Supara Update #7: Ellie Eckhart 'Sync'

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

And here we all are again with our latest set of three characters. What's very different about this set is that they're all actually not part of our first issue of the comic. Well you'll see them here and there but they are all part of something much bigger and you'll find that out next as they are revealed. First up is Ellen 'Ellie' Eckhart or better known as the criminal... Sync. Find out more after the jump.

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

Name: Ellen Jane Eckhart
Nickname: Ellie
Alias: Sync

Birth date: 03/15/1991
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120 lbs
Body Type: Athletic
Hair color: Brunette

Eye color: Brown/Honey
Ethnicity: Caucasian

Education/Training:

Graduated North Richmond High School (Richmond Virginia)
Dropout of M.I.T. for the School of Science & Computer Development

Occupation:
Suspected Criminal for Burglary and Grand Theft

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Yep. This early civilian sketch looks a lot like Eliza Dushku. We were trying to think of a troubled yet strong female character to base Ellie off of and the closet thing was Faith from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show. I mean, that she was a little insane but nonetheless... that was the kind of look that stuck out to us. Also... this character on the large part is very much a rebel. I guess we hit it a little too hard on the nose with the whole punk girl look but trust me... it fits perfectly.

Powers/Abilities:

• Tapping – Ellie has the ability to view, hear, and manipulate information through electronic devices with just touch including hardwired networks.
• Surfer - When Ellie taps (meditates) into a device/network, she can see whats going on as she surfs. Her brain reanimates and reorganizes the information in a physical-like world which she can (mentally) walk through.
• Torrented Discipline - Over time, she becomes a self taught genius as well as finding ways to improve her physically by the way of the internet like eating better, creating/stealing certain weaponry, unique fighting styles, and improving stamina. Basically making her the perfect spy.
• Soul Surfer - Not right away but she'll have the ability to tap into people's memories like a hard drive.

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Above is Ellie's first early alter-ego sketch as 'Sync'. There is a large Black Widow/Domino vibe to her but it's practical for what she does. She's wearing a protective cat suit with face paint instead of a mask. Though we did end up changing up some major parts to her look before the final. Such as her logo, the flap on her jacket, the holsters for her sai, and the multiple daggers on her legs. By the way.. she is supposed to be that pale. No that's not paint... that's the sun and her not getting to know each other.

Origin:

Ellie was raised by a wealthy family but never took their fortune for granted. Throughout high school, her brash and 'in-you-face' attitude was something of an issue despite being the head of her class. Once she was accepted and taking classes as MIT, that's where things were starting to get a little too interesting. Unlike most 'Powers', her abilities manifested late in her freshman year of college during an assignment. Unknowingly (until it was too late), she tapped into a live secure conversation between government officials about a the amount of lives that would be lost during an operation called 'SV - Rebirth'. They immediately found the breech, tracked the new power via IP Address, caught her, and put her into custody.

It's still a mystery how she escaped but from that point on, she's been on the run. Working odd jobs and still discovering new aspects to her abilities. No one has seen Ellen in over a year but she is the major suspect in multiple robberies. Though her 'Sync' persona is widely known among the federal government as well as the NDS; she continues to stay alert and on the move... all the way across the country to Supara Valley, California.

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Our artist, Michael Mayne came up with an idea to create sai straps and put them on her back just to make things a little different. 'X' is already using his tonfas holstered on his hips so this seemed like a nice change up. He also created a few logos for her belt buckle which turned out really well. We also wanted the flap on her jacket to be optional and go with the open for a rather bustier display. Out of all of our female characters, she is the only one dressed somewhat revealing. And all those decisions we're based primarily off her personality.

Personality:

She has always been tough to deal with growing up and almost... literally knowing everything didn't help the matter. After her escape, the world hardened her in a way she never thought of before. No money and on the run... she had to completely rely on her powers to get by. She slowly learned the ways of the criminal underworld because it was easy cash... never letting anyone know exactly who she was or what her abilities could do. Quickly becoming a street legend. Though she wasn't in it for the money... she wanted to know the truth and clear her name... and she'll do anything to get it.

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This is Ellie's final civilian attire. As you can tell, not much has changed between this and the sketch but it's delivers the attitude we're aiming at. I know there are some readers wondering why we would have our 'alternative-looking' character be our most revealing character (sexually) and that's because she's empowering. Nothing says I'm a woman and I can kick plenty of ass while embracing her womanly parts. Men do it all the time. But don't get too used to this getup anyhow... this is how she looks around friends, most of the time she'll be Sync or incognito due to her status/purpose.

Premise:

We want Ellie to battle with herself. She's left with her powers, alone, for too long and has gotten used to the world she's created for herself. Her concept of what's right and wrong is fading but her curiosity can and will get the best of her. We want her to be this moral floater between right and wrong and when she finally meets up with Warden and the others in Supara Valley... that's where we're likely to see her change, for better or worse.

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Now this shall be Ellie's final alter-ego attire for Sync. After the Slamfist team and Mayne agreed to go with the sai straps... we needed to do something with her hair. Something practical and something we haven't done thus far. Let's put it up! Thanks to a 20 minute Google search and learning hair terms like 'wisps'... we discovered this look for her. Yep, it's brilliant. Now you can see the daggers have changed into her new logo which work perfect for throwing stars. All around, I think Mayne did a fine job and we shaped something fun out of this character.

In a few days, we'll be introducing two enormously different characters. Next up will be an excellent expansion to our Supara universe with the supernatural Silvia Pendragon aka 'Pendra'... and lastly our resident alien, Vor-Khai. Which surprisingly enough, already has a character sheet written up on Supara Update #3: The Foundation. Even though he's already been posted up, the Foundation takes place in the past but he's also a major player in the present as well. Plus there is art. Art wins. Well until next time... Thank you!

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

Supara Update #2: The Pitch

Supara Update #3: The Foundation
Supara Update #4: Nicolas Knight 'X'
Supara Update #5: Dario Rickman 'Warden'
Supara Update #6: Dakota Gretchen 'Starstruck'