March 26, 2007

Not the Candy...

(Posting a little bit early for the usual reasons.)

Re-design challenge at the He-Man.org fan-art forums for the second half of March--my post is here and the original thread is here. The voting thread is here. I managed to land first place!

The subject is Starburst She-Ra, an action figure variation of He-Man's twin sister She-Ra. However, my version has a bit of a twist to it:


click above for larger view

As you can see, rather than drawing a variation on She-Ra, I tweaked the design so that she's a different character entirely. I'm happy with how the sword and star field turned out, but other than that I feel pretty lukwarm about this one. Only one thing can save this--an elaborate and nerdy background for the character, written by yours truly!

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PROFILE: Stoic and pragmatic, STARBURST is a woman of few words, as a result of her extended isolation in deep space. In spite of her reticent manner and her reluctance to trust others, Starburst is nonetheless a powerful ally to the heroes of both Etheria and Eternia. Her mystical cloak endows her with a number of powers, including super-natural strength and stamina (in the same league as He-Man and She-Ra), as well as flight, and the ability to traverse the cosmos freely. Her sword has a blade cut from a rare type of Etherian gem, and is charged with cosmic energy. The powers of the cloak have also slowed her aging.

HISTORY: Over a century ago, Etheria existed in an age of peace, and Starburst was Light Hope's champion, watching over the planet, and maintaining the delicate blance of justice. A Cosmic Enforcer came to the planet, seeking Starburst's aide in battling a marauding space fleet known only as "The Horde." At Starburst's request, Light Hope permitted her to leave Etheria, hoping that with her aid, the Horde fleet could be stopped before they reached Etheria.

However, the Cosmic Enforcer was in a fact a rogue who had betrayed his order, and he teleported Starburst lightyears away, behind enemy lines. Without Starburst to lead the forces of Etheria, the Horde was able to invade and gain a significant foothold. Light Hope was greatly weakened (a large portion of his power still imbued in Starburst) and could do little to help.

For one hundred years, Starburst has been fighting her way through Horde forces with little or no help, trying to get back to her home planet. In her journeys she has clashed with the legitimate Cosmic Enforcers, and later allied with them, after it was revealed that the Enforcer who betrayed her was a rogue.

Finally, she has returned, and none too soon--with the disappearance of He-Man, and the Horde invasion of Eternia, She-Ra has been desperately needed by Eternia and the Sorceress of Grayskull. With Starburst holding the Etherian front against the Horde, She-Ra has returned to Eternia for the time being. Accustomed to working alone, Starburst is finding it somewhat difficult to adapt to her position as one of the leaders of the Etherian Rebels. Her dedication however, is unquestionable.


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Starburst is just the first in a series of "original" fan-characters based on existing He-Man/She-Ra toys. Look for more in the coming weeks.

4 comments:

Atomic Swan Serials and If - E - Zine said...

I really like the cloak/cape design. Very starry. The pose tho is somewhat... um... I wanna say unnatural but this is He-Man and... n/m...


I think the dress over the chest is odd. Physics would say it should arched downward, not upward, unless it's wrapped up over her breasts and then I'd say it's a foreshortening issue... does this make sense? the top of the dress arching upwards makes her chest look like it's caving in on itself.

In any case, fantasy women make me wanna dance!






p.s.: it's too bad your name's not Kenneth... then you could call your blog Kenny Bloggin's


O_O yeah I said it whatcha gonna do 'bout it?! HUH? Yeah... yeah...

J.Ho said...

i see what you mean, but the slight arch is actually the cut of the dress... as for "kenny bloggins"... e_e

Anonymous said...

Very cool version of a different type of She-Ra! Do u think u could draw other versions of He-Man & She-Ra?

J.Ho said...

thanks! i've drawn a couple of versions of he-man since, and i'm planning on drawing up more she-ra as well.