Open source Super archetype

Dann, if that's your idea of stepping on toes, then by all means, stomp away! Awesome rendition of Astro-Man. I'm glad to see the character already expanding to other artists, and I am excited about the prospect of our collaborative open source character taking on a life of its own through the pens and imaginations of many more creators to come.

While there was a relatively small group involved in brainstorming ideas for Astro-Man, the group has never been restricted, so everyone should feel free to chime in if they have more brilliant ideas for the character. I will be compiling an official bio and explanation of his powers soon, so he can be posted on PDSH and the Free Universe. For a secret identity, I'm thinking of using the name Steve Hiromatsu. Yes, a little tribute to the Heroes TV character there, in addition to our own UltimoSteve. What do you guys think of the name? It would suggest Japanese heritage. Currently, most PD Japanese characters are villains, because they were created during WWII.

@Dann: It is better than my crappy sketches. I am not happy with mine at all so this is far better.

Phantom: nope...you can't call your stuff crappy. Not allowed. Just say "different"....'cause there's nothing wrong with your work.

I concur with Dann. Your talents are appreciated here Phantom, and believe me, you are a much better artist than most of us. You did a great job designing our hero.

Thanks for the positive comments, fellas. I am just annoyed that my sketches did not turn out the way I had envisioned.

I hate making excuses but I was tired when I drew these. They are very rough, and just poses. I do draw dynamic scenes with action and hopefully I will do some soon.

I was just going through this thread again and noticed that there hasn't been all that much hammered-out regarding the character's personality & civilian life. So far we have:

Steve Hiromatsu, Asian-American (Japanese) ... and that's about it, right? There's nothing really there yet that allows someone to understand what kind of person Hiromatsu is.

How old is he? School or work? Does he drive? Where does he live? What sports does he play or does he play any at all? Bookworm? Computer geek? Outdoorsman? What kind of music does he listen to? What types of clothes does he wear? Does he like to travel or would he rather stay in his hometown? What are his hobbies/interests?

They're not important questions but the answers help develope a better understanding of what kind of person he is, and therefore creates a more well-rounded & thought-out character.

@bchat: I think any of those details would be left to whomever would write the character in his comic as he is open source?

Just wanted to add rather quickly that I am working on 2 more design images that will be a lot better visually. Those other ones I am NOT happy with at all. I am going to draw one with a cape and symbol, and one without a cape and symbol.

I want him to look more "cosmic" or "Astro" like. Give him more of a Golden Age spacey feel to him, like Radior in Project: Superpowers.

Please bear with me, and I hope Dann uploads some more designs as well. Then I hope we can upload Astro-Man to the Public Domain Superheroes Wiki!

Phantom, keep in mind, that you don't need to make him look Golden Age, just because other PD characters are. As long as we're creating a modern character, it's okay to make him look a little more modern, so feel free to draw from elements of cosmic characters like Quasar, Silver Surfer and the Kirbyverse. But overall, I like the simplicity of the current Astro-Man. He's supposed to be a Superman stand-in and Superman's costume isn't all that complicated.

One final note: to facilitate the use of Astro-Man on PDSH wiki, we should create a purely public domain image of Astro-Man which can be shown anywhere and everywhere. This means that you give up all rights to the image, and anyone can post it or manipulate it in any way they want, without your permission. This has been done with Jenny Everywhere and the Outworlder characters, and it should be done with Astro-Man. Phantom, if you are not comfortable with donating one of your images to the public domain, I will post an Astro-Man image that will be deemed 100% PD.

I do think bchat has a point. Writers can do whatever they want with Astro-Man personal life, but it wouldn't hurt to fill him out a little. For example, if we didn't specify that he was a scientist, and some writer came along and said he was a scientist, anyone else who said the same thing would be violating copyright. Unless we think of the idea first and deem it PD (this has been my purpose in filling in the gaps of Golden Age characters on Free Universe), aspects of Astro Man can be claimed by others.

@Argosail: OK. Well, I just wanted to improve on the current design but if the basis of this one is OK, then I will simply draw some better sketches of Astro-Man.

It's not that I don't want my drawing to be PD but I don't think what I can do is good enough. I actually like the cartoon style renderings you've done on your site.

Perhaps Dann may be willing to contribute something far better than what I can do? I just want to provide some ideas and then maybe someone else can take the ball and run with it so to speak.

I really don't have a lot to contribute story wise pertaining Astro-Man.

Phantom....
draw all you can, my friend.....and stop being so negative! I threw my pic in just because it was a "scratch" i needed to itch...plus I wanted to put some kind of input into the hero.
I have no problem putting/doing more art for the site, but I don't want you to downplay your mix in all this. You visualized Astro-Man...that makes him your "baby" in my opinion! Go crazy!!!

dann

@Dann: No, I am not being negative, actually. Some things get lost via the web, but I am just pointing out that my sketches really are not up to the quality I had hoped. However I do appreciate your support. You know how critical we can be of our creations.

Also, I WANT your input on Astro-Man. He isn't my creation, he is the creation of several users on this site, I only tried to put onto paper what others have visualized.

I think it's a mutual agreement by everyone we are all contributing, it's an open source character, so please provide more of your ideas.

I am not jealous by any means as I am a FAN FIRST and an amateur artist second. So I am always admiring artwork by the pros.

Can you say what comics you've worked on? I would really like to know.

I haven't paid enough attention to this thread. You guys have done good work here. I really like Astro-Man's overall look. I'll try and contribute a sketch in the near future, just for fun.

Here's a quick sketch I did while coloring with the kids, just for fun. I really like the look you guys came up with.

Ha! I love it! Nice seeing Astro-Man in action. Hope your kids like the idea of Astro-Man.

Here is one more sketch of Astro-Man. I am working on just one more then that is it from me.

@Dann: Will you do another sketch of Astro-Man so we can use it to post on the PDSH Wiki? Mine aren't good enough, and I like your art.

@Argosail: If you post the final design on the PDSH Wiki, will you consider writing it like this:

"Astro-Man is an open source character and is free to use by anyone without concerns pertaining to copyright and trademark issues. "

"Please add this statement if you will use Astro-Man: Astro-Man is a character created in a collaborative effort by the users on the FREE UNIVERSE FORUM website, and is open for usage and interpretation."

I have failed to remember his civy name and am too tired to look but perhaps if you also include the bio and his civy name? Just a suggestion on my part and am not trying to be overbearing. However you want to word it, just some ideas on my part.

Finally, an action sketch. Funny, I used cheap multi-purpose paper and this one came out OK in comparison to my other ones where I used Smooth Bristol. Go figure. Also, I NEVER trace so I hope no one thinks along those lines. All I do is 100% original, crappy or not. Maybe Argosail may want to color this one??

I'll put some pic's in soon...going out of town today....but as soon as I get back I'll do a few ...sound good?


dann

@dann: Awesome, I look forward to them!

Mike, it is awesome seeing work from the creator of the PDSH Wiki himself!!! I think Astro-Man will make a fine addition to the site.

Phantom, the one where he is just standing there looks freaking badass. I love that one. The action one is really nice also.

I think the best legal wording we can use to accompany Astro Man will be the same wording that is used for Jenny Everywhere and Outworlder. I believe it will soon become the standard wording for all Open-Source characters. It goes like this:

"The character of Astro-Man is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Astro-Man, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed."

This is well written, because in a brief amount of space, it basically says, that while there may be traceable creators of the character, those creators (whoever they may be) freely license the character to anyone, as long as the condition is met. The license has no defined limit, and is implicitly perpetual. Therefore, anyone attempting to claim exclusive ownership of the copyright, would have to prove that they were the sole creator, and that they never assigned the open license. Good luck with that, because we're doing it right now. We have no legal way of guarding the trademark without owning it, but some of this just has to be done on good faith.

We might add, "Created by Members of the Free Universe Forums" but it shouldn't be legally necessary for them to credit us, because it might discourage some from using Astro-Man, because they might think that we can "renegotiate" our licensing terms. So credit will only be given to us when they feel like giving us props.

Question for Phantom and Dann...I'd love to see one of your high quality sketches become the official PDSH wiki profile picture, if you're willing to give the site permission. However, up to this point, almost all profiles on PDSH wiki have included an image which is considered public domain. Are you comfortable with releasing all rights to one of your pictures? If you're not, I can do a lower quality sketch to donate into public domain. The purpose of doing this is so that the reference image can be posted anywhere.

@Argosail: Yes, the blurb that usually accompanies the Open Source Characters on the PDSH Wiki is adequate, and I think I added a bit much to it. I was actually trying to provide a type of link back to this site and in a roundabout way, to give a bit of credit to all of us who've contributed in one way or another to Astro-Man. I am not seeking to get funds from anyone should they use Astro-Man, not my intent at all. I agree with you though I think the way I worded it may discourage anyone from using Astro-Man and that is NOT what I want to happen.

If Dann uses Astro-Man that would be awesome beyond compare. If he does, I can't wait to see what he cooks up. Hope to find some of his comic work. Great having someone who's published work on the site, contributing. Makes it fun! Haven't had fun with comics for awhile, so many of the titles have either bored me or just left me flat.

I am not entirely clear what you're wanting with an image. Do you mean to promote the Forum? I don't think anything I do is up to par for that purpose. I think Dann would be the one to provide something. Not wanting to pawn anything off, just think his work is professional and would be better suited for what you need.

He's just looking for a character sketch to accompany the character profile on the wiki. All of you guys have more talent than I do, however if no one else is willing to donate an image to the public domain, I would gladly do one. I donated the images of my characters that appear on the wiki already, so I have no problem doing it. Honestly, though, I think any of yours or Dann's would be great.

Thanks for the clarification. I wouldn't have a problem and I'm honored that you asked me. However, again, I think Dann would be the one to ask since he's a published illustrator and I am not. I could provide something, maybe in addition to whatever Dann provides?

Are you needing something specific? Please let me know.

Just wondering: Why limit the profile to just one picture? Is that a limitation of the PDSH wiki? A profile and static image are good enough for someone to get started using the character, but more drawings allow for a better representation of what the character can do and also gives an insight into the character's body language (which are also a part of the "character").

Oh, I agree, we don't need to settle on just one. But it depends on if Phantom or Dann want to give the site permission to use their pics as profile pics. And if they don't want to make any of their images PD, I will make one that is. So, Phantom, just let us know which, if any, you'd like to see included in the profile. It doesn't have to be just one, although 3-4 images will probably be the maximum.

@Argosail: I'm OK with the sketch I did of Astro-Man punching through the wall, and the recent pose sketch I posted with the gray shading just prior to that one.

Thanks for asking me.

Okay, I've tried to compile all the information we've thought up for Astro-Man, and create a cohesive profile of the character that actually makes sense. I tried to incorporate a little bit of everyone's best ideas, so it reflects the DNA of all of Astro-Man's creators. Here is what I came up with:

Astro-Man

Name: Steve Hiromatsu
Occupation: Astrophysicist

History:

From an early age, Steve Hiromatsu was told strange stories of unexplainable events, by his grandmother. She constantly warned him that he must never have more than a single child, so that it may learn to appreciate the brotherhood of humanity. For 200 years, his descendants had never had more than a single child.

His grandmother often took him stargazing, and like many of his descendants, Steve had become an astronomer. One day, while working in his lab with his good friend Hassan Al-Talib, a strange feeling came over Steve, and Hassan rushed to his aid. Suddenly, a shockwave rolled through the lab, collapsing it on top of them both. Steve, feeling more energized than ever, freed himself from the debris, and then hefted 3 tons of concrete off of Hassan. Within seconds, he found himself in a hospital with Hassan unconscious in his arms. He had no idea how he had gotten to the hospital, which was 5 miles from his lab. He only knew that it was where he wanted to be.

The story seemed similar to others which his grandmother had once told him about. He went to her and told her his own story. That is when she let him know, that his lineage was not of this earth.

200 years ago, on a planet called Viro, a race of conquerors had sent agents throughout the universe to raise an army that would dominate all the inhabited worlds. Each agent was genetically constructed to resemble the inhabitants of the worlds they were sent to, but each was raised on Viro and trained to conquer. Each possessed special genetic coding which would allow them to manipulate unusual waves of energy, once the code was triggered by a burst of the energy from Viro. When the first of the Hiromatsu line arrived on earth, he became a great samurai, and was prepared to help his fellow agents conquer the earth. Then he fell in love with a human woman, and realized that he could not bare to allow his fellow humans to become slaves of Viro. He traveled the world and assassinated the other agents of Viro. And he vowed that his lineage would remain small, so that if the powers he was promised were passed on, there would not be enough descendants for Viro to exploit.

Although Steve's grandmother was not part of the line, Steve's mother was, and an attempt to activate her powers had killed her. Now Steve was the sole descendant of the agents of Viro left on earth. He studied the energy which now coursed through his body, and discovered that it was unlike any energy known to human science. For it's unearthly nature, he called the waves of energy Astro-Waves. But he was not the only person who had detected this strange energy. His friend Hassan desperately wished to harness the energy's strange properties. He believed it was a key to wealth and glory. But Steve would not share his research, for fear that the energy could be dangerous in the wrong hands. New agents of Viro were already at work on Earth, under the direction of General Kalthar, and Steve was forced to assume the identity of Astro-Man, so that he could use his abilities to combat them. Hassan felt scorned that Steve would not share his research and that he flaunted his abilities as Astro-Man.

What Steve did not know is that there had been many attempts to activate the agents of Viro, over the centuries, but none of the energy pulses was ever strong enough. Kalthar had ordered a blast of the energy to be detonated that was so powerful, it killed nearly all life on Viro. Only a few survivors remained on Kalthar's flagship, and he was the only one left who had been engineered to manipulate the same powers as Astro-Man. Now, Kalthar wishes to rebuild Viro on earth and has vowed to turn Astro-Man into a loyal agent of Viro...or destroy him.


Abilities:

Astro-Man's body courses with energy he refers to as "Astro-Waves" He is able to channel this energy in a number of specific ways, but can not focus it on more than one task at a time. He can project the energy from his body to propel himself through the air at supersonic speeds. He can also project the energy from his body as concussive blasts, powerful enough to crumble a concrete wall. By focusing on the energy within his own body, he can use it to reinforce and boost the energy within the cells of his muscle giving him massive superhuman strength. When focusing on this ability, he can lift in excess of 100 tons.

Astro-Man's body naturally reserves enough energy to protect itself from physical harm at any given time. A network of living energy fields protect every individual molecule of Astro-Man's body, making him virtually indestructible. The only time in which this protective energy does not protect him on this level, is when he actively wills the energy beyond his own body. He may do this to create a wider force field around himself, or around another object within his line of site. This is the only time at which Asto-Man is vulnerable to normal physical injuries.

Asto-Man is also able to detect any Astro-Waves within his vicinity, and even use the waves as a kind of radar, allowing him to sense objects he can not see.

In his civilian identity, Steve is a brilliant astrophysicist.