The Comics How To: TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Even though many elements have been developed in order to create a well-rounded character, I still think there can be more. By examining many existing popular characters I have noticed a very simple gimmick used to create more of an identity and that’s usually a prop of some kind. Once again, moving past the costume/fashion gimmick, I want to talk about specific articles used by a character. I’ll name a couple just to make my point clear: Sherlock Holmes smoked a large and very identifiable calabash pipe for stage and screen. James Bond has his Walther PPK pistol, primarily in the films. While thinking of a useful prop, I went with the latter example, not a gun specifically, but a tool/weapon that can be used by the main character.

As I have mentioned, while developing your character opportunities will present themselves. Since I had settled on the barber profession and building an environment within a barbershop, it seemed logical to me that a useful prop would be a set of scissors. I wanted the prop, the scissors, to be an extension of the main character. I wanted the prop to be a useful tool in the profession and a special weapon while psychic adventuring.

This may sound a bit odd, but I started to build an identity for the scissors. I didn’t want the scissors to just be something the main character used as a tool all the time, I wanted the scissors to be a character. So, I started to build a back-story for the scissors. I wanted the scissors to be very old, elaborately decorated in gold, and most of all, mysterious.

Part of the back-story is where the main character found the scissors, or more importantly, how the scissors called to the main character while he was in an antique shop. I wanted the scissors to have a lasting imprint of the previous owner(s) that will help the current owner, especially if they are do-gooders. I wanted the main character to unite with the scissors, and from then on work together as a team.

Initially that’s all I had worked out while creating an identity for the scissors, but my writing partner and editor, Adam Volle, asked me a very poignant question about the scissors one day and that was, “Why are these scissors so special?” “Sure they’re cool and indestructible and such, but there seems to be something missing about them.” He was right; I needed to work out more details about the scissors, so I started to do some research, not just about the scissors, but more importantly who might have previously owned them. I began to study modern day hairstylists and found them to be very lack-luster. There was nothing exciting or particularly entertaining about them, so I went farther back in time and found an odd French hairdresser named Legros de Rumigny from the 1700s. He was a big deal in that day, but what I was most interested was in was how he died. Supposedly he was trampled to death when Marie Antoinette came to town. I thought that was weird and I knew I could build a great story around that.

Once again, by delving deeper into research, a great opportunity presented itself and I went wild with it. I can develop the scissors more by giving it a name, which solidifies an identity. I will call them Legros de Rumigny. In fact, the name is stenciled into both sides of the scissors. These enchanted scissors belonged to a grand and mysterious hairdresser from the 1700s France, who forged them from a fallen meteorite. Why not? That sounded fun and weird.

Although I had a plausible back-story for the scissors, initially this story was not implemented in the first issue of the comic series or the original screenplay. Either way, it felt good to have the back-story in place. It was easier to justify the connection between the main character and Legros, the scissors. There was a bond in place, even though it was vague at this point. But still, another idea was brewing for another story because a simple question was asked.

Things are really coming together at this point. I feel confident that a well-developed story can be built around a well-developed through-line/main plot, character, supporting cast, setting, and useful prop.

There are plenty of elements in place in order to progress.

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