Character Contest 42: Another Brick in the Wall
I tried to make Maltese bulkier by re-sizing “All Items.” The result was a stretched image. It’s not great, but an improvement over my original design with “normal” proportions. I wanted to him have a Casablanca classic Hollywood social club vibe. Instead, everytime I try to make a blue character with patterns or tattoos, I keep thinking “Avatar” and wind up scrapping the whole project.
The name of the club where Maltese works, Rififi, comes from French slang meaning “fisticuffs” or “trouble.” It is also the Auguste Le Breton / Jules Dassin’s 1955 classic Du Rififi Chez les Hommes. Dassin was a director who was black-balled during the McCarthy era. So he moved to France. I don’t know the circumstances or his personal politics. Don’t really care and not going to discuss. Rififi is an excellent movie. I highly recommend it.
Maltese
Streched
Backstory
Even superheroes with a public identity need a place to relax and socialize. That place is the Rififi where mutants, costumed metas, and celebrities mingle. No thanks to fanboys and the internet, the club recently became plagued by the curious public, lawyers, and upstart villains.
To keep out the uninvited, Rififi hired Maltese. Standing at nearly ten feet tall, over 700 pounds, he is an intimidating presence. True to his stripes and skin color, Maltese strikes with the speed and strength of the mythical tiger. His thick skin and dense bone structure make him almost indestructable.
