall as five oaks. Nestling into the scrub he dared look again. No mortal eyes had gazed upon it in a thousand years and a terror gripped him beyond reason. Something in his blood knew a fear that echoed through his ancestral lineage. Before the abomination passed, the elf’s heart had stopped and now he too lay as a husk, a visage of pure panic was all that remained of a once proud warrior. Somewhere Titania began weeping uncontrollably and Oberonn’s memory faded into blackness just a step more.
The Ironthorn was reborn.
#5 Sin’Dana
The second of the three Demiurges called the First Sisters, Sin’Dana is a more aloof entity that dwells in the Cold, the first Vale beyond sleep. There, her sorcerous battles with doubts and fears can ease troubled minds in the living, and project a confidence into mortal dreamers- she represents descision, law, and a path in an otherwise vast and forbidding world.
#6 Salazar
Once a private detective, Herbert “Herb” Salazar, was murdered while investigating a mysterious cult. The victim of a hellish ceremony, Salazar was left to wander the world without a physical form, though somehow connected to his old ring.  Through his ring, he can take on a solid, though invisible form for a short amount of time.
#6 – Sun Wukong
I have no idea how I’ll work this guy into the strip, but now he’s designed, he’s going in!
#4 Surge Shocker
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If your coffee doesn’t taste like MUD it wasn’t GROUND this morning!
I woke up this morning and was greeted by this oh-so-chipper little coffee monster! I took a picture with my camera phone, and drew him in in Illustrator, but had to bring it back to Photoshop to get the effects I wanted. True to 30 Characters form, what was meant to be a quickie ended up taking way longer than I wanted. I wanted to ask him his name, but he just screamed, broke through my kitchen window and alphabetized my entire neighborhood. Any suggestions?
#6 Odile
Odile is known to her patrons and admirers as the “Black Swan.” She’s the most desired belly dancer who ever lived. She’s a plus-sized girl who knows how to shake her money maker…and she’s an absolute diva who loves herself considerably more than her self deserves.
#6 Alexus Boon
Alex is a very independent very headstrong girl . The problem is Alex was born into a family of sorcerers. Her father’s library is filled with the most sacred magic, the most guarded secret spells and crazy obscure potions in all of sorcery…
And she equipped with a three hole notebook filled with the ephemera copied and ready for her adventures.
#30Characters Chatter…