Build-a-Baddie Returns (And It’s Bigger, Badder, and More Chaotic)
The last Build-a-Baddie Poll was such a hit, it spun off not one but two projects — a microfic and a 1,500-word short story!
So naturally… we’re doing it again.
Welcome back to Build-a-Baddie — the crowd-sourced character experiment where you decide:
I take your winning combo and turn it into a brand-new illustration.
There’s also a Wildcard section if you want to whisper your weirdest ideas into the void. No promises… but I will read them.
Voting opens this week on Patreon. Bring your best (and worst) ideas.
Transcript — Evolution Success Stories
A single-panel cartoon shows two bug-like creatures standing on a forest floor surrounded by large green leaves. Both have tall, thin, purple bodies with spindly limbs and antennae. The bug on the right has colorful, symmetrical butterfly wings with orange, black, and white patterns and looks relatively normal — an evolution success story The bug on the left has a strange, mismatched set of wings that resemble bold, graphic signage instead of natural wings. The wings are black with bright orange arrows and large words pointing in different directions, including “TASTY,” “HERE,” and “YUM!” with arrows directing attention toward the bug’s own body. The malformed-wing bug looks uneasy, while the butterfly-wing bug looks on. Beneath the comic, a caption reads: “All I’m saying is… it’s easy to be a fan of evolution if all you hear about are the success stories…”
To the right of the panel is a blue box that reads: “Intermission — The Evil Inc storyline will continue next week.”
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil3
Creative team: Written by Paul Tobin, art by patrick Scherberger
This four-issue limited series had tons of potential. The opening issue had stellar dialogue and Scherberger’s art (as highlighted above) was refreshing and enjoyable.
It’s just too bad that the story had such a lame ending. After four issues of scheming and double-crossing, Dr. Doom uses the Masters of Evil, the Circus of Crime, Magneto, and several other hangers-on to stage a battle with the Hellfire Club’s Black Queen,
Selene.
Which he wins, in true Victor Von Doom fashion. So far, so good. His prize: One wish.
His wish? To be relieved of his conscience.
So why drag Princess Python through the pages of the preceding three issues? There was a massive build-up as to her role in the scheme. There was even the hint of a romantic attachment developing.
Nope.
She was there to serve as a visual reminder of… wait for it… temptation. The whole girl-with-a-snake thing.
Her presence was to serve to remind Vic not to become tempted to change his wish.
Tobin has
served up much better. And to be fair, he took chances with this story that really should be applauded. But I was really disappointed in the characterization of Princess Python as nothing more than a string on his gauntleted finger.
