Jan
26
Here’s the original Aftermath RPG character sheet of Mike Sterling (now known as Jake McKenzie from “In Ruins”). The top and bottom right drawings would have been done sometime around 1986 (when I was a young teenager).
Aftermath – Jake McKenzie 2
Back then, I gave Mike the backstory that he had looted a museum, which was why he ended up with such an eclectic collection of weapons. I mean, look at him, nunchaku, a crossbow and bolts, WWII Colt.45 (it says so on the holster!), boot knife and a Sten gun. Topped off with a suit of chainmail under all those clothes, a G.I. Joe American Army helmet and a hockey mask to try to minimise the amount of damage he could take in that brutal RPG.
The hockey mask is a nod towards Casey Jones from the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comics and Jason Voorhees from the “Friday the 13th” films.
Mike ended up with a robotic arm in-game and I modelled it on Hamerstein’s arm from “Ro-Busters” and “ABC Warriors”, which appeared in the Starlord and 2000 AD comics.
In the bottom left of the page, Simon Bisley’s work on the “ABC Warriors” in 1987 was obviously an influence on my art. I added yet another weapon to Mike’s arsenal which is his now signature chainsaw.
So, there you have it. Jake’s mechanical arm for “In Ruins” had been planned for a loooonnng time. 😉
