3/03/2012

Supara Update #6: Dakota Gretchen 'Starstruck'


Supara Update is an occasional column/thread about anything going on regarding our first foray into the indie comic book world.


Finally, on to our last and most powerful character (of these three). First there was 'X', then 'Warden' and today we reveal 'Starstruck'. In all honesty, she was the most fun to write about because she is the most relatable. We already have some things lined up for her that go beyond the comic but it should come as no surprise since she is our flagship character. So enough with this talky... Witness Dakota Gretchen aka 'Starstruck' after the jump.


All artwork is courtesy of the talented Michael Mayne which you can find/follow him on devaintARTBlogspot, and Twitter.



Name: Dakota Rae Gretchen
Nickname: Rae-Rae (friends)
Alias: Starstuck

Birth date: 08/07/1994
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 116 lbs
Body Type: Slender
Hair color: Red
Eye color: Green
Ethnicity:
 Caucasian 

Education/Training:
Graduated West Rolsten High School
Currently attending Supara's Computer Science and Technology Institute

Occupation:
Grind/Rewind: Video and Coffee Bar
Volunteers at the Shady Ridge Retirement Center


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Wait... I know what you're thinking. Adorable right? And you're not wrong. Unlike Nico and Warden, she doesn't fit the maintstream take on your off-hour hero. Even amongst female heroes; they tend to look more like a supermodel or well lets be frank... the industry tends to over sexualize them. We wanted to change that. I think Dakota gives off... not a conservative look but one that appears more relaxed. Then again, if you're into the hipster/geek attire... that's exactly what I asked for. We based her off of the lovely Molly Quinn of the TV show 'Castle'.
Powers/Abilities:
  • Starburst – Gretchen can travel (flight) for long periods of time but can also perform short burst of flight at speeds upwards of 800 mph which can temporally break the sound barrier.
  • Superhuman – Her abilities improve all her motor functions such as endurance, speed, and strength.
  • Starborn - Able to manipulate energy and expel it in shocking balls/beams of yellow and white light.
  • Effect - Since her body can manipulate energy; the same goes for her exhaustion and/or momentum. The more she uses her powers within a frame of time, the more powerful she becomes. It will take a major toll on her because the powers she possesses aren’t meant for a human body.

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Above is an early sketch for Dakota's alter-ego attire; Starstruck. And it's quite different than the others because unlike them... she wants to be a superhero. So she tends to flaunt it. Unlike her civilian attire; her hair is down, she's wearing a tighter outfit showing off her figure, and she looks confident overall. Once again... no over-sexualizations here. The color scheme has a larger spoiler-y background which I won't reveal here but there is one fun thing to note, the logo on her chest does have some legacy reaching back... way back.
Origin:
Dakota is your all around geeky adorkable girl. Loves her life, loves her job, and actually... I'm not sure there are enough things for her to love. Except when people poorly use pop cultural references or pretend to understand her ramblings about CSS coding. But ever since she was a child, she loved the tales of "The Foundation". They were the first people to be revealed to the world with superhuman abilities. She would watch old reels of them and listen to radio plays... how wonderful would it be to have the power to save someone's life. Of the seven members of the Foundation, she had her favorite. Star Striker. She would dress up as her and pretend to soar around her home. It was an obsession. As she got older, this manifested into something of a later realization.


People with powers don't try to help others like the old days. Only help themselves, try to make money, and exploit/bully the others in public just to get attention. In her eyes... their gifts were abused. And on April 12th 2012; that theory only strengthen as she was caught in the middle of horrifying event in downtown Supara. Shell shocked from the disaster she (SPOILERS) blah-blee-bloo has powers.(Sorry, you have to wait for the book for that bit of information. :-P ) 

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Out of all our characters, she had the most revisions. Now that's not saying much since the others were considerably minimalistic in comparison but here you have it. We tightened up her logo so it no longer wraps around her underside. Just looks a little more traditional. We also decided that she'll be wearing modified Chuck Taylor's... girl's got class ya know? And we changed up her gloves to reveal her fingers because her abilities are energy/touch based and it seemed more practical (OK... more punk too).
Personality:
Dakota is a fun, sweet, selfless girl who doesn't shy away from the normalcy but tends to over-analyze it. Her time is filled with taking care of old ladies at a retirement center, working at a coffee bar, and going to school. So when she's not constantly moving around, she's online blogging about her day. Dressed as Starstruck, she becomes almost someone else entirely; more confident in herself, gains a bit of sex appeal for the first time in her life, and tries to be the best hero she can.


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I can't help but admit this is my personal favorite final piece of any character thus far. The hipster-ness radiance so hardcore that I don't care if I'm not supposed to like it anymore. Being that she represents us as an audience, we needed her to be appealing on every level. Including that hair. Gawd!
Premise:
Dakota is someone that we want everyone to relate to not just because her age but her sense of awareness. How she uses her abilities is going to play a major part in who she is and maybe in time, become the thing she hates the most. Though she's quite bubbly, we can see her transform into something darker overtime because in the end... the powers she carries aren't meant for a human.


Click picture to view full size

Booya, Starstruck kickass-ery with a side of Dakotaborable. Michael (artist) did an incredible job displaying who Starstruck is in this. She looks tough, some may say awkward, I say brilliant. We also requested that little orb of energy around her fist which makes a world of difference. There isn't anything too different from the revision but this is it. She's our Batman, Spider-Man, and Spawn... she's a woman and her name is Starstruck.
OK. Three lengthy blogs in three days. I'm not saying I'm impressed with myself but I am... very sleepy. Another little tidbit; we're in the middle of working on their final pieces for their civilian attires and when those are ready, I'll post them in a separate Update and link back to these. For now and maybe for a week... I'll see you later. Note that all artwork has been done by Michael Mayne; check out all of his other works at his devaintART. Thank you.


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Lost? Do you know what Supara is? Catch up by reading previous entries.
Supara Update #1: The Introduction

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