30 Characters Challenge 2012 Archives

30 Characters Challenge 2012 – #2 Alcatraz

Character Back Story:
Like most fighters of the pit, nothing is known about Alcatraz’s past. What his real name is, where he was born, and who his family is. He ended up in the pit as most fighters do. At some point, he was abducted from his former life and injected into this dark underworld. The need is high for new recruits since fights often end with death. The life expectancy of a pit fighter is a little over a month. New recruits go through reconditions and rebuilding. First, their minds are erased, they become blank slates ready to be programmed to fight. To only care about fighting and winning. There are several managers (big bosses) that recruit, train, and house these fighters. Alcatraz fights for Boss Holiday.

Unlike most fighters in the pit who only dream of fighting and winning, Alcatraz dreams of escaping. To escape this violent world he knows he needs to survive the fights. This means he has to be smarter, tougher, stronger, and more lethal than his opponents. For him winning is living. Living for the next day, living to be free. He’s heard rumors that if you survive long enough, the “Boss” will take you out of the fights. Give you another job as one of his enforcers. Enforcing what, he doesn’t know. But he believes it has to be better than fighting every day to death.

When Alcatraz first started in the pits there was a top fighter named “Concrete Stain”, an undefeated fighter who had survived over a year. Then one day he was gone, not dead from a fight just gone. That’s when Alcatraz first heard the rumor. That elite fighters work for Boss Holiday on the outside, not just fighting for him in the pits. It might only be a dream but Alcatraz will keep surviving until he’s chosen until he’s free.

Behavior Traits:
Resourceful, Determined, Creative

Powers / Abilities / Skills:
Hand-to-hand fighting, Weapons (blunt objects, knives)

Notes:
I mentioned Boss Holiday in Alcatraz’s back story. He’s a character I created for the first 30 Characters Challenge. A Rockabilly Crime lord who employs “Super-Villains”

This blog post was originally published on my other website Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Ralph’s Art Blog.

30 Characters Challenge 2012 – #1 Dra’Zun, Guardian Droid

Character Back Story:
A rouge asteroid hit and destroyed the planet Azari Prime, home of the Dra’Azari Royal Family. The Royal family and the planet’s inhabitants mounted a vast interstellar survival plan. Financed by the Royal family and all the resources of Azari, 20 ark space ships were created. The survivors would travel to Azari-3, a colony on the outskirts of their solar system. Azari-3 rich with natural resources would be their new home world. The Royal family created their own ship for the voyage, it was to carry their entire Dra’Azari Family. Guardian Droids were built and placed in all ark ships, also named GD-Units. Their primary functions and programming were to care for the needs of the ark passengers. These droids would maintain the ships, cook, clean, and educate. On the Royals ship, there were 8 GD-Units.

Ezbeet Dra’Book (Ezbeet equaling to a Duke in Earth terms) sees this migration as a great opportunity to rise higher in the family court. He reprograms the Guardian Droids on the Royal’s Ark to turn on the family and kill them all. In the middle of the mayhem, Dra’Book sabotages all the escape pods and uses the only functional one to escape. The GD-Units manage to slaughter almost everyone on the ship within hours. A few of the royalty manage to survive the attack in the children’s nursery, including Ezbeet Dra’Hexra. Dra’Hexra uses the ship’s computer to reset one of the Guardian Droids, GD-Unit 5.

As a result of the reset, GD-Unit 5 malfunctions merging both its origin programming with that of Dra’Book. It believes that it must educate and protect the Royal family by eliminating it. It quickly destroys the other Guardian Droids to protect the survivors. GD-Unit 5 then gathers the remaining Royalty including the children. GD-Unit 5 explains that it must protect the Dra’Azari Royal Family. It then attacks them, killing everyone except the 6 youngest. It has calculated that it must educate, train, and manipulate these six children to be the new leader of the Azari people.

In the chaos of the GD-Units attack, the Royalty’s ark ship was sent severely off course. Years pass by and the children become adults, they began calling the Guardian Droid, Dra’Zun. “Dra” for their family name and “Zun” means teacher. In the years that have passed Dra’Zun has taught his students to be ruthless, calculating, and unforgiving in all matters. It has also manipulated their genetic code to enhance their strength, durability, speed, and intelligence. Dra’Zun’s final lesson will be to have his students fight and kill each other until the strongest and most intelligent one survives. This “Winner” will be the rightful ruler of the Azari people. He or she will begin by conquering small worlds to build an army, then take back the kingdom. Dra’Zun plans to remain as this true ruler’s faithful servant.

Behavior Traits:
Patient, Calculating, Loyal, ruthless

Powers / Abilities / Skills:
Invulnerability, Strength, Records of all Azari knowledge

This blog post was originally published on my other website Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Ralph’s Art Blog.

The 30 Characters Challenge 2012 is Here!

The 30 Characters Challenge 2012 is Here!

It’s that time again, for the 30 Characters Challenge “Because the world still needs new characters”.
What’re the 30 Characters Challenge you may ask? Four years ago in 2009 comic creator Tyler James put out the challenge to all creative people to create 30 new characters in 30 days. I participated and accomplished the goal that very first year. The annual event held in November now has hundreds of participating artists and writers of all skill levels. The site has been updated and redesigned for this year’s challenge. (www.30characters.com).

As an alumnus of all the past 30 Characters Challenges, I’m very excited to participate again. The first year was the only time I actually finished, last year I was able to get up to 20. So this year I’m very determined to complete all 30. Each year the challenge helps to strengthen my drawing style. This year I plan to pencil, ink, and try coloring all my characters. I like to approach the characters and biography like Marvel’s “Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.” When I think of Character Designs, I see my characters in that format. I loved reading about characters and their biographies this way when I was a kid. If I have time I might even add a few “Comic Panels” of the characters in action Like OHOTMU did.

Everyone is invited to “Join the Challenge“, the registration deadline is Tuesday, October 30th. And the characters will start going up on November 1st. Make sure to check it out!

Here’s a site Banner I created with one of my original characters from the challenge!
Check out my “Profile” page at (www.30characters.com) too! – SHAZAM!

Here are my past 30 Characters in 30 Days Character Designs.
30 Characters in 30 Days 2009
30 Characters in 30 Days 2010
30 Characters in 30 Days 2011

This blog post was originally published on my other website Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Ralph’s Art Blog.