String Theory Update - "Save Our Sooj" Characters, pt. I
Hi, guys!
So, some of you might recall last December, when I announced the forthcoming webcomic String Theory. Inspired in part by some high-school reminisces between s00j and myself, the strip* features a clueless teenage bard named Meghan Susan Green...
...who's about to discover that she's far more talented than she understands.
At the time, s00j wound up hospital-bound with a then-unknown condition. To help out, artist Bryan Syme and I offered to put characters into String Theory who were based on real-life people who donated to the cause. The response was incredible - over a dozen people chipped in and bought themselves appearances in the comic. It's been a long, strange and very busy year, but we finally have a few previews of those people and their fictional counterparts. Enjoy!
Courtney Landes, aka Ms. Landes, aka Ms. Taz: A teacher at Meghan’s school, Ms. Landes is one of those instructors that students either love or hate… often depending on which end of her wit they happen to be on at the time! A dyed-in-the-wool geek, Courtney peppers her lessons with pop-culture references and biting humor. That said, she has no patience for wise-asses or easily-distracted kids. As she puts it, “You’re laying the foundation for your future here, so don’t you DARE value yourselves so lightly!”
Ms. Taz is a short, voluptuously attractive woman in her early 30s. Her straight dark-brown hair falls slightly past her shoulders in a thick curtain. She smiles easily, but it’s a wicked grin. Her nickname, Taz, comes from Courtney’s stocky 5’4” build, pit-bull wit and bloodthirsty smile. She tends to wear dark, solid colors, but demonstrates a flair for simple but noticeable fashion.
Shira Lipkin, aka Magpie: A tiny, manic presence, Shira is a hypercreative goofball with intense moods and a sharp sense of humor. Just shy of graduation, she hangs with what would often be called “a bad crowd,” including Tucker and Rol. She smokes occasionally, talks constantly, and rarely sits still. Even when she’s racked up with her computer (a closer companion than any of the kids at school!), she always seems to be in motion.
A tomboyish “t-shirt & jeans” kind of girl, Shira stands slightly less than five feet tall. Her grin is a presence in itself. Unruly cascades of reddish hair tumble down across her shoulders, framing the glasses perched between her hair and that Cheshire smile. Her t-shirts almost always feature Internet-related slogans or jokes, although the occasional high-fantasy inside joke makes its way across one. Her frantic personality masks a fundamental shyness and a magpie-like tendency to flit from one thing to another. Her nickname reflects this tendency, and she plans to get a magpie tat for her 18th birthday.
Episodes featuring both characters have been written and illustrated, but not yet lettered. Once one is ready, I'll post a preview here as well.
More to come! This is only the beginning...
And again, a hearty THANK YOU to all the folks who helped out and earned a place in the comic.
Cheers!
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* - Which is still in production, as artist Bryan Syme and I want to have 30 episodes ready to post before we go live with it. Currently, we're on episode #23 or so - like I said, it's been a busy year!