Concept 5: The Temp

One of my concepts is pretty well developed, but ironically is one of the least advanced. A few years ago, I came up with a comic series set in an office environment (reflecting some personal experience). I thought it could be fun to have rejected or unemployed super-villains working a call center, and recycled some character designs that suddenly fit in really well.

Over time, an interesting plot took shape in my brain, and I found my 'hook': a slacker gets a job (thanks to his Dad) at a down-on-their-luck super-villain call center, run by a very crabby supervisor. While getting to know his fellow co-workers, he starts getting suspicious about the purpose of the center itself, and manages to thwart a devious plot by the boss behind the scenes.

Originally, I considered having the lead character fall for a co-worker; recently, I've decided to keep romantic shenanigans out of the first story (which I figure would work well as a finite graphic novel), maybe to be used in a possible sequel.

Although I found it easy designing the co-workers, I had a hard time fleshing out the look for the main character. I was never happy with my sketches, something was missing; one afternoon, an individual ambled in front of my car, and I thought to myself excitedly: There's my temp!

I've whipped up a bunch of design sketches, as well as an ad that will appear in my soon-to-be printed ashcan:

I hired an artist a few years ago to take a stab at a few pages, but I really didn't think his approach fit the concept at all. I'd been intrigued by the samples of work he'd done in the past, but discovered he'd selectively showcased pages that were strong. Unfortunately, the work he gave me would have to be completely redrawn, so it's back to the old drawing board.

This concept has recently moved to the front burners; my goal is to have a solid synopsis and preliminary script completed as soon as possible. Next will be finding the perfect artist to fit my vision, but that'll be down the line. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse into the world of The Temp.