Art Thread

Today's warm up sketch was of Alycia (since she's been a focal point lately and I was planning on taking another pass at that disguise after I deep dive into that Pinterest board).  I'm really beginning to like these simple portraits.  I blame Doyce.

Nice. There's a load of sadness and experience beyond what any 17yo should have in that portrait.

Tried some clean up on my previous design of Charade.  I'm assuming that her power set is going to be " weapons and martial expertise " so I'm leaving those generic holsters there until we know exactly what form that will take.  I really liked that look of the fur-lined hoodie from the Redeemed's playbook so I tried a shorter jacket with a fur collar.  If I wear writing a Menagerie tv show, her first episode would involve her stealing a motorcycle and the rider's jacket to catch up with the villain of the week, only to keep it for the rest of the show. Not 100% sold on it yet (I'd really like to try out another design but I've been a little stuck), but I assume Dave might have some opinions here.

So I already had intentions toward Alycia and a Motorcycle, so there's a fit there. I'm kind of liking that overcoat look -- something with enough freedom for acrobats (and enough flare to make them look interesting). So I'm liking (3) best here.  Alycia will likely have dual pistols (probably with, sigh, obligatory non-fatal ammo, gel rounds, that sort of thing), until she can get back to tinkering on some hypertech gloves. (She may still keep the guns at that point.)

As an in-universe civilian, I'd look at any of these and be like "that person is a villain". As a player, I think they all look great. Everything below the neck says "I'm going to rob a Wall Street trading firm with my gang of disposable Eastern European henchmen", but the helmet softens it up. If either of you are looking for suggestions, here's a few at random. The coat is breakaway at the waist, going from trench coat to jacket, and can be reattached. The detached portion might function as a parachute, shield (made of fibers that harden when electrified?), optical camouflage netting, or some other handy device. The coat is Batman's utility belt. She can grab smoke bombs, gadgets, or whatever from inner pockets. And/or there's patches on the outside, containing useful gizmos, traps for anyone stupid enough to grab her, etc. If she's not too worried about it being grabbed, her long hair might need to flow out of the helmet into a ponytail or something. To me, it helps us peek under the disguise a bit, and remind us that there's a regular person in there, without giving away just who it is. The idea of gel rounds, and the reminder of her lightning gloves, makes me think she could build a whole weapon package around guns that fired liquids or gels of various kinds. Basically anything Honey Lemon's chemball bag could produce, in a smaller size. Paint markers, electrified-gel taser rounds for stunning, explosive or smoke rounds, even small circuits or micro-devices ( The Thing , several generations hence) in a shock-absorbing gel suspension, for tracking targets or listening in on conversations.

Bill G. said: As an in-universe civilian, I'd look at any of these and be like "that person is a villain". Alycia is not unaware or unappreciative of that implication. As a player, I think they all look great. Everything below the neck says "I'm going to rob a Wall Street trading firm with my gang of disposable Eastern European henchmen", but the helmet softens it up. Yup. I'm not completely sold on the hood / helm -- it makes sense from an anonymity standpoint, and the juxtaposition of whimsy a a very nice touch, but it does look more than a bit uncomfortable.  I'm also willing to engage in a bit of comic book license and acknowledge the need for disguise while not being overly realistic about what that entails. More than a domino mask, certainly, but ... If either of you are looking for suggestions, here's a few at random. The coat is breakaway at the waist, going from trench coat to jacket, and can be reattached. The detached portion might function as a parachute, shield (made of fibers that harden when electrified?), optical camouflage netting, or some other handy device. The coat is Batman's utility belt. She can grab smoke bombs, gadgets, or whatever from inner pockets. And/or there's patches on the outside, containing useful gizmos, traps for anyone stupid enough to grab her, etc. Makes sense, to the extent that she has time / opportunity / materials for gadgeteering, that the outfit give her great places to stash reasonable generic gadgetry. Ditto on the opportunities to do stuff with specialized ammo. If she's not too worried about it being grabbed, her long hair might need to flow out of the helmet into a ponytail or something. To me, it helps us peek under the disguise a bit, and remind us that there's a regular person in there, without giving away just who it is. I look on that level of tactical vulnerability as story element -- i.e., if I do a poor job on a roll where the opposition finds something to take advantage of, if not the ponytail then it will be something else. :-)

<a href="https://www.racked.com/2018/3/1/17020670/clothes-c" rel="nofollow">https://www.racked.com/2018/3/1/17020670/clothes-c</a>... Clothes in Comic Books Have Gotten a Lot Better

There's been some good stuff in comics design work mentioned for street and young heroes (Batgirl, Spider-woman&nbsp; being two good examples, though I wish they'd shown a bit more). If you look at the "look" to date gorgeous the Menagerie, we have one classic hero, one anime style, a gal in antebellum dress, something cosmic and weird, and a guy in a black shirt.&nbsp; So we certainly have room for a variety of possibilities for Alycia, something that distinctly not the skin-tight suit, trying to make a balance between freedom of movement, protection, and something that projects some sort of style and "brand".

Saw&nbsp;this earlier, wanted to chime in, but sadly "oh, we'll just stop by Ikea to buy this one thing" quickly turns into an all day (and night with the construction) event. Anyway, I get the "this doesn't look like a hero" vibe: I totally designed it around that very idea. The biggest conceit with all of superhero comics is the costume and that people willing go out in them.&nbsp; In fact, here's all of that boiled down to a couple of panels from one of my favorite comics from the 2000's. And I don't think Alycia both understands that and (even if she did) doesn't falls in line with that sort of thinking--yet.&nbsp; She's not here to help people.&nbsp; She's here to do bad things to worse people.&nbsp; So she does have a lot of that look of&nbsp;"I'm going to rob a Wall Street trading firm with my gang of disposable Eastern European henchmen." (I love this line, BTW.&nbsp; Going to steal it at some point.) And yeah, the helmet doesn't look the most comfortable (then again neither does the Red Hood's, but he's kind of nuts since he keeps explosives in it NEXT TO HIS FREAKIN SKULL), it was just the first thing I thought of when the name Charade came up, but I'm of course open to alternate suggestions.&nbsp; I don't think I've zeroed in on a good mental image of Alycia post-turn in to AEGIS and now joining the team.&nbsp; Might need to just deep-dive into some basic sketches and barf forth designs. Finally, loved that article from Racked.&nbsp; That final image of the redesign of Spider-Woman is from&nbsp; Kristafer Anka (oddly, not directly credited under the image like the Wada one was), who does some&nbsp; amazing costume designs&nbsp; and I'd almost completely forgotten about until I recognized the redesign.&nbsp; Might need to crib some ideas from some of those designs.

Mike said: Anyway, I get the "this doesn't look like a hero" vibe: I totally designed it around that very idea. I'm cool with that - I just think it affects the how and when of her acquisition of it, and whether AEGIS's PR team got a veto or not. :) The biggest conceit with all of superhero comics is the costume and that people willing go out in them. Mr. Big as usual has two things to say here , both in keeping with his pretty pragmatic universe - wear armor until you don't need it any more. After that, heroes can wear bright colorful stuff because they're more bulletproof than the civilians they want to protect, so bad guys will shoot at them, while villains wear the same to keep the public at least slightly sympathetic, and not just have them evaluated as faceless terrorists worthy of being shot in the head. Charade as depicted here seems to have taken this kind of advice to heart, as that costume definitely looks armored in the right places. It's not the minimalist coat-and-mask of Darker Than Black's Hei (who is basically a Villain Protagonist), and it makes a statement without being impractical about it. And yeah, the helmet doesn't look the most comfortable (then again neither does the Red Hood's, but he's kind of nuts since he keeps explosives in it NEXT TO HIS FREAKIN SKULL), it was just the first thing I thought of when the name Charade came up, but I'm of course open to alternate suggestions. Better helmet than headshot. And I was reminded of Young Justice's Stealth-tech . Can, for example, the whole costume switch (now or later on) from red-black to just black, with the white of the helmet "sliding away" or being re-pigmented to an all-black look? This is more a thing for Dave than Mike, but there's a lot of "reminders of the past" for morally compromised characters like Black Widow, Killmonger, etc., sometimes becoming actual scars or marks. Natasha's comment about "red on my ledger" reminds me of the red coloration here, as well as the usual associations of red with blood, anger, etc. Is it possible that she thinks of herself as having a "debt" to pay off of some kind, whether she admits it openly or not, and uses her costume as a very low-key way of reminding herself? If so, each good deed might come with a repaint of part of the outfit, giving her a more patchwork look.

Bill G. said: The biggest conceit with all of superhero comics is the costume and that people willing go out in them. Mr. Big as usual has two things to say here , both in keeping with his pretty pragmatic universe - wear armor until you don't need it any more. After that, heroes can wear bright colorful stuff because they're more bulletproof than the civilians they want to protect, so bad guys will shoot at them, while villains wear the same to keep the public at least slightly sympathetic, and not just have them evaluated as faceless terrorists worthy of being shot in the head. Bill, every now and again I forget that you've written a lot of stuff that I enjoyed and appreciated.&nbsp; Hell,&nbsp; this was one my first introductions to Fate.&nbsp; Don't think I've ever said this before, but thanks for all that. That last bit also gives me some thoughts on this.&nbsp; I might need to go back and reread some the cut scenes (full disclosure, far more than I'd like I see the email update for, don't have enough time to read it, forget about it, come back and speed read through when I do remember--generally when there's like ten replies to it) and see if any of the story elements might help inspire some designs here too.&nbsp; Also, interested to hear what Dave has to say on this end.

Dave (who is down with the flu, but thinks this post important enough to draaaaag himself to an actual keyboard) has to say: 1. Ha! Literally (re)read that panel yesterday, from Ellis' Thunderbolts series, which is typical Ellis high-concept crazytown but quite good. The application here had occurred to me, but I fully agree that Alycia is (ironically) not into whatever she's doing for "the people," but for herself, so going with a scarier vibe, to the extent that it kind of freaks out people, is A-OK with her. 2. Alycia as a gun-and-gadget type isn't invulnerable, so some sort of armor is necessary. That said, a lot of what she does is around movement, so it needs to be flexible, light-weight, and mobile. She hasn't gotten around to inventing a personal force field (yet), and powered armor is, in her experience, high potential for things to go wrong. Her home school training has taught her (painfully) what being hit in an armor plate with weapons feels like, so she appreciates the need, but she finds more value in figuring out how not to be a target. (Alycia is probably not a lead-the-charge type; one of many reasons why she never had a lot of success with those Eastern European / Columbian / Tong / Yakuza mooks wearing Chin's livery.) 3. Fine Mr. Big entries, as always. 4. Even if kitted out by AEGIS, she will probably, pragmatically, adjust the wardrobe in the field, probably downward to more freedom of movement (which is both a practical consideration and an emotional metaphor for her). Or, looked at another way, the Punisher doesn't do a lot in the way of armor. On the other hand, the Punisher gets the snot kicked out him every other issue, so maybe that's not a good example.

I tell you what - we rewatched the first Avengers movie last night and I was getting a STRRRRRONG Alycia-reformed vibe off Black Widow's "got red in my ledger" theme. And, not for nothing, there's a fair amount of overlap in her gear-set with Alycia. Just dropping that in there to mix things up. I like the idea of the hair coming out the back of the mask. Again, reminds me of YJ's Cheshire.

I actually watched about 3/4 of Avenger &nbsp;this afternoon (until the Blu Ray overheated, which kind of sucked), and, yes, there are those parallels. And differences, to be sure. Fundamental of which, Natasha had more time as an adult working for the Red Room (or whichever version of BW the movies are using). She is able to approach her life as a state-run killer from a more adult perspective than a 17yo (who perceives it through that This Is The Worst Thing Ever, I Am The Worst Person Ever teen filter). Tasha has at least another decade on Alycia to have both committed greater crimes and have more perspective on the crimes she'd committed. (If anything, Tasha could be Alycia in another 10-15 years -- saved by Jason and the kindness of others, but still dealing with the "red in her ledger.") I really am trying not to do the Tasha thing with the serial numbers filed off, just because it's such an obvious cliche, but there will be aspects that are similar. Esp. since I love the character and portrayal so much. At the very least, regardless, no cat-suits unzipped to the decolletage.&nbsp;

So, played around with some more designs.&nbsp; Left them grey scale so I can play around with color schemes later.&nbsp; Seven is currently my favorite (mostly because it was a "best of" all the previous designs).

Fun stuff. :-) 1. Nice variation on previous themes, I think -- is the butt cape part of the jacket, or something attached at the waist? I'm good with the "bandit's mask" face cover. For purposes of the comic, it's an arguable disguise without being impossible for the reader to recognize her. 2. A little ninja for my taste. The slung belts don't work in conjunction with acrobatics. 3. Very martial artsy, perhaps too much so, but a fun character. 4. The coat seems constrictiong, 5. I like that you can see her expression in this one, though not perhaps the shorter hair. Again, the coat seems constricting. 6. The fur-collared (?) greatcoat look. Not much to be said pro or con the basics. With mirror shades, no doubt. 7. Seems a bit fiddly in its various bits; I'm not altogether certain what's going on with the parts.

So the butt cape--I've seen it in a&nbsp; couple&nbsp; of&nbsp; places&nbsp; and have no idea what purpose it serves (other than changing the silhouette of the character).&nbsp; Looks cool though. Yeah, in retrospect, seven is rather busy.&nbsp; Playing around with different hair styles was just to see if something hit a chord.&nbsp; I highly doubt Alycia's actually going to do anything other than pull the hair back into a bun or ponytail, but one can always try things out. I have a couple more designs that have come to mind after flipping through some of my old Mutants and Masterminds books (I could have sworn the body armor from 1, 6, and 7 was based on something I saw in one of those books, but I couldn't find it) but I doubt I'll be able to get to those today.

So I did manage to have some free time, but oh did I decide to have some fun with the design.&nbsp; Also, went for a fixed width brush (like a ball-point pen) instead of my normal inking brush, mostly so I didn't worry too much about fine detail yet.&nbsp; Not bad, since I churned these out in like half an hour.&nbsp; I'll have to try that more often for quick, simple design work. 1 is me trying to salvage the split sides coat from 7 in the previous batch.&nbsp; Oddly enough, this makes me think of an archer character more than someone like Alycia, which is odd. 2 and 3 delve into that cat suit aesthetic, which sadly make her look like the Baroness from the GI Joe live action movies.&nbsp; Not a fan but figured someone might enjoy pieces of this. 4 tries to pull some of those elements out into something more with a gunfighter style (trying to salvage a bit from 2 on the previous batch).&nbsp; Not bad, but not great. 5 is me just having fun with the backstory and while I love it, I could never see it actually getting used.&nbsp; It would require maximum petulance from Alycia towards Agent Parker and AEGIS in general, and would probably lead the funniest of after-action reports. Parker: "So, you broke into an AEGIS locker room--" Alycia: "Well, you don't expect me to go into the field without equipment." P: "--You stole and damaged my clothes--" A: "If any of the rest of your team wore clothes in my size, I probably would have chose them instead.&nbsp; Martinez at least tries to be fashionable within the dress code requirements." P: "--You defaced AEGIS equipment with an anarchy symbol--" A: "I thought you might want some plausible deniability." P: "--And you stole Agent Grogan's sidearms." A: "I think we can all agree I did us a favor by doing that.&nbsp; He's not exactly a model agent." P: "Well, let's go on to the mission itself..."

Mike said: So the butt cape--I've seen it in a&nbsp; couple&nbsp; of&nbsp; places&nbsp; and have no idea what purpose it serves (other than changing the silhouette of the character).&nbsp; Looks cool though. In the late, still-mourned City of Heroes, when trench coats were introduced they got the nickname butt capes, as the lower, below the waist part was the only ting that really articulated when you ran. Yeah, in retrospect, seven is rather busy.&nbsp; Playing around with different hair styles was just to see if something hit a chord.&nbsp; I highly doubt Alycia's actually going to do anything other than pull the hair back into a bun or ponytail, but one can always try things out. Most likely. Father was big on appearances. Alycia, in reaction, not so much. Though she understands the value of disguise and camouflage and sending a message through visuals, and all of that. She just doesn't see the need for it ... the rest of the time. I have a couple more designs that have come to mind after flipping through some of my old Mutants and Masterminds books (I could have sworn the body armor from 1, 6, and 7 was based on something I saw in one of those books, but I couldn't find it) but I doubt I'll be able to get to those today. No rush. :-)&nbsp; I really am enjoying all the ideas. It's important to remember (for me, too) that the idea of a "costume," for Alycia, is something new. Disguises, mission gear, work-out clothes, overalls and a t-shirt while working under the DeathMobile, whatever -- that's normal. Something to strike inspiration or fear into the hearts of others? Not so much.

Mike said: 1 is me trying to salvage the split sides coat from 7 in the previous batch.&nbsp; Oddly enough, this makes me think of an archer character more than someone like Alycia, which is odd Yeah, a little too skirt-like for Alycia. 2 and 3 delve into that cat suit aesthetic, which sadly make her look like the Baroness from the GI Joe live action movies.&nbsp; Not a fan but figured someone might enjoy pieces of this. Well, there is something to be said for&nbsp; the Baroness look . 4 tries to pull some of those elements out into something more with a gunfighter style (trying to salvage a bit from 2 on the previous batch).&nbsp; Not bad, but not great. Maybe a little too gunfighter -- the vest, the holster, the bandit's mask. 5 is me just having fun with the backstory and while I love it, I could never see it actually getting used.&nbsp; It would require maximum petulance from Alycia towards Agent Parker and AEGIS in general, and would probably lead the funniest of after-action reports. Now that's comedy. :-) Actually, it's got a nice quirkiness to it. Maybe a bit too quirky, but fun. And the accompanying vignette was nicely played.

*** Dave H. said: Father was big on appearances. Alycia, in reaction, not so much. Though she understands the value of disguise and camouflage and sending a message through visuals, and all of that. She just doesn't see the need for it ... the rest of the time This gave me an idea and I quickly put together something during my lunch break.&nbsp; Like with the office warrior before, probably not a final design but might help zero in something we like. This isn't even&nbsp; Clark Kenting .&nbsp; Literally just throwing together the bare minimum to make sure she isn't recognized and calling it a day.&nbsp; Everything else is literally just her street clothes.

Throw in a hair scrunchy and you can definitely change a person's look.

For those without public identities, power rings, super-speed, or other magic conveniences, swapping into super-hero togs has always been a challenge, usually answered by "wearing my costume under my clothes," a solution better suited to an era of neck-to-toe clothing and spandex uniforms.&nbsp; Depending on how all of this works out, I see actually three different costume modes for Alycia -- 1. Prepared engagement :&nbsp; Going out on patrol, responding to a call, etc. This will be her normal costume and mask, whatever that looks like. In terms of gadgets, weaponry, tech, protection, not to mention messaging, this will probably be something more than just her street clothes and a mask (but, see next). 2. Ad hoc engagement : Fish the mask/bandanna/shades out of the purse courier bag along with whatever tech she normally carries that she isn't actually already wearing, and have at.&nbsp; That "bare minimum".&nbsp; 3. Alycia out socially : It occurs to me that there's probably something of value in having some sort of public disguise (or more than one) so that someone (esp. in Halcyon) doesn't start screaming and pointing when she shows up in a coffee shop. There's plenty of room (and comic book precedent) for shenanigan around the above: someone with strong resources and biometric observations will be able to figure out who Charade is; nobody will necessarily realize that the gal in the cargo pants and black t-shirt who was standing in line at the liquor store is the figure in cargo pants, black t-shirt, and a mask who broke both arms and one leg of the guy who chose the wrong moment to rob the place. I.e., it's the obligatory needful nod to disguising that can be exploited for dramatic purpose as need be.

*** Dave H. said: someone with strong resources and biometric observations will be able to figure out who Charade is I imagine Parker is using her increased budget and normal personality to respectively entice and intimidate 1337 into handling cameras so nobody can get Alycia's ID that way most of the time. I don't recall seeing it one way or another, but does the public actually know Alycia by face? She was able to pass for a month at Jason's warehouse without fellow employees twigging, and of anybody they probably have the most familiarity with the Quill family's supporting cast. She might be on the FBI's most wanted list or something, but that picture quickly got pulled down as part of this process. So it sounds like she's okay socially, unless she goes from being obviously mundane to obviously heroic in a scene with observant bystanders.

Bill G. said: I don't recall seeing it one way or another, but does the public actually know Alycia by face? She was able to pass for a month at Jason's warehouse without fellow employees twigging, and of anybody they probably have the most familiarity with the Quill family's supporting cast. She might be on the FBI's most wanted list or something, but that picture quickly got pulled down as part of this process. So it sounds like she's okay socially, unless she goes from being obviously mundane to obviously heroic in a scene with observant bystanders. Well, that's an interesting question -- I had thought it likely (esp. when she announced her public vendetta), but it ain't necessarily so. There are almost certainly intel and security photos from afar and from odd angles and the like, but the best ones may not be unclassified, and not necessarily in any public domain. So, yeah, the citizenry may not be likely to start screaming and pointing, but there are parties out there, in law enforcement and the other side, that know what she looks like, or have descriptions of her.&nbsp;

Not for nothing, the actual "Reformed" figure isn't necessarily a bad starting point, pulling in some elements you've suggested, Mike. It has that harlequin-ish thing we've played with for "Charade, simple lines for mobility (but torso and leg protection, at least), the fur collar you keep coming back to (perhaps not the natural choice for North Carolina, but ...) -- swap around some weapons, add a smirking mask, and it's got something to say for it.

Afraid I'm going to have to use this as a childhood portrait of Charlotte's dad, or something. Palmer, Senior: My boy wants his... ahh... pet squirrel in the portrait. Are you able to do that? Portrait Artist: I can... draw the black-eyed demon familiar that's clinging to his jacket, wearing a poorly-fit squirrel body as a disguise... Palmer, Senior: Yeah that's fair.

Based on the recent recap posts from Alycia, I have a couple suggestions for her appearance and costume.

OMG. Daria.&nbsp; If only Alycia could be so cool.

Still working on something with Charade, but figured I'd challenge myself and also remind myself that simplicity can sometimes be more difficult than it looks.&nbsp; To that end, I equipped myself with a ballpoint pen (or at least the Photoshop equivalent) and made some very simplistic sketches of whoever showed up on the wiki Random Page. Jason's on there twice by virtue of the fact that Dave has said "armored up" several times when mentioning the nanites and I wanted try something with that. I won't name the rest (though it should be mostly obvious) but I wanted to see if they lined with what everyone's else mental images (especially since I took some liberties with a couple).

That Freddie Mercury jacket looks freaking amazing. All the rest look solid to me.

Very cool. When I think of Jason armoring up, it's literally something between the Black Knight (color scheme-wise) and Iron Man Stealth Armor (again, the color scheme). But I have no aesthetic problem with the above.&nbsp; (As the nanobots are an extension of Jason's brain, aside from some core automatic functions, I can easily imagine that Jason's armoring up under different circumstances really varies with his mood, his perception of the threat, the image he (un)consciously wants to project, etc.) Everything else there is lovely.

I both love and cannot identify the last person. Looks like a robot arm... Nope. Can't place it.

Doyce T. said: I both love and cannot identify the last person. Looks like a robot arm... Nope. Can't place it. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6161985/" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6161985/</a>

She looks a bit more casual in sweatshirt and crocs.&nbsp;

Yeah I love the Crocs.

*** Dave H. said: She looks a bit more casual in sweatshirt and crocs.&nbsp; See the crocs just seemed like sensible shoes for someone who presumably has feet made of metal.&nbsp; The sweater is just because a) I was going to do something fairly quirky for all the Gardner Academy teachers and b) one of my coworkers worn almost that exact outfit the other day and it looked pretty good so I've been wanting to draw it since then. Doyce T. said: I both love and cannot identify the last person. Looks like a robot arm... Nope. Can't place it. Honestly, my first thought was "Oh, they already have a wiki page.&nbsp; Wait, it's Bill.&nbsp; Of course they already have a wiki page."&nbsp; That's not a slight, by the way.&nbsp; Bill, you have may more discipline when it comes to keeping that project up to date and I commend you for all the hard work that's gone into it.

Okay, these turned out being more fun than I first expected.&nbsp; Second round from this afternoon.

Mike said: Honestly, my first thought was "Oh, they already have a wiki page.&nbsp; Wait, it's Bill.&nbsp; Of course they already have a wiki page."&nbsp; That's not a slight, by the way.&nbsp; Bill, you have may more discipline when it comes to keeping that project up to date and I commend you for all the hard work that's gone into it. And every piece like this that comes out of that hard work vindicates doing it. :)

THE MONKEY WITH THE HAT! Okay, I admit that I've drawn a blank with the dude in the green shirt and tie.

Alright, here's what I was working on with Charade's design.&nbsp; Using a lot more of the the Reformed's design, but still very Alycia.&nbsp; Opinions?

I'm liking this. I know a lot of the imagery I've thrown up on the Pinterest is more heavily / tactically armored, but a lighter touch with appropriate ballistic materials does the job better.&nbsp; I'm thinking the ponytail approach might make more sense, both from a not-getting-hair-in-face and as a quick way to change her look. I like the half-mask (for comfort's sake). The face on the right looks kind of scary-hostile, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there was a comedic element to the previous (half)smile you did that I liked, too.&nbsp; (I'm also almost thinking mirror shades, though that might be a bit much.) I really appreciate what you have here, though. Overall, it's good stuff! (And it covers up her tattoos, which I haven't detailed, but which do exist on her upper arm and chest.) Thanks! I'm liking the idea of Alycia carrying an array of non-lethal weapons -- escrima sticks, guns with gel bullets, flash-bang grenades, etc. AEGIS would not be happy about arming her with explicitly lethal weaponry, esp. if there's a chance that some headline reading "KNOWN TERRORIST, ACTING AS AEGIS AGENT, KILLS THREE IN BLOODY SHOOT-OUT" might occur. That said, she'd be likely to carry, if not hold-out weapons, backup clips with more punch for things like the proverbial Giant Yule Cat. Sooner or later she's going to rebuild her hypertech electricity glove(s), perhaps for use with metal escrima sticks (akin to the lightning rod shown above). So, okay, let's talk about the typeface for the CHARADE logo ... ;-)

*** Dave H. said: I like the half-mask (for comfort's sake). The face on the right looks kind of scary-hostile, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there was a comedic element to the previous (half)smile you did that I liked, too.&nbsp; This might just be me, but I cannot think of Alycia without a low-key aura of menace surrounding her.&nbsp; Even on the team and recent breakthroughs, it's a bit like teaming up with early Wolverine--you're glad to have them around when shit hits the fan, but no one's inviting you to hang out after the battle.&nbsp; I can, however, work on that smile.&nbsp; Was the half smile part of what worked?&nbsp; Was it that it had more of a smirk quality to it?&nbsp; Was it that the eye with the smirk helped sell it?&nbsp; Do you think adding different styled lens to the glasses (ala&nbsp; Spider Jerusalem ) would convey that same quality? *** Dave H. said: (I'm also almost thinking mirror shades, though that might be a bit much.) This is totally a pragmatic reason on my end but without the mouth--due to it being covered by the mask and the perma-smile--her eyes and body language are the last bit of emotional conveyance I have and I'm not great at the body language part. *** Dave H. said: I'm thinking the ponytail approach might make more sense, both from a not-getting-hair-in-face and as a quick way to change her look. I just completely forgot about this one detail, so I'll be sure to correct at some point.&nbsp; I'm just a little torn on which creates a better outline for the character: tightly bundled with no loose hair, or loosely tied back with the back unconstrained (or--as I like the differentiate them-- Rey in Episode Seven or&nbsp; Rey in Episode Eight ).&nbsp; I lean more to the tight bundle as, visuals wise, this conveys more of a stand-offish and practical look (which is what I associate with Alycia), as opposed to the other which is a softer, kinder look.&nbsp; However, that might show that Alycia is trying to open up.&nbsp; Choices. *** Dave H. said: So, okay, let's talk about the typeface for the CHARADE logo ... ;-) I know you're joking, but that font ( Luna ) was actually part of my&nbsp; Creative Market membership this week and I just really wanted to try it out on something after downloading it on Monday.&nbsp; Not the best use (at least it is sans serif and doesn't clash with the lineart), but it works.

Mike said: This might just be me, but I cannot think of Alycia without a low-key aura of menace surrounding her.&nbsp; Even on the team and recent breakthroughs, it's a bit like teaming up with early Wolverine--you're glad to have them around when shit hits the fan, but no one's inviting you to hang out after the battle.&nbsp; I can, however, work on that smile.&nbsp; Was the half smile part of what worked?&nbsp; Was it that it had more of a smirk quality to it?&nbsp; Was it that the eye with the smirk helped sell it?&nbsp; Do you think adding different styled lens to the glasses (ala&nbsp; Spider Jerusalem ) would convey that same quality? Completely fair comment on the "low-key aura of menace." And that's appropriate. (If still strangely difficult for me to do because I am such a no-menace person, and an 90% more like Jason than Alycia. But I digress.) Yes, the smirk. There should be humor there, but dark, irksome, perhaps menacing humor. A smirk that says, "Hey, look, I'm shooting you, and it might even make me laugh." As I am so very not &nbsp;a Spider Jerusalem fan (despite my general fondness for things Warren Ellis), I can't all countenance any such a thing. This is totally a pragmatic reason on my end but without the mouth--due to it being covered by the mask and the perma-smile--her eyes and body language are the last bit of emotional conveyance I have and I'm not great at the body language part. Perfectly legit. Riffing off the comics world, yeah, it's always a compromise with what actually presents properly in the medium. I just completely forgot about this one detail, so I'll be sure to correct at some point.&nbsp; I'm just a little torn on which creates a better outline for the character: tightly bundled with no loose hair, or loosely tied back with the back unconstrained (or--as I like the differentiate them-- Rey in Episode Seven or&nbsp; Rey in Episode Eight ).&nbsp; I lean more to the tight bundle as, visuals wise, this conveys more of a stand-offish and practical look (which is what I associate with Alycia), as opposed to the other which is a softer, kinder look.&nbsp; However, that might show that Alycia is trying to open up.&nbsp; Choices. Given those two pix, I'd definitely go for Ep 7.&nbsp; I'm find with her coming across as stand-offish/practical.In the normal scheme of things, that opening up would happen over time.&nbsp; So I'll hit you up again around Issue 35 for a complete redesign. :-) I know you're joking, but that font ( Luna ) was actually part of my&nbsp; Creative Market membership this week and I just really wanted to try it out on something after downloading it on Monday.&nbsp; Not the best use (at least it is sans serif and doesn't clash with the lineart), but it works. I am joking in that Alycia way. :-) I'm a huge (if amateurish) font wonk, so it's probably best if I back off and not dive down that rabbit hole with my rocket boots on. Carry on.&nbsp;

*** Dave H. said: Completely fair comment on the "low-key aura of menace." And that's appropriate. (If still strangely difficult for me to do because I am such a no-menace person, and an 90% more like Jason than Alycia. But I digress.) Yes, the smirk. There should be humor there, but dark, irksome, perhaps menacing humor. A smirk that says, "Hey, look, I'm shooting you, and it might even make me laugh." I'll keep that in mind for future images. *** Dave H. said: (despite my general fondness for things Warren Ellis) You don't say . *** Dave H. said: I am joking in that Alycia way. :-) I'm a huge (if amateurish) font wonk, so it's probably best if I back off and not dive down that rabbit hole with my rocket boots on. Carry on.&nbsp; Hehehe...&nbsp; I'll just sit here with my massive library of fonts and smile.

And just to add in another image, I'll raise the "Alycia as Super-Hero" alternate universe persona that Doyce dug up. Way to clean and glossy for this world's Alycia, but it has something to say with hair and mask. (Note to self: whatever happened to Alycia's shirt-of-many-nanobots ...?)

So just to reinforce my tendency to not pick up on things quickly, I was doing some stuff on the Alycia wiki page, and that made me think about the photo that Bill originally dug up for her which I've come to deeply identify with the character ... ... and realized I'd never gone out to look for the source for it. Turns out it's by a person with the handle&nbsp; chmartx , who had a deviantart account that originally had this image apparently, but that's now closed down and she runs a&nbsp; Tumblr instead, which, like all things Tumblr, sucks for searching but&nbsp; I finally found it . Now what I hadn't realized (or if Bill mentioned it at the time I did't remember; either is likely) is that this was a drawing&nbsp; of Asami Sato, from Korra (with the partial explanation for my non-realization being that this is not&nbsp; how Asami usually dresses ). That let me to look for other Asami images ... ... (which I found several of and threw into the&nbsp; Alycia Pinterest , in case Mike finds them at all useful, with a reminder to me that she needs to fix up / recover her hypertech glove(s), which reminds me to ask Doyce why he very consciously made the decision that she didn't have them in the Keynome Chamber under Federal City) ... ... which dragged me down the korrasami ship rabbit hole, and so on and so forth. But, anyway, belated thanks to Bill for digging up that picture in the first place (and to @chmartx for drawing it in the first place).

Was that me? I don't recall finding that picture.

Hmm, maybe I assumed because you uploaded it to the wiki. But, then, it's the wiki and you've done 90% of the work there, so I maybe assumed wrongly. It wasn't me, though. Which makes me think (and this would be a natural fit, given the source material) Doyce.&nbsp;