I recently posted to the CHCC group that I tend to be inspired by obscurity when drawing comic character sketches, be they jams or commissions, because unlike my childhood favorite characters, I haven’t drawn them a million times, and the newness of an unfamiliar design makes for an engaging creative challenge. It gets my juices flowing to pick a random character from the back of the Who’s Who books, or to see a strange selection for a monthly jam, or to get a specific, unusual request for a commission. I dig it.

More frequently, I get requests to do popular characters. One’s I’ve pretty much exhausted my drawing energy on back in High School or whatever (not that I’m complaining…). Classic characters. When I was hired to do a piece on Wolverine, my initial reaction was “Meh!”… but then I was given some pretty free rein to play with it. We talked about the different versions he had in his collection, from the classic browns to a recent Age of Apocalypse one-handed version, to several tank top and motorcycle ones… his request was simply “give me a costume I don’t already have, and make him aggressive!”

So this is what I came up with. I’m sure some of you will recognize those combatants from the 80s, when they were probably last used. And this version of Wolverine, as X-Men fans will know, was only seen a few times, and I don’t think ever within an X-book.

View this Wolverine commission illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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1. TRDL Tribute: X23
2. TRDL Tribute: Uncle Julius
3. TRDL Tribute: Kenya

These guys may seem pretty mundane from the perspective of the colorful TRDL Universe, but they are pivotal to the TRDL story as a whole, which will become evident over time.

Concept and Art: Thom Chiaramonte
Abilities and Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

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Finders

Names: unknown
Affiliation: RAES Corporation; Finder Program

Melee: 20
Reflex: 30
Muscle: 20
Vigor: 30
Acumen: 10
Observation: 20
Will: 10

Life: 100
Influence: 40

Abilities:

Light-Reflective Body Armor: Finders wear armored, segmented skinsuits which provide resistance to physical, energy, temperature attacks [20 AP] which disrupt natural and artificial light reflection and distort visual definition [30 IV], effectively allowing for visual camouflage under most indirect lighting levels when in shadow. The armor remains sensitive to physical damage, and constitutes 50 points of material protection. If 20 points of damage pass through the armor’s defensive ability, secondary systems such as Jumpjets and Energy Leech will fail. At 30 points, AV Mask will fail. At 40 points, Light-Reflectivity will fail. At 50 points, the armor is destroyed and must be removed or wearer risks chemical and radiation exposure of 20 points of damage each turn.

Jumpjets, Boots: limited range jumpjets [10 IV; 10 RV] with virtually no audio artifacts. Directional ports are located in backpack and boot soles.

Shockrod: A melee weapon made from material with 40 points of material strength, which yields 20 points of physical damage and causes synaptic disruption on contact [save vs. Stun/shock at -2CS or be rendered unconscious for 1d10 turns,] coded with an electrical protection system that delivers 10 points of damage to anyone attempting to hold a Shockrod without wearing Finder armor.

Multi-Graph Sensors: The helmet provides a range of thermal, UV, lowlight and spectrograph visual maps, while offering no natural visual exposure. Optical sensors [30 IV; 30 RV] are resistant to flash weapons.

Energy Leech: This system allows power absorption [50 IV] converting synthesized energy into Life at 1:4 rate (25% recovery.) This is similar technology to that employed in RAES Posthuman Restraint Harnesses.

AV Mask: A pattern map disruption technology, which limits audio/visual recording of armor [30 IV] rendering Finders invisible to recorded surveillance.

Origin:

RAES Corporation, the tactical response arm of Arges, have never confirmed the development of a post-human search and retrieval program, though several sightings of these special operatives, recently referred to in the intelligence community as Finders, have been reported in the last eight months. While no video surveillance has been able to successfully capture a Finder team in action, descriptions from the field have suggested that the operatives work in coordinated teams of two, under cover of nightfall, wearing some sort of light-obscuring, UV-dampening armor, described to include some sort of limited jumpjet capability. One instance was reported of a Finder operative draining power, through physical contact, from the generator of a breached research facility, causing a system-wide blackout. The operatives were described as using ‘shockrods’, electrified bludgeon weapons that appeared to cause a synaptic disruption in their target, allowing them to be subdued for extraction.

Additional surveillance records were inconclusive.

:::

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 122: Lenin’s Hammer
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 124: Fria
3. TRDL Character Factory, No. 107: Draconia

This was done for the This Week jam, subject being, of course, Mary Marvel, of SHAZAM fame, or lack thereof. I was already hot to trot for this week, being that it’s always going to be fun to draw a nubile young teenage superheroine in a smart skirt suit and lots of red red red… but then I saw Tulio’s redesign for the character, and new I had to incorporate it…

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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1. TRDL Tribute – Typhoid Mary [TRDL Redesign 2]
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Jenny Sparks is the leader of the post-post-modern Justice League cipher, the Authority. Or she was, before she was rebooted to an infant at the beginning of the 21st century. At this point I think she’s like four or something. Anyway, she was a cool character design: Union Jack tank top, slacks, and a cigarette. Another of Warren Ellis’ write-himself-into-the-comic characters, but that’s OK. Pretty clever, pretty cynical, and one of the few ‘spirits of the century,’ she has an immeasurable degree of control over ambient electrical energy.

This illustration was an experiment for me: first time doing digital inks… I scanned in the pencils and inked with the Wacom Intuos before coloring. It’s a pain in the ass, I have to say. I admire the other artists who’ve been doing it for awhile, let alone doing pure digital work from scratch. Personally, I prefer the pen. Also, anyone recognize the battery brand?

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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1. TRDL Tribute: Jenny Quantum
2. TRDL- Status Report
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This was done for the This Week Jam. I was slammed, never got it past pencils, but I had to finish the job.

Dawn, for those not familiar with the Buffy TV series, is Buffy’s little sister who, at some point or other, was supposed to be the next in line to be the ‘slayer’ or fabled vampire butt-kicker in tight clothing and favorable brassieres. I think. I lost track towards the end. But anyway, she’s the little sister. I know they were *talking* about a Dawn & Friends spinoff from the dead Buffy series, and that the concept died on the vine. But this illustration was my take on Dawn, a few years older, fully comfortable in her role as a slayer… and I know I didn’t capture too much of Michelle Trachtenberg’s likeness, but I was admittedly micro-focused on the super-sexy schoolgirl meets rockerchick outfit.

You can see the full version herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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1. This Week Jam: Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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Araña is one of the new breed of Marvel characters I’m not that familiar with, but unlike some of these Gen-YBother marketing ploys, whether you like the tights and tennies and backpack as a substitute for a costume (a move I don’t really like- since when does costume need to completely become an analog of the style of the kids today? touches of teen style while still incorporating a traditional costume would work just as well, and not seem to be pandering to the skater/video game crowd… though having no costume at all is equally valid; I just think this is a half-ass compromise between the two) you have to admit they did a good job with the colors and the fun factor in this design. I’m not sure I’d want to go into combat with a big ole red backpack on, but it does seem otherwise functional and refreshingly not as skimpy as you would normally see from, say, the Wildstorm/Gen-13 school of design. I love the goggles and the hair. T-shirt with a spider on it: weak. But hey, she looks fun, probably has a reason for all of those wrist satchels… anyway, here you go: Araña…

You can see the full version herein the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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Echelon is more of an all-purpose, vat grown asskicker.

Concept and Art: Thom Chiaramonte
Abilities and Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

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Echelon

Name: Peter Armistead
Affiliation: Hermes Project

Attributes:

Melee: 30
Reflex: 40
Muscle: 40
Vigor: 50
Acumen: 20
Observation: 20
Will: 20

Life: 160
Influence: 60

Abilities:

Hyper-Agility: Echelon may perform 2 actions in a single turn with no penalty, as a result of his adrenal gland’s higher output. There is no long-term effect of such activity currently evidenced.

Strength Feat: Echelon, while normally demonstrating significantly enhanced strength, may make broad Muscle Actions, such as dead lifting, leaping or throwing of heavy objects, with a Yellow Vigor Action, effectively raising his Muscle for this Action [75 IV]. He requires rest for one turn after such exertion, or faces a -1CS cumulative decline in Muscle each subsequent turn until able to rest for the same number of turns as have passed (Example: Echelon lifts and hurls a massive object, but is unable to rest for three more turns. His Muscle is reduced by 1CS each turn for a total of 3 turns after the Action was performed, reducing this attribute [10 IV]. He must then rest for four turns in order to recover to full strength. If he rests for less than the total number of turns required, he only enjoys increased Muscle equal to the number of rested turns, and returns to losing Muscle at the previous rate, until fully rested. This represents his glandular system attempting to compensate for the surge of adrenaline required when performing Muscle Actions.

Energy Emission: Echelon may yield a focused energy blast from facial orifices [30 IV; 30 RV] which manifests as a blinding bluish light that agitates air molecules around the blast, causing a visual blur artifact.

Regeneration: Echelon may, upon physical contact, leech Life from an opponent at a 1:1 ratio, with the opponent’s Life loss being permanent. The transfer of Life is limited to 50 points/turn. As a personal conviction, Echelon avoids doing this unless absolutely necessary.

Origin:

Peter Armistead was a graduate of the first generation of posthumans engineered by the American government, in the wake of the success of the Liberty Group, which were developed by a third party organization under contract. After several false-starts, the U.S. program involved modification of the posthuman bio-engineering processes previously understood, with the addition of gene-splicing and viral protein mutations, allowing stock from other subjects, human or otherwise, to be fused to test subjects, with surprisingly stable results.

While human in primary genetic stock, Armistead’s DNA was spliced with a cocktail of ‘source non-specific xenobiological trace genetic fragments’, and hyper-accelerated through laboratory growth hormone. His latent powers and abilities are not fully defined, but seem to stem from a mutation of his adrenal gland, which operates at four times the normal human secretion rate, and which appears to be directly tied to the massing of xenobioloogical tissue surrounding his vital organs. He has the ability to move at an accelerated rate, perform significant physical feats, and generate a focused energy emission from his mouth and eyes. He has also shown the ability to regenerate, by physically touching a living target and transferring it’s life force to his own body, with permanent health loss in the victim. His powers have an unexplained side effect after repeated use under excessive strain, which manifests a short-term memory loss.

After sufficient field-testing under a pseudonym, in the form of strategic operations while on-loan to the CIA, Armistead was given the codename Echelon and positioned as the leader of the Hermes Project, a government-subsidized rescue team with similar Federal immunity status as the Liberty Group. However, when public opinion turned on the former team, and the government’s role in a series of cover-ups involving their operations on foreign soil, Echelon enraged his handlers by declaring the Hermes Project autonomous, and severing all public ties with the U.S.

Whether the Hermes Project remains under governmental oversight is not currently known.

:::

You can see this illustration herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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Related posts:

1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 74: Project Hermes
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 107: Draconia
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Fria has a power somewhere along the lines of fire generation. However, this particular form of combustible energy doesn’t use oxygen as fuel, but rather, blood. The flame glows with a clear to blue iridescence, and is extremely difficult to extinguish. An opponent can’t be affected unless they are either covered in blood, their own or someone else’s, or have an open wound. The flame will cling to the affected area, and increase in size as the blood flow increases. It will also stunt blood’s natural clotting process. Plus, it looks freaky.

Concept and Art: Thom Chiaramonte
Abilities and Origin: Thom Chiaramonte

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Fria

Name: Maria Sandoval
Affiliation: Hermes Project

Attributes:

Melee: 20
Reflex: 10
Muscle: 10
Vigor: 20
Acumen: 10
Observation: 20
Will: 30

Life: 60
Influence: 60

Abilities:

Hemoflame: Fria can generate a specific form of combustible energy that uses mammalian blood as a fuel source. It will only affect, and ignite, unclotted blood, and will slow blood’s clotting behavior [1/2 natural healing rate] while not actually technically burning the victim, or incinerating the liquid. The flame will initially do damage equal to 1/2 the damage inflicted by an open wound, or 10 points of damage to unwounded areas, and will continue to yield damage equal to 1/2 the total damage taken by the victim. A Red Vigor Action is required to extinguish the flame manually. [example: victim A has taken 20 points of edged weapon damage to the arm. Fria ignites the arm wound, causing an initial 10 points of damage; next turn, the flame inflicts 15 points of damage [1/2 of 20 + 10] and so on until the flame is extinguished; example: victim B is soaked in an opponent’s blood. Fria ignites the soaked area and inflicts 10 points of damage and the following turn inflicts only 5 points [1/2 of 10]]

Origin: Coming soon…

:::

You can see the full version herein the TRDL Universe Gallery.

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1. TRDL Character Factory, No. 111: Adder
2. TRDL Character Factory, No. 107: Draconia
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This illustration started as a jam sketch for the Poison Ivy jam on Comerotica Corner, but evolved into a potential purchase piece for a repeat client who’s been nice enough to commission illustrations from me in the past, and display them in his studio as framed pieces. He mentioned to me that he was considering a Batman-related piece to hang before Batman Begins is launched, and I mentioned I was working on a Poison Ivy piece for this jam, and he requested the opportunity to buy it if he liked it. Who am I to refuse THAT? But anyway, I don’t know if he’s going to go for this one, since he was obsessing on the film version of the character. Regardless, it was an exhausting illustration to color. Probably would have taken some of my coloring cohorts a fraction of the time, but I got too worked up about coloring vines to see the, er, big picture.

Anyway, I like drawing Batman in peril, and I like that peril to be the result of the machinations of the female contingent of his rogue’s gallery, so this was a natural direction to go for this illustration. God that sounds like I should have a nutty Yahoo Group dedicated to my predilection. Heh.

So…Poison Ivy is a hot hot hot character, but I don’t see enough of her working with the flora, so to speak, so she’s playing second fiddle here to a massive phallic vine cluster, and not in the way you’d think, I suppose. The original sketch for Poison Ivy was focused directly on the character, and was a good deal simpler. I might finish that one too at some point.

You can see the full version here in the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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This piece was a fun commission for a longtime Zatanna fan. I haven’t heard from him about his feelings regarding the Seven Soldiers Zatanna thing, but at least with regards to this piece, he was very open to possibilities. Technically, his request was “Zatanna creating something unexpected out of her magic hat” and I have to admit, I thought it was an erotic commission at first. After we talked about some possibilities, he decided to go non-erotic so he could have it framed at work. The rest was up to me. My original rough for this illustration included Zatanna’s cool jacket and coattails, which I always thought was pretty sexy with the fishnet action below, but the client wanted to see the shoulders, etc. so I went this direction.

You can see the full version here in the TRDL Tribute Gallery.

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1. TRDL Tribute – Zatanna: Hare-Raisin’
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