"Behold... PLODD!"

In high school, I created a character called PLODD who was born of boredom and a hankering to simply draw a really bizarre character who didn't fit into the mold of a typical superhero. Basically, he was an amalgamation of a bunch of doodles -- taking the most bizarre elements and mashing them together. He originally ended up having a full bodysuit, scuba mask with oxygen tanks and breathing tubes, goggles, plastic head "feathers", a kilt, big-ass boots and a giant hammer. I cooked up a whole backstory and some plot outlines and begin drawing a comic with the help of one of my friends, but it was abandoned due to my realizing I really didn't know what I was doing. Plodd's been simmering in the back of my mind ever since, and I've always wanted to revisit him, so why wait any longer?

I did this sketch while basking in the warmth of the new fall TV season. I kept most of the elements of the old Plodd, though I've simplified and streamlined him (losing the scuba mask and hoses). His hammer is now gas-powered (linked to the tank on his back), and his boots aren't quite so big and bulky. I'm going to try and dig out all the plot outlines and scripts I wrote and see what I can make of them. More Plodd to come, hopefully.

"AND ON BASS GUITAR... SCHRUBB!!"

Rough sketch for my character SCHRUBB. Schrubb is the bass player for the super-group that is the focus of the animated series/ comic book/ action figure line concept I'm smack dab in the middle of creating. I've come up with plenty of rough concepts for things like this before, but this is the first one I'm actually carrying through to the stage where it will actually be ready for proposal to an actual company (check you local listings in about a year or so). I'll give a more in-depth description of the concept once I hammer out a few more details. I don't want to really finalize any of the designs or the overall concept until I've visualized all of the major characters and worked out their connections, backgrounds, plot elements, etc. It involves music, science, the supernatural, and a hefty dose of far-out mayhem and bizarre characters.

The core of Schrubb is simply he's an early 70's refugee bass player who doesn't talk, and whose face (indeed his entire head) is concealed by his shrub-like head of hair (hence the name -- clever, eh?). His glasses (which are already in the process of being redesigned to better emphasize their arcane nature) allow him to see well beyond the range of normal human sight. Sometimes this will mean a very broadened spectrum of sight, sometimes this will extend to the temporal, sometimes it may even enable him to see into your mind!! I'm still working on the details, but I'll post more when I've got it.