[Mr. Vaudeville]

The best way to learn!

I still have much to learn myself, like shading/lighting, and many of the uses for the masking tool.

Your work is a great tribute to those movies, and you’ve really nailed the style. 🙂

[Mr. Vaudeville]

 

Profile

Alias: Mantis
Legal Name: Kazuko Haraguchi
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Ethnicity: Japanese American
Occupation: Assassin; Mercenary; Anti-hero.
Height: 5′ 4′
Body Type: Lean, thin
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Type: Long, straight
Eye Colour: Light brown
Skin Colour: Pale
Species: Superhuman

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Infrared and ultraviolet vision, ultrasound detection, almost superhuman agility, dexterity, flexibility, and reflexes.
Details/Limitations: Can hear frequencies of up to 80khz instead of the normal human 20khz, but cannot hear infrasound – below 20hz. Infrared vision works as night vision, ineffective in daylight. Agility/dexterity/flexibility are at absolute peak human levels.
Abilities/Skills: Asassination, gymnastics, martial arts (including Ninjutsu, Taekwondo, Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Eskrima, Kendo, Fencing, and Kung Fu), firearms, stealth, infiltration, chemistry, electronic warfare, demolition.
Costume: Lightweight, stab-proof, and impact resistant body armour, gauntlets, and boots; fully fire/water resistant bodysuit; gas mask; utility belt.
Weapons: Twin Kukri knives; Twin Katanas; one wrist-mounted gas canister launcher; wrist-mounted poison dart launchers (two charges per wrist); explosive compounds.
Gadgets/Tech: Guntlets contain grapnel launcher and wire, gas canister launcher and poison dart launchers; utility belt contains powders and chemicals for making explosive compounds, different poison dart and gas canister charges, throwable EMP/signal-jamming devices, disposable handcuffs, caltrops, and other small tools; mask contains communications and listening gear, as well as being a fully functional gas mask that filters chemical gases, smoke, dust, sand, and other environmental hazards.
Physical Weaknesses: Extremely high ultrasound frequencies can cause crippling pain; can be temporarily blinded at night by sudden and intensely bright light shone directly into the eyes.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack; prone to ruthless, psychotic anger when taunted about violent past.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Intuitive, cold, ruthless, sardonic.
Likes: The arts, history, literature, travel.
Dislikes: Con artists, common thieves, flying, ignorant westerners.
Habits/Quirks: Often seen as quiet, emotionless, and aloof, she is deeply distrusting of new people but fiercely loyal once her trust has been won, with a strict code of honour. Her sense of humour is very sarcastic, dark, and cynical, and is displayed most prominently in stressful or combative situations; something which led to her gaining a reputation for having a mean, ‘ice-queen’ personality. She doesn’t talk much unless she has something specific to say, and prefers solitude and working alone to the company of others. Somewhat ashamed and conflicted over her hyper violent past – for which she is trying to atone – she has been known to completely lose her temper when provoked or taunted about her former life and deeds.
Fears: Being used as a pawn or tool, clowns, bats.
Family: Real family deceased, some adoptive family amongst the ODA.
Romantic Interests: –
Allies: Paragon, The Jetman, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, Indo-Asian Superhuman Assembly. Formerly affiliated with the Order of Divine Assassins and Lawless Earth Network.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, the Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

The only child of an American secretary and a Japanese businessman, Kazuko Haraguchi was orphaned as an infant in a tragic automotive collision and placed up for adoption. She grew to intimidate the other children at her orphanage, possessing a knack for violence which caught the eye of recruitment officers for the secretive Order of Divine Assassins, who brought her into the Asian chapter of the organisation and removed any trace of her existence from public record.

Spending the next ten years being trained in an assortment of martial arts, weapons skills, languages, and the ways of espionage, she completed her first solo mission for the order before her eighteenth birthday. For some time she travelled the globe undertaking contracts for the order, spending enough time in the west to be considered Japanese-American and becoming one of the organisations most ruthless and successful agents.

At around 22 years old, she was contracted to assassinate a corrupt official and his wife, but found she could not bring herself to complete the act upon discovering that the targets had an infant child. Suddenly feeling the pain of her own barely remembered loss, she reneged from the order. The contract was passed on to another agent who attempted the assassination using a chemical gas. Kazuko intervened, donning an old gas mask to rescue the family. Against all odds the rescue was a success, although some of the gas leaked into the mask and caused damage to her eyes and ears, resulting in the powers of infrared/ultraviolet vision and the ability to detect ultrasound.

No longer an Agent for the ODA, she adopted the new alias of Mantis and spent several years as a bodyguard for hire within the Lawless Earth Network. During a contract in Europe, she encountered and was beaten by several members of the Society of European Superheroes. It was at this time she was approached by The Jetman, who – seeing her potential for good – offered her a chance at redemption by joining his fledgling International Freedom League. She accepted, turning away from her life of crime, and even won a place with the Indo-Asian Superhuman Assembly a year later.

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[Mr. Vaudeville]

I have fond memories of all of those! I was a huge fan of TMNT and Transformers. I’d forgotten all about MASK, but now that you remind me, it was a great show. The only thing missing from the list is Thundercats!

That’s a great idea, thanks for suggesting it. I’ll add it to my list of projects! It would be a great excuse to go back and revisit all the old cartoons for ‘inspiration’. 😛

 

[Mr. Vaudeville]

I love the movie poster/publication cover style, Alex, and you clearly have an eye for it!

Definitely keep it up. Reminds me very much of all the really cool cornball b-movies of the past, which is absolutely great.  Also, I like the concept for The 80’s Show. Great job.

If you put in the effort to learn some of the tricks of the program, I think you have the potential to be up there with the best.

I look forward to seeing more!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Thank you, Alex! I appreciate the feedback.

I grew up watching a lot of those ‘Saturday morning cartoons’ like many of us, although they didn’t show much GI Joe here in England, which is a shame. Hopefully the influence of such great shows will show through in my other and future characters, too.

And I have to admit, a fully articulated Jetman action figure with customisable attachments and removable helmet would be the absolute business. Ten year old me would enjoy that for weeks.

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Thanks, Vengeance. I love some of your costume designs!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

You’re most welcome! I found a lot of inspiration in this thread; your work really shows off what can be achieved with the program. I look forward to seeing your future projects!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Notes: Inspired by Yves Rossy, the real life Jetman. I was too lazy and not good enough with the program to create a better Mechsuit at the time. Will update in the distant future, I’m sure.

Profile

Alias: The Jetman
Legal Name: Jerome Järvinen
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Ethnicity: Finnish
Occupation: Former military fighter pilot/test-pilot; CEO; Businessman; Hero
Height: 6′
Body Type: Athletic, Trim
Hair Colour: Blonde
Hair Type: Short, Messy
Eye Colour: Jade Green
Skin Colour: Pale
Species: Human

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Flight, enhanced strength.
Details/Limitations: Standard gear can fly for up to four hours with a top cruising speed of Mach 3 and max altitude of 50,000 feet (comparable to a decent military fighter jet); jetpacks contain a parachute and reserve in case of power failure. Additionally, armoured suit increases strength and provides some physical defence against attack.
Abilities/Skills: Mechanical engineering, fighter pilot training, Systema, Taekwondo, first aid, diplomacy, aerial acrobatics.
Costume: Bulletproof, shock-absorbing exoskeletal armour and helmet – with winged jetpack – over a fire/cold/water-resistant flight suit.
Weapons: Standard gauntlets contain wrist mounted submachine guns (with lethal or non-lethal rounds), tracking-device launcher, EMP grenade launcher, and short range tasers; various attachments include a shotgun arm, a pulse-cannon arm, a railgun arm, wrist mounted missile launchers, wrist mounted ion cannon, an ‘electronic interface’ gauntlet, a ‘disaster relief/construction’ gauntlet, a circular saw gauntlet, shoulder mounted air-to-surface and air-to-air missile launchers.
Gadgets/Tech: Power-armour increases strength and lifting power to beyond human levels; helmet contains communications gear, targeting computer, satellite navigation system, and a dynamic HUD that shows tactical information, altitude, speed, and environmental statistics; hidden waist and thigh compartments contain disposable handcuffs, caltrops, tracking devices, and other small tools.
Physical Weaknesses: Powerless without suit, save for martial arts. Suit itself is vulnerable to certain EMP and EMP-like weapons, and susceptible to freezing up, overheating, or shorting out in extreme environments.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack; public identity puts his family and loved ones at risk.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Charismatic, decisive, dedicated, resourceful, and industrious.
Likes: Technology, cars, productivity, justice.
Dislikes: Organised crime, bureaucracy, traffic.
Habits/Quirks: A natural, intelligent leader and strategist that appears outgoing, quick to smile, and flashy in public, but introspective and thoughtful in private, spending a lot of time tinkering and inventing alone. His dedication and industriousness can often lead to frustration when things don’t move quickly enough or as planned, but he’s learned to cope with this. Deeply loving and quick to smile, he’s always clinical and calculating when it’s time for business.
Fears: Drowning, spiders, leaving or losing his family.
Family: Marko Järvinen (Father), Maria Järvinen (Daughter).
Romantic Interests: Calandra Järvinen (Spouse)
Allies: Paragon, Mantis, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, Society of European Superheroes, Iron Patrol, Astroforce, Terran Defence Corps.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, the Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

Raised in Finland by his father, a working class auto mechanic from Helsinki, Jerome lost his mother before he was old enough to remember her. A bright, thoughtful child, he developed an early passion for technology, and became a huge fan of Knighthawk, the avian avenger – a popular ‘rocketeer’ like hero whose adventures were serialised in comic books around the world.

Inspired by his father and his hero, he enrolled in the Finnish Air Force and studied mechanical egineering, becoming an accomplished F/A-18 fighter pilot and test pilot. This made his father very proud, and the two continued to have a strong relationship. Seeing how beurocracy and corruption in the political process often bogged down efforts to fight organised crime, he began designing and building his super-suit and jetpack in secret, obtaining funding via a ‘covert military weapons program’ with the permission of his superiors.

Still in his early twenties, he began fighting crime as The Jetman, while continuing to refine and upgrade his suit. After single-handedly causing the violent crime rate in Helsinki to plummet by over 60%, he left the military with honours and joined the Society of European Superheroes, quickly becoming one of Earth’s most prominent, charismatic, and popular defenders over the next few years. During this time, he held short term positions with both the Iron Patrol and Astroforce, married an Italian actress and had a daughter, Maria.

After his real identity was revealed to the world by an unfortunate military intelligence leak, he took steps to hide the identities of his family, and used his newfound fame to take over his fathers auto repair business and transform it into a large, successful engineering corporation, Järvinen Enterprises. He also began to recruit other heroes from around the world to form the International Freedom League, of which he is a core member and de facto leader. Constantly afraid of the risk to his loved ones due to his celebrity status, he goes to great lengths to keep their identities secret from the public, which he manages with relative success.

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[Mr. Vaudeville]

Just wanted to stop by and say I’m a huge fan of your work! It’s so good!!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Absolutely awesome art, as always!

I just read that you have a crime boss character called ‘Paragon’. Which is freaky, because my first superhero (who uploaded mere minutes ago) has the same alias!

Alas, it’s so hard to think of names that haven’t been done already.

Keep up the inspiring work, my friend!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Hey fluid. We have the same views on Brexit. I like you.

 

Also, great art, keep it coming!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

So, here we go…

———————-

Notes: This first hero, Paragon, was inspired by the real life case of a baby born some years ago in Germany with a defective Myostatin gene, which caused his muscles to develop to extraordinary size and essentially gave him super-strength. There’s also a young man from Michigan(?) with a similar condition.

Profile

Alias: Paragon
Legal Name: Chris Petrakis
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Ethnicity: Greco-American
Occupation: Construction worker; Lab-rat; Superhero
Height: 6′ 4″
Body Type: Muscular, Powerful
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Type: Short, Wavy
Eye Colour: Blue
Skin Colour: Olive
Species: Mutant

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Super strength, superhuman endurance/durability.
Details/Limitations: At least as strong as a dozen big men; able to punch through walls, bend metals, lift cars and other reasonably heavy objects. Invulnerable to most hand-to-hand combat and strikes from blunt melee weapons, and takes reduced damage from blades and bullets. His superhuman durability includes resistance to extreme temperature, though this does not include fire or extreme sub-zero temperatures.
Abilities/Skills: Boxing, Wrestling, Shotokan Karate, Krav Maga, first aid, negotiation.
Costume: Fire/water/stab-resistant nano-fibre bodysuit and cowl; fire/bullet-proof nano-fibre cape; ‘rocket’ boots; strength enhancing utility belt.
Weapons: –
Gadgets/Tech: ‘Rocket’ boots allow him to perform superhuman leaps up to three stories high (and land safely); cowl/headgear contains communications equipment, including a multi-band frequency scanner/radio. Utility belt contains basic medical supplies and cable ties/handcuffs.
Physical Weaknesses: Must eat and drink prodigiously to support his mass and maintain energy levels; must regularly visit doctors and scientists to check for health concerns and side-effects of mutation.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Good humoured, jolly, modest, honest, brave.
Likes: Food, wine, women, justice.
Dislikes: Bullies, prejudice, misogyny, olives, journalists.
Habits/Quirks: Constantly eating, generally slow to anger, enjoys heavy drinking sessions, laughing and swapping jokes, but can be very serious and commanding when the situation calls. Would rather not engage in violence or intervene in a situation unless absolutely necessary, and even then dislikes public attention. Known to crush the occasional journalists camera between his hands like a soda can.
Fears: Mad Scientists, anaesthesia, telepaths.
Family: Parents (elderly first generation Greek immigrants), Eva Petrakis (sister).
Romantic Interests: –
Allies: The Jetman, Mantis, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, United States Sentinels, Society of European Superheroes, Apex Squad, Terran Defence Corps.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, The Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

The son of Greek parents who immigrated to the east coast of North America, Chris was born with a rare genetic condition that altered the structure of his muscles, granting him a kind of super strength. For much of his youth, he was studied in laboratories and hospitals by various scientists and doctors trying to understand and replicate his condition, but his family life was unaffected and he grew up relatively normal and with relative anonymity, taking interest in fitness, boxing, and karate. The studies and tests continued into adulthood, however, searching for the potential side-effects and health problems that could be caused by his condition in later life.

As he grew into a tank of a young man he was quite intoverted, but made friends easily and developed a passion for intimate drinking sessions and bawdy humour, becoming more outgoing over time. He used his unusual strength to great effect working on construction sites and performing manual labour, although he was always careful to keep his full strength a secret. Fortunately for the world, his powers were revealed to the masses when he donned an improvised mask to intervene in the attempted daylight robbery of an armoured car; an event which received considerable media attention.

After initially turning down offers to join the U.S. military, the criminal Mutant Syndicate, the United States Sentinels, the Society of European Superheroes, and Apex Squad – among others – he slowly came to believe that fighting crime would be the best use of his abilities and began operating as a lone vigilante. When The Jetman later asked him to join the fledgling International Freedom League as a founding member, he agreed immediately – although at first he was hesitant to wear the costume designed for him, stating “It looks like a mascot for a cleaning product…”

Since then, Chris has fought crime and threats to humanity as Paragon, the pinnacle man, for the IFL, the USS, the SES, Apex Squad, and the Terran Defence Corps.

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