So, I’m back to my old habits of trolling around message boards and I’ve been spending a lot of time over at Rob Liefeld’s spot on the web, www.RobliefeldCreations.com. After seeing the Avengers film, I was inspired to pull some of Rob’s characters together for a play on the Avengers roster.
During Rob’s time as an independent creator he’s introduced and played with several incarnations of patriotic characters and his best, to date, has to be Free Agent! While I loved the Avengers film, I thought that Captain America looked a little silly so I took some liberties with the design of Free Agent, giving him a more military combat look than the Superhero spandex aesthetic. I’m not sure that you can see it here but I tried to give him less of an all business expression on his face as he pears off into empty space. His stance and fist to his chest are meant to convey aspects of his military discipline and heart, and I think that he stands out well from the rest of the group.
To his left is Thor, and his figure is still a work in progress as I’ve had a really hard time nailing down some good reference for the character. His appearances in the Extreme Universe have him looking different from the design that I remember him with and so I’m not really sure how to finish his figure up. I don’t really know a great deal about the character or his mannerisms but if you’re a Norse God of legend I bet the common interpretation of him is pliable here. So there he is, yelling and screaming, beckoning battle and glory as only he can. I thought that this expression of him creates a nice contrast to Free Agent.
To Agent’s right is the beast behemoth Smash! Not very much is known about this character except that he doesn’t play well with others much like his Hulking inspiration. His raging temper and indomitable power make him an unlikely addition to the team. Perhaps Vogue’s delicate touch is all that’s needed to ply the brute against the enemy as needed! Again, I’m not sure if you can tell in this posting but Smash is directing the intensity of his gaze in her direction as she has a hand on his arm.
Shaft makes the cut as the doppelganger of of Hawkeye for the roster. I’ve always loved this dude and Rob’s design was always kick ass! If Thor and Hawkeye looked like this in the Marvel Universe, I would have been all over these books in a heart beat. The bow is not quite finished on this piece as it’s the first time I’m ever drawing one, I wanted to get the nuances of current archery technology in there but man, it’s a pain in the ass! Here too is something that I’m not sure you’re going to be able to make out, as he’s directing his look towards Free Agent to imply a little bit of a leadership challenge or friction between the characters. See I’m trying to tell a little story here 🙂
Diehard and Vogue round out the roster here also lobsiding the team in Youngblood’s favor, perhaps government watch dogs for this assembly of power? I thought Diehard would fit well here to give you the Man/Machine angle the Ironman delivers in to the movie, but Diehard is more mystery than either man or machine so there’s lots to play with regarding his character.
Vogue closes out the roster in place of Black Widow. When it came to Rob’s characters I couldn’t this of anyone to fit the bill better than Vogue. Deadly and sexy with a little hint of crazy, you have to wonder what that touch is really all about for the keeper of the beast in this ensamble cast . . . see . . . I’m trying to tell a story here!
Here’s a little extra trimming for the dreamer in me. I hope you dig it so far and I hope to finish it one day.:)
