Comic Design Document
Purpose: This document contains details regarding concepts and designs in ‘Dystopia’. This should be used as a reference tool before designing any characters.
CHARACTERS
– Space Colony Humans
These characters are descendants of those who escaped earth when it was invaded by an extraterrestrial race. They are well clothed, healthy and strategically intelligent. These characters have never been to earth, they have grown up on a different planet, colonised by humans. They are unaware of the dangers that earth pose, however are capable once they face them.
o Gianas (First appearance in Issue 1)
Physical Appearance: A male character who looks a bit like “Uncharted’s” Nathan Drake and is in his early thirties. Scruffy, slight stubble and with a well-built body. For clothes he wears a leather jacket, ripped jeans/pants and leather boots. On his leather jack on the top right is a small patch with the numbers/letters “73GN” next to a symbol like this:https://sta.sh/019csye6ykwi
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/0JFCkBN
Backstory/Personality: Gianas is a tough individual who keeps to himself. However, in pressured situations he takes leadership and is very strategical in his thinking. When he lived on the colony planet, he worked as a labourer and had been living a somewhat comfortable life. He was imprisoned for stealing and then escaped with a group of people.
Appearances: Gianas first appears in issue 1 when the group is on the ship orbiting earth. When the ship crashes, Gianas is knocked out but wakes up to realise that he and Unora are the only survivors. Gianas helps Unora through the desolate landscape and tries to keep her alive. After Unora is killed, Gianas comes into contact with another human called Kaia. They both travel towards the city where Gianas is introduced to the new world earth has transformed into. Both of the, get captured by aliens called ‘The Hunters’ but escape shortly after. Gianas and Kaia meet up with a large group living under the city and devise a plan to take down the aliens infesting the city of Portland.
o Unora (First appearance in Issue 1 [Killed])
Physical Appearance:A female character of Caucasian descent who has long dark blonde hair and is in her early thirties. She wears a jumpsuit that has a steampunk/rustic style. On the top right of her jumpsuit is a small patch with the numbers/letters “73UF” next to a symbol like this:https://sta.sh/019csye6ykwi Her facial features are soft however she has a very small scar on her left cheek as a result of a knife grazing her face.
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/ooXKZ3r
Backstory/Personality: She has a kind, caring personality and is very intelligent. Unora has been living comfortably for most of her life on the colony planet. She grew up in a house next to Gianas and has been friends with him ever since. Unora was then imprisoned for a minor crime and escaped with Gianas and a few others.
Appearances: Unora first appears in issue 1 when the group is on the ship orbiting earth. When the ship crashes, Unora’s ankle is broken. She and Gianas are the only survivors. Gianas helps her through the desolate landscape and tries to keep her alive. During the night, when the two are sleeping in a decaying house, an Alien hunter appears and kills her. In issue 4, Gianas and his new companion Kaia, find Unora’s body in an alien laboratory. They are captured and Unora’s body is never seen again.
o Vihaan (First and Last appearance in Issue 1 [Killed])
Physical Appearance: A male character who is of Hispanic descent and is in his mid-twenties. He has short black hair and well-defined facial features. His has a light build however has an intimidating appearance. He wears a sleeveless shirt with jeans and has an arrangement of tattoos on his left arm. On his face below his right eye is a teardrop tattoo. His knuckles on both hands are also tattooed with various symbols. On the top right of his shirt is a small patch with the numbers/letters “47VS” next to a symbol like this:https://sta.sh/019csye6ykwi
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/qXiwVPw (however more varied)
Backstory/Personality: He has an aggressive, dominant personality which does disservice to him in arguments. Vihaan grew up in a lower class family with parents who were rarely around. He became a criminal and was imprisoned for life on the colony planet. He escaped with a group of people in search of freedom.
Appearances: Vihaan first appears in issue 1 when the group is on the ship orbiting earth. When the ship crashes Vihaan is instantly killed.
o Oda (First and Last appearance in Issue 1 [Killed])
Physical Appearance: A female character who is of Hispanic descent and is in her mid-late twenties. She has straight black hair that is medium length. Her body is well developed and is overall pretty thin. She wears a leather vest with a shirt underneath and leggings with no shoes. She has a tattoo on her neck of earth and underneath are the words “NO MORE”. She has a scar on her chin. On the top right of her vest is a patch with the numbers/letters “47OS” next to a symbol like this:https://sta.sh/019csye6ykwi
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/ZQhTLGG
Backstory/Personality: She has a passive aggressive personality and has a sense of entitlement. Oda is Vihaan’s brother and they both grew up in a lower class family. After Vihaan was put in prison, Oda got herself arrested so they could both escape the planet.
Appearances: Oda first appears in Issue 1 when the group is on the ship orbiting earth. When the ship crashes Oda is instantly killed.
o Isa (First and Last appearance in Issue 1 [Killed])
Physical Appearance: A female character who is of Asian descent in her mid-thirties and has black hair which is tied into a top bun. She wears glasses, a zip up jumper and baggy pants. On her hands are fingerless gloves that cover burns she got as a child. Some burns are still visible on her neck. Strapped to her wrist is a device that has a touch screen that displays various things. On the top right of her jumper is a patch with the numbers/letters “13IP” next to a symbol like this:https://sta.sh/019csye6ykwi
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/lH0S7ju
Backstory/Personality: She has a very friendly and bubbly personality. Isa copes with stress through humour and distractions. She grew up being obsessed with studying and creating technology. Isa is from one of the richest families from the colony planet however was arrested after she hacked into a server to steal information. She was the one who piloted the escape ship that the group left the colony on.
Appearances: Isa first appears in Issue 1 when the group is on the ship orbiting earth. When the ship crashes Isa dies instantly.
– Earth Humans
These characters are surviving humans who have grown up under the dominant rule of aliens on earth. The majority of these humans have been enslaved for their entire lives however some rebellious individuals have created a society beyond the aliens. With limited supplies in a desert landscape, all of the Earth Humans are near starving and are in poor health. The clothes that these people wear are ragged and torn due to the lack of anything else to wear.
o Kaia (First appearance in Issue 1)
Physical Appearance: A female character who is of African American descent and is dressed like an aviatrix. She has dark fuzzy hair that is shoulder length and wears goggles on her head. She looks a bit scruffy in general and some of her clothes are patched up from where they have been torn. She wears a backpack that carries all of her belongings.
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/uLxYYVe
Backstory/Personality: She has a friendly personality however remains a mysterious character that may not be trusted. Kaia has been living out in the wasteland on earth for her whole life and tends to stay away from other living creatures. After a trust has been built with Kaia she opens up and is a loyal friend.
Appearances: Kaia first appears in Issue 1 when Gianas and Unora come across a deserted petrol station and can only be seen as a silhouette in the background. Later on she reveals herself to Gianas in Issue 2 after Unora has been killed by an alien hunter. They sneak into an abandoned zoo where the aliens are holding hundreds of human slaves. She then travels with Gianas to the city where they get captured but escape to devise a plan with an underground group of humans to take down the aliens.
o Priya (First appearance in Issue 3)
TBA
o Casimir (First appearance in Issue 3)
TBA
o Zenith (First appearance in Issue 5)
TBA
o Phoenix (First appearance in Issue 6)
TBA
– Earth Aliens
These characters are aliens who now inhabit earth after they invaded over 600 years ago to mine it for resources. The population of aliens on earth has dropped drastically as most left to find other planets to mine however each city around the world is still occupied by the aliens as outposts.
o Hunters (First appearance in Issue 1)
Physical Appearance: The Hunters are all male and have a very mysteriously menacing appearance. They keep most of their body concealed beneath their long robes and they’re grotesque faces are barely visible under their hood. The Hunters carry a futuristic looking pistol as well as a futuristic looking shotgun slung over their back. They’re overall body size is similar to a human however they have longer limbs. Under the robes the hunters wear it can be difficult to tell if it’s a human or not.
Image References:https://imgur.com/a/p1o2hYU
Backstory/Personality: The Hunters are a group of alien bounty hunters which scout their territory to catch rouge humans who are out of captivity. The are very threatening and never speak. Each hunter works alone and do not interact with each other. They lock onto their target once they see it and chase it until they catch it. They are the most dangerous type of alien on earth and do not show mercy to anyone. The Hunters travel around in trucks with cages in the back to hold humans.
Appearances: The Hunters first appear at the end of issue 1 when one comes into the house Gianas and Unora are seeking refuge in. It kills Unora and hunts Gianas (and Kaia) until the end of issue 4 where they are captured.
o Guards (First appearance in Issue 5)
TBA
o Scientists (First appearance in Issue 4)
TBA
ENVIRONMENTS
The following map depicts the geographical journey Gianas takes throughout the first 6 issues of Dystopia:
– Space Colony Human Escape Ship
This ship appears in the issue 1 where the group is orbiting around earth deciding whether or not it’s safe to descend. At the space colony, the ship had been decommissioned by the leader council as it was considered too dangerous to fly. After escaping prison, Gianas and the group had no other option but to take the escape ship with Isa piloting.
The ship is old, industrial steampunk styled and visibly aged. Some panelling on the exterior has come adrift however the ship itself works smoothly. While the ship isn’t very big, it is divided into three sections; the cockpit, the control room and the engine room. The engine room is towards the back of the ship and is sealed off to the rest of the spacecraft. The control room is connected to the cockpit and has seats lining the wall. The entire room has exposed wiring and pipes creating an untidy look in the room. The cockpit is full of controls and there is a dome window for the pilot to look out of in all directions. There are numerous screens and buttons scattered everywhere. The cockpit has two seats with a small space in between for a passenger to move in to talk to the pilot.
Reference images:https://imgur.com/a/xIwXPJR
– The Wasteland/Desert
The desert is a key location throughout the comic. It first appears in issue 1 when Gianas and his group crash into the crusty surface of the earth. The desert itself is dry, lifeless and barren. There is no plant life, only sand dunes and rocks. There are the occasional objects that stick out of the sand, a reminder of the civilization that used to once be there.
Reference images:https://imgur.com/a/tUIiBvE
– Portland, Oregon, USA
Portland is the primary location for the first volume of the story. Gianas’ ship lands around 30 miles away from the outer suburbs of Portland however slowly makes his way [with Kaia] towards the city centre. The city is decimated, and the rivers running through the city are all dried up. The bridges crossing the rivers are either collapsed or severely rusted. The skyscrapers are crumbling and all glass windows are shattered or no longer existent. Some structures have fallen onto one another and there is no sign of any plant live except for that in cracks in the ground. In the centre of the city is an alien structure towering above all of the other man made structures. It is futuristic looking and not destroyed at all. On the very top are satellite dishes and antennas for contact with other outposts. Behind the city in the background is a towering mountain (Mt Hood) which is no longer covered in snow, but just a pile of sand and rock.
Reference Images:https://imgur.com/a/nuQI5MY
– Desert Petrol Station
The petrol station is location that appears once in the first issue where Gianas, and an
injured Kaia take refuge for the night. This petrol station was originally on the side of
highway leading into Portland, the highway has since been covered and buried beneath the
desert leaving the petrol station above ground and derelict. The outside of the petrol station is
bare as the frequent sandstorms have stripped the paint and minor accessories from the
structure. The interior of the petrol station is quite bare however it is fitted out with basic
living necessities such as a makeshift bed, some personal items such as books. Burnt down
candles also litter the room. There are still battered, metal shelves leaned against the wall
and tangled wiring hanging from the ceiling. The most important thing about the interior of
the petrol station is that it looks like someone has tried to make it their home.
Reference Images: https://imgur.com/a/ZjWgEyX
– Portland Suburbs
The suburbs surrounding Portland still stand, but only just. The structures of houses are
collapsing and are in ruins. The roads are all cracked and rubble scatters the streets. There is
no plant life in sight due to the frequent sandstorms. The only plants that live in the desolate
landscape, are in big cracks in the ground. Cars in the streets are gutted and their rusted
bodies are cold reminders of the advancing society that was crushed. The occasional cracked,
dead, tree trunk stands alone in the yards of houses. The skyline of the destroyed city looms
in the background, casting an eerie atmosphere over the suburbs.
Reference Images: https://imgur.com/a/dde2KTq
ISSUE COVERS
NOTE: All issue covers are in full colour. Text will be added later, however keep in mind that the top of the comic will have a logo so any details drawn there will be covered, so keep the details to a minimum but not to nothing at all. However make sure the rest of the cover is highly detailed.
– Comic Logo
FULL RESOLUTION DOWNLOAD LINK: https://sta.sh/02adzylj7bmw
– Issue 1 Cover
The cover for the first issue is a view of Gianas and Unora staring over the desolate desert in front of them. In the background are the decimated suburbs and city of Portland, Oregon. A mountain (Mt Hood) is barely visible behind the city. Behind Gianas and Unora (in the foreground of the cover) is the crashed escape ship that is lodged into the sandy ground. Unora is limping on one leg so Gianas is propping her up with his arm. It is evident that the city is crumbling and there is one large alien skyscraper in the centre which stands out to the man made structures. In the mid ground of the cover there is a sand storm raging across from the left hand side, just visible but not covering the entire desert.