The Comics How To: THE ANTAGONIST

In order to round out the cast of characters you have to have the makings of a great antagonist (or two). What or who is going to truly push the main character into action? Let’s start with the through-line/main plot and theme, which is acceptance, and the establishment attached to the concept — the Psychic Union. Every establishment that a person wants to be involved with has a gatekeeper, someone who judges you. You have to get past the gatekeeper in order to get into that production studio, publisher, agency, whatever, and the Psychic Union is no different.

I had to invent a gatekeeper, an interviewer, who will thoroughly analyze and judge the main character. Doesn’t sound so sinister, right? But think about it — what can be the most scary or uncomfortable experience a person could have? Interviewing for a job? People dread the thought, but it’s necessary in order to get where you need to go. I rolled with the idea of the main character having to deal with a representative from the Psychic Union in order to gain membership. Although the main character is the “real deal,” proof still has to be established in order to justify credibility. It’s something we all have to face, you know, the old “You have to have a proven track record in order to get in” concept.

I took certain elements none of us want to face while being interviewed, condescension and smarminess, and rolled it into this character. I wanted my interviewer to be that gatekeeper that does not want to waste his time on you. I call him Spencer Erwin Dorwell, of the Psychic Union. He’s the jerk that holds himself high because he is in a position to judge.

Although Spencer Dorwell of the Psychic Union is the antagonist of the through-line/main plot, he is not enough to truly push the main character into action. I need something more sinister to show off the skills of the main character. Remember though, while developing the psychic angle of the main character it was established that the main character felt as though his psychic abilities are a curse. Having established this, it’s important to realize that the main character will face something that he“s truly not prepared for. This adds a great element of conflict while facing a real bad guy.

I went wild with the thought of creating a being that was ageless and otherworldly. I wanted to create a mystical element that thinks humanity is nothing more than sustenance. This being has to be a scary force of nature and extremely powerful. It has to look as though our renegade psychic, professional hairstylist is no match for this creature.

Like all of the other characters being developed in this story, this main villain needs to be developed as well. Where does this creature come from? Let’s go nuts and just say a different dimension. How does it get here? Usually a doorway has to exist in order for inter-dimensional travel. What will this doorway be? I wanted the doorway to be something very simple and not so sinister. How about a simple piece of jewelry? A very old and mystical medallion can do the job. A medallion can last ages and be passed from person to person throughout time. I believe this concept will create longevity for the villain.

Now, how do I want this medallion, this doorway to work? I wanted to make it somewhat ritualistic and somewhat tragic for the owner of the medallion. If the owner spills their blood on the medallion while wearing it, they become host to the beast so that it can tear its way into our world. But, this just doesn’t happen on the spot; I wanted to add an old school element of the full moon being an extra source of mystical power. Adding the idea of a ritualistic process having to be performed in order to release the being can be a design of pure want or by accident. Either way, when it happens, there will be trouble.

This inter-dimensional beast that I named The Hux (I just made the name up) will have its identity tied to the main characters genealogy. I figure that if I can tie The Hux to the main character’s historical bloodline, I can travel back in time in order to show psychic developments. This will help solidify our main character’s abilities and show a link between the main villain and the main character’s family. When The Hux and the main character meet, they already have a familiarity to each other, a history, which I believe adds more dimension to the main antagonist.

Now we are cooking! Next, we will build the world of our hero!

For more information about the BOB: NON-UNION PSYCHIC world, visit the Warehouse 9 Productions site HERE