Author Archive: Emeraldfury
Graduate of Visual Communication/Animation at Westwood and Columbia College in Chicago.
Work at Staples Copy/Print and freelance artist.
Specializes in character design, illustration, and sequential art.
Day 18: Crimson
Story: His name is spoken in sheer dread. A mysterious force that is known simply for his great strength and terrifying anger. Reports of his origin are mixed, ranging from a prison experiment gone wrong to a demon made flesh, the rampaging beast known as Crimson is a difficult to defeat as he is to contain. He is known for rampages starting in the Canadian wilderness and follows and all along the Midwest. Where he goes, no one knows, but any who try to stop him end up a pulpy mess.
The most infamous incident is the Second City Tragedy, where the Second City Armada attempted to Apprehend Crimson, only have Crimson kill the heroes Tempest, Kamen Brawler, and their leader, The Samaritan, while severely injuring both Ryuji and Battalion.
It was then that the Frontline, returning from an extra dimensional battle against the Archangel Corporation, did they fight the monster Crimson. With the strength of their newest member, Tyger, Crimson was stuck in a physical deadlock, with E.S.C.O. delivering range support,while the combined powers of the Alchemist, Duo, and Stasis created a containment cell, with enchanted bindings to hold the silent killer. The final assault came when Azrael, carrying Boost, dashed at Crimson, taking a vicious blow to the head, nearly knocking it off if not for his healing factor, hurled Boost to overload Crimson’s own powers. This weakened Crimson enough to contain the savage juggernaut and contain him in a special prison developed by the Loman Organization.
Abilities: Crimson possesses mystically enhanced strength and invulnerability. Crimson’s strength is such that he is capable of leveling buildings with a punch and shattering vehicles with a stomp. Should anyone engage Crimson to a physical confrontation, he is capable of tapping into infinite reserves of power to increase his strength to overcome his opponent. A painful demonstration of Crimson’s strength was his punching of the Kamen Brawler’s torso, resulting in perforating his organs and sending his rib cage and spine out of his body. With Tempest, Crimson swatted away an attacking Tempest, shattering nearly every bone in his body.
Crimson’s mystical enhancements prevent Crimson from experiencing fatigue and the need for food, water, or air. However, Crimson has shown a vulnerability to psionics and mystical attacks. Crimson can be fought to a physical standstill, as the Tyger was able to fight Crimson toe to toe without yielding.
Conception: Crimson was one of my high school creations as I was looking for a Juggernaut/Bane fusion and developed this character over time as I originally had him with enchanted boots, gloves, belt, and a mask, but abandoned those aspects due to the convoluted look of him and streamlined it down to a few armor components with aspects of a special prison/asylum uniform.
Day 13: El Cuco
Story: Rafael Velasquez comes from a long line of brujos and brujas, who once making a contract with the Natural Spirits of the Island, are endowed with supernatural powers to defend the Island from threats both spectral and mundane. As the latest family member to earn the title of Brujo, Rafael felt these great powers could be better served to aid the world. While fighting to stop a child slave ring run by the Sack Man, El Cuco ended up working with the 5th El Boriken in apprehending the Sack Man. Impressed by his skill, El Boriken offered him a spot on a the Latin American Alliance’s newest venture, the development of a super team dubbed Los Superiors.
Though his family looked upon the task as shirking the responsibilities of their family line, Rafael promised that by aiding to make the whole world a better place, he in turn makes protecting the Island and its spirits. After a communal with the Nature Spirits, who too, saw this as beneficial to the Island, allowed Rafael continued access to their powers while away from the island.
With the cover of a tech based, scientist to not cause an uproar with the general public, El Cuco became a stalwart operative who is by default, second in command the team. When the 5th died at the hands of La Sayona, El Cuco was the only operative able to subdue her and calm her frenzy. When Luis Mendez becomes the 6th El Boriken, El Cuco took it upon himself to ensure that this one stays alive as long as possible.
Abilities: El Cuco is a trained sorcerer, capable of casting spells of both defensive and offensive variety. He draws powers from the Nature Spirits of Puerto Rico he made contracts with that bestow upon him various abilities. These abilities include; flight, energy blasts, protective shields, receiving aid from familiars, elemental manipulation, restoration, sealing, summoning, and exorcising. El Cuco’s fiery face is rooted in his access of the Natural Spirits as a visual representation of his contract with the Spirits.
El Cuco’s main weapon is his Foci, a stylized warrior’s club where El Cuco casts both his spells and serve as an offensive weapon. His utility belt contains items to aid in spell casting and practical aid. These items include; chalk, small notebook, vials of herbs, medical kit, pre-drawn summoning circle, smoke bombs, flashlight, and other items depending on the situation.
El Cuco wears a ceramic plate tunic, warded to protect from practical and mystical weapon attacks and a Protective jumpsuit made of a Kevlar-Nomex weave for further protection. Both El Cuco’s boots and gloves are made of specially treated leather that enhances El Cuco’s spells and allow him to touch supernatural entities such as ghosts.
Conception: The character came upon me challenging myself to create heroic or villainous personas of mythical beings, and El Cuco’s design draws heavily from Nighthawk from Superme Power from the tunic design. The should pads were a design that I developed over time as well as dropping elements of El Cuco, as I initially was giving him tortoise patterned forearm guards and shin plates with the shoulder plates going over the tunic instead of under as the final image shows. The war club is based mainly from Sokka’s club from Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as having cultural meaning from ancient weapons. The fiery head and tunic titling were the elements I preserved from my development of the character.
Day 12: La Sayona
Story: Her name lives on in story, as she has lived a long and lonely life. Â Before the curse, she was Melissa Velez, a beautiful young woman who was adored in her home town in Venezuela. She was eventually married to a wealthy man and had a child with him.
One day, she was swimming in a river by her home, when a strange man saw her and stayed to watch her. Irritated, she told the man to leave or she will call her husband. The man said he is here to warn her that her husband is having an affair with her mother. At first, she didn’t believed it, until the man led her to her home and she saw the mother leaving her home while adjusting her clothes. Enraged by what she witnessed, the man handed Melissa a machete and told her to take her vengeance on her unfaithful husband and treacherous mother.
Melissa approached her home and entered the bedroom. There, she saw her husband asleep with her son. She raised her machete… and then stopped. A moment of clarity came to her and she felt ashamed at what could possibly a misunderstanding. Melissa drops the machete and joins in her husband and son in slumber.
The next time she swam in the river, the man appeared before her, admonishing her for not taking action against an unfaithful man. Melissa chastised the man, accusing him of instigating what could be a horrific misunderstanding. Enraged, the man tries to attack Melissa, she fights hard and nearly drowns the man, until she lets go. She warns the man to never come near her or her family ever again or she won’t be so merciful.
As she is walking back to her home, she once again sees’s her mother leaving the home in a hurried pace and looking slightly disheveled. Confused and angered, Melissa rushes towards her home to find her husband adjusting his pants and looking on her with shock. This was all she needed to see. As the husband tries to explain, Melissa hacks away at him with the machete, killing him. Melissa, losing all sense of reason, sets fire to her home while she carries away her son, with the bloody machete still in her hand. Her mother come running back to the house, and she sees a visibly upset Melissa. Her mother tries to console her; only to have a machete blade plunged deep into her abdomen. The mother asks Melissa why she did it, and Melissa says “Because you slept with my husband.†As her mother lies dying, the strange man appeared, complimenting Melissa on taking her revenge on her unfaithful mother. He leans down and whispers some words to her, and with a smile, steps back as the mother delivers a curse to her daughter, forever cursing her to be a force of vengeance to all those who are unfaithful, with the price of the spell being the her life and the life of her daughter’s son. As her son disappears before her eyes, Melissa’s tears turn to blood as she painfully changes from human to a vampiric monster. The man approaches Melissa and changes the machete into two blades and with a wave of his finger, binds her to her weapons and to serve as a servant to him, Canaima, the God of Death.
For Centuries, Melissa served under Canaima as La Sayona, the Spirit of Vengeance to Unfaithful Husbands, killing those she deems unfaithful to their partners, and then disappearing over time as the modern age makes her only a legend, yet La Sayona still exists and she still kills. It wasn’t until a joint operation by the 4th El Boriken investigating the slayings of 15 men in the Venezuelan forests did the legend become fact and after a lengthy battle, did El Boriken successfully apprehend La Sayona.
Imprisoned, La Sayona is kept under close watch and after a breakout caused by her killing an officer under investigation of extramarital relations, did any security detail undergo thorough background checks to ensure La Sayona remains docile. She became a field operative at the behest of the 5th El Boriken, who feels the need for a powerhouse and La Sayona fit the bill. Unfortunately for him, he dies under her hands for cheating on his wife with her sister. The 6th El Boriken, Luis Mendez, follows up on the 5th’s idea of using La Sayona as an operative and meets her. When La Sayona sees him, she finds herself strangely drawn to him, and liking the idea of not being cooped up in a cell, agrees to work for Los Superiors.
As an operative, La Sayona serves as a reliable operative in combat and a helpful lie detector in obtaining information. Her attraction El Boriken has caused some tension for the young recruit, as he is aware of her killing the former Boriken and the fact she is a vampire. Other than that, she generally keeps to herself, save for a casual friendship with La Llorna and a good friendship with El Cuco.
Abilities: As a Vampire, La Sayona possesses the enhanced strength, speed, and healing of her kin, as well as her vulnerabilities to silver and direct sunlight. What differs from other vampires is La Sayona does not get destroyed by sunlight, only gets weakened by it via intense pain and discomfort, therefore, she wears protective clothing and contacts. She drinks blood, but is capable of eating regular food, as her bloodlust is triggered solely by her senses.
As per the curse, La Sayona is capable of sensing and seeing the impure thoughts and actions of men who have been unfaithful. Upon sensing an unfaithful man, La Sayona’s strength increases to incalculable levels and she is whipped into a frenzied state that gives her a single minded goal of killing or punishing the unfaithful. Her curse does not just limit it to unfaithful men, but also to rapists, sadists, and individuals who commit atrocities towards women. This ability is not limited to determining fidelity, but also serves as a form of lie detection for the team.
La Sayona possesses two enchanted machete blades that are capable of cutting any surface. The Blades are capable of draining the blood of its victims without the need for La Sayona to use her fangs. They are spiritually linked to La Sayona and can come to her by sheer thought.
Conception: The La Sayona story interested me and I wanted to add a strong female character to the roster. Her design is influenced from Psylocke in Wolverine and the X-Men and styled after the Arrancar from Bleach. Her back story is actually literal adaptation of one of the La Sayona stories, with the added element of the Pemon God of Death, Canaima, playing the role of the man who tells Melissa of the infidelity.
Day 11: El Cadejo: White
Story: Tomas Martinez, while his brother, Ramon is a hot head, Tomas is the diplomat who often tries to mediate or diffuse situations his brother gets into. One day, Tomas gets involved in a situation he can’t get his brother out of, and he and Ramon are executed by the syndicate Ramon fought with. But their bodies were buried in a sacred site to the Trickster God, Coyote, and the God makes a pact with both brothers for a chance at justice and a new lease on life. Imbued with the Spiritual Flames, Tomas is brought back as El Cadejo: White.
Since Tomas was the mediator of his brother, Ramon’s fights, Tomas White Dog persona was given the title of the Pacifier, and his abilities are geared toward healing and subduing threats. As he represents the white dog that tries to subdue the black dog from going out of control, Tomas is responsible from preventing his brother, Ramon, from going into a beserk state by utilizing his pacifying flames and chains to subdue his rage.
Following their resurrection, Ramon immediately sought out to take revenge on the syndicate, while Tomas opted to use his powers to protect their town. As the brothers separated, Tomas began by ousting the cartels that ran amok in their town. While doing so, his Manacle of Bonds flashed and he felt his brother’s rage nearly overwhelm him. Concerned for his brother, Tomas rushes to the location he felt and saw the aftermath of the carnage his brother has wrought. Once Tomas calmed his brother down and witnessing the emotional turmoil he experienced from killing everyone in the manor, Tomas understood what the Coyote meant about the price of their bonds means they can never truly be apart and set about the slow process of building his brother back into being the hero he knew he could be when they were kids. Soon, The Hermanos Cadejos became a household name of their town.
He and his brother soon were local heroes in their town, until the Latin Intelligence Alliance approached the brothers to work in establishing a new super team, Los Superiors. The Brothers leapt at the opportunity Tomas saw it as an opportunity to continue doing good works and as Ramon saw it as further proof of redemption. The El Cadejo Brothers have remained members of Los Superiors since their enrollment.
Abilities: El Cadejo: White transforms into a supernaturally enhanced Spirit of Vengeance. With it, he possesses enhanced strength and speed while capable of manifesting Pacifying Fire, a spectral flame that saps the strengths of enemies by incapacitating their resolve for battle. His flames can also shift into the Purifying Flames, a spiritual fire that can heal almost any injury. El Cadejo is able to create Spectral Chains, chains of spirit energy that can extend to infinite lengths, split off into multiple chains, can channel his flames through, and are inherently unbreakable.
Both Cadejos are effectively invulnerable, but this state is conditional for as long as they are close, they are invincible, but the farther one is from the other, the more vulnerable to injury they can be.
El Cadejo also possesses a Manacle of Bonds that enables both he and his brother to call the other forth should they separate or are a part of each other. They also serve as both a telepathic and empathetic link to both brother’s thoughts and feelings. This serves as an emotional tether so that one will always find the other.
Both Cadejos are able to manifest a Vengeance State, where they done a fiery cape of their respective flames, but with the ability to unite their fires to create punishing tandem attacks such as flame tornadoes and webs of spectral chains.
Conception: I designed El Cadejo: White first as I had an idea for his look the fastest as I based it on the White Lantern designs, as it a color scheme/ pattern combo that works. The hardest elements for this character are the same issue I had with Fenris; being the incorporation of fur and the mask. Earlier concepts gave me numerous issues in incorporating fur along the boots, his free hand, and I originally had a lengthy fur capelet to simulate a tail, but thanks to the New 52 Firestorm designs, I turned the actual fur into spectral flame components to simulate fur. As for the mask, I combined elements of fan art for the patterns while using the overall head shape from the live action series, Garo. As for the brother bond, I based it on the relationship between the brothers Rin and Yukio from Blue Exorcist as one is calm while the other is wild and reckless and the difficulties each has with each other, while showing both will genuinely protect and help the other.
Day 10: El Cadejo: Black
Story: Ramon Martinez, while Tomas is the level headed one, Ramon is a hothead who often gets into fights that are triggered for various reasons that require his brother, Tomas, to bail him out of such situations. Until one day, Ramon got into a fight with a some thugs at bar for insulting his mother, that he hospitalized three of the four men. Unbeknownst to Ramon, those men belonged to a vicious syndicate that executed both him and his brother. However, their deaths were on a sacred site where the Trickster spirit, Coyote, offers them a chance at revenge in exchange for serving him. Imbued with the Spiritual Flames, Ramon is brought back to life as the Demon Dog of Folklore, El Cadejo: Black.
Since Ramon was a physically aggressive and intimidating person in life, His Black Dog persona is deemed the Warrior and given abilities meant to cause harm, however like the demon dog of myth, his rage slowly can overtake him and he will become a rampaging brute unless his Brother, Tomas, is there to stop him.
Upon their resurrection, Ramon’s first goal was revenge on the syndicate that killed him and his brother, however Tomas tried without luck to talk him out of going after the syndicate and Ramon went off on a rampage at the syndicates main base. By the time Tomas came, he comes across a blood soaked and frenzied Ramon, who effectively slaughtered every single man,woman, and child in the syndicates manor.
Devastated by his actions, Ramon now defers to his brother in regards to course of action so as to prevent himself from losing control again. He and his brother soon were local heroes in their town, until the Latin Intelligence Alliance approached the brothers to work in establishing a new super team, Los Superiors. The Brothers leapt at the opportunity as Ramon saw it as further proof of redemption and Tomas saw it as an opportunity to continue doing good works. The El Cadejo Brothers have remained members of Los Superiors since their enrollment.
Abilities: El Cadejo: Black transforms into a supernaturally enhanced Spirit of Vengeance. With it, he possesses enhanced strength and speed while capable of manifesting Punishing Fire, a spectral flame that burns all enemies who possess fear in their hearts. El Cadejo is able to create Spectral Chains, chains of spirit energy that can extend to infinite lengths, split off into multiple chains, can channel his flames through, and are inherently unbreakable.
Both Cadejos are effectively invulnerable, but this state is conditional for as long as they are close, they are invincible, but the farther one is from the other, the more vulnerable to injury they can be.
El Cadejo also possesses a Manacle of Bonds that enables both he and his brother to call the other forth should they separate or are a part of each other. They also serve as both a telepathic and empathetic link to both brother’s thoughts and feelings. This serves as an emotional tether so that one will always find the other.
Both Cadejos are able to manifest a Vengeance State, where they done a fiery cape of their respective flames, but with the ability to unite their fires to create punishing tandem attacks such as flame tornadoes and webs of spectral chains.
Conception: I designed El Cadejo: Black second and consistently revised his design over and over again as his was the most difficult in body, but easiest in facial markings.  The hardest elements for this character are the same issue I had with Fenris; being the incorporation of fur and the mask. Earlier concepts gave me numerous issues in incorporating fur along the boots, his free hand, and I originally had a lengthy fur capelet to simulate a tail, but thanks to the New 52 Firestorm designs, I turned the actual fur into spectral flame components to simulate fur. As for the mask, I combined elements of fan art for the patterns while using the overall head shape from the live action series, Garo. For his body, I wanted his look to feel primal, but each pattern I drew up did not meet my satisfaction. One day, Ucame across a happy accident while doing some sketching that I found a pattern and design style that worked for Black’s look and commited to the design since. As for the brother bond, I based it on the relationship between the brothers Rin and Yukio from Blue Exorcist as one is calm while the other is wild and reckless and the difficulties each has with each other, while showing both will genuinely protect and help the other.
Day 9: The Samaritan
Story: Michael Weismann was an ordinary man with an extraordinary ability. Born of a family of police officers and civil servants, Michael believed in the law and the responsibilities that fell under those who wear the shield. When his powers manifested, Michael took a cue from the police hero called E.S.C.O. and became the second Superhuman to become a member of the Powers Division, the S.W.A.T. equivalent to superhuman encounters in law enforcement.
When E.S.C.O. left the Powers Division and turned in his badge when the Frontline, the primary super team of Chicago, went to war with the Archangel Corporation, The Chicago Police Department looked to Michael to become the “premier†hero to fill the vacuum left in Frontlines’ wake. With the backing of the city and the police, Michael developed the Samaritan persona and recruiting several other individuals, formed the team, the Second City Armada.
With the Armada, The Samaritan made an impact by busting gangs on the South Side and the Logan Square areas. Then, the Armada routed illegal arms and drug deals around the former Industrial and Warehouse sectors of Chicago. Occasionally, the Armada fought with several of the city’s own villains’, like Jagan and Sliver, and occasionally faced off against one of the team’s rogues like The Renegade or The Pulse. But Michael felt something lacking in the team’s endeavors, sparked more so by the comparisons of his team to the Frontline, which has drawn unfavorable reviews of his team. He decided that the team needed a challenge to prove to the city that the Armada is a worthy successor to the Frontline. That challenge came in the form of the powerhouse fugitive, Crimson.
The Samaritan gathered Intel on Crimson’s whereabouts and prepared his team to face him at the city limits. Confident in his battle with the mystical juggernaut, The Samaritan launched a press conference announcing his team will go off and halt Crimson’s march and invited the media to observe it via helicopter. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse for our Michael and his team.
At the City limits, The Second City Armada established a barricade around the vicinity and stood at the front, ready to face off against Crimson. When the rogue goliath came forth, the Armada leapt into action, with The Kamen Brawler being the first to fall as his torso explodes from Crimson’s fist. Tempest gets swatted several counties away, shattering every bone in his body. The Samaritan, shocked by two members falling, still pressed his attack and for a while, seemed to gain the upper hand. That is, until Crimson powered up. He delivered a devastating right hook that made the Samaritan actually feel his ribs and jaw crack from the impact. His team mates, Battalion and Ryuji, provided range support to give the Samaritan time to recover. Battalion took action and charged at Crimson with a battering ram construct, only to have it shatter and Crimson slamming him down hard to ground, and was about to stomp him, when The Ryuji flash froze Crimson in place, giving the Samaritan the chance to uppercut him into the Stratosphere.
As Crimson is propelled skyward, The Samaritan flies up and continues his assault, only for Crimson slamming The Samaritan down hard into the ground. Crimson lands on top of the Samaritan and proceeds to pummel him repeatedly, blacking out. When Michael awakens, he sees Ryuji down on his knees, clutching what remains of him left arm. Enraged, Michael charges and delivers blow after blow after blow to Crimson. Then, in a last stand, both The Samaritan and Crimson engaged in a brutal back and forth, exchanging devastating punch after devastating punch, with each of Crimson’s blows slowly killing Michael, he wouldn’t give up. Finally, when he couldn’t take much more, the Samaritan collapses to his knees and Crimson, crushes the Samaritan’s head. The Samaritan is dead.
Crimson is shortly defeated by the returning Frontline, who also rally to get the Second City Armada memorialized for their actions. Michael died a hero and the city will remember him as long as his and his team’s memorial stands in Millennium Park.
Abilities: The Samaritan possesses super strength, flight and invulnerability. With Strength, the Samaritan is capable of lifting a maximum of ten tons and capable of bending steel and crushing stones. The Samaritan is capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 2. His invulnerability makes him resistant to a majority of weapons fire, acids, and burns.
The Samaritan wears custom made body armor composed of metal and ceramic plates and a bodysuit of Kevlar weave. Unlike E.S.C.O., The Samaritan developed his suit to be more heroic than resembling the police, while having an oversized police star serve as his emblem and connection to the police.
The Samaritan is skilled in self defense and hand-to-hand combat as per regulation from the Chicago Police Department and advanced training from S.W.A.T. As such, the Samaritan is proficient in handling both small arms to assault weapons.
Conception: From a stockpile of blank character slates awaiting development, I developed the Samaritan based on the premise of using a hero to take over another prominent character with a general enough power set that should it get killed off, it will be forgettable and able to resonate for a story arc. His arc serves as a cautionary tale of taking on more than you can handle, while showing the noble sacrifice that all heroes eventually have to do for the good of those that they vow to protect.
Day 8: Kamen Brawler
Story: Justin Chen lived with his family in Pilsen, close to Chinatown. While active in his school in both his studies and member of both Student Government and The Wrestling Club, Justin desired to be more than just a “regular Joe.†With the rise of Paranormals and costumed vigilantes, Justin desired to be a super hero.
Upon starting college at UIC, Justin crafted a home-made costume, based on Sentai characters, and began to call himself the Kamen Brawler. First thing Justin did, was get accustomed to the costume and mask, then familiarized himself with the neighborhoods and taking notes on navigation during his off days and free periods from classes. The next step, find a superhero to learn the ropes, seeking out Pilsen’s hero, the Bonesplitter. As Bonesplitter is around the same age as Justin, the two often worked together, which the media dubbed them “The Masked Brawlers.â€
When Frontline disappeared to wage war with the Archangel Corporation, The Kamen Brawler operated solo for a while, until he was approached by the Samaritan to join the Second City Armada to fill the power vacuum of heroes in Chicago. With an upgraded suit, Justin became just as popular in Pilsen as his comrade. But that all changed when the Samaritan decided the Armada was to face the mystic brute, Crimson.
At the city limits, the Armada awaited for Crimson’s arrival. Kamen Brawler was the first to rush at Crimson, which would be his final act, as Crimson completely destroys Justin’s Torso, killing him instantly. He was the first to fall and as the battle raged, so too did the Second City Armada. Justin’s heroic identity is memorialized, alongside the Samaritan and Tempest in Millennium Park. Bonesplitter visits the memorial every morning in remembrance of his fallen friend.
Abilities: The Kamen Brawler is a proficient hand to hand combatant capable of close quarters combat and specializes in one-on-one and multiple opponents at once.
His suit is a modified Kevlar suit that is resistant to small arms and melee weapons. His gloves, joint pads, boots and helmet are heavily reinforced to ensure maximum damage to put down opponents.
Conception: A listing of character templates I had in back stock that I decided to flesh out and develop for this challenge. I modified his look after the character Casshern and developed his look while adding details for a modern design. The name is just a throwaway that I decided to commit to for the look. However, when I decided to pair him with Bonesplitter, the story took a life of its own and as I set him to die in the Samaritan’s back-story, that made his death much more significant.
Day 7: El Chupacabra
Story: Hector Sandoval was a prolific drug runner, known for sneaking and delivering his cargo past borders and federal detection, until he made a mistake in taking a job that involved trafficking humans. Instead of returning the cargo, Hector set them free, upsetting the cartel he worked for and resulting in the loss of his mother and younger brother for his actions. Hector turned over his cartel for clemency, but ended up serving a 20 year sentence. Hector volunteered as a test subject in a kinetic molecular stimulation experiment for a reduced sentence. The experiment accelerated his molecules to a supersonic state that resulted in giving him enhanced speed and phasing through solid matter. Hector wears a special suit that allows his abilities to function while select items retain solidity for sight and touch. However, the experiment causes his body to be unstable after every use, so Hector must spend a full day in a special isolation chamber to restabilize his body. To Hector, this is a small price to pay for the loss of his family over his own crimes. Being a part of a super team is Hector’s chance at redemption.
Abilities: Super speed, ability to phase through solid matter, and hyper kinetic reflexes.
The Suit is made of flexible metal and cloth compounds that are resistant to intense heat and friction. Gloves and Boots are made out of heavily reinforced polymers to retain solidity for the Chupacabra, enabling him to interact with objects. Gloves also contain tranquilizer darts housed within the forearm ports. Special lenses enable Hector to retain his vision while in phase shift mode.
Conception: I like the idea of designing a Hispanic super team and given our culture’s fascination of myth and monsters; I felt a monster based on Latin America’s most popular urban legend deserved the superhero treatment. His design has a direct influence with Ultimate Quicksilver, but I broke up sections of the outfit to give him an insectile appearance while using edges to accentuate speed.
Day 6: El Boriken
Story: Luis Mendez was a U.S. Marine Corp Captain serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan, before that, he worked ops in Iraq and Pakistan, before being approached for a Special Ops in Project: El Boriken by his superiors. Â At first glance, Luis thought it was merely a publicity job, until he meets the first two supernatural members of the team, Los Superiors, El Cuco and La Sayona.
He is the sixth individual to wear the Boriken Suit as prior wielders had great difficulty handling the Tactical A.I. affixed to his helmet and as a result, were killed in action subduing various paranormal threats. Luis’s ability to handle intense stress during his time in the Iraq town of Fallujah made him a prime candidate for the Tactical A.I. So far, Luis has been able to handle the interface, thanks to mental exercises taught to him by El Cuco and his own military training. Luis understands the need for a Latin American Team to serve as a response to the growing amount of superpowers in the States and Japan. As well as Luis having to deal with the existence of the supernatural as he and his team are deployed to combat paranormal threats under the guise of terrorism and underworld combat. Add to the stress of representing Puerto Rican cultural pride, combating of paranormal threats, and the advances of La Sayona, make Luis’s life a difficult one. He has formed a good friendship with both Cadejos, a friendly rivalry with the Skull King, and has good friendship with El Cuco.
Abilities: The Boriken Suit provides the user with enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes. Suit is made of a Kevlar-nomex weave for resistance to bullets and melee weapons. Armor plates are ceramic armor dipped in memory polymers for extra durability. The Boriken suit uses carbon nano tubules to regulate and power the suit while all operations and main tactical data are housed within the helmet.
Helmet contains Tactical A.I. interface that calculates and assess tactical data to suggest host of best course of action during combat scenarios. Suit also allows the user to access and interface with various computer and electronic devices via USB cables located in the gloves.
The Boriken Suit is able to generate short term hard light constructs, such as shields and melee weapons in the event of an emergency. As a fan of comics, Luis’s favorite construct is an energy shield formed like flag of the Puerto Rico, as a nod to the character, Captain America.
Utility belt contains survival equipment, stun batons, shatter discs, emergency backup armor and portable handguns.
As this is sixth inception of the Boriken Suit, Luis has access to use the prior Suits for select mission parameters.
Conception: This is the character I go through so many revisions over, as I had a primary design in mind, but Alex Ross beat me to it with his render of Buck Barnes as Captain America (which strongly resembles the Puerto Rican Flag), so I tried and I tried to make a character that won’t resemble Captain America pastiche, ultimately just saying “screw it” and drawing him as is. His suit is now another revamp of a previous rendition, as I initially made it a combo of armored top/pants combo, until watching Young Justice made me design the suit more form fitting and added the components to give it a more super hero look. I wanted to showcase both his weapon and construct, as the shield is a big deal and him using stun batons were his main weapons.
Day 5: Fenris, Avatar of the Devouring Wolf
Story: The fourth of the four Sects from the Cult of Ragnarok, The Fenris Sect believe that the world will end by a devastating winter that will kill all plants and living things, giving those that survive a new, pure world to rebuild. With that ideology, The Fenris Sect dedicates themselves to delivering an extinction event caused by an epic winter.
The Fenris Sect go about this by utilizing nuclear devices to awaken inactive volcanoes to coat the sky in ash, blocking out the sun or seeding the sky to cause an eternal winter. For smaller experiments, the Fenris Sect has experimented with using chemical weapons that will flash freeze entire cities.
Overseeing special missions for the Fenris Sect is their Avatar, Fenris. Capable of generating ice structures and freezing any who stand in Ragnarok’s way, Fenris eliminates all who dare to delay the End Days. Like its Sect brethren, Fenris’s abilities are thanks in part to possessing Shards of the Philosopher’s Stone, making him an enemy of the Alchemist and to the Agents of John Dee.
Abilities: With the aid of shards of the Philosopher’s Stone embedded with Fenris’s gauntlets and helmet, Fenris is able to manipulate the air molecules around him by subtracting heat and multiplying the moisture in the air to generate intense cold. This power enables Fenris to create various ice constructs such as Claws, swords, and pillars of ice. The helmet enables Fenris to deliver a vicious breath attack that combines elements of a snowstorm and a sonic boom called the “Howl of Fenris†that simultaneously freezes and sends his targets back within his blast radius. Fenris also possess a freezing touch that will encase his victims in a perpetually frozen state unless he commands it to stop.
Fenris is also a superior hand-to-hand combatant that is capable of both close quarters and the weapon arts. Fenris is also shown to demonstrate an understanding of thermondynamics, electrical engineering, and meteorology.
Conception: Fenris was my second idea after splintering the Cult of Ragnarok into different sects, but the last character that I got a clear idea on his design. One difficulty I encountered was incorporating fur elements into his suit design and two, the mask. The mask went through multiple revisions until I came up with a design I was satisfied with. For the suit, I utilized elements from the animated Loki and the Executioner from the cartoon, Ultimate Spider-Man while the helmet was a mixture of elements from various sources, like the Wolf Head Gang from the anime Chrome Shelled Regios, fan art on wolf helmets, and my own tweaks. My finishing touch was to make his gloves coated with ice claws as a showcase of Fenris’s abilities.
Day 4: Hel, Avatar of Death
Story: A walking plague on humanity, Hel, The Avatar of Death.
The third of the four Sects from the Cult of Ragnarok, The Hel Sect believe that the world will end by a powerful plague that wipes out all life, giving those that survive a new world to rebuild. With that ideaology, The Hel Sect dedicate themselves to unleashing various diseases amongst populated areas or creating their own biological weapon cocktails. Their Avatar, Hel, is capable of making an individual sick or die with just a touch, called “Hel’s Blessing.” She oversees any biological outbreak operation and was responsible for the viral scare after making a raid at the CDC (The Center for Disease Control) on a day called “Black Tuesday” due to the deaths of over 500 people and 10,00 infected with diseases thought to be long extinct. Her withering touch is due to possessing fragments of the Philosopher’s Stone; which makes her and the Hel Sect a target of the Alchemist and the Dee Agents.
Abilities: Hel’s gloves contain shards of the Philosopher’s Stone. With the stones, Hel can manipulate the biological and genetic compounds within the air to generate and cultivate diseases. Making such a virulant compound allows her to infect and poison people with a touch ,hence the term “Hel’s Blessing.” Her touch is also capable of manipulating the biological composition within an individual’s body to grow tumors, sores, and various other diseases. She is also capable of affecting inorganic materials as she merely withers any object she desires.
The Hel Avatar is wearing an airtight suit that acts as both armor and containment to prevent her from getting infected with her own compounds and many believe that the stones may enable to have her immune to her diseases by synthesizing the antibodies for the various diseases. The lengthy ponytail is actually an accessory and not necessarily her natural hair as it has shown on a few incidents of coming off during pursuit.
As for fighting style, she is fairly limited as her touch alone kills any who comes near her, as well as dispersing any airborne pathogens. When in battle, she usually flees after unleashing a biological attack and most heroes and Agents rely on ranged attacks to defeat her.
Inception: One of my more recent ideas. I went with the half/half design based on Hel being a normal woman on one side, and a withered corpse on the other. With the helmet design, pauldrons and codpiece from Jaguara of Wolf’s Rain. Her ponytail is a last minute addition as I felt it needed something flowing off of her that wasn’t a gown or cape.
Day 3: Surtur, Avatar of the Fire Giant
Story: A Servant to the Cult of Ragnarok, Surtur. This Champion from the Surtur Sect believes that the world will end in a purifying inferno, which consists of using any combination of explosives, napalm strikes, or simple pyrotechnics to cause wildfires and to prompt nuclear/volcanic eruptions. Their Avatar wields a blazing sword named the Muspell, after the realm of Fire. The blade’s flames are however based on an alchemical trigger, as the hilt and most of the blade contains fragments of the Philosopher Stone, and thus is a target of recovery for the Alchemist and the Agents of John Dee. Surtur, himself, is an imposing figure, as he/she is one of the tallest of the Ragnarok Avatars and with fires that are difficult to put out, make him/her a frightening sight.
Abilities: Surtur possesses the fire sword, Muspell, and with it, shards of the Philosopher Stone. By creating friction between the air and blade to ignite fire around it, Surtur is able to manifest flames around the blade. Ignited, Surtur can project flames, cut through nearly any surface, and cast flames that perpetually on the target.
As the sword is a vulnerable target for removal, Muspell’s handle has a chain attached at the end that connects to a metal gauntlet on his left hand. The gauntlet, also contains a shard of the Philosopher’s Stone and allows Surtur to channel flames through the gauntlet, enabling him to deliver a burning touch. Those who have survived a burning touch end with what has been called “The Mark of Surtur”.
Surtur is also a skilled swordsman who works in tandem with heavy sword tactics and working a specialized style of combat using the sword and chain in tandem. He/she is also powerhouse fighter, who delivers mainly brute strikes and hard grapples, indicating a possible talent in Greco Roman wrestling.
Inception: Surtur was a more recent creation that spawned forth after a read of Norse myths and seeing the different beings that either deliver Ragnarok or are spawns of Loki. I modeled Surtur’s helmet after a combination Talpa from Ronin Warriors and Heimdall from the Thor movie. His coat was inspired by firefighters and detailing from Kris Anka’s Thor redesign.
The Sword was based on the Dual Colored swords from Magic:The Gathering and the final touch of the chain connecting to a gauntlet was actually thought up today during my bus trip based on the reasons listed above.
Jorgumandr,Avatar of the World Serpent
Story: The Avatar of the World Serpent belongs to an apocalyptic cult called Ragnarok, who believe that to save the world, you must destroy the old world in order to bring about a new world. Jorgumandr belongs to the Sect that believes of destruction by nature through poison or hurricanes. This sect of Ragnarok is responsible for numerous gas attacks around the world, but few have ever survived an encounter with their Champion, The Jorgumandr Avatar. This Avatar has either attempted or succeeded in poisoning water supplies, destruction of dams or levees, and releasing airborne pathogens in the name of Ragnarok. The Alchemist and other Dee Agents have done battle with the “World Serpent” Avatar and other champions from the Ragnarok cult, as their champions each possess a Philosopher Stone fragment that the Agents seek to reclaim for the Order.
Abilities: Using the Philosopher Stone: The Avatar is capable of Blood Alchemy, using one’s own blood to transmute or manipulate the properties within the blood. This can range into blood whips, projectiles, acids, shrapnel shards, and bloody blades. The stone helps accelerate blood regeneration to counter the effects of anemia and increase the stamina of its wielder. The Avatar demonstrates a knowledge of mechanics, particularly in bombs, poisons, and in electrical structures, to better suit their ends and beliefs. The Serpent Avatar is capable of close quarters combat, but is truly proficient at mid-to-long ranged combat , probably to better ensure his/her escape.
Inception: I actually based this character from an old monster drawing I did in high school and it started off as a fairly generic aquatic monster, until I refined it more in College, particularly the head. I developed the idea of blood transfusions and transmutations thanks to Fullmetal Alchemist, after hearing the numerous components found in blood and to explain away the character’s inability to experience fatigue from blood loss. I may also modify its abilities further after witnessing the horrifying ability known as Blood Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, as such a trait may work with one who can manipulate his/her own blood.
Day 1: The Pulse
A mysterious android of unknown origin, The Pulse, as the news media called it, appeared near Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. Though it did not harm any civilians who looked on in shock at the strange machine, The Pulse proceeded to drain the entire downtown area’s power grid. Police response was met with a wailing shriek that sent the police flying and overturning cars and waste bins. One unfortunate officer opened fire and was met with severe electrical shock to his body.
And just as mysterious as it appeared, it vanished into a huge pillar of light. The incident was called “The Pulse Incident.” From time to time, The Pulse would appear around different parts of the world, siphoning off energy from urban areas or power plants and defending itself upon confrontation. Though speculation runs rampant, no one truly knows what the Pulse is doing with all its stolen power, and even more terrifying, what would happen should it “accomplish” its unknown task?
Abillities: The Pulse possesses a limitless capacity for energy absorption that it collects and regulates via the torso and various lights on its body. The Antenna on its head seems to be the Pulse’s point of focus, as it is the first indicator of an attack as electricity flows from the antenna. With energy absorbed, the Pulse is capable of energy projectiles, teleportation, enhanced strength and energy conduction.
Inception: The Pulse was based on the design of Ultimate Captain Marvel from years ago. I’ve refined the idea over time to make it more machine than human, but kept aspects of Ultimate Captain Marvel while adding the new Iron Man suit. The energy pulse coming off its torso was an idea I thought of, as I pictured a machine that was a “walking EMP” yet contradictory,as it is a machine that shuts off other machines save itself. Or does it? The main purpose of this character is up in the air, as the premise is what I made of it and feel a mystery character will be fun to flesh out over time during an arc or a superhero campaign.
2012 Returning Challenger: Lorenzo Bonilla
Hey everyone,
My name is Lorenzo, and I am an aspiring sequential artist who specializes in Character Design. I participated in the 30 Character Challenge last year and was short by ten characters, that I completed at a later time, but this time I plan to fulfill my end of delivering a full 30 characters for this year. My designs and creations can be found on my deviant art profile /emeraldfury, or at my website at www.lorenzobonilla.com.
I’ll keep it simple, I will deliver a variety of interesting characters and if there is an interest, I may explore the ideas further. For now, lets see what looks like fun for you, our audience. So, in closing, thanks for reading and wish me luck.
#30Characters Chatter…