*NEW* Life outside the Box hero, Future Hearing Man – Scene #1: The origin story.
I asked artist and graphic designer, Jenna Oakley, to take some comic slam challenges to show how the Life Outside the Box playing cards and comic slam worksheets can help comic book creators build a likeable superhero with unusual super strengths and ordinary character flaws who is ready to face everyday — and extraordinary — challenges.
“Future hearing” one of 20 “quirky super power” cards in the Life Outside the Box deck.
First, Jenna chose the “future hearing “quirky super power” card. Each card is designed to get the comic artist think of odd, funny powers that come with save the world potential but also are likely to lead to funny or awkward social moment. Each quirky super power card also suggests a motto for the hero that reveals a bit about their personality. Jenna’s card read:
Superpower: Hero hears an “audio-recording” of a moment from the future but may not be sure about the WHEN, WHO, or WHERE of the moment.
Unfortunate side effect:Hero can misinterpret the meaning of the audio-moment from the future.
Motto:“Hear I come to save the day! It’s a pun, get it?”
After choosing this card, Jenna used the Life Outside the Box comic slam, “Create a quirky super hero” to further develop her hero, Comic Slam – Create Quirky Hero – Life Outside the Box. This comic slam had these sections:
Comic slam: “Create a quirky super hero.”
A) Big idea: QUIRKY: an odd, unexpected or weird action, behaviour, personality or mannerism.
B) Method: Step 1. Choose a card from the “Quirky Super Power” deck. Step 2. Create a character who has the chosen quirky super power with unfortunate side effect. Your character can be male or female; human, animal, or alien; child or adult, etc. Step 3. Name your hero and sketch out/describe clothing, head and foot wear, etc. Step 4. Choose a place, year, culture, and/or world for your hero. Step 5. Describe the social life of your hero. Are there family members, friends, coworkers, pets, children, etc?
C) Comic: Now that you have created your hero and “back story” (congratulations!), sketch a comic showing a typical day in the life of your hero.
After reading the comic slam, Jenna was ready to imagine and created her hero’s origin story in, “Future Hearing Man – Scene #1.” (Note: She created her comic using ADOBE digital tools.) I hope you enjoy the adventures of Future Hearing Man! (Click image to read).
Scene #1 – Future Hearing Man: The origin story.
Follow the continuing adventures of Future Hearing Man in scene #2 and scene #3 …