Author Archive: Drezz
#6 – Rosie Richards
Rosie Richards is the head of operations for the Motor City Majors. She has acted as the executive board’s advisor for the last 8 years, but was never promoted to be an actual board member due to Abraham Arnold’s staunch misogynist ways. Now that the old man has passed on and fresh blood has entered the organization, Rosie is finally getting the credit she deserves. She has her work cut out for her by trying to keep Alex in check and getting Eddie up to speed with the day-to-day workings of an elite level franchise. Her determination, passion for the game and natural business instincts keep the team running and save the Pratt brothers from looking foolish as newbie owners.
#5 – Billy Lincoln
I know – I’m WAY behind on this one. I’ll do my best to play catch up in the next week or so.
This is Billy Lincoln. He is the cartoon equivalent of RIM CEO Jim Balsillie, who unsuccessfully tried to relocate 3 teams back to his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Known for trying to make underhanded deals that circumvented the NHL’s policy on franchise ownership, Balsillie made a lot of enemies in his short time as a potential suitor for team ownership.
I decided to take the character one step further and make him an absolute slimeball. Billy Lincoln is a corporate tycoon who seeks to pluck the Motor City Majors from the Arnold family and relocate the team back to his hometown. He tries a number of different plans which are foiled by members of the Majors organization. He will end up acting as the foil to the Pratt brothers, and will be a thorn in their sides on many occasions.
#4 Albert Arnold
As the bumbling son of franchise owner Abraham A. Arnold, Albert is heir to the family company fortune and all of its assets and liabilities – including a losing Hockey club. As a child, Albert was never interested in sports, and has taken more of an intellectual path in life, as the president of research and development for the family’s auto corporation (Arnold Motors). With the eventual passing of his father comes a large responsibility. Does Albert try to run the ship himself, or will he be forced to sell the team to an owner who has the sports business acumen needed to make the franchise a winning one?
#3 – Abraham A. Arnold
The crotchety owner of the Motor City Majors, Abraham A. Arnold (or triple A as he is called when he isn’t present) has driven the once storied franchise into the ground with poor management of personnel and staff. After acquiring the Championship winning team from his father Alastair, Motor City has failed to recapture the glory of those years in the Golden Era of hockey. Unless a major change happens at the ownership level, the team will continue its decades long slide into the league basement and cement itself in the history books as one of the worst franchises in the modern era.
Abraham Arnold refuses to listen to any types of change, and is extremely stubborn. At the ripe age of 82, he barely clings to life yet still fiercely controls anything management related in regards to the Majors.
#2 – Eddie Pratt
Eddie Pratt is the younger level-headed brother of the Pratt family. He acts as the yang to Alex’s yin. Eddie is more reserved, quiet and shy – but he picks his spots well when it is time to speak.
Eddie’s forte is in the numbers. He is obsessed with statistics and history, and remembers almost every single player from the Golden Era of hockey up until the present day – often reciting their stats on a moment’s notice. He serves as the ‘numbers’ guy in the front office – dealing with accounting, percentages and odd statistics for scouting.
Always cheery and smiling, Eddie is the man with the plan to get Alex (and himself) out of a jam.
#1 – Alex Pratt
So it begins…
This first character I produced is one of the leads in an upcoming strip I have in development entitled “The Majors”, due for release in early 2012. The story is basically about two brothers who end up buying their favorite hockey team, only to realize that ownership isn’t as easy at it looks.
Alex Pratt is the oldest of the two brothers. He is generally impulsive, irrational and disorganized, and is the main reason why the two brothers end up getting themselves into ‘situations’ that could easily have been avoided with some forethought. Alex is a passionate sports fan, but roots mainly for his favorite hockey team, The Motor City Majors. As the self-appointed idea man of the partnership, Alex is responsible for developing hare-brained schemes for attracting more fans to Majors games, managing player personnel and figuring out ways of keeping his newly acquired team in the news.
As a reference, Alex Pratt is very similar to the Tim Taylor character from Home Improvement. Bumbling and silly, but with the best intentions in mind – misfortune seems to follow him and use him as comic relief.
2011 Challenger: Drezz Rodriguez
Howdy folks – my name is Drezz and I’m the author of a modern noir online graphic novel (OGN) called El Cuervo. I’ve been a professional illustrator, graphic designer and creative director for the last 12 years, but my true passion lies in creating independent comics. In addition to my daily duties, I’m also the newest member of the Webcomic Alliance where I am the latest addition on their Webcomic Workshop podcast and a feature columnist, writing tutorial articles twice monthly.
I was intrigued by the 30 Characters Challenge last year, but couldn’t commit to the time. This year, with plenty of preparation, I am going to give it the ol’ College try and use this as a working platform for developing characters for an upcoming strip I’m planning on releasing in the new year – something that is a complete deviation from the dark and gritty world I’ve created with El Cuervo.
I’m looking forward to working on this new project, and the 30 Characters Challenge will definitely motivate me to reach that goal. I’m also looking forward to seeing the work of all the participants who signed up – I hope everyone can complete the challenge!
You can find me at: www.el-cuervo.com
Twitter: @ElCuervoComic
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