#ace spellbound

So yeah, it’s the Fourth of July. You know, fireworks season. So I figured it was a perfect time to draw and re-introduce one of my supervillains from my Heroes Universe. I’ve posted art of him before right here. I have trouble with him sometimes because I designed him a certain way so he looks much older than he’s supposed to be

So, meet Skylight.  I haven’t come up with his civilian name yet but he has one.

He used to be the head of the Skylight Fireworks franchise, an old family business that he loved. However, the company was going under and bigger companies were crowding him out. Eventually the board voted him out and the company got absorbed into some other fireworks megacorp.

He lost everything, he was absolutely furious, it was gone, all gone!

Well one thing his family always knew and taught was how to make the product yourself. He saw no other way, blinded by rage and loss, he made himself a protective suit, made his own custom fireworks, took up the name of his deceased company, and tried to get revenge on the board that kicked him out and subsequently other fireworks companies.

Eventually his anger winded down, however at that point he realized he was out of options. He had made himself into a criminal and had attempted assault, sabotage, and possibly murder. He was a good guy who had a long series of bad days and poor decisions and now he was stuck.

Because it was pride month i decided to do portraits of characters from my Heroes Universe who were in fact LGBTQIA. So from the team that started it all, it’s the League of Heroes.

I did something different because I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time and digital art makes me an obsessive perfectionist. I haven’t busted out the old colored pencil collection in nearly 5 years but when push comes to shove...

So some brief information about each of them under the cut

Fistman(David): Wait? When, where, what?!

The Ace of Spades(Ace): Meeting room.

Fistman: Didn’t Psy-Kick call for a meeting this morning?

Shadow: Hey Ace, is your sister around?

Ace: Uh...

Shadow: That sounds pretty weird coming from me but-

Ace: Choose your words wisely

Shadow: I need some legal advice

Ace: oh sure no proble- Aren’t you a cop? Don’t you guys have lawyers?!

Shadow: Yeah? And? Who do you think I can trust? A bunch of profiteering overstuffed suits in the pocket of the Boston Police Department...

I did one of those Art v Artist posts I’ve been seeing around. Surely I am keeping up with the times.

Once upon a time people from another universe where magic was commonplace travelled to our world. Though many returned home some stayed and some bred with the locals. Thousands of generations later people with limited magical abilities manifested. These groups with a common power became "Magi-Clans". These days most Magi-Clans are large families with old money and a lot of influence, and actual magical power that they keep to themselves. 

 Ace Spellbound, family black sheep, believed doing the right thing and doing what made him happy was more important that maintaining the traditions of a self-centered modestly wealthy family of magicians. Ace used his power to become a hero, donning the mantle The Ace of Spades. Ace loves theatre, stage magic, men, and media tropes, which is sort of in opposition to his stodgy conservative wealthy family of doctors, lawyers, and CEOs. Ace and his sister Hannah become two of the 20 founding members of the first superhero team, The League of Heroes

 Hannah Spellbound, lawyer wannabe and Ace's younger and more studious sister by 7 years, she took to spending more time with Ace whom she is close to while still studying under the ideals of her parents. She lives with Ace from time to time under the guise of spying on him for their family. Hannah, wanting to learn more from her brother, took on the mantle of Hearts. Her perspective can be described in this quote from her: "I've always been taught that the law is always right, that vigilante justice is wrong. But my brother taught me it's worse to do nothing when you could have done something."

 Dickson "Dix" Spellbound  is Ace and Hannah's uncle, a club owner and former Marine with a big heart. When Dix's brother kicked Ace out, Dix took Ace in, never having been on board with the family history of shadiness. He doesn't become a superhero immediately, only after coming out a few times to help his niece and nephew, and eventually he joins the UN-run superhero initiative, Heroes U.N.I.T.E.D. The more straightforward Dix took on the mantle 10 Club.