Character Design Challenge 96: The Big Bad

Your Character Design Challenge this week is to create the most awesome illustration possible featuring the idea of a Big Bad type of villain using HeroMachine 3.

We're talking city-threatening, nation-engaging, Justice League-level sorts of things here, stuff that will strike terror into the hearts of supermen and superwomen (and even superdogs!) everywhere. Sure, Paste Pot Pete and The Joker are great one-on-one threats, but I'm going for something bigger and badder here, something that would require a whole team to take down. Or just, you know, Superman. Same diff.

I'll pick my personal favorites when the week is over, with the one I like best being featured in the right column for the week. The rules otherwise are the same as always:

  • All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like the HeroMachine forums, ImageShack, PhotoBucket, or whatever);
  • Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
  • The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine challenge;
  • Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
  • Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). See this post on how to get the direct link for most sites.
  • All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose my personal favorites.

No limit on entries this week, so knock yourselves out. Just make them good!

Caption Challenge 125 Results

Many thanks to everyone who entered Caption Challenge 125, which asked you to come up with the best replacement dialog for this comics panel:

I was amazed at the great lines you came up with for what I thought was a very challenging image. Here are the ones that were my personal favorites, though if you haven't read through all the comments I highly encourage you to, as they're pretty funny.

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Feel the Wonder Burn!

(All characters & images © DC Comics.)

Pop Quiz 19 Results

Many thanks to the brave folks who entered our last Pop Quiz, which challenged you to make something with Barbario's head. Wow, does that sound creepy all written out like that ...

Anyway, here are all of the great entries! Click any one to start the slideshow.

Those are all great, but the ones that made me chuckle or that I thought had a little something extra special were Myro's, Watson Bradshaw's, WebPulp's, Vampyrist's, NHA247, MMI, Legatus, Keric, Kaylin88100 (that one will haunt my nightmares), djuby, and ... well hell, that's practically the whole list. Everyone did a fantastic job!

As for the overall favorite, the honor this week will go to Barbario himself for being such a good sport. Speak up in the comments, my man, and that person will get to be profiled in the right hand column.

Pop Quiz: Barbaracious

Happy Saturday, folks! Your one-day quick-fire challenge today is:

Make something with this head!

You can find it in Head-Winners. It doesn't have to be a full-on character, though it could be if you want. But the head has to be somewhere in the image, even if it's just a photo-bomb kind of situation.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites either tonight or tomorrow morning. Elaborate backgrounds aren't necessary, though if you've got one it's fine.

  • All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the HeroMachine Forums, whatever);
  • Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
  • Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
  • Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). Here's a quick-start guide on how to do that for various image hosting services.

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

My reaction on seeing "Toddlers & Tiaras"

(From "Target Comics" volume 2, number 7, 1941.)

Put your best foot forward

AMS' contest prize is now live in Foot-Right-Male-Standard, a forward-facing foot. He asked for the first one specifically but I thought as long as I was in there I should add a more generic super-hero boot as well.

Barbario!

I've just added Barbaro's head sketch to the Head-Winners set in HM3 as his contest winning prize. I think it's a good drawing but it doesn't come close to hitting the true bad-assery of the original photo. Dude's a straight-up super-hero looking guy IRL. If he's willing, I'll put the reference shot up at the end for comparison.

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Sharing Day, Nerd Merit Badge Edition

Everyone deserves a chance to strut their stuff from time to time and today's your day! Tell us one thing that gives you your biggest bit of Nerd Cred, something that certifies you as a card-carrying Genuine Geek. Sort of your best "Nerd Merit Badge" if you will.

For instance, in my case if I want to establish that I really am a geek, my brag swag is "I can point to the exact spot on the screen where the USS Enterprise will emerge in the opening credits."

So what about you, what is your big geeky accomplishment that gives you pride?

If you want to ask me a question about something, go ahead, but mostly I just wanted this to be a "let's all feel good" kind of day.

Ninja 101: The color of concealment is red.

(From "Target Comics" volume 2, number 7, 1941.)