Archive for November 15th, 2010
#15 Parker Reynolds
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
In case anyone is wondering, there is no Luxury Hotel. I made it up and created the fake stationary.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: 
and/or 
#15 Brotherfury
The only name anyone has every known him as is Brotherfury, a name given to him by his sensei while he trained with monks in the far east. The name granted him as Brother Fury for his ferocious fighting style, and unrelenting aggression. After two decades of training he left the monks and ventured into the wilds, there he was attacked by a pack of wolves. These were no ordinary wolves, they were Lupine, or werewolves. He tried valiantly to fight them off, but after being bitten numerous times he passed out, and strangely left for dead, not eaten. Awaking and soon discovering what they had made him into, he was horrified and immediately went to seek out a cure. his first stop was to a famous (or infamous) “healer” name Herrick Hildebrand (later to e known as Herrick Soulreaver). Interested in helping brother Fury, Herrick devised a potion that may either neutralize or destroy his lycanthropy all-together. The potion was a mixture of poisons, herbs, and quick silver.
Herrick sent the young monk on his way with little hope, but curious interest. Brother Fury traveled around the realms of Storm Wild taking his tincture once a day with food (as instructed). Soon, he discovered that the lycanthropy did not go away, rather it afforded him complete and utter control over his shifting. Changing his moniker to Brotherfury, the lone monk made many friends and many more enemies as he helped those who could not help themselves. He was summoned to the kingdom of the Eastern Elves, they were curious about him, and wanted to “ally” with him, and utilize his unique talents. After learning they wanted of him, he vanished and took to the road again.. alone
Not fond of this drawing, but no patience to redo it… this is getting difficult!
#12 Miah
Miah is a Faerie, capable of flight thanks to her wings. Despite her youthful appearance and attitude, she is over 300 years old. The humans that know her speak of her kindness and her rather offbeat sense of humor. It’s that last one that catches many off-guard, since Faerie are not known to crack jokes or find humor in most situations.
The object she carries is a called a totem, and is capable of bringing light into dark areas. Miah can use magic, but her knowledge of spells is limited.
#13: Mikey Strauss
Poor Mikey. The kid was doomed from the start. Be sure to read my previous entry, Noah Strauss, before continuing on.
Dear Diary,
Daddy came home today and actually said I can finally build my tree house and I’m so excited that I could hardly even eat my dinner but I did because then Mom said that if I didn’t eat it she wouldn’t let me build it or play my games or organize my bookshelf. I don’t know know why I love putting my books in order so much but it’s really a lot of fun but not as much fun as building a tree house with my dad will be. My dad isn’t always real happy but sometimes he is.
I don’t mind most of the time but sometimes I get real excited to show him a grade from school or one of the superheroes I made and he doesn’t feel like looking or he’s grumpy and stuff. Mommy says to just ignore him and let him calm down but sometimes after he tells me to go away I don’t really feel like showing him anymore and then I forget until I make something new and then it happens again. Today I had a really cool spaceman that I drew in Ms. Alexis’ art class at school but I wasn’t even gonna show him because I figgered he wouldn’t want to look. Dad says that because it’s X-Mas now everybody is an a-hole and mad and stuff. I useta like X-Mas but Dad says it’s bullcrap.
Anyways I’m real excited for this treehouse. It’s in the weird tree over by the neighbor’s but I bet I can see in their house if I climb way up it. I hope I can see Mrs. Smith changing in her bedroom, that would be so awesome and I bet Billy would come over to check it out too. Dad’s been excited about it since he got home from work today and its weird but I can’t wait. He told me we’d start tomorrow.
#14 – Audrey Grzykowski
Audrey is the tech wiz of the crew. Set on ensuring that the stereotypical nerdy, geeky character of the worlds most secret institution not be just another pasty guy, she grew up speaking primarily C, with a bit of C# from time to time just to throw off her teachers and anyone who might actually be able to keep up. Similar to Pahuac, Audrey learned about the organization on her own, but not due to some mystical, unexplainable event, she simply knows how to get information. She has however done an excellent job hiding where she came from so very little is known of her past. Judging by her accent, it is believed she grew up somewhere near Montreal.
#8 Wulfric Bothgar
Another sketchy one
Many years ago, the lands of Oberonn were plagued by a lich named Khadera, once the sister of the king. She was ultimately defeated but not before baring a son in secret during her transformation into lichdom. He was sacrificed and was born stillborn. But he was not dead. Raised by an Ergothian general, Wulfric grew up with a strong talent in the magic that naturally ran through his veins. Dark, brooding and morbid he was ordered by his father to cross the sea and enter the land of his birth as a spy under the pretense of searching for family. Now that he is in Oberonn’s land he sees that this land is cursed and his bloodline with it. His humanity slips away little by little, but for the first time in his life, he feels alive and with purpose. Torn between his duty to the crown and his blossoming loyalty to his companions, Wulfgar experiences the full effect this land has to offer even as blue fire falls from the sky and temporary madness grips him. Meanwhile, across the sea, Ergothian troops await the word of Lt.Wulfric Bothgar.
#15 – Angela
AKA Princess Pretty Petals
Angela is the daughter of the landlord in the apartment building the girls live in. She often visits them because she fancies herself an artist as well. She particularly loves Magic Girl stories (Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, etc) and calls herself Princess Pretty Petals. She can be a bit of a pest to the girls but they try to make the girl happy so as not to anger her mother.
#15 Anchor
Anchor is a former Naval officer and is the power of The Elite. It’s uncertain, or unrevealed, whether he is stronger than Boonie or not when Boonie is in a trasmorphed state, but Anchor is as strong as they come. He holds up the rear and plays back-up to the rest of the squad. Anchor is also an MMA fan, hence the gloves, and he is well versed in MMA fighting styles.
#14 XXX
XXX is going to give it to you. Yes, he is a pimp in the WRW along with burt and all the gang. He is typically based on the godfather’s character where he shows off his style and has a wierd way of doing it.
#13 Sea.. Man
Every hero needs an enemy and Captain Puerto Rico’s is the sea man. Well, you don’t want to always call him that because he gets offended by the word, even by the Captain himself, so he prefers sea creature. He is very lively and takes the captain for bait, in the nice seas of Puerto Rico when the Captain comes to visit his family. Always a rivalry he soon follows the Captain to New York where he reeks havoc into his life. His powers are controlling the water and showing the fish who’s boss. He also has been known to help out people who were supposedly burried at sea.
#9 Simon Swinden
Simon Swinden. Snarky music blogger extraordinaire. He would tear the recording industry apart from his solitary studio Williamsburg apartment (paid for by trust funds). His blog got thousands of hits a day. But that wasn’t enough.
He wanted to go pro. And that’s when Debase magazine came a-knocking. They had an important assignment, but didn’t want to delegate it to one of their regular staffers (unbeknownst to Simon, on account of the sheer danger). Now Simon’s got a nice new computer, an expense account, & a pretty ok-ish per diem. And all he’s got to do is follow a motley combination of very strange, very intense bands on an unofficial world tour. Can he do it? Or will he get eaten alive (literally)?
A friend & myself were talking about doing a story where a bunch of bands, going from town to town, not only trying to top the other band but kind of destroy the other bands in the process, before running off to the next tour stop. Problem was, some of the bands were so cool, we had problems trying to match that level of “Holy Crap! That’s Awesome!” so it ended up backburnered. But we reckoned that it should all be from the point of view of a fairly expendable music blogger trying to get his first big story. We never had anything more than that. So here’s kind of the typical look. Didn’t want to veer too hipster with his look, but kind of pretentious & pseudointellectual.
#7. Blood-Curdling Bonnie
They say Bonnie had the sweetest eyes, and an even sweeter voice. Then again, they say that ain’t the case no more.
Nobody knows for sure what happened to the poor girl, but in her own way she sure made the most of it. Like a banshee, anyone who hears her voice don’t seem to live long to regret it. The county coroner put a few cases down to heart-attacks and strokes, but I say those coppers just died of plain regular fear.
VISUAL DESIGN NOTES
Her power is her scream, which can paralyze most people with fear, and even cause heart attacks in some cases. She’s often very quiet and still, but when she screams her “hair†streams around her like in a strong wind, and she hovers slightly off the ground.
Bonnie is a villain, though this may not be completely clear from her appearance.
Created by Ian Struckhoff. Design artwork by Valerie Nicharico. A Black Label Comics production.
#15 Flatherty
Every city has its seedy underbelly. Some are seedier than others. When John Denver sang, “Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio is like being nowhere at all,” clearly he’d never met Flatherty. Despite his looks, this bat-like gun for hire isn’t good or evil. He lives to serve the highest bidder, and he’ll work for almost anything. Just keep in mind that if the competition is willing to shell out a little more for your head on a plate… well, don’t be stingy.
#14 – Agni
Agni is the Vedic God of fire and acceptor of sacrifices. One of the Deva in the Mythoscape, he is second in command of the peacekeeping task force headed up by Indra. Much to the dismay of his mount, Ramboo, Agni is super-heavy and constantly vents heat and fire from his body. And Ramboo is NOT fireproof. Sucks to be him.
#15 Snalizaerrel
My evil assistant took the DNA of a three most deadly creatures in existence, the snake, the lizard, and the squirrel, and blended them into the ultimate killing machine!
#15 The Demon Snail
Artist’s rendering of a Demon Snail from the fourth moon of the hell-planet, Abrasax. Not exactly the highest ranking member in the arcane caste system that dominates the Abrasax and its moons, they still manage to have a bit of fun decorating their shells with various bits of flair that they loot from the corpses of the many astronauts who meet a grisly end among the hallucinogenic sulphur jets of the fourth moon.
#6 Red Scare
Augh, boy am I behind~! But I’m on the path to fixing that. I’ve been strapped for ideas for a while now and my friend and fellow participant Aluisio suggested I tackle old characters I designed but never did anything with. So I’ve been browsing my old sketchbooks building up a stockpile of people to draw.
Here we have one of my first characters from many years ago, his name is The Red Scare (original huh?) A grotesque super powered soviet based in the 1960’s. He’s got the power to reduce a T-34 to shreds with a few well placed strikes. Also has the unique ablility he calls the “shotgun punch”. Whatever he punches will be instantly devastated as if it were hit with a load of buckshot. Effective for breaking through basic wood and concrete barriers, also extremely effective on he human body. Think fist of the north star but instantaneous.
And his hair, for those who are curious about his hair, imagine it like Dennis Hoppers hair in the Super Mario Bros movie —> http://thehanafudatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dennishopper_koopa.jpg
This design is essentially the same as I always drew him years ago, next I want to re-vamp it a bit with more authentic soviet gear. Stay tuned!
#15 Katrina Killian
Not every technical professional at Valhalla station is a third party intellectual mercenary. Some are employed directly by the station, such as roboticist Katrina Killian. Katrina not only specializes in understanding the function and intelligence of the droids, but also their psychology. In a small way, she finds herself identifying with her subjects, appreciating their design and unique ability to humans, but this is not something she’d easily speak of. Being the wife of the station’s second-in-commandLt. Cmdr. Killian, the only opinion she’s allowed to have of droids is that the only good one is a dead one.
And somehow, she’s not totally okay with that.
#15 Jareth the Half Dead Knight
Jareth the Half-Dead Knight.
That fateful day when Jareth, last son of the line of Magus, fell was a day mankind would soon never forget. It was not because the blow the knight’s order would take by loosing their leader. Nor was it the blow dealt to the church for creating the beast and causing the collapse of balance now revealed to the people. These things were small order indeed, compared to what came next.
Jareth fell to the sword of Cerria, Heart of the Beast. As he laid there bleeding onto the floor, as the darkness began to set in, the beast himself knelt down beside him put his mouth to the fading knight’s ear.
“Today you lose your soul, and spread the wickedness.” The Beast seemed to savor the words, “For as I am the bane to your order, so will you be the bane to the order of most holy.”
Life faded, Jareth slept, and the world prattled on its way, the last sound he heard the beast footsteps leaving him to die. Consciousness flooded his body; he was aware, too aware considering. All around him his senses danced, the shadows held no secrets, his eyes hungrily searched. Something inside him needed to be satisfied, his mind raced for the answer. He panicked, the room spun, and then he was standing on a street corner in an alley facing an inn. The Haggled Hag, not a place he would normally find himself. Once again his heart began to race, at least he thought it was his heart, he could hear it beat.
No it was not his; it was the lone maid walking the lane past the inn. He could hear her breath as though she were breathing in his ear. Her heart beat louder, he felt his mouth wet with appetite.
With only what could be described as the awkward grace of a newborn he managed to grab her, and drag her into the alley. Her long flowing red locks smelled of flowers, her chest heaved in fear as she gasped for air. Suddenly it was not fear that set in her eyes, it was lust. Jareth’s demeanor changed, he would have her, ravage her. Tearing her close, loosing himself on her, he thrust his will upon her and she received it willingly.
Her screams of ecstasy and pain filled the alley as he grinned most wickedly at her, and just as she began to reach climax her body started to glow. Placing his hand above her chest while still taking her, he felt an energy siphon up. Her soul was bleeding from her body as she reached the pinnacle of her being with him. The scream was now from her soul not her body as it raced into him, his eyes flashed with power as his back arched and he screamed to the sky. There below him lay the husk of a woman, nothing but flesh and bone, her light gone forever.
On this night a soul eater was born, Jareth the Half Dead. His cry to the heavens signaled a dark end to those most holy. In the distance the sound carried to the ears of one listening with eager intent. His wicked grin, the Beast was satisfied, revenge was most sweet, and by his side his Heart did cling, unsettled but reassured by his touch. For now.
Jareth, The Beast, and Cerria are one of the many characters in Feral Legacy, a love letter to my wife.
#15 Buddha Bear
A monk went to commune with nature… he was confronted by a large bear that he decided to teach as a student. He taught the bear the ways of the universe, but he found that the bear was already enlightened in many ways. But the monk continued his teachings, and the bear his studies…
The over the years the monk went on to gained notoriety and respect. He was asked to nominate a candidate for incarnate successor. He felt none of his students were worthy, save for one…
#14 Ko
Ko is a sorcerer that accidentally brings demons to this world, he thinks he is conjuring them from his head. The problem is he has no idea how to send them back, and they are starting to build up… and by the way the Emperor does not like waiting, court magician.
#14 Andy Kross
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#9 – Lilac
Presenting Lilac, the lovely dancer and favorite performer at the Glowing Gem Festhall in Aremshah, the Plane of Air. Lilac is a genasi of radiance, a person touched by the raw power of light and color at birth. She glows with a vibrant aura and she seems to weave light around her in fascinating patterns while she dances.
She is the most beautiful woman at the Glowing Gem, but she keeps the quiet company of her two closest friends, Icicle and Glacier, ice genasi twins. Lilac shares a bond with the twins, but nobody knows why they are so close. The twins act as her musicians, but also as her confidants and protectors. They’ll be showing up in a later 30 Characters drawing from me.
Again with the pencils and markers. I got a few new marker colors this weekend and got to try them out on this picture. I’m probably going to get some black ink pens though. Some parts of my pictures would be better rendered with a bit of bold black lining. I can see a couple places on this one where a few choice lines might help it pop, but overall I’m very pleased with how she turned out.
#7 Du’kaas Kh’Lharien
Whew, I am waaaaay behind. Expect more sketchy stuff like this until I catch up.
Once the lowly house mage for House Kh’Lharien, Du’kaas was known for his cruelty and love of self inflicted pain. During an attack on his home city, Du’kaas made his move. He murdered his mother and his three sisters, sparing only the mind-flayer house advisor. Escaping to the surface, he has struck out on his own. A powerful archmage, he seeks to inflict suffering on everyone around him, including himelf.
6. The Nebula Sirens
Over the ages, various space-faring cultures have encountered the mysterious “Nebula Sirens,† but have so far been unable to determine even the most basic means of communicating with the strange beings. Because of this, virtually nothing is known of their history, culture, or origins.
It appears that the creatures, while largely humanoid in appearance, are native to the near-vacuum of interstellar nebulae. It isn’t known whether they originated there, how exactly the survive, or how they have been seen in distant nebulae despite having no apparent means of interstellar travel.
Basic scans have suggested the creatures are made of dark matter. At first glance, they appear to be humanoid-shaped voids in the material of the nebula, revealing the blackness of space. In fact, they are perfectly black-surfaced, reflecting very little if any light.
Typically, it’s believed that there are more “sirens†that are female in appearance, but surveys have indicated that perhaps the females are simply more curious or social, and thus seen more often by explorers and other outsiders. Deeper in the nebulae, numbers of males– and indeed non-humanoid– “sirens†appear fairly even.
VISUAL DESIGN NOTES
The ideal design would show a female “siren†deep in swirling colorful nebular clouds, herself just a black void in the colorful gases. (Really the design is all about negative space.) In addition, a few more of the creatures could be shown in the background deeper in the nebula.
They should be shown with a curious and becoming demeanor, as if trying to greet the people inside a passing space vessel. Their intentions are fairly enigmatic, but not visibly hostile.
Created by Ian Struckhoff of Black Label Comics. (Artwork forthcoming.)
#13 Cassandra Drake
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#30Characters Chatter…