FMP Task 3: Ideas Generation

I knew from the start of this project that I wanted my idea very much to be set in a western culture and what better area than the one I live in. This meant that the characters had to be very street savvy, with practical appearances. Already this is very anti of what is typically found within most manga’s where character designs are very flamboyant with over the top features and hair and more often than ostentatious costume designs. This fine because the uniqueness factor I want for my comic is for it to be a manga that very much roots itself in western culture.

Despite this very down to earth setting I also wanted to add a fantasy element to my story as it is an area I have a lot of interest in. I then decided I wanted to go about this by exploiting something that a lot of people especially in this day and age have very strong ideals about politics. There is no denying that there is a lot of frustration around regarding a constant divide in social classes, where budget costs are being made in the wrong places and benefits and support are being taken away from people who really need them young people have never been more attuned to these circumstances than now. So it seemed natural that the main protagonists of my story would be fighting for the 'smaller' man but rather than having the divide be circumstantial I will make it even more personal by making it biological.

The core of the idea is basically that within the human race a rare mutating gene has been discovered that if possessed can give that being abilities beyond that of a normal human. However the catch is it dormant and can only being awakened via a recent technological breakthrough called the BRACE.

To get inspiration for my art style I looked at both modern manga artists, traditional Japanese artists and western artists as well.

Although these are black and white I chose Camilla D'Eriricos and Varshesh Joshi because of their style in lineart. Camilla D'Erricos makes her lineart stand out with bold neon colours and in some of her pieces its the outline alone that really makes the piece. Varshesh Joshi on the other hand uses very sharp and messy outlines to give his piece a very graphic feel. I really wanted to concentrate on line art because it is a very important thing to keep in mind especially for the manga art style where the weight of the lines can define distance or strengthen the definition of an important image on the page. You can see the roots of this in work done by more traditional Japanese artists like Hokusai, because of the consistency of the ink media the definition of each line on the art is very different and makes it really distinct. You can also see the origin of effects such a speed lines especially within the ocean piece where the current of the waves is determined by the positioning and direction of the lines. 

The universe of the story is an alternate reality and is very much set in this modern day time but with fantasy elements. Originally when the technology the BRACE was developed governments planned to use these people (called aberrants) with abilities as military assets, the more countries had of them the more potential power they possessed. However people without abilities began to hate the divide and felt that the freaks with abilities were being treated better. Riots broke out in many countries and in Britain a rogue aberrant went off the handle and slaughtered many human beings. Because of this the aberrant program was shut down and all the aberrants began to be treated like scum. For any minor transgression they were sent to the pit, giant holes with technology around the edges which absorbed the energy from the gene transmitted by the BRACE and they were left to live on the fringes of society this is where the protagonist tries to hang on..

Illaine Winters

Illaine Winters is an aberrant who tries her very best to keep herself to herself and just live as a normal life as possible. After her brother is taken away for conspiring against the nation she is left to fend for herself as just nineteen years old. Living in an old bedsit and working at the local market the only parental figures in her life are the couple who run her local pub who have strong empathy with aberrants as their son fifteen year old son is one too.

Because of her tough circumstances Illaine as had to grow up quick and her personality reflects that. She is very mature and is self-controlled when it comes to showing emotion. She acts a bit like a loner but is quite friendly with the people she is close too. The couple’s son Bradley looks up to her a role model but she does have her vices. She has a very addictive personality and is a heavy smoker and also is quite partial to an alcoholic beverage.

Illaine's ability is often referred to as Elemental Forge, if a raw element is ever within her reach depending on how strong it is she will be able to call forth weapons with enhanced abilities 

Bradley 'Bass' Crane

Bradley is a young fifteen year old aberrant who is a son to two normal human beings who run a local pub in an inner city district. Unlike Illaine Winters he struggles to keep his emotions in check and is quick to anger. This can lead him into a lot of trouble especially in school where he is one of a few aberrants to attend.

Despite his bravado he is also quite sensitive and loves his parents more than anything and he is worried there involvement with other aberrants may land them in hot water with the authorities. He is also very close to Illaine Winters where they share a very sibling like relationship.

Bradley has the unique ability to control air particles he can change their properties and send them at flying speeds or can bunch them together to create a force field. Although he has a lot of power has yet to tap into the full potential of his ability.

Boanna

The mysterious Boanna is a seventeen year old girl that looks completely out of place in a city setting with her bohemian style dress sense and lack of social tact she is the epitome of free spirit. Originally from the countryside, Boanna acts as a shepherd to a flock of sheep that are not exactly as they appear.

As a young child Boanna fell extremely ill, her parents could not understand what was happening and when they came across an ex-government scientist they pleaded for his help. He realised the symptoms she had related to a powerful string of the DNA that causes some people to become aberrants. Yet her potential was so great he had to separate her energy into separate entities that must be kept with her at all times. Now grown up she is the only aberrant in the world who possesses abilities without the need of a BRACE. The British Government are terrified that she is a danger "a wolf in sheep's clothing" so she rapidly became the most wanted in the country.

Her ability is extremely unique and unheard of. The sheep she keeps with her are separate entities of her and therefore she can transform them, replace them and manipulate them to her will. But a second ability is soon discovered that could drastically change the future of aberrants around the world.

Here is a rough outline for the first three chapters of the plot.