Author Archive: JoeCook

#30 – Thor

Everyone knows Thor. Thor is Thor. Thor is the most recognized God in the Mythoscape. He’s translated this fame and recognition into a career as Mythology’s greatest Action Star. He makes action movies, lives the life of a celebrity and makes his assistant, Tyr completely miserable.

In Thor’s latest movie (untitled – still in production), he plays Baldr in a climactic battle with Seth, the Shattered army and the giant Mecha-Kraken. Rumor has it, production is stalled due to complaints from the J5 about the script. Some people are under the impression Baldr didn’t single-handedly defeat the Mecha-Kraken and the Shattered Army. But that hasn’t been confirmed yet.

#29 – Frigg

Frigg is the wife of Odin and Queen of Asgard. In the Mythoscape, she’s the ultimate den-mother. She heads up the scouts, goes to all the PTA meetings, Sells Tupperware at parties, and most recently, became Thor’s agent. Frigg stubbled into the job when acting as a consultant on Thor’s latest blockbuster film, in which he plays Baldr. Frigg took care of him between takes and he hired her on the spot.

#28 – Tyr

Tyr is the old Norse god of single combat, victory and glory. He let Fenrir bite his hand off so other gods could try and tie him up. In the Mythoscape, Tyr is the personal assistant to this worlds greatest Action star, Thor. He’s always on the phone taking care of Thor’s every need. The heads-up-display, wrist pad and interchangeable attachements (expresso machine, bathroom buddy, etc.) only help him to do his job. On occasion, Tyr has lived his dream on screen as well, he’s occasionally Thor’s stunt double.

And yes, I know that cell phone joke is worn out but I drew him with his mouth open.

#27 – The Morrigan: Babd, Nemain and Macha

The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife and fertility. There are so many variations and ideas behind this one, we’ll just leave it at that. In the Mythoscape, I went the route of the three sisters. Babd (the shapeshifter, usually a crow), Nemain (the Furious spirit) and Macha (Straight out War, usually seen on her horse). Babd is crazy. Nemain is a little crazy. Macha is just bat-sh!$ crazy. Rumor has it they are warriors for hire, currently in the employ of Seth. It is also rumored the three sisters can combine into the super-crazy Morrigan but no one’s volunteered to find out for sure.

#26 – Ishtar

Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, love, war and sex. Mostly sex. Really, it’s all about the sex. In the Mythoscape, Ishtar has found a home with Cernunnos and his band of happy go luck Gods. She shed most of her robotic components long ago so she could be closer to the civillians who wander around the island. She’s now represented almost entirely by the energy flow.

Rumor has it, if she ever disappears from the Mythoscape, all love-making/sex/schtuping will cease to be. She’s WELL protected.

#25 – Pax

Pax is the Roman Goddess of peace. She’s found her home in the Mythoscape on the island paradise with other Gods of her persuasion. Laid back and cool, but Pax having grown tired of the Wars in the real world, avoids any civillians who wander around the island. Pax is also starting to hate the growing conflicts in the Mythoscape. Between the Shattered, the Dark Gods and all the controlling egos running around, Pax is wondering where she has to go for the Peace she desires so badly.

#24 – Minona

Minona is an African deity responsible for blessing crops and looking after women. She lives in the same area of Dakawaqu’s island paradise as Cernunnos. Minona is all about peace love and understanding. Another big fan of John Lennon, the only woman she would never take are of is Yoko.

#23 – Cernunnos

Cernunnos is a little known Celtic god. All that’s known is he’s a horned god, possibly of Nature or Fertility.
In the Mythoscape, he’s a former ally of Camulus, but he got tired of all the violence and hate. Dakuwaqa set up an area on his island paradise where Cernunnos and his peace loving friends (Minona, Pax and even Ishtar) live in harmony with the land. They live by the teachings and the music of John Lennon. Imagine is a favorite, except for the part about no religion (ie. they wouldn’t exist!)

#22 – Shiva (Nataraja)

Shiva is a major Hindu deity. Possibly the most important. In the Mythoscape, Shiva takes on his Nataraja manifestation 99% of the time. Boasting an unprecedented 134 points of articulation, Shiva takes his role as Lord of the Dance very seriously. His favorite styles are Pop-n-lock, Salsa, and the merengue.

#21 – Lugh

Lugh is an Irish deity representing the hero king. In the Mythoscape, his past glories have led him to coach the second greatest pro-football team in the league, The Armada. Lugh and his team play with honor but after a particularly upsetting disagreement with the refs, he is no longer allowed to bring his spear to games. If you get my drift. Lugh’s gridiron rival is Athena. Time and time again, her Legionnaires defeat his Armada in the championship game, the Mytho-Bowl. Lugh vows to one day, defeat Athena and take his place as coach of the Championship team.

Armada logo design by Jim Wagner of Lagom Design.

#20 – Athena

Athena is the Greek goddess of War and Wisdom among other things. Not one to jump head-first into bloody battles like her brother Ares, Athena focuses on Strategy. In the Mythoscape, that makes her the best Pro-football coach in the land. Originating from Greece, she tried coaching soccer but then she realized… Soccer sucks. So pro-football it was. She leads the 34 time champions, The Legionnaires. They consistently have the best records every year.

Last season Athena was accused of video taping the opponents defensive signals. The allegations were looked into but Hushed up after the league decided, telling the Quarterback EXACTLY where each defensive player would be couldn’t possibly help a team win…

And her color scheme changes based on the team she coaches.

Legionnaires logo design by Jim Wagner of Lagom Design.

#19 – Baron Samedi

Baron Samedi is one of the Loa of Haitian Vodou. The Baron is represented in the Mythoscape as a Shattered. But a very special kind of Shattered. While he is quite the troublemaker, Baron Samedi refrains from the mindless violence so many others of his kind partake in. Instead, he focuses his energies on offending as many Gods and civillians as possible. The epitome of rude, vile and cruel, his sole purpose is to piss people off. Be warned though, he is a very powerful Shattered when angered or when he stumbles across something he really wants. Rumor has it, the Baron made some kind of deal with Hecate, the goddess of the crossroads. Though no one admits to knowing what that deal might have been.

#18 – Marduk

Marduk is a high ranking Babylonian god. The highest ranking. As one of the oldest gods in the Mythoscape, Marduk has seen it all. Long past the glory days when he defeated Tiamat, he is now the most powerful Wizard anyone has ever seen. He keeps from getting rusty by going on constant adventures with warriors, thieves, paladins, elves, dwarves and any other adventurers that will have him.

Of course, none of those guys or those adventures are real. Marduk is the only god in the Mythoscape that loves LARPing with his civillian buddies. As president of the League of Afterlife Geeks (L.A.G.), he organizes the LARPing adventures, the Comic conventions, the D&D / Magic the Gathering tournaments and various fan clubs throughout the Mythoscape. Marduk was recently introduced to World of Warcraft and he hasn’t been seen since…

#16 – Dakuwaqa

Dakuwaqa is a Shark-God from Fijian mythology. Protector of Kadavu Island. In the Mythoscape, Dakuwaqa spends his days lounging in paradise. Not a care in the world other than what’s in his playlist, what he’s reading and what he’s drinking. He has recreated his Island home here in the Mythoscape as a vacation destination for anyone who wants to visit, be they god, civillian or even the occasional temporarily-well-mannered Dark god. Kadavu Island is the closest thing to a neutral zone in the Mythoscape. Not that Dakuwaqa would do anything about it if a fight broke out. He probably wouldn’t even notice.

#15 – Ares

Everyone knows who the Greek god Ares is so lets move on. In Shattered Myth, Ares was once the greatest warrior god around. An unofficial member of the DEVA, Ares tagged along on peacekeeping missions. Ares relished in the combat and the victories. Or so he thought. He eventually became bored and realized it wasn’t the wins he loved. It was the satisfaction of the kill.

After a mission on the island of the dark god Camulus, Ares was somehow now able to do what most in the Mythoscape thought impossible. Murder. How one can kill or be killed here is a mystery but Ares was kicked out of the DEVA after going on a death dealing spree. He stripped himself of his armor and all weapons except for two small blades he uses to do the wetwork. It is said he prefers to feel the blood on his sensors and the heat from the wound. Ares current location is unknown. Some say he’s back on the island with Camulus. Some say he found a way to cross over. All will tell you NOT to go looking for the Mythoscapes only serial killer.

#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.

#13 – Indra

Indra is known as the King of the Gods. Also War, Storms and Rainfall. In the Mythoscape, he leads a small group of Mounted lawmen called the Deva. They do they’re best to keep the peace, fighting off Shattered, Dark Gods and the occasional civillian who gets out of line. His ride is called Airavata and Indra almost never comes down. Helps him feel like he’s king of the mountain.

#12 – Varuna

Varuna is a Vedic God of sky, water, the celestical ocean and the law. In the Mythoscape, he takes the last one very seriously. He had his sea monster steed, Makara and his trusty lasso long before John Wayne arrived in this world. As soon as he met the Duke, Varuna was hooked on westerns and has taken a much more old west attitude towards keeping the peace. He’s one of Three gods (Indra and Agni to follow) who pride themselves on their mounts.

#11 – Hephaestus

Hephaestus is the Greek god of craftsmen, focusing on blacksmithing and technology. He was also lame. As a member of 3 Gods Construction Company, Hephaestus believes in hard work. Some say he’s never fixed his legs because Zeus struck him down and he physically CAN’T make the repairs. His co-workers know the truth. He simply refuses. He is a master of Technology but is determined to prove he can do as much actual labor as the next construction god. “Happiness is a fresh set of blueprints”. He’s the brains of the company but uses his tech and hands to contribute in every aspect.

What the other gods of the company don’t know, is that Hephaestus has put them all in serious debt to Tez. He’s the God of technology but some of the stuff Tez can bring through is lightyears beyond what he’s got. Who knows when or how Tez will collect on this debt or how Vulcan and Ptah will react.

#10 – Ptah

Ptah is the Egyptian god of craftsmen, specifically stoneworking. As a member of the 3 Gods Construction Company with Vulcan and Hephaestus, Ptah believes in the value of hard work. If he could, he’d try and do it all himself. To that end, Ptah decided to go all out by modifying his body to include any construction equipment he needed. He likes to be called the “Constructa-God” but most just call him “Tonka-Toy”.

#9 – Vulcan

Vulcan is a God of craftsmen and fire, specifically, metal working. In the Mythoscape, that makes him the Blacksmith. He’s one of three gods who refuse to snap their fingers to get what they want (mostly). With Hephaestus and Ptah, Vulcan formed the 3 Gods Construction Company. These guys love to get their hands dirty and value hard work above all else. Goes without saying, they’re not gonna like Roland.

#8 – Hecate

Hecate is the Goddess of the Crossroads. Sometimes associated with Wicca and often visualized as having three heads. I gave her three faces that split open to reveal the next one. In the Mythoscape, she’s basically the witch. Always at her side is the faithful pooch, Broomstick.  Good or Evil, no one really knows. All she cares about is making the deal.

#7 – Camulus

Camulus has nothing to do with Stargate. Look for this mysterious Celtic God to show up in one of the collections bonus stories.

#6 – Sun Wukong

I have no idea how I’ll work this guy into the strip, but now he’s designed, he’s going in!