RSSCategory: Manga

Characters 10-20/30

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

10/30 – Roxie the Racer Queen. Figured on some Mad Max post-apocalyptic type thing. I wanted to draw a squished up minibike, like Akira Toriyama would back in the day.

11/30 – Funcrusher Plus. Upgrade on Funcrusher, the 2.0 if you will. It was inevitable.

12/30 – Razorblade Romantic. Another character based off a memorable album title (HIM’s Razorblade Romance). Mostly, I just wanted to draw a dude with a pompadour and a razorblade.

13/30 – The Blind Boxer. This was the last one I’d done after a very long night, kinda copped out with a quick brush pen illustration. Blind Shaolin fighter.

14/30 – Clean-Up. After some lazy submissions, felt like doing some detail work on this one.

15/30 – Det. Robert Booker. Straight laced, no nonsense cop.

16/30 – Piggy Pig. Booker’s partner. Name’s how the criminal element in town refer to him.

17/30 – The Persistent Hunter. Undead cowboy bounty hunter.

18/30 – The Hermit. Wizened old ninja master hermit type.

19/30 – Grimace the Goblin. Another late night cop out.

20/30 – Riot Grrl. DIY vigilante heroine protecting her city.

#24 Moyura Tomoe

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

Moyura Tomoe, a Mensenjaji with the rank of Mensenmu

 

Moyura Tomoe, 12, has been an invaluble source of information of Ao Lai culture for American reporters. Between practice sessions and daily chores, she gives us information about the day-to-day lives of her people and her fellow workers as well as an insight into Ao Lai’s history. Americans are welcome in Ao Lai, but it’s almost a de facto rule in Ao Lai that the Ao Liese do not leave their soil; prices to travel to America are in the top five of the most expensive things an Ao Liese person can buy. Because of this, Tomoe has not been to the states, but she was curious about the Americans, as many Ao Liese are, and did not turn down the oppurtunity to speak with us when we offered her a special spot on our radio show, Purple Country, a television program in which guests, both Ao Liese and American, explore a topic and how its impact differs between their cultures. Tomoe was an innocent and curious but very mature girl, and her apperance was a hit in America and even more so in Ao Lai, where the show is brodcasted as a podcast. When fans clamored to see more of Tomoe, we offered her another chance when we asked her for an interview. The response was as expected, and soon, Purple Country and Ms. Moyura began to slowly, very slowly, bridge the gap between America and Ao Lai. We asked her about the nature of her work and one of the uniforms she had, and she told us:

“The Mensenjaji… of Ao Lai’s Nippon are the women and girls in the art called Mensenyokaji, the female profession of communing with Ao Liese spirits. Ao Liese people believe women are more in tune with the spirit world because we are healthy and feel many more emotions than men. They are in touch with the mytical creatures. Mensenmu is my rank. I perform the ceremonial dances that are accompanied by music or by singing or both. My makeup… is meant to symbolize or represent the face of the spirit of… merciful death, Huang Mu… The red paint enhances the features and imitates the folds on Huang Mu’s face. The blue makeup highlight/imitate the loss or stagnation of blood in certain areas. The whitish makeup… represents the pallid complexion of those that are ill, dying, or dead. My outfit is not a furisode. It is called a “non,” which is Harayin for “long.” My sleeves are very long, because I have items I use in my dances in my sleeves. I need room to pull them out gracefully. The colors are the ones… the Mighty Huang Mu… is often seen wearing, so… I wear that. The flowers and leaves in my hair mostly represent beauty… I wear 12 pins in my hair, because 12 is a symbol of womanhood, and Huang Mu… prefers to interact with woman instead of with girls.”

#8, 9

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

Young Irina Parros, a student at the Mykalis School of Magic, cast a summoning spell that went wrong–she ended up summoning a creature long thought extinct–the Goumf, a flying creature capable of enhancing the magical abilities of those whom it bonds with.  This Goumf, named Jaspar, bonds with Irina, and the two have a series of adventures together.   While other students shun Irina because of her new “pet”, Bryce Quinn isn’t one of them.  He becomes Irina’s best ally, and even gains the loyalty of Jaspar as well…

Don’t let Kaya Franco’s looks fool you.  Yes, she’s still in her teens, and yes, she dresses in the goth/loli fashion.  But she’s also a top assassin, capable of taking out targets with her modified GF-42 rifle.  She can also get in close for the kill and shows no mercy.  Her cold demeanor, flaming red hair,  and machine-like precision has earned her the nickname “Lolipopper”.

#6, 7

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

In the near future, the popular sport is a mix of parkour and tag–a sport made all the more exciting due to the addition of anti-gravity packs that allow for incredible leaps and other feats of agility.  Miriam Stafford is one of the top stars of this sport, even though she became a participant by accident.  Still, with her red hair and glasses, she’s become a fan favorite.  Dubbed “A-Gee” by the media, Miriam continues to work her way up the leaderboards so she can challenge the mysterious#1, the champion known only as the Black Arrow.

 

What’s this?  An elf playing baseball?!  Strange, but true.  It’s what the Bluebirds, the baseball team of Halloran College, have been dealing with ever since the lovely Serah suddenly appeared one night in a flash of light.  Where was she from?  She claims its the kingdom of Rithmar, but a wizard’s spell sent her to “the primitive world”.  She knows magic, but she cannot use it well here.

But she knows how to play baseball.  In fact, as the team discovers, she’s a natural.  And yet, they can’t let the world know what she is.  Thanks to some quick action by teammates Jennifer Kilby and Ray Brenner (the Bluebirds are a co-ed team), Serah is able to play while looking like a regular college student.  Of course, her skills can help to take the team to the championship, but Serah cautions the team that they shouldn’t only rely on her, but on their own skills.

#29 Sam

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

#23 E’so

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

 

Though having the body of a ghost, Akio Sogomo is the spirit of death by birth. She owns a small portion of Otherworld devoted to the dead, and she rarely leaves her designated area except to escort those who die in childbirth to her realm. She has a king-subject relationship with Huang Mu. Quiet and often with a bedside manner, she is strangely said to be cold to child spirits. In northern Nippon, Ao Lai, it is tradition to gift a family whose lost a woman to childbirth with a small image of Sogomo.

#22 E’tu

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’tu holding a round container

 

Wongno Tuyong is not a deceased human. He is the spirit of year-old death and death after that. Tuyong, like the spirit Huang Mu, is one of the few spirits who prefer to be in the presence of women as opposed to men. Taking the form of a ghost himself, Tuyong is assumed to have a casually friendly relationship with Huang Mu. The container is believed to be a bottomless pit of the remains of all dead Ao Liese people. Tuyong never leaves the container out of his sight, and he is almost always holding it.

#18 Damien

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

#21 E’bi

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’bi holding a cherry blossom petal

 

Yamamoto Bikomi loved trees, and most of all, she loved the cherry tree. Her and her family went to see the first blossoming of the cherry trees every spring. There’s a saying in southern Nippon, Ao Lai: “Girls who collect cherry blossoms are more beautiful.” The cherry blossom is a symbol of traditional Nippon, and the thought behind the saying is that girls who subscribe to traditional Nippon values are more beautiful than those that don’t. Most girls understand that, but Bikomi, who always lacking a sense of subtlety, took the saying literally. She was last seen wandering off into a midst of the spring’s radiant cherry trees. No one is really sure how she died; perhaps she got lost. Some have said that they’ve seen her ghost still wandering amongst the trees, sadly holding a delicate cherry blossom petal.

#20 E’ke

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’ke holding a cup and bottle of rice wine

 

Waru Kegoku was said to be an amiable enough man while sober, but as a drunk, they said he was a silly and sloppy person. He owned an inn that served a fragrant brand of rice wine called I’sake’i, simply “sweet, sweet wine” when translated from Harayin, that is still popular and sold in southern Nippon today. Kegoku would often drink with the customers deep into the night and was said to have gotten in trouble for many different reason relating to this habit. His last time ended in a drunken brawl that somehow killed both involved. Waru Kegoku’s ghost is said to still be in his old inn, drinking, enjoying himself, and savoring the taste of his wine as he did in life.

#19 E’na

| November 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’na holding a long cloth

 

During the last years of her short lifetime, Xiu Janyang resident Chun-Yu Naminbak was a writer of short poems. But far from being a full-time poet, Naminbak also wrote secret reports on the often unethical doings of the emperor’s men (his soldiers). She was a great believer in justice and fair treatment of the Ou’s subjects.  She began writing when she was around 17 and disguised some of her less inflammatory works as poems condemning her own ideas. She passed out her other works to villagers in Papuromura, and according to history, her writings reached at least a town or two away from hers. Strangely, she married a court official, but all evidence suggests she did that for cover and to be closer to the subject she wrote about. More than once, she was accused of peddling anti-government material, but she hid scraps of her work in a long pink cloth which she claimed held her underclothes, which was partially true because it wasn’t uncommon for her to write snippets of her work on her underclothes.  Her oblivious husband was a proud man and refused to allow his subordinates to search through his wife’s underclothes. As Ao Lai is not a nation of free speech, almost as soon as she was discovered passing her works out in another town, she was jailed and soon put to death. She was said to handle her incarceration bravely, never relinquishing her beliefs, and die with her dignity intact. Naminbak was said to be a very prolific writer; her works are said to not be entirely accounted for, and they’ve found over 200 individual works. She’s said to be haunting the Papuromura main police office, decrying the practices still common today.

#5 Lightblast

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

For most of his life, Donovan Jastrow lived on the dark side–being born into a broken family, running with gangs, committing petty theft and being a punk in school.  There were moments of kindness; he took care of his younger sister Laurie and watched out for his best friend Ronnie, but Donovan secretly wished for a life of peace and stability, a life that Ronnie had.

One night, Donovan’s world nearly claimed Ronnie’s life.  A rival gang opened fire on the two while they were leaving a movie, and in saving Ronnie’s life, Donovan was wounded.  But the fates dealt Donovan a favor–Ronnie’s uncle, an eccentric but brilliant scientist, was so moved by Donovan’s deed that he not only paid the medical bills, but offered Donovan a chance to turn his life around.  He moved Ronnie and Laurie into a new apartment, and gave Donovan a means to make a difference and fight for the right side–an experimental suit that gives the user the ability to use light itself as a weapon, by creating powerful photon blasts that can temporarily blind an opponent or even punch a ten foot wide hole through a wall.  The suit grants the user increased speed and agility and can even protect from small arms fire.

Donovan took up the challenge of wearing the suit, and now, as the hero known as “Lightblast”, he takes on the criminal elements of his city.  The police view him as a vigilante, but allow him to operate and even seek his help at times.  Now there is no turning back, and Donovan is determined to continue on his path away from the dark, and to make sure that Laurie has a chance at a better life.

#4 Jayde

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

Having trouble with a rampaging dragon?  Or how about a pack of werewolves?  Need to get rid of that troll that’s making short work of your livestock?

You can wait for the Royal Guard to show up (yeah, right–it’s usually too late!), or you can contact Jayde Marsellani.  She’s tough, has been trained by the best, and can handle the special brayker blade that can give any dragon pause.  Thanks to the special charms she wears in her red hair and around her neck, Jayde’s strength can be enhanced to that of nearly sixty men, giving her all the power she needs to take down the creatures she has to face.  Even so, the tasks she takes on are not easy, which has caused a bit of friction between her an her beloved, Kyle Narren….

#20 GALACTIC AMBASSADOR

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

The political representative from the CORE. The CORE is a loosely arranged alignment of planets and solar systems that rule the Milky Way Galaxy from the center or “core” of the galaxy. This character is from a Sci Fi comic I have been developing for years. Someday…. 😀

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ZOMBOT

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

Mix A little bit of Zombie with a whole lot of Robot and what do ya get, ZOMBOT. This guy is the creation of Department Of Irregular Warfare scientists. He is the first of his kind. A synthesis of advanced military robotics, ancient spiritual mysticism and the new science of re-animated life forms, called Necro Science. ZOMBOT assists Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers on field missions adding additional fire power, equipment transportation, on site computational assistance and real time tactical evaluation through its advanced Artificial Intelligence. It is also uploaded with advanced knowledge of every known hand to hand fighting technique. ZOMBOT is a true asset in any theater of combat that Z-Girl and the Tigers might find them selves in.

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#18 E’si

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’si holding a blind man’s rod

 

Musician Hukutegawa Siten, blind as a man in night’s darkness, was said to be one of the kindest and calmest people in Kinogomura, Nippon. Also said to be quiet good-looking, Siten lived in a one-room hut and gave shelter to those that needed to escape the heavy rains common to the land. One day, he let in a group of women that, unbeknownst to him, was actually a traveling music troupe. He played the shamisen for them while the rain delayed their travels, and they were so impressed with his skills, they insisted he come with them. They brought him to their hometown, Daidaomura, in northern Nippon, and helped him start a career as a professional musician. He happily played in inns and Xixumasa group home for years, charging low costs yet making a great deal because of his talent and kindness. He returned to Daidaomura one day to thank the traveling women only to find that, by order of Empress Ou Mefang, they’d been forced to disband and exiled for distracting workers from their daily scheduled duties. He was never able to find them. Siten later was exiled for the same reason and was made to return to his shack.  He held a seething rage about this unfair treatment to his natural death many years later. Now people say that he can be seen wandering the streets of many different towns and cities, looking for those that gave him his musical career.

#17 E’zu

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’zu grasping a red swan emblem

 

Lumeng Zumei did not have a happy life. Frail and ill as a child, she rarely left her home, and when she did, she faced discrimination. With their men strong, wealthy, and just, and their women beautiful, fertile, and wise, the Lumeng were known for being a fast-growing family of great status. Zumei was a disgrace in the eyes of the Ao Liese community even though the family itself did not treat her as an untouchable. Zumei herself hated bringing shame to her family name. Gloomy and self-loathing, she was known for having a love-hate “relationship” with the red swan emblem of the Lumeng. The symbol stood for strength and grace, two things Zumei never had. When she was 17, the heads of the family arranged a marriage for her, but she was only just barely strong enough to move into her new husband’s home when she was 19. Despite her chronic depression, Zumei and her new husband grew to love each other quickly, and it would seem that she would have some happiness in life after all. The blow would come when the couple realized that she was more than just too weak to have a child, she was barren. The sadness was too much for Zumei, and she commited suicide. She’s now said to visit orphanages and watch the children, trying to pick out one that looks enough like her and her husband so she may claim a child and prove she was not a waste of a woman.

#16 E’oo

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

E'oo holding the Eye of Ao LaiE’oo holding the Eye of Ao Lai

 

In life, Chion Oowing was a treasure hunter, and a clever one. He was not always in it for the money: he loved to record the historical artifacts and study their aethetic beauty. A famous collection of treasures in Ao Lai consists of the many artifacts buried by Ao Lai and her allies, and the one that held his interest was what native Ao Liese call the Eye of Ao Lai for its vivid violet hue. As with many treasures, he was not the only one after it. Others tried to capture this treasure and sell it; during Oowing’s time, the jewel had only been buried for a few decades, and it hadn’t yet gained the status of national treasure. Oowing wanted to find it first to ensure its protection. He did manage to outwit the others many a time. The race for the Eye of Ao Lai was long and brutal, and in the end, Chion Oowing was killed by the opposing hunters. However, thanks to his ingenuity, he had safely hidden the Eye where still no one has found it. They say he can be seen wandering the sites where he tricked his opponents about the location of the Eye of Ao Lai. Every place he’s been seen, there has been extensive mining in order to find the Eye. No one has found it so far.

#15 E’mo

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’mo holding a mask of a Gakano woman

 

While she lived, historian Takeha Motoko of Nippon who studied the elusive mountain people, the Gakano, or Gakuno as mountain dwellers call them. She was very artistic and creative; she loved to carve and paint, and she created masks based on the faces of the Gakano people she met. She became very close to them and even considered moving into the dark caverns the Gakano spent their entire lives in. Unfortunately, the Takeha clan, a loyalty-based and solitary people, saw this as Motoko abandoning their clan, and they threatened her with extreme punishment if she continued to become close to the Gakano. She refused to give up her life’s work and fled to Masayama, or the City of Mountains. Within the year, Takeha Motoko was found and killed by hired Takeha assassins. Now she’s said to roam the summit of Masayama; eyewitnesses say they’ve seen her with various masks of Gakano faces.

#14 E’ji

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’ji smoking from a bottle

 

As a man from the Xiu Janyang Province, the late Soo Jiyung was a reserved, opinionated but well-meaning scholar of Ao Lai history. People rarely saw him, but when they did, they described him as slightly cold even though he was intelligent and wise. He even had a wife who said Jiyung may have barely loved her more than his work. Shortly before his demise, Jiyung was said to have stated that he was at a historical breakthrough in his research. In one of the most mysterious and shady murder cases in Ao Lai history, Soo Jiyung’s charred remains were found in a ceramic bottle not a week after that. To this day, no one has found the murderer(s), a provable motive, or even the scene of the crime, though speculation dictates that he was about to uncover something in Ao Lai history someone didn’t brought to public knowledge. Even so, many agree that he haunts the Nation’s Library of Ao Lai, floating amongst the aisles of books, saying, “It’s a lie. It’s a lie.”

#28 Alistar

| November 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

#13 E’ma

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’ma dangles a fan

 

Jiang Maqiaodi was a beauty of from the mainland central of Ao Lai. In life, she was a skilled calligrapher and connoisseur of fine paintings. She was said to be intelligent and witty. Maqiaodi had a sharp tongue, according to those reports from those that knew her, but apparently she also kept to herself. The Ao Liese language, Harayin, has hundreds and hundreds of characters, and she strove to learn as many of them as possible. The sad fact of the matter is that she died suddenly due to an unknown yet powerful illness. Now they say you can see her haunting places of knowledge. Her favorite is the Nation’s Library of Ao Lai, where she may be seen reading books of Harayin or examining the many woodblock art on display there.

#12 E’ku

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’ku holds a bag of goods

 

Banda Kura was once a well-off merchant, one of the few that traveled between only a few towns. While he did not sell grand things, he was a smart yet honest businessman who cared for his customers and provided dependable products. While traveling alone, E’ku was ambushed during his rounds. Sadly, he didn’t survive. However, his ghostly spirit is said to travel along the route he used to walk while alive. Eyewitnesses say he holds a bag, the content of which is debated. Is it the goods he last carried, his own remains? On an interesting note, his route went between the Nippon towns Niwengmura and Reihu’a’mura, and each town has its different idea of what’s in his bag.

#27 Jan

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

#11 E’me

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’me with a bell tail

 

Born into the Ao Lai-ruling Ou family, Ou Mefang was one of the first Ou to be born in Nippon and rule there. Her yellow accessories and gold tinge are evidence of her royal birth, and her very brown hair, while common amongst Ao Liese, is said to be only found in ghosts of the Ou family. She was said to be a sweet and quiet woman in person but a strict and rather unforgiving ruler. However, in her earlier years as ruler, she was kinder. Mefang hated idle behavior and distractions; during her more peaceful years, she was a large advocate for strong work ethics. Her policies led to the ban of radios in the Nippon workplace. Seven years into her rule, Ao Lai mainlanders revolted against their feudal lords and set fire to a half dozen mainland settlements. She became something of a tyrant in order to scare her subjects into obedience. This did not work as well as she wanted; before her death, she was the victim of three know assassination attempts. The second attempt on her life was said to cause Mefang to have a near-death experience. Ghosts who have had near-death experiences are said by Ao Liese to have bells attached to their person once they actually do die. The fourth assassination attempt on Ou Mefang was successful, and now she is said to haunt her old castle during the Month of the Dead.

#10 E’jo

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’jo dangling a blue handcloth

 

Before her untimely demise, the renamed ghost E’jo was a prolific member of the Hikoto clan named Johime. Her royal status can be inferred from her gold-ish hue. She was one of the many Hikoto who traveled to the central mountains of Nippon to see the breathtaking ranges and surmise its livability for royal class. The Hikoto were a distant cousin to the Ao Lai-stationed Ou family and ruled with similar power in Nippon before they were overthrown. The beginning of their downfall began when the people of the northern islands fought the Hikoto for the same land. Johime was assassinated by an inside man, Nogada Shu; he killed her by choking her with the blue handcloth she gifted him. Now it has been said that her ghost torments the Nogada family. Eyewitnesses and victims say that she attempts to smother Nogada people with the same blue cloth that killed her.

Day 14: The Skull King

| November 27, 2012 | 0 Comments

Day 8: Kamen Brawler

| November 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

 

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.”

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.

#26 Tommy

| November 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

#9 E’wa

| November 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

E’wa holding a torch

 

Once named Negishite Watanabe, this mouthless ghost died due to execution. He spoke too much all his life, and finally, he mouthed off to the wrong person. He can now be seen haunting his site of demise by Nippon city Yamamasa. The official who killed him was said to have fled to Xiu Janyang Province to escape Wanatabe’s tormenting.

#8 E’yo

| November 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

 

E’yo holding a bowl of water

 

Ihe Yoshang was an Ao Lai Mainlander who traveled to Nihon and died of starvation there. He was too poor to help himself. He can sometimes be see floating around town, holding a bowl of water.