soaptears
Color aftermath
Welcome to the Land of Luminaria; a monochromatic world filled with monsters and adventure! When technology threatens their kingdom, a group of Colors must use their
creativity to push back against the forces of AI.
'Color Aftermath' follows a team of heroes as they fight 'mechanimals,' dangerous, mutated robotic animals that have been taken over by malevolent artificial intelligence. As they grow and learn more about their mysterious world's past, they also discover the magic of human creation- and how it is stronger than anything a machine can make.
Color Aftermath is a passion project of mine that finally has a home on PopJoy as one of their flagship comics! While the site is still in beta, I have been making ads over on GIPHY.
CHARACTERS
The main cast are known as 'The Heroes of Hue,' or more colloquially, 'Team Pigment.'
They work as guardians of Princess White and her kingdom. Blue is the story's protagonist!
Blue
Curious and energetic, Blue has a great deal of empathy for those around her– friend or foe.
As a part of Team Pigment, she works under White to protect the kingdom from Black’s attacks. She has no problem diving head first into danger, that is what heroes are supposed to do after all! With Deck at her side and her spear in hand, Blue wants to do the right thing for the people of Luminaria. Will she have what it takes to break the status quo if it means saving the world?
Deck – a moniker of ‘tape deck’ + Deckard – is Blue’s pet dog. He follows her around and records her mission logs.
Blue was the first to be designed, as she started as an online persona I could use to represent myself.
I thought the concept of an all-blue character was interesting, and the whole world of Luminaria eventually came after!
concepts
circa 2018
WHITE
The Ruler of Vividia and Princess of Light.
Princess White founded Luminaria after The Calamity, and has made it her duty to protect the people from Black. The Team work for her in this endeavor, fighting off monsters and other Colors that want to destroy the kingdom. While elegant and graceful, she can also be fairly witty and sarcastic. Overall, she is a gracious princess, and wants only what is best for her people
White wasn't in the first draft of the script, as it was more of a survival apocalypse story. As the world grew and the society was built up around the cast, they needed a leader.
The sum of all colors in light is white, so it only made sense that she would be the founder of a colorful world!
concepts
red
Headstrong and passionate team captain with a quick temper.
Red is Team Pigment’s fearless leader, always doing what he can to get the job done efficiently while still keeping his squad safe. He’s a pretty big square for someone shaped so triangular. He is incredibly loyal, especially to Princess White, and has a strong sense of justice he wants to instill in the others. ...Although most of the time it just comes across like a dad lecturing his kids about ‘doing the right thing.’ While Blue trusts him, she knows there is something he isn’t telling her.
Originally, I struggled to find a design that fit him, which made me dread drawing him.
Through writing the story, however, Red has become one of my favorite characters! I ended up drawing him more frequently because of it, and now I love working on panels that include him!
concepts
circa 2018
ORANGE
Calm and reliable, she has a great knowledge of tactics and weaponry.
Orange is quick on her feet, both metaphorically and physically. She often works with Red to come up with battle strategies, acting as an unofficial co-captain for the team.
If Red is the dad of the group, Orange is the mom.
I wanted to create a more graceful and thoughtful fighter to balance his more physical approach.
However, her cold demeanor is a stark contrast to the loving figure she is "supposed" to be.
concepts
circa 2018
yellow
Young but extremely strong fighter who wants to prove herself as a mature soldier.
She is energetic and wild, often acting on impulse. Yellow is the youngest of the team, and whether she likes it or not, she acts like it. Despite her small stature, she is incredibly strong, and wants to be treated as an adult.
I've always loved the trope of the little girl who is absurdly strong, despite her cute demeanor. Her spiky hair and skirt are a nod to her power.
concepts
circa 2018
green
Inquisitive by nature, he has an interest in
the monsters and their culture.
While fearful of the creatures at first, he learns to appreciate their strange nature. His previous fascination with the Old World makes for an incredible contrast. Birds weren’t half telephones back then! Green is an old school nerd, literally.
We typically see nerdy characters geek out about their interests, with no origin story as to how they became so enamored.
Green has the first character arc in the story, his anxiety over the mechanimals soon becomes a strange fascination.
I think he had the biggest glow up (literally) from his 2018 design.
concepts
circa 2018
violet
Blue’s best friend!
She acts a nurse when the team gets injured. Not the strongest fighter, and as a result, not the most confident. She often puts others before herself in an attempt to feel worthy. She tries her best to be kind and help in whatever ways she can– like a good best friend should!
Every team needs a healer, and the psychology of being the only one not strong enough to hold your own was a fantastic place to start with writing Violet.
Her head shape often reminds me of a strawberry, which fits because she's so sweet.<3
concepts
black
Where there is light, there is darkness, and with darkness comes chaos. The monsters within the chaos are led by Black, a mysterious and powerful figure who will stop at nothing to take White’s throne.
concepts
Because he works in the shadows, we do not see much of him until later in the story. He is still in need of a turnaround sheet.
indigo
Previous member of the team who has left to be on his own.
Indigo is presumed dead by his former team, as he disappeared to the Wasteland without a trace. Stealth is his forte after all, it is very easy to be a ghost when nobody expects to see you. Indigo works under Black now, trying to usurp White from her throne.
Being the most overlooked color in 'ROYGBIV,' Indigo was the obvious choice for an outlier character.
Due to his new home in the Wasteland, he now wears more clothing to protect from harsh environments.
concepts
misc.
WORLD
The world of Color Aftermath, known as Luminaria, is one of cold, monochromatic destruction. After an event known as "The Calamity," hues were taken from the environments, and all life was destroyed. Color society was formed in the wreckage.
Aesthetically, Color Aftermath mixes cartoony, bright characters, with greyscale photography.
Comic
The story is hosted on PopJoy.App, a webcomic platform that allows you to animate your pages.
The middle video is an example.
