Fourstrings - Definitive Version

I'm finally proud enough of a Fourstrings concept that I'm making it the definitive version. At long f'n last! This was one of the drawings my scanner chopped, chewed and spat out. Fortunately, I was aware of the situation by the time I drew the sketch for this drawing, so I didn't put colour in. Heck, I even left out his right arm, which I drew directly in digital.

So, for those of you who aren't familiar with the Glenmetropolis history, this is Marcus Keith Bassman. University student at Glen U, this young man works as a bodyguard-for-hire, (prepare for the single most over-used sentence in the history of fiction) until one fatal day. He was hired to protect a Nigerian ambassador, Nsia Okondo. After accompanying her to dinner, Marcus escorted Okondo to her limousine... or so he thought. The licence plate seemed different than the diplomatic plate he'd seen earlier in the day. As he walked to the front of the limo to inspect the driver, he found out it was an automaton - The car was not meant to be driven by a human. He soon understood why. 

Blasted in the air, Fourstrings' face was burnt from the limousine exploding. The blast had instantly killed ambassador Okondo. The young man laid on the ground, trying his best to protect himself from the raging inferno, eventually passing out...

Days later, he awoke in a hospital bed, the left part of his face covered in gauze. The doctors did all they could, but his burns ran deep, thus his skin would forever bear the marks of the explosion. As he rested, he received the visit of one Christopher Zachlin, the lead commander of the F.L.O.O.D.. He extended Marcus a personal invitation to join the F.L.O.O.D., adding it would grant the young man the resources necessary to track the man responsible for the explosion - the mysterious terrorist known only as The Chessmaster.

As far as personality goes, Marcus is introverted, straight to the point, a bit solemn and much of a loner. He does have a pronounced weakness for women - for example, he might lose his bearings when dealing with a female criminal. As his name suggests, he is a proficient bass player, with over 13 years of experience under his belt. Fourstrings was adopted at the age of three, when his parents mysteriously disappeared. Indeed, he was raised along Sandra Trenaway (Stomp) by her father, Jason Trenaway. Marcus and Jason combined their life savings to get Sandra surgery, granting her the use of her legs after spending the better part of her life in a wheelchair.

A lot of Marcus is derived from me. Well, maybe not the muscles, but the rest of his looks. Like Andrew Anderson (my protagonist for my other "serious" project, Lockheed), his face has imperfections, reflecting my own (I have a bad skin complexion, which held me back and gave me profound issues with self-esteem as a teen... and still a bit today, even though I'm past my "meat lover's special" days). Unlike Marcus, however, my ears aren't pierced. Personality-wise, he's much darker, and further away from how I am than Anderson is. There are still some similarities, but they're trivial.

At any rate, I'm very proud to announce this is the look I'll use for him in the Glenmetropolis.

Fourstrings and all other aforementioned characters ©