Author Archive: Beausephus

Teacher, Playwright, Performer & Superhero Enthusiast.

My first crayon drawings were of Superman and Captain America. I always wanted to draw comics but never followed that passion beyond some self-published zines and forays into early internet comics. I've worked in various aspects of graphic design and fooled around with a spray can at various stages of my life, keeping my pen busy and full of various inspirations for the doodles in the margins of my notebooks.

Inheriting an iPad changed my productivity with the ability to draw, edit, color and post onto the internet via one device in the limited time I have to mess around with my doodles and drawings. My 5-year-old son is my biggest fan and the main reason for my artistic renaissance. He's the reason I'm drawing more often and the person I draw the most for.

For the 30 CHARACTERS challenge this year, he is my co-conspirator and collaborator. His excitement and innocent love of superheroes and drawing has kept my inner cynic/critic at bay and we are having a blast this year making up a whole new universe of heroes, robots and monsters for the internet.

-updated Oct. 2012

rss feed

Author's Website

2012 – Beausephus!

| October 8, 2012 | 0 Comments

Last year I used my obsession with my then recently acquired  iPad to draw more I had in years.  The ability to color, edit, and publish in a single sitting allowed me to actually productively create in the limited time I have to just sit down and draw.  My dormant deviantART page suddenly had life and the support of the community really convinced me to keep putting my doodles into the ether.

In the 2011 Challenge I combined original creations, versions of old childhood charters, and characters inspired by my 4 year old son’s imagination.  Well, that 4 year old is now a very creative and prolific 5.  He’s on the verge of writing and his artwork is pretty impressive especially even if judged solely on volume.  For the 2012 Challenge my son and I will be collaborating, creating a whole universe of heroes, villains, aliens, and monsters from the mind of a 5-year-old and then drawn by me.  I will try to include my son’s original versions of the characters, if they exist.  Sometimes he creates on his own, other times I act like a Police sketch artist, adding and changing concepts and details as he sits perched at my elbow.

He’s very excited to see his ideas put “on the computer” and I’m excited to have another impetus to create work for an actual audience.

Epilogue – 30 Characters in 30 Days 2011

| November 30, 2011 | 1 Comment

So…the final entry…

30 characters in 30 days.

I really learned a great deal about what I want out of my own style and creative outlets, but I also received so much great feedback and support from the inspiration comments from so many great folks and just the talent that this contest unleashed into my world… this is why the interent is so mazing….all of these amateur artists and creators getting a wide audience to just show our little corner of the artistic universe in one place.

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and checked out my work and I cannot express how muc it meant ot me and my son to read all of the great things those of you sent messages wrote.

 

So thank you to the organizers and iFanboy for reminding me to sign up, and to everyone else…much love…

– Beausephus

www[dot]beausephus[dot]com

beausephus[dot]deviantart[dot]com

30 – Bison by Beausephus

| November 30, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Bison

DATE OF CREATION:  Early 1990’s

CONCEPT:  A mythological minotaur style demon is conjured and trapped in the modern era… a bas-ass ancient minotaur getting into hip-hop culture, playing b-ball in the West Village, and pulling out a gigantic cleaver when he gets fouled.

_______________________

 

So this character was just a guy I liked to draw and to call him a fully fleshed out character is stretching the truth a bit.  I tried to pair him up wit different character, mining the same vein as one of my favorite comics as a kid, POWER MAN AND IRON FIST.  So when I last left Bison he was the Kevin Bacon of street level and mystic characters he was connected to everyone.  I’m not sure if he’s a lead character, but the very broad concept of Bison makes for some great secondary character/comic relief gold.

 

So…the final entry…

30 characters in 30 days.

 

I really learned a great deal about what I want out of my own style and creative outlets, but I also received so much great feedback and support from the inspiration comments from so many great folks and just the talent that this contest unleashed into my world… this is why the interent is so mazing….all of these amateur artists and creators getting a wide audience to just show our little corner of the artistic universe in one place.

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and checked out my work and I cannot express how muc it meant ot me and my son to read all of the great things those of you sent messages wrote.

 

So thank you to the organizers and iFanboy for reminding me to sign up, and to everyone else…much love…

 

–  beausephus

 

29 Spindo Sword Fist by Beausephus + Son

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Spindo Sword Fist

DATE OF CREATION:  November 2011

CONCEPT:  “Spindo is a robot with swords that he can use as swords and then put n his arms and make them spin around shoot off at stuff.  But he really likes to spin the swords around and scare bad guys.  His eyes glow.”

_______________________________

My son came home from school with a small picture made by tracing geometric shapes that he turned into a robot super-hero character. He wanted me to draw it.  So I gave it a try and then he offered edits with such encouraging comments such as, “No, Daddy, you’re not good at this,”  and “That’s not good.  It’s supposed to look like this (insert sound effects made by a four year old imitating explosions and what he thinks sword spinning robots sound like).”

After many attempts, here is the final version of Spindo Sword Fist.  My son still wants me to change the eyes.

 

Thanks for checking out our stuff.

-Beausephus + Son

28 – Wild Demon by Beausephus

| November 28, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Wild Demon

DATE OF CREATION:  1992

CONCEPT:  A former superhuman hero from the 1800s turns against the mystic organization that granted him abilities and attempts to steal the magic weaponry he was armed with.  As punishment, he is allowed to escape but he is cursed to live for centuries.  the magic weapons turn to liquid and encase him in a semi-rigid shell that causes him excruciating pain.  The magic “skin” grants him limited superhuman endurance and strength.  He is able to relieve the pain by willing the “skin” to free him for a limited amount of time, but every moment he is free from pain more time is added to his tortured eternal life.  Wild Demon is attempting to destroy the mystic organization that he feels wronged him, by any means necessary, through anyone or anything that he feels is in his way.

__________________

The unfortunately named “Wild Demon” was a middle school Venom clone, Venom being very popular at the time.  The orignal character’s orogin is essentially the same, but his appearance was a smooth black, slick body suit a la Venom.  Wild Demon was driven mad and had increased strength and could drip acid from his hands.

This re-imagined version takes on a more “encrusted” look to the mystic skin hardening over his human body rather than a viscous sheath.

I liked drawing this version f the character.  it was an attempt to give some semblance of originality to an originally derivative character design

 

Thanks to everyone for their comments and support.  I appreciate everyone who even checks out my stuf for a moment.

-Beausephus

27 – Flashpoint by Beausephus

| November 27, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:   Flashpoint

DATE OF CREATION: 1991-92

CONCEPT:  After discovering an ability to turn light energy in heat energy, Flashpoint is severely burned but dedicates himself to improving himself and mastering his abilities.  He becomes a member of a superhuman Military task force and finds the methodology to use his powers for the good of all… by putting on a costume that hides his hideously deformed face and downplays the severe damage his abilities are capable of.  He uses the reflective surface of his knives to focus his abilities making his trademark, knives blazing with fire.

___________________

The original design of the Flashpoint character featured all the colors above but the “chainmail” armor was essentially a full on shirt of scales, with bright orange tatter tied to the limbs with matching yellow gloves and boots.  The character also featured the exact same mask as above.  While the backstory remains almost the same, I’m pretty sure I made him disfigured so that I would not have to draw a face, it being easier for my sixth grade self to draw full face masks.   The orignal design also featured a bandolier of knives.

So I tried to stay true to the basic orignal design of the character, and given that this post was a bit rushed, I only altered a few design aspects.  I got rid fo the tattered ribbon as a character who uses fire might not want flammable materials whipping about in the wind all around him.  Instead of full on knives I made him some stylized throwing knives.

Thanks for checking out my stuff,

Beausephus

 

26 – Cutter by Beausephus + Son

| November 26, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

CHARACTER NAME:  Cutter

DATE OF CREATION:  Summer 2011

CONCEPT:  “Cutter is a super hero with swords that he is super fast with.  He can cut and throw his swords, and sometimes has tricks in his swords like forcefields or a sword that can shoot stuff out of it.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

For a while my kid would put Wolverine style maks on every character he came up with…and there were only so many re-imagined versions of that Hawkeye/Wolverine winged mask that I could come up with.  CUTTER is the sword-guy on my son’s super team… well, the good sword guy, there’s a suspect member of the team called NIGHT NINJA…   CUTTER is essentially responsible for keeping NIGHT NINJA in check…many sword fights that end in draws and mutual respect all around.

_____________________________

This post contains two versions of the character.  The first is in my usual “style” which is just an amalgamation of all of my influences that developed as doodle during High School and College with no real honed practice or attempt at skill…nothing is really different  or has dramatically changed over the past decade since then.  There’s aspects of this style that I like, but I am really unsatisfied with the hesitancy of my lines.  Lots of small , rounded details, overly rendered in my too big for small detailed style…lots of unnecessary layer work…  It looks okay, but it is hesitant.

The second version is an attempt to capture the simple line work in the vein of Kirby, Darwyn Cooke, Mike Oeming, and Mignola.  I was aiming for flatter, and cleaner with an attention to the simplicity of the lines and the throwback style costume rendering.  I’ve been really captivated for the last few months with Kirby’s ornamentation and the way he drew “tech” and equipment.  A Kirby sword looks like a Kirby sword.  The odd details of his machinery and almost Incan intricacy of his armor designs (Thor, New Gods, Eternals) are really speaking to me and for the first time in a lon time I am actively working on improving and shifting my aesthetic to what speaks to me now, rather than the habits I developed aping the style of 1990s.

 

Thanks for checking out my drawings and reading my ramblings…

-Beausephus

 

 

25 – Bastion by Beausephus

| November 25, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Bastion

DATE OF CREATION:  Early 1990s

CONCEPT:  A take on the shield wielding superhero, Bastions reflective armor pieces and shield absorb various forms of electromagnetic and solar radiation that he can refocus as short bursts of offensive energy blasts or blinding light energy.

______________________________

Every character who carries a shield will be compared to my favorite comic character of all-time, Captain America.  The circular shield is almost off-limits in terms of character design because the shape is so iconically linked to Capt. America.  If a new character carries a shield how long until that shield becomes an offensive tool and the creator is torn down by using the only weapon the character has – throwing a shield is as linked to Cap as the Bat-Signal is to Batman.

So what if a character who carried a shield could not throw it as a usual behavior?  What if the shield was too linked to the power structure, or the design of the shield was too bulky to be an aerodynamic weapon of choice?   So here’s Bastion, a shield bearing superhero whose reflective armor absorbs solar and various other energies that he refocuses as energy blasts of blinding light attacks.  His shield, also is a huge conduit for this absorption and so losing the shield means losing a huge reflective surface for his powers.  Als, his shield is thick and bears three large, halfed spheres in relief on the shield’s surface…collection modules for the energy…whatever justifies their presence best.

Bastion’s shield is a bludgeon and not a dynamic piece of engineering slicing through the air or through enemies.  He can charge the shield with his collected energies and use it as a battering ram, but the shield needs to be i contact with the character for the maneuver to work.  Bastion is  term that calls to mind defense and steadfast loyalty/protection.  Visually the character is thick and not acrobatic.  Bastion rooted and immovable and his power set allows him to physically get in between those he is defending and those he is attacking, being a physical defense as well as a physical threat.

_________________________________________________

 

So, I’ve been going through an artistic realization during this 30-Day challenge, and with this submission I’m really feeling the lack of practice over the past decade come through in my drawing.  I’ll post moe on this after the whole challenge is complete, but I’m not very happy with how this drawing looks and I need to start being more active in honing my craft if I am going to continue posting my work to the public like this.

Again, more on this later and perhaps a few additional posts journaling this crisis of self criticism…

 

As always, thanks for checking out my stuff…

-Beausephus

24 – Kinsmen by Beausephus

| November 24, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:   Kinsmen

DATE OF CREATION:  (Original) 1991

CONCEPT:  In this re-imagining of a character whose only powers is to mimic other people’s powers, the character is two robotic entities, each sharing the same “brain” (so-to-speak) but also having individual sentience. The male version of KINSMEN, is the energy conductor, his proximity to another being with super human abilities allows him/it to absorb a small fraction of that “power”.  The male KINSMEN is also constantly recording movements and images and can process movements, voices, characteristics as well as powers.  The male conductor, however, cannot really “do” anything with this energy/information and so transmits it to the female host for execution.  The female robot is the being that actually uses the borrowed abilities and skills, but can only process and use the information, not absorb it herself/itself.  I’m sure there’s a freudian or psychological aspect to all of this but there’s no deeper psycho-emotional overtones to the dynamic of these two characters since they are, essentially, one brain with two bodies….again probably some deeper psychological overtones there as well…

___________________________________

The first version of KINSMAN was a second string character created to fill a gap in a super team full of extremes.  His power was simply to “borrow” the basic energies of another character’s abilities and use them at a significantly lesser degree.  He looked like a Gambit clone with silver hair… he was not really ever given much more in terms of purpose or backstory.

When digging through the old sketchbooks, this character and the basic notes on his abilities struck a new chord.  Sure, “borrowing” powers is a cool gimmick, but it is a huge deus ex machina with no real limitation or definition.  So what are the rules? 1. proximity.  He has to be near the primary target he intends to “borrow” from.  2.  Since the abilities are not his, he really is just channeling another person’s “energy” so the results he would get with someone’s lazer beam eyes would be foreign to him and thus he would not have practiced skill with the power.  3.  The power is significantly lessened.  If he borrowed Superman’s ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Kinsman would probably only make it halfway up the skyscraper.

Now in the quick thumbnail of the abilities it became clear that the whole proximity restriction really limited the effectiveness of the character strategically but also developmentally.  Kinsman would just be another second string character like all of the C-class heroes who came to populate the Perez/Wolfman run on New Teen Titans.  Annoying, secondary characters.

So, how could this character work?  I thought about two characters with a similar power set then thought of Tomax and Xamont from G.I. JOE and that was it.  One character absorbs the powers, the other character sues them.  I also decided to throw in som Taskmaster-like mimicry of physical movements and some Mission: Impossible style vocal and physical impressions.  Also, make them robots with the same basic personality which would lead to some interesting character development and interactions.

Visually the male Kinsmen robot has anime-inspired tech for capturing energy/data, and the female is the more physical entity in a design that I hope, communicates skill as well as brawn.  I wanted to make them both seem alien and not exactly human.  I wanted them to have longer, more slender limbs and necks, and I think that is best depicted in the line and shape of the female’s neck and shoulder.  But I’m knit picking…

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

-Beausephus

23 – The Jack O’Lantern Kid by Beausephus + Son

| November 23, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Jack O’Lantern Kid

DATE OF CREATION: Oct. 30, 2011

CONCEPT:  “A guy who is magic and appears like Batman out of smoke to scare bad guys who take kids’ candy.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

My son loves pumpkin carving for Halloween…or more precisely, he likes drawing faces that I in turn draw and he vote on which one goes on which of our multiple pumpkins.  This year he asked if someone could wear a Jack O’Lantern on their head like a mask.  I asked if that would be his costume this year and he then proceeded to invent The Jack O’Lantern Kid.

The Jack O’Lantern Kid is a “magic guy” who comes to life every halloween formed from the light and smoke of all the Jack O’Lanterns that people put out.  He is a “good guy who looks scary because e has to scare bad guys, but he always helps little kids.”  The Jack O’Lantern Kid is a benevolent ghost who takes this annual form to walk amongst the living making sure children are protected and safe from any malicious behavior during their trick or treating rounds.  “He has fire in his head and can shoot it out of his mouth like a dragon and can make smoke do stuff.”

 

Thank for checking out our stuff.

Beausephus + Son

22 – Power Rhino by Beausephus + Son

| November 22, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Power Rhino

DATE OF CREATION: November 18, 2011

CONCEPT:  “There’s a a whole town of Rhinoceroses that live in a maze and there’s one Rhinoceros who has to protect Rhinoceros Land from people going through the maze to get the treasure.  Power Rhino is a superhero with a big sword and a sword on his leg.  He has a big cape because he is a good guy.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

My 4 year old likes to draw mazes.  Now they may look like aimless scribbles to the untrained eye, but he will show you with exact precision what each oddly formed square is ( a trap, usually) and how the interweaving lines are actually paths that when he is finished will make perfect sense.  So, the other day he was guiding me through his newest maze and he lead me through a series of traps, jungles, volcanoes, a Rhinoceros Land, and a river before having to jump through another trap to get to the treasure.  Now I had him back up and tell me about this Rhinoceros Land.  Rhinoceros Land is just that, a land of Rhinoceroses who do magic and tell stories.  They have one Rhino called Power Rhino who carries a sword and protects them all from “bad guys who go in the maze to get the treasure.”

He really wanted a strait up superhero design with a rhino in a green spandex outfit, red mask, white gloves, and a blue cape…with a big sword and a sword strapped to his leg.  He really did not like the version drawn above.  He wanted a straight up superhero, but the big honkin’ sword concept got me thinking of Cloud from Final Fantasy VII and then of the Joe Mad comic series “Battle Chasers.”  Then I realized that my kid was essentially describing to me the plot of the recent Thundercats series subplot involving a village of mystic forgetful elephants.   So I went with the RPG style costume pictured above.  he is not happy that the version he wanted is not posted here and he has sworn to do his own version which, if he finishes it, I will post below.

Thanks for checking out our ideas,

Beausephus+Son

21 – Wild Bengal by Beausephus

| November 21, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Wild Bengal

DATE OF CREATION:  1992 or 1993, the 92-93 era thereabouts…

CONCEPT:  A master thief builds himself a suit of armor, but then is killed by an assassin hired by his rival.  The assassin takes the exoskeleton and uses it to enhance his natural skills.  He takes the name WILD BENGAL and acts as contract assassin with a heart of gold who only takes on targets that fit within his personal moral code.

_________________________

Objectively, dressing in colors in the orange range might not be the best garb for an assassin.  Nevertheless, the character Wild Bengal went through various permutations and origins before falling strictly into the criminal/anti-hero role.

Since the armor the character wears was developed by a thief for thievery, it is lightweight and absorbs shock/impact/energy.  The costume is highly flexible, perfect for a trained assassin in either covert activity or hand to hand combat.  Wild Bengal modified the suit with claws and stylized equipment more in fitting with his name.

Looking at the character now, I like the concept but would take the character in a direction akin to the Pierce Brosnan assassin movie, THE MATADOR, a hired killer reexamining his hallow life and searching for meaning by developing standards and morals…except with more spandex clad super characters and hi-tech espionage.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff…

-Beausephus

 

20 – Shadowhawk by Beausephus

| November 20, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Shadowhawk

DATE OF CREATION: Late 1980’s.

CONCEPT:  A fusion of Batman and Snake Eyes from GI JOE this silent character patrols the rooftops and hidden alleyways prowling for trouble and then descends to dispense street level justice with efficiency and high tech flair.

_______________________________

Shadowhawk was a character that starred in many small comic strips and hand stapled pamphlets.  In the original design, the costume was very basic – a boulbus helmet, metallic bracelets covered in mini-missles, and a bandolier of weaponry resembling Batman’s utility belt in an act of overt swiping.  Shadowhaek, if I remember correctly, was a cop by day (complete with full on 1980s moustache) and vigilante by night.  In his numerous adventures he fought character in scenarios inspired by GI JOE cartoons and “KRAVENS LAST HUNT.”

In the reinterpretation of my elementary school design, I kept the color scheme (toning down the bright teal a bit) and the characters giant “wings” that run the sides of his torso and allow him to glide along.  I’ve removed the missle launcher bracelets and stylized the helmet a bit to make it less like 1950s Sci-Fi pace helmet and a bit more predatory to in some way refer to the Shadowhawk name.

 

The best thing about this character was in the early 1990s when IMAGE comics first formed.  Founding Image Creator, Jim Valentino, had been writing one of my favorite serie, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, for MARVEL and had just relased his own creator owned IMAGE property, Shadowhawk.  At a regional comic convention I brought him some color copies of the Shadowhawk character and comics I had made years earlier.  He was very gracious and really liked my childhood zeal for superheroes comparing the work to that of his son who was close to the age I had been when I drew my first Shadowhawk comics.  Whether he was just being a pro or really appreciated my attempt to share my fanboy appreciation for his work, I’ll never know, but his friendliness made a big impression on me as to what it means to apprecaite positive compliments and how to act when someone is being genuine even when there is a line growing behind them.  Mr. Valentino made a life-long fan of me that day, and no matter wht I always buy a comic with his name on it to in some small way show my appreciation for his five minutes of time when I was a kid.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

-Beausephus

19 – Bronze Dragon by Beausephus

| November 19, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME: Bronze Dragon

DATE OF CREATION: 1991

CONCEPT: An adventurer/archeologist is magically cursed with a mystic living stone encasing him at all times.  After training with ancient magicians of the Orient, they carve the emblem of their order, a giant bronze dragon, into his cursed stone form, in an attempt to save him from eternal walking damnation.

__________________________

Before I got into comics and superheroes I listened to tapes of old time radio shows and read about pulp heroes like The Shadow and the Lone Ranger.  The BRONZE DRAGON character started as a blatant rip-off of Doc Savage, right down to the metallic orange skin and adventurer back story.

As the character evolved, I seemed, once again, drawn to the concept of great power possessing great men and exploring the results.  Instead of shiny metallic skin, the character became encased in skin that looks like polished stone.

Now tons of characters have non-organic skin, and the cut-off they must feel due to a complete lack of sensual connection with the world around them must be infuriating to the point of madness.  So how does my character deal with it?  Going back to the pulp well, he trains with ancient Oriental mystics, a la The Shadow, who help him learn how to live with his cursed “skin.”  They carve the emblem of their monastery into his rocky skin, in a ceremony of purification through the extreme pain of carving the dragon head into his body.

By devoting himself to the philosophy of the Bronze Dragon Order, The Bronze Dragon keeps himself focused and his ever hardening “skin” from overpowering him and controlling his existence.

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

-Beausephus

18 – Koku of the Ninja Bros. by Beausephus+Son

| November 18, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Koku, of the Ninja Brothers

 

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

 

CONCEPT:  ”Koku si the big brother ninja and he looks after his family and protects them from the evil ninjas.  he’s really good with his swords and can do really scary ninja tricks.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

 

THE NINJA BROTHERS is a story that my son started to tell me one night before bedtime.  Perhaps in an attempt to put off the impending lights-out, the story of three long-lost brothers became almost epic in its proportions spreading out over a few evenings and interweaving all of his interests  – superheroes, spies, ninjas, and magic.

KOKU is the eldest of the three NINJA BROTHERS.  He takes his role as the self-perceived head of the family very seriously.  “He’s like Cyclops [of the X-Men] who is always mad at people because he is the boss.”  Koku is very focused- to the point of disconnect with reality and at times, the family and townspeople he has sworn to protect.  When he and his younger brother BIRQ began to train in the mystic arts of the ninja, he never doubted for a second that they would be able to rescue STINGUT, their baby brother, from the clutches of the evil ninja master who controlled almost every aspect of the lives of the people in the town they lived in.  Koku is loyal and determined.  There is no doubt that he is a master swordsman and an imposing physical and mystic threat for one so young, but his driving ambition often blinds him to the simple pleasures of a life he is so determined to protect that he almost doesn’t realize what he is fighting for.

Koku, like Birq and Stingut, is highly skilled at hand to hand combat and mystic ninja magic.  He is renowned as a swordsman and his homemade weapons are rumored to be enchanted.  Like all of his brothers, he carries a magic short sword in addition to the rest of his well-honed bladed arsenal.

 

Thanks for checking out our stuff, my son is very excited to share his ideas with everyone here.

 

17 – Birq of the Ninja Bros. by Beausephus+Son

| November 17, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Birq, of the Ninja Brothers

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

CONCEPT:  ”Birq is a ninja who uses guns and lasers because sometimes a sword isn’t going to work, so he has to use a blaster to blast the bad guys.  He also has a magic little sword like all of his brothers in the Ninja Bros.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

THE NINJA BROTHERS is a story that my son started to tell me one night before bedtime.  Perhaps in an attempt to put off the impending lights-out, the story of three long-lost brothers became almost epic in its proportions spreading out over a few evenings and interweaving all of his interests  – superheroes, spies, ninjas, and magic.

BIRQ is the middle brother of the three siblings who make up the NINJA BROTHERS.  Like his elder brother, KOKU, BiRQ trained in the martial arts for years in the hope of getting to be strong enough to take on the evil ninja master that kidnapped their youngest brother, STINGUT, as a baby.

When the brothers are ready, BIRQ and KOKU infiltrate the evil ninja master’s fortress, rescue their youngest sibling, and dedicate their lives to battling the evil ninja master.

BIRQ, for all intents and purposes, is the tech guy in the trio.  While he trained in martial arts and ninja magic, he prefers technology that he can rott around in , rewire, and rebuild.  he makes high-tech devices to use in tandem with his brothers’ more mystic tricks and tactics.  Like all of his brothers, BIRQ is  master at hand to hand combat, and “super old, magic ninja tricks.”  He carries a small magic sword that is identical to weapons his brothers carry.

 

Thanks for checking out our stuff, my son is very excited to share his ideas with everyone here.

 

-Beausephus

 

16 – Stingut of the Ninja Bros. by Beausephus+Son

| November 16, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Stingut of the Ninja Brothers

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

CONCEPT:  “Stingut is a little kid who is captured and has to be a ninja and then his brothers come and rescue him and they are all ninjas together.  He uses ropes and lassos and has a little sword.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

THE NINJA BROTHERS is a story that my son started to tell me one night before bedtime.  Perhaps in an attempt to put off the impending lights-out, the story of three long-lost brothers became almost epic in its proportions spreading out over a few evenings and interweaving all of his interests  – superheroes, spies, ninjas, and magic.

STINGUT is a boy who was kidnapped by an evil ninja master at a very young age.  The ninja master trains Stingut in various marial arts and escape tricks.  One day two ninjas infiltrate the ninja master’s fortress and take Stingut away.  The two ninjas, BIRQ and KOKU, are actually Stingut’s brothers who have been training for years as ninjas so they could finally be able to rescue their long-lost little brother.

Together, the Ninja Brothers, start waging a guerilla style war against the evil ninja master who also controls the country they live in.

STINGUT, although young, is exceptionally skilled “at leaping around and disappearing like Batman and Robin.”  He also carries a special arsenal created for him by the evil ninja master.  His tolls include lock picks, and “little darts and sharp sticks to throw at bad guys because he is little so he has to use little stuff.”  STINGUT can also do “really cool rope tricks and magic tricks with rope so he can get out of traps or tie up evil ninjas.”  Alo, STINGUT carries a small magic short sword that each of his brothers have an identical copy of.

Thanks for checking out our stuff.

-Beausephus

 

 

15 – Dr. Pinkbot by Beausephs+Son

| November 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

CHARACTER NAME:  Dr. Pinkbot

 

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

 

CONCEPT:  ”Dr. Pinkbot is a bad robot who was made into a good guy.  He makes swords and stuff like Green Lantern.”

_________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

 

____________________________________________

 

DR. PINKBOT is another member of my kid’s superhero team- The Amazing Justice Squad of Superheroes.   The good doctor is actually an evil robot that was turned good by the heroes and ow he serves them as the “guy who fixes them up and makes their stuff for them.”  Dr. Pinkbot (whose credentials seem spotty at best given his title) also creates energy constructs a la Green lantern, but instead uses pink energy that he projects from his hands and eyes.  My son indicates that it was because his powers are pink that he was easy for the superheroes to beat and turn into a good guy.  My son is clearly going through the “pink is icky” stage, and yet, he likes Dr. Pinkbot more and more everytime he spins a superteam tale.

 

Thanks for checking out our stuff.  My son is really enjoying seeing his ideas on the computer.

-Beausephus

 

14 – Impact by Beausephus

| November 14, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Impact

DATE OF CREATION:  1992

CONCEPT: Taking a page from the design of X-O MANOWAR and the “organic” spin on the armored superhero, IMPACT is a military created armored hero who is surgically fused with an an alien life form.  The armor is not sleek and shiny but knobby and more organic, but is formed by elements of the alien bursting through IMPACT’s skin and encasing him in a techno-organic alien/hi-tech hybrid armor.

__________________________

IMPACT started in the early nineties blatantly ripping off elements of the David Micheline/M.D. Bright run on Iron Man.  Later the design was greatly informed by a young Joe Quesada’s take on the Valiant Comics character, X-O Manowar’s liquid/alien armor.  But when every other character had shiny metal on their bodies, I wanted Impact to rflect the opposite – a more organic, “natural” design.  Instead of sleek I wanted the armor to look like  a barnacle or a crustacean’s exo-skeleton.  Then, I wanted the “armor” to be almost alive, fusing with a human host to create a dynamic new entity.  Like, X-O Manowar, however, the “armor” sheathes itself around the human host but instead of it being a cool liquid metal style CGI special effect, the armor explodes in sheets of liquid and shards out of the host’s body, literally erupting in a spray of blood and science fiction.

So, Impact is a military weapon created by the fusing of prototype technology and an alien life form that is implanted into various soldiers.  Because the transformation process is so strenuous on the human body a host can only survive a limited number of these painful metamorphoses into the Impact weapon.  However, the host cannot function normally when encased in the armor for long periods of time.  So every host has a limited time as the impact weapon leaving gateways to numerous story-lines and character arcs.

The Impact Weapon System, as it is referred to by official shadowed military/government types, is essentially a tool of force and agression.  The “armor” can morph based on need at every transformation process, allowing multiple variations of appearance and tactical need.  In all of its forms the armor is exceptionally durable and and resilient to physical damage and gravitational effects.  The Impact armor is not capable of flight or super strength, but it’s resistance to gravity and the surgical improvements necessary for the host to move and survive inside the armor allow for a degree of enhanced strength and enhanced speed and agility.  The armor is alos capable of absorbing physical impacts by means of a insulating fluid that literally expands with each physical attack.  Every so often the fluid must be ejected from the armor.  The host can harness this expulsion process as a high velocity plasma stream, directing it as an offensive weapon at specific targets.  This method, however, literally bursts forth from the armor leaving the host vulnerable for a few moments until the armors seals the gaping holes in its “husk”.  The liquid plasma stream is, of course, highly explosive.

 

Impact went through many variations of the armored hero until I had the idea to take the concept in a different direction.  Impact is not the name of the character but the armor and the person inside the armor is a constant variable in the possible story lines.  I like the fact that different hosts, used for various missions, result in a constant series of stories all beneath the overall arc of the manipulations and machinations of the people actually responsibile for the armor.

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

-Beausephus

 

 

13 – Kensai by Beausephus

| November 13, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME:  Kensai

DATE OF CREATION:  1991

CONCEPT:  A student of martial arts/mysticism gains a new level of ability,power, and awareness, but his aged Sensei dies before the student can truly undertand the depth and price of his abilities.

_____________________________

I’ve always had a fondness for IRON FIST and DOCTOR STRANGE, and the mystical origins of pulp heroes like THE SHADOW and THE PHANTOM.   There’s so much territory to explore with the western outsider archetype in a forgotten magic/high-tech city.  JACK KIRBY loved this concept.   Not can you lead a character through the exploration whole new “forgotten but ancient magical city” but also investigate the significance of the perception of a Western Dominated culture in terms of ancient traditions and mystical power.

So what would happen if these “chosen one” style characters, these inheritors of great ancient power and traditions, were left without a guide?  What would happen if they didn’t have someone to show them how to use their abilities or the depth of understanding that wielding tremendous ancient power must necessitate?  Ultimately what is the difference between Baron mordo and Stephen Strange?  Baron Mordo lusted after the power, and Strange felt he was unworthy.  What would happen if supreme power was given to someone whose self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy were left alone to fester without the support/education of mentor?

This is the conflict at the core of the character, KENSAI.  He weilds great power, but is not aware of the personal and global price he might be paying, or might incur if he incorrectly uses his abilities.  The fine line defines the character, because he is constantly exploring what it means to take steps to one side of the line or the other whether he likes it or not.

The storyline that goes through my mind with KENSAI is almost like the “Kung-Fu” TV series or what J. Michael Straczynski attempted to do recently on Superman… KENSAI would wander the earth, meeting people and discover who he is, what exactly the limits and depth of his abilities are, and learning from the successes and many failures he creates with his skills and abilities.

No, of course, KENSAI would not walk around shirtless with tattoos flowing like liquid and emitting glowing energy from beneath his skin, so that very visual is the base of a character who was essentially an Iron Fist rip-off in 1991 and developed into something more over the years.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

Beausephus

12 – Night Ninja by Beausephus+Son

| November 12, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

CHARACTER NAME:  Night Ninja

 

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

 

CONCEPT:  “He’s a ninja who uses swords.  He’s the best sword guy in the world.  Sometimes he uses a laser sword, but he likes his magic swords better.”

 

_________________________________

 

 

 

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

 

NIGHT NINJA is another member of my kid’s superhero team- The Amazing Justice Squad of Superheroes.   Like all little boys, my son loves to play “sword-fighting” with me.  Somewhere in between watching the Last Airbender cartoon and re-runs of Silverhawks, he discovered ninjas…or as he calls them, “‘injas”.

I think in his mind a ninja is like a spy who uses swords and somehow has magic.  So essentially that’s what NIGHT NINJA is, a spy with swords.  Later designs of “spy” type characters have similar color schemes and costume patterns.  There’s another character coming later called “CUTTER” who is on the super-team with NIGHT NINJA.  As my kid puts it, “They get into sword fights, but when bad guys come in the house, they fight the bad guys and call them names.”  It’s like a toddler version of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff.  I just showed my kid that his characters are on the computer and he was really excited.

-Beausephus

 

11- Atlas by Beausephus

| November 11, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

CHARACTER NAME: Atlas

DATE OF CREATION : 1987-ish…

CONCEPT: A normal joe gains superhuman strength and invulnerability.  he struggles to adapt to normal life with his newfound abilities and decides throwing on a light blue spandex outfit to fight crime is the best way to experiement with his abilities, do good, get some recognition so maybe someone can help him discover the origin of his powers and if they have nefarious side-effects…

_____________________________________________

 

ATLAS was the pure escapist creation of an elementary school mind.  He was the giant bruiser who just wanted to do good but really had no idea what he was doing.  At one time ATLAS, in his pre-powered days, wanted to become a cop and do what he saw as good, and now, newly empowered he dons a costume and tries to figure out how to fight crime based on his limited exposure to just what that entails.  He meets up with other super-folks who he regularly teams up with and they open his eyes to the network of alliances and dastardly intentions that criss cross the superhero scene.  Essentially, ATLAS is a first person avatar to explore a new superhero environment without having to disguise exposition.  Of course, the limitations of my emerging writing ability didn’t fully comprehend this concept, I just liked the fact that whenever ATLAS met new characters they could go into an origin story of their own.

ATLAS starred in two or three photocopied and hand colored issues of a comic book bearing his name.  In his adventures he tried to stop a nasty fellow wearing a green unitard and packing as many uzis as my young self could fit on the character.  This fellow was had numerous clones and an evil corportation bankrolled a mad scientist to create the whole thing.  ATLAS wound up teaming up with a rogue green unitard clone who fought alongside him to take down the evil organiztion, which, as it turns out might have had a hand in ATLAS’s powers…. cue melodramatic reveal music.  I don’t remember much else about the stories.  I know there was a guy who had a helmet that looked like a giant eyeball that shot lasers out of the pupil, but that’s it.

I do remember the cringeworthy costume and design of the character.  Blond mullet.  Bright blue costume with matching headband and a plunging neckline and flared collar that was more disco that superhero.  I tried to stay close to the original design but toned down the huge collar, and lost the mullet.  The basic blue bracelets that covered his forearms were anime-d up to give some more shape and design to the very basic original costume design.

Not an overtly amazing character but one that I cared about very much in my youth, but looking back, I’m pretty sure I liked drawing and coming up with new characters for him to meet more than ATLAS, himself.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

Beausephus

 

 

 

10 – Hook by Beausephus+Son

| November 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME: Hook

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

CONCEPT: “He throws hooks at bad guys and hangs them up so the police guys can put them in jail.  He also has goggles that let him see far and into space.”

______________________________________

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

____________________________________________

My son loves my carabiners, and is really interested in the climbing gear he sees the teachers at our school use and loves the climbing gear section at REI.  He also loves the very concept of grappling hooks.  When he wanted to use hooks in a character design, I misinterpreted and started small…a hook handed pirate character in goggles.  My son was not amused.  He wanted bigger and better hooks, and ropes, and a bear skin cape.  Where he got that last idea, I have no idea.  So HOOK was eventually a character who is tricked out with hooks and ropes of various styles and sizes…  And he uses them as stated above, to hang bad guys up from light posts like Spider-Man and Batman.  That’s pretty much it.

 

I like this character mainly for the ridiculous amount of hooks and rope, but really the bear skin cape puts HOOK over.  Full disclosure – I did not re-draw this character and I am posting an older sketch.  Time is tight this week.  I will draw a revamped version this weekend and add it below this post.

Thanks for checking my stuff out.

-Beausephus

09 – Vigilance by Beausephus

| November 9, 2011 | 2 Comments

CHARACTER NAME: Vigilance

DATE OF CREATION: (Visual) 1995, (Story) 2002

CONCEPT: Vigilance is a street level vigilante known for bludgeoning “evil-doers” into submission… or is he?

________________________________________

Once again, the Batman and Moon Knight influence is undeniable.  The character that became Vigilance was a doodle in the margins of notebooks but not really a full fledged character until I rediscovered him when I was going through some old sketchbooks.

Looking at the character so far removed from the initial idea that spawned it, I looked at the character objectively.  There’s nothing groundbreaking about the design of the visual impact of the character…in fact it’s quite un-dynamic.  So what’s the point of a mediocre character?  Well, what if the character in question was not the main character in his own story?

I played with the idea…what if Vigilance was the object of the story not the protagonist.  In fact the idea I had is very similar to what Greg Rucka is doing on the recently relaunched Punisher series at Marvel.  What if Vigilance was everything that Batman is supposed to be – an urban myth, a phantom of the night with no real evidence of his existence?

So here’s the pitch – Police Detective Adrian Bask is convinced Vigilance exists and is hurtling towards obsession on the matter.  he’s on the edge, and the appointed task force he is heading up is on the verge of falling apart because no one can find real proof that the supposed vigilante exists. The beaten and bloody street thugs attest to a tattered cape and glowing white eyes, but so what?  Is Vigilance real?  Is Det. Bask going crazy?  perhaps the link between the two characters is closer than Bask would like to admit?

I’m imagining a POWERS meets ALIAS take on the spandex creature of the night with the Spandex character at the forefront of the storyline but not the main character.

 

Thanks for checking my stuff out.

-Beausephus

08 – Captain Arrow by Beausephus+Son

| November 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

CHARACTER NAME:  Captain Arrow

DATE OF CREATION: Summer 2011

CONCEPT:  He shoots arrows at bad guys.

_________________________________

 

So when the mood strikes my son (and that is quite often) and he wants to make up “superguys”, “superdudes”, “supermans”… I pull out a bunch of templates I made for him and he picks out everything from the style of boots to the color scheme of the various costume options presented before him.  I then draw quick sketch, and he edits, adds, etc…  I then draw up the character and he hangs them in his room…if they meet his ultimate judgement.  Then I make him come up with a story for each character.

CAPTAIN ARROW is the leader of a superhero team called The Amazing Justice Squad of Superheroes.  “He shoots bad guys with arrows that he makes in his secret treehouse”.  He has a partner who doesn’t have a name, but is “like Robin, but not a leader like Robin”.

CAPTAIN ARROW shows my son’s absolute and fervent devotion to any character who shoots arrows.  He loves Hawkeye and Green Arrow, and even admits to liking Artemis from the Young Justice cartoon, but as he is quick to point out, “Robin is still better”.

I added some tweaks to this published version.  The scale armor up the left arm is new, but everything else is directly  from my son’s imagination.

 

 

07 – Soul Fire by Beausephus

| November 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

 

CHARACTER NAME: Soul Fire
DATE OF CREATION: 1992-3

CONCEPT: A group of young mystics seek to gain supposed “true power” and wind up trapped by the very forces they sought to control.  SOUL FIRE, along with THUNDER CROSS found themselves without a physical bodies , consumed by the power they sought to control.  SOUL FIRE rededicated himself to his study of magic and the mystic arts, determined to control the power that was literally destroying him.  He discovered a way to hinder the energy but not how to cure himself.  Bound in blessed metals and enchanted symbols, SOUL FIRE can now control the elemental energies, but he has seemingly forever lost his true human form and like the chains that bind his burning form, so too is his humanity trapped inside the inferno that engulfs him.

____________________________

The original idea that became SOUL FIRE and THUNDER CROSS and his friends started during a period of really looking into and observing the Ditko Doctor Strange and the Simonson Thor runs.  Magic versus humanity.  So I took three selfish young mystics training to in some secret art who desire more and endeavor to find ways of achieving more raw power.  In a Faustian accident brought on by their hubris they find themselves dominated and possessed by the elemental energies they sought to control.  In the end, they decide to redeem themselves by using their powers for good before the energies that grant them their abilities consume them.  This basic origin created three characters – VENGEANCE, THUNDER CROSS, and SOUL FIRE…. magic based spandex superheroes. A recreation of the original design is below.

So when I went to re-envision these designs for the new century, I took everything down a more sinister path.  Instead of the characters merely gaining abilities they have questionable control over, the mystic energies possess and destroy everything that they believe makes them human.  Instead of donning metal gloves and a Ferro-Lad inspired helmet, THUNDER CROSS, must use physics, electonics, and rudimentary magic to create a harness that will allow him to keep a mostly human shape while he seeks a way, with his peers, to pay for their vanity and hopefully restore themselves to their true forms.  Instead of donning an obviously inspired Gambit style costume, SOUL FIRE, like THUNDER CROSS, is immolated by energy and mystical forces, but SOUL FIRE turns to the the truly mystic and magical to control his form.

If the exploration of a hero’s jounrey is what makes one a hero, I believe one first must rediscover who they are.  THUNDER CROSS and SOUL FIRE are examples of a characters whose choices damn them but force them to rediscover their beliefs right  down their very concept of self…. with a bunch of explosions and magic battles thrown in to keep things exciting.

 

The image above is a new take on a basic spandex superhero, but in all honesty, I like the original design below more than the revamped design above.  While I like the new direction of the characters’ stories, I feel the new THUNDER CROSS design is far superior to the new SOUL FIRE design.  Rethinking the design may be in order…perhaps an update will soon follow….

06 – Thunder Cross by Beausephus

| November 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

CHARACTER NAME:  Thunder Cross

DATE OF CREATION: 1992

CONCEPT: A group of young mystics seek to gain supposed “true power” and wind up trapped by the very forces they sought to control.  THUNDER CROSS found himself without a physical body and turned to science as well as magic to find a way to keep his consciousness in some sot of mortal form before the electric energies that make up his being dissipate of take full control of his “mind” living him a nothing but a marauding beast of mystic energy.

____________________________

The original idea that became THUNDER CROSS and his friends started during a period of really looking into and observing the Ditko Doctor Strange and the Simonson Thor runs.  Magic versus humanity.  So I took three selfish young mystics training to in some secret art who desire more and endeavor to find ways of achieving more raw power.  In a Faustian accident brought on by their hbris they find themself almost controlled and possessed by the elemental energies they sought to control.  In the end, they dcie to redeem themselves by using their powers for good before the energies that grant them their abilities consume them.  This basic origin created three characters, Vegeance, Thunder Cross, and Soul Fire…. magic based spandex superheroes. A recreation of the original design is below.

So when I went to re-envision these designs for the new century, I took everything down a more sinister path.  Instead of the characters merely gaining abilities they have questionable control over, the mystic energies possess and destroy everything tht they believe makes them human.  Instead of donning metal gloves and a Ferro-Lad inspired helmet, THUNDER CROSS, must use physics, electonics, and rudimentary magic to create a harness that will allow him to keep a mostly human shape while he seeks a way, with his peers, to pay for their vanity and hopefully restore themselves to their true forms.

If the exploration of a hero’s jounrey is what makes one a hero, I believe one first must rediscover who they are.  THUNDER CROSS is an example of a character whose choices damn them but force him to rediscover his beliefs right  down the very concept of self…. with a bunch of explosions and magic battles thrown in to keep things exciting.

#5 – MorningStar by Beausephus

| November 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

CHARACTER NAME: MorningStar

DATE OF CREATION: 1994-ish

CONCEPT: A vigilante who operates by night bringing the huge scythe-like blades attached to his gauntlets to the throats of supernatural creatures brought to life by various underworld and corporate organizations.

_____________________________________

 

Truth be told, there’s really not much to the back story of Morning Star.  I’m not sure if I ever gave the character a name or identity beyond the visual design and the basic supernatural-hunting methodology.

Moon Knight has always been one of my favorite characters, the basic visual design of the character and his multi-layered back story was really engrossing.  Clearly this design owes a great deal to Moon Knight and, I believe, the Stephen Platt run on the series.

I also must have read the BATMAN: YEAR TWO trade paperback a thousand times or so at that time.  Again, the giant forearm blades are ripped right off of the design of that story’s “villain”, The Reaper.

Instead of fighting “street-level crime” I imagined MorningStar going up against supernatural-meet-scientific creations such as the “Pseudo-Vamps” and artificial zombie-like creatures.  Realistically, could he use such giant, deadly weapons against generic street thugs and still be considered a “hero”?

Also, in retrospect, the various grades of beige and grey don’t do much in terms of dynamic costume design or making a strong visual impact.  Still, I have a soft spot for the character and the odd color scheme.

Thanks for checking out my stuff.

-Beausephus

#4 – Arinn, drawn by Beausephus

| November 4, 2011 | 4 Comments

CHARACTER NAME: Arinn

DATE OF CREATION: 1988

CONCEPT: A savage alien life form who is pursued and eventually befriended by intergalactic bounty hunter KRITON.  Arinn is pure rage and animal instinct, but can communicate coherently by “emotional telepathy” – projecting his impressions, mental images, and emotions into the mind of others.  Arinn begins an alliance with KRITON, who he considers the only person in the galaxy as bitter as he is.

_____________________

 

Arinn was created by my greatest childhood friend for our Elementary School comic book series, ARKON COMICS.  Arinn was essentially a savage Lobo meets Wolverine character.  My friend created basic images of the character and I tweaked them a bit as I drew most of the stories.  We teamed him up with my character KRITON, and then developed a back story where their uneasy alliance began.

Arinn’s method of communication via “emotional telepathy” was a wy to keep him savage and uncontrollable but still a character with more than just bloodlust and Wolverine style bone claws (decades before Wolverine himself had bone claws).

My friend, sadly, passed away when we were 18, so I knew that I had to include some of our creations in this challenge.  I am more than proud to share some of my happiest childhood memories with everyone.

 

Thanks for checking out my stuff,

Beausephus

#3 – Kriton by Beausephus

| November 3, 2011 | 1 Comment

 

CHARACTER NAME:  Kriton

ORIGINALLY CREATED : 1988

BASIC CONCEPT : An Alien trapped in our galaxy has to serve as a bounty hunter in our solar system in order to pay off an intergalactic crime boss to pay for the promise of a way back home.  Eventually he begins to accept that he may never get home and develops a grudging acceptance of his role and his inherent value in what essentially a bottom feeding type of job/existence.

____________

In 1988 my childhood best friend had an High School age brother who got our Elementary School minds obsessed with the Marvel Comics Role Playing Game.  In reality, my friend and I just rolled up characters and came up with story ideas… this is a common motif in my creative evolution…

So my pal wanted to make comic books out of our characters to sell at his school.  So we did, and these 20-30 page pamphlets featured 7-8 stories on hand-folded and stapled black and white photocopies of pages crammed with far too many panels and far too little storytelling.  ARKON COMICS (the name was my friend’s idea) featured some stories featuring my character, “Kriton.”  I was really into the Kirby Silver Surfer/FF stories, the concept of the Green lantern Corps, The Guardians of the Galaxy and the rest of the 1970s Marvel Comics “cosmic” story lines.    The main basis of “Kriton” however was Martian Manhunter.  Always one of my favorite characters Martian Manhunter, to this day, is one of the most under-used and underestimated characters in the DC Comics universe.  The core of Kriton was the flip side of Martian Manhunter – what if J’onn J’onzz hated the fact that he was trapped on earth?  What if there was a way out but he had to essentially whore himself out, debase his lofty morals, just to pay the ever-escalating price just to get home?  Kriton was angry, but not grim…he was pissed off at his station in life and the choices he was fully aware he made to get where he is.  Ho can such a character find peace, or at least acceptance?  Does the dream of going home ever actively become just that and not something to actively work toward?

The version of the character above represent the soul of the original design…in essence the costume is and alien with an egg shaped head encased in basic grey armor wearing what essentially was a sleeveless orange jumpsuit with big, puffy, silver, Reebok style 1980’s high-tops.  I added some small details and made some of the styling more dynamic…. however in the piece above I feel I got away from the absurd whimsy and naive visual design sense of my grade school self.  But here it is.

Day 4’s post will focus on one of Kriton’s co-stars in ARKON COMICS and the only character he liked enough to team-up with in other stories.

Thanks for checking my stuff out.

-Beausephus

#02 – Crossbone by Beausephus

| November 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

CROSSBONE by BeausephusCHARACTER NAME:  Crossbone

ORIGINALLY CREATED : 1991-92

BASIC CONCEPT : A mercenary inherits mystical metal that allows him to create amazing weapons from the “mystic metal armor” that also imbues him with the abilities of those who controlled the magic metal before him.

____________

So, it was the early 1990s and everybody drew like Liefeld or Jim Lee.  This representation of the character “CROSSBONE” stays true to the original design of the character from 20 years ago.  Look at the twin katana hanging improbably off his back, the tatters/ribbons defying gravity and basic physics… nothing surprising.

However, this character will always have a special place in my creative history.  All of the artists/comic creators in my Middle School started making up company names and imprint titles for their various creations.  Some of the more memorable names include “Assassin-Nation” and “Uptown Tribe”.  My “company” was “Crossbone Productions” and under this imaginary banner I created sketchbooks full of interconnected superheroes and even drafted a 7 page origin of the imaginary universe all of these characters inhabited.  At the center was the character Dark Skull, who would eventually be renamed “Crossbone”.  This interconnected universe traversed the centuries and even incorporated the Age of Exploration and the Cold War… I thought it was groundbreaking stuff when I was 12.

The character Crossbone shows the visual style of the 1990s but contains clear inspiration from Hawkman and the various “grim n’ gritty” mercenary-with-a-heart-of-gold characters that littered the comic landscape.  The metal that Crossbone inherits is essentially a nod to Hawkman’s Nth Metal.  Because I wanted to create a hertiage character a la the Justice Society and Infinity, Inc. I thought it would be cool if there were centuries of warriors all using this mystic metal (I forget the exact name I came up with) and passing it down to a successor.  (Green Lantern, etc…) The twist was that even though the metal gave its bearer abilities it forced the bearer to live a century but slowly the metal  stole their soul/drained their life force.  The metal absorbed the abilities of all who used it and imbued the current possessor with all of the abilities of the centuries of “heroes” who wielded it previously.  So after centuries the current “Crossbone” had superhuman physical abilities and combat knowledge.

In retrospect, there was not much to the character beyond the history, but I thought I was crafting pure gold.  It did however, lend itself to multiple story lines all over the entirety of the interconnected superhero universe, even resulting in villains spurned/rejected by the “mystic metal.”

It’s interesting that these themes – generational heroes, titles passed down through the centuries – are all the rage with characters rebooted in modern continuity (The Immortal Iron Fist series, the current Bendis Moon Knight relaunch, Spawn…the list goes on).

“Crossbone” was the lynchpin of my adolescent comic book creations and looking back at even the flaws and shortcomings of the character I think the 12-year-old me had some pretty damn good ideas.