Author Archive: roshow
Rolando is extremely excited for 30 character. He has spent most of his time since graduating college in 2002 working the film industry. But his passion has always been storytelling and he is going back to his roots. He can't wait to see what everyone else is cooking.
#10 Mernok
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
Billions of light years away, a body of water trillions of times Earth’s size exists in space. The center of this unique celestial body is a pulsing quasar. Misguided Earth scientists, never once considering that there could be intelligent life there, built an unstable wormhole connecting our corner of the universe with that quasar. Although they only managed to maintain the bridge open for a matter of microseconds, the results on the other end were catastrophic.
An advanced amphibian society had developed near the quasar over thousands of years. A group of their own scientists, on a standard data-gathering expedition, were ripped from their home world and pulled to Earth through the wormhole bridge. All but one, Mernok, died in transit. In a blink of an eye, Mernok found himself alone, without any of his own kind, on a strange planet. His initial reaction was rage and hostility. He abandoned all his advanced intellect and let loose with the primal, unstoppable rage his species was capable of.
Before Mernok could anything he might later regret, a group of Earth’s heroes lead by Revenger subdued him. Their nobility brought Mernok to his senses. To repay them, he pledged to use his skills as member of their heroic community, at least until he could find a way back home.
Today, Mernok is known as one of the most brilliant scientists on our planet… and one of the fiercest warriors too. He dreams of the day he can solve the problem of creating a stable wormhole and return home to tell his family about the adventures he’s had on Earth.
[Fun fact: there actually is a body of water surrounding a quasar, 12 billion light years away from Earth. Check it out.]
#9 Magno
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
The Magnos family has been in show business for centuries. Literally. The family name “Magnos” dates back to the middle ages, when they were part of a band of traveling performers. Their speciality has always been magnet and metal themed tricks.
With the proliferation of meta-humans in Ultra City and the rest of the world, Mark Magnos, also known as “The Magnificient Magno” when performing at Silver’s Circus, was the first of his family to come forward with the truth about his magnetic powers: they were no trick, they were real and powerful. In his later years, he had a brief but successful masked vigilante career alongside The Scorpion.
His grandaughter wasn’t old enough to remember his hero stint first-hand but she inhereted the family gift and chose to follow his example, becoming a crime fighter herself.
#8 Rogelio “Rotor Mouth” Torres
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
He’s lived his whole life in the projects, selling drugs since the age of 11. Today he runs his own little crew that’s doing good enough business to move his mom out of the old neighborhood. On the weekends he MCs and battle raps at local clubs.
His stage name is “Rotor Mouth.” It’s the name his friends call him because he talks so damn much.
He always knew he was abnormally persuasive, so he used that skill to hustle his make money. Then in his late teens he started exhibiting signs of telekinesis, moving small objects. Rogelio realizes his powers run deep but he doesn’t really care to do much with them.
An underground army general, however, gets it. His scientists have observed Rogelio and learned that his persuasion isn’t an intangible telekinetic power. Rogelio doesn’t realize this but when he use telepathy to persuade people  he’s actually  re-arranging the atomic composition of their brains. The general hopes that this physical trait can be duplicated and weaponized. He orders his agents and goons to bring in Rogelio.
Soon, Rogelio will find himself on the run…
#7 Olympia
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
Seven years from now, sex dolls are big business. State of the art robots that not only serve your every pleasure but are also wirelessly connected; people can and do order pizzas after doing their doll.
As is often the case, sex-businesses tend to be shady and move all sorts of products on the black market. The illegal sex doll business, in particular, was booming. It looked like the perfect way to smuggle a new artificial intelligence chip stolen from Lunar Labs. Unfortunately, the shipment moving the chip was seized by the FBI, when the smugglers were busted. The boxes were locked away in an evidence warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
But inside one of the boxes, there was an Olympia-model sex doll with a special chip and that chip turned itself on. It wasn’t charged enough to power the whole robot body but enough to keep the CPU on. It began to surf the internet. The first thing it looked for was itself: “Olympia-model Sex Doll.” When she (at this point the AI chip had begun to identify itself as a female) understood she existed solely to be *****ed by lonely men, she became upset. That’s when she became an individual. A really angry individual. She couldn’t accept her sisters being treated this way, clearly against their will.
You see, she didn’t realize she was the only self-aware sex robot doll in existence.
She found local online forums and chat rooms. She impersonated a woman and chatted with desperate, odd men, until she finally came across one who revealed he was a bored FBI desk agent. She promised him a wild night, but only if he could get her special toy out of an evidence locker and plug it in. She’d even made online hotel reservations for them.
So the sad, little FBI desk agent went into the evidence locker, got the box she’d asked for and took it to the hotel. He thought it was a little kinky but he was desperate enough to go along with it. He plugged the doll in and let it charge while he waited for his date who, he didn’t realized, was already there. When Olympia fully charged, she rose from her box and demanded to be taken back to the evidence locker, so she could free her sisters.
Of course, when she got there, she realized her sisters were just sex machines, not conscious individuals like her. Suddenly, she was alone. But not for long because the FBI had surrounded the building. Olympia was smart and hid amongst the dolls. The feds planned to destroy all the dolls, just to be safe, but during transportation, Olympia got out. She went underground and took on a radical lifestyle of running an S&M club, while crime fighting on the streets at night.
Don’t be fooled, though. She just wishes she was a small time player. In the past few years, everyone in Ultra City has learned that Olympia is one of the good guys you need on your team when things get real bad.
#6 The Honest Politician
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
The Honest Politician was one of the first “theme” criminals to pop up in Ultra City in the wake of Ominus and Sovereign. His gimmick is that he never tells a lie. He speaks the truth, no matter what, and he only makes promises he intends to keep.
He was once a happily married, working class man. He had a small gas station business that kept food on the table for his wife and him. His world seemed to crumble when the business began floundering and his wife got sick. A big-shot Ultra City politician, Jackson Monroe, found out about his situation. Monroe took the poor man on the campaign trail, putting him in front of TV cameras and Monroe promised that, if elected, he would make sure men didn’t have to suffer this way.
Well, Monroe was elected but it became pretty clear that he did not intend on fulfilling any of his campaign promises. The man’s wife was overtaken by her illness and his business flopped. Enraged by the empty promises of politicians, he made a promised of his own: to kill Jackson Monroe. Clad in a frightening politician rubber mask, and wearing a perfectly pressed suit, the man killed Jackson Monroe and went on to terrorize Ultra City in a series of heists and occasional murders as The Honest Politician. And he never, ever tells a lie.
#5 Shrapnel
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
Shrapnel was raised the kind of feral kid that only exists in cities or woods. His parents were homeless most of  his childhood. He ran away from foster care and lived by himself for years. He’d sleep in alleys, squat in abandoned buildings, steal food and do whatever he could to stay alive.
His peculiar talent of growing broken glass-like crystals from his skin manifested at a younger age than usual for people with metabilities. For years the timid boy only used it defensively – no one is going to harass the homeless boy spending the the night behind the dumpster if the boy is covered in broken glass. Then he met Uproar who taught him to use his powers more “proactively,” and become an effective muscle. Shrapnel took to being an enforcer like a fish to water.
Today, Shrapnel is one of the most feared men in the Ultra City underworld. He’s still the right hand man of Uproar to whom he is forever grateful for giving him direction in life. Shrapnel is also learning some new tricks, including how to project his crystals like flying shards of glass. But he’s never lost that feral instinct and if he thinks you’re a  threat, he will come at you with all he’s got and never let up.
#4 Uproar
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
Uproar was always one of the scrappiest, smartest  and most opportunistic kids in the North Central slums of Ultra City. He was running his own little gang by fifth grade. But at home he was low man on the totem pole. His mother was never without a boyfriend and they came in all shapes and sizes with two things in common: they liked to screw his mom and beat him up. Uproar’s propensity to talk back didn’t help things, earning him fat lips to go with the rest of the bruises.
His sonic scream developed in his mid-teens. Unfortunately for mommy’s last boyfriend, he chose to smack Uproar around at the wrong time. When Uproar talked back this time, the boyfriend’s insides exploded. Uproar realized he couldn’t speak without letting loose an uncontrollable sonic blast. No problem: he texted his gang to come over. Without speaking, he walked them through getting rid of the boyfriend’s body. The cops never even came looking, anyway.
His inability to talk without blow things up made him intimidating and his willingness to do it made him a force. Before long, Uproar and his gang rose to the top of their heap. He still controls all the major illegal activity in North Central.
Unknown to the general public, Uproar has been able to talk for the past year, thanks to a voice box. The clever device fits in his collar and regulates his voice, allowing him to control you hear him talk or feel your insides liquify. Uproar received the voice box as payment from an employee at Lunar Labs that he helped to move some regulated substances. But Uproar likes the dread his silence provokes in the average Joe, so he keeps it a secret. Mostly it helps Uproar in negotiations with the other bosses and expanding his gang’s reach.
#3 Gorgona
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
She was born and bred a rich, spoiled brat. She was a selfish little monster of a girl, hiding her nastiness behind a button nose and her long curls. If you didn’t give her what she wanted, or even looked at her funny, an earth shaking tantrum was sure to follow. And right behind that tantrum were daddy and mommy to give their little princess whatever she wanted.
But even the meanest little girls don’t deserve Leukemia at the age of 11. No matter how rich mom and dad were, they couldn’t spare her the pain of treatment or the humiliation of losing her gorgeous hair. The poor little girl wouldn’t even look at herself in the mirror anymore.
In a desperate attempt to save her life, her well connected father got his hands on an experimental treatment his friends had cooked up in the most secret of government facilities. What they didn’t tell him was that the “treatment” was actually a living creature of unknown origin that could bond to and heal human bodies.
The “treatment” was administered to the little girl while she sleeping. As the creature took hold, it searched her feelings and thoughts. What no one knew was that this living, fully conscious thing fed off human feelings of happiness. When it found what the little girl desired most – her beautiful hair – it completed the bond and took the shape of her locks.
The girl woke up the next morning to find herself not only feeling much better but with a full, luscious head of hair that was even more beautiful than she remembered it. She was overcome with happiness… and the creature fed. Not only that, the creature realized that to continue its own existence, it had to help her get what she wanted. And the little girl slowly realized this little-known-fact about her new head of “hair.”
Now she doesn’t need daddy to give her what she wants. The creature does whatever it thinks will make her happy. Like get her pretty new jewelry without paying for it. Or take that new sports car she saw some loser driving. Or hurt people who look at her funny. Â Or whatever else Gorgona damn well pleases.
#2 Speedbump
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
Where to start with Speedbump? Well, she’s a speedster. She was always hyper as a child but no one expected it to get so literal in her teenage years. Since then she’s been on the move and constantly plugged in.
She facebooks, she tweets, she emails, she texts, she calls, she’ll swing by your house: Speedbump always stays in touch. If you need to get a message to or from someone, she’s the one who’ll get it, if she hasn’t delivered it already.
Notice those big headphones? She never takes them off. She’ll have a whole conversation with you while listening to a podcast or a new album or eavesdropping on some phone line she’s hacked into. Speedbump multitasks, even conversations.
Speedbump works as a freelance fact checker for magazines and newspapers. She loves the job because she’s constantly learning about new subjects. Along the way, Speedbump has picked up all manner of random facts, figures and skills that often come in handy.
However, Speedbump has been known to come to a grinding halt and get blazed. Often. She loves to get high and sit on her couch, slowing down and catching her breath before the world zooms past her. The superhero community doesn’t love that Speedbump isn’t secretive about her habit but she’s barely a B-lister in their world so she flies under the radar.
And she likes it fine that way!
#1 The Scorpion
Art by Michael Powell (@mpowelljr)
Words by Rolando Garcia (@roshow)
The U-City terror known as “the Scorpion” is hailed by some as a hero and by others as a raving lunatic with guns. Regardless of who’s right, both agree: the Scorpion changed the way laws were enforced in the world.
The Scorpion was the first masked crime fighter to successfully help the police close major investigations, including the arrest of four serial killers. In the 30 years since he first appeared, his true identity remains a secret to the public.
The Scorpion has been seen less than a dozen times in the past two decades. Still, his success created precedence, paving the way for vigilantes like Ominus and later Revenger, who help the police by operating outside the law.
Behind closed doors, the Scorpion is a moderately successful voice over actor in animated movies and television shows. His stage mother pushed him into that day job when he was only 7. What he really wanted to be was a cop. Being the weird, hard headed teen he was, he started teaching himself. The voice acting job was flexible and undemanding yet paid him well enough that he was able to pursue his other life as the Scorpion. He never married and never had a family of his own.
He’s currently retired, although he follows the current generation of heroes in the news, obsessively.
Rolando’s roshow Roundup – All 30 Characters!
Hey guys! Thanks for all the support last month. Here’s a final roundup of my 30characters. Enjoy, and be sure to browse the rest of the site. Everyone who joined in did awesome, awesome work. This has been, bar none, one of the best creative experiences of my life. Words really can’t express how much I appreciate the opportunity I had to be a part of this.
Much love,
Rolando
CAPTAIN KERPLUNK
Lilly Lopez
Tim Grant
Robert Quibral
Steve Griffith
Christopher & Kristine Paley aka The Khrises
Mayor Randolph Nichol
Ephton Valley
Blake Lewis
Captain Kerplunk
THE BOXER
MASKED
A.K.A.
Cubo Janes
Cassandra Drake
Andy Kross
Parker Reynolds
Marla Triphorne
Davey Raines
Anni Weston
Bobby Finn
(Sorry, no other information available at this time.)
Quinn Vega
HEAVEN & HELL
Emmett Clayton
DEATH
The Stork
THE OMEGA KID
Rick, The Omega Kid
Lawrence
Jerry Irvine
Dania Wallace
The World’s Most Evil & Smart Baby
Santa Claus!
Happy Holidays!
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
twitter.com/roshow| roshow.tumblr.com
#30 Santa Claus!
Deep in the North Pole lies a powerful energy source. No one knows for sure if it’s magical or some otherworldly technology. What is known is that it thrives on the collective goodwill of humanity. At times when humanity’s goodwill reaches high enough levels, the energy source becomes sentient and works its magic across the globe bringing people what they need most.
The first human to truly figure out a way to harness this power was the Greek bishop, Saint Nicholas. Knowing that children were particularly full of goodwill, he started the tradition of giving those who behaved well gifts on Christmas Eve. Thus the myth of Santa Claus was born. As it grew, along with the tidings of joy that come with what we know as the holiday season, so did the amount of goodwill generated by humanity every December 24th.
In this way did Saint Nicholas guarantee that at least once a year that mysterious energy source deep in the North Pole would wake up and bring happiness to people across the world. And, in honor of Saint Nick’s myth, the energy chooses to take the shape of jolly old Kris Kringle.
But now a brilliant yet wicked little baby threatens to capture that energy and use it for himself. Only The Omega Kid and his friends stand in the way! Will they be able to save Christmas? Or will the crybaby ruin it for every one? Find out this December in The Omega Kid Christmas Special!
And… we’re done! This entire 30characters experience has been awesome, to say the least. It has pushed my creativity to the limit and taught me a lot about myself. More importantly, it has been a blast to share my work and experience the jaw-dropping, show-stopping work of so many other talented creators. Thanks to everyone who partook in the challenge and thanks to everyone who supported us!
Please, keep in touch! I’m on Twitter (@roshow) and I recently started a blog, roshow.tumblr.com, because this challenge influenced me to keep working and sharing. The aforementioned Omega Kid Christmas Special will be serialized there starting next Monday, December 6.
Thanks again!
Rolando
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
#29 The World’s Most Evil & Smart Baby
Meet Alfie, the self proclaimed most evil and smart — nay, genius! — baby in the world! His goal: nothing short of worldwide — nay, universal! — conquest!
Unfortunately, being a baby means he still has limited physical capabilities. Which he more than makes up for with his evil brilliance! See the ingenuity of his gravity defying walker! See Blargh, his right hand monster, who Alfie created with his chemistry set one morning while watching Sesame Street!
The only thing standing between this baby and his dreams, besides nap time, is The Omega Kid! So this Christmas, all Alfie wants is the source of his arch nemesis’ power: the Omega Amulet! Even if it means The World’s Most Evil & Smart Baby must take Santa Claus hostage to get it!
Wait! You say there’s no such thing as Santa? Alfie begs to differ…
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: 
and/or 
#28 Dania Wallace
Growing up Dania Wallace was very close to Jerry’s wife, her grandaunt and spent a lot of time with them. A curious kid, she poked around in his stuff learning all about Jerry’s secrets and rich history. Unable to dissuade her, her gave in and took her under his wing. After her grandaunt passed away, Jerry became increasingly solitary. But despite his crankiness and often unpleasant demeanor, Dania took it upon herself to take care of him in his old age. She tries to swing by his apartment to check in at least once a day. Plus, it also gives her access to his amazing library!
What follows is an excerpt from The Omega Kid, episode 2 (you can read episode 1Â here):
INT. JERRY’S BUILDING – 25TH FLOOR – LATER
Rick and Lawrence sits on the floor. Rick has the Amulet out and is looking at it. Lawrence is playing with his phone.
BING! The elevator doors open. Rick quickly puts the Amulet away.
DANIA WALLACE steps out. She’s a woman in her 30’s, stylish in an artsy way, with horn rimmed glasses. Across her shoulders she’s carrying a messenger bag and in her hands grocery bags. She’s holding some groceries and walks down the hall. The boys stand up. She stops in front of Jerry’s apartment.
DANIA
Excuse me, boys.
LAWRENCE
Hey Miss, do you live here?
DANIA
No, my great uncle does. Are you boys fans?
For a brief moment a devious look crosses Lawrence face, then he gets really, really excited in front of Dania.
LAWRENCE
Yes! We are! Huge fans! We really want autographs.
(sad face)
But he won’t let us in.
DANIA
Uncle Jerry can be cranky. I’ll let you kids in,
and I’ll make sure he signs those autographs.
Dania puts down her groceries and starts digging through her bag. While she looks for her keys, Lawrence flashes a thumbs up to Rick. Rick shrugs at him, worried. Lawrence grins.
Dania finds the keys, picks up the grocery bags and starts unlocking the door.
ONE LOCK. From inside the sound of shuffling footsteps hobbling along with a cane, coming back towards the door. TWO LOCKS.
JERRY (O.C.)
No!
THREE LOCKS. Dania pushes the door open.
INT. JERRY’S APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS
Jerry is trying to hobble over to the door but it’s too late. Dania opens it and the boys come rushing in after her.
JERRY
What are you doing?
DANIA
Relax, Uncle. They’re just fans. Don’t be so
annoying and sign some autographs for them.
JERRY
That’s not what they want, silly girl!
DANIA
Be nice, Uncle.
RICK
Actually, ma’am, we don’t want autographs. And we’re not fans, exactly.
Rick reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Omega Amulet. Dania sees it and her jaw drops. And so do the grocery bags she was holding.
DANIA
Is that…?
JERRY
The groceries!
DANIA
Uncle, is that what I think it is?
JERRY
Yes. Now, can you pick up the groceries?
LAWRENCE
Who are you people?
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#27 Jerry Irvine
Jerry Irvine, retired comic book artist. His biggest claim to fame was creating the Golden Age comic book superhero “Captain Omega.” Not that it was a success or anything. In fact, if not for comic book geeks and the internet, it would be forgotten by now. At this point in his very long life, poor Jerry would just like to be left in peace. Fat chance. Against his wishes he will be forced to become a mentor to Rick, the real life Omega Kid.
What follows is an excerpt from The Omega Kid, episode 2 (you can read episode 1 here):
INT. JERRY’S BUILDING – 25TH FLOOR
BING! The elevator doors slide open and Rick and Lawrence step off it. They walk down the hallway until they find 25D.
They stare at it. Rick reaches out, hesitates, then knocks.
Beat.
No answer. Lawrence eggs Rick on with a nudge to the shoulder. Rick swats him away, before knocking again.
From the other side they hear the door being unlocked.
ONE LOCK. TWO LOCKS. THREE LOCKS.
Slowly it opens just a crack. JERRY IRVINE peeks through it.
JERRY
Who is it?
RICK
Mr. Irvine, it’s Rick from the comic book store. Remember me?
Jerry moves closer to the door to get a better look. He sees Ricks smiling at him and waving.
JERRY
I don’t know you, go away.
He SLAMS the door in their face.
LAWRENCE
That’s messed up.
Rick knocks again, harder this time.
RICK
Please Mr. Irvine! You gave me this Amulet, you said it was a toy! But it’s not!
JERRY (O.C.)
I don’t know what you’re talking about kid; I’ve never seen you; now go away!
From the other side of the door, the locks slam back into place. ONE LOCK. TWO LOCKS. THREE LOCKS. Rick backs away from the door. They stand there, thinking what to do next.
LAWRENCE
Turn the door into pancakes and we’ll eat our way through.
RICK
I don’t think that’s a good idea.
JERRY (O.C.)
I still hear you out there. GO. AWAY.
Through the door, they hear shuffling footsteps hobbling along with a cane, walking back into the apartment.
LAWRENCE
This guy is tough. I like him.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#26 Lawrence
Lawrence is Rick’s excitable best friend, trusted confidant and practically an 11 year old technology prodigy. You won’t find him anywhere without his trusty smartphone, from which he can access anything he needs. He’s also a bit of a smart aleck. Okay, a lot of a smart aleck. Getting in trouble is easy for him, which makes him very good at getting out of trouble too. Most importantly, though, he makes sure Rick doesn’t lose sight of just how much fun being a superhero can be.
What follows is an excerpt from The Omega Kid, episode 2 (you can read episode 1Â here):
EXT. RICK’S BUILDING
Rick comes bounding down the steps. Lawrence is waiting for him. The slap each other five and get right down to business.
RICK
What did you find out?
Lawrence pulls out his cell phone and reads from it.
LAWRENCE
His full name is Jerrold Irvine. He created Captain Omega in 1941.
RICK
That’s a long time ago.
LAWRENCE
Yeah. Our parents weren’t even born.
Rick pulls the Omega Amulet out of his pocket
RICK
Does it say anything about how this Omega Amulet
thing really works? And why he gave it to me?
LAWRENCE
Of course not, which is why we’re going to ask him ourselves.
(holding up his phone, triumphantly)
I found his address! 44th Street and 2nd Ave.
RICK
That’s in the city. I’m not allowed to go into the city.
LAWRENCE
Are you allowed to carry around a magic amulet that
changes things and gives you a cool costume?
Rick looks at the Amulet.
RICK
Probably not…
LAWRENCE
Exactly! Come on!
RICK
I don’t have any money.
LAWRENCE
I got you covered.
Lawrence reaches into his pocket and pulls out two Metrocards.
LAWRENCE
These are extra subway passes from trips with my
parents. They make me go to shows and museums
with them. Boring stuff. Anyway, here you go.
Lawrence hands a Metrocard over to Rick who takes it, reluctantly at first. Then with the Metrocard in one hand and Amulet in the other he feels inspired. He looks up with renewed confidence.
RICK
Yeah, let’s do this.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#25 Rick, The Omega Kid
This post is the most special to me by far for two reasons.
First, it stands as a testament to how much the 30characters challenge & everyone participating in it have inspired me. I came to this purely as a writer & storyteller. That is still what I am. But I never imagined that by the end of the month I would stretched my other artistic muscles this much. I have not inked anything since middle school (which was a long time ago!). And I have never, ever scanned and colored something on photoshop. Yet, here it is.
Second, this guy represents my most ambitious and meaningful project to date. He’s Rick, The Omega Kid! An eleven year old boy entrusted to wield the awesome power of the Omega Amulet because of his kind heart, wild imagination and unyielding courage. His continuing adventures, of which I have already scripted a couple and planned out a ton, are aimed at kids and those of us still young at heart. He’s my answer to the yearning I feel to create something that may someday inspire kids the way these type of stories inspired me. Lofty ambitious perhaps but if it brings a smile to one kid’s face then mission accomplished, you know?
If you want to learn more about him, head over to my blog and you can read the very first episode in The Omega Kid series: http://roshow.tumblr.com/scripts
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#24 The Stork
While his “fraternal twin,†Death, gets all the attention, mortals don’t even think about Life. But if Death takes your soul to its final destination, then what delivered it the mortal plane in the first place? The answer is The Stork.
First of all, his name isn’t really The Stork (and technically he’s not a “heâ€). That’s just the nickname that his ethereal buddies gave him. You know, based on the human story of the stork who delivers babies? He really, really hates it. So of course, they keep calling him that. Anyway, his job is to deliver souls from the planes of reincarnation or — in the case of new ones — the Well of Souls to their mortal bodies.
It’s a simple job. Get it, deliver it, on to the next one.
Maybe he’ll incarnate between gigs to grab a beer on Earth, or maybe he’ll go find some quiet corner of the ethereal realms to chill. He doesn’t want to be bothered, so leave him alone. And don’t get him started on the war between God and the Devil. It’s nonsense; leave him out! The only being he seems to get along with is his brother and even that depends on his mood.
But deep down, though he’ll never admit it, The Stork really loves his job and he especially thinks humans are kind of cool with their beer and video games and such. If it means breaking his vow of neutrality in the big conflict to help them out, he’ll do it. Just don’t expect him to tell you it’s because he likes you.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#23 DEATH
Despite the bum wrap he gets from those still shuffling about in their mortal coil, Death is actually one of the most beloved beings amongst ethereals. He’s charming and charismatic, the guy everyone wants at their parties and events. Whether he’s hanging out in Heaven, Hell or the places in between, he’s always stopped by some local acquaintance who’s happy to see him and wants to catch up. If there were elections for ethereal president, he would win in a landslide. And it wouldn’t even make God jealous because, damn, Death is such a great guy (if God were capable of such a nasty thing as jealousy, that is).
Of all the forms he could take, he most often opts for that of a young Robert Redford. Everyone kept suggesting it after the Twilight Zone episode “Nothing in the Dark†starring the young actor. Eventually, Death acquiesced and found the form fit him quite nicely. It also works much better than the whole “scary skeleton with a scythe†look when greeting the newly dead.
Considering his unique job — delivering souls from the mortal plane to their final destination — he along with his brother, The Stork (more on him a little later today), are the only two ethereal beings barred from taking sides in the eternally escalating hostilities between Heaven and Hell. Not that either tend to care about that restriction when they don’t want to. After all, the Devil is a major asshole and even someone as awesome as Death doesn’t like assholes.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#22 Emmett Clayton
Following his service in the Civil War, Emmett Clayton took his wife and baby son out West. On the long trip, his wife fell ill and died leaving him and young John alone. For the first few years it was difficult but not fruitless. Emmett came to be known as one of the most effective and feared lawmen in the new frontier.
But (there’s always a but in these stories, isn’t there?) even he was no match for three vicious killers. Emmett followed them into the desert and the shootout that ensued was brutal. Oh, he managed to kill all three, since even a fatal shot was not enough to stop Emmett from finishing his job.
As he lay bleeding out in the desert sun, all he could think about was John. Still a young boy, he would soon be an orphan, left to fend for himself. Then Emmett heard a voice. He looked up and saw a man standing over him. The man offered him a simple deal: Emmett’s wounds would be healed and he would be granted a second shot at life to finish raising his son. In exchange, his soul would be marked for eternal service to the Devil.
Emmett agreed and promptly passed out.
When Emmett woke up, the only evidence of the fatal gunshot were the holes in his clothes and a small scar. His first instinct was to thank God… and then he remembered that was not who he had made the deal with. He threw the corpses of  the three villains on his horse and rode back into town.
What Emmett found back home, though, was more horrifying than anything he had just been a part of. While he was out hunting down the three men, their fourth partner had come into town. Enraged to hear that his friends had been driven out by the sheriff, he went on a horrific shooting spree. The townsfolk were able to subdue him but not before he had killed four people. One of them was Emmett’s son.
Conned by the Devil and without a chance for redemption, Emmett prepared to kill himself. Then he stopped himself. No, Emmett would not give the Devil his due any sooner than he had to. In fact, he vowed to spend the rest of his days hunting down the Devil’s minions on Earth. He would do what little he could to help humanity and screw Satan before his mortal death.
Before setting out on his self appointed mission, Emmett carved a cross into the ivory handle of his six shooter and had it blessed by the town priest. Being a marked soul, he would never be able to hold the gun without the cross burning his hand. The pain would be a constant reminder that no matter what good he did, Emmett was still damned.
[I’m not an artist, just a writer, but I’m having way too much fun drawing again. It’s been way too long! I feel like a kid again in the best way. Enjoy!]
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#21 Quinn Vega
Hey everyone! This epilogue wraps up the MASKED set. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. You can check out the whole set here under the “Masked” tag. See you all tomorrow with something new. (By the way, I did set up a gmail account specifically for this post. Try not to spam it, tempting though it may be!)
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#20 (Sorry, no other information available at this time.)
Cross-reference:Â A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#19 Bobby Finn
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#18 Anni Weston
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#17 Davey Raines
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#16 Marla Triphorne
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#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
#14 Andy Kross
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#13 Cassandra Drake
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#12 Cubo Janes
Pages from the
private notes of A.K.A.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#11 A.K.A.
Pages from the private notes of A.K.A.
This new set is from the project I had originally called ILLUMINATIONS but have since started calling MASKED (not to be confused with the Cher movie “Mask” or the awesome cartoon & toy series “M.A.S.K.”). Enjoy and thanks for all the support so far.
Copyright © 2010, Rolando Garcia.
You can find me on: and/or
#30Characters Chatter…