For every character there needs to be a back story. Each back story is different, but is usually powerful and filled with emotion. In the situations of heroes, as well as villains, something powerful has to happen, something life altering. For heroes with super powers, the back story usually also shows how they came into their powers and/or how they tried to hone their powers.

Typical back stories of most characters include the death of a loved one or friend. Such examples include Batman, The Punisher, Spider-Man, The Crow, Ghost Rider, etc. While the death of the loved one is a strong example, it has to be by someone and not by accident or old age. Being murdered usually is a good motivator in allowing someone to pursue the option of being a hero.Usually around when the hero discovers their power, on occasion the hero will screw around with his or her power and, as a result, someone they care for will get hurt. This creates a paradigm shift, making them realize that their power is needed for the greater good, without the loss they generally become villains . The paradigm shift creates an inner turmoil necessary allowing the hero to fight. In the case of Batman he has a compulsion to fight for good because his parents died, but, contrary to the movies, he never discovered who the murderer was so he keeps fighting thinking the next person he fights is their killer. In a manner of speaking, crime fighting is almost cathartic for him. In certain occasions it can also lead to villainy, but we will get more into that when we cover personas.

When people come into powers there are at least three different categories as to how they receive their power. Even silly heroes have a back story.

• Science
  • Accidental (I.e. Spider-Man)
  • Intentional (I.e. Captain America)
• Magic
  • Object (I.e. Green Lantern)
  • Ethereal (I.e. Ghost Rider)
  • Folk-Lore/Unknown (I.e. The Crow)
• Birth
  • Human with genetic mutation(I.e. X-Men)
  • Alien on other planet (I.e. Martian Man-Hunter)
  • Alien on Earth from another planet (I.e. Superman)
  • Non-Human/Non-Alien being (I.e. Thor)

All are well and good, as long as a decent back story is thought up. A few ways to go about this are interesting. Depending on where you go you may use either your notebook or notepad and a pencil. This can either be done at home, but can be better done in public.

1. Go out to a public setting
2. Look at everyone surrounding you, but more importantly look at people having fights or disagreements
3. Focus on what they are saying and amplify it in order to apply it to the setting. (mind you, not all disagreements are worth writing about)

If you decide to staying at home:

1. Pour over old high school year books while listening to music you listened to you back then, allowing yourself to feel as you did back then
2. Imagine explaining yourself to someone as if you had the power your character does.

Remember: Having power is difficult have and can be difficult to explain. Work slowly, but thoughtfully.

So by now you should have a general idea of how your character should look like, now comes the part you all have been waiting for: the super powers. Just remember that someone doesn’t need super powers in order to be a hero. Not everyone has pyrokinesis or is able to teleport. Batman, Iron-man and The Punisher don’t have super powers yet they are still super heroes in comic books.

For now let us say you want someone with a super power. You have any idea you can choose, but you must keep in mind the villain of the tale when creating the power of the superhero. Thinking of the power is interesting because it is difficult because it also has to deal with the back story (which we will discuss in an upcoming blog) the hero as well as the message you wish to get across.

But not every super hero can be the wielder of “awesomeness power” because it can get old quickly. The villain must have a greater power than the hero because it makes it more of an accomplishment when the hero saves the day. A good idea is to think of the villains superpower that can exploit weaknesses in the hero as well. For example, Electro can electrocute Spider-Man, but Spider-Man can manage to find away to take down Electro, whether it be with water or some other way.

When thinking up a power for your super hero there are two ways you may want to go about it. You may want to look at lists of powers that well known comic book heroes already have and revamp them, contour them to your character. That way is fine if you are for keeping an open mind on almost any power there is. If you are sick of outlandish powers you may want to look at powers that have been supposedly documented in real life. Or if you wish to go for a more whimsical route you can always make characters with ridiculous, unnecessary powers (i.e. whose ability is to shoot hot dogs from his wrists). The importance of choosing the superpower also sets the feel for the story as well. If you want a more human type character, you emphasize a rather weak power instead of an extreme power. The power should allow for the reader to see past it to see the humanity of the hero as well. Mind you not all heroes have super powers, take Batman or Punisher for example, they are mere humans with weapons and technology.

Now get out your pencil and notebook, it’s brainstorming time!

1. Create a list of superpowers you would like your character to have.
2. Take the one you like the most and research it. Is/are there any other heroes with the same powers?
3. Now test out “your power” by defying it and setting parameters to it. (I.e. If you can teleport, how far can you teleport each time?)
4. Now walk on out to some where public and imagine you have your power with all of your set parameters. How does it work for you if you were a hero? How will their powers apply in this real world setting?

Remember: Have fun, but don’t imagine yourself into a wall.

Now that you’re comfortable describing someone I want you to think about what your character might look like. Let’s say that your best friend is the person you want to be your character. This is where we hit a wall. You may say “Hey I want to make the hero of my story look and act exactly like my friend, and I don’t want any trouble.” That’s fine, that is your decision, but there is a price to pay. When using someone’s likeness for an intellectual property, such as creating a character for a comic strip, you run into the issue of likeness rights. Likeness rights involve the author to pay a fee to the person whose likeness they use.

So now that you have lost the idea of what your main character is like and are on a rampage due to likeness rights It would be best to introduce you to Jigsaw Man. Jigsaw Man, as I refer to it, is a person you may create from various people. For the Jigsaw Man you may use your notepad, your pencil and some free time.

1. First you should go to a very public, yet free, setting. The best place would have to be the mall
2. Walk through several of the stores as you normally would, window shop, but also keep a close eye on the patrons around you. Keep them in mind. You could also sit around the food court or on the benches in the mall and watch those around you.
3. Periodically take notes on something about someone that catches your eye. For example, if you see a tall skinny man wearing one red shoe, you would make note of his shoe if it intrigued you (not that he was skinny).
4. Return home and review your notes from the mall.
5. Now mix and matches notes to describe one person.
6. Now you have a a unique character.

Say you don’t feel up to making a human character. That is fine, make a monster or a space alien. It’s pretty simplistic to do so, but instead of making them look human, look more towards insects and reptiles. Try mixing and matching monsters you already know of to create a Jigsaw Monster. Keep in mind using too many features for a monster can make it seem unrealistic.

Remember: When you do this, don’t make it too obvious where your ideas came from.