2 of 4: Elite Guard of Imagi: Ben Collins

Ben Collins is the leader of the Elite Guard. He is not the typical muscle-head. Although outspoken, he can defend himself verbally as well as physically. His weapon of choice is a battle-axe. Bem Collins is direct and has excellent instincts to make quick decisions.  However, when Davinci is appointed leader of a later to be revealed quest by Amanda, The Everlovely Knighted Princess of Imagi, Ben feels it intrudes on his authority.  He is loyal to the soon-to- be-queen, and begrudgingly accepts her decree. His Alpha Male tendencies does not stop him from hitting on the beautiful Heather Wayne. He knows it bothers Davinci, and does not hide the fact he thinks Davinci is a coward. 

Origins of Ben Collins
Ben is Fantastic Four's Thing's first name. (Ben Grimm) A physically imposing character, Ben Collins reminded me of my favorite Fantastic Four character.
Collins is derived from my favorite singer: Phil Collins, the frontman for Genesis and his own solo career. I've always imagined Ben Collins with a strong British or Australian accent.

new title bar

I wasn't showcasing my art, I need to revamp the Baron Bacchus and the wizard Icelus and I'll include them later. I found a cool drawing of Rosenthorn, my dragon and I will scan him in soon. I like the graininess of pastels (Leo and Santana, top center) so when I color I will use pastels. Once I get all my characters drawn up, I begin the introduction. I think a pace of one issue a month is not unreasonable. I'll work the next 3 months to get 3 issues ready for print. then June I will print issue 1# This way, I'm always 3 issues ahead. I think its 15 issues, I'm planing out each issue as I go from the script to storyboards.

I got issue 1# storyboarded... here I go!

1 of 4: Elite Guard of Imagi- Daniel St-George

Daniel St-George is a holy warrior. He has taken an oath to protect Imagi-Nation from evil forces. Bestowed by heritage with the greatest weapon known in this realm, he seeks to be a Paladin. The Woodengram's (Wooden=Odin, gram= sword in German) purpose is to slay dragons. It is said that the Woodengram is not only an unbreakable sword that can penetrate the scales of a dragon with ease, it can also defend the wielder against a dragon's magic. Daniel often makes pilgrimages to see the grave of his father, Sigurd, who passed on the sword to him.

Characteristics:
Daniel is serious, calm, and thoughtful. He is second in command to Ben Collins in The Elite Guard. However, the presence of a dragon, real or imagined, sends Daniel into a blind fury. He will neglect the party to face the dragon alone, as he feels it is his duty to protect his kind from evil. His daily regimen includes an hour of combat training against an invisible dragon. If a person mocks him practicing jumping over a dragon's tail, avoiding fire breath, and avoiding dragon bites; and precision sword wielding; he will lecture them on the evils of dragons once his private training session is over, making them wish they never interrupted his ritual.  

Origins:
Daniel St-George's name comes from two mythical dragon slayers. The Bible's Daniel poisoned Nebuchadnezzar's dragon. (named Tannin but not mentioned by name in the Bible) He wanted to prove to the King the dragon was mortal, and that God is the only entity that should be worshipped.

Saint George is another Christian dragon slayer. There are many variations of the story, but the consistent threads are:

• The virgin princess is offered as a sacrifice

• Saint George, on horse back, rescues the princess (knight in shining armor)

Some stories say he gave the princess a collar to put around the dragon's neck and she "domesticated" the dragon with her beautiful voice. In this thread, the princess rigs the lottery as she has pity on the peasant girls offered to be sacrificed (a more likely scenario to make nobility look like the hero)
Others stories included a heroic battle between Saint George and the dragon. When the dragon's blood spilled, a bed of red roses grew instantly on the arid ground .

Daniel is quite aware despite his Author's presence in Imagi-Nation that there is something out there greater than Davinci. While others think Davinci is the greatest entity in existence. Davinci will test his faith when he proves to him dragon's aren't evil, but have been doing a better job protecting his realm. Daniel's faith will be restored when Davinci confides his fears of mortality to him, even in a fantasy realm he created.

Character bio: Heather Wayne

Heather comes from northern US, in a fishing town off the coast of Maine. She was tall and lanky in high school, and went unnoticed for the most part. Her warm smile and long blond hair made her very photogenic. She entered modeling and had an interest in acting. Heather pursued a higher education in New York and participated in off-Broadway plays. She auditioned for a national search for a Sci-Fi movie, "Alien Memoirs" and got the lead role of a reporter chronicling an extra terrestrial alien's journey to Earth. The movie itself is lambasted by critics for a sloppy story, (is it a love story or an action flick?) and robotic performances by veteran actors. The only good thing critics say about the film is that Heather is eye catching and has a sincerity in her performance. As well they like Davinci's CGI.. Since the hype is rampant on the Internet, Heather is suddenly propelled into the limelight. There is non-stop paparazzi pictures, and rumors and speculations about her daily life. Splashed all over magazine covers, Heather's face is everywhere you look. She now has a publicist to deal with all the media attention. He though it would be a good idea for the single starlet to accompany her "co-star" to the premiere. Since the alien is nothing more than a bunch of pixels on a computer, Davinci gets the honor to date Heather Wayne at a high profile premiere.

Heather with Davinci.

She is at first disappointed by another "fan-boy" reaction,. but when Davinci says with such sincerity: "You have the eyes of a Manga Princess. the  most valuable pale blue eyes I've ever seen" She is instantly flattered. She has heard talks in production how: 'Davinci will take care of it in post,' that she is curious how her performance will blend with the computer graphics. She thinks he must be gifted in his craft, so therefore it's a compliment in the highest form from this man's perspective. She gets him to talk, and learns he is from a similar background. He is probably the nicest person she's met so far in Hollywood, forgetting she is movie star, and talking to her like she wasn't just a commodity, a coveted actress and model; simply a woman like any other. She is instantly flirtatious, perhaps too strong at first, but for men it takes a while to give in to be the hunted, rather than the hunter.

Heather in Imagi-Nation


Unlike Davinci she is unfamiliar with the territory. She revels in the vast and sumptuous landscapes. She enjoys playing her part even if Davinci never considered her in his fantasies beforehand. She is a little jealous of Davinci, for she too had a childhood dream: She wanted to be Scheherazade, the reputed female author of  1001 Arabian Nights. She imagined telling a story every night to the Sultan, and perhaps acting out all the parts herself, to captivate the Sultan until she stopped before the resolution. "I'll tell you how it ends tomorrow night." Scheherazade's stories would spare her sister and her life for countless nights. Heather's desire to "enhance" Davinci's world only diverts him from his true goal: to escape Imagi-Nation and seize control of his story. Most characters hate her intrusion, and seek to break the growing romance between them.        

character bio

I came across something interesting on Monday. creating character bio's for my graphic novel.

Here's the lead character: Davinci Dennis

Davinci Dennis is a newcomer to Los Angeles. He came to Hollywood to work in CGI. His first major project is called "Alien Memoirs."  The critics dislike the story and the acting but like the computer animation, in which Davinci is delighted. He is on his way to the movie premiere and awaits a limo sent by the studio. He is not aware Heather Wayne, the beautiful lead actress of the film, is waiting for him in the car. "You took me by surprise," Davinci sheepishly explains, "I though I'd be sitting in the back with Ching Spider, Doug and Wes... the CGI team."
Little does he know the plot to summon him to Imagi-Nation has begun. The sorcerer Icelus is stripped of his powers and sent to summon Davinci before the Void consumes them. Davinci created almost 90 characters a long time ago, but never finished the story.  Davinci: "I've locked them all in my mind to be their sole observer... or dare I say, God? Maybe I'm the one who can't let go and share. Why should others judge interpret, change or reject my world?"

Davinci does not seek fame; rather odd for a man relocating in the citadel of fame seekers. He seeks to be understood. From his humble beginnings, he feels like he didn't belong, being so artistically talented among simple folk. Hollywood has not jaded his fate to find someone who understands him, even when wannabe actors/waiters and waitresses give him horrible service in restaurants; when street walkers approach him daily in broad daylight. He disarms them with a country smile and a naivete., Davinci is working in his dream job, but his "forgotten dreams" have other plans.

Davinci with Heather

At first he is very intimidated. He quickly learns she is from Maine U.S, a place very similar to his Canadian home where he grew up. She is even knowledgeable of where New Brunswick, Canada is located. Most Americans think he's from New Jersey, upon mentioning NB. Heather initiates conversations, getting Davinci to open up. As a graphic art computer whiz, he doesn't think beautiful women are interested in what he does, but he has researched Greek, Egyptian, and Celtic mythologies; composition of master artworks such as Rodan, Micelangelo, and especially his namesake: Leonardo Da Vinci for inspiration to create monster/alien graphics. He is fluent in French and has a slight accent when intoxicated or agitated. All appealing conversation starters to meet women, but Davinci doesn't see it that way.

Davinci in Imagi-Nation

He serves as a guide for Heather in this realm. She looks at him for leadership, which he has always tried to avoid. Forced into the role of "Author" or, "Father," almost akin to a god, he is compelled to lead; not for himself, but to save Heather from his self claimed "weird world". On the other hand, Heather is marveled with the beautiful landscapes, the friendly mythical dragons and array of characters Davinci has conceived.

*Davinci parallel me Dennis quite a bit lol*